Val said to me in a low voice as we moved into the docking area. “You’re supposed to be seventeen, not seven.” “It’s too bad you didn’t remember that when you were buying these clothes,” I almost snarled, keeping my voice as low as his only with an effort. “You had no right forcing me into wearing them.” “I didn’t buy them so you could leave them behind,” he came back, able to keep the grin off his face but not out of his eyes. “You look just the way we agreed you should, so forget about it.” “Forget about it,” I muttered, then shut up before I started a real fight with him. We’d spent the last few hours with me dredging up everything I could remember hearing about Xanadu and the Pleasure Sphere, during which time my new clothes had been delivered. We both ignored them until business was taken care of, but then Val had started getting stubborn about seeing how wrong the clothes were.
