Rambaldi hated how much he was attracted to Sanshoku. She obviously knew she was affecting him - and she was obviously playing with him. That just made him more determined to resist the koi. But, as evidenced already, she was winning. She was winning by a long shot, too. He fought the urge to break eye contact with the gleaming siren temptress, internally gasping at the look on her face. If he had been a human, he would be biting his lip to the point of bleeding. He clamped his jaw firmly, trying not to answer Sanshoku’s question. But some other part won out, deep inside of him. “Yes,” he answered carefully, “but that wasn’t the point of this conversation.” Another salty breeze reached Rambaldi’s nares, thankfully not carrying the scent of Sanshoku.

“So tell me when you’re gonna let me in.”