Dinner wound down at last, and Yunohana rose with it, inviting the family to finish their evening in the estate’s bathhouse. She led everyone there herself, down a covered walk of cedar and lantern light with the pond glittering alongside.
The bathhouse waited at the end of the walk as its own building, steam curling from vents beneath the eaves. Two entrance curtains hung side by side over its doorway, one indigo and one white.
"I must apologize for one thing in advance, Lord Grey." Yunohana stopped between the curtains and turned to Kaiden. "Our baths are divided. Gentlemen to the right, ladies to the left. If you wish, I can have the great bath opened for your family alone tonight, so that nobody has to be separa-"
"Lady Yunohana." Kaiden raised a hand and stopped the offer as gently as an offer could be stopped. "You’ve rewritten enough rules for us today. Leave this one alone."
He looked over his family with a lazy grin. "Ladies, enjoy your bath. I’ll be on my side, soaking in glorious silence."
The girls traded a look, and nobody argued. Their man had spent the whole week buried under federal suits, flights, ceremonies, and a household that loved him at full volume around the clock. If he wanted one hour of hot water with nobody in his lap, he had more than earned it.
"Enjoy your peace, Kai," Nyx smiled, patting his chest on her way past.
"We’ll be loud enough for both sides!" Calypso promised.
"That I don’t doubt."
He laughed and vanished behind the right curtain, out of the story for a while.
Yunohana turned to the ladies, folded her hands, and got as far as "I wish you all a most pleasant-"
The girls were already looking at each other.
"And you, Lady Yunohana?" Nyx asked, sweet as syrup.
"I could hardly intrude on-"
"You said that at dinner," Aria reminded her warmly, arriving at her right side.
Nyx took her left. "And look how that turned out."
The High Shrine Maiden of Japan looked from one flank to the other and let herself be walked through the left curtain.
"You desire to bathe with me?" she asked, perplexed.
"Yes! Alexandra’s eyes were full of pleading. "There’s no one better to learn gracefulness from."
"..." Yunohana remained quite confused, though her perfect expression betrayed nothing. "I see," she smiled softly. "It’d be my honor."
"!!" Alexandra’s expression turned to one of quiet joy as she, under her breath, gasped, "Yes!"
The family had claimed the shrine maiden twice in one evening now, and she seemed to mind it less each time.
The mod trio, meanwhile, had tried to slip away at the garden fork, mumbling about dashboards that needed checking before bed.
"You’re guests tonight, not staff," Luna said, hooking one arm through Emily’s and the other through Sarah’s, and turning both of them around bodily. "Bath time."
"But the community-"
"Will survive one wet hour without you."
Leia required no dragging at all; she was already ahead of the whole group, carrying her towel like a flag.
At the garden’s edge, Kira and Rika made their break.
"We have footage to log!" one of them called back, already at a jog.
"What are you, dogs? A little bathing will never hurt anybody," Nyx’s ominous purr sounded from behind them.
Both twins rose gently off the gravel, tablets and all, and drifted toward the bathhouse feet first.
"This is awakened violence against civilians!!"
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