"M'Lady," Aaden said quietly."M'Lady," Aaden said quietly. "Aaden, excuse me if I play out of character for a second, but I don't know why I'm here, what I'm doing, or what's going on. I walked the Hall less than a month ago. I feel so... so lost." "I can understand some of that. As I said, I am a Tleil; I am the only Mephit in all of BackWater. I'm not sure I'm fully out of IS myself." "IS?" Kitty asked. "Incorporation Shock," Aaden replied. "The sudden realization that 'I am a person, not a thing.' Sometimes I am still a pre-programmed set of memories and ideas. But one thing Vatare' didn't put into me was BackWater; I came here because it was the fastest way to get away from everything I knew, to 'find myself.'" Kitty laughed. "That's funny. Ken put me here for the same reason, to get away from what I was." Aaden nodded. Kitty felt safe next to him, and in her exhaustion she leaned next to him, putting her head on his shoulder. "Kitty?" he said. "Yeah?" "Before you make assumptions, I have something to tell you. I am not physically attracted to your kind." "Humans?" she asked. "Females," Aaden replied. Kitty rose with a start and said, "You're gay?" Aaden laughed. "The word is entalie' in Pendorian. But yes. That much I know. I prefer my own sex to yours." "I didn't mean- I'm sorry." "I am not offended. True entalie' are more rare then true erolie', I am told. I could not have expected you to guess." "No, no. I mean..." Kitty broke off, feeling uncomfortable. What had she meant by lying against him like that? Aaden put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Kitty of the Hall, how old are you?" "Seventeen," she answered. |