The silence covered the reception like the steam of the hot baths. The girl, Katsuko, sneaked looks at Edelweiss. She kept running her tanned hands through her black short hair, making it more tousled every time. Meanwhile, Edelweiss stared back openly.

She had a lot of questions bubbling inside, but said nothing at all. Katsuko likely had even more questions, and Edelweiss didn't think she would be as helpful as Riona and Honey in that regard.

Time passed slower than a sleepy turtle, the frequency of the otherworld traveler's self-mussing of her hair speeding up. When she stopped, opting instead for clenching her right fist to her side, the motion almost took Edelweiss by surprise.

"So, uh," began the human with a hesitant smile, "What's that?" She pointed at the bottle on the counter.

"An oil of ice fern." Answered the other girl, "It's good for joint pain."

"Nice! It said that this is a bath house. Well, a bath-and-tea house. Do you serve tea in the bath? That sound super relaxing."

"It's nice. Though, when there are a lot of people, it's the opposite of relaxing." 

"That makes sense." Katsuko crossed her arms, "Can I... take a bath?"

"No." Her answer was blunt enough that the human's dark eyes widened in surprise. The white-haired girl clarified, "You would need to pay for it, and I doubt you have the local coin on you. When Honey and Riona come back, you can ask them again. They'll probably let you for free, since you're going to be staying with them. But they're the owners. I can't just let you in like it's my place."

Her attempt at softening her tone did little. Katsuko didn't speak again. This was why Edelweiss didn't usually tend to the counter.

Oh, well. She accepted the return to the quiet stillness of before, only for it to be interrupted by the door that lead deeper into the bath house opening. A short, teenage girl with green eyes framed by flames for eyelashes and shoulder-length blond hair jumped out. Literally. She landed on the reception with a leap.

"Edelweiss, time for lunch." Lina caught sight of Katsuko standing in the middle of the room and raised her eyebrows, "Ah, a client?"

"This is Katsuko. Katsuko, this is Lina. She works here too."

"Nice to meet ya." Lina moved next to Edelweiss, back straight, one hand in the pocket of her uniform, "I'm sorry Edelweiss was the one who welcomed you. She's not known to be a people's person, y'know?" She said it in a light-hearted manner, but also matter-of-factly, the way the elemental had of mentioning harsh truths.

"No, don't worry, it's fine." The black-haired young woman hurried to say. Edelweiss felt a pang of guilt; it wasn't the first time Lina reprimanded her for her lack of tact around guests, but Katsuko's fast disregard of the shorter girl's preoccupations was sweet.

"Now, then, what bath do we draw you?" Wondered the blond girl aloud, "We're offering a discount on the laundry service today, if you'd like that too."

"Thank you. But I don't have the money for a bath."

Edelweiss nodded, "Miss Grace brought her here. She's going to be staying with Honey and Riona."

"Miss Grace?" Lina frowned at the name, before her eyes widened, "Wait... don't tell me you're a human?" Without waiting for an answer, she moved in front of Katsuko with her chin rested on her hand. 

The wolf girl bit back a comment about how Lina's piercing eyes in intrusive mode were far more unpleasant than anything she would ever say to the clients.

"There's barely any magic on you. Fascinating!"

"Wait, 'barely'?" Said the human. She smiled until dimples showed in both of her cheeks, "Does that mean I have some magic?"

"Of course. Everything alive has a little bit of it." Lina smiled back, then turned back to the door, "Let's go eat before Silca steals our plates. You too, Katsuko. If Honey and Riona are going to be taking care of you, they won't mind feeding ya."

Edelweiss went after her coworker. When she didn't hear a third set of steps, she gestured for Katsuko to come forward. Slowly, as if the bath house would fall apart if she walked too firmly, the other girl left her place near the front door.

The thuds of three pairs of shoes on wooden floors changed to satisfying clicks of soles on tiles. Beyond the reception room, the halls that led to the different baths and rooms of the building were covered in colorful aquatic murals. On the left wall, a hippocampus in all its splendor rested among a kelp forest, while mantas black as shadows swam over it. On the right, a chorus of mermaids carrying spears and wearing pearls guarded a treasure chest. The floor tiles had the color of the silvery sand of the ocean floor, occasionally interrupted by the colors of a seashell.

"Did - did that mermaid horse just move?" Stuttered Katsuko.

"It's enchanted." Lina explained, "The most expensive ones move in real time, but these do so very slowly."

They passed door after door. Some had curling steam escaping from them like ghostly serpents, or hid the cheerful sound of running water behind them. More than one smelled: scents of spices, floral perfumes, all refreshing fragrances, the kind that didn't overwhelm. However, Edelweiss' canine nose caught them all at the same time. It made for a rather unpleasant experience. Peaches alone were nice. Mix them with basil and cinnamon, and they made her stomach turn.

The hall ended in a set of stairs that disappeared upwards. The last door before it had a tiny sign that read EMPLOYEES ONLY. Merry chattering came from it.

Lina opened the door.

The room was messy and full of all sorts of knickknacks. The furnishing was modest: A shelf with so many thick books pressed into it that the piece of furniture looked ready to burst. A small fridge below a table with Riona's beloved coffee machine on top of it. An old closet nearby, which loomed ominously, closed with chain and lock. Another one that contrasted with the first, made of a lighter wood and half-open, the towers of fluffy towels inside almost spilling. Right in the center, a second table covered in a well-used tablecloth had another girls by it.

Silca lifted her gaze from her nails. Her fluffy purple curls bounced when she got up from her seat, interrupting Lina's declaration of "This is where the bosses keep us imprisoned when they don't need us."

"I was wondering where you were." She said in her soft, deceptively fragile-sounding voice. She quirked an eyebrow and bowed a little towards Katsuko, with a delicacy that fitted the pretty face she had and went against the roughness of the curled horns protruding from her temples, her prominent fangs and her tall, athletic build.

Lina stepped aside, so the other two could see the ogress, "This is Katsuko, Sil. She'll be staying with the bosses. Remember, they're part of the Otherworld Traveler Program."

"Oh my!" Exclaimed Silca, covering her mouth with a hand.

"I know right?!" Said the elemental girl. She walked to the chair closest to the door, then straddled it, each leg hanging out the sides. Her emerald eyes ran up and down Katsuko's body, and her burning eyelashes flickered, "I thought humans had magic to make their tits big! She has nice legs, though." She pointed shamelessly at the human girl's limbs.

Edelweiss held back a laugh. Through the corner of the eye, she saw the otherworld traveler blush a deep red.

"Lina! You're terrible!" Silca had gone red too, as red as her irises. She took hold of Katsuko's hands, which didn't seem to make the young woman less flustered, "I'm so sorry!"

"Um, it's okay." Was the response. It sounded less honest than when she'd said something similar to Lina before. 

"Come and eat, Katsuko! We don't have enough for a fourth sandwich, but we can each give you parts of ours." As she talked, Silca went away to a pile of forgotten chairs in a corner, grabbed one and moved back to the table. She left it next to Lina. Then, without warning, stepped on the shorter girl's foot.

"Hey! What the hells?!" Howled the blond.

"You got off lightly. Be more ladylike." Stated the taller one coldly.

________________________________________________

"... No, no, cyclops have depth perception. I have no proof but also no doubts" Lina finished the arguments in support of her theory.

"I'm pretty sure half of what you just said were fallacies." Pointed out Silca, unimpressed.

"I don't hear anyone arguing back!"

"Why don't you ask Honey? She probably knows if that's true." Lina smoothed her skirt before resting her elbows on the table.

The conversation had continued beyond the sandwiches. Two of the girls exchanged tales, while Katsuko interrupted from time to time to react with delight towards something she found unusual or to deliver an interesting fact about humans and their world to the rest of the table. 

Edelweiss sat quietly in her chair, an open book on her lap. She faintly listened to the conversation, stopping her reading only when Katsuko spoke. She was not immune to the 'new and shiny' effect of the first human in town since the legendary incident.

And then Lady Lua placed her long finger on... oh wow, there? Honey acts so prim and proper and she bought THIS?

"Edelweiss, are you okay?"

She lifted her eyes when the human's voice reached her, without processing that it had been directed to her this time. She was met with three stares. It caused her to recoil a bit in her seat.

Lina coughed to call the attention back to her, "Katsuko, Edelweiss is a lone wolf kind of girl. She likes minding her own business."

"Oh." Katsuko didn't take her eyes off Edelweiss, "I just thought you looked a little lonely."

"I'm fine." She stated, "Don't worry about me."

"... Okay. If you change your mind, jump in." The black-haired girl turned back to the others and the talk resumed.

Edelweiss didn't say anything until the enchanted entrance bell echoed in the room. The white-haired girl had learned, years ago, that being quiet was the safest option.