The bathhouse was lively—steam rising in thick clouds from wide stone pools, voices echoing off the tiled walls, and the sound of water being poured filling the air. Lanterns glowed warmly through the vapor, giving everything a soft haze.
But the atmosphere shifted when the Rice Whales entered.
They were enormous men—broad shoulders, heavy arms, stomachs like boulders, and took up far too much space. Whenever they sat down, the water level visibly rose. A few smaller bath-goers quietly stood up and left the water without argument.
Tommy let out a quiet sigh next to Dilek,
"Rice Whales? What are they? Some sort of organisation?" Dilek asked.
Tommy rubbed a hand through his wet hair before speaking.
"Yes… they are a bunch of bandits occupying the baths," Tommy said, watching as multiple of the big men from Rice Whales started taking up entire sitting steps, scattering anyone who sat near them.
Some nearby patrons whispered quietly:
"Just leave them be…"
"Don't start trouble…"
"Last time someone complained—he left on a stretcher…"
Dilek observed them.
"Well, so you wanna fight 'em?"
Tommy clicked his tongue.
"I do… but I can't, thanks to a certain someone."
He scoffed and looked directly at Dilek.
"What did I do?" Dilek blinked, genuinely confused.
Before Tommy could answer, one of the Rice Whales, a thick-necked man with a jaw like a brick, leaned back in the water and called out to Marcus.
"Hey big boy, you are quite big huh?" he grinned, voice rumbling. Marcus sat half-submerged, embarrassed.
"I'm not that big," Marcus muttered.
The man laughed, loud and chest-deep.
"It's alright, boy. I was just thinking—that body of yours can be put to good use. What do you say?"
Tommy's gang members exchanged glances.
'Here we go again…' was written on their faces.
Meanwhile, Diego had been swimming underwater for far too long, doing laps as if this were a public lake and not a calm bath. He resurfaced with a splash—
—and immediately froze when he saw four massive figures surrounding him like cliffs.
"I'm surrounded by big fat whales," Diego muttered.
One of them barked a laugh.
"Why is this grown ass man swimming in a bath? You lack manners, old man?"
"I'M YOUNG YOU BLOODY ELEPHANT!" Diego shouted back, slapping the water.
The nearest Rice Whale stood up, towering.
"Wanna fight?"
"Totally, c'mon you hippopotamus," Diego said, rising as they squared up.
Marcus watched from the side, towel still half-wrapped around one shoulder.
'David vs Goliath…' he thought.
'Except this Goliath is definitely going to beat our David…'
Across the bath, Dilek saw the situation escalating. He exhaled slowly, standing.
"They are picking a fight…"
He looked to the back area—there, sitting slightly apart from the main baths, was the leader of the Rice Whales. He was pouring warm water over himself from a large wooden bucket, hair slicked back, expression calm, like someone who believed the entire room belonged to him.
Dilek approached, water sloshing softly with each step.
"Hello sire, can you tell your men to not bully my friends?" he asked.
The boss lifted his eyes lazily.
"I'm into women."
Dilek smiled politely.
"Of course. I wasn't planning on seducing something the weight of 7 elephants."
The boss paused. A vein twitched.
"You said something?" he grumbled.
"Sure, go wash my back," the boss added with a smirk, "that's all you can amount to anyways."
Dilek stared back evenly.
"I don't wanna even touch you. I just asked you to tell your fellow people to not bully my friends."
Across the room Tommy suddenly shouted:
"RAZA FIGHT ME I'M READY TODAY!"
The leader—Raza—turned and laughed deeply.
"You wish to lose today? Again?"
"Not at all!" Tommy shouted, charging.
Raza stood, energized for the fight—his towel dropped.
Right in front of Dilek.
Dilek's soul left his body.
His eyes dimmed.
A hollow wind blew only in his mind.
—
Later, Tommy was lying face-up in one of the side pools—steam drifting above him—breathing like he had just @ marathon.
"GODDAMIT I didn't win again…" Tommy muttered.
Only Percy, Diego, Marcus, Dilek, and Tommy's gang remained now. The bathhouse was calmer; even the Rice Whales had left to drink and eat in the outer lounge.
Tommy's gang members knelt beside him:
"You did well today, Boss. Let's win next time."
"Let's go, Boss."
Tommy sighed and leaned on two of them as he was helped to his feet and out of the bathhouse.
Marcus and Diego stayed behind. They looked to the corner.
Dilek sat there.
Completely still.
Completely empty.
"Hey Dilek, what is it?" Marcus asked.
Dilek slowly turned.
There was no light in his eyes.
Both of them recoiled.
Diego gasped.
"SAINT WHAT IS IT? HOW COME YOU DON'T HAVE ANY LIGHT… HAS THE GODDESS ABANDONED US?!"
Marcus grabbed Diego's shoulder.
"Calm down. Look—he's saying something."
They leaned closer.
Dilek whispered:
"est… I saw the Amazon rainforest… it was dark… so dark… was it even a forest… that thing was alive… an abomination…"
"Oh." Marcus said simply, lifting him like he weighed nothing.
Diego raised a hand.
"Can I pick him up?"
"No." Marcus said.
They started walking out.
Diego paused, glancing back.
"Hey, you gonna leave or not?"
Percy still sat in the warm water, smiling faintly.
"Today was a good day, I'm not stressed."
—
Back at the tavern, the warm morning light had faded into late afternoon. The streets bustled. The tavern smelled of lunch being prepped—onions sizzling, garlic roasting, bread being baked.
"What was the point of all that?" Duja asked once they all returned and explained. "You could have beaten them or something."
Marcus sighed and sat in a chair, drying his hair with a cloth.
"Duja, we aren't some main characters. We won't be involved with every unusual event. A lot of times we're just the bystanders."
Duja stared.
"Lazy writing, don't you think?"
"What—" Marcus started.
"Nothing." Duja looked away.
Diego went to sit beside Dilek, who was hunched in a chair staring at nothing. Before they could talk, Hela called Diego to iron the clothes.
Later, Ami and Nandita entered the tavern, laughing about something unrelated. They saw Dilek.
Ami walked up, opened her mouth—
"What's up? You loo— BAHAHAHAHA I CAN BARELY SEE YOUR HAIRS, YOU ARE GOING BALD."
Dilek's light dimmed further.
Possibly forever.
Nandita pulled Ami by the ear.
"Enough mocking hi—"
She looked at Dilek.
Paused.
Started laughing too.
But she still dragged Ami away at least.
A minute later, Kelid entered—carrying her old clothes in her arms and wearing fresh ones. She stopped when she heard Ami's fading chant:
"Baldie baldie our leader is a baldieee—"
Kelid sighed. Walked over quietly. Held out a small vial of oil.
Dilek looked up.
"Rosemary?…"
Kelid nodded gently.
"Yea, it will help… maybe—"
"You said something?" Dilek snapped, eyes hollow.
Kelid flinched slightly and retreated to her room.
Dilek stared at the bottle in his hands.
Good for hair growth.
His voice cracked faintly.
"Am I really… balding?"