The sun in her face through the door flaps was the thing that woke up Kate the next morning. She coughed a few times as she sat up and looked around and found home had only been a dream. It had been the first night in a very long time she'd spent in a tent, her father nor she had never been outdoor types. But the cluttered habitat of books, clothes, and personal possessions was home. She moved a few books atop a box of clothes to find her pack of smokes before shuffling outside after pulling on an overcoat over her cherry pajamas. This way she wouldn't have her dad breathing down her neck while she was getting her nicotine fix.
She'd started smoking when she was nineteen, after she'd been set free. She'd smoked a cigarette as soon as she was out of the ICU and could go outside to celebrate her new freedom, and had simply never stopped. It was just her way of expressing she was able to make her own choices now.
She walked barefoot across the rough, dewy lawn to her host's home or "scoop" as they had called it. She saw that though the kids were gone, the parental units were not, and since there was really no door to knock on to gain entrance with, she stopped at the edge of the scoop and called, "May I come in?"
(Of course,) Norwith answered.
She took a step down into the side of the scoop, "Um, listen, I'd like to bathe…but I'm unsure how to go about it…?" she asked, she always took a shower in the morning when she could, it was as much apart of her routine as her first cigarette.
They looked confused at her for a few second, (or maybe that was just their "neutral" expression ) before the woman, or Zoloft (Kate had laughed for five minutes straight when she told her that was her name) said, (Do you not simply wash your bodies in water?)
"Of course we do, I was just wondering if you used a stream or a tub around here," Kate clarified rubbing her neck slightly abashedly.
(Tub? Why contain the water? Do you not have bodies of water on your planet?) Norwith asked.
"Of course we do, but since there's lots of bacteria or if the water's really cold…" Kate put a hand to her forehead, "Just, listen, its too early in the morning for discussions. I'll see you after breakfast." She excused herself.
"You're up early", her father said to her as she walked back into the tent. "You aren't usually up until 8:00." He told her as he looked for his own clothes for the day.
"Oh, I just couldn't sleep, what with getting to spend a whole day with a bunch of tightwad aliens in a classroom." Kate answered digging some soap out of a previously unopened box.
He plucked the cigarette out of her mouth, "No smoking in the tent."
Kate growled in her throat but didn't argue, "And say good bye to hot showers, apparently Andalites have yet to discover the joys of indoor pluming."
"Huh?"
"You have to bathe in the stream, unless you send for a shower or something," she explained.
"I'll send for it at the first break," he decided.
Kate just smiled and after procuring some clothes for the day walked to the aforementioned stream. Hardly believing that a race that seemed to think it was God's gift to the galaxy didn't use indoor pluming. They can fly through Z-space, yet not boil water in their own home.
She choose apart of the stream she felt was sufficiently covered on all sides by foliage and tested the water temperature. It was cold, but not freezing, she'd get used to it soon enough, but she wasn't as sure she'd get used to being naked in an alien wilderness. Oh how that damn yeerk would have laughed its head off if it could see her now. She bit her lip as she disrobed, shivering at the crisp morning air. With her arms around her goose pimpled skin, she walked determinedly into the stream until the water was at waist level. Then stood there for a few minutes and just shivered.
"Okay, just shampoo, and wash, then you're done. Just do it," she commanded herself, she closed her eyes and dove beneath the surface of the water to swim back to the shore to wet her hair and retrieve the shampoo and soap.
(What are you doing?)
Kate yelped and whirled around while trying to crouch and cover her body up as much as she could before she faced the intruder.
It was the daughter of course, Estrid.
"What does it look like? I'm bathing, and I request you give me my privacy now," Kate snapped as best she could with her jaw trembling.
(Why would you need privacy to bathe?) Estrid asked.
Kate stared at her for a few moments in shock, "Because I'm naked!"
(Naked?) Estrid asked.
"I don't have any clothes on!" Kate now practically yelled exasperated at this verbose alien.
Estrid glared at her, (I really don't care, but this my favorite place to perform the morning ritual, for the view is quite nice. And as my guest I ask that you show me some courtesy.)
Kate snapped her mouth shut, this was just too bizarre. "Fine then," she said coolly, "I guess it doesn't really matter you're an alien anyway." She grabbed the shampoo and began wading back towards the middle of the stream.
(Is that why humans were artificial skins? Because they don't want others to see their naked bodies?) Estrid asked, she had always wondered about this. They were such an odd species indeed, afraid of their own bodies!
"Pretty much," Kate answered rubbing the shampoo into her hair.
(What is to fear though? You're body doesn't seem fearsome to me; rather vulnerable actually.) Estrid continued in giving her opinion in a superior tone that spoke subtlety of just what she thought of this human habit.
Kate didn't fail to catch it, and always candid she was prepared to tell it just like it was. Maybe that get her to shut her little trap." No, not fear, if we didn't wear clothes we'd always be preoccupied with sex."
(Sex?) Estrid repeated, feeling a slight flush creep up her body. Such a subject was taboo among Andalites but seeing Kate's smug expression, she wasn't going to back down. This was merely a…scientific discussion after all.
(Humans have such a high sex drive?) she pushed.
"Define 'high'" Kate asked.
(So high you cannot look upon each other without feeling it?) Estrid defined.
"Only if you're attracted to the person," Kate said before diving underwater to rinse her hair. When she rose back up she added, "And when you're repulsed by someone's appearance, you're grateful they wear clothes."
( I would not like to be a human then.) Estrid sniffed.
Kate bit her tongue and decided a different tactic then simply cussing her out. She smiled saucily at her as she walked out of the stream and said, "Yeah right, you know you want what I got."
(What are you talking about?)
Kate just laughed as she covered herself in her towel and walked away, it was the perfect last word after all. Leaving the Andalite utterly confounded and completely unaware she was the first female of her kind to get hit on by a human.
A/N: Hmmm, well that was a naughty chapter. I liked it, tell me if you did too. ;)
Birdie Num Num: You know, I didn't even get the pun in that until you mentioned it. Ironic huh? o.o
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