"On the way back I started thinking maybe I could get you to help me out.  Even if you were in horrible shape, I could really use any help.  And yesterday you really did.  I got so much work done and it was just so nice to have company…”

He drifted off because he really did not want to talk about him pulling one off and being seen doing it.  

“I understand if you wanna go back to your people or just get away from me, but I sure hope you like to stay a bit while you recover a bit more.”

Okake moved her hand slowly over the stubble on her scalp. She spread her legs and did the same between her legs.  

“Hhmm,” she muttered.  

“Smart choice.”  She got up and proceeded to put her clothes on.  

“Thank you for these.”

She sat on the one chair, and he stood by the fire as they ate the gruel.   Afterwards she looked at him for a long time.  He hadn’t noticed before that she had gray eyes.  

“I stay.  I work.”

He stood a bit straighter and smiled.  He thought to himself.  This is great!  He hoped she’d stay for another week at least.  

The days turned into weeks and the field was finally cleared of the worst rocks.  The amount of food he gave her turned into thick muscle.  He marveled at the Orc physique.  He finally understood what happened when her insides turned liquid.  The Orc body encapsulates infections and illness and ejects them. Once she had enough food it wanted to get rid of everything at one time.   

Her shoulders, arms, and thighs were all now bigger than his.  It seemed like everything she took in went straight to her body in the best way possible.  Karl eyed his own physique and sighed.  He always looked more or less the same.  He was fit without being over-sized and was strong as he needed to be.  But he was still fast as he was in his prime.  

In the last month Okake’s hair grew very fast. He created a hat brim on a strap to keep her thick, black hair away from face.  It was already a knife’s length long.  Her bad skin was back to whatever healthy was for her people.  The rashes had long cleared up and the cuts that didn’t heal turned to modest scars.  His teeth cleaning had fascinated her.  She picked it up as a habit as more meat entered her diet.  In turn he loved to watch her eat.  Her protruding lower incisors looked absolutely fierce and acted as giant meat scissors instead of impeding her ability to eat.  

One day as they worked in the field, he asked her about herself.

“Can you tell me about your background?  Like maybe the military?”.   He was always trying to find safe areas in which to talk about.  He was concerned about prodding too much since she did not talk much in the first place, but once she got started, she would share more than he thought she would.

“I remember time when we fought against Drow people.”

“The ones with gray skin and white hair?” Karl asked.

“Yes, they were beautiful.  They had beautiful armor.  We roared and attacked.  Much shouting and they lost.  I had some pieces of their armor for a long time.”

Karl thought, well she’s not big on details.

“We called you pink skins,” she said out of the blue one time.  

Karl laughed thinking about what they called the Orcs.  

“Well, you’re not wrong.”  He smiled as they piled rocks in the sun.

The summer was starting to come to a close and Okake’s hair reached her lower back.  Karl would sit and stare at Okake in the evenings.  He had never been attracted to the other races, but he also didn’t have a type either.  At least not that he knew of.  His relationships had been far apart and most commonly with tavern gals.  He found himself attracted to her though.  Her green skin went with the raven black hair and gray eyes.  Such beauty.  Her face was rectangular and well balanced in feature.  Except her eyes which seemed larger than his.  Of course, her physique was always worth looking at.  Prominent breasts that were way too big for a fighter shaded a torso that sported muscles like a Hellenic wrestler.  Late at night he longed to lay hands on her. 

When there were ahead of the work, he would pull out his short sword and go through his drills.  After a time Okake joined him eventually they sparred. And then showing each other tips and tricks they had learned in combat.  Karl thought they were very natural together.  Okake would clap him on the shoulder and rattle his teeth if he showed her “good” combat or a great tip.  Not very romantic his opinion, but he kept that to himself.  The cultural rift seemed too great to bridge for something to happen between them.  

Eventually they would go into town to pick up supplies and sell his spirits.  He was desperate to get the potatoes in so surplus could give him more buying power.  

The looks and comments were never complimentary.  The wars were still pretty recent in most people's memory, but most people could see that Karl was a different person and Okake rarely spoke.  No one bothered her, but they never started a conversation with her either.  

On the long rides to and from the village, sometimes Okake would speak.

“Karl, why do you treat me the way you do?  I have never had anyone take care of me like you.  Only my mother did this when I was small.”

Karl thought about it for some time.  

“I guess you seemed just like a person to me.  I want to help people and protect people.  When I was young, we all went to military school with the idea we should protect others.