10__Slippery situation

The words fell from her lips, whispered with an honesty and a reverence that made Rogan’s throat clench.

He stared at her, her face clear and open as she’d tilted her head back to look at him.

So suddenly, it felt like an attack, a powerful stirring filled him and Rogan held his breath, stunned by his own emotions. He had never, ever felt anything like this before. He stared at Maia, gaze tracing over her heart-shaped face, taking in her clear grey eyes, her straight little nose and the rosy pink lips above her sharp chin.

Rogan blinked. With a sharp inhale, he stepped away from her, turning his gaze away. What was this rubbish?

Maia caught herself and moved back. “S-sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?”

Rogan reached out and snatched his glasses out of her hand before he turned away and silently putting his shades back on.

“I tend to be like that,” continued Maia, chattering nervously. “Growing up in the forest, I had the habit of going right up to anything I found beautiful and looking at it for hours. Nana used get sick with worry looking for me.”

He remained silent, making sure that his shades covered his eyes properly. Rogan ran a hand through his hair, letting thick locks fall over his forehead and further hide his face for good measure.

Maia gulped as she stared at his back. Had she pissed him off with her staring?

She inched forward nervously. “Sorcerer?”

She reached a hand out to his arm, but Rogan stepped out of her reach, suddenly turning back around with a loud exhale.

“My name’s Rogan,” he muttered, stalking past her and to the open door.

Maia blinked. “Huh?”

“Come.”

She stared at the empty doorway for a couple of seconds before darting out after him.

Rogan was marching down the hallway, an inexplicable desire to evade her boiling inside him. He had no idea what was wrong with him. She was nothing but a forest breed. Why on earth should she have any effect on him at all?

It was absurd.

Rogan paused, a hand on the landing banister. He looked downstairs at the living room below him as he pondered.

What? Was it because of what she’d said? What was the big deal about that? She’d only said… she’d said his eyes were beautiful.

A huge scoff puffed out of him, accompanied by a shake of the head. It was rubbish! Who said such things to someone like Rogan? Was she insane? He’d much prefer if she’d screamed and run off to hide as others in Geminor did, but she’d said… beautiful.

Damn it to hell.

“What are you doing?”

“Fuck!” Rogan muttered, startled. He spun around to see Maia standing there, watching him curiously. “Why’re you creeping around?”

“I wasn’t creeping.”

“Then why didn’t I hear you?!” He gave her a look. “Make some noise when you walk and don’t sneak up on me!”

Maia blinked at him. “Are you angry?”

“Fuck no!” He stalked off. “Follow me!”

Frowning in confusion, Maia slowly went after him. Had her staring really bothered him that much?

---

Maia stood in the sunlit room, looking at everything in the room with admiration.

“That,” said Rogan with a pointing finger. “…is the shower. That is the bath tub. This is the sink. Those are towels for after showering or bathing. That’s the stuff you shower with. There’s gel, body wash, scrub, shampoo.” He looked at her. “Pick one of the first two and take a shower.”

Maia blinked at all of it.

Reaching into the cupboards, he handed her brand new toothbrushes and toothpaste. “Here. Pick any one and put the others back.”

With that he walked over to the door and, with his hand on the handle, turned back to look at her. “There’s clothes for you over there. I don’t have girls’ clothes so just wear what I give you. When you’re done, toss those rags you’re wearing into that wastebasket cause it’s for trash.”

Finished, he went out and slammed the door closed behind him.

Maia puckered her lips in silence, staring at the door.

After a few seconds, she turned around to look at the mirror and nearly dropped the things she was holding.

With a gasp, she approached, staring at herself with wide eyes.

“Oh, my God,” whispered Maia. “What the hell happened to me? Have I been looking like this the whole time?” With a whimper of embarrassment, she dropped the brushes and paste into the sink and ran both hands over her wild hair.

Nana would be so disappointed! Gosh, they must have thought she was a crazy little forest girl with her hair looking this way.

And…

With wide eyes, Maia took in the clothes she was wearing. What were these atrocities the stupid Zoar tribe had forced her to wear?! Sure, her own clothes at home had been of the same design, but they were made of quality materials and were certainly not this scanty!

Gritting her teeth, she ripped off the clothes and kicked them to the floor, glaring at them so hotly they could’ve burst into flames.

Grabbing a random brush and toothpaste, she put on a thick glob and brushed her teeth, all the while glaring at her insanely huge hair. She’d never been in luxury while serving as a slave in the Zoar tribe, but she’d never looked this bad either.

The escape was what had done this to her.

With a sigh, Maia washed out her mouth and straightened, looking at her teeth in the mirror. She studied herself, taking in her shapely body and pretty face. She'd practically forgotten what her own reflection looked like. Her body was firm, muscles toned and skin glowing. She had rather full breasts, a toned abdomen and muscled thighs from all the days she’d spent unintentionally exercising. Climbing trees and jagged rocks, much to Nana’s horror.

Nana had been a beautiful woman, but one very different from Maia. They had no resemblance whatsoever. It left her wondering just how she was related to Nana. If she was at all. Nana never told her.

Tossing away all thoughts, she turned to the tall, glass cubicle that Rogan had called his shower and stared at the grand thing. It wasn’t even square. Too many sides to be a square.

The shower she was accustomed to was made of rock walls and had a river waterfall as its source. His was made of glass with… no waterfall? Maia frowned.

She stepped in through the open cubicle door and looked around at the glass walls. There were strange grey devices implanted into the thick glass.

What was this? Where was the water going to come from? Uncertain, she raised a hand and tapped the glass.

“Where’s water?” she whispered to herself.

How was she going to wash? She glanced at the sink. That had been easy. She’d placed her hand under the tap and it immediately let out water.

This shower wasn’t the same. It was still as dry as when she’d been outside of it.

Puzzled, Maia stepped out and went over to the sink. She cupped her hands beneath the tap and was pleased to see water immediately flow out. Raising the handful of water, Maia splashed it onto her face, sighing at the refreshing coolness. She refilled her hands a few more times, splashing her face over and again, unfazed by the splashes wetting the floor around her.

She looked at the shower and pointed to the tap. “Like that,” she said. “You’re supposed to pour out like that. Don’t you have a river source?”

“Rag-skins!”

Maia squeaked in fright at the sudden yell. She looked at the closed door. “Y-yes?!”

“Who are you talking to in there? I told you to shower, we don’t have all day!” Rogan barked from outside the door.

Maia gulped. “Uhm… I w-was trying to—”

“I didn’t tell you to try, I told you to shower!”

Maia huffed. “Your shower doesn’t have a river source! Am I supposed to do a rain dance and pray to the rain gods to shower water down upon me?!”

She stood with hands on hips, frowning crossly at the door. There was no response to her words and her frown eased, brows raising in question.

“Did you just scream at me?” came the dangerously quiet question from outside the bathroom.

Maia’s eyes went wide. “P-pardon?”

No answer.

“No,” she squeaked. “I didn’t scream. I just… don’t know where your shower’s water is supposed to come from.”

Maia thought she heard a long-suffering sigh before the door handle moved down. With a gasp, she threw her arms over body, barely managing to cover her chest with her slim arm.

“Are you decent?” Rogan demanded.

Maia silently shook her head.

“I said, are you decent?”

“Uhm, n-no!”

“Then put something on!”

Lowering her arms, she scrambled about in a panic for a moment before spotting the towels.

Hurrying over, she grabbed one and wrapped it around her body, holding it tightly with both hands.

Cautiously, she approached the door. “I’m decent.”

The door slammed open and Rogan stalked in, marching past without even glancing at her.

Maia immediately realized that he wasn’t wearing his glasses. She watched him reach into the shower and with the slightest pressure from his hand on a rectangular button, water sprayed out from four different directions of the glass cubicle.

She gasped. “Oh! It’s so pretty!”

With an eye roll, Rogan turned to leave as Maia hurried forward to get a closer look at the silver sprays of water.

In one rapid moment, the delight on her face froze as her feet slipped on the wet floor and she went falling head-first towards the shower glass.

With a second before Maia could hit the glass, strong arms caught her around the waist, jerking her upright against a firm chest.

She stood panting, clutching his shoulders as her heart raced from her near accident. But very soon, Maia’s heart began racing for a whole different reason when, raising her gaze to meet Rogan’s stormy one, she quickly realized the compromising position she was suddenly in.