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builds up in my nervous system and there are a cadre of women who volunteer to help out with that. I can’t believe I forgot about it.”
    She stiffened her spine. “Enjoy your stress relief.”
    Wimsah cuddled Spot and headed to her quarters. She set him down on the bed, smiling at the nest he had made out of shawls and pillows.
    Her closet didn’t offer much, but she found a baggy coverall that suited her mood. Changed, she headed outside and began examining the plants surrounding her new home. That was all it was, she told herself, just a place to live that was safe.
    A small vehicle fired up and drove off. She felt Benliar’s searching mind before she saw him.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Examining plants. It seemed a good distraction as I haven’t entered any field of study yet.”
    “I sent her home. Honestly, I did forget. From the moment you arrived, I thought of no one but you, and then when you were ill, all other thoughts went with the wind.”
    She nodded. “Right. Well, you might want to post a note somewhere that their services will no longer be required to help you unwind.”
    Wim inhaled the scent of a broken leaf and nodded, cataloguing it in her mind.
    “How long have you been having strange women showing up at your door to relax you?”
    He coloured again. “It comes with the job of Avatar. Roden enjoys physical activities and that includes sex.”
    “So, Roden watches?” She blinked.
    “No, he participates. It has been Roden having sex with the women.”
    “Oh. That is unexpected.”
    Benliar held out his hands. “It is true. Will you come inside?”
    She dusted her hands on her coveralls. “Fine, but I am still not very cheerful about the situation.”
    “Understandable.”
    Wim placed her hands in his, and her consciousness was suddenly standing in her mindscape. Benliar was standing with her hands in his and a shadow approached.
    Benliar sighed, “Or we can just do it here.”
    The figure walked forward, and while Wimsah could see it was a Roden being, she could not make out any detail in the shifting features. The planetary power was hard to miss, it radiated from him in waves.
    “Wimsah, this is Roden; Roden, Wimsah.” Benliar made the introductions.
    “It is good to see you face to face, Wimsah.”
    She could make out his smile. “Um, nice to see you as well, Roden. Can I ask why we are back in my mind?”
    “Benliar fears that you think it is his lust that summoned the women to his home. It was not. It is my urge to experience all that a body has to offer that instituted the tradition of having a volunteer greet me when my Avatar returned home. The adrenaline felt by the host heightened my pleasure.”
    He was completely frank and it took her aback.
    “So, why did you want me here? You already had all the companionship you could want.”
    Roden paused in surprise. “Because you are you, Wimsah. Your mind is incredible; you have so much potential. I wish to be with you as you learn and grow. It is not a chance I have ever had before. The people of my world do not have talents and certainly never become puppet masters.”
    She cocked her head. “Did you know what I was when you first agreed?”
    “I suspected and I was more than willing to take a chance.”
    “Why take me as Avatar as well?” She wanted to put her hands on her hips, but Benliar was still holding them.
    “To save your life. The damage that Resicor did to you went beyond your mind. Without my ceasing the aging process, you would be dead in six months.”
    He reached out and stroked her cheek, leaving a crackle of static along her skin.
    She swallowed. “Perhaps it would be time for me to die then. It is better than being here alone and unloved.”
    Benliar whispered, “You are not alone.”
    Roden stepped toward them and put one hand on each of their shoulders. “You are not alone. I may have gone about it awkwardly, but both Benliar and I admire you for your determination and your ability to act when