“Aaaah!” Keiko leaned back with a satisfied sigh and rested a hand on her belly. She’d devoured her bowl down to the last drop of broth. It earned her a smile from the shop owner, who emerged just as they were standing to leave.

“Don’t know who you work for Mr. Mask, but thank you for your patronage.”

Seth smiled behind his mask and tossed the man another credit chit. He accepted it with a knowing nod. “Thanks for not asking,” the mercenary replied.

“And thank you for the amazing ramen!” Keiko added.

“It’s my pleasure, young lady. You take care out in that storm now." The owner grabbed their bowls as they threw up their hoods and stepped into the rain. "A princess wannabe and a man in a mask...not even the weirdest group this week," he mused.

Back on the street, Seth checked something on his HUD before looking at Keiko. "Here, perhaps this will serve as a gesture of good faith."

Keiko blinked rapidly as her lens received a forced update, one that had the buildings and streets outlined in orange grids before fading back away into the rain. "You don't think I trust you? What does it do?"

"No, my lady. I think both of us understand you'd be a fool to trust me at this point. However, I believe I made my case well enough that you see the potential of cooperation to achieve your own goals."

"How hard is it to work with people you don't trust?"

"Over the long term, outside of an employment at will relationship? Impossible. The program I loaded onto your lens will allow me to find you anywhere you're connected to a national network...or a local network with an uplink to the national grid. For now it is the only upload traffic I've allowed you."

"This doesn't sound much like a gift, Seth," Keiko told him sternly, bringing a hand to her hip. She could swear he was smirking behind the mask.

"That program will lead you to any one of my team's safehouses, including my personal ones. It will show you optimal travel routes to avoid patrols and mnyama based on an algorithm Sybela cooked up. In real time it will coordinate data from any other team members with the same program and help you to safety as covertly as possible. Unless I'm expressly telling you otherwise, you can trust in that program."

With a curious glance Keiko activated the icon, a simple waypoint, and gasped softly as the city around her was rendered in that same orange glow, complete with arrows signifying the shortest and an alternate route back to Seth's safehouse. The location was listed as 'shrine', and having been inside she could understand why.

"I take it you've given it a bit of a test?" He deduced.

"This is quite the little piece of code. What's the blank space on the left for?"

"Status of teammates during an op," Seth informed her, his voice strained and serious. She remembered the call he'd had with them, how he was keeping them in the dark. "Well then, my lady, we should be off. No one's getting any drier."

Seth turned for home but stopped as a gentle tug on his cloak demanded his attention. Keiko was looking at him from under her hood, her hesitant eyes still shining even in the foul weather. "Yes, my lady?"

"Your jammer thing. It will work as long as I'm close to you?"

"Yes, of course," Seth confirmed with a tilt of his head. Keiko brought her fingers together in front of her.

"In that case, do you think we could stay out just a bit?" She asked shyly.

Seth inhaled deeply and nodded with understanding. "The beautiful bird wishes to fly now that she's been freed from her cage?"

"Seth…" Keiko whispered, knowing only her fur was saving her from revealing a blush. It was maddening how such a man was still able to stir her emotions. She blamed the palace.

"We'll not get much drier, but at this point I'm not sure we could get much more wet either. Did my lady have a destination in mind?"

"I wouldn't know, Seth. I've really only ever been around the palace and market districts, or crown lands outside the city. I'd hoped to see a bit more of how my people live."

"Then follow me, my lady," he offered, turning away from the arrows in her lens as Keiko deactivated the program. With a private thrill she followed behind him, wondering what sorts of everyday wonders her city might have been hiding from her.

For minutes that turned to hours, Keiko tailed Seth through streets and alleys. They traveled to public and private urban parks that ranged from a solitary tree and well maintained wooden bench to long covered avenues with trees, gardens, tables, and even various fountains. Some of them were modern marvels of intricate piping and design that played with water and light as a medium. Others were classical monuments, often depicting the likeness of humanity. Keiko noticed Seth's gaze lingering on them, but he said nothing as they strolled at their own pace. The rain shadowed their sense of time as they passed through covered street markets and by towering retail buildings. One in particular had Keiko staring with wide eyed fascination.

"Seth, that's amazing!" She cried, having turned down a short avenue and come face to face with a grand holographic display. The capital of Alhamkara was situated in arid grasslands, but a nearby mountain range was all that separated its people from the blue salt sea. Fish were plentiful in the city, both as food and pets. They stood before one such pet store, its bright facade projecting fish of all shapes and sizes into the air above them. On a normal day it would be a quaint scene. Seeing them swim through the rains was another thing entirely. Seth had passed the store more than a handful of times in his life and found it cute at best. Seeing the open wonder on Keiko's face had him reconsidering as he looked back at her.

"I must admit I've never seen it quite like this."

"Maybe you can come back when you're ready to install a koi pond back at your 'shrine'," Keiko teased. He shrugged.

"I doubt it would hold a candle to the ones in the palace, though I was unable to see them myself on my way to...collect you."

The air around them seemed to chill slightly as a shiver ran up Keiko's spine. She forced it down and looked back at the hologram, unwilling to let reality intrude on her moment of happiness. As a swarm of tiny, silver specimens passed overhead she motioned to Seth. "What's done is done. Just enjoy the fish."

"You continue to surprise me, lady Keiko."

"Fish!"

"Of course."

-----

By the time Keiko and Seth returned to his building her heart was heavily weighted by conflicting emotions. She and the mercenary had wandered a bit more before having a light dinner. Even wild dogs occasionally craved leafy greens. Foot traffic had been minimal throughout and their meal subject to no disruption. When the rains finally slowed and the citizens of the capital returned to the streets, the two of them were already in the dark alley that led to the 'shrine'. He allowed her to open both the outer door and the inner, to get her familiar with the program in her lens.

"Is something wrong, my lady?" Seth asked as Keiko refused to step inside his 'lair'.

"I'm filthy," she replied, looking down at her mud-slicked legs and feet. Seth's boots were no better, but those he had the luxury of removing.

"After the blood it's no problem, lady Keiko. Go ahead."

"I...if I'm going to be staying here I'd rather not. Can you bring me a towel?"

"I can. I could also carry you to the bathroom."

Keiko's heart thrummed against her ribs. Such a thing was simply not done. He was a most unsavory individual. "How do you exploit my rebellious side so easily?"

"I'm a mercenary, my lady. I'm simply behaving as is my nature. That says much more about you than about me. Are you ready?" He asked, bending over to remove his boots.

"I...sure. Thank you!" Keiko's voice jumped with the last word as he effortlessly lifted her in a bridal carry and walked purposefully to the bathroom. Keiko's ears stood straight as she made a concerted effort to look away from him, reaching out for the wall when it came into range. After setting her gently down, Seth departed immediately to do up the locks on the door. The princess was left to quell her rioting heart alone. "This is bad," she moaned, lamenting how compelling the entirety of the situation was. "This is really bad!"

Outside the door, Seth ran a hand through his damp hair. Keiko was heavier than he expected, but the contours of her body, even through the cloak, had been nothing but pleasing. He could faintly hear the sound of the shower. An image came unbidden to his mind, those vibrant jewels glistening under the flow of the water, accentuating the gentle slope of her spine and leading his gaze directly to her haunches. He shook his head violently and retreated to his terminal. "This is not good."

-----

When Keiko emerged from the bathroom she felt rejuvenated. The cold that had seeped into her bones out in the monsoon was gone, replaced by a pleasant warmth. "I appreciate a man who doesn't skimp on water pressure," she called, drawing Seth's attention from where he was watching a public news broadcast. Satisfaction bloomed in her chest as his eyes drank in the slope of her neck and shoulders, rendering him speechless. She placed the neatly folded pile of clothing on the floor and adjusted the towel that she'd wrapped around her torso. "Sorry…my fur is going to take a while but I wanted to leave you with a towel."

"I daresay you need not apologize, lady Keiko. The pleasure is mine indeed. Those sayings about forbidden fruit come to mind."

"It's not forbidden if it's not real," Keiko asserted as he passed her by. Her nose flared as she caught his scent.

"Your eyes are captivating beyond words, lady Keiko. I prefer the princess undoctored, it would seem." He knew he'd gotten the right of it as some of the shyness left her face in favor of a playful smile.

"Then you should not be ashamed to look, mercenary. But do so after you shower. That armor does nothing for your scent."

Seth's eyes widened subtly at her admission and he lowered his head in a shallow bow. "As you command, my lady. And thank you for leaving me a towel."

With that he allowed the door to shut behind him and separate the two of them once again. Fortunately for Keiko and the thoughts chasing themselves through her mind he didn't take long, cleaning his body efficiently and rejoining her as soon as he was dried and clothed. Seth found her seated comfortably on the futon, manipulating a hologram with her slim fingers.

"You designed it?" Seth asked, looking down at a representation of the very room he'd taken her from.

"I maintain it too," she said sadly. "I hope someone will take care of them."

"I can say with confidence that it was the most beautiful room in which I've ever conducted a job. I'm sorry we couldn't have had a strong coffee and a chat instead. The breeze was rather pleasant."

"I would have enjoyed seeing you arrested very much," Keiko informed him, though he took the comment in stride and sat across from her, removing some of the temptation to gaze at her cleavage that was just visible under the towel.

"And then you would have been married," he said seriously.

"And then I would have been married," Keiko agreed, keeping her eyes on the hologram. "Instead of a night alone on this futon I would have been on my back underneath a pleasant enough man to whom I've said but a handful of words in my life, wondering how long it would take his seed to settle in me and whether I would ever love him as I would my children."

Seth found himself rendered mute by Keiko's unabashed evaluation of her situation as she finally glanced up to meet his eyes. "I'm afraid of you, Seth. I'm afraid of this life you dragged me into...but I was also afraid of what seemed destined to be my fate," she admitted, opening a small portion of herself before him. The contours of his face indicated he understood the gravity of her words.

"I...in that case there is one thing we should probably do tonight, my lady."

"And that is?"

"I could use my net jockey back," Seth said with a self effacing smile.

Both of them shared a chuckle as Keiko recalled the tongue lashings that Seth had received from the crass woman known as Sybela. She found herself wondering what she looked like, what species she was. "Is she a jaguar too?"

"Jackrabbit actually," Seth replied, a conspiratorial smile on his face as Keiko understood certain implications.

"And she favors...big cats?" Keiko eventually squeaked.

"She deals with her past in her own way, my lady. All I ask tonight is that you assure her, for now, that we have your cooperation and that her working with us against the mnyama is not a death sentence via the Sekhama."

"I suppose we'll have to let Idris know I'm alive at some point," Keiko agreed.

"Perhaps in a day or two when everyone starts asking if not the Trang'aul, then who?" Seth agreed. "You would certainly be the resident expert on defusing palace politics."

"And what of the others? You had two male partners, right?"

"Little escapes you, princess. Yes, I do. They are still under the impression that the nature of this job is to deliver you to Markhan."

"You're lying to your own team?" Keiko asked in surprise, deactivating her hologram and giving him her undivided attention. "They were willing to go after me but not the mnyama?"

Seth made an uncertain face and shrugged animatedly, raising his hands into the air. "When you put it that way, my lady, I do seem a bit the fool for not being up front with them as well."

"You had your reasons, I assume?"

"They may not be good reasons to you, my lady, but yes. I do."

"The things you are uncertain of?" She asked softly. He furrowed his brow.

"You really are a sharp woman, my lady. Let's just say that my plan to enact vigilante justice upon my own employers is younger than both my squad and the plot to kidnap you."

"Ok Seth, I won't ask...yet. Shall we talk to Sybela? Assure her that despite my intact virginity I've still agreed to cooperate for the time being?" Keiko couldn't help a girlish giggle as Seth flushed pink.

"You are incorrigible, my lady. I apologize for Sybela and her guttural language."

"You said she has her own things to deal with and I believe that. That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with her, right?"

Seth looked like an impala in the headlights as Keiko stood and motioned for him to do the same. After seating him on the small chair he used at his terminal, Keiko rested herself politely on his legs, crossing her own as she might at an official palace function. "Since you disabled everything on mine, give me your tablet, Seth." The mercenary complied as Keiko activated the device's camera and lined it up before snapping a couple of photos of her provocative position. She spent some time thoughtfully choosing one over the other before cropping out their heads and returning it to Seth. "I assume sending our faces even over a secure network would be risky?"

"I...yes, lady Keiko. You are quite the astute young woman." Seth swallowed heavily as Keiko shifted her weight slightly and looked at the tablet. She was so close. He could smell her even with his relatively low olfactory capabilities. The grass of the savannah after the rains.

"Hey, Seth! Stop spacing out and send it to her already. You can caption it however you like, just let me see the reply. If I'm going to risk my neck and my honor running around with you, I'm damn well going to enjoy myself!" Keiko insisted with a snap of her fingers.

Seth closed his eyes and shook his head violently, trying to clear his senses enough to establish a secure link to Sybela's 'work' device, type sanity reclaimed, and send the image. He looked up to find Keiko smirking at him.

"Not bad, but I'd say we're both being a little insane, mercenary. What you're doing right now would be punishable by death if my father found out," she taunted.

"I think that goes without saying, my lady. I know I didn't exactly give you a choice in coming with me."

"I meant the fact that you're grinding your cock against the ass of the princess of Alhamkara, Seth." Keiko laughed as the blood drained from his face. She felt she was finally getting a taste of why some of her handmaidens spoke highly of their visits to the harem. To have a man, a powerful man dance in her palm…oh my, this is intoxicating.

"I seem to recall you instigating this particular situation, lady Keiko!" Seth spluttered. She glanced innocently at him.

"You said we should attempt to convince Sybela that I intend to willingly cooperate with you so long as our goals intersect."

"A simple voice call would suffice!"

"Unless you plan on making me sound like a machine, it's easier to pick out my voice than my legs if someone is watching. Besides-"

Keiko was cut off as an alert chimed on Seth's tablet. He held it up so Keiko could see what Sybela had replied with. The picture was mainly a furry middle finger, but the look of absolute shock on the face behind it made it worthwhile. Keiko made out long ears with plenty of piercings and adornment as well as a heavily augmented eye and a short mohawk of fur between them, all in the snow white coloration of an albino. The image was captioned. The usual place in fifteen. Let's see if the pup can handle the real deal.

"Should I be offended?" Keiko asked. Seth had regained most of his faculties thanks to Sybela's reply. He shook his head.

"I'd say mission accomplished with flying colors, my lady. The usual place is an unlicensed brothel she frequents. My understanding is that she has some sort of network security arrangement with the ownership. Given her enjoyment of their services, I daresay it defrays much of the cost."

"Seth…" Keiko replied hesitantly.

"My lady, I believe your concern is unwarranted. This is not one of those illicit establishments that cater to the depraved. You will not see any girls being sold to the highest bidder, azure overdoses, or some of the more extreme fetishes that characterize the underground. This is the other type of illicit brothel."

"That being?" Keiko demanded as she stood up, finally allowing Seth some relief.

"The type that caters to individuals who wish to remain hidden. Some are capable of paying for pure azure. Others, like Sybela and myself, have something to hide from anyone licensed by the crown, no matter the service. We may even see a boss or two tonight, but they tend to pay for the brothels to come to them," Seth explained, reaching for her ear and stopping just short. "I believe it would be prudent if you were to remove one of these, my lady. It will be much easier to chalk it up to imitation of our beautiful princess if you only have one gilded ear."

"I understand," Keiko replied, raising her hands and carefully removing the studs from her right ear. "My parents named me Keiko in honor of the princess, who was born in my year. I didn't get her smooth eyes though," Keiko mocked, touching the white fur just below her lids. Seth grinned and gave her an approving nod.

"I don't anticipate anyone asking, but you're smart to have something prepared. The crown's...propaganda, let's call it, will work to your advantage in this instance. Are you dry enough?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll grab my armor and we'll go."

Five minutes later the two of them were dressed and ready, with Keiko back in her own street garb.

"You'll fit right in, my lady," Seth reassured her, nodding at her notable navel piercing, glinting gold and magicite.

"Not sure I take that as a compliment, Seth."

"It is in this case. If anyone touches you I'll be sure to impress upon them that you're not part of the staff."

"My knight in bloody armor. Off to the brothel then?" Keiko said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. She gave him a small smile though. He chuckled and offered his arm to her.

"My lady, may I escort you to The Oasis?"