Peacekeepers

Chapter Thirteen - Placate

The other man sighed wearily but regarded his apprentice with a level gaze. "I sensed no ill will from neither Aya nor Kenshin."

"What was the point in the pretense of our marriage then?" Steven asked, feeling frustrated. "I thought the whole point was to stay together so that no one bothers her?"

"Oh?" Aaron raised a suggestive brow. "So you take issue with sharing a tent with her but not bathing together?"

Steven was sure he turned at least three different shades of red in that single instant. "Th-That' not what I meant!" he hissed back, at least mindful in his fluster not to cause a scene. When Aaron released a chuckle, Steven grit his teeth in irritation. "This situation just makes me really uneasy."

Suddenly he felt Skarmory's sharp metal beak preening at his hair, as if the bird sensed his anxiety and was attempting to comfort him. Steven smiled lightly at his avian and gave him a grateful pat, glad that he had brought him along.

Since Garchomp was in no mood to move around with three Munna's clinging onto her body and Aggron's heavy footsteps were just too disruptive when most of the camp was trying to sleep, they were both left to wait outside Kenshin's tent with Lucario to keep them in check.

Aaron's face slowly sobered and he let out another sigh. "This is the best outcome we could have hoped for. It would have been much more complicated if she had to use the sauna."

His words gave Steven pause and he winced with realization. "I... hadn't thought of that." The fact that it was a community sauna meant that they would have had to chase all the soldiers away just so Cynthia could take her turn with some level of dignity.

"This is all besides the fact that she is under Lord Kenshin's immediate protection," Aaron went on. "Should something happen to her, it would bring shame to his entire clan."

Steven frowned again; he was less concerned about retribution than he was for Cynthia's immediate safety. He nodded reluctantly and finally let the matter drop, following Aaron's example by choosing a changing tent and proceeding into the sauna after that.

He found that the only way he could cope with being surrounded by a bunch of other (half naked) men was to cross his arms and close his eyes. He tried to imagine himself taking a nice shower in the comfort of his own home, attempting to ignore the claustrophobic, suffocating feelings with little success.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes and he could take no more of the exceedingly awkward experience. Exiting out into the cold without a word, he found and quickly donned the dark blue clothes the attendant had left beside his former clothes.

The pants were comfortable enough, though the tunic seemed over-sized and cumbersome and he resolved to wash and change back into his ninja attire as soon as he got the chance.

"For so desperately needing a bath, you sure didn't stay in there very long," Aaron remarked as he emerged from another changing tent in similarly provided clothes, having apparently followed Steven out.

"I'm just hungry." It wasn't a lie, and he didn't feel like complaining about how uncomfortable he had been, although he did at least feel a little cleaner. His stomach grumbled loudly then, furthering his claim. "How soon will we eat?"

They both started walking back the way they came as Aaron looked up in thought for a moment and smirked wryly. "Hmm, probably as soon as your wife returns."

Steven's gaze narrowed. "Now you're just being obnoxiously facetious."

Aaron did not seem the least bit offended by the claim. "Funny, how you don't seem to mind it when it's her playing along."