A half-open door from the bedroom revealed an en-suite bathroom. The room was tightly shuttered from the outside, giving no indication if it was night...or day, and a lamp on the bedside cabinet provided the only illumination. Once the girls had left and locked the door, I went into the bathroom. It was far less sumptuous than the one that I had first showered in, but the centre of the room was dominated by a large freestanding bath. I ran myself a deep hot bath, climbed in and lay soaking for a. Didn't she always hate him? When had that changed they wondered.Soon after the discussion started, the carriage sent by the Prince appeared at six pm sharp to pick her up was there, and she traveled off to the ball in Aric's honor.As she sat in the back she smiled as she thought about how wicked she looked and how tonight would be the night that changed Aric and her relationship.In some ways she was glad of her time with the crown prince, but now that it was over, Aric would reap the benefits. While removing the bark of the first one, I saw a few soldiers approach on the other side of the river. My initial glance confirmed a city squad in leathers, led a young female with a joke of a weapon. The squad, a mix of human men and women carried short broad swords while she carried a rapier. None had shields or even real armor just light leather and steel bracers on the off arm. City troops, good for drunks and that was about it.I set my Woodaxe down and met the intruders across the river.. The Governor closed the conversation down shortly afterwards, and simply reiterated the policy of Rehome. He delighted in showing them round Metropolis, emphasising how easy it had been to turn the mothballed alien structures into a human city, and how cooperative the aliens had been, due to their similarity of thinking patterns.When the disgruntled religious visitors had left to return to Earth, he spoke to Adele Thomson, expert on extra-solar planets, about the problem. He suggested she talk.