Chapter 3

Of note:  The Emperor's son, who was introduced in chapter 2, has been renamed.  Going forward, he will be known as Sage.  

The bathroom was not much bigger than a broom closet, but the surfaces were clean and the room was warm. Macy sighed in relief as Dean shut the door behind him and exited the room, and turned to inspect the contents of the cardboard box.

True to his word, Jesse had gotten her all of the toiletries she had so long been lacking. She found properly sized clothing, soap, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, razors, a hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste, a fluffy pink towel and several blankets, among other items. She sighed in satisfaction and began to shrug off her many layers of clothing, piling the raggedy garments in a corner of the room.

As she stepped into the shower and felt the first drops of hot water splash against her skin, Macy relaxed completely. The water cascaded over her shoulders, washing away weeks of filth and restoring her skin to a healthier tone. She took her time as she scrubbed her body, carefully removing every trace of dirt to the point of rubbing her skin raw; who knew when she'd have the chance to shower again?

At last she felt clean and almost human again, and she reluctantly turned off the water and exited the shower. She wrapped the fluffy pink towel around herself and stood dripping for long moments, relishing the refreshed feeling travelling through her limbs and the sensation of the clean bathroom rug beneath her. She wriggled her toes delightedly. So wonderful!

She would have stood there a few more minutes, enjoying the rare and intoxicating experience afforded her through bathing, but a grumble in her stomach reminded her that there was more her body needed. Selecting a pair of blue jeans and a warm green sweater from the box, she dressed with a deepening sense of appreciation. It seemed that Jesse had, in fact, thought of everything she could possibly need or want. She sprayed herself with a bit of perfume for a final touch, then cast a disgusted look at her old clothes on the floor as she stepped toward the door. They looked like a pile of rubbish, and smelled twice as bad. She decided to deal with them after she'd eaten, and exited the bathroom to be greeted in the hallway by the smell of cooking food. Her mouth watered, and she hastened her steps.

Entering the living room, she found Jesse grinning up at her. "Hey, stranger!"

She returned his smile a bit self-consciously and searched her brain for words to express her appreciation. "Hi, Jesse. Thank you so much for all you're doing. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means."

He waved off her words in a depreciating manner. "No problem at all. I'd want someone to do the same for me if I were in your shoes. And if I were in your shoes, I also know I'd be hungry," he rose and took her elbow gently, leading her to the kitchen. "We're cooking some pizza, but if you don't like pizza we can always get something else for you."

"Pizza's great!" she answered, genuinely enthused. She hadn't had pizza for quite some time, and the very thought of it brought a wave of nostalgia. The normalcy of pizza was an inviting notion, and she found herself rubbing her hands together in anticipation as Dean pulled the pizza from the instawave.

Jesse pulled three plates from a cupboard and gave one to Macy with a flourish. "Ladies first."

She was too hungry to protest, and grabbed three slices, shoving the end of one of them in her mouth. "Oh," she groaned involuntarily as the flavors filled her mouth. For a moment, as she hungrily devoured the pizza, she felt she was in heaven. Then she noticed how Jesse and Dean were looking at her and she struggled to slow down and eat with some semblance of manners. Too soon, however, her pizza was gone. She wished that she was bold enough to request another slice (or three) but set her plate down with a sense of resignation.

"Hey, don't you want some more?" Jesse asked her, concern apparent in his voice. "You can have as much as you want, you know."

She almost said no, but for the moment she was still a slave to her hunger. She lifted her plate and loaded it again, muttering a quick, "Thank you!" between bites. Jesse and Dean both beamed at her, and then turned their attention back to a conversation about some new technological breakthrough. She could not keep track of what they were saying, what with the pizza at the center of her focus. She was grateful, though, that they were no longer gawking at her as she stuffed more and more food into her greedy mouth. After emptying her plate a second time, she was sated, and she pushed back from the tiny wooden table. "That was fantastic!"

Jesse looked at her in appraisal. "Are you sure you're full? We can always get more pizza if you'd like..."

"No, thank you," she smiled. "I do believe I've made enough of a glutton of myself for one day. And I also believe that the two of you have some questions. Ask away," she prompted.

Dean leaned forward with anticipation, opening his mouth to speak, but Jesse placed a hand on his chest and pressed him back into his seat. Before Dean could rouse sufficient protest, Jesse told her, "We do. Lots of questions. But the truth is, they can wait."

Dean gaped at Jesse as if he'd just lost his mind. What was he thinking? But Jesse ignored him and continued, "I think you could probably use some rest, am I right?"

Dean was visibly crestfallen at Jesse's words, but Macy felt a twinge of hope at his offer. She was, truth be told, exhausted from months of staying under the radar, roaming from place to place, tolerating every kind of weather and the worst odors imaginable. She was clean for once, with a full belly, and the prospect of a real bed was incredibly appealing. Yet she owed these kind strangers, and the answers to their questions were the only thing she had to offer. While she was still thinking it over, her head dipped forward and sleepiness won.