Empress of Time

Chapter 2: Beginnings

Kisa

Their home was the size of a medieval castle. The doors were ten feet tall, embroidered with gold designs and large brass handles. It appeared to stretch out across the hill that it laid upon, overwhelmingly consuming the moonlight. I couldn't even count how many rooms or windows there were. Ryan pushed the doors open when one hand, leading me through the hallway with Tyler behind me. It was decorated with similar designs as the ones on the door. Along the walls were photos of everyone in the guild (I assumed). It was well decorated with flower arrangements and other ornaments as well. I couldn't help but admire the palace, disregarding the fact that I was dragged here by two strangers.

Yet...

What are these ties I'm feeling...?

Ryan

"We have indoor baths on the first floor, across from the dining hall. To the right of the dining hall is our kitchen," I leaned towards her ear, "Tyler is the best cook here but he's sensitive about the topic at times."

"I heard my name, you idiot," Tyler growled. Kisa looked between us then looked back straight ahead. "I haven't eaten anything decent for about a week now..." she gazed. Tyler and I stared at her. In the light, she did seem quite pale and a bit thinner than average. She's a bit short too, but I guess that's just my opinion since Tyler and I are a couple of inches over 6 feet.

"I can make you something to eat now if you want," Tyler blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't want to impose on you," she mumbled.
"It's no problem. We have too much food anyway. Besides, Tyler likes cooking, right?" I nudged him.

"Don't push your luck," he grumbled. He turned towards the kitchen, rolling his sleeves up. "Bring her back in 15 minutes," he called out.

"Are you sure it's ok? I mean, I'm a complete stranger. I barely know you," she whispered.

"It's fine, you're going to be of us now anyway," I winked. She still seemed skeptical, so I continued our guided tour. I pointed to the second floor, "Up there are the bedrooms. The east wing is the women's side and the west wing is the men's side. You'll get a separate room for a sink and bathroom but any showering or bathing has to be done in the baths, which we also split for the two genders. No one should be in there around this late at night, so I'll show you the Women's bath." I led her over to the guild house baths. She looked at me nervously.

"Are you sure no one's in there? What if you barge in on someone?" she hissed.

"It's alright, I know everyone's schedules. No one should be in here right now," I assured her.

I passed through the curtain leading into the first room. "This is where you can store your clothes on the shelves or leave them to wash or dry," I walked into the next room and signaled her to come closer, "These here are the baths! We have ten stainless-steel showers with the best technology in the country! We also provide any soap or towels you may need in case you are too lazy to bring your own. In the back, we have our hot baths that are cleaned daily. The girls usually like to soak in there after a bath or a long day of work."

Kisa's eyes swelled in amazement.

"You guys can take showers... every day?"

"Um... is that abnormal?"