Chapter 3

"When God saw the dependence of women on males, he decided that it was best that man be taken away for a time, so women would learn self reliance."-- The Story of Gran Ch. 5, Line 3.

Lissa kissed her mother good-bye, watched as she portaled back to her own home, let out a sigh and opened her dormroom door. Atelan Cahlartan was there waiting.

"Well? What happened? Don't keep me waiting!"

Lissa gave her roommate a big grin. "I aced it."

The portaler let out a shriek, ran over and gave Lissa a big hug, lifting her off the ground. "I knew you'd do it!"

"Only one more month to go for you, and then we'll both be free of this prison."

Atelan twirled the lighter and shorter mover around, so that her legs flew out. A stray leg hit one of the university issue lamps, knocking it to floor. Fortunately, it wasn't damaged.

Lissa giggled. "We've got to be more careful."

"Aw, forget the lamp," said Atelan, caressing Lissa's cheek, "tonight we celebrate!"

"Ooo, sounds nice." Lissa pushed her lover's hand away, and rapped it around her neck. They kissed, deeply and passionately. They ran each their hands through each others platinum blonde hair. When their lips finally parted, the two women gazed into each other's eyes.

Atelan whispered into Lissa's ear. "Let's go to the bedroom."

Lissa hugged her lover tightly, then pulled away. "Oh Atelan, I'd love to... But..."

The young portaler frowned, "I don't like the sound of that 'but'."

"It's just that my mother has already invited me out to dinner. I need to be ready for her in about an hour."

"I knew it! It's your damn mother again! I swear, Dahra clings to you tighter than a leechbird to a bor."

"I know. And I'm trying to set boundaries, but she is my mother, and it is tradition."

"Forget tradition! Who would you rather spend the evening, with me or your mother?"

"You know I would rather spend it with you. But she is my adoptive mother. She took care of me when my real mother died. I owe her...

"And I love her... Not like I love you, of course, Atelan. But she wants to have dinner with me, and I will honor her wishes."

Atelan let out a sigh, and sat down on the sofa. "Sometimes I'm glad me and my mom aren't close. It's been nearly a year since I last spoke to her."

Lissa put her hand on her roommate's shoulder. "Have you tried talking to her again?"

"Nothing to talk about. When she found out that I liked girls, she said she never wanted to talk to me ever again."

"But things change over time. Maybe if you..."

"Look, you handle your mother your way, I handle mine my way."

"Okay, okay!"

Lissa went to her room and took off her clothes. She then put on her robe, and headed for the floor's shower room at the end of the hall. As she strode past Atelan, for the front door. The young portaler grabbed her hand, pulling Lissa to a stop.

"I'm sorry," Atelan said, in a small voice.

"It's all right," said Lissa.

Lissa took a quick shower, careful not to get her hair wet. Once her long hair got wet it took an hour for it to dry. Right now she didn't have the time to do that.

She headed back down the hall, to her room. She walked past Atelan, who was still moping on the sofa, without a sound. She got dressed for her dinner.

As she walked out of her room, Atelan let out a shriek.

Lissa was wearing a dress that was a collection of a dozen brown inch and a half wide canvas strips hanging from a collar around her neck. The strips went down to mid-thigh. Her only other cover was a narrow brown belt that held one strip in place over her navel. The others swayed as she moved, giving fleeting glimpses of various body parts. Her hair, still braided as before, hung down her back, and over the dress.

"You like?" asked Lissa.

"Wow," said Atelan, "if I ever wore anything like that, I'd be kicked out of the portalers' guild. You movers have so much freedom."

"Not as much as you think. The Movers' Guild has its restrictions too. If I were to wear a pair of shorts, with long legs, or any kind of shirt with a sleeve, I'd be censured just as quickly as you. Also if I exposed my navel."

Atelan grabbed Lissa's hand affectionately. "I've seen your navel lots of times."

Lissa touched the back of her neck. " Ah, But that's different. That's private."

The portaler changed the subject. "Lissa, have you ever thought about telling your mother. You know, about you and me."

The mover paused for a second. "All the time," she said at last. "My relationship with my mom has always been based on trust. I always told her everything. Now there's something I can't talk to her about. And I want to."

"Well don't."

Lissa looked at her lover in surprise. "I didn't think you would say that."

"If I hadn't been sloppy, and took a cute faldu minder in my own bedroom. My mother wouldn't have caught us, and would've never found out. We'd still be close today."

Tears streamed down Atelan's face. "I miss her Lissa. I miss her so much!"

"Oh Atelan!" cried Lissa. She took the portaler into her arms, and let her cry. When she was all cried out, Lissa still held her to her breast.

"You know, you really should try to get back in touch with her."

Atelan looked up with her tear-stained eyes, and tried to smile. "We'll see."

"So your first one was faldu too?"

"Yeah, though it wasn't the one that my mother caught me with. That was number five or six. All were faldu."

Lissa was stunned. "That many?"

"Three or four after that. Before you. All of them were short term. A week, maybe two. A month at most. None of them were long term, until you."

Lissa hugged her lover. "Almost eight months now, since you corrupted me, and still going strong."

Atelan laughed. "Corrupted you, did I? Sure I did! Dragged you to my bed kicking and screaming!"

Lissa leered, "well, I don't remember any kicking, but there was definitely some screaming."

They laughed for a few minutes, then Atelan briefly turned serious.

"It's funny. I think back now, and can't remember any of my other lovers' faces. I can only remember a couple of names. You've washed them all away."

The two were about to kiss, when a knock sounded at the door.

"That's my mom, Atelan. You go into the other room and wipe up your face."

At exactly one hour after she dropped Lissa off Dahra returned. She knocked on the dorm door. After about a minute, the door opened, and Dahra's jaw hit the floor.

There was Lissa. She was wearing an outfit so revealing, anyone but a mover would blush. But movers seemed to have little if any shame.

Lissa stared at her mother with concern. "Are you okay Mom?"

Dahra recovered. "Sure, sure. Nice dress."

"I thought so. I bought about a week ago with this very event in mind."

"Your roommate, Adran is it? Is she here?"

"Atelan. Yes she's here.

"Atelan! Can you come here a minute?"

As Atelan walked into the room. She was almost as tall as Dahra, with short blonde hair, the same shade as Lissa's. She ran her fingers through her hair. Guild greeting. Dahra returned the gesture.

"Dahra. Good to see you again."

"And you, Atelan. Are you okay?"

"Sure, why?"

"It looks like you've been crying."

"Oh that. I've just been reading one of those trashy tearjerker novels. They get to me every time."

"I see."

Lissa jumped in. "Well, we need to be going. I'll probably won't be back too late."

"Fine."

After Dahra walked out the door, Atelan whispered something into Lissa's ear. Lissa's eyes widened in surprise. She nodded her head, and left.

As the portal formed, Lissa shook her head in disbelief. Would Atelan really be wearing some of her clothes when she got back.

If Lissa had anything to say about it, this would be a brief evening indeed.

Lat was about one of its diameters above the horizon when Dahra and Lissa sat down at the restaurant. When they had left Fahr though, Lat was already beneath the horizon. Therefore, they were quite hungry. The more famous and unique restaurants on Docre were open twenty-four hours a day, since people would portal there from all over the globe, at all hours. But, since this restaurant was not yet world renowned, only two of the fifty odd tables were occupied at this locally early hour.

They already knew that they were going to have the selah, so Lissa suggested they order while they were being seated.

Dahra also ordered a bottle of wine for them. It arrived almost immediately. It was a fine pale green wine from Feksakleru, a small vale on the island of Idwahr, an expensive wine for a professor's salary. After Dahra filled two glasses, Lissa raise her glass in a toast.

"Here's to the very best mother any child could hope for."

Dahra blushed. These occasions were always a little awkward for her, and since they didn't happen too often, she had little practice. In expected response, Dahra lifted her glass. "Here's to your birth mother. May she be... be looking down from the afterlife... with pride today, seeing what her daughter has accomplished."

The two glasses clinked together, and both took a sip of the fine wine.

"You're too kind," said Lissa.

"As are you."

Both sighed and leaned back in their chairs, relieved that the formality was over. A contented silence settled over the table for a few moments, as they waited for their meal to arrive.

"So," said Dahra, breaking the lull, "did you have an uneventful day yesterday, preparing for the exam?"

"Hell, no!" Lissa retorted. "Didn't you remember that yesterday was the one-thirty-fifth?"

"Oh yes, that is your insemination date, isn't it? Always five days after mine. How did it go?"

"A really big pain in the butt, as usual. My roommate Atelan portaled me over to the least busy of the six centers, but I still had to wait in line for over an hour."

Dahra nodded her head in sympathy. "They really should open a seventh center, but there are barely enough healers to run the six that already exist."

"Yeah, I know. Gusva Ishtahrtan, at my dorm, has to spend one day a week at a center."

"As do all healers."

"Right. She says that it a really major pain, caring for all those comatose males. All the feeding, cleaning, waste removal, and milking is done automatically."