~ The ebony wood rests by his side - II ~

The bathing area was at the back of the house, bordered by the tall bamboos and a steel mesh. The pool was warm but not very clean, even so, it was still better than bathing from some stream, which was usually super cold.

I shivered in delight, discarding my clothes and walking into the pool after cleaning myself with the bowl water on the side. The staff had been kind enough to give me a spare robe to wear after I was done with bathing. The material was soft but very thin, so if one was to stand in the sun, the outline of the body would be visible.

Anyway, what mattered was that I would be cleaner than I had been in days and I cried a bit in my heart, knowing how lucky I had been earlier to have a home and all the facilities in abundance. These people didn't even wear slippers, nor shoes, how frustrating was it!

But then thinking about it, Xi Ken's feet had been super clean, even though he walked as much as I did, so why the difference? It was puzzling.

I sighed, immersing into the warm water and enjoying the relaxation I was given.

After a while of soaking, I climbed out of the pool, tying the robe around my body with a sash. Thankfully the robe wasn't too short and reached till my knees, like a semi length summer Yukata.

"The flowery pattern is nice, even though it feels like a female clothing." The only satisfaction that I received from wearing it, was the clean fabric and the lightness of it. The climate was slightly warm at present, so wearing a lighter version of a dress felt nice.

Just the thought of wearing layers upon layers of fabric like Xi Ken, made me shiver, I could never handle that sort of torture.

"Brother Raven," the same staff member I had conversed with earlier came to fetch me by the door, "are you ready to come out yet, another guest needs to use the facility."

Seeing that the staff was shy of coming in, not knowing whether I was done, my eyes took in the size of the pool. It was big enough for four men to bath at once. And in many Asian cultures, men would go in to soak together in the local bathing houses.

"You can come in you know, I am just tying the sash, we can share the facility no worries."

There was a tense minute before the staff stammered from the other side, "My brother, we a-aren't... we aren't running a brothel here, please understand, your partner wouldn't be happy to hear you inviting other men in with you."

I could literally hear the panic in his voice, and my face paled. B-Brothel?

Wasn't this world similar to the Eastern setting... why were they so shy... and to say I was inviting men... what?

"I was joking brother," I laughed awkwardly, "It was just fun hearing you getting flustered so easily."

The staff member gave a pitiable cry, "Brother, please don't do that again, I was in a difficult position."

I gave a kind laugh just to show I was kidding, but inside I felt too humiliated to even bother thinking about it. Seems like the people here were conservative and even same gender intimacy on any level was frowned upon. Recalling Adam's warning to stay away when I went for a hug, it solidified that fact.

Maybe I should be more cultural sensitive the next time I opened my mouth.

Getting out of the bathing area, I met the staff member and another middle aged man standing by the waiting lounge, greeting me when I passed them.

Going upstairs, I shuddered, that other male with the staff had really eyed me in a creepy manner, almost as if eyeing a prey. I had no doubt that if the staff hadn't been there, that man would have taken up on my offer, even though I wasn't offering anything lewd.

I knocked on our shared room before entering the safe zone. I didn't mind thinking that Xi Ken was safe. He might be rude at times, but the man looked sensible and noble, plus with his eyes blinded by the blindfolds, he was really harmless to some extent.

"You ready?" Xi Ken asked me as soon as I sat down next to him.

Oh the ink.

"Yes, I am ready, but it would hurt yes?"

He nodded, being honest, "Your body will be attack by my dominance, so naturally it will resist and hurt in return."

Very logical.

"But Adam said that defying the ink master made me a threat, since I defied Rai Xo's inking."

I had yet to see the ink on myself, but I assumed it was like a black tattoo.

"That happened only because you have a stronger soul. That doesn't mean you are any threat. Yes for those who are weaker they will always fear what they cannot offend or control," Xi Ken shared his wisdom, capturing me with his knowledge. "You were able to overpower them so they feared you, the only reason you succumbed to their wishes was because you lacked skills and knowledge."

Right.

"Y-You know," I stammered with a bit of embarrassment, "I just realized that people here aren't as intimate as in my place. Like why do they have so shocking reactions to even my most simplistic gestures?"

His lips pressed into a thin line, already showing his disapproval, "What did you do now? Should I fear sending you alone the next time?"

"No! I am perfectly capable, but you see, the staff..." then I retold my mortifying tale to him, sharing how I thought the people here were so weird.

"That man... creeped you out?" Xi Ken asked, tasting the word 'creeped' as if it was rotting his vocabulary.

"Yes, he eyed me so strangely, I really thought he would take up on my offer to share a pool, of course," I instantly defended, "I wouldn't stoop to that level, but it was very creepy."

He nodded, a frown gracing his pretty lips, as his knuckle came up to stroke his chin in a thoughtful manner, "I will have to educated you even the basics it seems, you really don't have any manners to begin with."

I huffed, "Don't scold me, I told you I am not from this place." I belived he just didn't think my case was possible, so he barely acknoweldged I wasn't from this place.

My suspicion was answered when he didn't answer back, instead he said, "Please open your robes, I will re-ink you."