The low tables lay burdened with many fragrant dishes. Spiced beef ribs lay in a pool of glistening gravy, strips of seared steaks still ran with meaty juices, and red-braised meats almost glowed with flavor. It wasn’t just meat dishes; plates of stir-fried vegetables lay golden, gray noodles powdered with bright red spices, leafy greens, various buns, and soup dumplings.

Autumn’s mouth salivated at the sight.

She wasn’t the only one. While Autumn had been conversing with Floriris and Cahyphopheu, the rest of the eclectic girls had arrived. The first was the familiar face of Lia, the bunny-folk she had met previously. Softly chatting with her was another of her kind. Long gray ears stood in contrast to Lia’s white atop a head of curling gray waves. Her skin was a deep chocolate. Lazy eyes lay half-lidded as she had just awoken.

Seeing Autumn’s attention, Lia excused herself from conversation with Saphielle and Nethlia and made her way over.

“Varva meet Autumn; Autumn meet Varva.” Lia introduced them.

The gray-haired bunny-folk smiled tiredly at Autumn.

“Bonsoir. I am Varva Vesthofn, it’s a pleasure.”

“Oh, likewise. Enchantée.”

The words spilled forth from Autumn’s lips as if she had spoken their language her entire lifetime. Hearing her words, the pair shared a surprised look before a warm grin grew upon them.

“Enchantée. If there is anything you need around here, don’t be afraid to bother Lia.”

“Hey!”

Lia pouted.

“Let’s take our seats before the food gets cold, shall we?” Varva asked.

As everyone took their seats, Autumn ended up sandwiched between Nethlia on her left and Floriris on her right. Across from her sat Saphielle with another Inferni Autumn hadn’t met yet. Her skin was a light blue, like a sparkling ocean. Dark blue hair fell loosely behind curling ram-like horns.

She smiled shyly at Autumn.

“Hello, we haven’t met yet. My name’s Indani.”

The blue-skinned demoness spoke quietly amidst the general conversation in the suddenly noisy dining hall. On her other side, away from Saphielle, was a pink-toned Inferni that Autumn had only briefly met, the masseuse that had loosened up her aching shoulders. They had introduced themself as Nalaia before. The pink-skinned demoness cheerily waved to Autumn as she quietly chatted with the receptionist Stacy beside her.

Autumn’s gaze traveled to the door as another fantastical woman entered. Nine long orange tails tipped with white flickered lazily behind her as she approached. A Pair of fox-like ears twitched upon a head of messy orange hair. A pink and white kimono with embroidered petals along its hem draped her voluptuous body.

Slitted green eyes paused upon seeing a dark-haired witch, her expression became nervous only buoyed by the ease of her companions.

Autumn felt as if she was being sized up.

“Hello? Are you a new hire? I see Nethlia is back.”

Nethlia smiled and waved at the new arrival.

“Hey Ren. It’s nice to see you again.”

A sharp smile crested the woman’s mouth as her eyes squinted in happiness or amusement. Autumn coughed slightly to regain attention from the vixen.

“I’m Witch Autumn. Copper-rank adventurer. Nethlia and I’ve paired up to make a team.”

Slitted green eyes met with dark orbs as she gauged the witch before her.

“As you just heard, my name is Ren. Trickster and illusionist here at the lovely House of Blooms.”

As she introduced herself, magic flickered into the air and gentle flower petals swirled. Before Autumn could continue her conversation, she was interrupted by the arrival of a dark purple-skinned elf. They’d tied hair the color of fresh snow back in a loose bun. She had rolled up the sleeves of her dress to reveal calloused hands and muscular arms.

Placing down a pair of carafes full of ciders, she turned to Autumn.

“I’m Nhilnilee Torana. You can call me Nhil. The rest do. I’m the cook around here, so stay out of my kitchen and we’ll get along fine.”

“Witch Autumn.”

Autumn introduced herself succinctly.

A loud clap from Nethlia drew everyone’s attention.

“Is this everyone? Is the madam joining us? What about the two additional guards?”

Stacy spoke up after a moment of silence.

“The madam is swamped with paperwork and she will be eating later. Yacria and Wyslana are on patrol right now. This time is when things can get noisy outside.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s eat!” 

At Saphielle’s hungry cry, the Blooms’ girls and Autumn dug into the beautifully made meals. For the first time in a while, Autumn could relax, surrounded by company. The noise of conversation ebbed and flowed as people grabbed dishes they liked. Occasionally Autumn herself was drawn into conversation about herself or how she found the city. 

Nethlia’s hand brushed against Autumn’s once or twice as they ate. Her touch left Autumn’s skin feeling hot.

When the lavish meal finally wrapped up, Autumn’s cheeks were aglow with the infused warmth of the exotic drinks. This was the first time she had the chance to drink properly in her seventeen years.

With her mind abuzz and stomach full, Autumn felt drowsy. Yet before she could excuse herself for some much-needed rest, the bubbly blond elf confronted her.

“Autumn! The House is going to open for our clients shortly, so you might want to get to the baths first. It’s pretty awesome, you’ll love it.”

Saphielle excitedly dragged a bewildered Autumn towards the exit but before she could escape, one of her long droopy ears was caught in a tight grip by dark purple fingers.

“Not so fast. You’re cleaning the dishes today.”

Nhilnilee pointed to the dirty dishes still on the table. A few of the other girls were already cleaning up, and Floriris herself was carefully moving cushions back to their piles.

“But Nhil~, I was going to show Autumn to the bath!” Saphielle whined.

“Umm, I don’t mind helping. Is that ok?” Autumn asked.

Turning to Autumn, Nhilnilee offered a grateful smile.

“You don’t have to, but I’ll take the help all the same.”

Despite Saphielle’s childish protests, cleaning up was not too difficult and didn’t take all that long. Soon she was wandering back down the stairs alongside the group of girls. At the base of the stairs were a pair of female mercenaries, dressed in cloth, leather, and bone armor. One an emerald-skinned Inferni, the other a golden-haired elf.

“I’ll introduce myself to my juniors. If I don’t see you later, I’ll wake you in the morning,” Nethlia said before leaving the group.

“Oh, ok,” Autumn replied.

With one last disappointed glance, Autumn ventured deeper into the House of Blooms and descended into a vast chamber that made up the basement.

Carved into the rocky pillar itself, the chambered boasted smoothed down walls like that of a cave. The vaulted ceiling high above was supported by towering pillars evenly spaced along just away from the walls. Beautiful murals of sirens, mermaids, and other mythical sea creatures had been painted amongst the swirling waves all across the high ceiling.

The bathing pool of the chamber was almost the entire length of the grand chamber, resembling a more flooded cave than any sort of bathhouse Autumn had seen. While the beginning of the pool was shallow, it grew deeper and deeper until one could swim amongst several small rocky islands at the far end. Mystical arcane orbs of golden light floated across the water’s surface like dancing wisps and illuminated the space.

“Welcome to our grand baths!” Saphielle said. “There are a couple of rules. The first rule is that you must shower first. While the pool has cleaning sigils inscribed, it’s still gross.”

Saphielle gestured off to the left, where an open room lay. Fluffy towels lay piled up in cubicles along the wall and many wicker baskets awaited dirty laundry. Several cubicles lined the walls, bearing statues of nude demonesses holding tilted urns aloft. From those urns, clear water ran to cleanse the occupants before vanishing into drains below.

“Rule number two! No sex in the pool because gross. I know this is a bordello, but we have places for that. Rule number three…um…I forgot…hehe.”

Saphielle rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

“It’s no running. Idiot.” Calyphopheu reminded her.

In response, Saphelle stuck her tongue out at the Vipera before running off and almost slipping on the slick floor.

Calyphopheu just sighed at the elf’s antics.

Parting ways Autumn found herself in the changing room. It was mildly embarrassing to be getting naked around people she had only just met, but she had to deal with it in high school, so not that big of a deal.

Gingerly, she peeled off her newly gained clothes. Her muscles protested the action, as they were still sore from the beating she had taken. Sickly yellow, blue, and black bruises colored Autumn’s pale skin. Imprints of ghostly hands surrounded her neck and limbs where the dead had tried to drag her down. Only her face had escaped unblemished.

Time was nebulous in the Feywild, and her recollection of it was fuzzy, so she was unsure how long she’d been away from home. Since she’d escaped from it, only three days had passed in this demonland. Certainly not long enough for her injuries to heal, even with the aid of magic. 

Stepping into the shower, Autumn let out a painful hiss as the water splashed across her battered form.

“Huh? Are you ok? Do you need me to wash your back…oh my.”

Saphielle, having heard Autumn’s exclamation, had peeked over at her and upon seeing her bruised body, paused in shock. A flash of concern and sympathy passed across her eyes. Autumn clutched her hands to her chest, hiding within the stall.

“Umm…Are you ok? I heard your story before, but I didn’t realize it. Once you’re done showering, go see Nalaia; she’ll be able to help.”

Blinking back the tears, Autumn let the pristine water flow over her and wash it all away.

When Autumn left the changing room clad in a soft towel, the rest had already entered the vast bathing pool. Only the pink-skinned Nalaia remained behind and gestured Autumn over to the right-hand side of the entrance, where a massage parlor awaited. Several towel-covered benches sat within, surrounded by shelves of bottles and jars filled with oils or hair and skin care products. Some even radiated magic.

Autumn had already had the pleasure of a shoulder massage from Nalaia before and she was excited, if a little nervous, about what was to come.

As warm-oiled hands worked into her tense form, Autumn melted into bliss. Nalaia took special care to tend to her wounds with gentleness or firmness as required. Days and even years of stress vanished as masterful fingers worked their magic.

“Would you like me to do your hair as well? I can use some hair lotions to straighten it out or use some body-hair removal tonics.”

Autumn groggily stared up at Nalaia as they broke her from her trance.

“Umm…what?”

Nalaia chuckled at Autumn.

“Would you like your hair treated or your body hair removed? It’s a popular treatment we offer.”

Nalaia gestured to a choice of glowing pots and bottles, undoubtedly the magical kind.

“Is it permanent? The body hair stuff?”

Nalaia gestured to her own hairless body.

“As far as I know.”

“I’ll take it!”

Nalaia giggled at Autumn’s enthusiasm.

“I’ll let you do your front. Take off as much hair as you are comfortable with.”