realized from sore spots on his hide
that he had been doing an awful lot of this since he had been dragged
out of the ocean of this inhospitable planet.
"Enough is enough!" he exploded and went over and hammered on the
door. "This place is a far cry from civilization as I know it, but
that is no reason why we can't be as comfortable as possible." Chains
and bolts rattled outside the door and Narsisi pushed his gloom-ridden
face in.
"Why do you cry out? What is wrong?"
"I need some water, lots of it."
"But you have water," Narsisi said, puzzled, and pointed to a stone
crock in the corner. "There is water there enough for days."
"By your standards, Nars old boy, not mine. I want at least ten times
as much as that and I want it now. And some soap, if there is such
stuff in this barbaric place."
There was a good deal of argument involved, but Jason finally got his
way with the water by explaining it was needed for religious rites to
make sure that he would not fail in the work tomorrow. It came in a
varied collection of containers along with a shallow bowl full of
powerful soft soap.
"We're in business," he chortled. "Take your clothes off, I have a
surprise for you."
"Yes, Jason," Ijale said, smiling happily.
"You're going to get a bath. Do you know what a bath is?"
"No," she said, and shuddered. "It sounds evil."
"Over here and off with the clothes," he ordered, poking at a hole in
the floor. "This should serve as a drain, at least the water went away
when I poured some into it."
The water was warm from the stove, yet Ijale still crouched against
the wall and shuddered when he poured it over her. She screamed when
he rubbed the slippery soap into her hair, and he continued with his
hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't bring in the guards. He
rubbed the soap into his own head, too, and it tingled delightfully as
it soaked through to his scalp. Some of it was in his ears, muffling
them, so the first intimation he had that the door was opened was the
sound of Mikah's hoarse shout. He was standing in the doorway, finger
pointed and shaking with wrath. Narsisi was standing behind him,
peering over his shoulder with fascination at this weird religious
rite.
"Degradation!" Mikah thundered. "You force this poor creature to bend
to your will, humiliate her, strip her clothes from her and gaze upon
her though you are not united in lawful wedlock." He shielded his eyes
from sight with a raised arm. "You are evil, Jason, a demon of evil
and must be brought to justice—"
"
Out!
" Jason roared, and spun Mikah about and started him through
the door with one of his practiced Ch'aka kicks. "The only evil here
is in your mind, you snooping scut. I'm giving the girl the first
scrubbing of her life and you should be giving me a medal for bringing
sanitation to the natives instead of howling like that." He pushed
them both out the door and shouted at Narsisi. "I wanted this slave,
but not
now
! Lock him up until morning then bring him back." He
slammed the door and made a mental note to get hold of a bolt to be
placed on this side as well.
*
There were more
krenoj
for breakfast but Jason was feeling too good
physically to mind. He was scrubbed raw and clean and the itching was
gone even from his sprouting beard. The metalcloth of his Pyrran
coverall had dried almost as soon as it had been washed so he was
wearing clean clothes as well. Ijale was still recovering from the
traumatic effects of her bath, but she looked positively attractive
with her skin cleaned and her hair washed and combed a bit. He would
have to find some of the local cloth for her since it would be a shame
to ruin the good work by letting her get back into the badly cured
skins she was used to wearing. It was with a sensation of positive
good feeling that he bellowed for the door to be opened and stamped
through the cool morning to his place of labor. Mikah was already
there, looking scruffy and angry as he rattled his chains; Jason gave
him the friendliest of
that he had been doing an awful lot of this since he had been dragged
out of the ocean of this inhospitable planet.
"Enough is enough!" he exploded and went over and hammered on the
door. "This place is a far cry from civilization as I know it, but
that is no reason why we can't be as comfortable as possible." Chains
and bolts rattled outside the door and Narsisi pushed his gloom-ridden
face in.
"Why do you cry out? What is wrong?"
"I need some water, lots of it."
"But you have water," Narsisi said, puzzled, and pointed to a stone
crock in the corner. "There is water there enough for days."
"By your standards, Nars old boy, not mine. I want at least ten times
as much as that and I want it now. And some soap, if there is such
stuff in this barbaric place."
There was a good deal of argument involved, but Jason finally got his
way with the water by explaining it was needed for religious rites to
make sure that he would not fail in the work tomorrow. It came in a
varied collection of containers along with a shallow bowl full of
powerful soft soap.
"We're in business," he chortled. "Take your clothes off, I have a
surprise for you."
"Yes, Jason," Ijale said, smiling happily.
"You're going to get a bath. Do you know what a bath is?"
"No," she said, and shuddered. "It sounds evil."
"Over here and off with the clothes," he ordered, poking at a hole in
the floor. "This should serve as a drain, at least the water went away
when I poured some into it."
The water was warm from the stove, yet Ijale still crouched against
the wall and shuddered when he poured it over her. She screamed when
he rubbed the slippery soap into her hair, and he continued with his
hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't bring in the guards. He
rubbed the soap into his own head, too, and it tingled delightfully as
it soaked through to his scalp. Some of it was in his ears, muffling
them, so the first intimation he had that the door was opened was the
sound of Mikah's hoarse shout. He was standing in the doorway, finger
pointed and shaking with wrath. Narsisi was standing behind him,
peering over his shoulder with fascination at this weird religious
rite.
"Degradation!" Mikah thundered. "You force this poor creature to bend
to your will, humiliate her, strip her clothes from her and gaze upon
her though you are not united in lawful wedlock." He shielded his eyes
from sight with a raised arm. "You are evil, Jason, a demon of evil
and must be brought to justice—"
"
Out!
" Jason roared, and spun Mikah about and started him through
the door with one of his practiced Ch'aka kicks. "The only evil here
is in your mind, you snooping scut. I'm giving the girl the first
scrubbing of her life and you should be giving me a medal for bringing
sanitation to the natives instead of howling like that." He pushed
them both out the door and shouted at Narsisi. "I wanted this slave,
but not
now
! Lock him up until morning then bring him back." He
slammed the door and made a mental note to get hold of a bolt to be
placed on this side as well.
*
There were more
krenoj
for breakfast but Jason was feeling too good
physically to mind. He was scrubbed raw and clean and the itching was
gone even from his sprouting beard. The metalcloth of his Pyrran
coverall had dried almost as soon as it had been washed so he was
wearing clean clothes as well. Ijale was still recovering from the
traumatic effects of her bath, but she looked positively attractive
with her skin cleaned and her hair washed and combed a bit. He would
have to find some of the local cloth for her since it would be a shame
to ruin the good work by letting her get back into the badly cured
skins she was used to wearing. It was with a sensation of positive
good feeling that he bellowed for the door to be opened and stamped
through the cool morning to his place of labor. Mikah was already
there, looking scruffy and angry as he rattled his chains; Jason gave
him the friendliest of
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