William clapped once, the grin still on his face.
"Squad Three, then. Congratulations."
Darius slid a small silver flask from his satchel and held it out.
"Sip, Captain."
William took a pull off it.
Darius snatched it back.
"Don't hog it all."
William chuckled and wiped his mouth.
"Medicinal."
Darius tipped the flask toward the four of them.
"So it's official now Squad Three aka Team William."
Kai lit up.
Rin gave the smallest bow, then tucked the frayed strip of William's rag into his sleeve like a man pocketing a receipt.
Lila helped Aria up — most of the heat had already gone out of her bruises.
"You earned the stamp," William said.
"Go take baths, Bathhouse is three rooms up big pavilion, lots of rooms. You've got two hours, hot pools, clean towels, please try not to drown each other."
Kai shot Rin a look.
The squad drifted off — Rin first and quiet, Kai buoyant despite the ache, Lila steering Aria with a hand on her back.
The courtyard went quiet again.
Darius capped the flask and slid it away.
William watched his squad turn the corner, then looked back at him.
"Report."
Darius rolled his shoulders.
The humor dropped off him like a coat.
"Shinshōkan was spotted in the city. Good eyes, reliable. Association's got me on patrol till it's handled — dusk and midnight rotations."
He nodded south.
"And there's soldiers massing on Dune, near Dune City, the kind of force I don't like."
The name sat there between them.
"You think the Order's moving," William said.
"I don't know."
A beat.
"But I'm too sober to find out."
That got a laugh out of William despite everything.
He clapped Darius on the shoulder.
"Two hours then we roll out Janoah at first light."
With Darius saying "I'll walk the walls."
"Captain."
"Captain."
They split — one toward patrol, one toward orders — petals drifting down over the cracked stone where Squad Three had fought.
The bathhouse was three rooms over.
A big cedar pavilion, fog thick enough to lose a hand in, lanterns glowing behind frosted glass like trapped moons.
A sign hung on the door:
ONE HOUSE, MANY ROOMS, SHARE OR GO STINKY.
Kai slid it open and looked in.
"Okay, that's a lot of bath."
"They cut the budget for walls," Rin said.
Lila frowned.
"There's no partitions?"
Aria was already toeing off her boots.
"It's a bath. Relax."
Steam rolled across the tile in lazy rivers, buckets,stools, ladles, and the works.
They reached the rinse area and Aria started unstrapping her gear like it was the end of a normal drill.
Lila grabbed a towel and flung it over her —
and missed, hooding her head instead.
"Hey—!"
"What?" Aria said, blind under the towel.
"You can't just—"
Lila gestured wildly at the lack of walls.
"There's boys."
"There's mist," Aria said.
Lila tackled her into a pile of towels anyway.
"Just cover up, oh my god."
"You're gonna drown me before the bath does," Aria wheezed.
On the other side, Rin tilted his head, like he was lining up a view.
Kai's arm shot out across his chest.
"Nope."
"I can't see anything," Rin said.
"It's all fog."
Kai was already squinting through his own fingers.
"Doesn't matter. Eyes front."
Rin stepped left.
Kai shuffled to block him.
Rin stepped right.
Kai shuffled harder.
"I'm just walking," Rin said.
"You're walking suspicious."
Rin's foot squeaked on the wet tile.
Kai's heel hit a patch of soap.
They both froze.
"Don't—"
WHUMP.
CLACK.
SPLASH.
They went down together, bounced off two stools, kicked over a bucket, and hit the big pool in a tangle.
Towels went flying.
On the far side, Aria pounded the rail, laughing.
"Beautiful. Ten out of ten dive."
"I can't breathe," Lila gasped.
Kai surfaced spitting water, hair plastered over his face, grabbing for anything to cover himself.
Rin came up beside him slow and dignified, hair slicked straight back, face like nothing had happened.
"Don't look," Kai said.
"I'm not looking."
"Good."
They called a truce.
Girls on the left.
Boys on the right.
The mist took care of the rest.
Soak time.
Lila ladled warm water over Aria's neck.
Steam haloed around her.
"You're benched till tomorrow," Lila said.
"Doctor's orders."
"Yeah, yeah."
Aria's eyes were already closed.
On the other side, Kai sank down until the water hit his chin.
"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Rin lowered himself until only his face showed above the surface, scarf folded neatly on the rim.
"It's fine."
Kai cracked an eye at him.
"Don't use the eyes."
"My eyes are off."
A pause.
"...What do you see?" Kai asked.
Rin's iris thinned for half a second.
"Everything."
A thin line of blood ran from his nose.
"Man!"
Across the pool, Aria's eyes snapped open.
"I felt that, Lila soap."
Lila handed her a bar without even looking.
Aria threw it like she was trying to end a career.
Rin leaned an inch to the side.
The soap hummed past his cheek—
—and caught Kai square between the eyes.
He went under with a splash.
Rin watched the ripples.
"It found who it was meant for."
Kai broke the surface, bubbles on his nose.
"You moved! You dodged it into me!"
"Eyes front, gentlemen," Aria called.
Lila had both hands over her mouth, chest bouncing shoulders shaking.
Rin pressed a washcloth to his nose like a monk in prayer, Kai clamped both hands over his own eyes and refused to move.
For a while the pavilion just hummed, ladles knocking, slippers squeaking, steam curling off the water, every couple minutes a washcloth came sailing out of the fog.
Sometimes it found Rin.
Sometimes it found Kai.
It evened out.
Eventually everyone pruned at the same time.
"Pack up?" Kai said.
"Pack up," Aria said.
Lila pointed two fingers at Rin's eyes, then at her own.
Rin smiled.
They toweled off, sorted their clothes, and shuffled back out — damp-haired, clean, the two hours nearly gone.
The mist closed behind them.