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."Three nights a week.And the sawmill during the day.So,were you looking for me, or.?""Actually, I was looking for a suit," he admitted."I haven't been to thebathhouse in a year or two and it's really changed.""Not as much as you might think." She smiled."Some people use them by thepools, but most don't.And, frankly, I don't think we have anything that willfit you.""Story of my life," he grumbled."Well, you never were an off-the-rack kind of guy," she said with a grin."I guess I'll go brave the baths then," he said."I've been in Harzburg for ayear andthey're.pretty uptight about body modesty.I guess some of it rubbedoff.""Oh, I'm sure you'll get back into the evil ways of Raven's Mill." She grinnedagain."Well.see you later?""Maybe," she said with a shrug."I'm.not sure it would be a good thingto just pick up where we left off.I'm.over it but not that far.""Believe me, I understand," Herzer said, frowning."I've never had thatparticular experience, butI've seen the aftermath enough times.Take care of yourself, and.I'mhere.Shoulder, bed, sword, okay?""Okay," she said, dimples appearing on her cheeks."Go have fun.""Fun, right," he said, throwing the bag over his shoulder.The changing room had altered as well.There were closed stalls for changing;before it had been totally open.And there were two attendants waiting for hisclothes and gear.From prior experience he knew he could trust them to notpilfer anything out of the bags so he added his money pouch after a moment'sthought.That done, he tucked a towel around his waist firmly and headedthrough the door marked "Showers."More changes.The showers were individual stalls; before they had simply linedone side of the room.There were males and females in the room and when one ofthe latter, a tall, lithe blonde, came out of a shower stall stark naked heactually started to feel more at home.He still put the towel back on beforeleaving his own stall.Beyond the room was cross corridor with several doors.One was marked "Baths,Male" another"Baths, Female" and a third "Pools." He pushed open the male bathing room andsaw a line of large wooden tubs, much like he remembered.There were a fewguys in the far tub but the room was otherwise empty.He didn't recognize anyof them so he headed for the room marked "Pools."He wasn't sure what to expect but it wasn't what he got.The room was long,apparently one large building, the walls made of paneled wood and lined withoil lamps.More oil lamps were hung throughout the room and in several spotsthere were round fireplaces with metal covers and chimneys to let the smokeout through the roof.The floor was tiled and the "pools" were just that, ninepools of varying sizes scattered around the room.There were benches and lowtables as well and most of the people who had been coming in and outapparently gravitated here.The conversation was loud and echoed across theroom.He stepped through the door and looked around trying to decide what thestandard mode of dress was but there didn't seem to be any.Some of the peoplePage 33ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlhad on light bathing suits but the majority were naked and there didn't seemto be any discrimination.A blonde in a suit so sheer she might as well havebeen naked was talking to a male who was.Two guys in bikini bathing suitswere talking to the woman who had walked out of the shower starkers.Hefinally recognized one of the instructors at the Academy and had startedacross the room when he heard his name screamed and the next moment found hisarms filled with naked female.He was having such a hard time trying to figure out where to put his hand, andhook, that it took him a moment to recognize her."Shilan!" he yelled."Damn, it's good to see a familiar face." Hsu Shilan hadbeen part of his apprenticeship class, a lovely trim brunette with whom he'dhad an "off-again" relationship until he joined the Blood Lords and basicallylost track.Last he'd heard she was a textile designer at one of the mills.She'd put on a bit of weight since then, but since she had been skinny to thepoint of anorexia it looked good on her.Too good.Herzer found himselfstroking her back and wished he had more clothes on."Well, if you'd stay in town for a while," she said, sternly.If she noticedthe stroking it was only to lean into it a bit."My master's voice," he replied, carefully removing his hands lest he get alittle too enthusiastic."Igo where they tell me.This time it was Harzburg for a year and a half.""You haven't met my husband, David," she said, dragging him to one of thepools."Husband?" he squeaked.One of the bathers had risen out of a nearby pool and held out his hand."So you're Herzer Herrick," the man said.Herzer noted as he took the handthat it was soft and that he out-massed Shilan's husband by at least twice.Soif it came to cases, he could probably punchDavid through the nearest wall.He still intended to be extremely correct andpunctilious.Damnit.The mission in Harzburg meant that he was trying touphold the reputation of the Federal forces.And although an ancient generalhad said "A soldier who won't fisk, won't fight," the Harzians were suchstuck-up pricks that he'd had to play saintly soldier boy the entire year.Ithad been a looong year."Shilan has told me an awful lot about you," David continued."It's all lies and damned lies," Herzer said, squatting down as modestly as hecould with a towel on.Shilan had slid back into the pool but her breasts, which were noticeablyrounder and fuller than the last time Herzer met her, were fully exposed."Come on," Shilan said, waving at the pool."Jump in.The water's fine.""Um."One hundred twenty-eight times three is.three times eight, carry the two.By the time he was barely a quarter of the way into the equation he'd gottento the point he wouldn't embarrass himself and he pulled off the towel."See, told you he was hung like an ox," Shilan said with a chuckle.So much for not being embarrassed."Yep, the reason we never had a relationship was she saw me in the showers andfainted," Herzer replied with a growl."With excitement, maybe," David laughed."I see some of us got 'enhanced'before the Fall.""Natural genetics," Herzer replied, tightly."I had the muscles built on, butthat was because I had a degenerative condition.I'd worked for them, theyjust wouldn't stay.When I got cured, I had a bod-mod, but it was only for themuscles.Then Imaintained them.The rest is genetics.The size overall and.in places.""Big hands," Shilan chuckled."That's what you meant.""Hand," Herzer noted, holding up his prosthetic.Page 34ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Sorry," Shilan said, suddenly contrite [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]