The Forest Prince

XV. | "Be More Like Your Older Brother"

"Alright Gabe, rise and shine." The Harvestchild barely had time to open his eyes before something soft was plopped down on his face. "There's a bathroom on this floor. One through the kitchen, one in my room (even though it doesn't have a bath or anything), and one on the third floor, with the guest bedrooms." Adrian instructed, adding a washcloth to the towel he dropped onto the Harvestchild.

"Might want to catch a shower. ASAP, if you can. You look and smell like you haven't bathed in a couple of days." Which was true, for the most part. He never could find a good time to wash up in the park, as the nymphs washed communally and would usually insist he'd join them. Between the thought of public nudity, and public nudity amidst a group of curious females, you could probably figure out why the young, awkward dweeb was against the idea.

A better alternative for him would've been to scope out some sort of recreational center or public shelter to take advantage of their restrooms, but such an alternative simply wasn't a priority in the boy's mind.

Plainly speaking: he had other shit to worry about besides taking a bath.

Try being virtually homeless for a couple of weeks, while living in the constant fear and danger of being attacked by beasts you didn't even know existed up until that point. Most of your pre-established daily routine goes right out the window. Even if it was on his to-do list, he simply didn't have the time to investigate.

"We're expecting guests," Adrian added sternly as he headed into the kitchen. Gabe was still a bit slow to rise but managed to shake off some grogginess as he noticed Willow enter the room from the aforementioned kitchen. It gave him some peace of mind as his encounter with the Valkyrie left him unconscious and unsure of her whereabouts.

"How're you feeling, Bambi?" She almost cooed as she tended to the boy, helping him sit up. His head still throbbed, but he was free of any disorientation. "Not the greatest, but I'll live." He was more concerned for her well-being than he was of his own. "Did they hurt you?" There were no apparent marks or scars he could spot, but he wanted to be sure.

"Not physically, at least," Willow replied, diverting her gaze as she tried to laugh it off. Gabe took a nonverbal note of the nymph's distress as he rose to his feet.

"... Yeah, nah, I don't appreciate that one bit. I'm gonna take a shower, then we're outta here." He told her before disappearing beyond the singular threshold leading into the kitchen. He wasn't keen on hanging around the place, but he figured he'd at least take advantage of their things before telling them off and exiting. The Harvestchild briefly regarded the Fireborn demigod munching away at a fresh bowl of cereal before disappearing into the full bathroom a few steps ahead.

It was a bit compact, but Gabe had no place to complain. The little rectangular room had just enough space to include a toilet, a sink counter, and a tub complete with a showerhead. His grandmother's old bathroom wasn't much bigger, mind you, but the boy couldn't help but expect something a bit more grandiose for some reason.

The next thing immediately brought to his attention, was his own banged-up face as he looked into the mirror set upon the wall directly in front of him. He leaned over the sink for a closer examination, his expression twisting in disgust as he poked at the splotchy lumps and dried-up scratches lining his disgruntled guise.

"Ugh, I look like an abused raccoon." He groaned, making mention of the two black eyes he was sporting. After a few more seconds of poking around (making quick mental notes of the new scars and scratches he could spot), he took a shower. Naturally, the fresh scrapes and scuffs stung under the wash of hot water and soap. He winced as he reduced the water's temperature, noticing the layers of dirt washing down the drain. "Huh. Didn't think I was that dirty..." He thought.