Shower I

Aena clutched her hand to her chest and stood there defensively.

"Sure." Cassidy took a step back. Aena frowned. That wasn't what she had meant. She looked Cassidy up and down from two feet away.

"Um, preferably you could move to another stall." She gestured with her hand toward the many open stalls that were available.

Earlier, Aena had peeled off her sweat-drenched clothes and carefully unwrapped her bandages before stowing them away in her duffel bag when she noticed that Cassidy was right behind her. It shouldn't have been surprising considering Cassidy's behavior earlier this morning, but it still felt odd to her.

She couldn't help but be unconsciously aware of Cassidy, her eyes finding themselves drawing toward that direction. Previously they usually arrived at slightly different times—Cassidy being the one to wake up earlier—so Aena never found herself undressing at the same time, but now, she felt conscious of the new presence in the room. It was like the wary feeling of being in a new environment.

Aena had stiffly opened the door to the showers and headed for her usual one—the second one on the left. She didn't know why, but she used that specific one every single day. There was just something comforting about a familiar routine. She had randomly selected it on her first day here, and since then had stuck with using it. There was no one else using the facilities, so it wasn't like it was ever occupied.

Aena had placed her towel on the small bench and opened the stall door. She had been about to step inside when she noticed Cassidy placing her own towel on top of hers. It was almost if she wanted to shower together.

Currently, Aena was trying to get Cassidy out. There wasn't going to be any discussion about Instructor Willowsage's request or otherwise. This was basic privacy rights!

Aena wasn't a modest or conservative girl by any means. Back in the city, she would do things that many girls her age would never even dream of. Even Aena was scared of what she did sometimes, and at least had the self-awareness to recognize the risks and consequences of her own actions. Those who didn't never lasted long on their own. Living was hard if you didn't have money or connections, and it was just her luck that she failed to check both those boxes.

Still, if there was something she could avoid, there was no reason not to do it. Even Aena had boundaries. This morning Aena wasn't able to convince Cassidy, and right now she doubted it would work either, so she just started by taking action, skipping the "talk it out" step.

She grabbed the door and tried to swing it shut behind her, but Cassidy swiftly jumped inside right before the door slammed shut.

"..."

Damn. Cassidy had the reflexes of a cat. Aena kept that in mind to do it faster next time.

There was one thing that resulted from her actions, however. Physics, Aena remembered, was a thing. And so a chain of events occurred. And due to that thing, Cassidy, who had quickly hopped inside, couldn't stop quickly due to the slippery floor. Additionally, the stall itself wasn't large, to begin with, being designed for individual use.

As a result, Cassidy careened into Aena. Aena had had her arm outstretched to close the door, and so Cassidy flew right into her arms, their limbs getting entangled in a strange embrace.

Aena felt Cassidy's soft body mold against her own. The initial force caused her back to press against the wall, but feeling Cassidy's bare skin, she immediately flinched to the side and stepped out.

She put her hands over her breasts, the tactile memory still fresh.

"I-I'll go to another stall," Aena stuttered, pointing to the one in the corner and already turning in that direction.

As she was beginning to escape from the awkward moment, she felt a hand on her wrist.

"Just stay here," Cassidy persuaded.

"There's not enough space for two people and there's no reason to and there's nothing to protect me from here," Aena blabbered, spouting random disjointed thoughts.

"There is," Cassidy looked down, and Aena felt embarrassed until she realized that Cassidy was looking at her midriff, at which point she got even more embarrassed.

"You might need help with that," She said, noting the discolored area.

"I-"

Aena tried to think of a suitable excuse, but she knew Cassidy wouldn't take a bullshit reason like she was going to be fine on her own. She had already found out that such a method wouldn't work yesterday.

She hesitated and walked into the stall in acceptance. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

She clicked the door behind her and turned the shower knob. It wasn't comfortable with the two of them occupying the same space, but it was still manageable. She let the water run through her damp hair and shifted over a little to give Cassidy some space.

Cassidy eased her way next to her, and they silently enjoyed the water together. Aena closed her eyes and pretended that there wasn't someone next to her. She repeated it in her mind, and she felt less nervous.

After wetting her hair, Aena reached for the soap, but Cassidy nabbed it before she could. Aena thought that she would use it first and continued enjoying the pleasure of the warm water, but Cassidy stared at her with hawk eyes.

"Let me wash you."

"..." How could Aena have missed that signal? She tried in vain to grab it out of Cassidy's hand, but since Cassidy was taller and faster, Cassidy pulled away every time, causing Aena to miss the bar by a fraction of an inch.

Aena jumped like a younger sibling getting angry at a teasing older brother. Aena never had a sibling, so she wasn't used to such behavior and tried in vain to grab it. She was positively perplexed.

"Hey," she lunged. Cassidy dodged.

"Give," She grunted. Cassidy evaded gracefully.

Cassidy smiled as she playfully watched Aena. Aena stopped, trying to formulate a new plan of attack, her eyes darting for an opening, when Cassidy leaned in and patted Aena lightly on the head.

"Be a good girl and I'll give you a treat," she whispered.

Aena growled like a chihuahua. "I'm. Not. A. Pet." She outstretched both hands and tackled Cassidy, at the moment not thinking much of the action. She latched on to Cassidy's arm and locked it in place, leaning over Cassidy's shoulder to grab her other arm. Their slippery skin, wet from the water, slid smoothly against each other.

Cassidy froze and Aena promptly snatched the soap bar from her hand.

"Heh," She gave a smirk like a little child who had won a game for the first time, but that smile didn't last long.

Cassidy recovered and her arm flashed forward like a whip. Aena blinked. Her hand was empty. She looked back to Cassidy to see her holding it. She looked back at her hand grasping nothing but air. What?

"You're right. You're not any pet; you're my pet."

She caught the leg of a stool in the corner with a foot and pulled it forward, and at the same time grabbed Aena's hand and seated her on it in one smooth motion.

"A pet I really like too. So let me indulge myself."

Aena gripped the rim of the stool tighter. She looked at Cassidy's rare smile. She turned forward and lowered her head.

"Um, p-please be gentle.