Free Araminta Station by Jack Vance

“I’ve forgotten what we were talking about.”
    Jerdys said plaintively: “Let’s discuss something really wonderful and interesting, like the Medusa Cult.”
    “I’m willing,” said Cloyd. “Do you have a gentlemen’s auxiliary ?
    “Not now,” said Jerdys, “We used them all for sacrifices.”
    “Ha-hah!” Lexy cried out. “Who is divulging secrets now?”
    “Those secrets are well used and no good to anyone.”
    Arles said: “Speaking of secrets, I have a splendid idea! Have you noticed that there are four Medusa-type girls here, and also four Bold Lions? Glawen and Kiper don’t count; in fact, they were on the point of going home. I suggest that we join forces and go off to somewhere quiet where we can drink wine and sort out all our old secrets, and maybe work up some new ones.”
    “That’s one of Arles’ rare good ideas,” said Cloyd. “I’ll vote yes.”
    “And I,” said Kirdy, smiling self-consciously. “There’s two yes votes. Arles will probably vote yes also, which makes three. Uther?”
    Uther pursed his lips. “I think that I will reserve my vote until the ladies are heard from. I assume that they will all vote in the affirmative.”
    “Silence means assent,” said Arles. “So then -”
    “To the contrary,” said Lexy crisply. “Silence in this case means shock and astonishment.”
    Jerdys asked: “What do you take us for? This is the Medusa Cult: a very select group!”
    Clöe suggested: “Go try the Nixies or the Girls’ Philosophy Club.”
    Ticia rose to her feet. “It’s quite time that I was getting home.”
    “I wonder why we waited this long,” said Jerdys with a sniff.
    The girls departed. The Bold Lions looked after them nonplussed. Kiper broke the silence. “How very odd! One mention of the Bold Lions and the girls dash away as if they were running a race.”
    Glawen stated: “Arles has written a book for the use of Bold Lions only. It is called Manual of the Erotic Arts . On the first page he should print a warning: ‘Never admit to being a Bold Lion! If you do, the warranty on this book becomes void.’”
    Kiper said smugly: “I’m glad that I’m not a Bold Lion. What of you, Glawen?”
     “I’m quite happy the way I am.”
    Arles declared grimly: “Neither of you will ever be invited into the group; you can be sure of that!”
    Kiper jumped to his feet. “Come, Glawen! Let’s leave before Arles changes his mind!”
    Glawen and Kiper departed. Uther made a wry comment: “For a fact, our public image seems to be, shall we say, not superb.”
     “Most odd!” said Cloyd. “After all, we’re not deep-dyed ruffians.”
     “Not all of us, at any rate,” growled Kirdy Wook.
    Arles demanded sharply: “What do you mean by that?”
    “Your suggestion to the girls that we go somewhere and cuddle was preposterous, if not vulgar.”
    “You voted for it!”
    “I did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings,” said Kirdy virtuously.
     “Hmmf! Well, it was an idea. They could have said yes or they could have said no. Who knows? Next time it might be yes. That’s the theory behind a whole section in my book, entitled: ‘Go for it; what can you lose?’”
    Kirdy rose to his feet. “I’ve got schoolwork to do. I’m going home.” He departed.
    Arles said thoughtfully: “Kirdy can be just a bit pompous at times. He’s not what I would call a typical Bold Lion.”
    Cloyd said: “If just for this reason, he improves our image.”
    Uther sighed. “You may well be right. Except for Kirdy, we’re a fairly erratic group, at the fringe of civilization . . . I’m going home too. I’m a bit behind in mathematics.”
    “I guess I’ll do the same,” said Arles dubiously. “Old Sonorius hit me with an Urgent Notice that I’m supposed to show my mother.”
    Uther asked in interest: “Are you going to do so?”
    “Small chance of that!”
    But when Arles returned to his chambers he found that the lyceum had sent his mother a separate