It had been really hard to find a place to stay during the night, and they didn't secure more than that night, since the prices were changing fast, the tavern keeper said something about talking tomorrow again if they wanted to keep the room, not even the amazing social skills of Fuwa were able to move his heart to secure a good price or more days when money talks then there is nothing one can do.
"Well, at least this place is cute!" Said Fuwa happily.
In the end, they ended up paying almost one-third of their total resources, which were kindly provided by the bandits, just for one room, it was a dirty scam and Raven was still foaming about it. But that just proved how much Raven predicted that this would happen, even now, as the final lights of the day were reaching through the window, more and more people were coming to the town, carts pulled by horses and riders had arrived first, but now big groups of people that had arrived on foot too, probably from the big city they had seen at the distance. Not everyone was an adventurer of course, but there were merchants, artists, curious people, and dubious people as well... Raven was sitting on the border of the window looking through the window.
"Hey that cart that just arrived looks like something from a brothel, it's too extravagant and ornamented to be for a noble" She said as she looked.
"Brothel?" Said Fuwa who was examining a fireplace in the room, then she was a little nervous "What are you even talking about!"
Raven smirked, glancing back at Fuwa with an amused look "Come on, you've seen those before, right? There's no mistaking that kind of cart. Gold trimming, velvet curtains, and look at those lanterns! Too fancy for a regular merchant or noble traveling incognito. Probably one of those high-end mobile brothels"
Fuwa blushed furiously, trying to look busy with the fireplace "I-I mean, I've seen fancy carts, but... how can you be so sure it's a brothel?"
Raven chuckled, turning her attention back to the window "Let's just say I've seen enough on my travels to recognize one when I see it. Damn, when I was little there was this fat lady who was the madam of one of those that wanted to buy me from the orphanage, that was one of the reasons I was so eager to join anyone to leave that place" She chuckled "They follow the adventuring crowd. Business is good when there's a mix of danger and excitement"
"Eeeeh!?" Fuwa wasn't sure she heard that right "Wait wait wait!" She said moving her hands around "What!?"
"Eh? What's the big deal?" Raven said a little surprised jumping down from her spot at the window "It didn't happen, after all, in the end, I just wanted to leave that place and joined a mercenary group, fought many battles, lost almost all of them, and many boring stories"
Fuwa wasn't sure she wanted to hear more, but at the same time she really wanted to hear more, it was conflicting. But she just let go, drop by drop she was learning stuff about Raven she ignored, her past looked like a puzzle, a puzzle filled with dark stuff that Fuwa wasn't sure she had the stomach to endure, but she would do it if it was for her. Before she could say anything, Raven had moved toward a closed door in the room, and when she opened it she gasped, which called the attention of Fuwa.
"Now I understand why this place is called Golden Gryphon... but why a place like this is in the middle of nowhere in a town like this?" Raven said surprised "And it explains why this place is damn expensive"
"No way!" Said Fuwa with her mouth open.
Before them was a rustic room, yes, but in the middle of it was an enormous wooden bathtub, with firewood hoven in the middle, some dried wood was resting nearby, ready to load the thing and warm the water. This was luxurious. This wasn't for poor people like Raven, actually, she got the idea but she had never seen something like this.
"A warm bath again!" Said Fuwa all charmed.
"Tch of course, you are getting smelly" Teased Raven.
"Shut up! You too!"
"What!?" Said Raven suddenly annoyed, she crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Fuwa "I don't smell bad!" she huffed defensively. Her cat ears twitched as she stood her ground.
Fuwa laughed, her initial surprise giving way to amusement "Oh, come on, Raven"
Raven rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the small smirk tugging at her lips. "Yeah, yeah. I guess a bath wouldn't hurt" She eyed the wooden tub again, clearly impressed "This really is something, though. We must've lucked out"
Fuwa, still glowing with excitement, eagerly moved toward the bath "Lucked out? We paid a fortune for this!" She knelt down and started arranging the firewood to light the furnace under the tub. "But hey, if we're going to blow all our money on a place, it might as well have a bath like this, right?"
Raven leaned against the doorframe, watching Fuwa work with a mix of amusement and fondness. "Guess you're right. You and your obsession with warm baths... nothing like a relaxing bath at a lake or river..."
"It's not an obsession" Fuwa shot back, though her smile gave her away "It's basic hygiene. Something that adventurers can't always indulge in, so when I get the chance, I make the most of it"
As Fuwa set the fire, Raven wandered over to one of the shelves lining the room, her fingers trailing over the wooden surface. She picked up a small jar filled with herbs and sniffed it curiously "They even have bath salts. Fancy" She tossed the jar to Fuwa "Might as well go all out, huh?"
Fuwa caught the jar and grinned "Now you're talking! We're going to soak like queens tonight"
"Okaaay you take your bath first, I will go second then" She said while stretching.
"Eeeh? We are not going inside together?" Asked Fuwa in a whisper.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
There was a brief, awkward silence as Raven and Fuwa stared at each other, processing the moment.
"Wait, what did you just say?" Raven asked, her ears twitching in confusion.
Fuwa's face turned bright red, realizing what she had just blurted out "N-nothing!" She waved her hands defensively, trying to backtrack "I just meant... um... it's..."
Fuwa felt strange, on one hand, it was not like other girls had not seen her naked before, back at the institute, after physical ed and natation they had to take showers and change, but again... it was Raven her crush... her heart was ponding in her chest, but when she looked at the cat girl she looked troubled too, but after some moments she just gulped.
"Sure... why not...?"
Slowly but surely the water was starting to heat.