"This is pure luxury." Breathed Camille, wriggling her toes, then using a scrap of t shirt fabric to rub away cuticles and scrub away dirt.
"Oh yes." Said Vanessa, sloshing her feet around in the ancient crate full of water, just the bearable side of too hot.
Chloe lifted a foot up to rest it on her knee and rubbed at the hard skin with what to all intents and purposes was a pumice stone retrieved from a dry and volcanic planet. They all leaned back on the sofa whilst their feet soaked in the water. Dried flowers floated wetly on the top scenting the room with their unfamiliar, slightly herbal, floral scent.
"It's amazing what you can do with a double boiler, herbs and some cooking fat," said Vanessa, waving a metal beaker of strongly scented ointment. "Foot cream. My mom had this aromatherapist when I was young, she used to make her own creams. I got her to show me once."
"I think I want to marry you." Said Chloe. "Where did you get the cooking fat?"
"Becker let me have some of the dripping from the last meat we had. I just had to clarify it a bit, heat it and skim off the messy part till it was clean." She shrugged. "Probably best not to ask, it's not as indulgent if you know where it comes from."
Camille sniffed the tin cup.
"Who cares where it came from, it's scented foot cream." She put it down and took the pumice from Chloe. "My turn."
There was silence as feet were soaked and scrubbed, then sighs as foot cream was rubbed into softened and scoured feet.
""Heaven." Said Camille. "This was your best idea for an evening in yet."