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Zaide choked on a laugh and raised his hands. "I will keep it hidden from your visage, Charlie. I know it makes you feel threatened."
I let go of them to cover my face and laugh, then walked toward the bathroom.
I heard Charlie scoff and Zaide laugh as a playful slap echoed across the room.
Pulling back the wet shower curtain, I leaned on the edge of the tub and pulled my shoes off. I hopped into the shower, pulled the curtain across, and began peeling off the clothes I'd been in for over a week.
The bathroom door opened as Zaide and Charlie came inside. I peeked around the shower curtain to see Zaide leaning against the door and Charlie examining his face in the mirror. His eyes met mine in the reflection, and he glared mockingly.
"I knew you were lying."
I poked my tongue out at him and smiled.
"We are here, Little Cat. Get yourself clean," Zaide ordered as he stared at my wet head adoringly.
I started scrubbing at my hair with shampoo and detangling with my fingers, which was painful and lengthy.
As I watched the brown water wash down the drain, Charlie called, "I don't think these clothes are salvageable. We'll have to get rid of them. Mine were pretty bad too." He must have looked at Zaide because he said, "Yours too."
"I thought you said you didn't want to see my—" Zaide began to tease.
"I'm not asking you to strip now, you fucking weirdo."
Reaching for the conditioner, a product I wished we’d had when I was human, I chuckled to myself as I listened to them banter. I relaxed more and more knowing they were outside and that things were back to normal.
It's not normal. There's a dragon flying around. Maybe it didn't fly far and no one saw it. Maybe the witches already have it all sorted.
"Did the protector come out with the dragon?" I asked.
The sound of the shower was all I heard for a while as I waited for an answer. Just as I was about to pop my head around the curtain Charlie replied, "I think I saw him, but to be honest, it could have easily been an injured witch."
"And the dragon. It attacked them? The witches?" I scrubbed my skin raw with the soap.
"Ate them like they were Rice Krispies."
I shuddered.
Did I do that? Did I cause the rise of a dragon because I wished for the witches to die?
My mind turning, I finished my wash on autopilot and called, "Can you pass me a towel?" as I turned the taps off.
A hand, human hand, brushed past the curtain, holding a towel, which I took and wrapped around my body. Stepping out of the shower, I smiled softly at Zaide and sang, "Your turn."
He climbed into the tub and drew the curtain and began tossing his dirty clothes over the top. I laughed as his underwear landed on Charlie's foot and Charlie squealed in horror.
"Ugh, I need to wash my foot. I feel contaminated." He threw his foot into the sink and grabbed his towel as it loosened with the brave movements.
"You're being dramatic," I told him and laughed as he turned to glare at me.
"There wasn't toilet paper in the cave, Clawdia."
I laughed harder, clutching my belly. Zaide guffawed behind the curtain, and I relished in the moment. It was perfect and all I hoped for us in the future.
But I knew the Fates weren't that kind.
Sobering up, I picked up a brush on the counter and combed it through my hair, a small smile on my face as Charlie pulled his foot out of the sink, dried it with the bottom of his towel, and sat back on the toilet seat.
I hadn't noticed before, too busy drooling, but his whole body was covered in small bruises and scratches. I stepped toward him and gently ran a finger over a cut along his brow line. "You have a few scratches."
