After a short, but pleasant conversation with Shea while Aero took his turn – it quickly became time for Nazmi to bathe.
She walked toward the nearest door and apprehensively grasped the handle. In her head came an androgynous, disembodied voice that listed all of the rooms in the house.
'Retired Master Bedroom, Aero's room, Shea's room, the study, the potion room…' the list continued for several moments before finally coming to the word 'bathroom.'
Nazmi repeated the word 'bathroom' in her mind and slowly twisted the handle. When she pushed the door in, she found herself in the large washroom. It had shining white tiles and an ornate claw-foot tub in the middle. The heating mechanism and coals were present, but were unused and collecting dust. It was obvious they never needed to heat anything without their magic.
Steam was still rising from the tub, which made Nazmi nervous to touch the water – but she did anyway. Fortunately, it was just warm enough for her to tolerate. It was a pretty close call, though.
She disrobed herself once again, draping her clothes over a rack adjacent to the basin of water. The young woman dipped her hand in one more time to double check the temperature before finally climbing in.
Her small body shuddered at the initial heat. It took a couple of minutes for her skin and organs adjusted to the change before she was finally able to relax.
—
After having sat in the tub for nearly 45 minutes, Nazmi's body had absorbed a lot of the water and started to circulate it. She felt satisfied and energized. Her long gray hair had returned to its usual silky state, and her skin back to its normal pale-warm tone.
She dried her hair with the towel as much as possible and tied the hair up into a knot. Once it was out of the way, she stepped into her panties and slipped her simple dress back over her shoulders.
Nazmi reached out to the doorknob and thought 'living area', which thankfully brought her back to the den.
A savory scent wafted into her nose that made her mouth water. Was it meat? She had never eaten any sort of meat, her father forbade it since she was tiny.
"What are you making?" She asked.
Shea peeked around from the corner of the kitchen and smiled. "Beef stew and rice! I hope you're hungry, I made a lot."
Despite it being entirely new to her, she nodded without hesitation. The novelty of eating meat was something she'd be able to experience from now on, since she was no longer under her father's roof. It was exciting! A faint smile graced her lips as she sat at the island to watch Shea cook.
Nazmi then realized that the other blond twin was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Aero? Weren't we going to go to the city?"
"The grand council requested out help for something, but since you're visiting I decided to send him to see what they want instead of leaving you alone," she replied casually. "It's getting late so a lot of shops are closing now. It's better to go during the day. Also, I'm starving."
"Do you get summoned by this… council often?" the nymph asked curiously.
"…Well, our lives essentially belong to them. We don't have much say," Shea said apprehensively. "If it were up to us, we wouldn't be involved with them at all."
"You two must be tired of bearing such a troublesome secret," Nazmi added empathetically. "I'm assuming they know you two are twins?"
Shea flinched at the word, but nodded gravely. "They only allowed us to live because our affinity for magic was impressive. Our parents… they killed themselves when they gave birth to twins. The council was prepared to execute us as well, but one of the high elders was a kind-hearted man who saved our lives.
"He and his wife are the ones who took us in, whose house this used to be. Unfortunately, they were killed defending a small group of young wizards from a vampire patrol just outside the Mirage.
"Without them to protect and vouch for us, we are left indebted to the rest of the council, doing whatever they ask of us – like dogs… in return for our lives."
Nazmi listened intently. Her soft sage eyes never left Shea's while the girl spoke, actively taking in the information. It was important for her to learn and understand the politics of the world, since she hadn't ever gotten the chance to before.
After Shea was done speaking, though, Nazmi felt a little uncomfortable. It felt as though the sorceress had been vulnerable in front of her for nothing in return. The nymph bit her lip, but ultimately decided to divulge her own secret.
"I'm sorry you're suffering through all of this… one day, I'll start fixing the corruption in the world," she said casually. Her eyes then met Shea's blue ones. "I'm one of the last nymphs left after their attempted genocide a few decades ago. I'm on a mission for revenge against both the humans and vampires."
"A nymph?" Shea's eyes widened. "We had guessed that you weren't human, but we couldn't pinpoint your species. It was obvious you weren't a vampire, but at the same time nothing else made sense."
Nazmi gave a single nod. "I have no idea where to go or how to start toward my goal, so the best I've got is to keep moving and hope for the best."
"Thanks for sharing with me," Shea said with a sad expression. "I hope we can help you somehow. I'm sure it's difficult trying to learn about yourself when there's no one that can teach you."
"Thank you for telling me your secret, too. I will keep it safe as long as you keep mine," Nazmi said softly. "Don't worry, you can share with Aero. I don't mind."
Shea nodded happily, and turned to the pot she had continued to stir and boil throughout their conversation. "It's done!"
Nazmi's mouth started to water when she looked at the hearty stew. There was a large bowl of rice to accompany the dish, and together they were so incredibly tempting that Nazmi wondered how her father had been able to resist such delightful food!
The two women sat down at the table and started to eat. Nazmi was completely stunned at the rich, salty and delectable flavor and texture of the beef. Her stomach warmed with the broth, and the rice filled her perfectly.
"This is so good! I've never had it before, but meat is wonderful." Nazmi exclaimed. "I love meat."
"Never?! I guess that makes sense since you're a nymph," Shea said thoughtfully. "But I'm glad you like it, it's my favorite. We should try chicken for breakfast!"
Nazmi nodded her head vigorously. She felt as though they had grown closer as friends, and that her future was beginning to brighten up.
She had no idea how wrong that was.