through John’s body. He had to stop fantasizing about Ravishan. He stirred his ugly brown stew. He studied the wrinkled, ancient face of an old man who sat dozing at a table near the fireplace. He considered the square root of 1,296. After a few moments of division John realized that the answer was 36.
The stiff tension in his groin slowly faded.
“Is something wrong?” Saimura asked. “Have you sensed something?”
“No,” John said quickly. “I was just daydreaming.”
“You looked troubled,” Saimura commented.
“No, I’m tired and I smell like the ass-end of a tahldi, that’s all.”
“The bath is probably ready by now,” Lafi’shir said. “We could all do with a little soap and water.”
•
The bath shared a wall with the kitchen. And the smell of bread and cooking oil floated through the small room. A huge wooden tub occupied most of the room. Wisps of steam rose off the water in the tub. John could feel the heat rolling off the coals below it. Even the tiled floor and walls radiated warmth.
Soap, scrub brushes, and smaller wash buckets had been provided for all five of them. John studied the buckets curiously. Fenn also seemed confused. The baths in the Warren had been more like showers with running water, not just a series of tubs.
“You wash and rinse with the small bucket. Then you soak in the tub,” Saimura told them both. “It’s very refined. Almost as decadent as a gaunsho’s bath.”
“Don’t expect me to pay for another too soon,” Lafi’shir said. He stripped off his clothes and tossed them in a heap near the door. “It’s too cold to use the stable troughs right now, but in summer that’s where you’ll all be doing your washing.”
John nodded. He tried to keep his eyes to himself as they all undressed, but it was impossible not to notice the other men’s naked bodies. He couldn’t help but note the similarities and differences between them all.
Both Lafi’shir and Pirr’tu were strongly built men with thick curling body hair. Pirr’tu’s hair was glossy black, whereas much of Lafi’shir’s had gone gray and kinked wildly. For a man in his late fifties, Lafi’shir boasted an astounding physique. The muscles of his belly had softened a little, but his chest was still firm, his shoulders still thick. John guessed that in his prime his arms and thighs had bulged with muscle just as Pirr’tu’s did. John’s eyes lingered briefly on Pirr’tu, admiring how his broad back tapered down to tight, muscular buttocks.
Not quite John’s type, but he could understand the attraction Pirr’tu inspired in so many young women.
Fenn, by comparison, was quite slim. His long hands, feet, and penis seemed a little outsized for his thin body. His black body hair seemed fine. John guessed it would be silky to the touch. Fenn washed himself without any sign of discomfort at his own nudity.
Saimura undressed more carefully than the other men. He removed several stones and a small knife from his pockets, then folded his clothes. His skin was milky white and dappled with freckles. His muscles were not as taut as Ravishan’s, but there was a similarity between their builds. Saimura possessed the same long, graceful physique as Ravishan. Where Ravishan was lean and scarred, Saimura appeared supple and unmarred. Where Ravishan’s pubic hair was black, Saimura’s was a surprisingly bright shade of red.
Saimura threw a tin of soap to John. John barely looked up in time to catch it.
“Are you planning on washing with your clothes on?” Saimura asked.
John felt a red flush spread from his face down.
Pirr’tu glanced back at John and grinned.
“Don’t tell me you’re shy,” Pirr’tu teased.
John placed the talisman Saimura had given him with Saimura’s stones and knife. Then he stripped off his clothes. He knew the other men were looking him over. He tried to ignore them and washed himself. After a few moments, he couldn’t help but turn to Pirr’tu. The man
The stiff tension in his groin slowly faded.
“Is something wrong?” Saimura asked. “Have you sensed something?”
“No,” John said quickly. “I was just daydreaming.”
“You looked troubled,” Saimura commented.
“No, I’m tired and I smell like the ass-end of a tahldi, that’s all.”
“The bath is probably ready by now,” Lafi’shir said. “We could all do with a little soap and water.”
•
The bath shared a wall with the kitchen. And the smell of bread and cooking oil floated through the small room. A huge wooden tub occupied most of the room. Wisps of steam rose off the water in the tub. John could feel the heat rolling off the coals below it. Even the tiled floor and walls radiated warmth.
Soap, scrub brushes, and smaller wash buckets had been provided for all five of them. John studied the buckets curiously. Fenn also seemed confused. The baths in the Warren had been more like showers with running water, not just a series of tubs.
“You wash and rinse with the small bucket. Then you soak in the tub,” Saimura told them both. “It’s very refined. Almost as decadent as a gaunsho’s bath.”
“Don’t expect me to pay for another too soon,” Lafi’shir said. He stripped off his clothes and tossed them in a heap near the door. “It’s too cold to use the stable troughs right now, but in summer that’s where you’ll all be doing your washing.”
John nodded. He tried to keep his eyes to himself as they all undressed, but it was impossible not to notice the other men’s naked bodies. He couldn’t help but note the similarities and differences between them all.
Both Lafi’shir and Pirr’tu were strongly built men with thick curling body hair. Pirr’tu’s hair was glossy black, whereas much of Lafi’shir’s had gone gray and kinked wildly. For a man in his late fifties, Lafi’shir boasted an astounding physique. The muscles of his belly had softened a little, but his chest was still firm, his shoulders still thick. John guessed that in his prime his arms and thighs had bulged with muscle just as Pirr’tu’s did. John’s eyes lingered briefly on Pirr’tu, admiring how his broad back tapered down to tight, muscular buttocks.
Not quite John’s type, but he could understand the attraction Pirr’tu inspired in so many young women.
Fenn, by comparison, was quite slim. His long hands, feet, and penis seemed a little outsized for his thin body. His black body hair seemed fine. John guessed it would be silky to the touch. Fenn washed himself without any sign of discomfort at his own nudity.
Saimura undressed more carefully than the other men. He removed several stones and a small knife from his pockets, then folded his clothes. His skin was milky white and dappled with freckles. His muscles were not as taut as Ravishan’s, but there was a similarity between their builds. Saimura possessed the same long, graceful physique as Ravishan. Where Ravishan was lean and scarred, Saimura appeared supple and unmarred. Where Ravishan’s pubic hair was black, Saimura’s was a surprisingly bright shade of red.
Saimura threw a tin of soap to John. John barely looked up in time to catch it.
“Are you planning on washing with your clothes on?” Saimura asked.
John felt a red flush spread from his face down.
Pirr’tu glanced back at John and grinned.
“Don’t tell me you’re shy,” Pirr’tu teased.
John placed the talisman Saimura had given him with Saimura’s stones and knife. Then he stripped off his clothes. He knew the other men were looking him over. He tried to ignore them and washed himself. After a few moments, he couldn’t help but turn to Pirr’tu. The man
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