She often did not even sleep with a blanket, and she certainly never slept longer than six hours, much less twelve. Somehow, someway, she felt amazingly refreshed. That was all she knew. Coal sighed, punctuated by a cough, and rolled onto her side, slinging one arm forward and accidentally striking someone’s face. Her eyes bulged open. Lying next to her in bed was an ocher-skinned brunette man, fast asleep. He wore a sub-standard leather rebreather and appeared to be otherwise totally nude. Shrieking, Coal flailed out of the bed and pulled the blankets down with her onto the floor. Yes, indeed, the stranger was nude. He also had wide, flashing blue eyes that were quite pretty. Of course, most people in this situation would have eyes that were wide and flashing. The strange man went to cup his privates behind his hands. “Whoa, whoa!” he called in a pleasant tenor. He spared one hand to reach for her, outstretched in the universal signal to stop, steady, calm.
