The Transcended: They call him Lucius

Part 3: Blood ~ Chapter 8

Zoey slipped into the hot bubble bath and let out a heavy sigh. "Good God, this is divine. I can't even remember when I last went to a spa."

Gwen sat across of her and smiled. "I've been to a fair share of spas in my life. Actual hot springs, though..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Nothing beats a natural hot spring. Better yet: a sauna followed by a roll through fresh snow."

"Oh, hell no." Zoey shook her head. "No way, no cold for me."

"Why not? Hey, they got cold dips here too." Gwen smirked. "You should at least try. It really gets your blood flowing."

Zoey sunk further into the warm water. "Nope. No thanks. Not for me. I've had enough cold showers with Lucius." Despite the heat, she shuddered. "Only warm water from now on."

Gwen's expression fell. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Zoey took a deep breath. "It's not like you could have known."

There was an awkward silence for a bit.

"Do you want to hit the sauna?" Zoey asked.

Gwen frowned. "I thought you liked the warm water? Did I—"

"No, no—it's not that. It's just... The jets are starting to annoy me. My ribs are still pretty sensitive."

"Well, you did break them."

"So... Sauna? I'll let you take that cold dip afterwards." She grinned. "I'll just stand aside to laugh while you give yourself a heart attack."

Gwen giggled. "Deal, but if some cold drops do manage to splash your way, you better not scream."

-

After the sauna and the cold dip—after which Gwen tried to hug Zoey, unsuccessfully—they went to get a drink and a snack at the bar.

"So, what do you want to do next?"

Zoey studied the leaflet on the table with all the extra treatments the facility had to offer. "This sounds rather cool. Have you ever heard of this?" She pointed at the description. "Kraxenofen, a steam bath with alpine hay. Relaxing, calming, stimulates metabolism, improves circulation..."

"Interesting. Can't say I've ever done that, no."

Zoey grinned. "Then we should do it."

Gwen raised a brow. "What, just because I've never been in one?"

Zoey nodded. "After all the different types of saunas and steam baths you've experienced, it would be nice to add something new."

"Fair enough." Gwen smiled. "Just don't start sneezing."

"It says here it's safe even for those with hay fever. But, can transcended even get that?"

Gwen giggled. "No; I was just joking."

They finished their drinks and went over to the reception to ask for the arrangement.

"You're in luck," the receptionist said. "They're currently unoccupied and there are no bookings for the next two hours, so if you want we can squeeze you in right now."

Gwen and Zoey exchanged glances. "Sure, sounds good."

"Right this way then."

They followed the receptionist into a small room which contained four alcoves with a plastic seat. Zoey scrutinised the contraptions; the back support consisted of wooden bars with hay behind them and a foil sheet hang next to it. Hesitantly, she sat down.