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Prompt 8: It's important to take care of yourself in the winter months, especially with the dry, cold air Destiny City has been seeing. A warm bubble bath might be just what you need to stay warm and treat yourself; a local shop has a Seasonal Special--'Marshmallow Dreams' and they seem to be highly recommended and have become a hot item in Destiny City. Somehow, you've acquired one of these bath bombs, and it smells divine. Everything is going well; the bath bomb seems to be dissolving normally--and then all of a sudden, fluffy, plush bubbles seem to emerge and grow, and get denser--and all of a sudden, you are sitting in a bathtub full of what feels like warm marshmallows. It feels a bit heavy, like a weighted blanket, but it's warm and smooth and nice. Except, it's also a little restricting and is incredibly hard to move in. You wind up trapped in a tub full of smooth marshmallow fluff for nearly half an hour before it begins to completely dissolve and pop like bubbles--leaving your skin feeling magnificently smooth and fragrant. It's the perfect way to trap someone in the bath for half an hour, though arguably it's far less relaxing if you don't know what's going to happen before getting in.
The last drops of water seemed to echo in the quiet of the house. Even if his grandparents had been home, the whole building would have been relatively quiet. The most he would have heard from upstairs was the sound of the television, loud enough to allow their aging ears to hear what was being said. Which he didn't mind. He didn't like the quiet. Except for tonight.
The 18-year-old stood in his bathroom, nude from the waist up, his hair still held firmly behind his head in a tight ponytail. The water in the tub rippled with the last droplets of water as he picked up the bath bomb he'd bought earlier in the day off the sink. Baths weren't normally his thing. Isiah never once in his life felt like he needed the comfort of steaming hot water against his skin. And he certainly didn't use things like this. But with the recently odd things that seemed to keep happening to him, yes. Tonight he was craving a peaceful, quiet, relaxing bath. And this thing in his hand promised just that. So without stopping to think about it, he unwrapped it and threw it into the water, following soon after.
Once he was fully in and sitting down, arms resting on the sides of the tub and head against the back, the water came up just above his belly button. It was nice, he had to admit, watching the bath bomb floating on top of the water. He'd never used any of this stuff before. How fast was it supposed to go to work? He gave it a few flicks with one hand, amusing himself for a little while as it twirled in the opposite end of the tub from where his torso was.
As he watched it, a crack appeared in one side, like an egg hatching. Isiah leaned forward, curious, as a frothy substance started spilling out. So the thing made the bath a bubble bath? That was neat. He had no intentions on washing, as he'd had his shower in the morning before work. He was already starting to imagine what kinds of things he could try to make with the bubbles. Maybe call his cat in and blow some at her, see how she reacted. She usually was up for playtime anytime he teased her with something. She enjoyed watching bubbles floating in the air, pawing at them when they got too close to her face.
His thoughts were dashed as the foam kept expanding and expanding and expanding, until he could feel the softness of it along his legs spread out to the other end of the tub. It was looking less like normal bubbles and more like thick foam. Like the foam one would use to help seal up leaks or cracks. Naturally, he started to panic a little. He just wanted a relaxing bath that wouldn't be weird. It was being weird!
But before he could begin to rise, it covered his legs, trapping him to the bottom of the tub and kept expanding, now reaching closer and closer to his torso, which he was trying to maneuver out of the way. But where exactly could he go, glued to the bottom as he was by this sticky, soft substance. That still smelled divine. Like....Marshmallow?
He ceased struggling and watched the marshmallow-like substance continue to engulf him, filling up the whole tub so nothing below his chest was visible anymore in the water. Timidly, he settled his arms on top of the stuff, noting it still felt really soft. Soft like a marshmallow. Was someone a genius, creating a marshmallow that absorbed water and grew to an enormous size? It felt and smelled exactly like a marshmallow, but it couldn't possibly be purely that. There must be some dangerous ingredient that was making it blow up like this.
Tentatively, he poked at it with one finger, leaving small indents all over it. He picked at it, pulling a piece of it off. He brought it close to his nose for a sniff. Marshmallow. Smelled like it, felt like it. Tasted like it?
Bringing it up to his mouth, he popped it into his mouth. Tasted like marshmallow. Maybe with a hint of something else, but all he could taste was marshmallows. If the stuff didn't dissolve on its own, he could eat his way out, maybe? Looking at the large puff he was stuck in, he decided no. He didn't have a large enough stomach to eat his way out of all this. So what as a man to do?
"Aw, ******** it," Isiah shrugged, leaning back against the wall behind him once more, placing his arms back on top of the fluff. Whatever weird forces were suddenly out this year in Destiny City, at least they were innocent. And it did feel cozy, being trapped in this warm fluff. Like curling up under a ton of blankets in the middle of a blizzard, something furry wrapped in a ball on your stomach.
For just under a half hour he remained still, molding the fluff under his hands with his fingers absently. Until it finally started to dissolve, giving off little pops as it did so. Marshmallows didn't pop. He definitely shouldn't have eaten some of it.
As freedom became more and more obtainable, Isiah eventually rose up in the tub, running his hands over his stomach, expecting to feel residue left over from the marshmallow concoction. There was none. just the feel of his now silky smooth torso where the fluff had been holding him in its grip. Not a speck seemed to remain anywhere. Nor was there any water left, having been used to dissolve the thick substance.
He stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist, thinking maybe none of these weird occurrences were truly bad or worth worry. The bunnies were sweet. The cafe was innocent and delicious. And bath had been relaxing. The deer....The deer was the truly weird thing. But after so many weird things, he was feeling tired of being confused and suspicious. He should invite Thomas back out to the cafe and buy more of these bath bombs. Life was too short, may as well enjoy every innocently odd thing it tossed your way.
