FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 18 - What We Hide

Living with Bensley was like living in a new world. I had only ever woken up in a soft bed a handful of times in my life, and not often I had to be rushed out the door to do something like work or go to church. The house was also warm and cozy and made me feel like I was constantly wrapped up in warm blankets.

I really couldn't have asked for more, and Bensley gave me the thing I really needed, a place to grieve for Avery that was safe. When he went to work, if you could even call it work, I stayed in his home, looked through his library, and cried a lot. I didn't leave the house, too afraid of being seen by Spring Heeled Jack, and Gideon had told me that I needed to stay inside unless he was with me. We weren't sure if I was a target, but who knew anymore? With Avery dead and Billy lost to the streets of London, Gideon and Bensley were all I had left in this world, and right now I didn't feel much like rebelling against either.

The thing that surprised me the most about living with Bensley for a few days was that he was utterly useless at maintaining his own home. While he was out, a trio of ladies came by and did the cleaning. They fixed and changed the sheets, put things away where they needed to be, folded his clothes that were fresh from the line, and took his dirty linens out.

One of the ladies, a Mrs. Purpleton, was his cook. She made his dinner for him, and by the time he was home, his meal was ready to be eaten. She had taken a bit of a liking to me, fixing me food and talking to me when her schedule permitted. I liked her. She was a kind older woman who had grandcubs about my age, she said, and she was so sorry for my loss. She even hugged me once when she found me in one of my bouts of cryin'.

Bensley, for his part, also stayed with me. He let me talk about Avery until my throat hurt, then he entertained all my questions about death, even the spiritual ones, even though he often said he was no priest. We talked about things like justice for someone like Avery, a poor kid who got murdered for no reason, and how a god could do something like that to someone so innocent. We talked about if he felt any pain at the end there, if it was alright to be hurting like I was... all kinds of things like that. I learned a lot about death in that period of me life, more than I ever really wanted to know.

Bensley also made sure I did things like eat, sleep, and just try to get by one day at a time. He let Gideon come and go as he pleased, and his company was also nice. I know -- or rather, I felt -- like I was being a bother with all these emotions welled up inside me, but neither of them complained when I needed to just be held and fall asleep. Gideon even stayed the night a couple times, because, as he said, I slept on his arm and he couldn't get himself free of me.

Gideon had resisted talking to me about what was going on out there, but he told me anyway when I told him I would go out and buy a newspaper if he didn't talk. He told me that boys were still dyin' all over London, though mostly in the poor sections. Ever since Avery had been found, working boys had ended up dead and carved up, some worse than my old friend. The troubling thing was, according to Gideon, that they were all dark foxes and wolves. Much like Avery and meself. Gideon had also lost seven of his own pack to this creature... but then Gideon said he had sent them out to hunt for Jack... and I guess they found him. These boys, they weren't cut up like the others. Gideon had told me that they had just been dispatched quickly, like they meant nothing to Jack. That only made Gideon angrier, and it took all my begging to get him to not go hunting himself -- I couldn't stand the idea of losing another friend to this thing.

I heard a knock on the front door and it was answered by one of the ladies who cleaned the home. I heard muffling and then the familiar voice of Gideon, arguing a little with the cleaning ladies. I smirked and sat up on the bed, tilting my head to the side as I waited for the wolf. I heard him talking to one of the women before he came into my room without so much as a knock. He huffed a little bit and crossed his arms.

"I swear," Gideon said as he growled dramatically over his shoulder, "if they tell me one more time me fur is all out of place or I look like I came out of a tussle in the street, I'm gonna scream, Simon. This rich-people stuff is weird."

"Then why are you wearing your nice clothes?" I asked with a yawn and threw my legs over the side of the bed. It seemed that Bensley had also taken a bit of a shine to Gideon and bought him some simple clothes that were much better than what were admittedly rags. He looked handsome.

" 'Cause I have my lesson with the professor tonight," he grinned, showing me his sharp teeth and winked at me. Gideon was enjoying the free education (and the food) and it was cute to see him so happy. "And I'm staying the night so when the professor's artist friend gets here, I won't be late and I'll be all presentable 'n stuff."

"Look at you, bein' all thoughtful and planning ahead," I teased and stood up from the bed. Gideon pulled me in and kissed me. I was still hurting from Avery dying, but having this time with Gideon where we could be ourselves was a gift. We stepped apart after the warm embrace and he smoothed my sleeves down. "Speaking of getting all fancy..."

"What? I'm as handsome as ever," I said, cutting Gideon off before he had a chance to make a joke at my expense.

Gideon chuckled and turned me around and pointed to the bed. On the clean linens were streaks of grey all over. He then tapped the top of my head and smirked over my shoulder. "You're also drivin' Bensley's help mad, Simon. You gotta wash up."

"What?!" My jaw musta hit the floor as I turned to face Gideon. "You? Tellin' me to take a bath? Weren't you the wolf that once told me you had a layer of oil so dense you never got dirty? Or what about that time you made that old woman yell at you because you offended her nose? Or what about that time with the carriage and the nun when you --"

"ALL RIGHT!" Gideon said, shutting me up but I was still grinning ear to ear. "Maybe I'm a bit of a hypocrite. Point is, Bensley asked me to take you to get cleaned up, so we're gonna go get a bath."

"But... the water in the rivers are cold this time of year..."

"Who said anythin' about a river?" Gideon smiled and held his hand up. Dangling from one of his fingers was a gold key. It had the emblem everyone knew, Rodney's Spa and Bathes. They were the best in all of London! But they were also terribly expensive.

"Wait... How did you get that?" I narrowed my eyes, looking up to my fellow street urchin.

"Oy," Gideon rolled his eyes and put the key back in his pocket, walking over to the dresser and pulling out some clean clothes for me. I was wearing most of Bensley's son's old things these days. I didn't even know what happened to the outfit I had worn here when Bensley found me at Duncan's. "Someone owed me a favor."

"That's a big favor! Promise me ye ain't lyin' or nothin' right?"

"Simon," Gideon said, stopping and looking at me. His ears turned red and he rubbed the back of his skull. "L-look, it was a while ago. It was this bloke at the Tapestry, and I scared off someone who wasn't really takin' no for an answer. The guy works there. An otter named Sidney. But he don't want us talking about it. When I went by, he gave me the key for a private bathing room. I figure we can live like kings before we talk about demons."

"Well..." I said, scratching between my own ears in thought, swaying my tail like I had thought it was a tough decision. "Fine! But... none of those fancy perfumes. I still have my dignity."

"You and I are BOTH usin' soap. The good stuff, not the kind that burns, either. The key has all the good stuff. So I want to see you shine like a new coin, ya hear me?" Gideon said with a smirk and put his arm around my shoulders. He leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Besides, I hear you clean up really nice, time for me to see it."

---

The walk to Rodney's was a nice one. I hadn't really been outside in days, and the sun was up and shining, a warmth in the air that made me wag my tail. Winter was starting to melt and spring was coming to London. Of course, that meant rain and slippery roofs, but for now it was just nice to not feel like I was going to be frozen solid just stepping outside for a few minutes.

The Spa itself was in a new building between two older ones. It was for middle and upper class customers. Usually, either of us approaching the door would have made the attendant slowly step in front of us, but we looked like we belonged so they only gave us a passing glance. I tipped my hat to the man as we entered.

I'd never been in such a beautiful building before. The floors were covered in tiles of whites and blues that swirled like water, flowing toward the large circular lounge area in the middle. Plush chairs and beds were arranged, with various species relaxing and drying in the warmth of the domed ceiling with the stained glass windows above. There was a bar in the center of the room and various doors and corridors leading away from the central chamber along its walls. The smell of dampness, heat, and soaps was in the air. I was gaping and taking my time, which was why Gideon nudged me and led me along.

An attendant in a fine burgundy vest approached us, and I watched as Gideon slipped him a couple coins and whispered something that made the attendant blush. He nodded and motioned for the corridor to his right and Gideon motioned to me with his head. "C'mon Si," he said with a grin.

We went down a corridor with a sign over the entrance that read "Gentleman Only beyond this point -- Reserved Bathes" and I noticed the crowd had drastically thinned. Now and then, I saw someone entering and leaving some of the rooms along the hallway, but it was mostly quiet.

"I feel like I'm bein' charged just by walking here, Gideon."

"Technically, if we were proper paying gents, we would be; this place charges everything into one big lump sum. Thankfully, I got us a lot with our favor. We can't stay more than a couple hours though. That's when my friend back there gets off work."

"This ain't illegal, is it Gideon?" I asked him as we stepped in front of a door with the number seven on it. "Like, I'm not going to be arrested wet and covered in bubbles, am I?"

"Probably not covered in bubbles, no."

"Gideon!"

"Relax," Gideon said as he slid the key into the lock and turned, opening the door. "Nothin' is illegal. Worse case is my friend gets in trouble with the boss around here, but he said the boss isn't even in London right now, so nothin' to worry about."

Inside the room was a huge bathroom just for the two of us. Was this how the rich lived?! There were two steaming pools of water, one lined with soaps and oils from the looks of things. Tiles of blues and greens lined the walls and floor, making me think I was in some kind of underwater temple. There were plants that were long and twisty, like the kind you would see under water when looking down into rivers. There was also a weird nozzle hanging from the ceiling to the side with a shelf with more soaps and oils on it. That was weird.

"Two bathes?" I asked, confused as I watched Gideon walk over to the small cabinet to the left. He was starting to undress. I guess this was where we were supposed to put our clothes.

"Yeah," he said with a wry grin, throwing his hat inside and untucking his shirt before working down the buttons. "One for you to clean up in and another to soak in. Supposed to be good for yer skin and fur."

"Uh... huh," I said flatly, starting to undress myself. "Because we're always going places and doing things with our nice beautiful coats."

"Think of it this way, you can get your bath outta the way until the end of summer and it'll be a good one so you'll smell nicer longer." Gideon had his shirt off and was putting it up on the provided hangar. I guess Bensley had started his etiquette lessons with Gideon... or he just knew to respect the nicer clothes.

Both of us stripped naked, and to my surprise, Gideon was wearing one of those jockstrap things that Bensley had given me. I guess Gideon liked them because he made no comment as he stood there naked and ruffled out his fur.

The scars covering his body always startled me. He had gotten into a lot of fights and he had worked in a dangerous factory for a little while. When he had been injured, which was when he made the cut across his face, he fled and joined the Howlers. He didn't talk a lot about his past -- it was really painful for him and I think he was actually a little ashamed of what he did. There was still a lot about Gideon I didn't know, and I knew him the best in all of London.

"All right," Gideon said, a hand on his hip. "You get into the tub first. I'm gonna try the shower thing." He pointed over his shoulder at the weird nozzle thing on the ceiling. "But first..."

Gideon walked over to the closest pool and was looking at the soaps and oils. He was turning them in his hand and pulling off a cap, giving them a sniff. He poured one into the water near the free flowing faucet and watched in amazement as the water turned from simple water to something that smelled like trees. Bubbles started to form along the surface and he motioned me in with a smirk. "Time to get clean, fox."

I sighed dramatically and walked over to the pool of water and looked down at it with a scowl.

I didn't hate bathing, I liked pretending I did. For one, I worked a dirty job and in that job you just got dirty quickly... so I figured why bother? At least, until I became a Master Sweeper and my looks were more of a selling point then they were now. I looked at Gideon. "I don't want to hear no sassy comments, Gid."

"No promises," he grinned and crouched down near the side as I walked into the hot water.

A hot water bath was honestly worth the act of disliking it. I hadn't had a hot water bath since I was at the orphanage and that was a rare treat the Sisters did for us one day so we were clean for Christmas. I sank down to the lowest step, which came up to about my waist.. I could see the water already turning grey and cloudy around me and I knew this was going to be quite the job. I looked up to see Gideon watching me while standing under the shower head, the water matting his fur to his strong frame. I let my eyes linger on him for a moment and exhaled in contentment.

Life is hard. I never thought I would have it easy, but finding people to love and look out for you, that makes life so much better. When I was really little and alone in the orphanage, I always thought I would be alone, that I would never have a family or anything like that. But I started to learn, recently, that your family was who you chose to be close to you. The pang of losing Alister and Avery hit me hard for that moment, but I smiled nonetheless at Gideon. I still had good people in my life, and if I knew the wolf, he wasn't going anywhere.

I took a long breath and then sunk down and pushed myself under the water. This was the part he wanted to see anyway, so best get it over with. I held myself there and rubbed my face, head, ears, neck... Making sure to really get the water under my coat. I reached up and grabbed some of the soap and also rubbed it into my fur, working it in while my lungs burned for air. I didn't want to half-ass this if I was going to do it.

Finally, when I was sure I had done a decent enough job, I let my head surface and suck in gulps of air greedily. I opened my eyes and looked at Gideon, grinning sheepishly.

"Simon..." he uttered, his hand dropping the bar of soap in his hand onto the tiled floor. "Bugger me and call me molly, this is real?!"

I didn't need to see myself to know what he was looking at. This was my secret, my bit of bashfulness that I couldn't really let go.

You see, I'm a black furred fox. But where most of me kind have a white bit on their tail, mine is on my head. It covers the left side of my face and ear. It's off-center a little, and makes me look... I don't know how to really explain it, but I don't "match" if you held half of me against a mirror.

I used to get teased about it a lot when I was a cub, and one day Avery came up to me with a handful of soot from the fireplace and told me to hold still. His little paws rubbed it into the white spot and like magic I was a regular black fox. Since then I always reapplied the soot when I had the chance. I wasn't ashamed of how I looked, but I liked looking the same all over. But with Spring Heeled Jack on the loose, maybe looking different than how I usually did wasn't such a bad thing.

"Bensley is going to have a heart attack," Gideon said, stepping out from under his shower and crouching down near the pool. He reached over and took my chin in his hand, turning my head to the side to look at me. "You look...so different, but also the same. Like... Iunno, Si. You don't look bad though."

I batted his hand away gently and rolled my eyes. "You haveta compliment me, it's your job," I said teasingly but with a smirk. "But... ah know, it's not the worst look in the world. I shoulda just stopped hiding it a couple years ago but I just got used to it. You know how many people are going to comment on it now?"

"Jus' about everyone you know in London. You may even have to convince a couple people you're still Simon King." Gideon teased and pulled me closer, leaning over to kiss my white ear. "But you look good. There aren't more white spots on you...?"

"Not that I'm aware of." I teased and playfully swam backwards a bit. "Now hurry up with your shower and I'll... get out of this tub and we can sit in the other. The water in this one looks a little black."

"That's what happens when you give a bath to a chimney gremlin," Gideon teased in an almost sing-song voice. He was back under the shower and soaping himself up, still staring back at me and smirking whenever we caught eyes.

I spent a lot of time in the first pool, scrubbing and washing everything on me twice. Once with the deep clean shampoo and the other time with the soap. I took it a step further than I probably needed to and sat on the edge of the pool and used the long comb provided to really do my fur right. Thankfully, it wasn't that time of year where I really shed my fur, so it didn't take too long.

I used some of the oils finally and rubbed it everywhere I could. It took a long time, and I was quite tired by the time I had scrubbed myself completely. But I have to admit that I looked amazing. I looked up at my reflection in the mirror across the way and grinned. My black fur was a shade lighter and looked shiny. The white mark on my head was also pristine and sharp. It still threw me off a little, but I wasn't going to hide it. Not for the time being, anyway.

I climbed out of the admittedly mostly greyish black water and then stepped into the second pool. I sat back and relaxed against the side and closed my eyes, waiting for Gideon to climb in, but the wolf took his sweet time in the shower. I think he just wanted to really scrub himself well and enjoy a shower. Who knew when he would have a chance to enjoy a shower again? Most likely his next bath would be in the river or a bucket inside, and with cold water to boot. No, this was a treat he was going to savor, and I didn't blame him.

He came over finally and slid into the pool next to me, leaning back and pulling his arm around my shoulders, tugging me close. "This is the life, eh Simon?"

"What, bathing?"

"Bein' treated like kings! I mean... hot water bathes, soaps, all the good stuff. One day, when I'm rich and famous, I'm gonna have one of these in me mansion, just you watch."

"Kings can't go around starting street brawls, ya know," I said with a wry smirk and leaned my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes.

"If I'm a king who gonna stop me? But I know what ya mean. If I get money enough for a place like this of me own, I gotta change my act. Not a Howler or anythin'."

"You ever thought what we'll do when we get to America?" I asked, looking up at him with a quirked brow. "I know I can be a chimney sweep, but I'm getting a little too big for the job."

"Opportunities are everywhere I hear," Gideon said with a puffed up chest, rubbing my arm idly. "We'll find good paying jobs and then have a house... and then we'll own a business that makes us all kinds of money and then we'll be kings of the United States,"

"They don't have a king, Gid." I chuckled. "That was kinna the reason they left us, you know?"

"Really? I coulda sworn I heard something about a king of the United States... but... hm..." Gideon drummed his fingers on the back of the pool with his other hand. "Well, what do they have?"

"President," I said, remembering my lessons with Bensley. "But they ain't a king. They get elected. By the people."

"Hot damn," Gideon said and chuckled. "I'm gonna be President of the United States of America."

"Well, I don't think it --"

Gideon shut me up by clamping his hand around my muzzle and laughing. "I know, Si. Life ain't that easy, but it's fun t'pretend, you know?"

He let my muzzle go and I nodded slowly. "I'm just excited to get there with you. I always remembered your instructions: if I ever have to flee, go to New York City, you'll find me there. But I never thought I'd have to run away like that until... until..."

"Jack," Gideon said darkly. "It's fine, he ain't gonna touch either of us. If he so much as tries, I'll smack him in his stupid mask."

I know that wouldn't be as easy as it sounded either, but it sounded wonderful nonetheless. I leaned there and listened to Gideon talk about what life would be like in the United States, about how we could go into the wilderness and meet the natives, or down into Mexico and fight banditos, or all kinds of things... It made me smile as the world darkened around me and I fell asleep.

After however long Gideon let me nap, I was shaken to get up. I guess it was time to get out of the pool. With help from Gideon, we went to the pile of fresh towels and rubbed ourselves down, making sure to spend time on our fluffier areas. For me, it was my tail, and for Gideon, his neck and upper back. I had been reaching for my old clothes when Gideon tutted and pointed to the fresh ones he had pulled out of the dresser. So I dressed in black pants with matching suspenders and a soft vest. I shook my cap out and hit it a few times, getting it free of any soot it may have picked up, and plucked it onto my head.

"Charming as a prince," Gideon said and dressed in his old (new) clothes. Once clean, dry, and clothed, we headed out and through the lounge area and grabbed a couple pieces of fruit before we left the bath house.

The walk back was pleasant, and my apple was delicious. I had almost forgotten about Spring Heeled Jack and everything that had happened. We had also spent a long time in the bathes because Bensley was home, we could tell because his personal carriage was in front of his home, as was another's. I hadn't seen this one before. It was expensive-looking, that was for sure.

"Is that Bensley's friend? The artist?"

With a shrug, we walked up the path and into the home, looking around the front area curiously. We saw Bensley standing there and talking to someone with their back to us. The raccoon looked over at us and smiled brightly.

"Ah, there they are now!" he said, motioning to us with his hand. "Gideon, Simon, I want to introduce you to my friend, patron, and fellow scholar. He'll be the artist who will help us draw the sketches of Spring Heeled Jack and hopefully get to the bottom of this."

The man wore a dark green suit, holding a top hat in one hand and a cane in the other. As he heard our names, he slowly turned around. He was a caracal; the tufted ears gave him away. When he looked at us, his golden eyes darted between the two, and he quickly smiled. Was that a pause? It was hard to tell.

What struck me immediately was how unquestionably handsome the man was. So much so that it made me blush a little, and it took a lot of effort on my part to not keep staring at his charming face and good posture. I didn't expect someone to come who looked young and as well-kept as this man here. To be honest, I had expected someone like Bensley instead.

"Boys," Bensley said after clearing his throat, "let me introduce you to Lord Mordecai Decimus Crossbell."

"The pleasure is all mine, professor," the cat smiled and stared right at me as he held his hand out politely. I shook it after a moment. "Simon, I have been waiting for this moment to finally meet you. I believe we will have much to discuss."