William clapped once, a bright grin still on his face. "Squad Three, then. Congratulations."
Darius slid a small silver flask from his satchel and offered it. "Sip, Captain."
William didn't take a sip. He tilted his head back and let it burn a generous path.
Darius snatched it back, a scandal in his eyes. "Don't hog it all, Captain."
William coughed, chuckled. "Medicinal."
Darius tipped the flask toward the four of them. "Official now. Squad Three, Team William."
Kai lit up. Rin gave the smallest bow and, almost as an afterthought, tucked a frayed strip of William's rag into his sleeve like a receipt. Lila gently helped Aria up; most of the heat had fled from her bruises.
William's tone shifted to surgeon-calmed. "You've earned the stamp. Now earn the soap. The bathhouse is located three rooms above, in a large pavilion with numerous rooms. You've got two hours to relax and pack. Hot pools, clean towels, don't drown."
Kai flashed a grin at Rin (we did it), and the squad drifted off: Rin first, quiet; Kai buoyant despite the ache; Lila guiding Aria with a steady hand.
Silence edged back in. Darius capped the flask tightly and slid it away. William watched his squad disappear around the corner, then turned.
"Report," he said.
Darius rolled his shoulders, humor set aside like a coat, saying, "Shinsho sighting in the city, reliable eyes. The Association has assigned me to patrol duty until the situation is resolved. Rotations at dusk and midnight." He jerked his chin south. "And there's a mass swell of soldiers on the island of Dune, near Dune City. Creeping. Too quiet."
William's gaze went distant for a breath, then returned. "You think he'll make his move?"
"I don't know," Darius said. A beat. "But I'm too sober for this."
That pulled a laugh from William despite the weight in the air. He clapped Darius's shoulder. "Two hours. Then we roll. Janoah at first light."
Darius nodded. "I'll walk the walls."
"Captain."
"Captain."
They split, one toward patrol, one toward orders, and an overlarge bathhouse, while petals drifted down on the mark Squad Three had left behind.
The bathhouse was three rooms over: big cedar pavilion, fog for days, lanterns like moons behind frosted glass. A sign on the door said: ONE HOUSE, MANY ROOMS. SHARE OR GO STINKY.
Kai slid it open. "Whoa."
Rin: "Privacy budget got slashed."
Lila blinked. "No partitions?"
Aria shrugged, already toeing off her boots. "Bath's a bath."
Steamrolled in lazy rivers over tile. Buckets. Stools. Ladles. The works.
They reached the rinse area. Aria started unstrapping her gear as if it were just another drill.
Lila panicked, grabbed a towel, and tried to throw it over Aria, ending up hooding her like a falcon. "Hey!!"
Aria, towel hooded: "What?"
Lila squinted at the fog-blurred outline. "Not fair. You heal fast. Your shoulders look drawn."
Aria snorted. "You're the healer."
Lila tackled her into a pile of towels. "Stop being symmetrical!"
Aria: "Can't breathe, big boo."
Lila: "Gentle medical smothering."
On the other side, Rin tilted to get a "better acoustic angle." Kai snapped an arm out like a crossing guard.
Kai: "Nope. Men don't look."
Rin: "Can't see. Pure mist."
Kai (already peeking through his fingers): "Still no!"
Rin edged left. Kai mirrored. Rin edged right. Kai mirrored harder.
Rin: "Art needs perspective."
Kai: "Respect needs blindness."
Rin's foot squeaked. Kai's heel found a soap patch. Micro stare down.
Both: "Don't—"
WHUMP. CLACK. SPLASH.
They skated, pinballed off two stools, tangled a bucket, and cannonballed into the big pool. Towels flicked away like they'd been paid. Merciful steam and a heroic fern leaf covered the censorship.
Aria and Lila broke apart.
Lila: "I can't!" (cry-laughing)
Aria wheezed, pounding the rail. "Good form, boys!"
Kai popped up, hair in his face, flailing for a towel. Rin surfaced like a dignified otter, slicked back, expression serious.
Kai: "Don't look!"
Rin: "I literally can't."
Kai (clutching towel): "Good."
They finally wrangled coverage and called a truce: girls on the left, boys on the right. Mist did the rest.
Soak time.
Girls' side: Lila poured warm water over Aria's neck; steam made halos.
Lila: "You're benched till tomorrow."
Aria (eyes closed): "Copy."
Boys' side: Kai melted into the heat. "Heaven."
Rin reclined until only his face showed, scarf folded on the rim like a pet. "Acceptable."
Kai, eyes shut: "Don't you dare use Viatra."
Rin: "Morality mode on."
Beat.
Kai (still eyes shut): "What do you see?"
Rin's iris thinned. Threads ghosted through the fog. "Everything."
Tiny nosebleed.
Kai: "DUDE."
Across the pool, Aria's hunter sense crawled. She squinted into the mist. "Pervert radar ping."
Lila palmed a bar of soap and handed it over without looking. Aria lobbed it like a pitcher.
Rin tilted just a bit. The soap whistled past his cheek and
BONK.
Kai caught it right between the eyes. Slow-motion timber. SPLASH.
Rin lifted a finger. "Trajectory blamed the guilty."
Kai sputtered back up, bubbles on his nose. "Then stop narrating your crimes!"
Aria: "Eyes on the steam, gentlemen!"
Lila (trying not to laugh).
Rin pinched his nose with a washcloth like a penitent monk.
Kai doubled down and covered both eyes with both hands like a cartoon.
The pavilion settled into a rhythm: ladles clack, slippers squeak, steam dragons curl. A washcloth arced out of nowhere every few minutes like Justice from the mist. Sometimes it hit Rin. Sometimes it found Kai. Cosmic balance.
After a long, blissful soak, everyone pruned at the same time.
Kai: "Pack?"
Aria: "Pack."
Lila (pointing two fingers at Rin's eyes, then hers).
Rin: (Rin smiled).
They toweled off, wrangled their clothes, and shuffled back out, their hair damp, faces clean, the two hours ticking. The mist closed behind them as if it swore to keep secrets. (It won't. It's mist.)