Maud explained she'd been on her way to the bath rooms anyway, but had seen HB coming from Mildred's room and hid in her own till the coast was clear. Mildred didn't blame her. She took her pyjamas, the dirty cardigan (and her cloak just to be certain) and her wash bag and followed her to the east wing of their corridor.

The Bathrooms zigzagged around itself and was the only place in the castle Mildred had seen that was brightly lit. After a day in the gloom it almost dazzled her for a second. It were already steamy, condensation forming on the tiles and mirrors. It also seemed to be the place to hang out, as most of their form were already there, freshening up after their day.

Mildred said hello to anyone they passed and introduced herself and Maud to the others. Or Maud introducing Mildred if she felt brave enough. As was the case with:

"Hey Jadu!" Maud being so small had to wave to get attention over people's heads. 'Jadu' stopped brushing her hair in the mirror and turned then seeing who it was she dropped on to all fours. No onto front paws, Mildred realised, as suddenly there was a something that vaguely resembled a big cat in front of them.

"Jadu, this is Mildred." Maud introduced as Jadu trotted over weaving in and out of the crowd of other girls. "Mildred, Jadu Wali. She's in the room next to you I think."

Jadu stopped standing up right in front of them and morphing back to the almost-girl form they'd seen a moment before, not quite as tall as Millie nor as short as Maud. But she stood as easily on two legs as she did on four.

"Ullo. Uh ang un Swwry" Jadu said taking her wash bag out her mouth and smiled. Like many of Cackles residents, Jadu had teeth. Pointy teeth. Lots of them. In fact Jadu had three rows of them if you'd counted including two that stuck up a bit at the bottom like little tusks. But Mildred was getting used to the diverse dentistry about her. and though very full of teeth, Jadu had a nice smile that lit up her serious looking face. "Hello! Mildred The Human right? We passed in the hall earlier during the tours."

"Oh! Hello again." Jadu's words drew a few curious glances to Mildred as she shook Jadu's offered other hand like paw (or paw like hand depending on your perspective.) . But Millie was too please having put a name to the face of the maybe a Sphinx from earlier. The one who'd bowed to her.

(Well actually Jadu wasn't a Sphinx but Mildred wasn't too far off. Mildred would learn later that Jadu was Manticore, Of Persian decent. A Manticore will forgive you for such a mix up. A Sphinx however will take great offence if it is mistaken for a Manicore, and quite possibly eat you out of spite.)

"Sorry, I didn't recognise you stood up! And sorry about bumping into you."

"Oh bother that, I was more worried you'd been stung." Jadu laughed giving a jokey flick of her shiny black scorpion tail.

Mildred yelped in fright-("How did I not notice that before?!" she thought.) -And Maud jumped with a squeak.

"I thought you said you had no poison in it yet!"

"I don't. yet. but it'd still hurt wouldn't it?" Jadu said giving the teardrop a shove back behind her. Her tail relaxed hung loose down to her long ankle. "I had a cork on the end but I've already lost it."

Bar the freight, the ice was broken. And the girls slipped into nattering about their first day, where they were from quite easily with Jadu and some of the others. Until Mildred swapped which arm she carried her things under, bringing the cardigan to close to Maud's face.

"Ew, Mildred. Please can you put that cardie in the wash already?"

"What wrong?" Jadu asked.

"The bins. Sorry. I'll go get washed up actually." Mildred said.

"I'll warn you now, both bath tubs are taken and there's a bit of a queue at the sinks. Ruby's busy stitching her ears back on."

Mildred heeded Jadu's advise and headed for the showers instead. A mermaid in a nightdress was just easing herself out of one cubicle and into a waiting bath chair. Mildred said hello as the mergirl wheeled past her, and Harriet gargled back a response that sounded like a slurring cement mixer.

Bemused by what that meant Mildred undressed under her towel, took the cubicle the mermaid had vacated and had a shower. A very quick shower.

Despite the steam in the air, no matter which way she twiddled the odd-looking dial, the water barely got above lukewarm. So she opted against washing her hair and Dried off at the bench then dressed in her night things under her towel. Privacy Mildred realized wasn't something you'd get here at Cackles. There were cubicles for the toilets obviously. and then There were curtains around each bath tub and there were little 'cubicles' for the showers too. But they were only fabric. There very much a changing room attitude about the place. As her old PE teacher would have said "You're all girls here together." Like it helped.

Gloria for example was soaking her scaly skin in a tub, chatting to Harriet, Maud, Jadu and another girl at the sink and not caring a jot at being naked in front of them. (Despite Maud's pink ears and Jadu's pointed focus on the ceiling.) Then again, some girls didn't wear uniform at all. Or just bits they could get that fitted them. Harriet couldn't wear shoes for example.

The bath room seemed to have quietened down in the time Mildred had been in the shower. You couldn't have a private discussion here either the sound carried. Especially Harriet's. She spoke in that gravelly sort of way that Mildred couldn't understand as of yet, but the others didn't seem to have any trouble.

"Harriet said Hello." Maud translated around a mouth of tooth paste, as Mildred came over. Harriet waved and rattled something off to Maud. "She said she told you not to bother with the shower 'cos there was no hot water. But didn't realised you couldn't understand her."

"Oh right. Thanks anyway." Mildred said, wondering how one goes about learning mermaid and how the other knew. She'd ask Maud later.

"My bad about the water." Gloria smirked, sinking back into the tub, the water nearly sloshing over the sides. "I hate it when my scales get cold."

Harriet shock her head and carried on chatting to Jadu, lamenting something.

"I know. they said I can't wear mine either. Because it counts as jewellery not treasure." Jadu complained in response. "Oh hey Millie, this is Ruby by the way." She back handed the monster next to her in the shoulder. A monster still stuck at the mirror and struggling. "Ruby! Have you met Mildred properly yet?"

"OW! Watch it and no, hiya! Great landing by the way." She smiled at Mildred's reflection, fiddling with a needle and thread near her an ear as one might be trying to get a tricky earring in its piercing.

Ruby despite her name had a more emerald undertone to her stitched together black skin. She was pretty and there was white strike in her curly hair that stood on end, giving her a very rock and roll look. On the sink in front of her was a melted mess of wire pink rubber and bobbins. Along with a jar of several spare ears, all floating in liquid. Mildred tried not to be sick at the sight of them.
"Nearly done. I'll be with you in a mo."

"Okay. Mildred, we'll be in the north corridor if you want to come?" Jadu said. "Bryony went and got some empty milk bottles from the kitchens to play skittles with. and this humidity's getting to Maud's fur."