Chapter 26

That single thought gave me a plan and a purpose. They liked to feel special, so I would give that to them. Their happiness was the key to my survival and I was determined to live.

In the bathhouse that night I washed Master Damien as usual. He seemed to like me to rub along his lines, so that's usually how I organized myself. I ran my hands over his chest and back softly massaging and cleaning. He was so well proportioned.

"Do you have an arm you favor, Master Damien?" I asked as I scrubbed down his left forearm.

He had been sitting with his eyes closed. Opening them, he looked quizzically at me. His expression seemed to be warring between curiosity and irritation.

"There is no end to your questions," he commented, "and no, I do not prefer either of my arms. They work equally well."

That explained why he was built so equally. He didn't preferentially use one arm when he trained and fought. My attention moved to his fingers and I cleaned each one. <