<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4040FF"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Alice Green</span><br/><span style="font-size: 120%; line-height: 116%;">'The Huntress'</span></span></div><br/><div style="text-align: justify;">Alice was somewhat relieved that Peter seemed to like her sense of humor. It had been what had kept her sane so far. Life had always been tough, maybe not as tough as Peter's, but tough nonetheless. And Alice had endured it with a stiff upper lip and a few quick jokes. When Peter said he didn't expect her to be on her second hole, Alice relaxed a little. It was good to know she was doing good for a rookie. <br/><br/>Groaning when Peter started massage her, Alice closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her messy hair, pulling it out of the way. She had to admit that felt good.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #4040FF">"I will trust your word, Peter. You haven't given me reasons not to so far"</span></span>, she replied. With another groan, Alice completed. <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #4040FF">"Damn, you are good at this."</span></span><br/><br/>After this comment, Alice sighed. She planned to work as long as she could stand on her feet. He wouldn't give her a break, he said, and she would never expect one. It didn't matter that she was far from having a miner's build. She knew her limits and was willing to push past them. And maybe there was a personal note in there.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #4040FF">"If I had followed the family tradition, I'd be a real miner."</span></span> Alice's voice was serious, but a little softer as she spoke. <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #4040FF">"My dad was a miner, mom stayed home with my brother and I, but she was in the mining business too before we came along. I was the second child. My brother was being prepared to be a miner. My dad thought I wouldn't last two days as one, so he told me to study really hard and do something else. He knew I wouldn't settle for being home with kids. I knew it too."</span></span><br/><br/>She groaned softly as Peter's hands loosened her muscles a little.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #4040FF">"So I did study hard. And fought pretty hard, too. My first week in highschool, someone broke my nose. Another girl. I heard she went into the mining field. Everyone I studied with probably did. We lived in a community comprised mostly, or completely, of miner families. I studied hard, kept good grades, and learned how to defend myself. I was smaller than everyone else, but I knew where to hit and how to use their own size against them. And I never told on those who gave me broken bones or black eyes. I sucked it up and dealt with it my own way. MP seemed to like it. They approached me for a conversation, and seemed to approve me. I talked to my mother - father had passed away by then-, of course. She wasn't really happy, but I wasn't asking for permission. I was communicating that I would join the MP."</span></span><br/><br/>Alice turned her head to the side to stare at Peter.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #4040FF">"Now my brother is gone, my mother is gone, and this is what I have. But it makes things easier. I can do whatever I please, and there is nobody to hang their heads in shame if I fail."</span></span><br/><br/>Alice turned her gaze away from Peter again.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #4040FF">"I bet you expected me to say I was born in a golden crib, eh? Wealthy, well-educated family, and all that jazz."</span></span></div>