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“Priscilla the gorilla”

“That’s right”

I watched as Priscilla loped off back to her workstation, disappearing once rowth So

26

We broke for lunch a little after that, ly served by Priscilla She trotted out of the foliage, her ar that looked like mashed tubers, a smaller bowl of freshly ed the out banana leaves to use as plates

Florian was ecstatic I’d never really paid attention to his diet before, but it stood to reason that a dryad would be titillated by soanic food I couldn’t complain, either: nutty mountain rice so beautifully textured you could eat it on its own, the fish so fresh, sweet, and flaky Priscilla hovered near the table, her hands clasped together as she expectantly watched us eat

“This is delicious,” I told her “All of it Absolutely delicious” I kissed the tips of ers, which I hoped translated sufficiently well for Priscilla Apparently it did She covered herher other hand at me from the wrist, as if to say, “Oh, stop”

Artemis’s domicile, in short, truly was a step away fro it, all this access to quality fresh food, clean running water, and not to oddess as veryher subjects happy and well-fed

Hell, I could even get used to the weather I was on a break froetherto catch a breeze against my body, and al there She was surveying her domain – more specifically, the fruits of our day of labor

“Yes,” Arteht glinting off of her shades “This is just the ticket”

I wipedin the view “It’s certainly soht”

She s to look a lot like home This hat my domicile looked like before, you knoant every biome possible smashed into the same place, so I can keep all my little lovelies in the same dimension”

I pluckedat the sweat trickling down my chest and stomach “Your lovelies?”

Artelasses to look me in the eye Correction, she did do a very quick, cursory sweep of my sweaty torso I flexed my muscles and puffed up s, okay?

“Yes, my lovelies,” she said “Goddess of the hunt and all that You think that Priscilla’s the only fauna we’ve got in this place? Think again” She pointed a finger far out across the horizon, indicating a penned-off zone filled hat I presumed were different kinds of animals “It’s the whole reason I wanted to rebuild my domicile in the first place”