Have a bath.

You walk through the empty hall, pacing between the shattered columns for a few minutes, before you decide how awesome it would feel to have a bath right now. This is your castle after all. The royal bath is yours as well. After finding a towel among the supplies you brought, you open up the door, and feel the warm embrace of the bath's steam over your body. After shutting the door behind, you make your way around to the other side where a stone bench remains unbroken. First, you remove your crown, and then the rest of your accessories and clothes. You then stand naked over the edge of the bath, and it's incredibly liberating. After so much stress and pain, despite everything that's happened recently, you're at the peak of freedom.

You step down into the water. It's like your own person hot spring. There's a raised level all around the edge for one to sit upon, so you sink down until the steamy surface reaches your chest, and you lean your head back with a sigh. You stretch out your legs, and hang your arms back along the edge of the pool. It's soothing. Your troubles start to melt away. All around, you can see the remnants of shelves and other supplies when this place was in its prime. You could have different soups and towels and more. Every room you see fills you with decorative inspiration. It's a strange sense of pride, perhaps because you truly did earn what you now have.

Three goblins, eh? None of them evil. Well, is theft evil? I guess not. Either way, I wonder what other monsters they travel with. I also hope that other people will be all right with living among them. For me, it's really cool. I can't help but glamorize all the different fantasy races. But for people actually from this world, who knows? They might be offended to live among goblins. I guess that's their decision. I don't have to let people in, right? This is my land as long as I can protect it. There aren't any laws out here. I guess anyone could claim Castle Phoenix if they had the power to take it. We better not become too famous before we get some more people to guard the place. It makes me wonder though if there are fewer monsters around these parts because they all steered clear of the Demon King.

Your ears perk up to the sound of the doorknob turning. It slowly opens, and in steps Alice. She's dressed as she always as been since post-doppler. It consists of a puffy white top with short frilly sleeves, and her bust is framed with decorative tiny frills around the collar. It's like a dress--reaching down to her thighs--though there's a dark green leather vest around her chest as well. Matching boots are laced up all the way past her knees. Alice is a strange case. Though she doesn't have a specific class, she seems to be full of surprises, so her aesthetic tells nothing to the enemy. You wouldn't be able to guess if she was a rogue, mage, or something else. No weapons, no magic items--just an adventurer girl with light brown skin similar in texture to wood, and dark green hair. She peers forward--vibrant, cyan eyes appearing first as she pushes it the rest of the way open.

It takes a moment for Alice to notice you. When she does, she eeps, and ducks back behind the door, closing it nearly all the way. "I am sorry!" she exclaims.

"Don't worry," you reply. "You can come in if you want."

That was really bold of me to say. But what's the problem? It isn't like I said something like... get in here, girl. I just presented the offer. It isn't like I'd complain having company. Alice might appear strange, but she's sweet and beautiful, and definitely tougher than she looks. Come to think of it, even on the beach, we never actually got close, did we? She was being toyed with by people like Delphi. Is she the only girl here I've never actually... done it with? I never really thought about it.

"What did you say...?" she asks nervously.

"I said I don't care if you wanna come in. It's just a bath. Your choice."

After a long pause, the door creaks open again, and she shuts it silently behind her. She leans back against the door and looks at you closely. She can't see what's beneath the steamy water's surface, but you can tell she's embarrassed. There's a faint, pale blue glow coming from the skin on her face. It's cute how it matches the colour of her eyes.

As she stands at the opposite edge of the pool for a moment before removing her vest. She undoes her boots, and slides out her feet.

Then as she grabs the hem of her dress and begins to pull it up, she stops at her stomach. You look her slender legs, and her smooth bare thighs. The panties she's wearing are black and frilly. "You are watching me," she mutters quietly.

"Did you get new underwear?"

"Yes... before all of this happened. But please do not stare while I undress. It makes me nervous."

You bring a hand up over your eyes. "All right, all right."

The next time you open your eyes, she's submerged in the water. Her clothes are folded up nearby. There's a brassiere to match her panties--both black and frilly. Steamy water blankets her nudity somewhat--surface of the water just barely at the line of her nipples. She looks across the pool to you with colour across her face and shifts nervously in place.

She brings up her arm, and slides her hand down to her wrist--skin glistening under the warm brazier lights. Despite the faint seems where her body comes apart, she isn't much different than a human girl. You've felt her skin before, and you'd have no idea if you weren't looking.

"Kyle," she speaks up softly. "May I ask you a selfish question?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"Do you think... I am creepy?" she asks.

"What's with that question all of the sudden?"

"Please just tell me."

"I don't find you creepy at all, Alice. You're super cute. If anything, I think you're super interesting. Someone made you, and you've got like... a laser cannon in your arm. I've definitely never met a girl before that could come apart. Sure it's strange, but that isn't bad. Everyone in this castle is strange. And you've saved my life more times than once. I think a lot of people would like to be able to do what you do."

"But you do not find it odd how I was created?"

"I guess everyone was created. Just because you have a weird relationship with your dad and a unique upbringing doesn't make you creepy, Alice. You need to focus on what you are now, and what you want to be."

She smiles bashfully and pulls her arms together--squeezing her best between her elbows. "Thank you," she whispers. "I have been able to experience so much thanks to you."

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. Alice jumps in shock. Immediately, she scoots off the pool's underwater seat and disappears under the surface. You can barely make out a silhouette moving beneath, but it swims its way to the other edge of the bath. Clearly she doesn't want anyone to know she's in here with you. You look to the door, and a voice calls out.