to give Sal a word of encouragement and Shift amused her with a bear hug.
"Going my way, or you have a better place to sleep tonight than your cabin?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows in a parody of flirtation.
"Nah, Shift, I thought I'd climb in bed with Cyno... he's closer to my size, you know," she teased back, once again feeling like this was where she belonged. Even after a disagreement, she still had no desire to be anywhere else.
Across the room, Cyno's head snapped around. His dark blue eyes stared into hers for a second before Shift grabbed him, hauling him into the hall.
"Fight you for her!" Shift laughed, dragging the little man along, leaving Sal to make her own way to her bed.
Chapter 11
The ceiling still looked the same, she thought as she lay on her bed staring at it. The night before, Sal had locked the door securely behind her before shifting her skin into that of the dark woman she longed to be. She'd spent hours waiting and checking, only to realize that as long as she felt like the other woman, then likely she still looked like her. A small corner of her mind had to always be aware of her new appearance but, with practice, it had grown so easy that Sal had tried sleeping in the new form. Now awake, she lay staring at the ceiling, trying to convince herself to climb out of bed.
A glance in the mirror showed her skin still dark and her hair still wavy, even if it was disheveled from sleep. After hours of inspecting the new features of her altered self, she'd made a few adjustments. She now stood just under two meters tall, an average size for a human woman, but much taller than what she was used to. Walking took practice, but it only made her hold on this body more secure when she had to accommodate the longer limbs. She also had a less than perfect line of teeth, not crooked, but just enough perfection removed to give her a feeling of reality. A birthmark on her hip and a few "childhood scars" had finished the body.
Now, realizing her new form would hold even through sleep, she needed to put her plan into action. First, she needed to be herself again. While Sal straightened her room and prepared for a few days away from it, she allowed her body to revert to the form it knew best. She packed a few belongings and put on a clean uniform before making what she hoped seemed to be a typical exit.
She closed the door and saw movement beside her. Cyno leaned casually against the wall of the cabin next to hers. He glanced over at her from the corner of his eye and his lip curled as he tried to pretend he didn't see her.
"Morning," Sal said as she reached for her bag.
"Yeh."
She looked at him for a long moment, wondering if the Blades planned to keep track of her movements. The Lieutenant said they would be scored on their planning for this mission, and who better for surveillance than an assassin?
Cyno chuckled softly and turned to face her. "Nah, I'm na stalkin' ya. I'm just na supposed ta be talkin' to ya neither."
She cocked her head slightly, confused. "I thought I was out of the link?"
"Yeh, but tha' does na mean I can na smell yer concern."
"So why are you waiting outside my room?"
He jerked his thumb at the door beside him. "My rooms. Ya did na know I'm next door?"
Sal shook her head.
"Yeh. Just glad ya do na talk in yer sleep." He grinned at her but turned as Zep staggered across the street. "Yer late, big brother," Cyno called to him.
"Shove it, little brother, and stop talking to the applicants," Zep called back, walking toward them. "Morning, Sal."
"Morning, Zep."
"Now, go on. We've got practice and you're not supposed to be talking to us."
Sal smiled up at him innocently. "Whatcha practicing?"
Cyno chuckled. "Ya wish ya knew. Go on, kitten."
"Kitten?" Zep asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fuck off," Cyno said.
Zep looked from Cyno to Sal, an amused expression on his face. "Gotcha, bro. And Sal, we
"Going my way, or you have a better place to sleep tonight than your cabin?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows in a parody of flirtation.
"Nah, Shift, I thought I'd climb in bed with Cyno... he's closer to my size, you know," she teased back, once again feeling like this was where she belonged. Even after a disagreement, she still had no desire to be anywhere else.
Across the room, Cyno's head snapped around. His dark blue eyes stared into hers for a second before Shift grabbed him, hauling him into the hall.
"Fight you for her!" Shift laughed, dragging the little man along, leaving Sal to make her own way to her bed.
Chapter 11
The ceiling still looked the same, she thought as she lay on her bed staring at it. The night before, Sal had locked the door securely behind her before shifting her skin into that of the dark woman she longed to be. She'd spent hours waiting and checking, only to realize that as long as she felt like the other woman, then likely she still looked like her. A small corner of her mind had to always be aware of her new appearance but, with practice, it had grown so easy that Sal had tried sleeping in the new form. Now awake, she lay staring at the ceiling, trying to convince herself to climb out of bed.
A glance in the mirror showed her skin still dark and her hair still wavy, even if it was disheveled from sleep. After hours of inspecting the new features of her altered self, she'd made a few adjustments. She now stood just under two meters tall, an average size for a human woman, but much taller than what she was used to. Walking took practice, but it only made her hold on this body more secure when she had to accommodate the longer limbs. She also had a less than perfect line of teeth, not crooked, but just enough perfection removed to give her a feeling of reality. A birthmark on her hip and a few "childhood scars" had finished the body.
Now, realizing her new form would hold even through sleep, she needed to put her plan into action. First, she needed to be herself again. While Sal straightened her room and prepared for a few days away from it, she allowed her body to revert to the form it knew best. She packed a few belongings and put on a clean uniform before making what she hoped seemed to be a typical exit.
She closed the door and saw movement beside her. Cyno leaned casually against the wall of the cabin next to hers. He glanced over at her from the corner of his eye and his lip curled as he tried to pretend he didn't see her.
"Morning," Sal said as she reached for her bag.
"Yeh."
She looked at him for a long moment, wondering if the Blades planned to keep track of her movements. The Lieutenant said they would be scored on their planning for this mission, and who better for surveillance than an assassin?
Cyno chuckled softly and turned to face her. "Nah, I'm na stalkin' ya. I'm just na supposed ta be talkin' to ya neither."
She cocked her head slightly, confused. "I thought I was out of the link?"
"Yeh, but tha' does na mean I can na smell yer concern."
"So why are you waiting outside my room?"
He jerked his thumb at the door beside him. "My rooms. Ya did na know I'm next door?"
Sal shook her head.
"Yeh. Just glad ya do na talk in yer sleep." He grinned at her but turned as Zep staggered across the street. "Yer late, big brother," Cyno called to him.
"Shove it, little brother, and stop talking to the applicants," Zep called back, walking toward them. "Morning, Sal."
"Morning, Zep."
"Now, go on. We've got practice and you're not supposed to be talking to us."
Sal smiled up at him innocently. "Whatcha practicing?"
Cyno chuckled. "Ya wish ya knew. Go on, kitten."
"Kitten?" Zep asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fuck off," Cyno said.
Zep looked from Cyno to Sal, an amused expression on his face. "Gotcha, bro. And Sal, we
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