Typical

Set in the world of The Beast Within. A typical training session early on in Sarah's apprenticeship to Jareth.

Why are you always such an unmitigated ass?

I thought those words very, very hard as I stood waist-deep in something foul while his Royal Highness perched pristinely above me on a nice, clean ledge. But I didn't dare say the words. I didn't need a perceptual backlash from him that would leave me facedown in this sludge.

Jareth stretched one gloved hand in an elegant gesture, seeming to admire the way the sickly orange light of this hellhole dimension played on the black leather. "I suggest you stop glaring at me and focus on the task at hand."

Fucking typical. I clenched and unclenched my fists very slowly beneath the muck. "What task might that be, sensei?"

He waved his hand through the air in a complicated motion that left a golden shimmering trail behind it. It sparkled beautifully, and didn't tell me a damned thing about what I was supposed to actually do.

I breathed slowly through my mouth. The sludge was getting colder against my skin. Maybe if it actually reached freezing, it would stink less. A girl could hope.

The seconds dribbled by, giving me a chance to watch the sunlight streaming across his patrician features. They were damned fine features, and a girl had to take her pleasures where she could when she was learning how to surf the hell dimensions from her nephil sensei.

The seconds turned into minutes. Long, cold, stinky minutes.

Enough. "So since we seem to be at impasse, I'm just going to pop back home for a nice morning latte."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I crossed my arms. "You can come, too. Maybe you just need your morning coffee to open up about what we're doing here."

He flicked a finger at me, and my perceptions began to wobble dangerously, picking up frantic speed.

Oh, hell, here we go.

But suddenly I felt something happening in response, like a gear turning. And then everything snapped. The perceptual wobble was like being on a ship, moving gracefully beneath me without dislodging me. And the muck felt different — pleasantly cool against my skin, almost velvety, and missing the telltale stench. Well, glory be. I'd managed, finally, to perceptually shift myself to be more in tune with my current environment.

I tilted my head to the side the way Jareth so often did. "Does this mean that Earth coffee is going to taste wrong?"

His smile had an edge of something in it. I think the bastard was actually proud of me. "Only if you forget to shift your perceptions back before trying it."

"Do they make coffee in this place?"

"I wouldn't recommend it."

"Fair. So, are we done here?"

"For now." He reached a hand down to me as if to help me out of the slime pit.

I stared hard at his hand, and then scrambled up by myself. "Sorry, not that much of a fool today."

He shrugged, but the edge of pride in his smile sharpened. "Suit yourself."

"Don't worry, I will. With caffeine from beans roasted just so and frothed whole milk. After a good shower. See you, sensei."