Beers and Beards

I relaxed into the hot spring, closing my eyes and letting the scent of the mineral water wash over me. I heard some sloshing as the rest of the clan made their way into the water, and then the sound of a splash as Aqua pushed Annie into the deep end.

Then there was some more splashing, some yelling, some burbling, and then blessed silence.

I opened my eyes to see Aqua laying face down in the water as she floated past.

“Is she dead?” I asked.

“No. She can hold her breath for a surprisingly long time.” Annie muttered, coming to sit next to me. Balin sat behind her and began washing her back with a soapstone. They were both wearing nothing more than a beard for modesty. It’d taken time, but I’d gotten used to the dwarven predilection for group nude bathing. It wasn’t common in Canada, but Caroline and I had gone to a few nude bathing places in Germany. This wasn’t much different.

Just a lot hairier.

After a solid two minutes, Aqua finally twitched and emerged from the water with a gasp. She shot Annie a rude gesture and paddled off into the darkness; most of the underground hot spring was still unlit.

“Okay. I’m convinced. Let’s move.” Johnsson said brightly as he floated by on his back. “Our tub at the Goat is nice, but this is amazing, and I can feel the minerals working into my skin. We could charge a fortune to come here. And it has a public and private entrance from the clan area, it’s perfect!”

“Of course it’s perfect, it’s meant for us,” I said. “This whole section is.”