Hearing Eve sneeze, and seeing how dripping wet she was, must surely have temporarily suspended either Hari's good judgement or his good resolutions.Without even stopping to think he grabbed the hem of her - what? He still didn't know what to call it. Shirt? Dress? - and ignoring any reaction she might make, whipped it off over her head, throwing it into one corner of the room, where it could do least towards making the floor soaking wet. He walked over to the shelf, a new dress slung over his shoulder and a threadbare, hole-bestrewn towel in his hands, guessing that the latter was possibly the only one she possessed. Quickly, almost roughly - for it was necessary to do it this way to get her dry - he began to rub the towel over her body.
It wasn't until he was half way through the job that he realized he'd taken longer over some parts than others. Her breasts, and the area on the inside of her thin thighs in particular, it struck him, had caused him to linger longer than he really needed to. To counter this in his conscience, he returned to the less human parts of her, being sure to dry her ears and tail really well (for after all, being furry they were surely the most important,) lifted the dry "dress" and was about to lift it over her head, as a parent might dress a child when comprehended that, helpless and small as she might be, what he had seen of her body proved she was well and truly an adult. And that given that she was already suffering an extreme crisis of confidence at being so humiliated in front of him earlier, being treated this way was certainly not what she needed.
Quickly, he handed her the garment and turned away. It seemed a pointless gesture, really, since he had already seen her naked body. He was trying to spare her as much embarrassment as he could.
"No need to feel bad, sweet one," he said, deliberately looking away. "You... you can't help not being very strong. But you came through for me when it counted." And then, realizing this was probably faint praise, and hardly what she needed, "I think that little body of yours is really, really beautiful. You're much prettier than Lachat, even if you can't fight. I'm really glad it was you that saved me."
It wasn't until he was half way through the job that he realized he'd taken longer over some parts than others. Her breasts, and the area on the inside of her thin thighs in particular, it struck him, had caused him to linger longer than he really needed to. To counter this in his conscience, he returned to the less human parts of her, being sure to dry her ears and tail really well (for after all, being furry they were surely the most important,) lifted the dry "dress" and was about to lift it over her head, as a parent might dress a child when comprehended that, helpless and small as she might be, what he had seen of her body proved she was well and truly an adult. And that given that she was already suffering an extreme crisis of confidence at being so humiliated in front of him earlier, being treated this way was certainly not what she needed.
Quickly, he handed her the garment and turned away. It seemed a pointless gesture, really, since he had already seen her naked body. He was trying to spare her as much embarrassment as he could.
"No need to feel bad, sweet one," he said, deliberately looking away. "You... you can't help not being very strong. But you came through for me when it counted." And then, realizing this was probably faint praise, and hardly what she needed, "I think that little body of yours is really, really beautiful. You're much prettier than Lachat, even if you can't fight. I'm really glad it was you that saved me."