Three Gangs and a Silver Sin

Chapter 54, Steam and Thermodynamics

"Krisha!" I scold and the indian lady looks horrified. "What did I say about gender equality?"

"Nothing... You just said that there are sixty genders..."

"Sixty-three, Krisha. Get your facts straight."

"I'm sorry but the chemicals in the room are very strong..."

"Uhem, may I try?" Xavier asks when he walks over.

I glare at him with his smug expression. I must admit it's weird seeing him in something that's not a suit, but then again I can't deny that it wasn't too bad seeing him in nothing earlier... 

Oh my god, what am I even thinking? I need to go bleach my thoughts.

"Go ahead, give it your best shot," I sigh and throw my hands up before walking away and observing the scene from afar. Prisha is standing at the door to the steam room and has a permanent polite smile as she watches Xavier talk to her sister.

Xavier is all about the hand gestures and and charming smile as he talks to Krisha. He has his one hand around her shoulder at one point and gestures to the air in front of them like he wants poor Krisha to envision something. Krisha looks very uncomfortable and keeps glancing down at where Xavier's crotch is. 

Ha. Sex transfer gone wrong.

After a minute, Xavier comes back with a miraculously bigger smirk than before.

"What did you say?" I ask.

"Don't worry, I handled it," Xavier smiles.

Krisha goes to a closet and fetches two thick-paper looking folded things. "Here. These gowns won't be damaged like the material ones," Krisha explains.

One for one this time, Xavier and I go back to the locker room to dress. I'll admit, the paper gowns aren't as comfortable as I was hoping for, but at least I'm not naked. When both Xavier and I are ready, Krisha and Prisha leads us into the steam room.

Lit only by candles, the darker room is a relief from the bright white lights the rest of the place has. Through the flickering light, I notice steam rising from the pool in the middle of the room. There are air-vents releasing gas bit by bit and a small work station for Prisha and Krisha.

"You may sit in the steam pool," Krisha says.

Worried about the paper gowns- Ha. Paper gowns. The gowns were paper, but the memories weren't.

I'm so weird. 

Worried about the paper gowns and what'll happen when it meets water, I climb into the tiny pool carefully. It's more of an over-sized Jacuzzi really, but I'm not here to question it. When I see that the paper is doing fine in the steamy water, I get in and sit on the elevated stone in the water. From my bellybutton and up, I'm above the water. I could get into the middle of the Jacuzzi, but then I'd probably be engulfed in the steamy hot water.

Normal people would find the water uncomfortably hot. There's no trace of even a drop of cold water. This is a human boiler. Perfect.

I smirk at Xavier when he gets in, because I can't wait for him to yell out like a little girl at the touch of the hot water.

My jaw drops when Xavier gets in without a problem and actually looks satisfied by the bone-melting water.

"What?" Xavier asks.

"Isn't it hot?" I ask.

"It's actually a little cold," Xavier responds.

"How?"