[ They both used it for the same reason. It had been a pain in the ass, but there's a reason Ash doesn't just get a very unflattering hair cut, put in contacts to change the color of his eyes, and generally let himself go. He's been in too many situations that needed every tool he had, and that includes the ability to flirt and tease. The attention is annoying, and sometimes worse, but people act differently around pretty people, allow more.

Laurent's answer is a bit of a surprise. Ash knows that not every person will want him, but this sounds like a distaste for sex in general. That makes this place even more difficult to accept; he knows from experience.

Moving forward, he stops when he's within kicking distance. ]

Kick out. We'll find out how flexible, but if you haven't trained your leg, you're not going to be immediately able to fully extend it.

[ But Laurent is slender enough that if Ash has to bet, he would assume good results. ]

What do you do between Contracts?

[ They can test and talk at the same time. ]