---
Down in the pool, Kai opened one eye, narrowing it at the quiet giggles overhead.
"…Hmm. What's that noise? Maybe some mise or something similar."
Azhara crouched just beyond a slotted curtain of mossy vines, ears twitching as she peeked through the gap. Behind her were Sha, Vel, and Naaro—the three assassin-class ant maidens, still towel-wrapped and flushed from their earlier bath.
"He heard us," Azhara whispered, eyes wide. "Kept quiet."
Sha turned red instantly. "T-This is wrong. We shouldn't be spying!"
Vel smirked. "You're the one who asked if his antennae were sensitive…"
"I was talking about evolution!"
"Oh sure. Scientific drooling?"
Sha clamped her mandibles shut, her cheeks glowing a soft orange.
Azhara; "Why does he glow like that when he moves? It's like his muscles have their own lighting system."
Vel murmured with wide eyes. "Like a divine ant statue carved by the goddess of seduction herself."
