The hot springs were paved in the same carved stone flooring as the previous ruins; there was a part of a broken-down wall on one side, and surrounding the perimeter of the whole area were rows of carved pillars, most of them broken, their shattered remains well-weathered lumps. Two of the pools were covered in scummy algae, the third pool was surprisingly clear.

  “Looks like we’re in for a real treat.” Mercedes offered, and set Simone down. She set aside the packs as well, and sighed. She didn’t realize how tired she was.

  “It smells.” Simone complained, glancing around.

  “You’ll get used to it.” Mercedes replied glibly. “I’ve visited the High Elf homeland many times, and the hot springs there are very relaxing.”

  “I don’t know...” Simone mused. “What is this place for?”

  “Bathing. You sit in the water and clean yourself.” Mercedes replied. “It feels really good.” She began looking through her pack for her pouch, the one that held the soap. There wasn't much left, but it was probably enough for the both of them.

  Behind her, there was a splash as Simone got in.

  “Spirits!” Simone swore in exclamation, “This is hot!”

  Mercedes chuckled. “It'll melt all the stiffness and soreness right out of you.” She glanced over her shoulder; Simone was already in up to her shoulders, her clothes an untidy heap next to the pool.

  “Tell me about your people, the People of the Plains.” Mercedes offered solicitously.

  “...what do you want to know?” Simone asked in a guarded voice.

  Mercedes glanced over at Simone, who was using one hand to massage her other shoulder. The smaller elf's white hair was sticking to her face.

  “Well, what do you do?” Mercedes asked. “You said you're a healer?” She began unlatching the buckles on her gauntlets.

  Simone's mouth twisted sourly. “That's not all I do.” Simone replied, her eyes still closed. “I count the seasons, I watch the sun and the stars, I listen to the spirits...” the smaller elf trailed off, and then smiled, “And I hunt.”

  “You hunt?” Mercedes asked, shedding her gauntlets.

  “...not as much, anymore.” Simone allowed. “Mostly I Search and Call.”

  The subtle emphasis on the two words made Mercedes curious. “Search and Call?” She asked.

  “Search for herds, and Call them to certain places so they're easier to hunt.” Simone replied. “Ugh. This is really hot.” the smaller elf muttered.

  “Do you have any family?” Mercedes asked, working on the buckles of her breastplate and pauldrons.

  “Do you?” Simone shot back.

  “Of course. I have an older sister.” Mercedes replied. “My mother died when I was young; my uncle was the one who took care of me after she passed.”

  “What's an ‘uncle’?” Simone asked curiously.

  “My mother's brother.” Mercedes replied, and explained ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’ and how they related.

  The smaller elf shook her head, baffled. “That seems weird.”

  “You don't have aunts or uncles?” Mercedes asked incredulously, turning to face the smaller elf.

  Simone glanced at Mercedes, an assessing look. “I don’t have...” the shaman trailed off, and considered for a moment. “Your mother died when you were young?”

  Mercedes nodded.

  “In the tribe, that wouldn’t...” Simone began, but then frowned. “I have many mothers, many fathers. Likewise, I have many brothers and sisters.” The smaller elf glanced at Mercedes, who had detached the mail skirt and faulds that protected her hips and upper thighs. “Understand?”

  Mercedes stopped what she was doing and shook her head.

  Simone sighed. “We are raised by the tribe. All the women are mothers, all the men our fathers. All of the children are brothers and sisters. We’re all family.”

  Mercedes gave Simone a confused look as she sat down to work the buckles on her armored boots.

  “Isn’t that confusing? Don’t you know who your mother is?”

  “I just told you, I have many mothers.” Simone repeated.

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  Mercedes sighed testily. “I meant your real mother. The one that birthed you.”

  Simone sighed back. “Of course I do.”

  “And your real father?” Mercedes prompted, setting her armored boots to the side. She went to work on the leather clothes she wore under her armor, her trembling fingers betraying her excitement over the bath.

  “I know who he is.” Simone finally admitted as Mercedes stripped down. Simone awkwardly avoided looking at the taller elf’s nudity, a blush growing in the smaller elf’s cheeks.

  Mercedes was taller than the elves Simone knew. More, her feminine physique, hinted at even with the armor, was formidable. She had a robust physique, toned muscles flexing smoothly beneath her pale skin. She had breasts much larger than Simone was used to seeing, and her feminine curves more aggressively pronounced. That, plus the long fall of blonde hair, something not seen in the People of the Plains, made Simone question whether or not Mercedes was truly an elf.

  Mercedes picked up the bar of soap and the cloth she used to wash herself and stepped into the water, hissing at the heat.

  “But families in the tribe are different from what you know.” Simone explained, closing her eyes.

  “Different? And how do you know?” Mercedes asked curiously.

  “I saw into your memories- your dream, remember?” Simone replied, “And I learned a lot. We’re different.” The smaller elf looked at the steaming surface of the water to avoid looking directly at Mercedes.

  “Different how?” Mercedes asked, dipping her head back to wet her hair.

  “I explained it already.” Simone replied testily. “The whole tribe is your family.” Simone glanced off to the side, focusing attention on the carved stone blocks that paved the bath. “There are only ... about eighty to...” Simone counted on fingers, “a hundred and twenty people in a tribe, and a good portion of them are children. The tribe is everything. If it weren’t for that, then things would fall apart, and no one would survive.”

  Mercedes digested this as she lathered herself up. It made sense, in a way, she decided. A barbaric society needed to rely more on each other for survival than her own did.

  It pained her to admit it, but if her own noble house fell, another would simply take its place; the High Elves would continue on.

  Now that the excitement over the bath had faded, she suddenly became aware of Simone’s discomfiture. Mercedes wasn’t sure, but it seemed as though Simone was embarrassed.

  Embarrassed? Nervous? Simone was looking everywhere- the clouds in the sky, the surface of the water, the sides of the pool, everywhere else but at Mercedes. She smiled a little. The smaller elf must not be used to bathing like this. Or maybe it was something else?

  “...How old are you, Simone?” Mercedes asked curiously.

  Simone glanced at Mercedes; the smaller elf’s face redded, even the tips of her ears were red.

  “I can count nineteen summers.” The smaller elf replied, and then looked away awkwardly. “...what is that thing you’re holding?”

  “Ah, this? It’s soap. It washes you clean. Turn around, I’ll wash your back for you.” Mercedes offered.

  Simone muttered something that Mercedes didn’t catch, but turned around in the water, presenting her back to the crusader.

  “You’re... a little younger than I am, then.” Mercedes mused, running her hands over Simone’s back. Despite Simone’s slight form, the smaller elf was wiry and deceptively toned with muscle. “Do you have a lover?”

  Simone twitched under Mercedes’ hands. “I had a few when I was younger.” Simone admitted, “though none since I became a shaman.” Simone let out an involuntary gasp as Mercedes dug her thumbs into Simone’s shoulders, kneading away painful knots.

  “Oh? Why is that?” Mercedes asked, moving closer.

  “Shamans...” Simone began, but clenched her teeth as Mercedes pressed herself against the smaller elf, “...forgo physical pleasures when training.” Simone chose to refrain from mentioning that shamans often chose not to couple with those who weren’t shamans. There was a subtle separation between those who could commune with the spirits, and those who relied on that communion.

  A few things that seemed incongruous to Mercedes came together, then.

  “You’re... new at being a shaman, aren’t you?” She asked delicately.

  Simone nodded.

  “So when this ...abstinence... ends, are you looking forward to getting a boyfriend?” Mercedes asked, a small smile on her lips as she lightly teased Simone.

  “My abstinence,” Simone struggled with the word, it was an unfamiliar word to the plains elf, though she understood its meaning, “has ended. I’ve had a few boy partners... before.” Simone offered awkwardly, “I think... I’d like to have a girl partner this time.”

  At first, Mercedes was stunned at the admission. At the same time, however, it made a certain sort of sense. In the Church- in the army, there were times that people of the same sex pillowed together. It was something of a natural occurrence, the result of so many people of the same sex confined together in a single location- still, it was something that went unspoken, and when time and circumstance permitted, the people involved chose to forget their dalliances and forge bonds and find partners of the opposite sex. Well, it was just what she’d heard, anyway.

  Suddenly, Mercedes saw Simone’s awkwardness and embarrassment in another light. Was the lithe elf interested.... In her?

  All of this resulted in a storm of emotions that washed over Mercedes in a sudden, dizzying wave. Her thoughts tumbled together, racing.

  Mercedes moved away a little from Simone, feeling self-conscious and apprehensive. Mercedes had never pillowed with her contemporaries, and, because of her bloodline, was holding herself ready for her future betrothed, whomever that might be. This sudden interest from Simone was overwhelming.

  The sudden silence was interminable. She needed to say something- anything.

  “I’m- I’m... flattered-” Mercedes tried awkwardly, “b-but two girls, is, uhhh, how to say it-” she trailed off, unable to think of what to say next.

  Simone trembled a little bit.

  Oh no. Had she hurt the young girl’s feelings? How would things happen now, between the two of them? How could they press on together, now that the strangely wise shaman-

  “I thought this before, but-” Simone began, and turned around in the water and faced Mercedes. Simone was still blushing, but there was a fierce, determined look to the smaller elf’s face. The smaller elf stood up in the water, one hand on a slim brown hip.

  Mercedes leaned back in stunned shock, her mind going completely white.

  “-I’m a boy, you know?”