He shrugged that off. "Yeah, but she still likes quite a bit of it. She said laundry was relaxing - "
"You didnotlet her wash clothes, did you?" I gasped.
He grunted, making it clear he wasn't impressed. "Of course not. I pulled up a chair and had her talk while I did the washing." He clipped the end of the sheet on and turned to face me. "She was also mortified thatIwas going to scrub the blood from her underthings."
"She's still bleeding?"
He nodded. "Yeah, but this is normal. Naomi said it'll last a few weeks."
"Even though she had surgery for the birth?"
He chuckled. "Believe it or not, the tailless still bleed. It's the lining, and it's had nine months to build up."
Okay, that was a good point. "So how'd you get her over that?"
He flicked his tail. "I pointed out that I wash the shit-stains from Droz's pants, so hers are nothing to be ashamed of.Hecan control that."
"He doesn't," I groaned.
"No, he doesn't," Omden assured me. "But it worked. She immediately tried to defend him, and I turned it around to defend her, and she apologized a dozen times, but I got her panties and those compression bras of hers washed."
"Good," I said, shifting in place. "Um..."
"I know you didn't come over to ask how I got her to let me do laundry," he promised when my pause dragged on too long. "What do you want to know, Lessa?"
"I ran into Zasen at the market..."
"So you and Drozel are done?"
"No!" I hurried to assure him. "Actually, he was buying a token. One from all of them."
Omden sighed in relief. "Good. And it's about time those three admit what the rest of us have suspected."
"Yeah, but they haven't been anything but friends to her," I pointed out. "Ayla wasn't ready for that, just like Meri isn't."
"I'm not so sure that's true," he countered.
"Well, yeah, but her husband raped her, Ommy!"
"He did," he agreed. "She's also a lot stronger than people give her credit for. She's starting to realize that just because she married him doesn't mean she agreed to his abuse. She hates him for it, and she sees this as a second chance for her to get things right. See, Meri wants to - "
"Please don't say she's on some path to become strong?" I begged, thinking of Ayla.
"No," he said gently. "Lessa, she wants people around her who appreciate when she helps. She wants to be forgiven for making a mistake. She wants being a woman to be seen as a good thing, not a reason to despise her, hurt her, or throw her away."
"But we don't!"
"I know," he all but purred. "Lessa, she's nothing like Ayla. Meri is sweet and soft. She's as girly as any girl I've met. She's also kind. Shelikesbeing kind, and she wants tokeepbeing kind. She was so proud of being able to help in the hospital, and not because she was noticed, but rather because she made it easier on people."
I pushed out a heavy breath. "Fuck, she's too good for me."
"She's a nice balance to you," he corrected. "Opposites attract, Less. I mean, look at you and Drozel. He's a pushover. Big, intimidating, and far from graceful, but he will tie himself in knots to make his friends happy. Meri's the same. You?" He laughed once. "You're vicious! You will destroy anyone who hurts someone you care about. You fight, and maybe not the same way as Drozel, but you still do it, and I'm pretty sure your attacks hurt worse."
"But does that mean I'm going to scare Meri off once she really gets to know me?"
"Ah." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and turned me for the front door. "I want to be inside in case she needs anything, so let's finish this in there?"
"Which this?" I asked.
