To her credit, Jane was a quick learner as far as the intricacies of locks and keys was concerned.  Oskar figured she had to have had some previous experience with locks of some kind back in her world.  The concept was always the same, after all.<br/><br/>Convinced that she’d be fine with locking up after leaving the house, he suddenly became aware again at the meager amount of clothing they were wearing.  Oskar wondered if this was why she blushed earlier while they were upstairs.  His boxer-briefs could pass as a pair of shorts, though they were more form-fitting.  Well, too late to do anything about it now, he thought.<br/><br/>Expressions of concern continued to dance across her lovely face.  The search for her father was bad enough.  These men couldn’t have come at a worse time.  He knew they had to sort them out before starting their quest for her father.<br/><br/>“You’re going to go now?” she asked.  Her tone of voice broke his heart, as Oskar could undoubtedly hear the distress and strain as she asked her question.  He stepped closer to her so he could gently place both hands on her shoulders.  Staring into her blue eyes, he whispered in the most reassuring voice he could manage, “You’ll be fine, Jane.  And remember, I’ll be watching you from above.”  He offered her a crooked smile.<br/><br/>As an added sign of comfort, Oskar briefly thought of softly kissing her forehead.  He nixed the idea almost immediately of this harmless and innocent gesture.  Uncertainty said it wasn’t a wise thing to truly consider.  After all, he had no idea if such a deed would offend her or not.  Right now, she had enough on her plate to contend with.  He wasn’t about to add to it.<br/><br/>Loitering near the door, he turned and smiled at her again.  “And, uh, Jane?”  Nodding at her scant clothing, he stated, “Just be sure to, um, put on more clothes than that before you walk down the street, okay?”  Following a wink, Oskar was out the door, stepping into the fading darkness.  His own scant clothing was duly removed, as he prepared to shift.