"They're best friends?"
I nodded. "Have been for a while. They have a relationship that's based on friendship first and lust comes after. Drozel wants to have sex a lot more than Omden, so this is their compromise."
"And Omden doesn't get jealous?"
I made a face. "Not usually. When he does, he admits it, and they figure out why. I mean, would you have been jealous if Gideon had sex with someone else?"
"No, I'd feel bad for her," she said. "But Moles and Dragons aren't the same about sex. Moles hurt their partner. Dragons like it. I would probably be relieved he wasn't harassing me, though."
"That last bit is the same," I told her. "Well, close enough. Omden's happy he can be intimate with his partner without italways turning into sex. Drozel's happy he can get his fill and not need to hide it or be ashamed of it."
"And you?" she asked. "I don't quite understand how that works with them."
"I am one of those things Drozel is entertained by, but I also made sure Ommy's okay with it. See, Omden's my friend, and I knew him first. I also don't mind if Omden wants to join in and seduce Drozel with me. It works, we all like it, and everyone's happy."
"Oh."
"And," I said, "you're allowed to do the same. With them, with someone else, or not at all. I'm just not quite sure where your head's at, Meri."
"I like Omden," she said. "He would've fit right in with Callah, Ayla, and me. He said he doesn't like women, but I think his green color is amazing to look at. It's not like any other green I've seen before!"
"I know," I agreed.
"And Drozel has a lot of muscles, but he always tries to be too gentle with me. Lessa, I survived having a baby. I'm not going to break or anything!"
"True," I agreed, "but to him you are so tiny and delicate. Like a little piece of glass he doesn't want to accidentally crush."
"Yeah, but he won't," she said, waving that off.
"And dating?" I pressed. "Kissing, holding hands, or being romantic? Is that completely off the table?"
She picked up the glass and started washing it all over again, even though it was clean. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about that."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "Everything is different up here. The rules, I mean. I don't have to mourn for months for a man I despised. I don't need to be ashamed because I'm not raising the baby. It'sokay for Drozel to have sex with who he wants - and for Omden to know!" Then she stilled again. "And it's okay for men to like men and women to like women."
My heart slammed into my chest hard. "Yeah," I said. "It is."
"But the one thing I don't get?" She set the overly-clean glass aside and turned to face me. "Lessa, how does someone know? Ayla only likes men. In the compound, we knew a man liked us if he smiled at us. It didn't matter if we liked him back. So how do I know if someone likes me or if they only want to be friends?"
I couldn't help but notice she'd mentioned Ayla liking men. Not herself, but Ayla. The smallest little spark of hope sprung up in my mind, but I didn't want to make this talk about me. I'd intended to see if Drozel had a chance with her, but now I couldn't help but hope that maybe I did too.
"Well," I said, thinking hard, "I usually just ask. It's not always easy, and sometimes signals can get mixed. People don't always think of things the same way, like clasping a hand or holding one."
"What's the difference?" she asked.
"I tend to clasp my friends' hands but hold my lovers'."
"Oh. I hold Ayla's all the time."
"The same way you do with someone you like?"
She shrugged. "I don't think I've held hands with anyone but Gideon like that. I thought I liked him back then."
"So it counts," I told her. "But did it feel the same with Ayla?"
"No." And she swallowed. "Ayla and Callah are like sisters. Not real ones, but we always said we were the only family we'd ever know, and it's true. She has a real sister now, but me? My mother's dead. My father doesn't remember which of his daughters I am, and my siblings despise me. I don't have a family the way people up here do."
