The Last Fire Weilder

A day adjusting

I wasn't going to lie, I found a sort of peace and relief in the presence of Sotoshi. I knew he was age old and could probably kill me in a heartbeat considering he worked for the Courts and the Village of Outcasts which both seem like dangerous work. 

But there was a sense of belonging in the fact that he was so happy with my being here and quite possibly the fact that I even exist. Maybe there comes in a kinship with other Elements that make them compatible. 

Sotoshi hopped off the bed and trotted over to the dresser. I noticed when he leaned over and his tails strayed above his feet that they were bare, and a bit dirty as well, as if he hadn't bathed in some time. 

"Sotoshi is very excited, Keegan! It has been a long time since Sotoshi has had such intimate company."

Intimate?

He dug through the dresser for a hot second, humming in approval or distaste. I couldn't see what he was pulling out and putting back over his tails, so I waited patiently. 

When he turned around, he hid the clothed behind his back before I could see them. He smiled mischievously and my face turned pink. 

"You can't see yet! Come on, follow Sotoshi!" He bounced out the door on his tiptoes and I followed him. I tried to cover my indecency as we walked the hall.

He opened the door that I was told by Marksynth was one of the two bathrooms. He stepped in and it was about half as big as the bedroom, but even that was still pretty big. 

There was a big glass walk in shower and a large clawfoot tub on the other side of the veined marbled wall that separated them. The white marble decorated the bath side and on the shower side was a deep grey granite. I assumed so two people could bathe at once or something like that. He walked over to a cabinet next to the sink on the side with the bathtub on the same wall as the door and pulled out a  white towel and tucked the clothes inside of it, setting it on the counter. 

"No looking until your done!" He giggled. 

How is he this cute for someone supposedly dangerous?

Wait. Hold on- I shouldn't get attached, I'm not staying here for long.

I shook the thoughts out of my head. "There's a bunch of soap in the cabinet on the other side, by the shower. "Be careful, Sotoshi got curious once and got into them and some smell pretty yucky." He said sticking his tongue out in distaste.

"I'll be out soon, thanks Sotoshi." He waved and closed the door behind him. 

I sighed and it quickly turned into a growl of frustration. 

Dammit, I can't stay here!

Keegan, there is no choice. I am very sorry to say this, but the human world cannot interfere with the Fae, their bodies can't handle it and they will die. The magic will poison them. 

But I have to go home! The only excuse I have is camping and that only lasts a few days! I can't tell them I'm a bloody Fae or even anything like that! I don't know what to do, Phoenix. They'll send me away if they knew...

Then I guess we'll have to speed up your training so you can show them what you are.

I sighed at the decisions I knew I would have to make. And in the end- I know what it will be. 

I took off my clothes and examined myself in the full-body mirror that was on the wall next to the soap cabinet. 

My hair was getting kind of long, it barely brushed the nape of my neck and I knew I had to cut it or it would become a nuisance. 

Strange... Sotoshi said his hair grew fast as well...

I examined the soaps and Sotoshi was right, there were some soaps that were definitely suited to very specific tastes and they weren't mine.

It took me a second, but I eventually settled on some that smelled like a burnt brown sugar type thing. It was just bars of soaps so I guess this was another custom of the Fae. 

I turned the shower on high heat and stepped in. The steam quickly covered the glass and condensation dripped down the dark granite walls of the shower. 

I stood there for awhile, just standing there, lost in my thoughts about my new reality and how I would work to save it...

After I washed myself off, the sweet scent of the soap filling up the shower, I turned it off and shook the water out of my hair so I wouldn't drip on the floor too bad. 

I walked over to the sink and grabbed my towel, starting to dry off when I looked in the mirror and gave a startled half scream. 

There was a man in the bathtub, his arms draped over the edge and his feet propped up on the end of the tub. His head rested on the back of the tub, his long silver hair pooling on the floor like it was liquid. 

He opened his eyes quickly and whipped his head in my direction. I quickly covered myself awkwardly, holding the towel up over my chest so it covered the rest of me. 

"Oh! I'm very sorry! I thought maybe you were Sylphki or maybe Undryn had come back and I hadn't noticed." He sat up, some of his hair dipping in the water, turning it translucent and I noticed two things; One that he had the same cuffs and skin color that Undryn had- And two that he had black stripes running down the side of his face and down his arm and shoulder that I hadn't seen until he turned to me. His eyes were bright yellow, almost like a cats. 

"U-uhm- I didn't hear you come in, sorry." I said awkwardly. What else was I supposed to do in a situation like this?

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around before." He said, laying back down, his head tilting lazily to watch me. 

"I-" I regained my stature and claimed my steel front, "I'm Keegan Black, Embodiment of Phoenix." 

Well done, now back it up. 

"I'm going to say that's bullshit," He said casually. The way he studied me made me feel like he was trying to pry me open. It didn't help that we were both naked. 

"Say what you want, Sotoshi is waiting for me." I grabbed my clothes that I hadn't bothered to unfold yet and went to the other side of the room so he couldn't see me. 

I dried myself off and unfolded the clothes. I tried to internalize my groan but couldn't contain it. 

"You okay?" I heard the man say. 

"Fine, thank you." I said coldly. 

I stared at the clothes in disbelief. 

It was a pair of short dark brown leather shorts that were definitely too high for my comfort, and the laces that showed part of my thigh and butt on the sides did not help. Attached to it was a light brown thick leather belt that buckled on the side above the laces and a thin tan fabric hun down off of it and it graduated into a point that ended at my knees. There was a pair of tall socks that went right above my knee that buckled around right below my knee and the middle of my thigh that looked like they were meant for holding knives.

That wasn't even the worst part.

The shirt- if you could even call it that, made me want to walk out without one. It was a small strap of leather about as wide as my hand that went across my chest and had straps on the sides holding it up. Under that there was- or this is where I thought it should go- a long soft cotton wrap that was pretty stretchy that I assumed went under it. 

I walked over to the mirror to look at myself and sighed, holding my face in my hands. 

"For a male, you look more pretty than handsome." The stranger said. 

I shot him a glare and stomped out of the bathroom and heard him call behind me,

"My name's Zendrix!"