To his surprise, he wasn't alone for very long. He'd forgotten that many of the Sha'Kar were like him, immune to the pool's heat, and he was a bit surprised to see Ianelle standing on the edge of the pool, in the act of disrobing. He looked at her and flushed slightly, for she was very much similar to Auli. It was obvious that Auli was Ianelle's daughter, for they had similarly beautiful bodies. He looked away from her before thoughts of that night with Auli got him in trouble and scrubbed more diligently with the soap on his arms. Ianelle seemed harsh sometimes, but seeing her naked drove the point home that she was Sha'Kar, and that meant that she was exceedingly lovely and had a body any human woman would kill to have.

Much to his dismay, she decided to come right to him. The pool only came up to the base of her ribcage, and it was hard to look her in the face when those bare breasts almost begged his eyes to wander over them. She greeted him in formal Sha'Kar, then smiled and took the soap from his hand. "Auli said you forgave her for her actions," she said, going around him and starting to scrub his back. He suddenly felt alot more comfortable with her behind him, where he couldn't see her. "She said you're to meet her for breakfast."

"Yes," he answered.

"I appreciate your compassion, honored one," she said sincerely. "I don't know what the Keeper said to her, but when she came home, she was almost inconsolable. I've never seen her so upset."

"Jenna made her see what her acts did to me," he answered. "I've never seen Jenna like that before. She's changed alot."

"I'll have to thank her," Ianelle said seriously. "After she recovered herself, she and I had a very long talk. She understands things now, understands how her behavior can harm others as well as herself. She even promised to try harder. From Auli, that's almost a complete turnaround."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," he said cautiously. He hoped it didn't change her too much. Auli's irreverence and her love of fun, coupled with her fearlessness, was what made her so much fun to be with.

"I'm sure it won't last long," she sighed. "Auli's very stubborn. It will be a long time before she completely changes."

Tarrin was silently happy to hear that. "Thanks for the gift," he said. "I really liked it."

"It's the least I could do for you, honored one," she said dismissively. "I just wanted you to know that if you need my help for anything, you have but to ask," she said in a serious manner. "It is more than you being an honored one for me now. After what happened with my daughter, I find myself in your debt. You were very considerate of her."

"She's my friend, Ianelle," he told her.

"I know. And you have no idea how much it pleases me to see such loyalty in our human counterparts. It gives me hope for the future."

"Be relieved, honored one. I told her if she touches you again, I would break five thousand years of honored tradition and whip her like a common criminal. She will not do it again."

He was both relieved and a little disappointed to hear that. With a threat like that, he was sure that Auli wouldn't even think about it. He knew that it was a good thing, but that part of him that had enjoyed the night they shared was disappointed that there wouldn't be a second encounter. "I'm more worried about me," he confessed.

She paused a moment. "If it pleases you, take her," she said calmly. "My warning was for her to touch you. If you want her, then I have neither the inclination nor the right to object."

That wasn't entirely what he wanted to hear, at least not the majority of him that knew another night with Auli was a very bad idea. "You shouldn't have told me that, Ianelle," he admitted.

"You desire her, but you don't want to succumb to temptation," she said simply. "I understand your view, honored one. No human could forget a night with one of us." With that remark, Tarrin was reminded of the deep-seated, almost cultural arrogance of the Sha'Kar. It wasn't that they were pushy about their advantages, but they didn't play them down either. Sha'Kar were very attractive people, and they knew it. "But unlike many humans, I think you understand the dangers involved in that kind of a relationship." He did indeed. He nodded in agreement. "Good. I won't tell you no, honored one. Some humans can handle a relationship with one of us, and you seem to have the mental capability and will to handle one of us. But you shouldn't think of pursuing it without keeping those dangers in mind."

"I think of them every time I see her, Ianelle," he admitted. "Usually right after remembering last night."

"You're young, honored one," she said gently. "The first time always stays with you. I remember my first lover like it was yesterday. It's perfectly fine to think those things and feel that way, so long as you remember the dangers involved."

"I'll do that," he said. It felt odd talking about this with Ianelle, but strangely enough, he felt at ease with her. Ianelle understood, and he was sure that she wouldn't bandy their conversation about.

"Don't worry at it too much, honored one," she said, reverting to completely informal Sha'Kar. She had never spoken to him like that before. "If you want, I can tell Auli to rebuff you. That way there's no danger of anything happening."

Tarrin almost laughed. "She wouldn't obey you."

"I know, but offering was the least I could do," she said with a very relaxed chuckle. She patted him on the back. "Go ahead and rinse off, and then you can wash my back."

Tarrin felt much more relaxed with this intimidating Sha'Kar matron, and he felt little reservation at scrubbing her back. "Ianelle, why is it alright if I went after Auli?" he asked, sincerely baffled by the difference.

"Auli chased you with nothing in her heart but selfish need," she answered, pulling her platinum blond hair off over her shoulder and displaying her exceptionally lovely neck and shoulders. "You, on the other hand, probably have more in your heart than that. Besides, you are an honored one. It has long been Sha'Kar custom to bow to the desires of an honored one, so long as they don't violate our own custom and law. Human honored ones in the past often shared company with Sha'Kar women. It was considered an honor for a Sha'Kar to be favored by an honored one in such a manner."

Tarrin was a little shocked by that. "You mean if a sui'kun wanted to spend the night with a Sha'Kar woman, she'd say yes because of custom?"

"Sha'Kar aren't quite as moralistic as humans, honored one," she said, glancing back at him with a slow smile. "Sharing pleasure is not confined to the bonds of marriage, and there is nothing wrong with two consenting adults exploring their attraction to one another. My objections to what Auli did with you stem more from her interfering in a very delicate situation, and the fact that she still pursued you even after you told her no. She defied your word, and as you know, in our custom, an honored one's word is as law. If you weren't in such a position with Jesmind, and you had not said no to her the first time, I would not have said a word. In fact, I would have been honored that you found my daughter appealing enough to ask into your bed."

"But what if the Sha'Kar woman didn't like the sui'kun? Wouldn't that be forcing her?"

"I guess it would, but such things didn't happen."

"That seems wrong," he told her. "Almost like making a woman a-" he almost said prostitute, but thought that may offend her.

"Whore?" she asked, startling him with her frankness. "I told you, such things didn't happen. If a lady truly disliked the honored one, she would send another in her place that was willing to share a night with him. In the dark, it is hard to tell one Sha'Kar from another, you know," she said with that same slow smile, glancing back at him again. "We do look similar, and so long as we don't speak, the human probably wouldn't know the difference. So long as a lady found another with the same length of hair and same size bosom, the honored one would never know they'd switched."