"The food? It seems to be cooking just fine. Good thing too. I think we're both kinda hungry." Serapis replied. "There's probably nothing more to worry about today. Well, nothing more than what we've already dealt with."

-----------------

The students divided into two groups, male and female. This next part of the day was one which called for such a division, given the lighter clothes they would be wearing. It would not do for the young males and females to be around each other while so dressed. 

"They only seem to be getting longer" Aurelian replied, his right hand holding onto his left shoulder blade. "Either that, or they're making them harder. Good thing we're getting our rubdowns now. My back is killing me." 

"Hey, it's not like crops aren't important. You like eating, right?" Jorn replied, not really in the mood to argue. Soreness combined with exhaustion to take the fight out of him. 

Laura was particularly happy to get her massage today. Not only did she enjoy the feeling of it, but she also enjoyed the fact that it was a chance to be around only the other girls. "Did you really say that about hobgoblins, Kia? What if an actual hobgoblin came to this orphanage?" She gave a smile. "They might think you have something against them."

The massage therapists were entirely female adults of all races. It was decided early on in the orphanage's history that females would be more parental and universally seen as less intimidating for the purposes of relaxing the students, even if a few of the staff thought that Serapis' claims of maternal instincts were perhaps a bit condescending. As usual, they gave the students their instructions in each of the rooms, which were divided between male and female students. 

Jorn and the others knew the drill, yet it was repeated anyway. Possibly for the benefit of any newcomers. The head masseuse of the boys room was an elven female, looking very much the stereotypical wood elf with her long ears, green eyes, and blonde hair. Even her short green dress seemed to scream "nature." To a degree, it was a show, but the quasi-motherly image was useful for winning over the students. 

"Alright boys. Change into your shorts if you have them. Those of you with loincloths, keep them on! That means you, dracons, lizardfolk, and other reptilians! Shirts and the like go in the wash. You get one of a matching size when you are done here." For many of the males, this was unnecessary, given that many had already changed in their gym class, and were already down to shorts. Their garments would be taken and washed, and fresh shirts and pants were already folded and waiting for them to put on at the end of their massage session. 

The massage tables were already set up with a pillow at the head of each, a towel on the side, and a small table with some very basic oils and the like. It wasn't anything fancy, nor was it meant to be. Apart from mimicking similar arrangements in the dracon lands, the treatment was intended to be a break from an otherwise very rigorous schedule as well as a way of helping the students deal with stress and strain from the intense exercise of the previous timeslot. 

Given the fact that the students in each room greatly outnumbered the therapists, they had to take turns with their rubdowns. Many of the females there did other jobs around the orphanage, and only the leads and a few others did this job as their sole occupation. 

For his part, Arjun was downstairs with the other males at the moment. He was torn between going back upstairs to his mother, or staying with the other males. On one hand, he definitely thought that Thayva did a better job with massages. She knew him as well as a mother could, and she was obviously used to dealing with dracons, far more so than many of the females present. On the other hand, he enjoyed spending time with some of his friends, and they often took their turn together, lying next to each other. It was a chance to talk as well as relax.