Free The City Who Fought by Anne McCaffrey, S. M. Stirling

of her was correct, Simeon thought, watching Channa. She is a fox! Then, peering more closely, he wasn't so sure, for her eyes were half-closed, starred with tears, and his acute vision let him see the skin of her face relaxing, smoothing out. She doesn't look that foxy now ! In fact, she looks kinda . . . sweet.
    When the croon had drifted off into a serene silence, she sat without moving. Then she closed her eyes and slowly leaned back, clasping her hands before her. When she opened her eyes, they shone and her voice was husky.
    "Oh, Simeon . . . I can forgive you a lot of tricks for that ! I might even kiss you. In appreciation, of course. That was so beautiful. Thank you," and she smiled.
    Simeon modulated his voice so that there was a "smile" in his tones when he answered her. "You're welcome. Do you happen to know what that was?" He didn't think she was likely to, but he kept that out of his tone.
    She wiped an eye and said, "I've never had the opportunity to hear one, but that has to be a Reticulan croon."
    "You're right about that," Simeon said with satisfaction. "But I'll bet you'll never guess who performed it."
    He tried hard to keep any smugness out of his voice.
    "Now, how would I know who sang, much less who could, beside Reticulans, and they're on the other side of this galaxy. Oh! It couldn't be . . ." Her eyes went round in awed surprise. "Not Helva ? She's supposed to be able to sing them. But . . . you . . . and Helva, the ship who sings?"
    "None other." Simeon was gratified by her reaction.
    "You know her?"
    "Indeed I do," and Simeon allowed himself to speak with considerable pride. "She drops by every now and then to visit—" he couldn't resist a little pause for effect "—me. We discuss and exchange contemporary music from all parts of the galaxy. Since there are so few recordings of Reticulan croons—which we shellpeople enjoy so much—she herself made me a gift of this one." The memory of his thrill at receiving such a prize colored his tone.
    Channa smiled in response. "Finally read my personnel tape, did you?"
    "Well, I'd love to say that I'm just terribly perceptive, but music's mentioned as a significant interest. I just thought this particular recording might please, too."
    "Oooh," she said with a quaver in her laugh, "music hath charms department? As you said not long ago,"
    and there was an edge of combined sarcasm and chagrin, "you have a few talents." Then she added brightly, "Do you sing, too? That's not mentioned in your personals."
    Simeon made a throat-clearing, clearly self-deprecating sound. "I am not like Helva and make no claims to musical discrimination. I listen to what I like, but I don't know if I'll like something until I hear it."
    "So what else have you heard and liked?" she asked, relaxed in the afterglow of the beautiful croon.
    "Besides rockjack, that is?"
    His tone was embarrassed. "I really don't like Rant much. I just got used to it, you know. The guys on those early mining belt assignments I had didn't play anything else. Most of what I like turns out to be classical or operatic."
    "Me, too," she said, smiling towards his column with a kindliness he had not seen in her before. "Well, if Helva liked you enough to give you that superb Reticulan recording, and you actually admit to a preference for classical and operatic, perhaps we should call a truce?"
    "A truce? Do we need one?"
    She narrowed her eyes. "In a manner of speaking, we do. We have struck a few sparks." She grinned.
    "A mutual appreciation of music is so far probably the firmest common ground between us. Halfway through secondary school, I realized that my best friends were also my choirmates." She leaned toward the column, with the first intimacy she had so far shown him. "We used to produce and cast ghost operas."
    "You did what?"
    "We'd choose a subject or theme, and a composer, then select a cast. The rules said that composer and cast have to be dead."
    "Really? How bizarre!" Simeon paused to consider