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I messed with the faucet until I had the right temperature, just this side of scalding, and then stepped back to let it do its work filling the bathtub. Yes, a shower would be faster, but my legs ached, and in addition to getting clean I needed to sit down.
My beautiful coat already draped across my bed, it seemed to miraculously repel dirt, I sat down on the padded bench in the middle of the spacious bathroom that adjoined my bedroom and peeled my boots from my feet. I tossed them near the door where they landed with a squelch.
Yep, ruined.
I stood and reached back to unsnap the straps that entwined my body. With the straps free the garment slipped easily around my wings and from my torso. From the waist down was another matter; I was caked in mud and muck. It was like getting
