He had no tolerance for weakness or for slacking either. Often others would join them as they practiced and honed their skills, even the captain. When... a free moment emerged as they practiced, Porter would watch Captain Tyver take his opponent without mercy; the man’s sustained barrages were calculated attacks that left the unwary unable to do anything other than react.Porter would look at his sword grip, the awkwardness of the weight confirming he was a pretender. As an engaged novice, Porter. Can you do it?” I looked around the room. Piles of laundry were everywhere. “I got a lot of clothes to wash.” “And hair and teeth and body too, pee- eww !” he said holding his nose above a charming smile. “And I want to keep you as my tutor. You’ll get credit for my new scores.” “Okay, but A’s not solid B’s .” -- Like escaping a cocoon, I removed layers of grime and tangled hair. Unable to work out the tangles, I sheared off my long black hair. Poor eating eliminated my baby fat. But. Well, not my room, exactly. I call it the parlor. It's where I entertain."In the back of the garage was something like a tiny, one-room apartment. It looked like a college girl's dorm room; the bed took up about half of the space. A string of Christmas lights provided most of the illumination. Soft music was playing. The woman took James' coat, after asking for it twice. She looked 40ish but somehow still girlish. She wore loose pants and a t-shirt, and her hair was dyed red at the ends and. Laura was satisfied with Tys response because she moved to the next topic, What do you expect us to do if we become your&hellip,slaves? I expect you to do as I say. Tys answer was curt. I mean what kinds of things do you want&hellip, Ty cut Laura off mid-sentence, You will do things you will enjoy, youll do thing that you will come to enjoy, and you will do things that you may find perverse just for my enjoyment. Your goal is to make me happy. If Im happy I usually make sure youre enjoying.