First Bathhouse visit (Claire introspection)

Stepping into the communal bath for the first time was a surreal experience, one that both thrilled and unnerved me in equal measure. The soft hum of conversation mixed with the sound of water splashing as the other girls bathed, their laughter echoing off the tiled stone walls of the large, steamy chamber. The warm, heavy scent of floral oils and damp stone filled the air, making my head feel light with a strange mixture of relaxation and nervous excitement.

I unconsciously pressed my arm against my breasts as I walked in even though these girls must have seen me naked plenty of times. The temperature was just right that even completely naked I felt warm and pleasant as even the floor seemed heated and warm to the touch.

Making my way towards the central pool I looked around seeing bare woman and girls pass me by as they either went to other smaller pools, towards the showers or potentially the sauna I had heard about.

They were completely naked and unashamed walking around without the slightest bit of modesty or even using their towel to hide their bits. Though as they were all women here I guess it was only natural.

Looking down at myself reassured me that I was in the right place as I made my way towards the largest pool with most of the girls bathing there.

As I came closer a slight fog build up and the tiles were damp beneath my feet but it hardly obscured my vision.

Coming a bit late as it took time to gather my courage and still being new to the whole wearing dresses thing, it had taking me a while longer to get out of my nun habit to the point that most who entered alongside me had already stripped and gone inside.

I had caught a glimpse here and there but have been too embarrassed to openly stare and admire their bodies back then. But now the situation was quite different as I stood at the pools edge enjoying a view I doubt I would ever forget.

Never have I seen so many naked woman in my life so my eyes naturally wandered from one to the other in curiosity and wonder taking in the sight.

Not everyone was fully submerged, as the pool seemed to get progressively deeper from one side to the other. Some sat at the waters edge while others made themselves comfortable in the shallow waters talking to each other while washing.

There were stone benches alongside the pools edge and it went down like a staircase around the middle part giving way to deeper waters where you could fully submerge and even swim a little though most preferred to stay at a height they could comfortably sit in.

It looked quite different from my expectations as it seemed to resemble a roman bath a lot and had a distinctly different architecture compared to the rest of the monastery.

The tiles especially seemed oddly modern though I suppose they were used since ancient times as well and I had seen that there were actually shower rooms and what resembled modern lavatories here as well.

From what I knew the bathhouse was always open and you could go in here whenever you liked with most bathing after either morning chores or in the evening.

Avoiding the comparably crowded shallow waters I made my way to the deeper side and slowly submerged feeling the warm water against my skin as I looked around noticing all kinds of details I had never consciously thought about when looking at the other girls.

For once the different hair colours stood out as they didn’t hide their hair under a veil here.

Brown, blond, orange and red seemed to be the most common hair colours with some even having dark green or light blue hair though they were in the minority. I also remembered one of the elder nuns having a shade of purple which was quite stunning. While there were hair dyes here in this world those were actually the girls natural hair colour and I knew for certain that some regions had their own unique hair colour with some being exceedingly rare like silver hair.

Passing by a larger group of girls I saw Caro the girl that had helped me the last couple days mingling and happily chatting amongst them the younger girls actually slightly crowding around her as she gave tips on how to braid longer hair demonstrating it on one of the girls while the others listened intently.

Not wanting to interrupt I passed them by silently through not without catching a glimpse at their chests and naked bodies.

Even the younger girls a year or two below us had already firm breasts with Caro being on the smaller side among them. Though non of the young girls had quite my size they tended to have a respectable C cup on average with some even sporting D and E cups coming close but not quite reaching mine which I estimated at G. Obviously I couldn’t know for sure but it was certain that breast sizes here were more in line with scandinavian countries in my old world if not slightly larger on average as after all most mature woman in the monastery started at around F cup one cup under my own breast size with some having breasts that made even mine look quite manageable.

If I have problems with my breasts getting in the way I wonder how it’s for her? I asked myself as I passed one of the especially endowed nuns. I still didn’t know most names but I think I saw her treating one of the village boys recently who came after an injury. He came out beaming right after his treatment and I am pretty sure it wasn’t because of his healed arm.

....

I glanced down once more...

I suppose my own aren't that much smaller.

….

Stepping into the deeper parts of the pool, I let the water rise up to my shoulders, feeling the gentle currents swirl around me. The warmth seeped into my body, easing the tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been carrying. My breasts floated slightly in the water, their buoyancy a strange but not unwelcome sensation, and I leaned back against the smooth stone edge, letting my head rest as I took in the scene around me.

(I could learn to enjoy this I thought maybe I should have come earlier instead of worrying unnecessarily.)

The bathhouse was alive with activity, yet there was a calm rhythm to it all. The soft splashing of water mingled with the chatter and occasional bursts of laughter, creating a soothing hum that wrapped around me like a blanket. I watched as a group of younger nuns splashed playfully in the shallow end, their carefree energy a stark contrast to the more reserved demeanor they usually wore under their habits. Here, stripped of everything , they were just teenage girls enjoying a rare moment of freedom.

My eyes drifted to the elder nuns, who sat in small clusters along the edge or in groups together in the adjacent smaller pools. Their bodies ripe with the passage of time—mature wide hips, generous curves and faint wrinkles, —yet there was a quiet dignity in how they carried themselves, a sensuality that only came with age and experience I suppose.

One of them, the raven-haired healer I’d noticed earlier, was gently washing her arms, her movements slow and deliberate. Her breasts, larger than mine and impossibly full, rested heavily against her chest, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how she managed them with such grace. I’d seen her in passing during chores, always composed, never complaining, even when bending over to tend to the garden. It made my own fumbling adjustments feel trivial by comparison.

A splash of water hit my cheek, pulling me out of my thoughts. I blinked, turning to see Caro grinning at me from a few paces away, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders. “You’re daydreaming again, Claire!” she called, wading closer with a mischievous smile in her eyes. The younger girls she’d been teaching had dispersed, some now practicing their braids on each other, their fingers fumbling with wet strands.

“I wasn’t daydreaming,” I protested, though my voice lacked conviction. “I was just… observing.”

“Observing, huh?” She smirked, settling beside me in the deeper waters. “You’ve got that look again—like you’re trying to figure out some grand mystery. What’s it this time? The meaning of life? The end of the world? Or just how Sister Mara over there doesn’t topple over with those things?”

I followed her gaze to the raven-haired nun, who was now rinsing her hair, the water cascading down her back in shimmering strands. A laugh bubbled up in my throat before I could stop it. “Maybe a bit of both,” I admitted, splashing Caro lightly in retaliation. “But really, how *does* she do it? I can barely walk down the stairs without feeling like I’m about to lose my balance.”

Caro giggled, wiping water from her face. “Years of practice, I’d wager. You’ll get used to it eventually. Though—” she glanced at my floating chest with a teasing grin—“you’ve got a bit more to contend with than most of us.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I muttered, sinking a little lower in the water as if that could hide me. But there was no real annoyance in my tone. Caro’s teasing had become a comfort over the past few days, a tether to normality in this bizarre new life. She didn’t know the half of it, of course—how could she?—but her easy acceptance made it easier to play the part of Claire, even when I felt like an imposter.

She leaned back beside me, stretching her arms along the pool’s edge. “You should’ve joined us earlier. I was showing the girls how to do a waterfall braid—your hair would’ve been perfect for it. All long and thick like that.”

“Maybe another time,” I said, running my fingers through my wet locks. The blonde strands fanned out in the water like a halo, catching the light filtering through the steam. I still wasn’t used to how heavy it felt when wet, or how it clung to my skin in a way that made me hyper-aware of it. “I’m still figuring out how to keep it from sticking to everything.”

Caro snorted. “You’ll get the hang of it. Or I’ll just tie it up for you one of these days. Can’t have our saintess-in-training tripping over her own hair.” She joked clearly thinking I was just talking nonsense. After all for the original claire non of this should be new.

“Saintess-in-training,” I echoed under my breath, the title feeling both absurd and heavy. The original Claire had been informed the day before I woke up, that she was selected to be among a dozen or so saintness candidates for her exceptional skills and talents. Along with that she would undergo her pilgrimage prematurely as some were already on road gaining merits (and receive some special lessons from many priests and priestess along the way, with the goal of earning the approval of different church factions. )

In the game, Claire Luxuria was destined for that role—her divine power unmatched, her path paved with trials and triumphs. But here, in this moment, I was just a girl in a bathhouse, trying not to stare too openly at the naked bodies around me or dwell on the fact that this was now *my* body, too.

Haahhhh I sighed…

“You’re doing it again,” Caro said, nudging me with her shoulder.

“Doing what?”

“Staring off into space like you’re somewhere else.” She tilted her head, studying me. “You’ve been like that a lot lately. Everything okay?”

I hesitated, the instinct to deflect warring with a flicker of longing to confide in someone. But what could I say? *Hey, Caro, I’m actually a stranger from another world stuck in this ridiculously curvy body, and I have no idea how to handle any of this?* Yeah, that’d go over well. Instead, I **** a smile. “Just adjusting, I guess. It’s all still… a lot.”

She nodded, her expression softening. “I get it. You’ve been different since—well, you know. Pushing yourself so hard, practically living in the library and seldom leaving your room. But you don’t have to carry it all alone, okay? I’m here.”

Her sincerity caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. “Thanks, Caro,” I said finally, my voice quieter than I intended. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She beamed, then splashed me again, lighter this time. “Good. Now, come on—let’s swim a bit before we turn into prunes. You can’t just sit there gawking all day.”

I laughed, pushing off the edge to follow her. The water felt alive around me, tugging at my hair and lifting my breasts as I moved. It was strange, this body—still so foreign in its softness and curves—but as I glided through the pool, matching Caro’s strokes, I felt a tiny spark of something like confidence. Maybe I could figure this out, one awkward, exhilarating moment at a time.

As we swam, I caught glimpses of the other girls—some washing each other’s backs, others lounging with their eyes closed, soaking in the heat. The bathhouse wasn’t just a place to clean; but a place to let ones worries drift away even if it’s just for a moment.

…

This scene takes place during her first week in the monastery when she is still struggling to accept her newfound situation. I pieced it together out of a couple draft versions so it might still need some adjustment and changes to fit depending on where I will insert it in the story.

Because I have so many drafts (often times only small text pieces or situations) there are also many version of the story in my head so if you see obvious story inconsistencies in the main story I would actually appreciate it if you mention them in the comments.