Hoseoks tower had a washing chamber, the cleanest one I had ever seen. There was also an array of colorful bottles neatly in place. Each with different scents.
Our plan was to gain King Derlanty's favor. Who knew the man was so picky? We had to make ourselves as presentable as possible. I'm still not sure what Taehyung is going to do since he's an elf and the King only trusts humans, and even then, he's still cautious.
The tub was large and could probably fit five people. Gold paint decorated the walls and floor tiles. The sun was setting which made the gold sparkle warmly.
Why did Hoseok have to have such a large bathing area? It seemed to be quite luxurious for the type of man he seemed to be. But then again maybe he just likes baths. The water was steaming and I picked a bottle randomly and poured some of it into the water.
A fresh aroma filled the air. I sat in the steaming water and leaned my head back, finally able to relax.
We had spent about a week planning and getting ready. We had only gotten confirmation today that we were allowed to have a hearing with the king tomorrow.
I hope we can convince him to fight with us....
The door opened and Taehyung walked in. I felt a bit shy but part of me felt ok with him seeing me. He gracefully took his robe off and got into the large bath. He submerged himself for a while and then came back up near me. He placed an intricate golden comb on the side and sat in the water.
I instinctively and without thought, took the comb and moved him so that his back was facing me.
I gently started to comb his hair.
After a while of him relaxing as I combed, his body tensed. He turned to face me.
"W-what are you doing?"
"I-I don't know..." it's like I was woken up from a daze.
"You didn't remember anything..." he stated.
I put the comb down.
"Sometimes I just do things... Like if they're instinctive..."
"So that's how you fought those orcs..." he said mostly to himself.
My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest as I was becoming extremely aware of how close he was to me. Why was it doing that? I don't know what this feeling is, nor do I know what it means.
The door swung open and in came Jungkook, already naked.
Taehyung and I simultaneously moved away from each other.
"Hope I didn't interrupt anything!" the shifter laughed as he jumped in, splashing both us in the face. He really had a wildness to him, like if he didn't really know about social norms.
Tae let out a small laugh letting me know he was hearing my thoughts.
Jungkooks' body still surprised me every time I saw it.
He had so many scars. He had told me he had gotten into a lot of fights with large monsters in his wolf form. He's clearly not very good at keeping them clean for they could have healed a lot better. Or he's just fighting so much they constantly reopen. There were also some that looked deeper than the others and I remembered the night I had asked him about it. He didn't explain anything he just said it was from hunters. I decided it was something I would ask him about when we got to know each other better. It was clearly a memory that hurt him. So, I didn't want to pry.
We all finished up and left to go to our rooms.
I slept having another dreamless night.
...
In the morning I spent time dressing in the fine clothes Hoseok had bought in the market. I saw my reflection and I looked like I could pass for someone important. A lord or something. But I didn't like it. I felt so uncomfortable since I was so used to simple clothes. I touched the end of my hair; I had almost forgot that it was cut. Hoseok forced me to change it because it was too messy for his liking. I didn't trust the wizard with a pair of scissors, so Taehyung helped me with the cut. If there was anything positive from having to clean up my look for the king, it was my hair. I oddly felt more confident, I felt like this is how I should look.
When I left my room to meet everyone down the stairs, I almost didn't recognize anyone.
Jungkook's hair was done neatly and his clothes. Suited him perfectly but he kept adjusting certain parts clearly not used to dressing this way.
Hoseok wore different colored robes. They were different hues of purple. His hair was less messy, and he looked youthful and bright instead of his usual tired self. He must have taken a potion of sorts.
Taehyung looked extravagant. His hair was partially braided and tied in the back keeping his hair out of his face. His clothes trimmed with golden patterns.
The wizard handed him a bottle.
"Drink this and let's hope it lasts" he told the elf.
Without any second thoughts Taehyung drank the potion. And after a minute or so he began to change physically. His face and body stayed the same for the most part, but his ears reshaped themselves to look human. And his eyes became brown. Some freckles appeared on his face too.
Seeing him look like a human felt so strange but it was believable for anyone who didn't already know him.
"Everything is in place! Let's hope for the best!" Hoseok said excitedly as we left his house and walked into the streets of the City of Derlanty.
