"We must celebrate," she said.
"We must," he agreed. Then he clasped her and they went into another slow bout of sex.
They cleaned up and walked back the way they had come, no longer needing to go to Triumph City. One small part of her regretted that; she would have liked to see the fabulous pyramid. And to be possessed by Havoc. But she knew this was better, for both of them.
"Request," she said hesitantly.
"Ask."
"Could we meet again? I don't want to interfere with your life, but—"
"I am not telepathic, but I think I know your reason. I provided you with something you can't get elsewhere."
"Affirmation. How did you know?"
"Because you did that for me. I love Flame; there is no other woman like her, and she is very good to me. But she is a Glamor, and I know I can never come close to matching her in anything. She really doesn't need me, except that she likes me. You—"
"I am an ordinary girl," she finished. "My problem is the mirror of yours: Oak is simple, and can't understand the nuances. He is sweet, with no meanness anywhere in him. But I can't treat him sexually as I treated you; he is not equipped to understand. So I need a mentally and emotionally independent man, and you are that."
"We need each other," he agreed. "We are oath friends, so can trust each other. We should meet regularly."
"Even one hour a month would help me unwind. No fault, of course, but it would still release me emotionally."
"Similarity. It would be intense."
"Affirmation. Could we meet somewhere? Privately? I would rather not have this known elsewhere."
"Understanding. I will find you when you are alone. It will be our secret, with no criticism of our other associations."
"Concurrence."
They continued walking toward the village, but her mind did not settle. "Problem."
"Aside: you do not give up readily on things. I like that in you. Speak."
"If I know it is a decoy effort, the machines will soon know it too. Won't that spoil it?"
"Good point." He considered. "Negation. How can the machines gamble that it isn't valid? They will have to verify it anyway, wasting resources."
"Question: if they know it's a decoy, why check it?"
"Because of the nature of decoys. There has to be a real weapon somewhere, or why have decoys? So the threat has to be real. Any seeming decoys they don't check could destroy them."
"Apology. I am not smart enough to understand why."
"Analogy: say you collect one hundred fresh fruits for you and the family to eat during the week. They all look the same. Then you learn that one has been poisoned. Do you eat them anyway, because the chances are that any one fruit you eat is good?"
"Negation! It might kill me." She paused, considering further. "And if I eat them all, it will kill me."
"But you need those fruits to survive; there are no others. You must eat them."
"I will check every single one of them most carefully, to discover which one has been poisoned. Cursing the time it takes, because I have other things to do."
"Even so, the machines. Havoc would not have told you there was a secret weapon unless there was one. So he hid it amidst decoys."
"Sense," Opaline agreed, seeing it. "I am proud to be a decoy."
"Especially if Oak is the real threat, and you only think he's a decoy. It works either way."
"Every link in a chain is vital," she said. "Appreciation again, Fifth."
"Needless. We are friends."
She caught his arm, turned him toward her, and kissed him. "Friends," she agreed.
Chapter 16 Ikon
Weft was in grief for the loss of Fifth. She could not fault him for choosing Flame. Why should he settle for being the number two man in a Glamor's life, when he could be the number one man? Flame certainly was deserving. It was just that he was such a nice man to be with. She had truly enjoyed her month with him. She wished she could have kept him. He was the first mortal man she had encountered who was thoroughly familiar with Glamor women, including her sisters and mother, and was able to relate to them on their terms. And the sex! Who else would have thought to turn a glass of fruit juice into wildly naughty eroticism?
Yet she knew that she could far more readily find another man to be with, and to marry, than Flame could. She was beautiful and social, as Flame was not, and she could sing. Flame was the finest martial artist in the Human Culture, but few men would want her as a mistress. Flame was simply not a man charmer. Except for Fifth, who liked her lean body and her resolute integrity. This way was better, considered objectively.
Weft had not suffered rejection before, and was having difficulty adjusting to it. But this would pass, in due course. Maybe there would even come a time when she could look back and be thankful that it had worked out this way. Maybe.
Weft. It was Ennui, signaling her telepathically.
Present. Ennui was never frivolous. All the Glamors respected her.
There is something here that should interest you.
I am not in the mood for diversion at the moment.
This is beyond that. The machines have sent another robot.
Another robot! She sighed. This was a significant development, and she was the Glamor presently on call.
I will be right there.
She washed her face to remove any lingering sign of tears, donned a suitably provocative dress, and conjured herself to Ennui's office.
Havoc was there, standing by Ennui's desk. "Hi, dad. What are you doing here? I thought you were training in what's her name."
He smiled. "I just couldn't stay away from you, honey."
"Sure. Any time you are ready for something more than a daughterly kiss, like maybe a hot game of Tickle & Peek—" She froze. "Expletive! You're the robot!"
"Fifteen seconds," Ennui said. "I win."
Weft read her mind. The robot had bet it would take her at least thirty seconds to catch on.
She studied him. He looked and sounded exactly like Havoc, of course; the machines had studied him closely.
But what was the purpose of this ploy? To persuade Gale to talk Voila into joining the machines? That seemed unlikely to work. Gale would never take up with a Havoc-robot when the real Havoc was freely available to her. The machines would know that. So he must have been sent to persuade someone else.
"Obscenity! It's me he came for!"
"Ten seconds," Ennui said. "I win again."
The robot nodded. "I underestimated you, Weft. You are too smart for me."
Weft faced Ennui. "Suspicion. I'm supposed to take him on?"
"Confirmation. He was made for you," Ennui said. "You must fathom his nature, and ascertain whether he is a danger to any of us or to our cause."
"He's a machine!"
"But I am your machine," the robot said. "I will do my utmost to please you."
"Mocked up as my father? Insult!"
"I will be your toy, to play with as you choose."
"While you plot to destroy our entire culture!"
"Negation. Once you accept me, my loyalty will be to you and your culture."
"Except that you'll try to make me lean on my little sister to join the machines."
"Affirmation. It is the only way to save her, and you. But apart from that, I will be yours."
"What does Voila say?"
"She says to do it," Ennui said. "You must study him, and come to a conclusion."
"Conclusion about what?"
"About his real mission. His purpose may be to distract you from some other ploy you would otherwise have prevented."
"Negation!" the robot protested.
"And the only way to find out is to take him on," Weft said grimly.