garment. She was darker than Sirru, her skin dappled with the colors of storm cloud and rain. She reached up and touched the tip of a jade green tongue to the implant below his collarbone. The scale vanished; Sirru's skin was suddenly cool beneath the robe.
"Now you'll know what I'm thinking," he told her, embar-rassed.
She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"But I want to share things with you."
"You'll think I'm an infant," he said. "An infant who can't control its own thoughts… And compared to your hhaithoi af-filiates, it's probably true."
Anarres shivered in his arms. "But that's exactly my prob-lem. You see, I've been doing some work for a hfiaith —a per-son called EsRavesh. And he's somehow got the idea that I'm his exclusive apsara , that I shouldn't be sleeping with anyone else. But of course that's simply unreasonable. After all, it's my job as a courtesan-interpreter. Anyway, EsRavesh has no right to tell me what to do in my private life, has he?"
She glanced up, and Sirru realized that without the scale, she had felt his sudden alarm.
'Sirru? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Sirru said, firmly. "I'm just worried about you, that's all." Gently, he released her and went to stand at the edge of the balcony.
EsRavesh: the ftfiaith whom he had been summoned to see on the following morning. It could not be coincidence. Was that why the name was so familiar? Sirru tried to stifle his dis-may. Had Anarres mentioned EsRavesh before? No, he was certain she had not. But was he being brought before the kfiaithoi for his involvement with Anarres? It seemed un-likely—higher castes rarely concerned themselves with the sexual entanglements of their social inferiors. But if, as Anarres had said, EsRavesh was being unreasonable…
He hoped this wasn't going to turn into some horrible po-litical complication. What with poor IrEthiverris and the dis-aster on Arakrahali, the past montüs had been bad enough already.
"Sirru, you don't know what it's like, dealing with the khaithoi ," Anarres said behind him. "It's like being sur-rounded by mirrors. You never have any privacy. They can feel everything you think. They won't let me wear scale, of course; it's as though I'm raw, all the time. When I'm inter-preting for them, they just reach out and take my thoughts."
Now that Sirru's own scale had been deactivated, he could feel the frustration emanating from Anarres like steam. He wondered what her suppressant prescriptions might be. Her honesty was startling.
"I'm sorry," Anarres said abruptly. "It really isn't fair to ask you to listen to all my problems. But you're so easy to talk to…"
"I'd been wondering what you see in me."
Anarres looked a little startled. "You're kind. And you lis-ten to what I'm saying instead of looking at me as though I was some kind of ornament. Anyway, all the people I ever seem to meet are politicians, and it's nice to spend time with someone uncomplicated for a change."
Sirru was not sure whether to regard this as a compliment or not, but Anarres' mood was changing. She was broadcast-ing I attraction!affectionlregard ! and a promise beyond all these that made him gasp.
He felt her tongue slide across the sensi-tive skin of his throat, trailing excitement in its wake. His quills prickled, rising slightly from his scalp. He managed to say in a reasonably normal voice, "Actually, my own status may be undergoing a revision. I have an appointment with the 'thaithoi tomorrow." He did
not mention the name of EsRavesh. "I've been given to understand it's important, but who can feel?"
"You're representing your caste? Or just your clade?"
Sirru smiled. It was a compliment for her to think that he might be representing the millions of people and subspecies who comprised his caste, but he knew she was just saying it to flatter him.
"The latter. Usually my family wheedles me into rep-resenting them, but this time the fyaithoi asked for me per-sonally."
The leafgreen eyes blinked up into his own.
"Now you'll know what I'm thinking," he told her, embar-rassed.
She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"But I want to share things with you."
"You'll think I'm an infant," he said. "An infant who can't control its own thoughts… And compared to your hhaithoi af-filiates, it's probably true."
Anarres shivered in his arms. "But that's exactly my prob-lem. You see, I've been doing some work for a hfiaith —a per-son called EsRavesh. And he's somehow got the idea that I'm his exclusive apsara , that I shouldn't be sleeping with anyone else. But of course that's simply unreasonable. After all, it's my job as a courtesan-interpreter. Anyway, EsRavesh has no right to tell me what to do in my private life, has he?"
She glanced up, and Sirru realized that without the scale, she had felt his sudden alarm.
'Sirru? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Sirru said, firmly. "I'm just worried about you, that's all." Gently, he released her and went to stand at the edge of the balcony.
EsRavesh: the ftfiaith whom he had been summoned to see on the following morning. It could not be coincidence. Was that why the name was so familiar? Sirru tried to stifle his dis-may. Had Anarres mentioned EsRavesh before? No, he was certain she had not. But was he being brought before the kfiaithoi for his involvement with Anarres? It seemed un-likely—higher castes rarely concerned themselves with the sexual entanglements of their social inferiors. But if, as Anarres had said, EsRavesh was being unreasonable…
He hoped this wasn't going to turn into some horrible po-litical complication. What with poor IrEthiverris and the dis-aster on Arakrahali, the past montüs had been bad enough already.
"Sirru, you don't know what it's like, dealing with the khaithoi ," Anarres said behind him. "It's like being sur-rounded by mirrors. You never have any privacy. They can feel everything you think. They won't let me wear scale, of course; it's as though I'm raw, all the time. When I'm inter-preting for them, they just reach out and take my thoughts."
Now that Sirru's own scale had been deactivated, he could feel the frustration emanating from Anarres like steam. He wondered what her suppressant prescriptions might be. Her honesty was startling.
"I'm sorry," Anarres said abruptly. "It really isn't fair to ask you to listen to all my problems. But you're so easy to talk to…"
"I'd been wondering what you see in me."
Anarres looked a little startled. "You're kind. And you lis-ten to what I'm saying instead of looking at me as though I was some kind of ornament. Anyway, all the people I ever seem to meet are politicians, and it's nice to spend time with someone uncomplicated for a change."
Sirru was not sure whether to regard this as a compliment or not, but Anarres' mood was changing. She was broadcast-ing I attraction!affectionlregard ! and a promise beyond all these that made him gasp.
He felt her tongue slide across the sensi-tive skin of his throat, trailing excitement in its wake. His quills prickled, rising slightly from his scalp. He managed to say in a reasonably normal voice, "Actually, my own status may be undergoing a revision. I have an appointment with the 'thaithoi tomorrow." He did
not mention the name of EsRavesh. "I've been given to understand it's important, but who can feel?"
"You're representing your caste? Or just your clade?"
Sirru smiled. It was a compliment for her to think that he might be representing the millions of people and subspecies who comprised his caste, but he knew she was just saying it to flatter him.
"The latter. Usually my family wheedles me into rep-resenting them, but this time the fyaithoi asked for me per-sonally."
The leafgreen eyes blinked up into his own.
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