"Do you like my brother?"
Startled, Misty turned, splashing water onto the floor. She pressed her breasts to the side of the tub to hide her naked body and spun her head around to see where the voice had come from. On the far side of the room was a large window where a person lounged, dangling their legs over the side of the ledge. They crunched on what looked like an apple before tossing the core into a waste basket nearby.
They jumped into the room and Misty was able to see a kaunak wrapped around her waist and a band pressed tight against her chest. Misty relaxed a little when she realized that whoever it was coming toward her was also female, but she couldn't help trying to keep her body hidden. She had always felt shy in locker rooms. The girl looked like she was in her early teens.
"Who are you?" Misty exclaimed.
"I'm Sephie! Jay's my brother," she smiled, dragging a chair from the side of the room and plopped down next to the tub. "So, do you?"
Misty blushed. She thought about Jay and wasn't sure about how she felt. He was so beautiful, and his body was the kind that anyone could drool over. She didn't hate the situation she was in right now, though she acknowledged that she had no idea what the future held.
"I don't dislike him. I've only known him for a day, but he seems like a kind person." Misty couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the intense stare. Sephie laughed.
"Are you sure that you are talking about MY brother?" She stood and began to strip down.
"What are you doing?" Misty snatched a towel close to the tub edge and wrapped it around her body doing her best not to look at the girl.
"I'm taking a bath!" She said, jumping naked into the tub. "Can you scrub my back? I'll do yours if you want." Sephie grabbed one of the soaps and a scrubbing cloth. Misty stared wide eyed, gripping the towel close. In her old world bathing was done in private, but there were other cultures that bathed together. Even in the high school locker rooms, there were separate stalls if you needed to take a shower.
Sephie shoved the scrubbing cloth at Misty. After looking at it for a moment, she took the cloth in her hand and Sephie turned around. She pulled her mane of dark blond hair away from her neck and Misty could see her slender shoulders. Sighing, Misty secured the towel around her and started scrubbing her back.
"You can scrub a little harder, I won't break."
"Okay." Misty hesitated. "Do people take baths together here often?"
"Of course!" Sephie shot a glance over her shoulder. "Jay told us to leave you alone, but it's hard to scrub your own back!" Misty couldn't help but smile at her comment. Even though the experience was new, Jay's sister seemed to be trying to be welcoming in her own way.
"Where I come from, we don't do that."
"Really! How does everyone take a bath then?" Misty considered for a moment.
"I guess it is because almost everyone has their own shower or tub where I'm from. Bigger families have to share, but I was the only one to use the bathroom in my apartment." Sephie looked at Misty with a grimace.
"Sounds kind of lonely!" Misty thought back to her time in her apartment. Her whole life had revolved around her job and schoolwork. She never had any time to invite people over and her family never came over. Looking back, Misty realized that she had been isolated in her little apartment. Maybe that is why she had been so desperate to take a vacation.
"You are probably right." Sephie realized that Misty had stopped scrubbing and looked back at her. Sadness marked her face and Sephie thought that her new sister-in-law had probably lived a sad life in the past. Sephie went to grab another scrubbing cloth.
"Turn around and I'll do yours too!" Misty turned around and Sephie chattered away. She learned that she was in the village of Puka. Most of the people who lived here were feline shifters but there were a lot of different types of shifters in this world.
After hearing Sephie list a few types, Misty realized they were all mammals that hunted like felines and canines. No reptiles and no herbivores shifters like cows or horses. No bird shifters either. Part of her was really glad she could still have fried chicken without too much guilt.
Sephie's mother was the youngest of 's wives. Her name was Haphor. Sephie had a brother named Persia and they were both thirteen years old. Sheena, Jay's mom, was 's senior wife. was also married to Qiya who was the mom of San and Rem, her half-brothers.
"So, Jay is the oldest of your siblings?"
"Yep! He turned 28 this year. We thought he would never find a mate! So picky." Sephie sounds just like her aunt and Misty couldn't help but laugh.
Misty began to dry off, surprised at how comfortable she felt bathing with someone else. It was probably because Sephie was so friendly, but she could see how communal bathing was so popular. She grabbed the bathrobe on the wall and wrapped it around her. Sephie opened a door and pulled out another robe hidden away.
"Jay has been waiting a while so I am going to head out." Sephie said, walking back to the window.
"Why are you using the window?"
Sephie grinned. "It is more fun that way!" Then she leapt onto the ledge and out of the window. Misty walked over and leaned out, but Sephie was long gone.
She walked back over and opened the door. Jay was leaning on the wall. He looked up through his lashes and smiled and she could feel her heart racing. He was so hot! She cleared her throat.
"Your sister is really sweet."
Jay scowled, "She was supposed to leave you alone."
"I didn't mind." Jay regarded Misty and after seeing her gentle smile, he began to relax. He had been worried that his family would overwhelm her, but he could see she was more serene after her bath.
"I'm glad. Mom found some clothes for you. She put them in the guest room."
"Okay, can you show me the way back?"
"Sure."