“We shouldn’t have done that,” Hani said.

Much to my surprise, I heard the words in English. I was dimly aware that my ears heard her native tongue, but my brain bent them into a more acceptable shape.

“I dunno, it seemed like a good idea to me,” I said. 

Hani flinched visibly. She jerked her head up and locked eyes with me, shock written across her face. 

“I-I understood that!” she stammered. 

“The Goddess said that I should give you what you want, and that the language barrier would go away,” I said. “No offense meant, but what you wanted was pretty obvious.”

“That wasn’t quite what I had in mind,” she said sheepishly. “In my people, to place kisses upon the womb of your betrothed is an act of love. I didn’t imagine…whatever that was.”

“Ah. Things are a little different, where I come from,” I explained. “When a naked woman shoves your head between her legs, she’s looking for something a little more intense than womb kisses.”

“I didn’t know there was anything more intense, not until you did that thing with your tongue,” she said, her body shuddering slightly at the memory. “I’ve never felt anything like that.”

“I apologize if I shocked you,” I said. “If it’s that bothersome, we won’t-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Hani said. “I’m not sure what that sorcery was, but you’re going to do it again and again until I’m tired of it.”

“No complaints here,” I said lazily. “We can get started right away if you’d like.”

I let my hand creep down between her legs, but she slapped it away playfully. 

“Who knew the Goddess would Destine me to such a shameless hussy?” she asked with a giggle.

“I did keep my eyes closed,” I pointed out. 

“For which I am grateful. My people aren’t exactly shy about sex, but we don’t make a habit of examing our partner’s genitals, either,” she said. 

“Desert tribe, probably nomadic?” I guessed. “Limited resources, limited water especially. It’s difficult to maintain proper hygiene under those conditions. Womb kisses are so intimate because that’s as close as anyone dares get to their partner’s nethers with their nose after weeks without a proper wash.”

Hani gave me a frown. 

“Those are very good guesses,” she said. 

“We’ve got deserts on my world, and people who live in them. Hell, I just came from one before I ended up over here. The details change, but the basic premise is the same. I’m guessing you don’t eat meats that spoil quickly and are really careful about wounds and menstrual cycles, too.”

“I’m pleased that the Goddess chose one so wise as her Knight,” Hani said carefully. I could feel doubt creep into her mind. How could I possibly know all that if I wasn’t familiar with her people?

“Don’t think too hard about it. There are only so many ways for people to survive in a desert. I’ve spent a lot of time there myself, so it’s only natural that I’d pick up on whatever tips and tricks I could. That means studying the history and the people.”

I didn’t try too hard to force my sincerity across the link. Honestly, I still had no idea how it worked, exactly, and I didn’t want to lay it on too thick. Hani seemed to get what I was saying, though, and took it at face value. 

“Very well. Shall we get out of the bath? The water is starting to get cold,” she said. 

Both a valid point and an excellent way to change the subject. 

“Sure. You can go first, since it’ll be hard for me to pull it off with my eyes closed,” I said. 

Hani sighed. 

“I think we’re past that now,” she said. “I don’t think taking a look will be any more embarrassing.”

“Fine by me,” I said, trying not to sound too eager. 

Hani lifted herself out of the water, and for the first time, I got a really good look at her. 

She was as muscular as I’d guessed. Not an extra ounce of fat on her body to be found, and trust me, I was looking. Smallish breasts, embellished a bit by largish pecs, six pack abs, great definition in her thighs, ass, and back. Her bronze skin was kissed by lines of scars, remnants of battles past, I was guessing. Curiously, she also had a scar from the top of her pubic arch to just under her belly button. C-section?

“I didn’t realize you had a child,” I said. 

“Is that a problem?” Hani asked, warily. 

“No, not really,” I said. “I’m guessing warriors in your tribe don’t raise their children directly?”

“That is correct,” she said. “Work is distributed to those best suited for it, including nurturing the young. I am not considered…motherly enough, I suppose.”

Now that carried a whole host of complicated emotions: shame, regret, anger, all bundled up in a shell of pride. I guessed Hani missed her child dearly, but was proud to have been selected as a warrior, and to be a Destined. I knew a little something about that myself. 

“If it’s any consolation, I’ve got three myself,” I said. “Well, had. I guess I won’t be able to see them again.”

Admitting that out loud hurt more than I’d like to admit. The fact that I was dead back home hadn’t really sunk in yet. I closed my eyes, took that hurt, wadded it up into a ball, and shoved it into the box with all the other stuff I couldn’t let myself feel just yet.

When I opened them again, Hani was there, her face mere inches away from mine. 

“Don’t do that,” she warned. “I can feel what you feel, and I know what you just did. You will have time to mourn in the coming days. You can’t hide from your grief forever.”

“I know, I know,” I said. I levered myself up out of the tub, reached for a towel, and began to dry my face and hair. “It’s just, I’ve had to bottle up those feelings to stay alive for so long, I don’t know how to properly deal with them anymore. It’s just survival instinct, at this point.”

“Well, seeing as how you died anyway, it couldn’t have helped that much,” Hani replied. 

Christ, this woman really knew how to cut to the quick. But, I could feel that her anger was out of concern, her cutting words a scalpel excising a tumor rather than a sword aimed at my heart.

“Look, we can take a few days to deal with it, like you said. The Goddess didn’t give me any specific directions from here anyway.”

As we made our way into the bedroom, I emptied my pack out onto the floor and began to organize the contents as neatly as I could. The Goddess had said that everything would replenish, and I had a feeling I’d need spares of everything before too long. I could feel Hani’s eyes on my back as I worked, roaming across the patchwork of scars and tattoos. 

“The smart move would be to introduce yourself to the local lord,” Hani said, after I’d finally finished my last chore of the day. The sun was just starting to set outside, and true darkness would be here soon. “We’ll do that early next week, when he holds court. Until then, we need to work on getting your emotional state in order

Without warning, strong hands gripped me by the shoulders and practically threw me onto the bed. With a lithe, catlike motion, Hani leapt onto the bed and straddled my face with her hips. I let out a little yelp as she leaned forward and took my, uh, situation firmly in hand. Little me sprang to attention instantly. 

“As for tonight,” she said, “I still haven’t tired of your sorcery.”