Chapter 6

The room that Fenrick secured was on the first floor, thankfully. However, there was only one bed. Elara stood next to the doorway, her body begging her to lie down on the bed. Even if it were made of stone, she would feel like it was 5-star luxury. But there was only one regular-sized bed, and a giant man was disrobing next to the bed that she had to contend with. It didn't even seem to phase him that she was standing there while he stripped down to -  Oh My God! Elara turned quickly and blushed. Her face was buried in the corner of the room. No fucking way! Her mind rejected the image that she was faced with. She was never a size-queen, but surely even they would shy away from the likes of him. Did that psychopath also have a massive schlong he was going to murder her with? She felt vomit creeping up her throat, its acidic taste reminding her that it had been quite a while since she had eaten anything. She gagged silently, bowing with her head still in the corner. 

"Shesk, sparrow! I can't look that bad to you." Fenrick sounded hurt by her reaction to seeing him completely nude. He pulled out what seemed to be a pair of robes from the dresser. They were plain robes, no embellishments. They were a cool gray color, the same kind of color that millennial moms paid hundreds of dollars to have in all their homes. Fenrick threw the second robe towards Elara. "Here, you have to wear clothes if you go out in the halls. We are in a Cipher House. Here, no one cares who you are or what you're doing. All they care about is that your bill gets paid." He turned, slipping on the robe, though Elara sensed Fenrick might have been turning because of her initial reaction. 

It had felt like forever since Elara had felt clothing against her skin. She had almost forgotten to be shy of her nudity anymore. It wasn't like anyone who saw her even really saw her, except for Fenrick. And of course, her captor. And while she was sure that Fenrick had been able to see every part of her body as he wanted, he at least had the decency not to be so cruel about it. Elara's stomach churned at the memory of the man looking for her birthmark. He wasn't the first person to be so personal, but somehow that man was the worst, not for what he had done but for what Elara was sure that he would do to her if he had the chance. 

The blandness of the robe hid the sheer quality of the fabric that cocooned her. It felt light but substantial, cozy but not like a bathrobe or a blanket. It felt like the most luxurious PJ's Elara had ever worn. She took in a breath, and somehow the fabric didn't even hurt the scrapes on her back and legs. She sighed audibly. Hmmm, nothing she thought and could have almost sighed again, knowing another sound that she still had control over. 

Fenrick had still been turned away while Elara dressed in the corner, turning his head towards her at the sound of her sigh. "Clothing suits you, I wonder why you never wore any." he grinned. "Maybe you should bathe first before you get too comfortable. I would suggest the public bath, but sparrows aren't usually welcomed in there... for obvious reasons." he shrugged.

The reasons were not obvious at all. Elara stared at Fenrick like he had grown two heads. He rolled his eyes again, noticing her blank look. "Still not getting it? Think, sparrow. Those ears of yours..." He tapped his own temple lightly. "They hear things others don't. Private things. Whispered deals in steam rooms. Makes people... uncomfortable. Bad form." He groaned, clearly finding her lack of understanding tedious. "Didn't that dealer say you were quick-witted? Right then, prove it. Listen. What do you hear right now, in this room?"

Elara slowed her breathing and focused on what she could hear. This had been something she had been trying not to do since they were at the Registration office. She heard a quiet ticking sound near the bed. She also listened to the deep, resonant booms of what Elara could only assume was Frenrick's ... double? Heartbeat. Now that she was focused on it, the sound was like distant bass drums beating into an unsettling melody. But that was it. It finally struck her that all the background noise she had been subconsciously blocking out was missing. But the ticking was starting to bother her, so she walked over to the side of the bed where it was louder. She followed the noise and pulled out what looked like a beetle from the bed frame and held it up. 

Fenrick laughed and slapped the bed. "Well, look at that, sparrow is already earning her keep." He crossed the bed, taking the beetle from Elara and smashing it between his fingers. "I believe you have bugs in your dimension, too?" What fell from his hand was metal, and it made an interesting clinking sound as it hit the tile floor. Elara nodded. They did have bugs of both varieties. She figured it must have been a listening device. Then it hit her that he said 'dimension'. While that should have been obvious to her, considering when they landed, they weren't even in the same time zone, but suddenly, Elara felt immensely homesick. She fell to her knees, sobbing. 

"The bath is on the other side of that wall" Fenrick pointed to the wall across from her. His tone was gentle, something Elara didn't think was even possible in this place. "Take some time to clean up. I'll grab something to eat for us, and then you can get some rest. You'll need it for training." He slipped into the hallway without another word. The loud click sound indicated that she was locked in. 

Elara ambled over to the wall, carefully examining it before realizing that there was a doorway just beyond where she was standing. She felt silly, thinking that he meant that there was something tricky about the wall. She laughed to herself, a puff escaped her nose, and then a chuckle. I can laugh! She cheered internally. Entering the bathroom, there was a modern-looking toilet, although it seemed to have instructions written on the wall. "To Flush: push lever. No Sanitary Products in Toilet." ... Well, fancy that, Elara thought, even this dimension has idiots flushing tampons. And that thought delighted her too, considering she would be starting her period in a few weeks and would need something to handle that. Near the bath, there were more instructions: "Lift the lever for spring water. Tilt the lever to the side if the water is too hot." Eagerly, Elara lifted the lever. Crystal clear water started pouring from the metal spout, filling a tub much deeper than Elara would ever need.

After removing her robe, she gingerly lowered herself into the tub. The water was still filling it up as the hot spring water caressed her sore body. It felt like absolute heaven. The tub itself was long enough that she could stretch out fully. I could sleep in here. She thought, relaxing into the water that was close to covering her body. Or maybe I could live here... she moaned softly at the delightful sensation of weightlessness that water was giving her. Elara floated just barely above the bottom of the tub. She turned the water off and leaned back into it, allowing the water to absorb all of the pain and stress she had endured. Was it not that long ago that Elara's most significant concern was passing her finals? That seemed like eons ago, but it couldn't have been more than a day or two. But the water felt so lovely, lulling her into a state of easy relaxation. 

If it weren't for Fenrick returning with food, Elara would have surely fallen asleep in that surprisingly still hot water. Elara wasn't someone who usually took a bath over a shower, but in that moment, she despised the idea of leaving it. Her stomach, on the other hand, had already gotten a whiff of the aroma wafting through the air. It smelled savory and carby, and something she would have never allowed herself before, except on holidays and special occasions. The smell even rivaled whatever intoxicating food was to lure her in at the start of this journey. 

"Sparrow, come on out now. Too much time in the water isn't good for anyone." Fenrick called from the other side of the doorway. "Come on, your food will get cold." 

Wrapping her robe around her, the sound of the bathtub draining the amazing spring water that felt as though it had removed more than just dirt, but she felt maybe even like it had rejuvenated her somehow, she was way less sore than what a traditional bath back home would have provided. On the bed sat a tray with two plates. Each plate held the same amount of food. Elara could identify that there was a steak of some sort, bread, and a green plant she had never seen before. She came around to the other side of the bed, standing next to it, and she found no silverware on the tray. Confused, she waited, watching Fenrick as he was going to eat the same thing. He lifted the steak, biting into it like a slice of pizza, and nodded to Elara. How barbaric! The disgust was evident on her face. 

"You don't have to eat if you don't want to, no skin off my nose." He shrugged, pulling the tray closer to himself. 

The shocking realization that she wouldn't be able to eat caused Elara to go wide-eyed, leaning over the table and reaching for the tray. She shook her head violently, begging him with her best puppy dog eye impression she could muster. Her stomach would never forgive her if she let this good get away. 

"Okay, okay! You don't have to get crazy," he waved his arm defensively and then shoved the tray back towards the middle. Elara reached for the greens first. They tasted a bit like boiled spinach, but at that moment, Elara would have gladly eaten a whole room full of it. The steak tasted like cow, something she wondered if they were also kidnapped from her dimension. Cownapped? It didn't matter. 

Soon they were done eating and Fenrick set the tray outside their room. Upon shutting the door, he removed his robe again. "I can't sleep with those robes on, too restricting." His muscles flexed, she wondered if it was purposeful. He was well built, like Wolverine in the first X-men kind of build, including all the hair. Not that she minded. But she did note that for what she imagined a mage to be, he seemed not to fit the physical profile at all. Elara wondered how he managed to maintain such a physique. 

Elara had planned to wait until Fenrick was asleep before climbing into bed to sleep, but when she leaned onto the bed while eating, she discovered just how comfortable it was. She had climbed in before Fenrick had removed his robe. Unlike him, Elara was positive she could sleep in the robe. Her eyes closed on their own as soon as she lay down. The bed felt as though it was cuddling her. She had not slept in a nicer bed since she left home, although she didn't get to enjoy that feeling for long. In only a matter of moments, Elara fell into a deep, healing sleep and didn't even feel Fenrick pull the covers up over her before turning away to sleep as well.