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Six
     
     
    Arbor-Dren seemed completely at ease in the nude. Now that she wasn’t shrinking from his markings, he was delighted to be out of the armour.
    Myra sat up and wrinkled her nose at the musky scent that hit her as she moved. A shower was in order.
    As she crept out of the bed and moved toward the bathroom, she asked, “Do you know how Sek-Rah came to be the Avatar?”
    He followed her close. “I do. She was pregnant with her only child, and she had just gone into labour. She was dying and the other Avatar was dying. Fremiat went from one to the other, letting one die and healing the new mother. She immediately gave her daughter the power of joy and fertility, as she would not have another child.”
    The idea of him following her into the shower was slightly creepy, but he walked to the controls and ran the water of the large corner shower and turned on the multi-spray heads.
    To her surprise, he coaxed her into the spray and handed her a cloth with aromatic liquid soap in it.
    Myra chuckled and began to wash her shoulders, working her way down between her thighs. Arbor-Dren got his own washcloth with a more masculine scent and shared the corner of the six-by-six shower space.
    When she rubbed at her sex, she winced a little until the heat of the water relaxed her. She continued down to her ankles and then stood to face the shower sprays again. Her legs were going to be a little stiff but there was an entire city to explore, and she was quite sure she would be able to work the muscles loose.
    Myra wrung out her washcloth, left the shower and found lengths of fabric to dry with. She wrapped herself up and checked her hair in the mirror. It was a bit of a disaster.
    With smooth moves, she plucked the pins and clips out of her hair, smiling at the slick feel of her hair as it tumbled free. A quick dig around found a drawer with several pristine brushes.
    She sat at the dressing table and brushed out her hair while Arbor-Dren completed his shower.
    “I have to ask, Arbor-Dren, why the masks for this mission?”
    He stepped out and reached for a drying cloth while he turned off the shower. “We did not want you to make your judgement based on appearance. It is our standard work uniform. It did not appear to send any apprehension through you.”
    Myra smiled. “I looked up what I could of the Kameraet. I still wasn’t prepared for what happened to me, but that is something I will deal with.”
    He wrapped his towel around his hips and scowled. “What do you mean?”
    “Do you think that a woman from an alien world would simply crawl into bed with the first man who has fantasies about her? My behaviour was outside my experience.”
    He cocked his head. “You seemed willing.”
    “I was! That is what shocked me. Haven’t you ever had a moment when you acted out of character and surprised yourself?” She bit her lip.
    “Of course.”
    She flapped her hand at the bedroom. “I am very surprised.”
    He sighed. “You will need some time to adjust to the idea?”
    “Probably.”
    “I would like to remain in your bed every night.”
    She blinked at the thought that she would sleep anywhere else or demand that he do so. “Of course.”
    He smiled. “Good. In that case, did you want to explore the city?”
    “I would like that, Arbor-Dren.”
    “Call me Arbor, please.” There was a relaxed attitude to him that replaced the action-ready tension that she had noticed earlier.
    She took in the very pleasant aspect of him wearing nothing but the cloth around his hips, and she swallowed, trying to remind herself that jumping into bed with him again would be tacky and a little bit painful.
    Myra finished brushing her hair straight and put the brush back where she found it. She headed back into the bedroom and worked to get herself back into her clothing.
    Her inner thighs were a little raw, and the trousers chafed slightly until they settled around her hips. She tugged on the boots, wrapped the sash and then put on