Chapter #6

Washing machines whirled and tumbled as Nergal stood before a pile of dirty laundry. A box of detergent was held in one hand, his glazed eyes slid over the instructions on the back trying, and failing, to make sense of it all.

He had skipped class because studying sucked but then found himself lost figuring out what to do with all the free time on his hands. He usually spent his time in and around Guòshèng Shelter in the cultivation dimension. That was the only place that interested him, even before he could cultivate.

And now that he'd finally found a clue to his cultivation technique, Old Wei had 'recommended' he stay away for a day. It was enough to drive a cultivation nut insane.

So. Instead of punching a hole through the wall in anticipation of cultivating, he decided to take care of his pile of moldy laundry. A job that rose in importance thanks to his now enhanced smell.

All he needed to do was figure out how to use a washing machine and he'd have passed an hour. Nodding to himself, Nergal fixed his eyes back on the detergent instructions.

Seconds later, in a flash of annoyance, he began tossing everything into the largest washer with furious abandon.

A delicate finger politely tapped his shoulder. His head turned.

There, attached to that delicate finger, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was like something out of a collective male fantasy, only more pretty.

"Sorry, I don't mean to bother you. It's just…"

"Just?"

"Well, you're sort of ruining your clothes. It's really hard for me to watch- I love clothes." She waved a hand at her outfit.

Sure enough she was dressed to kill. Slim jeans and a stylish white top, a blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Designer shoes and handbag. Weren't her shiny blonde hair and model features enough?

Nergal flashed his most dashing smile. One that he'd practiced after watching a certain fictional debonair British spy on the silver screen. Judging by the sudden down-turned gaze and rising pink on her porcelain-white cheeks it worked pretty well. "You've just saved me. Want to grab a coffee as a token of my thanks?"

"No, thank you. Sorry."

Nergal gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. "That's great to hear. I hate coffee. Can't stand the bitter stuff."

She giggled. The smooth, feminine noise brought a bubbly feeling to his stomach and made him feel light-headed.

"You… Are you sure you're not some type of siren or succubus?"

The girl's beautiful, wonderful smile turned waxy. "Yes. Yes, I'm sure." The response was terse, perhaps even bitter.

"Ah. Trouble with your monster form?" He rubbed his forehead in consternation. "Tell me about it. I've spent the last twelve years trying to figure the thing out and I've had no luck. Why is it that the most beautiful people have the worst luck with their forms?"

The bright smile was back. A flash of brilliant, perfectly straight white teeth shone through her plump lips.

"Don't you think it's a little narcissistic to go around calling yourself beautiful?" She joked, a teasing light in her eyes.

"It's not like I'm wrong. Have you seen me?" He challenged. And it was true. Tall and slim, with chiseled features and shimmery black hair that fell smoothly to his neck. Even his brilliant red eyes which could have come across as scary only enhanced his attractiveness.

Her cheeks flushed further.

"Besides, I didn't see you disagreeing. That means we're both narcissists."

When she'd gotten over his teasing, she went about showing him how to do his laundry. He learned enough about washing cycles, detergent types and loading methods to make his head spin.

Eventually, blissfully, it was over.

"There you go. You want to separate the darks from the colors. Luckily you don't have anything delicate, so that's pretty much all you need to worry about."

"Thank you."

Easily hefting her basket of fresh laundry, she smiled. "It was no problem. Glad to help."

"When will I be seeing you again?" he asked, feeling a bit cheeky.

"I don't think you're old enough to be seeing me again." She denied, ears flushed red.

It was only after she'd left and he was watching his laundry tumble with a giddy smile that he realized.

"Wait. I didn't get her name."