" "What role do I have?" Rael asked, innocently." "What role do I have?" Rael asked, innocently. "It's not as if I'm doing anything constructive. I'm contributing ten minutes to the whole affair-" "I certainly HOPE it takes more time than that!" Pnyssa interrupted, laughing. "Oh, it will, it will. I was talking about the coitus itself, my dear. As I was saying... where was I? Oh, yes... And besides, I'm doing something I dreamed about a lot when I was young. What you two want is almost coincidental." "It'll still be your child, Rael." "The Hell it will be. It'll be yours. You're the two who'll have raised it. I'd just get in the way." "So what do you want when he asks, 'Mommy, where did I come from?'" P'nyssa said quietly. "Tell him the truth. I thought that was the rule around here," Rael said. "It is, as far as I know," I said. "Then it's settled," Dagmar said with A Voice Of Authority. "So, when do you two plan on... making babies?" she said with a big grin. "Waitaminute, waitaminute, Dags dear," Rael said. "I'm not about to hop into bed with the young lady. These two have just walked thirty kilometers to get here and descended the stairway. I think they'd both like to eat and perhaps to rest." "Actually," I said, "my feet are killing me. Dagmar, is there someplace you'd like me to remove my boots so I don't kill anything?" "Just outside the back porch is fine, through that door and out the next screen. Don't worry, this part of the Faryth-" She said that pretty well, for a non-Unczai "-is pretty clear." I thanked her and headed out. Dinner was excellent. I imagine when you have to cook for yourself, you either learn to live with it or you get better. Rael had clearly done the second. Dagmar told me that Rael always cooked the larger meals. "When do you have guests?" "When there's somebody in the recovery room." "Oh. |