The Bathhouse
(by Saproneth)
"I have to admit, I'm interested," Dragon said.
"I'm nervous," Battery replied. "A grand opening? For something those crazy lizards put together?"
She shook her head. "It's an invitation to trouble."
Assault cracked up laughing, pointing at the invitation in his hand.
"Shut up," Battery groaned
They rounded the corner, stepping aside to let a pallet of oxygen cylinders go past, then stared.
"That wasn't there yesterday," Armsmaster noted. "Fast work."
Above the door was a legend.
BBFO BATH HOUSE
"The Liquid's Lovely!"
After several seconds just staring, the capes moved closer with caution...
"So, the rooms are organized by temperature," Metis explained, pointing both ways down an improbably long corridor that was definitely larger - by itself - than the building footprint. "The further you go that way, the colder it gets."
"This one says ice water," Assault observed, tapping on one of the doors. "It's not very far from the middle."
"That's my sister's idea," Metis told him. "It's normalized to human body temperature at the mid point. I think she's..."
Right on cue, one of the doors opened about five to the right of where they were standing. A billowing wave of steam came out, along with Ianthe - a towel drying off her scaled back, not without some difficulty.
"Ah, right on time!" Metis called, waving. "How is it?"
"Boiling away nicely!" Ianthe replied. "I think you're right, that is a good temperature for a jacuzzi."
"You make a jacuzzi by filling it with boiling water?" Dragon asked.
"That's just the start," replied Metis proudly. "I think Raptaur went for one of the really hot pools... hold on, I'll see if she's available."
The lizard stalked off.
About a minute later, Saurial came towards them from the left, mist hissing off her own scales and feathers. "Oh, hello!" she said, smiling politely - and with more than a few teeth. "Nothing like a cold dip in the morning, right?"
"What was in the pool you were using?" Battery said.
"Oh, liquid nitrogen," Saurial replied. "We've got colder pools, but we're still working on the liquid helium and liquid hydrogen. They have a tendency to escape."
Armsmaster stared.
Saurial waved her hand experimentally, then tilted her head. "Oh dear. Has he stopped working?"
"A pool of liquid what!?"
Any further reply was interrupted when Assault pointed, and the Protectorate Capes turned in unison to look down the other side of the corridor. Raptaur was walking along, with some kind of shiny metal running down her body and leaving glowing footprints on the floor of the corridor.
"That's liquid iridium," Dragon said quietly. "You just had a bath in liquid iridium."
"It's very good at getting muck off the scales," Raptaur replied, stopping a good twenty feet away. "I'd come closer, but I think you might catch fire."
She frowned, tapping a claw against the floor and leaving more droplets of glowing, iridescent metal. "I wonder if we should invite Alexandria to visit," she said. "I understand she might be able to enjoy some of the more mild temperatures."