Her tail wavered, then Naomi shrank back down into her human form and sank her face into her hands.
“Hey, easy now,” said Leonis, tone growing soft, losing its bravado. “You’re back in the Academy. You can’t throw your weight around like you did out there on your own turf. If you want to be part of our group, you’re welcome. More than welcome. But not if you think you can whip out your killer tail and threaten us whenever you feel uncomfortable.”
Naomi shoved the chair back as she stood up, expression closing like a fist.
“Wait!” said Lianshi, darting forward to touch her arm. “Leonis is a complete and utter ass, and nobody pays any attention to him—”
“Hey!” protested Leonis.
“But we want you here, right Scorio?” She turned to include him in her words. “We’d love to have you join our group. This suite has four bedrooms. Two are available. Please, stay.”
Scorio stepped forward at last. “Lianshi’s right,” he said softly. “We do want you here. I want you here. Naomi, you deserve this. I know it’s frightening. I mean, I’m frightened. And I know how many memories you have of this place. Bad memories. But this is a second chance for us both. It would kill me if you left and returned to the ruins. To your tower room. Stay. Try it out. Who knows. Maybe you’ll find that you deserve a room that’s safe. Maybe you’ve earned a second chance at… well, everything.”
Naomi’s eyes glimmered with tears, and she scowled and looked away sharply, her dark hair falling like a curtain before her eyes.
“Please stay,” said Lianshi, taking her hand. “I promise to not let Leonis annoy you too much.”
“It’s your choice,” said Scorio. “Obviously. And if you go back to the ruins, I’ll still find the time to come out and annoy you. But it wouldn’t be the same without you here. Wouldn’t be right. So—what do you think? Can you give it a chance?”
“All right, fine,” said Naomi, and then sniffed in annoyance. “Just stop harping on about it already. I’ll stay for a little.”
“Great!” Lianshi leaned in impulsively to hug Naomi, who simply stood there stiffly until she let go. “Now Scorio. Please. Don’t make me beg. What happened out there?”
“Wait!” Leonis extended both palms, his tone alarmed. “We can’t have this conversation like this.”
“What?” Scorio tensed up. “Why not? What’s wrong?”
Without breaking eye contact with Scorio, Leonis pointed grimly toward the screen of hanging vines and banks of ferns. “We’ve a private pool of perfectly heated water that you have yet to enjoy, and I would be a poor friend if I allowed you to stand there looking like…” He paused, searching for the right word.
“A six-day-old corpse,” suggested Naomi.
“A murderous vagrant, and not the good kind,” said Lianshi with an apologetic wince.
“Something malodorous and unloved,” finished Leonis. “So. Let’s welcome you both to the Academy life in style. Let’s soak while you regale us with your legend-in-the-making.”
“No,” said Naomi.
“Come, I’ll lend you a bathing shirt,” said Lianshi, pulling Naomi toward her room.
“And you can borrow one of my linen undershorts,” said Leonis magnanimously. “The Academy provides them just for swimming. Come!”
A minute later, Leonis led Scorio to the far side of the room where ferns and massive fronds framed a stone walkway. They followed it to a set of three freestanding steps that rose then turned to the right to a broad platform of polished wood. This overlooked the luminous pool of azure from whose surface tendrils of steam arose.
“Not quite deep enough for a good dive,” said Leonis with a frown as he untied the thong that held his hair back. “And not quite large enough to swim vigorously. But after a hard day of training, there’s nothing better than a soak. Come on!” And with a great stride, he leaped off the platform’s edge, curled his knees up to his chest, and hit the water in an explosion of water that burst out in every direction. A moment later, his head broke the water’s surface with a great gasp. “Come on!”
Scorio grinned like a fool. The water’s luminous, chalky blue hue made it impossible to determine the depth, so he simply leaped in, spearing down neatly to sink into the heated water in a column of bubbles.
Down he sank, his body going soft in the delicious heat, till his feet touched the rough stone floor. He hung there, submerged, and opened his eyes. Leonis was a dark blur just before him, legs slowly kicking.
It was deliriously good. The tiredness and aches of the day, the weariness and grit and grime all seemed to dissolve. He’d never thought something could be this decadent, this delicious, this delightful. Scorio allowed his natural buoyancy to carry him up, and when his head rose above the water’s surface, he closed his eyes to float on his back.
“Not bad, hey?” boomed Leonis, delighted on his behalf. “I spend more time in the water than in bed.”
“Which is why this grotto reeks of armpits,” said Lianshi as she and Naomi stepped up to the platform, both wrapped in towels. “Please excuse the wildlife, Naomi. They’re noisome and uncouth, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Naomi was a hesitant shadow behind Lianshi, her shoulders bare, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“Come on,” said Scorio, straightening and giving Leonis a shove. “Show me the, ah, extent of the pool. Give me the tour.”
“The tour?” asked Leonis distractedly. “Oh! The tour. Of course. Follow me, oh gracious savior of Bastion. There’s a ledge just under the water on this side. Ideal for resting.”
They swam over to the back wall, and indeed a broad shelf extended under the surface at a depth of a foot or so. Turning, Scorio sat upon it and found that the curved wall made for an excellent back upon which to rest.
Lianshi and Naomi had taken advantage of their distraction to slip into the pool and now treaded water, their hair spreading out about them like ebon halos.
“Is it not worth the indignity?” asked Lianshi.
Naomi didn’t reply. Her eyes were closed, eyebrows raised, expression unguarded as she experienced the same delicious heat.
“I can’t believe you’ve both been luxuriating in this while I’ve been suffering out in the ruins all this time,” said Scorio, shaking his head in amazement. “Is this the Academy’s idea of how best to raise warriors?”
“Warrior kings, my friend,” said Leonis with a contented sigh, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back against the curved wall. “If we are to one day be the lords of hell, we must grow used to such finery.”
“More accurately,” said Lianshi, treading water with graceful poise, “it helps in our recovery and allows us to train harder overall. But yes. It is an unexpected luxury. Not that I’m complaining.”
“I never had one of these when I was here,” said Naomi, tone distracted, eyes still closed. “I had a single room off the servant’s quarters. Size of a supply closet.”
“Well, this is yours now,” said Lianshi firmly. “We’ll put in the request tomorrow and make it official.”
“And I dare anyone to deny us,” said Leonis, voice rumbling with amusement. “Especially when they catch sight of that tail of yours.”
Naomi’s eyes flickered open, and she frowned at Leonis. “Having me in your group will make things harder for you.”
“Nonsense!” boomed Leonis. “We’ve Scorio on our side, Beloved of the Imperators and Savior of Hell. All our petty concerns will disappear compared to the attention and adulation he’s sure to receive.”
“You think?” Scorio frowned. “I don’t want that kind of attention. I just want to train.”
“Then, my friend, you should not have drawn so much attention to yourself.” Leonis closed his eyes once more. “No, your fate is sealed. You are the hero of the hour. You will draw eyes wherever you go, and your friends shall grow favored and much desired by association. We shall all have to suffer nobly together.”