Free Shadow's End by Sheri S. Tepper Page B

both comfortable and private. The wings on either side hid her from anyone who was not directly opposite, and there was more uninhabited room around her than in her whole apartment and three or four others like it. Behind her, she could hear two Fastiga women making conversation, unaware they were overheard.
    â€œThere’s Olloby Pime, with her Old-earth friend,” said one voice. “So hairy, Old-earthers. I had an earther lover once. Did I ever tell you, Britta? So relaxing. Such a treasure. Poor thing had no idea what I was feeling, and I can’t tell you how refreshing that was.”
    Britta paused before responding. “I perceive your satisfaction, Ostil-ohn, but my own experience would lead me to believe such a liaison would be rather frustrating.”
    Britta and Ostil-ohn, said Lutha to herself. Ostil-ohn, who had had a terrestrial but non-Fastigat lover.
    Ostil-ohn, who was saying:
    â€œOh, my dear, no. For example, if I wasn’t in the moodfor sex, instead of being coaxed and wooed and pestered for simply hours and having to heat up out of sheer inevitability, I could just pretend I was wild with desire to begin with.”
    â€œHe didn’t know the difference?”
    â€œNot at all! He hadn’t the tiniest flicker of perception, so he got on with it, and I sighed and yelped a bit, and shortly it was over, while meantime I’d gone on thinking what I was thinking about before he started!”
    â€œBut, Ostil-ohn, this implies …what if you were in the mood and he wasn’t?”
    â€œAh, well, there are drawbacks to every relationship. It’s true one gets in the mood much less often than with Fastigats.”
    Britta snorted.
    â€œI wonder where Limia Famber is,” Ostil-ohn murmured next. “I haven’t seen her lately.”
    Lutha leaned back, listening intently.
    â€œOne assumes she has not been taking part in public life since her son disappeared.”
    â€œI shouldn’t think she was surprised! What did she expect? Leelson was destined to disappear. Takes after his father in that regard.”
    â€œOstil-ohn! You’re being cruel. Grebor Two didn’t disappear purposely. Any more than
his
father did!”
    â€œListen, when three generations of Fambers stick around only long enough to father one child, then take off and are never seen again, one may be forgiven for assuming a genetic tendency toward vanishment!”
    A pause indicating that Britta was considering this. “Three generations?”
    â€œActually four, if you count uncles. Leelson; his father, Grebor Two; his grandfather, Grebor One; and his great-granduncle.”
    â€œWho was his great-granduncle?”
    â€œPaniwar Famber, son of Bernesohn and Tospia. That’s five generations, because Paniwar was an only too.”
    â€œPaniwar was
not
an only. Paniwar had a twin sister, Tospiann. Boy and girl—”
    â€œI meant only
son,”
interrupted Ostil-Ohn.
    â€œâ€”and Bernesohn had flocks of children with other women!”
    A moment’s silence. “That’s right. I’d forgotten.”
    â€œPaniwar had more than one child, too, though it was a scandal! He got some little tourister girl pregnant when he was just a boy. She wanted him to marry her, can you imagine! When he told her Fastigats
don’t
, she went to some remote place and had the child secretly, making Paniwar guilty of improper fathering! The talk went on for years!”
    â€œMy dear, it wasn’t a little tourister girl. I remember now. It was someone famous on the frontier! He was only a boy, she was twice his age, and that’s what the talk was about!”
    Ostil-ohn murmured, “Whoever. I’ll modify my statement. When four generations of Fambers stick around only long enough to father one
acknowledged son
and then take off never to be seen again, one may be forgiven for assuming it’s genetic.”
    Britta said, “Limia would argue