The Married Life Of Immortals

Bane left Bai Xaio Meng’s residence, following Mizuage’s instructions, heading for the center of the village. Contrary to what one might think, Bane hadn’t had much interaction with the center of the village.

The training hall, Master Bai’s house and even the town hall were located in the middle ring that was neither the center nor outskirts of the village. To Bane’s surprise, there was a large building that stretched up three levels.

Bane would be lying if he said he hadn't noticed the building before this, but he hasn't given it much stock. The thing that surprised Bane the most was the fact that the building had, after counting, thirteen different signs on it. After studying them all Bane found the one for the Dragon's Pearl.

"How long do you plan on standing there?" Lysia asked from some distance, and Bane looked over with a frown, but then he looked around, noticing everyone was giving him a wide berth.

"Considering that I have never been here, I was trying to figure out where to go," Bane responded, but then opened his arms with a goofy smile. "Hug? Don't you want to give me some love?"

Lysia only crossed her arms, not budging an inch. "You smell like shit and you have shit on you."

Bane sniffed his arm, and made a disgusted face. "Okay, so you have a point. I was just trying to be romantic."

Lysia smiled, but then pointed at the building. "Get inside, you need to go get cleaned, if they will even let you in. I also don't want you to ever speak of whatever happened that you told me to run away from."

"Are you sure?" Bane grinned, and Lysia glared at him.

"I am certain."

"But that was really something. How many people can say they can make a tornado out of their own shit?" Bane smirked, but Lysia reached him in an instant, her hand coming down like a hammer on Bane's head, making him fall to his knees, covering his head.

"That's why I told you to keep your mouth shut!" Lysia hissed, and then turned on her heels and walked into the building.

"Are we bathing together?" Bane asked hopefully, but Lysia turned back with a look sour enough to peel the paint from walls, not unlike the smell Bane was exuding.

"Don't push your luck. Now hurry up. You stink!"

Bane frowned and started walking in, but he muttered under his breath, "Yeah, I was going to do that anyway, but I thought you could have helped me wash my back."

Bane wasn't able to see Lysia's reaction, as he entered the building and the door swung shut behind him, but Lysia could feel herself turning red. She knew Bane was only teasing her, and the fact that she did refuse him right away only made the blush spread to her ears.

The place was covered in pictures of strange hot springs that seemed to be from all over Dominion Online. Bane looked around at each of them as Lysia went to the desk, wondering if he would get to visit any of them when he left this island.

As far as he knew, he had to explore the entirety of Dominion Online, so there was a good chance he could see them all, if he wanted. Though he wasn’t sure what going alone would be like, he also didn’t really know what going with someone would be like either.

This was about to change, but he was a little leary to say the least. Considering how he had heard baths like this were relaxing, Bane felt pretty tense for some reason. It might have something to do with the blonde elf ahead of him, but all their first times felt tense so Bane was used to it, mostly.

"Can we have a private bath with a separation token?" Lysia asked once she reached the desk, but the woman ignored her to look around her.

"Is your friend coming?" The woman asked with an uneasy look as she scrunched her face up at the fowl smell Bane was emitting.

"I will use the cleaning stall to hose him down before he gets in the water, rest assured," Lysia said, and turned back to Bane with a mischievous smile he didn't like.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bane asked cautiously, but the smile turned into a scowl.

"Don't be a baby. This is your fault, not mine. You should be just glad that I am helping you! I should leave you just like you did to me last night with Harmony!" Lysia snapped, and Bane put his hands up.

"Sheesh, fine. Thanks. I will remember this the next time you are hungover! I will even let you figure it out on your own! Miserable woman!" Bane growled, but Lysia stabbed a finger at him.

"You don't get to call me a miserable woman! Not after what you did! I swear, I am never getting drunk again!" Lysia yelled, and the lady at the counter cleared her throat, and both of them whirled on her.

"What?!" They both demanded in unison, and the amused woman pointed to the door, trying to hold back her laughter.

"The bathing area is that way, please try not to destroy the place."

Lysia sighed, and grabbed Bane's ear, pulling him through the doors. "I can't take you anywhere. Just wait until I have a few moments alone with you. I will make you regret all those words."

Bane rubbed his ear as Lysia let him go, and he took a moment to look around. The room was massive. The floor was marble and the walls were stone. The ceiling was vaulted, and there was a hole in the center, letting natural light flood in, with the sun shining through the hole and onto the water in the center.

Bane pointed up at the hole. "Isn't this the second floor? Isn't there another floor on top of us? Where is that light coming from?"

Lysia sighed. "It is a formation. It isn't a true hole, but it mimics the light. It is a high level formation, and is quite popular in the bigger cities."

"Ahh" Bane said, and then started to take his shirt off, but Lysia stopped him.