"And destroy my perfect track record at avoiding them?" Asuma said cheerfully. "Heathen."

Years of carefully cultivated practice--and one run in with a master in the East--had left him with the ability to avoid giving any knock out woman the obligatory once over, but this one made it hard. Even without letting his eyes sweep down, he could tell she had more curves than most guys knew what to do with. And the skintight Hunter's uniform could only be doing great things for them...

He kept his gaze squarely at face level--which was a treat all by itself. Sharp dark eyes, straight-bladed nose, a fine jaw with just enough edge to make it dangerous, and a pretty mouth curved like an ironic bow. Her hair was bound up in a sensible ponytail, spilling down past her shoulders like a black wave, but loose bangs cut down one side of her face.

Pretty. Artful. He wondered briefly if she was a seductionist, but there were muscles in the shoulders left bare by armour. A few bruises, too.

He pulled his eyes up--not by much; she was tall for a woman--and held out his newly acquired mission brief. Communing with the mission board, she'd said. Maybe he was just that lucky.

"Don't suppose you're in market for something interesting? Because I could use a partner."