Mage And Wolf
Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Once we get back to the base I give Lala the outline of my plan to help fix cell service in the mundane world, and the details for the mission so she can write up the report.

Everyone else is off somewhere, but I smell dragons and dragonkin have been in one of the wings recently. Finally, we get some company on our floor. They’re likely running out of room in the old Safe House by now with all the new workers here to help with the city plus the few refugees we’ve taken in so far.

After a quick tour to introduce Hui’Jin to the floor and its amenities, we stop in at the dining hall for a quick snack before finding her a room to bunk down in. It smells like all the acolytes are sharing rooms next to their senior. I know there are attaching rooms in one of the wings, like a hotel. Those must be the ones they picked, or were assigned to.

The room next to mine is empty, so I guess I’ll just move her in there?

That’s when I see the envelope with my name and the mark of the God of Death on it. The gender ambiguity is bothering me, it’s God of Death, but she’s clearly female when speaking to me. My mental files are just as ambiguous, as there’s no male or female for a divine being in the dragon’s language. Maybe the whole thing is a translation issue?

’Or maybe Death just doesn’t care who you thought you were’ her voice sounds in my mind. Yeah, that works. Everyone is equal in the face of Death, including Death Herself.

I now realize I’ve made a tactical blunder. Hui’Jin is loaded up with sugary pastries and fruits and it’s almost time to sleep. An idea that her twitching eyes and vibrating muscles suggest is a long ways off. Whatever, if she’s too hyper to sleep we can call it a learning lesson tomorrow when I drag her through the daily routine.

The letter is on fancy, thick letterhead, with my name in delicate script, held closed with an old fashioned wax seal and black ribbon. The contents are simple:

Lady Katrina

As I have been roped into a management position at the University and Church, you get to train the acolyte.

Have Fun

Karl

Oh, that sneaky mage.

Then I notice an addendum scrawled on the bottom

PS

I renovated your rooms so you girls can all stay together

Oh, this I’ve got to see.

"Come with me. Lord Karl says he’s prepared an updated room while we were gone, ready for your arrival."

Hui’Jin nods multiple times and hops to her feet.

"I don’t know what was in those little bread rolls, but they’re amazing"

"We call them cream puffs. They’re a pastry dough filled with sweetened whipped cream."

"Whipped cream" she repeats in a dreamy voice.

"Don’t worry little dragon, I can get you some whipped cream to put on waffles for breakfast." That’s all it takes to put her on cloud nine, her mind filled with dreams of sweet pastries and whipped cream.

My room looks nothing like I left it. The bathroom still seems to be on the west wall, off to my right when I enter, but that’s where the similarities end. No longer is this a bedroom. My former bedroom is now a sitting room with the presumed bathroom door on the right, and two small doors in front of me on the south wall flanking a glass patio door that leads to a patio between the two smaller rooms and overlooks the garden. I can see through the drawn curtains of the patio door that the two rooms are no more than 8 feet deep, and possibly 12 across, with windows facing each other across the patio.

On my left, the East wall holds a set of ornate black oak double doors with dragon imagery engraved in them. This entire room looks like something from a Gothic castle, though cream colored rugs and pillows break up the gray and black motif. There’s now a large couch with 2 plush chairs arranged around a glass topped coffee table, and a row of large cushions along the north wall closest to the entry door. On the east side by the bedroom is a bar station with 3 stools at a high counter. I wander over and find it’s more of a breakfast nook, with a small fridge, a sink and some glasses hanging from the upper cupboards.

All in all, fit for royalty and covered in carvings of Dragons. No way did Karl design this.

"Do you recognize this design Hui’Jin?"

She looks around in awe "It’s a perfect replica of the High Priestess’s receiving lounge at the training temple, except for the two doors on that wall" she points at the south wall in front of us that leads to the patio and garden. "Her room is in the middle of the castle, that wall wouldn’t lead anywhere."

"Let’s see what those rooms by the garden are then." I saunter over, taking in all the opulence of my new receiving room. The first door opens to a small bedroom, a single bed along the back wall, a small dresser with mirror and a wall mounted sink made of black granite make up the only furnishings. Spartan but very well built. I can see real silver inlays into the dark wood of the bed. Guess nobody told the dragons I’m a Lycan.

The second is a mirror of the first, identical except that the window is on the left instead of the right.

Next up is the foreboding set of double doors on the East wall.

Pushing them open reveals the bedroom, a huge 4 posted bed with black gossamer curtains standing in the middle of the room, soft white rugs covering most of the floor. Three doors stand open along the south wall and a large dressing table with a lighted mirror and soft padded stool sit to my left asking the north wall, but the room is otherwise bare. It seems the bedroom is just for sleeping. Taking a closer look at the bed shows that it’s a fair bit higher than expected, sitting well above waist height. I pull back the bed skirt to see what’s underneath and find a cage. Wooden bars mark the perimeter, and a small door is visible on the far side. Is this Lala’s new cage? It’s got fluffy pink and white cushions and blankets in it, so it just might be.

The first door along the south wall of the bedroom is an ensuite bathroom with a standing shower only. The second is a massive closet, not even a third filled with the entirety of my old wardrobe, plus what looks like dozens of black and silver formal dresses. The third opens to blindingly bright colors. Pastels everwhere, a double bed with pink gossamer curtains and the name Lala engraved into the headboard. There’s no closet, but 2 large white Armoires with Black dragon shaped handles flanking a well equipped desk, complete with computer, sit along one wall.

"This is wow. Just wow. Who could even live here? Are you holding a princess here for her safety?" Hui’Jin gasps in awe of the princess themed room.

"No, this room would be for Lala, the team’s secretary. A Bunny kin that Karl picked up when we first started working together. She’s taken a liking to me and usually sleeps in my room."

"This room is for a secretary?" Hui’Jin seems astounded by this bit of news.

"Well, secretary is her job, you saw me give her the paperwork to do, right?" she nods in recognition of who I’m talking about "But first and foremost she’s my friend, so she gets to decorate how she likes."

The young Dragonewt is finally getting a grip on her emotions "The honor of staying in a High Priestess’s personal suite. On my world she’d never pay for a meal again, simply telling that story would bring her enough honor for lower nobles to house her for life, on the off chance you’d come to visit her at their home."

"You realize you’ll be staying in this suite too, right? Your room is just over there off the sitting room."

If it was possible for a living being to suffer Error 404, the blue screen of death, I’d be seeing it right now. So I decide the best option is to go see what they’ve done to my bathroom. Everything else has changed, and I don’t see a tub anywhere.

The room shares the rest of the Suite’s motif. Nearly black wood with lighter grey walls and dark stone. Silver trims the cabinet on one wall full of towels and assorted bath products and silver hooks hold both cream and black robes in 3 different sizes. But the most amazing part is the bath. For that is the only other furniture this room holds. A giant bath, big enough for a dozen to comfortably sit around the edges of, tiered to comfortably sit along the sides, but deep in the middle so I could stand almost to my shoulders in the hot water. There are no visible taps, and the water is constantly moving, so I suppose this is more of a hot tub than a bath tub, right?

I’m admiring the steam coming off my new hot tub when I hear the front door open. Must be Lala, who else would dare enter my room without knocking?

"The reports are done. Did you get a chance to look around the room yet? Isn’t it amazing? The Red Dragon lady Kal’Elouet, you remember her? She designed this for us when I told her that I like staying with you." Lala bubbles in excitement.

"The hot tub has 2 buttons hidden here on the wall. The first turns off the filter, so you can have a bubble bath, it’s still heated from the bottom so it will never get cold. The second button turns on the jets." Lala is looking at the tub in longing.

"Alright ladies, I’ve seen enough for the day. It’s bath time. Lala, grab the essentials if you’d be so kind."

Hui’Jin looks confused, but Lala quickly throws a bath bomb and a small jar of bubble soap into the tub while I press the button to stop circulation. Quickly arranging the body washes and hair products she throws her dress off over her head, all decorum forgotten in her excitement to get into the bath.

Laughing I start peeling off my clothes and look over at the stunned dragon girl.

"That means you too, now get into the tub"