Still very much out of sorts so apologies this is a bit crummy 🤒hoping I can just take the weekend to chill and get over this cold, as it's been hanging around for weeks. Hope you're all well!

With the opening of the borders, curiosity had drawn large numbers of cat-like kethai down from the mountains into human towns. In return, their strange ways had become a source of much amusement. Despite their animal-like appearance, they were fastidiously clean, far more so than most barbarians, which went a long way toward ingratiating them with the thermae-loving citizens. They could spend hours combing their hair or sunning themselves, but their favourite activity was grooming, themselves or each other, which they did using their tongues.

The human constabulary would look on aghast, arms folded disapprovingly, as a group of them licked each other in a public street. It did not exactly look civilised. But the catfolk considered it no stranger than a handshake. There was nothing remotely sensual about it, they insisted, and it was deemed an important enough part of their social cohesion (to the extent that individuals became neurotic if excluded from it) to be allowed to continue.

"Just keep it out of the cafés," grumbled the constabulary.

One of the local thermal baths even began offering a kethai cleaning service. For purely academic research purposes, Xenethon found himself there.

"Been here before? Any allergies?" asked the tiefling behind the desk. He shook his head. "You get an hour. It's five silver for a female. Or one silver for three males."

"You pay them so little for such degrading work?" Xenethon asked, shocked.

The tiefling smiled. "'Pay them'? They volunteer." She gestured to a nearby human customer. The man was seemingly realising just how rough their tongues were, and trying to crawl away, while the three 'cleaners' pinned him to the floor. "Ever had male cats?" asked the tiefling. "The one doing the licking is the one on charge. It works out for everyone. The human is happy. They think he's their little bitch. And I'm making a fortune."