Chapter 1.7

Chapter 1.7

His blue eyes rested on her without looking back. Rei dried off and put on the fresh uniform while he wondered if she was just silly or if she really didn't know. "It's a liquid for washing your hair. You wet your hair, take some out of the bottle, and then rub it into your hair to wash it," Rei finally explained.

He could watch as she opened the bottle and lightly smelled it. She seemed to like the smell because he saw a slight smile forming on her lips.

"It smells good," she remarked, putting some on her hand before placing the bottle back and slowly rubbing it into her wet hair. As if testing to make sure it didn't harm her.

Rei finished cleaning up and turned to face her but remained standing at the sink with her arms crossed. Rei wouldn't get too close to her, so she wouldn't feel pressured by him. That wasn't his intention either.

Should she try things out and enjoy the bath. Hopefully, when she felt more confident, she would cooperate better.

In itself, he had learned that it was better to give people something to hold onto so they didn't run away. If something was missing or they felt pressed, the danger was much more significant.

It wasn't for nothing that he had given up his sleeping quarters to at least give her some comfort because Barafu didn't offer very much of that. Only behind the walls of the castle could one discover some coziness.

The island was also not meant for women to live here. Not for nothing was she the first here and would probably remain the only one.

Rei had to educate Quinn so that she would stay with the other dragons, regardless of whether he offered her comfort or not.

However, after what she had told him, that was difficult if they didn't treat her well.

Therefore, he could only hope that she would get to a dragon that treated her better than the stone dragon. Possibly it would go away on its own when Quinn realized that it wasn't quite as bad as it felt at the moment. Of course, that was also very much due to the environment and the dragons that were encountered.

"What do I have to do now?" she asked indecisively as she finished rubbing the herbal mixture into her hair.

"Wash it out," came the curt reply from Rei's direction. "The way you wet it, you wash it out." Of course, he could simplify it and do it himself. However, if she didn't know these things, she would have to learn sooner or later.

Slowly, Quinn let herself slide into the tub and held her hair in the water for a moment, using her hands to wash out the herbal mixture. Slowly and carefully, but also a little suspiciously.

Nothing happened except the lather was washed out and collected on the water's surface in the tub. Quinn could see how dirty her gray hair had been.

It also made them look more grayish rather than black and not quite as straw-like. However, it was hard to tell since they were still wet.

Slowly, she straightened up and reached for the towel before standing up and presenting her body to Rei, who was now looking directly in her direction.

The water ran over her skin, which partly looked as if it was hanging down in tatters. At the same time, one could see how slender and petite she actually was.

Instead of looking at Quinn, he lowered his gaze to the ground. If Mako had been here, he probably would have devoured her with his eyes. That was out of the question for Rei.

At least it no longer seemed like she was in pain or wanted to scratch herself. Thus, the bath had served its purpose, and Rei was pleased about that.

"When you're done, come out and get dressed. Then I can clean and wash out the tub," Rei demanded of her.

"You're doing this yourself?" she asked in surprise, having expected one of the men to do it. It had been the same with the other dragons. The women had done all the work.

Despite her question, she got out slowly and used the towel to carefully dab herself. In doing so, she proceeded with caution, for there were still places that hurt very badly.

Shrugging his shoulders, he waited until she got out and then slowly approached. Arriving at the tub, he squatted down and pulled a plug. This allowed the water to be channeled out of the castle through a system of pipes.

Who else was going to do it? He was the only one who used this bath, so he was also responsible for keeping it clean. The other men shared the various baths and had to make sure they were clean as well. Rei did not tolerate sloppiness in the castle. Here everything had to have its regular course.

Quinn, meanwhile, just stood there and slowly began to dry her hair. She didn't know what to do. She was not in the mood to just wait without anything to do. So she just gave in to her thoughts, which usually led to her trying to run away because she couldn't stand it.

Rei, who had begun to clean the tub of the red and gray marks, looked up at her and paused. "I want you to dry off and get dressed. No staring around," he ordered in a cold voice.

"I'm drying my hair," Quinn remarked, as she really was trying to dry it as best she could the whole time. She didn't want to get the clothes wet.

"You can wrap the towel around your hair, too," he suggested, continuing until the tub was cleaned. Thoroughly Rei had cleaned it but never said a word about whether Quinn was to blame or not. Some might have blamed her for why it was so dirty, but since she had said she hadn't bathed in a long time, he couldn't blame her.

While cleaning the last bit around the outside, Quinn somehow tied the towel around herself before reaching for the clothes. "Forgive me for the asking, but are there any women's clothes?" she inquired, and you could hear her discomfort.

Instead of answering right away, Rei got up and went to the sink again to wash his hands once more. To do this, he touched a magic stone, and water came running out of an opening on the wall.

He then opened the cabinet above the mirror and took out a brush, which he returned to her. He still kept the hairbrush in his hand because she should dress first.

"They should arrive in the next few days. You'll have to deal with it until then," Rei replied.

Quinn nodded slightly and began dressing. "How long will I be here?" she asked quietly, hoping for an answer since he seemed a bit more talkative right now.

That wasn't easy to gauge. Depending on how quickly the transformation had taken place and she had learned manners. Instead of beating around the bush, he told her clearly, adding that she could get lucky and be with a new dragon in a few weeks.

"Would that really be luck?" she asked quietly. The idea of ending up back with a dragon who treated her, as the first one had, made her shudder.

"Should you end up with a good one," he remarked matter-of-factly. The decision of whom she came to, however, was not at his discretion.

After she had dressed, Rei held the hairbrush out to her promptly so she could finish and then eat.

Quinn looked at this. "I do have the towel," she remarked because it was wrapped around her hair. How was she supposed to brush her hair now?

What was he? Her nanny who had to chew everything out for her?

Sighing, he ran his hand through his blue hair and shook his head. Arrogantly, and in my pompous voice, he explained to Quinn that she could take the towel off. The hair should no longer be too wet and ideal for brushing.

Quinn looked indecisive as she untied the towel. Her hair reached her shoulders and was still dripping onto her clothes there. Nevertheless, she accepted the brush and began to slowly comb her hair. "Can I get a new towel?" she asked cautiously because she didn't like it when her hair was wet. Then she got a headache so quickly.

With a nod of his head in one of the lockers' directions, he gave her permission to get one. It was good for her to learn where things were. That way, she wouldn't have to search when she needed something.

Just cautiously, Quinn walked up to the cabinet and opened it. Her caution, however, had to do solely with the fact that her body was frail right now, not because she was afraid of Rei.

Patiently, he waited until Quinn was ready. She didn't need to rush.

Once she was ready, she could eat in the room while he remade the bed. Liron had provided the food there, and it was almost undoubtedly cold by now.

Finally, Quinn finished and looked at him questioningly, not knowing precisely if she could just leave the room or not. After all, she was a slave, although no one had ever really mouthed that word before. Yet he had said that she could move freely. Except for the basement, she was allowed to explore everything.