Juniper: [Any that are particrly memorable?]


    Particrly memorable? Lue had to rack her brain. She''d seen so many that her memory was getting a little fuzzy.


    Wait a minute. Why was Juniper suddenly asking such a..... personal question? Could it be that she wasn''t satisfied with the old man''s physique and wanted to do someparison shopping? Or perhaps she wasn''t satisfied with his technique?


    Aha! Juniper was finally seeing the light! Lue had been saying all along that Shanley was nothing but a pretty face. This was her chance to rmend some top-tier specimens.


    Lue: [Oh, yes, yes, yes! There''s this one guy, absolutely gorgeous. Huge pecs, eight-pack abs.]


    Lue: [And another one from Froskia Country..... Juniper, I''m telling you, he''s on another level. Way better status than your old man, too.]


    Using voice-to-text, Lue fired off a dozen messages in half a minute, including several unttering critiques of Shanley''s body.


    His body... Juniper snuck a nce at the man beside her. She had seen it, but not in its entirety or with much rity. Besides, she''d never seen any other man''s body, so how could she possiblypare?


    Lue: [Are we just talking chests? I''ve got photos of other parts too. High-def, just for you.]


    "Juniper." Shanley''s low, deep voice cut through her thoughts. "Is this what Lue usually teaches you?"


    "Huh?" Juniper''s head snapped up, meeting his scrutinizing gaze. She felt a pang of guilt, as if she''d been caught red-handed. "No."


    “No?" Shanley leaned closer, his deep-set eyes narrowing, a knowing smile ying on his lips.


    "Really," Juniper insisted innocently. “Lue charges for these photos. A hundred thousand dors a pop. They''re very expensive."


    Shanley''s expression darkened. "So you''d look at them if they were free?"


    "Of course. Juniper started to


    admit, but one look at the jealous


    her


    man before her made fisk quick backtrack. She squared her


    shoulders righteously. "Of


    course


    not. I have very high standards."


    "Is that so?" Shanley watched her, his smile widening. "It seems our Juniper is such


    a good girl," he praised, his tone dripping with insincerity.


    Good girl Juniper remained silent, not daring to breathe a word. The truth was, she


    had tried to haggle with Lue. But it hadn''t worked.


    "Also..." Shanley''s eyes scanned their chat history, and he seemed to notice something new. "Lue... likes men?"


    "Yeah," Juniper nodded without thinking. Lue was a woman, so of course she liked men.


    But then it hit her. To the rest of the world, Lue was a man. So, a man who likes men... Well, that was a misunderstanding she couldn''t. easily clear up content


    "I see," Shanley said, a faint smile on his lips. The knot of tension in his chest instantly dissolved. All that worrying he''d done before had been for nothing.


    Lue: [Juniper, answer me!]


    Seeing no reply, Lue nudged her again.


    Juniper (voice message): "Are there any with scars near their heart?"


    Lue (voice message): "Scars near the heart, no. But I have a few with thigh scars.


    Is the old man with you? I can send them over."


    Juniper (voice message): "He...”


    Just then, Shanley''s voice cut in, clear and deep, recorded on the same message: "To your disappointment, I am."


    Messages were swiftly retracted, one after another, until the chat history was wiped clean. Then, silence from Lue.


    Juniper''s head throbbed. They were almost at theb, so she quickly sent Lue a message exining the real reason for her search.