Angelica climbed into the tub; she faced away from Bell.
"It's ok, I won't look."
Bell undressed and hung her underwear over the door for it to dry.
She climbed into the tub next to Angelica.
"Thank you for what you did."
Angelica shrugged, but she stayed quiet.
After a few minutes of silence, Bell spoke.
"What was it like… with them?"
Angelica turned to her.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Bell looked down.
"Um, yes, I think so."
Bell scraped the courage together to look Angelica in the eyes.
Angelica sighed.
"You don't, and the further away you stay from that, the better."
Bell kept eye contact as she spoke.
"You and Ryan have this look. It's like you're a thousand miles away, and... um, you look so sad."
At her statement, Angelica broke eye contact.
As she looked down, she spoke.
"Can we stop talking?"
They sat in silence until they heard a knock on the door.
Two different old women entered.
"How was your bath?"
Bell smiled.
"It was great, thanks."
Angelica smiled at them.
"It was wonderful. I haven't felt this relaxed in years."
The women smiled back at them.
"We have come to invite you for lunch. We also have news. Reina, our leader, wishes to meet you tomorrow morning."
Bell nodded at their words, and this caught the attention of the woman.
"She wishes to meet you, too."
Bell frowned.
"Why? I don't want to join."
The woman kept her smile.
"You do not have to join, but she would like to thank you for escorting Angelica here."
Bell's eyes darted to Angelica, and she gave her a quick nod.
"I would love to meet her."
The women bowed and placed two sets of loose-fitting white dresses without sleeves on the bench next to the bath.
Bell went for her original clothes while Angelica went for the dress.
"We will wait outside and show you the way to the banquet hall."
They dressed in silence, and just as they were ready to leave, Bell whispered.
"I'm sorry for probing."
Angelica slapped her on the back.
"It's fine, let's go."
Bell seemed satisfied with her words.
What Angelica didn't want her to know was how close she was to breaking down.
She plastered on her fake smile so she could meet the hags.
She opened the door and was met with their wrinkled faces.
"Please follow us, Sister."
With a smile, she followed them.
Every few seconds, she made sure Bell was behind her.
If she had been alone, this would be so easy.
Maybe she should sneak Bell out that night.
At that moment, she realised she was being too quiet.
"Sister, what is for lunch?"
One of the women took her place next to Angelica.
"Nothing too extravagant. Some venison stew and freshly baked bread. You may have as much as you need."
Angelica smiled and hugged the woman, and whispered into her ear.
"Thank you. I think I will eat a few portions."
Her words earned her a light pat on the back.
Luckily, the walk wasn't too far.
They were led to another square building with women everywhere.
As they entered, they were met with many voices as women were talking and laughing.
One of the women looked at them.
"Follow our lead, and we hope you enjoy your meal."
They were led to a long line that moved quickly.
The women each took a plate for themselves.
Angelica and Bell did the same.
When it was their turn, they looked at the serving women behind a massive counter.
"I thank you for this meal, Sister."
The woman behind the counter served some stew and put a small loaf on the same plate.
"I thank you for your service, Sister."
When it was the young woman's turn, Bell fumbled.
"Thanks for the meal, Ma'am."
At this blunder, the woman behind the counter looked at the old woman.
When she received a nod, she served Bell without a word.
When they left the line, the old women left for a table with other geriatrics.
Angelica rolled her eyes and scanned for an empty table.
She sighed at the layout.
Very long and closely spaced tables made privacy impossible here.
She did find a slightly empty spot and led Bell there.
As soon as they sat down, Angelica started chuckling.
"What's so funny?"
Angelica did a poor imitation of Bell's voice.
"Thanks for the meal, Ma'am."
Bell's face turned bright red.
Angelica did feel slightly bad.
"You did good. They'll see it as you not wanting to be here. With you wearing your clothes and not imitating, that shows them you aren't Amazon material."
The confused look on her face made Angelica smile.
Before she could speak to Bell, she was interrupted by a blond woman who looked like she was in her thirties.
"Hello, little sister."
She looked at Bell.
"Hello, friend."
Angelica nodded, and Bell greeted her with a smile.
"What brings you to the Amazons?"
Angelica swallowed her stew and slowly moved her plate to the side.
"I wanted a change of pace, and the Amazons seem like a good fit."
The blond woman laughed.
"Please. How could a murderer like you fit in anywhere?"
Bell shot up.
"Hey! Don't talk…"
Angelica stood up and held out her hand to Bell.
"Blondie, you know what I am, and you try to start something. Why?"
She wanted to jump over the table and kill her, but she barely managed to contain herself.
The blond woman shrugged.
"We need more good women. Not damaged goods."
Angelica started laughing.
She laughed as if she had heard an amazing joke.
"What are you going to do, blondie? Fight me? I'm so scared."
She pretended to shiver.
All the other women were staring, and the old women were quickly making their way to their table.
As they got there, one woman took the blond aside, and the other took them aside.
"Would you tell me what happened?"
Before Angelica could explain, Bell interrupted.
"She came up to us and called her a murderer, and damaged goods. She really hurt Angelica's feelings."
For a second, she felt the floodgates behind her eyes almost fail.
The old woman looked at Angelica.
"Why did you antagonise her at the end?"
Angelica swallowed.
"It was a reflex. Where I'm from, you can't show weakness. I am truly sorry."
At the last words, she allowed the tears to flow.
The old woman hugged her.
Over her shoulder, she saw the blond woman staring at her.
Angelica wanted to goad her, but decided against it.
The women went back to their tables to continue their lunch.
Next to her, Bell refused to sit still.
"What's wrong?"
Bell looked her in the eyes.
"She was so mean."
Angelica smiled, and after looking down, spoke.
"She wanted me to do something and get kicked out."
Bell nodded at her words.
"Thanks for standing up for me. I appreciate it."
Bell smiled.
"What are friends for?"