Chương 5: Soap

The beach house had an underground attic and a second floor living space. A large half of the first floor was turned into a restaurant bar with its own kitchen.

The remaining space was turned into a small reception area that also served as a living room for guests, a narrow locker room and changing area for employees, and an office.

The second floor was mostly comprised of bedrooms. It was equipped with a small kitchen and a shared bathroom where Marnthe took Geale for a much needed shower.

The bathroom had outdated blue and white tiles plastered on the floor and its walls. It was thankfully big enough for two tall people to fit in.

"Take your clothes off," Marnthe ordered as he checked the white cabinet below the sink for a stash of soap, shampoo, and towels. Thankfully, he had a house help clean the place the day before.

Geale quickly took his shirt off, pushed his boxers down his legs, and stood calmly in his naked glory in front of Marnthe who had gathered the toiletries in his arms.

Marnthe turned around to face Geale and staggered back, dropping the shampoo on the floor at the sight of the younger man's toned limbs, chiseled chest, and endowed…body parts.

He stiffly looked away to hide the scarlet tint filling his cheeks before loudly clearing his throat.

"Hey…um…I know I told you to take your clothes off but don't do this with just anyone, okay? I mean don't just take your clothes off when someone tells you to do so."

"What do you mean?" Geale curiously asked.

"Humans…only take their clothes off like that in front of people they have special relationships with…Like intimate companions or close family members. If anyone out there tells you or asks you to take your clothes off in front of them, don't do it. It's sexual harassment and it's wrong."

"Is that one of the rules I need to follow?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll only take my clothes off in front of you."

Marnthe stared wide-eyed at him, his heart racing at the implication of the statement.

Geale, however, seemed to have uttered the words out of genuine innocence.

"No. This will be the first and last time that I will tell you to do something like this, okay?"

"Why?"

"You're going to wash your self on your own after this. Now sit inside that tub right there," Marnthe said, motioning toward a large porcelain basin across from them.

Geale did as he was told, folding his knees slightly so that he could fit his towering form inside it.

"This will feel a tad bit uncomfortable, but I promise it's for your own good."

Marnthe then plopped at the edge of the basin, leaving the toiletries on his lap. He reached for the faucet at the foot of the tub.

"I'll try to get this done as soon as possible, okay?"

Panic flashed across Geale's face. "I-is this going to hurt?" he asked, reflexively staggering forward in an attempt to escape the tub.

"No, no, not at all. It will just feel a bit…weird," Marnthe assured, giving the younger man's shoulders a light squeeze. "Sit down and trust me."

Geale resignedly slid back down, letting his back rest against the cold porcelain tub surface. He then watched Marnthe twist the silver faucet handle, causing water to gush out from its nozzle.

Geale gasped as the water touched his toes and filled the tub. It sent odd itchy and tingly sensations through his skin. The water filling the tub started to fizzle and cloud as it slowly rose to Geale's waist.

Marnthe picked up the shower hose near the faucet, adjusting its nozzle so that it released a soft rain of water over Geale's exposed knees.

The skin on Geale's legs began to melt together, fusing his legs into a single appendage before completely morphing into a metallic fishtail.

Marnthe then aimed the shower hose nozzle at Geale's tangled mop of long reddish brown tresses, turning its strands into a thick curtain over the young man's face.

Geale hissed at the continued itchy and tingly sensation on his body and scalp.

"What on the goddesses' name is that?! It feels…weird!" he weakly protested, his back stiff and his hands gripping the edge of the tub until his knuckles turned white.

"It's chlorinated fresh water," Marnthe said, brushing the curtain of hair away from Geale's face. "On land, sea water dries up under the heat of the sun.

It turns into crusts of salt on your skin. It mixes into the sweat that your body produces to cool you down. Leaving sea water to dry on your body can make your skin weak and susceptible to burns.

That's why it's important that you wash off the sea water residue properly like this if you're going to stay on land after swimming in the ocean."

Geale wiped his face with his trembling hands as Marnthe aimed the hose at his back. "You said it's water, but why does it feel different?"

"Because it's not sea water. Wait until you feel the soap." Marnthe picked up a white bar from his lap and started rubbing it across Geale's wet skin.

Geale winced, the soap leaving slimy trails against his back, shoulders, and arms. Then froth began to form on his wet skin.

His eyes went wide as bubbles floated on the surface of the water. "Foam?!" he exclaimed, ready to jump off and out of the basin even with his fish tail.

"No, no, it's just bubbles."

Geale stared aghast at him. "Isn't that what foam is?!"

Marnthe bit back a smile and shook his head. It reminded him of the first time he took a bath. "This isn't anyone's remains," he assured him. "It's just the soap. It forms bubbles that help clean your skin."

Geale pursed his lips. He still had a look of doubt on his face. "And that odd scent..?"

"Soap." Marnthe held the soap in both hands and lathered it in his palms. "See? It's not sea foam."

He then slowly coaxed Geale's fingers away from the side of the tub. He cradled it in his hands and urged the younger man to hold the soap along with its frothy mass of bubbles.

"You need to scrub your skin with this - every inch of your skin, okay?"

Geale's expression relaxed as he followed Marnthe's instructions. "Why is it…slippery?"

"So that it can glide on your skin. Now I'm going to put shampoo on your hair while you rub soap on your body."

"Shampoo?" Geale warily asked, watching Marnthe pick up the green bottle that had fallen on the floor earlier.

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