[Mercy Merchant]

Wednesday, July 30th, 2076


It is pretty obvious that Al likes being in the room with her, but is still a bit upset with something she has said or done and is not in a mood to talk about it, so Alyce remains silent, too.  Naked, she pads up behind him and simply puts her arms about him, trying to show that she supports him and likes being near him.  She hopes that he will talk to her when he is ready.

[adamu]

Wednesday, July 30th, 2076

Alyce's arms around him were like a panacea. They made everything all right. The feel of them, skin so smooth and flawless. Her smell. Her breasts on the nape of his neck. The sound of her breathing. And more than all that, the fact that she knew just what he needed, not speaking, but reaching out to him.

He felt so calm. He could almost fall asleep like that, sitting by the window, her arms clasped firmly around his chest. Except that they were a bit tight. He didn't want to say anything, didn't want to put her off. But holy moley, she had a grip. It was almost starting to get hard to...yup, kind of hard to breathe...what a silly notion...but damn, he could barely draw a breath, shit, she was killing him...he shifted his weight and her grip loosened a bit to accommodate him. There, that was okay. He stroked the back of her hand. She kissed his neck and went to sit on the bed.

[Mercy Merchant]

Wednesday, July 30th, 2076


Alyce feels Al relax a bit as she puts her arms about him.  After a while, he shifts position and she goes over to sit on the bed, still silent until her 'link buzzed that it was nearly time to go eat.  Quickly slipping into some comfortable trousers and a blouse, Alyce goes to stand near Al, who has not moved yet.  She bends over to kiss his neck and whispers, "It is time to eat, Al, but we can just stay here instead, if you like."

[adamu]

Wednesday, July 30th, 2076

"Don't be silly, woman. You know the rules. Ya done put on clothes, so now we gotta go out." He was doing his best to lighten the mood. "Never know what might happen, yer found in violation," he added with a jovial leer, slapping her ass on the way out the door.

The dining car was nice. At nine o'clock the sun was just starting to set, and the train, though westbound for Cornwall, had hit a southerly leg, offering them a perfect view of the fuzzy peach and tangerine sky over lemon fields of saffron. The menu was as high end as the rest of the first-class fare. Al ordered what he figured was the closest thing to a real meal, the black pepper spice-rubbed beef tenderloin, substituting the bulgur with herbs for roast potatoes. He let them go ahead with the 'bevy of beans & basil', idly appreciating the alliteration.

Alyce ordered something he couldn't have named and didn't think would make its presence known in its stomach, but they shared bites of each other's dishes and he allowed hers was pretty tasty.

They took their time through the courses. Al was not eager to go back to the room, and it was easy to linger longer - candles were lit as darkness enshrouded the locomotive, and Al went ahead and ordered one of everything from the dessert tray.

[adamu]

Wednesday, July 30th, 2076
 
Alyce wiggles her ass after he gives it a slap just to let him have another chance to appreciate it.  He does.  And he gently slaps it again as he walks behind her in the narrow corridor.  Her slight yelp of pleasure startles a man who is standing near the door to the next cabin over from Alyce’s in the direction they are heading.  She smiles at him and he does the same as he ogles her figure.  As usual, Alyce is not wearing any sort of bra and her perky breasts sway to her movement and that of the rail car.
 
The food is so high end that there are no prices listed on the fancy hard-backed menus.  The immaculately dressed waiter calmly provides a Braille version, as if he was already aware that she is blind.  Alyce runs her fingers across the symbols and finds some southeast Asian dishes that she has not had in some time and looks up at the waiter.  “Is the Duck Vientenne done authentically?”
 
The waiter is very careful not to leer at Alyce’s chest, even though it has almost certainly circulated amongst the staff that the Keeb seems to have a tendency to stay nude in her cabin and does not seem to mind the porters taking extra long in the cabin when called on to deliver something there.  “Yes, Miss.  One of the chefs has trained in the country and has made sure that the appropriate herbs and spices are used.”  Satisfied, Alyce orders that and some sides to go with it.
 
The food and the wine are excellent, as is the company.  Alyce thoroughly enjoys sitting at a table with Al, even though not much is said during the meal.  Al seems lost in the view out the window and Alyce chooses to let him remain silent, believing that he will let her know when he is ready to talk.  A moment of panic passes through her when she allows herself to think that a partner avoiding conversation or spending more time looking out a window than looking at her could be a sign that he is trying to tell her that he is not interested in taking their relationship to the next level or, worse, wants to end it.  Her mind runs through everything that she has said and done in the past few days, trying to determine what she has done wrong.
 
Al’s mood seems to lighten a bit as he politely asks to share a bit of the food from her plate, but that in itself sends additional warning flags into her mind.  He does not use his familiar cavalier way of assuming she will share and help himself as he asks, but waits for her to nod that it is alright.  At the end of the meal, Al orders what appears to be one of everything from the desert tray, which also seems a bit off.  Alyce is very tempted to try to break into his mood and ask him if anything is wrong, but bites her tongue and remains silent, almost dreading the answer to that question.

[adamu]

Wednesday, July 30th, 2076

Back in the room after dinner Al had continued to drink. As usual. But more. He rarely got sloppy drunk, but he ended up that way fast on that particular evening. And the drunker he got, the more surly he became. Curled more tightly into a chair in the corner. Unresponsive to Alyce’s conversational forays.

Everything had been going so well. Somewhere in his mind he figured that was the problem.

Alyce was unbelievably patient with him, as usual. But eventually he’d retreated to his own room, shutting the door, locking it, and then, dimly realizing she could pop the mag with a thought, had jammed both the inner and outer doors shut with chairs.

And then not slept.

It was back, damned Tssogggoth - that was what he’d named it. It was there, pushing its way through the interplanar portal behind his eyelids every time he shut them. So he kept kissing it and it would go away and then it would just come back and he’d have to kiss it again. He drank more from the minibar, tried stamping his feet, smashing the image of it he’d had inked there into oblivion. But of course that was kid’s stuff he knew what he had to do and the tip of his cigarette didn’t even hurt much and then Alyce was yelling at him though the door why was he screaming and he called her a crazy bitch because he hadn’t been screaming it hadn’t even hurt and he felt a bit bad for Fletcher because he’d done good work even with his clothes on and now Tssogggoth’s beautiful face was all burned away and then She finally came and barked and growled and snarled at it and Her White trumped its Black and he slept as dawn broke.

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

At around noon he got up, splashed water on his face and felt fine, except…he went into the next room and found Alyce, remains of her lunch on a table, sitting nude on her bed running her fingers down the pages of her Pride & Prejudice. She smiled so bright he didn’t need a beer right away. Cigarettes were another story entirely, and he lit one for each of them before saying, “Hangin’ my head, toots. Ol’ Al warn’t no gentleman last night.”

Alyce stood and stretched. She stood with her, naked also of course. But instead of stretching She bit at something in her snow white coat. “Al, it’s not as though I don’t indulge in some admittedly unconventional pleasures myself, and you’ve been so good about that. I think I can take one drunken rampage in stride. Would you like something to eat? I know the porters are hoping I order something - took three of them to deliver lunch.”

“Yeah, reckon I could eat.” He felt better now, and settled into a chair by the window, smoking and watching the green fields of the Southern Habitable roll by. His food came and yeah, damn if those boys didn’t find things for three of them to do to get it delivered. Made the room crowded, and Alyce kept on needing to reach something, or get past them so that she had to rub against them, winking at Al over the shades perched on the tip of her nose as she did so. Vixen. She was priceless.

He ate and kept looking out the window, idly chatting, just enjoying the company of Her and Alyce. They were both beautiful, sitting there on the bed. But with three the room was a lot smaller. No, the room was getting smaller. And his back hurt. He tried not to lean against it, but there was no space in his box. He knew he had to keep shifting. He’d fallen asleep once and the congealing blood had seeped through what was left of his shirt and stuck to the wall. Pulling free had hurt worse than the caning itself. He kept busy, the little sliver of bamboo he kept hidden behind the loose brick jabbing repeatedly into his sole, stopping only to reapply his spit-and-charcoal mix to the tip. He was nearly done. This would send those fuckers ballistic. There they were now, he heard them coming down the hall. Familiar footsteps right outside, and she opened the door. “Al? Al? Where’d you go?”

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

“Oh, jist miles away, toots.”

“How about we skip that village market tour and just watch some more Tales chips?”

She knew what he needed. They both did. The three of them sat on the bed watching the trid for hours, smoking, vomiting, commenting, Al idly working on his tattoo, shuffling cards, shivering in the cold box. Sergeant Hara only looked at Al and spoke to him twice, once just to remind him to go take a piss, the other time to remind him he wasn’t in Cambodia anymore, that that was in the past. He thanked the Sarge for that. Something was wrong.

“Why’re you here?” he asked Her.

“i’m sorry, Al. What?”

“I’m here to help you with the hallucinations. Keep you as rooted as possible. Guide you through them.”

“Ol’ Al don’t hallucinate.”

“Al, my love, listen…I’d like to take a look at you for a moment.”

“No, no you do not. Not usually.”

“So what is this? Why now? Who did it?”

“Al, it’s just my portable kit. I just want to do a couple of quick scans. You’ve been worrying me.”

“I did it. Am doing it.”

“But ya jist said…”

“Just lie back, Al.”

“What can I say, I’m a bitch. As in female. Not in the pejorative sense. The men-shouldn’t-expect-me-to-make-sense sense.”

“So lay it out for me.”

“Just a few more seconds, Al.”

“Not in front of her.”

Al pulled the lead off his temple and stood up.

“No…Al…”

“Goin’ ta my room.”

Alyce tried to push him back down onto the bed, bless her, but he just ignored it and walked out.

“Al….”

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

They locked the door and he was alone in the box. Dammit, She’d tricked him. But not alone for long. Footsteps in the hall again. Although there was no time here in the dark, he could tell which shift it was by the tread. Anchaly’s crew, they liked the cane. He could handle it. Makara’s boys were more about the cigarettes. Fuck ‘em. But the lone footsteps - that was the one he feared. There was only one that ever came alone. The one coming now. The door opened. The funky shades, the ponytail. She never hurt him. She was always good to him. And she would never let him go.

“I love you, Al. You are perfect for me. I’ll do anything you want. You can do anything you want. I’ll let you.”

He sat in there, in the box, for a long time. Sometimes she visited. She was always kind to him. Brought him presents. Sometimes Tssogggoth came. but She always drove it away, and then was gone.

Around the eighth day She came and hung around. Which was a good thing because Alyce was there too. Gone for eight days, but now back. He’d never gotten away after all. Her body was so hot. Her pencil-eraser nipples thrust proudly through the threadbare fabric of her yellowing wifebeater, which he could see whenever the old brown RAF jacket happened to fall open just right.

“You’re wrong,” She said.

“Ol’ Al ain’t never wrong.”

The sound of a Dog laughing derisively was a jarring, unearthly thing.

“Well I ain’t wrong about this.”

“You are foolish. I’ve always known that. I sent Honesty to talk some sense into you. I sent her bearing great gifts. But what you learned you threw away so quickly.” Her voice was so soft, gentle. Familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “Listen to me now. I have more gifts for you, if you’ll but heed me. Still greater protections against arcane forces. But you have to meet me halfway. Take a bit of advice intended to help you and I get to where we’re a bit more in sync. So if I have your attention, I’ll say it again. You’re wrong.”

“Do tell.”

“There’s nothing she can do that can stop you walking away any time you want. You shouldn’t be worried because, Al, there is nothing that can hold you.”

“A promise could.”

“…….Yes, I suppose it could. But she hasn’t asked for one.”

“Hasn’t she? Won’t she? Isn’t she, ever’ time she goes on about true love and perfect matches an’ so forth?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I only know what you see. She’s not in my pack. But if you don’t ask her the Questions, you’ll never know.”

Alyce took off her torn jeans, then her boxers. She knew he liked it. Knew it distracted him. Stopped him thinking right.

“Think about it. One answer would make things suddenly very simple. The other, well, that could clear many paths.”

“But not all. It ain’t the only impediment, not even the biggest.”

“Well, I’d call it a solid two out of, shall we say three? The others aren’t consequential.”

“Yeah, but One an’ Three…why am I botherin’? Why’m I stringin’ ‘er along, when they ain’t no hope?”

“Oh, I don’t know. A lifetime of happiness? Or freedom? Or maybe you’ll find that both are possible.”

“You damned well know that last one ain’t.”

“All right, maybe not. But you’re thinking too much, and that isn’t like you. She really has you rattled, doesn’t she? I’m showing you how to get started, how to clear one first step. I’ve already done my best to help you with One, and you wouldn’t take it. But you can’t even start to get back to it unless you get past Two.”

“Cross them other bridges when I come to ‘em, hey totem-amigo.”

She barked happily. Done talking apparently.

Lucky Her.

“Al? AL!” And damn if her hand wasn’t behind his neck, lifting it - Al was pretty sure she was clearing his airway. He opened his eyes and his heart melted with the worry on her face. He grabbed her hands and held them until they stopped shaking, then stood up. She started talking about checking this and scanning that and apologizing for hacking his lock, but he said, “Ol’ Al’s fine, toots. Sorry ta upset ya.”

“No Al, I don’t think you are fine.”

“Oh yeah, reckon I am. Ya know I don’t got no truck with no sorcery, but sometimes She fergits that. She’s lookin’ out fer ya though, I can surely tell ya that. Now put on somethin’ naughty an’ lets go find somethin’ fun ta do. Cuz tonight we gotta git ta work.”

[Mercy Merchant]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076


Alyce is very confused about what is happening to Al.  She had crushed the maglock on the connecting door with her deck but he had placed an obstacle under the doorknob, probably some sort of chair, to deny her entry.  "Not so fast, Al Guthrie."  She unspooled the monowhip from her finger and wrapped it around the doorknob before giving it a tug.  As the knob popped off on this side she gave the remaining mechanism a push and the other half fell off the door into Al's cabin.  With nothing to give purchase to hold the chair in place, Alyce rams it with a shoulder, pushing it open to show Al on his bed and talking to people she cannot see.  Worried, Alyce picks up the medkit at her feet and moves to his side, preparing to clear his air passage.

The man wakes from his apparent hallucination and sits up, denying her the chance to check his vitals.  Even as she tries to argue with him, he stands and tells her to dress naughty for the evening.  Alyce feels that she is breaking in two as she stands and returns to her room.  All of her efforts have fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes and now he is using some sort of tomfoolery to try to convince her that he is wrong for her.  She is doing this to him for her own selfish reasons and it is killing her to see him go to such an extreme in an attempt to convince her to make the call to break off the relationship.  That would make it her fault and not his. 

As she dresses, she considers what she is doing to him and resolves to let him win.  She loves him too much to continue putting him through this.  She can make a clean break after dinner and make arrangements to leave the train at the next stop or the one after that if there is no easy way...................no, the next stop.  It does not matter if there is an easy way or not.  She can get home somehow and Al will be free of her without his needing to be the heel and breaking it off.  She can allow him that small pleasure and move on with her life.  She will never count the years as wasted because she truly loves him and can wish him the happiness he thinks he needs without her.

Somewhat absent-mindedly, she has but on a set of rather see-through harem pants and a transparent blouse coupled with a short bolero jacket.  Soft slippers complete the effect of some sort of genii from a bottle look.  She tries to smile as she turns to Al, but the effort is very hard.  "Will this do for naughty, Al?"

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Al was literally speechless at how hot she looked. Her utter shamelessness aroused him in ways he'd never imagined. "Erm...shit...yeah....yeah, reckon that'll do..." he managed to spit out.

The last eight days...just for fun his checked the time...shit, more like eight minutes...whatever, it had been hell, but looking at Alyce, he was actually grateful to Her. Sure, he'd appreciated Her gifts up until now, but it had always seemed like a sort of working relationship. That She would go to that trouble to help him out with this irresistible but impossible spitfire he'd gotten himself mixed up with, he figured he owed Her one.

He was a bit surprised Alyce hadn't asked him about his irregular behavior and ungentlemanly comportment, but figured the few words he'd offered must have been enough for her razor-sharp mind to grasp the situation. Of course, a lot of the credit went to himself, and he congratulated himself on the amazing efficiency of his communications.

As they left the room - he wasn't sure where to, but didn't care as long as it was out - he was a little worried about what sort of mischief he might be tempted to put her up to, dressed the way she was. But at the moment he was feeling so good - hopeful? - he decided to quit worrying and just have fun, even if it meant his mind straying a bit over onto her side of the line...

They made their way down the corridor hand-in-hand, he limping slightly.

[Mercy Merchant]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076


Alyce resolved that if this was to be her last day ever with Al, that she would put a good face on it.  For just about the first time since she had met the man in Cambodia more than eight years ago, her mind is clear.  Her heart is far from clear.  She is absolutely certain that she will never stop loving him, but she is just as certain that he deserves his peace and happiness and some relief from all of this crap he is putting himself through trying to get her to be the one to break things off.  She will give him his peace tonight and leave in the morning.

Even wrapped in misery, Alyce has no trouble sensing that Al is limping and stops to ask him if he is alright, receiving an Alism back that he is just fine.  The man is a horrible liar, but she shrugs and continues down the corridor.  After all, after tonight he won't be lying to her anymore. 

The train is stopped at a quaint village and the passengers have several hours to walk about and stretch their legs on ground that is not moving.  Two of the travelling couples have debarked just before them and the husbands goggle at Alyce as she steps off the train.  Her breast are completely visible and the nude-colored thong she is wearing conceals next to nothing.  The wives both grab an arm of their men and quickly force them away down the station walkway.  One of the men actually has the gall to ask "What?  What?"

Once on the platform, Alyce puts her arm through one of Al's and Strolls down the walkway in the direction the other couples have gone.  "What do you want to see, first?  Apparently this place is somewhat famous for a battle that took place during the Civil War.  There are several tours offered for the battlefield.  Or we could just walk about the village and stop in at the local for lunch."

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Al had barely eaten the food they'd ordered at lunch, and now that his little ordeal was over he was indeed hungry. The way he was feeling right now, though, he didn't really care what they did as long as he was with Alyce.

He stopped walking and sat down on a bench to light them some cigarettes. "Reckon all or none 'o the above sounds good ta ol' Al. Listen, Alyce...yer always so damned kind an' thoughtful. Now I do appreciate that ya know yer place, an' don't think I'll hesitate ta let ya know what I want. An' expect ta git it. But the thing is, well, I'm damned interested in ya, an' how'm I gon' learn more, we's always doin' what I want? Like when i said I wanted ta see what sorta shows ya liked, well, ya popped up with them Tales chips. Now no denyin' that earned ya almost as many points with me as this here outfit yer barely wearin' right now, but I still don't know what ya watch. Capice? Now, I am not gon' say one single word 'bout what I want ta do in this here berg. Jist gon' follow you 'round, do what strikes yer fancy. Only entertainment I need is jist to be lookin' at ya anyhoo."

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Alyce is determined that if this is the last day she ever gets to spend with Al, it is going to be a nice one.  No recriminations, no worries.  She is extremely sad and even though she is trying hard to not let it show, most people might still see some bit of that in the way her eyes keep filming over with tears that she does not quite shed.  But Al Guthrie is not most people and he does not seem to notice or, at least, he does not remark on that.  And why should he?  After all, he has won and Alyce just refuses to fight him on it any more.

So Alyce sits on the bench with him for a bit, smoking and watching with unseeing eyes as life goes on about her.  Her sensors pick out people going about their daily lives, some even in pairs and holding hands or just walking together.  For a moment, she is intensely jealous that these people have what she is likely never to have and the effect is almost too much for her to handle.  Alyce shakes her head and stubs her cigarette out as she stands and holds out a hand.  “I think I would like to just pretend to be normal people for a bit, Al.  Just normal people walking down a village street and looking in shop windows.  I do not have to buy anything, but I think it would be nice.

Of course, they are not really normal people in almost every sense of the word.  Each has seen and done things that have taken them completely out of that descriptor, but they can pretend.  Of course, Alyce might have chosen a different set of clothes to wear if she had really wanted to look normal.  As it is, she gets stares from almost everyone they meet on the street or in the shops that they enter.  Men and teen-aged boys leer at her very visible chest and who could be blamed for not casting their eyes downward to see if she as exposed beneath the waist.  That she is wearing a teeny scrap of cloth there does not detract much from the overall effect.  Some of the women seem to take her in stride, but others simply cover the eyes of their children and nudge their husbands and boyfriends to look in a different direction than at the wanton tramp from somewhere else.

Still, despite her overall sadness, Alyce manages to project an attitude of calm and satisfaction.  The decision to leave has released her from worrying about what Al thinks and why he is intentionally shoving her away.  She even forgets her sadness in a couple of shops as she finds things that she really likes, buying several small items for her daughter and the staff as her home and in the book shop.  Suddenly, her eye is caught by a sign in the window of an estate agent regarding a local house for sale.  The photos catch her eye and she pauses outside the window for a bit, considering her options then seems to make a decision and walks into the building.

The woman is sitting behind a desk in the front part of the shop and looks up as Alyce and Al enter.  Her smile falters just a bit at Alyce’s attire but she is a professional and her smile seems to grow more genuine when Alyce asks after the house posted in the window.  She gushes about the large plot of land attached to the house and the scenic view of one of Cornwall’s moors.  “The house is a bit isolated, but only about a ten minute drive from the village.  It sits on an inlet from the coast, practically overlooking the cliffs there.  All of the amenities are top-rate and bought new within the past two years.  A good bit of remodel has been done.  If you are seriously interested in a somewhat remote location, this is just the place.  And the price is down a good bit from the initial offering.  If you are interested, I could drive you out there to view it?”

Al has told Alyce to pick the activities for the afternoon but she looks at him anyway.  Sensing no rejection of the idea, she turns back to the woman and nods.  “I would like to see this place, yes.  Can you tell me why the price is down?”

The woman smiles a bit conspiratorially.  “The owner inherited the house from an uncle he has never met and he has no intention of living in this part of the world.  A bit too remote for the party set, I would imagine.  Too quiet, maybe.”

The woman locks up the office and leads Al and Alyce to a sedan auto and drives them out to the house.  Along the way, she extols the beauty of the place but acknowledges that the moorlands are not for everyone.  “Have you been out this way before?”

Alyce shakes her head.  “Actually not.  Sadly, this is my first time to this part of the country and I am surprised by how much I like it here.  Something about it just resonates with me.”

The woman nods, “Your accent pegs you as from London, although I detect a bit of something else…..Russian?  But that is how it is with visitors here; they either run screaming back to London or wherever they came from or fall in love and stay.  Sadly, most run away.  It is a pleasure to find someone who is at least interested.  So, any children?  We have a nice school in the village.”

Al looks like he is about to choke but Alyce places a finger at his lips to forestall him.  “We are not married.  I am blind and Mr. Guthrie being a very close friend offered to accompany me on this trip I am taking by rail to visit parts of England I have never been to.  He is very good at describing what he sees.  I have a daughter away at Cambridge and I would bring some staff with me, one of whom has three school age children.  The house looks quite large in the photographs so would I be able to hire additional staff from the village?”

The woman seems startled when Alyce says she is blind, but recovers neatly.  “Yes, I dare say that would not be a problem, although I have to say that we are a bit more…………traditional……………in our dress.”

Alyce smiles, “Thank you for putting that so delicately.  I am on holiday and dress as I am comfortable, but I assure you that I can dress more demurely.  By the way, I am Robyn Lysander.”

This time the woman almost loses control of the car.  “The cellist?  I am indeed honored.  My name is Judith Clark and I am very happy to be able to show you around.  I am sure that you will love this house.  Unfortunately, there is no quick way to get you back to London from here except by train and the express only runs through on Wednesdays and Fridays.  But it you can live with that, I am sure that I can make this house work for you.”

Alyce smiles and sits back, listening to Judith talk about the local area and the house.  She tentatively reaches out to put a hand on Al’s.

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Al clasps the offered hand and watches out the window as the moors roll by the windows of the estate agent's sedan. It's a very different beauty than the green of Devon, but it appeals to him. Lieutenant Kameda - the Red Samurai counterespionage expert with the mildly scandalous interest in poetry - would have explained in her manicured English that it was an ideal example of the sabi aesthetic. Al just knew it touched a cold place in his heart, made him feel like it had a home.

He didn't feel like talking - or, he did, but not in front of some saleslady - so he simply listened to the women talk about nests. He was interested to learn that Alyce kept some sort of coterie of servants - and their children, apparently - as part of her household. And was going to add more.

Well, he had Spike. Didn't reckon he needed much else.

The house was definitely nice enough. Looked old and stately on the outside, new and scrubbed on the inside, but without losing the sense of maturity. He figured that had cost something.

The lady took them around the place, and there was a lot of talk about architectural this and siting that and fixtures and amenities and furnishings and...he tuned it all out. He just liked watching Alyce. It also amused him to watch the lady watch Alyce. She was doing her best not to, he could tell, but her flagrant and casual exposure was hard to ignore.

The lady also watched him. Sure, all women did, but there was no denying he and Alyce could scarcely have been more mismatched in their appearance. He just stood around and tried to figure out a way to smoke while watching the woman try to figure the two of them out. Well, good luck, he thought, and hoped she'd clue him in if she did.

Eventually, the lady turned them loose to look around by themselves. In her typical overly-solicitous manner, Alyce said, "Al, I hope you don't mind me dragging you along on this outing."

"Woman, don't ya listen none at all? I wanna know 'bout ya, an' I ain't gon' do it always doin' the same things I do all the time anyway. Won't pretend house-huntin' holds much appeal fer ol' Al in an' of itself, but like I done said, well satisfied jist spendin' the afternoon gazin' on you. Yer hands down the loveliest damned thing I ever did see. That outfit don't hurt none, by the way..." He looked out a big bay window on the moor in the encroaching twilight. There it was again, a window, the perfect world with her on one side, and the real world on the other..."Nor you wearin' it fer ever' feller in town ta see. Don't 'spect I understand it, reckon its dangerous and mostly likely all wrong, maybe it's yer hippy love ways startin' ta rub off on ol' Al, but yer pushin' the right buttons with me there somewhere."