I did not want to leave my cot. I was so warm and cozy, wrapped up in Vesha’s arms and it felt so perfect in my sleepy daze. If only I did not have such a terrible headache and feel so sick to my stomach. Did I eat something that did not agree with me at the celebration last night?

Working through the throbbing agony in my head, I managed to recall the first couple of mugs of my grandfather’s rum, and not much after that. Was this the result of going too deep into my cups? My headache was getting worse by the moment. and I was suddenly having to fight to keep the contents of my stomach inside my stomach. I truly hoped that I did not do something that I would regret later the night before. It was only when the need to expel the alcohol and last night’s feast became violently urgent that I attempted to work myself free of the warm comfort that embraced me.

It was only as I clumsily struggled to free myself, Vesha’s arm tightened around my rebelling belly, and her free hand lazily caressed my naked breast that some very important realizations dawned. The first was that it was the closeness of Vesha, holding me in her arms, that was keeping me warm. The other realizations assaulted my tired, beleaguered, and pain-distracted mind all at once. I was only clad in my moonskin, Vesha’s wandering hand was stirring some wonderful sensations despite my current state, and I could distinctly feel the pulsating warmth of her own naked breasts pressed into my back, just below my wings, as she held me.

My traitorous stomach chose that moment to remind me of how very upset it was and I desperately scrambled free of Vesha’s arms. Heedless of my current state of dress, or lack thereof, I rushed out of our wagon to empty the contents of my stomach at the camp’s latrine. Had I been thinking clearly, I could have used the wagon’s privy, but my mind was well muddled and I was still getting used to having such luxuries available.

It was still dark outside, but on the verge of twilight, and the air outside was cool enough to prickle my skin, especially after the comfortable warmth of Vesha’s embrace. The relentless torrent of freezing rain that pelted me was not helping any, and sticky mud squelched beneath my bare feet and between my toes, as I hurried to my destination. I was well and truly drenched, not to mention cold, by the time I made the short trip to the covered latrine building which housed a half dozen privies. Even that discomfort was of secondary concern to me as I entered the closest water closet and emptied my stomach.

I had other things on my mind, clamoring for my attention through the throbbing pain and fuzziness of my mind as well. “Dear Goddess, what did I do last night? How did Vesha and I end up like that? Did we…” my heart raced at the unfinished thought, as I purged last night’s meal and brandy.

Sharai’s laughter in my mind was unusually grating in my current state, especially since I did not know what she was laughing about until she calmed enough to voice her thoughts. -All you did was enjoy the company of your troupe, Kaelyn, so you may stop worrying. You had too much to drink and it got cold and started raining while you were all drinking so Vesha brought you to bed, helped you to undress, and stayed with you to help you warm up. Nothing occurred other than some kissing, loving words, and cuddling. You were in no state to do more, and your love did not wish to take advantage.-

Oh, thank goodness. It was hard to deny that I was in love with Vesha now, but I did not think that I was ready for more than kissing, cuddling, and a little touching yet. Besides, when we did make love for the first time, I wanted to remember it.

Once I had finished emptying my stomach, I looked warily at the miserable and wet condition of the camp. “I do not look forward to training in that,” I muttered.

-It would probably be best if you do not today,- Sharai suggested as the camp was lit by a flash of lightning. Almost immediately on the heels of the flash, thunder boomed and practically shook the ground. -You are not feeling well and this is a bad storm. Normally, I would say that there are going to be days when we will have to fight even if we feel terrible and it is pouring rain like today and that our enemies will not hold back just because we do not feel like fighting, so we fight, and train, no matter what the conditions. However, in this case, I think it best to be cautious. You and Shava could become ill, or injure yourselves, by attempting to train and spar under these conditions.-

I breathed a sigh of relief and dashed from the shelter of the latrine to that of the camp’s small bathhouse. Since this camp was along a major travel route and regularly used by Voyagers, the various troupes to pass through here had the two structures built to make things more comfortable for themselves and any other travelers who might need to use the site during their travels. The latrine drained into a pit that was far enough away from the camp so the smell would not bother anyone, and farmers often came to empty the waste to fertilize their fields.

Like the latrine, the bathhouse was open to the air on one side with a slanted tiled roof, though it had a cobblestone floor and an ingenious water pump connected to a well inside. There was even a sort of trough along the eaves of the roof that would gather rainwater like we were seeing now and carry it along a copper pipe to drain into the well. Inside, there were wooden buckets available to fill to fill the four large copper claw-footed tubs around the well with water, or for cooking or other purposes. The tubs were very spacious for a single person and could easily fit two or three people if they were feeling friendly.

I had been told that there were facilities like this at many of the camps near cities and large towns that the Voyagers used often and where they might want to stay for more than a day or two. I had never seen them in Evalis but it was not surprising, given how unwelcoming the country was to Voyagers and non-humans. I was assured that they were more common near large population centers throughout Kalidar, Nalean, and Haydin though. There were even a few in the smaller nations of Scorcia and Crow, though our travels would not be taking us in that direction.

Inside the bathhouse, I found two other early risers. Glimma had a pair of large pots with her and was attempting to start a fire with damp wood, while my cousin was filling one of the pots with water. The former took one look at me and clucked sympathetically, “A wee bit too much to drink last night, Kaelyn? Don’t worry, you’re not alone, I have a feeling that most of us will be feeling the effects of last night’s merriment for a while, myself included.”

Glimma looked like I felt, tired and sick. “You are cooking in here today?” I asked.

“Aye, it’ll keep us from getting too wet, if I can get this bloody fire going. It won’t be anything special today though, just some hearty oatmeal and some tea made from willow bark and various herbs, it doesn’t taste the best, but it should help with the hangovers,” she replied as she frowned at the wood.

“Allow me,” I offered. Once she had backed up a bit, I summoned a rose-hued faerie fire. “There you go, Glimma. That does not need any fuel and should provide plenty of heat to cook with.”

The Owl-keeper’s face lit up almost as much as the fire I had just cast. “Oh, I keep forgetting that you can do that. This will be so useful for cooking; does it tire you to cast them?”

“Not really,” I replied after a moment of thought. “I could probably keep a dozen of them lit until they need to be dismissed. It does not take much of my mana, and it would be good practice in helping me to remember to keep replenishing my mana reserves whenever I use even the smallest magic. I was actually coming in here hoping that I could heat up some water for a hot bath. Umm… not that I do not appreciate having the baths here, but soaking in some nice hot water right now would be wonderful.”

“Are we still training today?” Shava asked. She did not seem to be complaining about the possibility, only asking for clarification.

“No, Shava,” I confirmed. “Normally we would, even in poor weather, but Sharai is worried that we could become sick in this freezing rain or harm ourselves under these conditions.”

My cousin let out a relieved sigh as she continued filling one of the pots from a bucket. As much as she wanted to improve with the sword, training in this weather would only make us both miserable. Glimma meanwhile, was considering the implications of what I had said a moment earlier with a look of wonder on her face. “Hot bath? You’re right, that would feel amazing right now. It usually takes so much work heating the water for one, unless we’re near a hot spring. Vesha could provide fire but she always had issues with her control, it was nothing or an inferno. Kaelyn, you’re my new best friend,” she stated with a grin.

While Glimma waited for the large pots of water to boil for the simple breakfast and her special tea, the three of us set to work filling all four tubs, so any other early risers who wanted a hot bath could have one. The tubs could be emptied afterward by removing the metal ball sitting in the hole in the bottom. As we got them filled, I summoned a pair of faerie fires beneath each tub to heat the water as we added more. It also served to take off some of the chill in the air from the rain. Once we had each of the tubs roughly half-full, we just needed to wait for the water in them to get hot enough that I could dismiss my faerie fires.

The large pot of oatmeal and the tea were ready before the baths, but the three of us ate our meal together so we could relax for a bit in the bath afterward. Glimma was right; the tea’s taste left a lot to be desired. It was very bitter, but it did seem to help my headache and nausea, and the simple oatmeal was not too hard on my stomach.

A few others came to have their breakfast as we ate ours, but only my aunt Sivelle stayed to enjoy a hot bath with us since Hagen and Mara, donning thick cloaks, wanted to scout the road ahead before the caravan got underway. Shava and her mother ended up sharing one of the baths, while Glimma and I shared the other, leaving two open for anyone else who happened to wake up early.

I was still a little nervous being naked around others, but I was starting to get used to casual nudity among the troupe and I was trying to be less self-conscious. They had all seen me bare on the few occasions that we had bathed together before, and I had shown up in only my moonskin so what would be the point in covering up now? Glimma was naked when I showed up since she did not see the point in getting her clothes soaked and had planned to use the cooking fire to stay warm. She did run back to her wagon to retrieve a few things though, as did Sivelle, which included towels to dry ourselves and changes of clothes.

As we bathed, Glimma and I helped one another wash our backs and hair, and she had some sweet-scented herbal mixtures for getting our skin clean and soft, and our hair shiny and healthy-looking. Apparently, she had gotten them from an alchemist and apothecary that the troupe did business with in Hindra. I believed that it might have been the same woman that Vesha and Korine wanted to take me to when we arrived there.

Most of the other full-blooded Fae of the troupe filed in as we enjoyed our baths and ate their simple breakfasts, some of whom looked even more hungover than I felt. Only Selice, Zenna, Tanna, and my grandmother decided to take advantage of the hot baths though. The men were being gentlemanly and allowing their wives the pleasure while they started packing up camp, and the children seemed to think that they were wet enough already. By the time that Master Nirlyn, Vesha, and the other late sleepers ate their breakfast we would likely be ready to get on the road.

When I emerged from the bath clean and warm, I quickly flew across the camp to our wagon and dashed inside. Thankfully, I was able to get there quickly enough that the chill of the rain did not set in; the movement of my wings dried them off and kept me fairly warm, and I was able to avoid getting my feet covered in mud as well. I quickly dressed in my warmest clothes, fed Zaiya, and spent some time playing with the owlet until the others got up, ate their morning meal, and we were on the road once more.