"Mmmm, this feeling is worth the pay... Myes, get under my shell..."

"My body feels so light... My teeth crave something to bite into now..."

"Are these commentaries necessary, ladies? Feels kinda weird."

"We can't help it~ This just feels soooo goooood~~~"

Military girls from the stormtrooper squad were regular clients now. Holdereen the Crustia and Arteris the Sangui came every few days for the treatment. They spoke about stiffness and pains, but that was a convenient excuse. Nick was a Xenobiologist with a degree, after all, so he quickly picked up that these alien girls had a different reason. They just simply enjoyed his soothing, professional, and tender touch. The human masseur didn't say anything about that: they were customers and they paid for his services.

"Can you help her, Mr. Bourbon?"

"Let me see..."

But the saying about women gossiping was apparently not just a human thing, because the duo brought another member from their organization to the man's doorstep.

"Your mind is very soothing!" the customer in question was a unique one. It looked like a very human-like semi-transparent wraith, which levitated in the air and radiated a noticeable bright aura. He never had a psychic being, like the member of the Dual Edge, a space state of mentally gifted beings called Anima and Mens. The former were usually female and the latter - male. "This is so strange! I've constantly heard that humans had chaotic minds!"

Anima and Mens were quite different. Females were incredibly emotional, open, and expressive while generating raw psychic energy, which had to be absorbed and stored in crystals on the special necklaces they wore. That was done to prevent contamination.

"How many humans have you met, my lady?" inquired Nick, while preparing the instruments.

On the other hand, the Mens were incredibly distant, cold, and rational. Male psychics of Dual Edge had less impressive prowess, but controlled them completely and didn't pose danger to the surroundings that weren't their homeworld.

"Not many, actually! But it is so fun reading your minds! Even if those are very dirty!" Anima liked to use telepathy, a lot. One of the reasons why many species disliked citizens of Dual Edge was their female's tendency to "get into heads". So good luck hiding your deepest thoughts and memories without mental shielding or blank properties. "You humans really like to think about copulation!"

The human masseur didn't remember when was the last time he felt this annoyed. Now he wanted to finish this stupid session as soon as possible.

"Please, lay down on the table," he asked, preparing a sophisticated can with unknown content inside.

"What is that?" she still seemed excited, but then the human masseur sprayed a copious amount of strange shimmering gas onto her by pressing the button. Anima immediately fell asleep and the psychic glow around her suddenly became almost non-existent.

"This is a normality gas," explained Nick to the shocked Sangui and Crustia. "It greatly inhibits abilities to bend reality with their minds. This variety just temporarily blocks it and renders the affected unconscious, but the military grades are capable of outright damaging and killing psychics."

"Looks serious." spoke worried Holdereen.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine and dandy once I am done."

This way of pacification was very important in treating Anima. Since they had no problems and restraints in entering the minds of others, these psychics also came under the negative influence that came with such behavior. Entering someone's mind was like a journey through a specific terrain. Sometimes it is a forest, sometimes a battlefield, or something completely different. It heavily relied on past experiences, education, and the personality of the owner. And it affected Anima in a dangerous way.

"What are those black spots?" Arteris pointed at the idle head of her mentally gifted friend. There were indeed dark goo-like things inside of her "skull".

"Negativites." responded Nick, donning specialized gloves, that had crystal formations on the inner side of his palms. "Every living being had negative experiences in their life, both big and small. While wandering in foreign minds, Anima picks a certain amount of these blobs on the way. The negativites accumulate with time and could cause headaches, psychic instabilities, and even psy-strokes. They must be extracted and disposed of carefully."

Slowly lowering his hands, Nick began gently caressing the alien's temples. Crystals on his hands started to shine, slightly vibrating as it continued. Pretty soon, the Negativites began the careful approach to the front side of Anima's head. They looked awful and pulsated like some ugly tumors. This way he imitated the more nutritious mind, basically creating a honey trap. But the human masseur couldn't act impatient - these things needed minds to survive. If Negativites realize they are being lured out, they will hide deeper and the whole operation will be a waste of time. So the man took his time, like a professional hunter that awaits his prey to spring the trap.

"Aaaaaaand... done!" eventually blobs had reached the temples of the patient and moved into the crystals on the gloves. As soon as the last one has abandoned Anima's psyche, Nick quickly grasped his hands, activating the cleansing procedure. Previously neutral crystal purifiers emitted a great deal of short-ranged nullification gas (military-grade normality gas), which purged every trace of Negativites existence. "There we go. Now for the final touch."

A few clicks on the terminal, and a special amplified has appeared right above the unconscious woman. Paranormal catalyst had an opposite effect to the normality gas, thus being a perfect tool to wake up certain mentally gifted sleepyheads.

"Wow, I had such a strange dream, guys!" Anima's consciousness came back with her annoying cheerfulness. "You'd never belie-wait, where are we going?!"

"We have certain stuff to do together!" hurried her Crustia and Sangui, who already paid for the treatment and thoroughly thanked the masseur. "Worry not, it will be fun."

"Yeah! I love fun!!!"

Thanks, girls, gratefully thought Nick. He could take on a lot of people, but the female side of the Dual Edge was definitely not among them. He also looked at the clock. Another client was about to arrive.

"Welcome to "In Human Hands" parlor." eventually, the door slid open. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes." this time client was a mysterious one. "I also request to perform a massage without revealing my identity."

The alien at the doorstep was wearing a long, black, concealing hoodie. The face under it was covered by a blank, eyeless mask with visualizers to see through installed. Judging by the voice, it was a female and her appearance was impossible to recognize in this state.

"As you wish, my lady." slightly bowed Nick, ushering her to the massage table. "My lips are sealed. Please, make yourself comfortable."

She undressed, leaving only the hood, undergarments, and mask on. The first thing the human masseur noticed was that body of the client wasn't normal - it was fused together from interconnected pieces. Nick never thought that he'll be working with the Biograft.

"Relax, I am about to start. Do you have any specific technique in particular?" also known as Chimeras, these sentient creatures were a mystery just like Sangui. According to the intelligence, they were capable of manipulating living and dead flesh. Biografts were known to be collecting corpses or discarded body parts, often ready to pay for a unique or specialized organ/limb.

"Please, be as gentle as possible," she whispered, slightly shuddering. The alien's body was sturdy, muscular and fit, but not in a bodybuilder kind of way. She remained feminine despite the intense training.

"Understood." this kind of massage could not be done without the bioscanner. Since Chimeras were literal biological constructs, each piece of their body had a different configuration. To top it all, they also were interconnected by a complex system of nerves, muscles, and bones. The only good thing was that Biografts preferred efficiency, so mostly their crazy "setups" were more or less logical. Yet still, Nick preferred to deal with bodies, not 5000-piece jigsaw puzzles.

As the alien woman under his care began softly moaning and shifting, the human masseur checked how a small device, currently attached to the back of his neck, was working. Dataslate nearby has proven that its parameters are optimal, so the man continued massaging. This thing was Learning Algorithm Device or LAD for short. Since Nick owed Voltana a favor, she spent no time employing this debt. Grem'No asked him to attach LAD to his nervous system, allowing this thing to learn and memorize his massaging patterns. Bourbon Jr. had no idea what her goal was, but a deal is a deal.

The massage took longer than expected, but Nick was on time with the schedule. Softer techniques took much more time and focus, not to mention finesse and professionalism. Chimeras weren't easy customers to please.

"I am done. How are you feeling?"

"Perfect, thank you." she complimented, ready to pay up. "It is good to know the reviews weren't fake."

Once that was over, she clothed herself back under the hoodie and went for the door.

"Good luck at the next championship, by the way," spoke Nick, nonchalantly stretching his arms.

Biograft stopped in mid-step, quickly turning around. Her body language was honest enough, showing a great deal of shock and surprise.

"How did you?!.."

"... realized who you are, my lady?" finished the human man, softly smiling at her. "It wasn't difficult. Chimeras on Cornucopia are very rare, that's a first. Your body is constructed from pieces most suitable for sportsmen, that's a second. And someone who has to hide their identity either doesn't want to be arrested or swarmed by the overjoyed fans. That's a third."

The silence that came out of her was interpreted as a bad sign, so the human masseur added:

"Don't worry, I gave you my word and it is written in my contract. If I so much as mention this encounter, you have all the rights to sue me."

She hesitated for a moment, but then inquired:

"Do you know my identity?"

"Already forgotten~" Nick did an elegant gesture like he was sewing his own mouth shut. "All I know is that you are a satisfied customer that just honestly paid for my work. Thus I hope you'll use the services of "In Human Hands" parlor again if such a need arises."

An awkward pause was soon followed by a strained "...Good." and the hidden sports star quickly left the premises. Nick just hoped he didn't overdo it, accidentally scaring away a potential customer.

Turutum~

"Hello?" upon receiving the contact notification, the human man quickly picked it up. "Oh, it's you, lady Sequoia. Good day."

"Good day indeed, Mr. Bourbon." sweetly spoke Plantis, pretty and indecent (by human standards) as always. She was apparently sitting in her office, perhaps taking a short break. "I just saw that your schedule was vacant right now and took the liberty to call you over an important matter."

"Go on then. I am listening."

"I was just wondering if you would like to come to my mansion the next weekend." she proposed, giving him a wide smile.

"Sounds good, but what is the occasion?"

"Should there be a reason for a grateful customer to show some additional appreciation to the honest and professional serviceman?" her eyes were shinned for a moment, as the two hands elegantly supported her pointy chin. "Or do you already have plans set in bark?"

Nick thought for a moment. He didn't see the reason to say no.

"Well, if you are so kind and generous to me, I agree."

"Splendid! I shall send my limo after you at ten a.m. then!"

"Okay. See you this Saturday, lady Sequoia."