, fully as
thick as Belle's own and worn in a free-falling bob three or four inches
longer than Belle's, was bleached almost white. Her eyes were not really
speckled, nor really mottled, but were regularly _patterned_ in lighter
and darker shades of hazel. She was, Garlock decided, a really
remarkable hunk of woman.

Both Nargodians wore sandals without either socks or stockings. Both
were dressed--insofar as they were dressed at all--in yellow. Fao's
single garment was of a thin, closely-knitted fabric, elastic and sleek.
Above the waist it was neckless, backless, and almost frontless; below,
it was a very short, very tight and clinging skirt. Delcamp wore a
sleeveless jersey and a pair of almost legless shorts.

Garlock lowered his shield enough to send and to receive a thin layer of
superficial thought; Delcamp did the same.

"So far, I like what I see," Garlock said then. "We are well ahead of
you, hence I can help you a lot if you want me to and if you want to be
friendly about it. If you don't, on either count, we leave now. Fair
enough?"

"Fair enough. I, too, like what I have seen so far. We need help, and I
appreciate your offer. Thanks, immensely. I can promise full cooperation
and friendship for myself and for most of our group; and I assure you
that I can and will handle any non-cooperation that may come up."

"Nicely put, Deggi." Garlock smiled broadly and let his guard down to a
comfortable lepping level. "I was going to bring that up--the faster
it's cleared the better. Belle and I are paired. Some day--unless we
kill each other first--we may marry. However, I'm no bargain and she's
one-third wildcat, one-third vixen, and one-third cobra. How do you two
stand?"

"You took the thought right out of my own mind. Your custom of pairing
is not what you call 'urbane' on this world. Nevertheless, Fao and I are
paired. We had to. No one else has ever interested either of us; no one
else ever will. We should not fight, but we do, furiously. But no matter
how vigorously we fly apart, we inevitably fly together again just as
fast. No one understands it, but you two are pretty much the same."

"Check. Just one more condition, then, and we can pull those women of
ours apart." Belle and Fao were still staring at each other, both still
sealed tight. "The first time Fao Talaho starts throwing her weight at
me, I'm not going to wait for you to take care of her--I'm going to give
her the surprise of her life."

"