Benjamin looked at Heka, at the desperate hope in her eyes, and felt his resistance crumble.
She believed in this, believed that he could help these people. And despite everything, he found that he trusted her judgment.
"Alright," he said finally, his voice heavy with resignation. "Let's just get this over with."
***
Even after the red-haired woman, Khüch, had finally given her hesitant consent, it still took several more long and difficult minutes of careful persuasion and gentle coaxing before her trembling fingers finally released their tight hold on the edges of the pale tribal-style gown.
The fabric slid slowly downward along her body, whispering softly as it went, until it pooled around her bare feet on the floor of the tent.
This revealed the smooth, unblemished skin underneath her body in full, a form that was slender through the arms and waist yet pleasingly curvaceous in all the right feminine places.
