ing with the knotted leather strap at her neck. The animal skin sme

i

er hands flying up to cover her ears. She dropped into a crouch, her eyes dart

aves and the gurgle of water.

nt, with a distinct Silicon Valley tech-bro cadence.

les, convinced she was hallucinating. "Great," s

descension. "I'm not a brain tumor, lady. I'm your on

d into existence, hovering right in front of h

nce Val

Value:

Probabi

eye twitching. "Charm value negati

ignoring her. "Conquer your five desi

r those five jerks? The one I just kneed in the balls wants

ng. Refusal will result in system energy depletio

the system around her consciousness. She hated being c

into negotiation mode. "Fine. I'll do your stupid q

ho talked back. "Given your current... hygienic situation, which is severely im

pped up on the screen. Al

n her palm: a bar of lavender soap, a soft-brist

emical and utterly divine, wafted up from the soap. It was a pi

d plunged the soap into the water, working up a thick la

of the soap grating away layers of filth. Black wat

tening cream," Kai chattered in her head.

, rinsing the soap from her ar

hed mint leaves made her mouth feel less like a sewer. It took half an hour, and s

ut her skin was its natural color, and the ste

er skin. She felt lighter, human again. She wrapped the damp, clean

neck stood up. A shift in the ai