Akoya twitched without opening his eyes. Something in him seemed to be suggesting that it was time for him to wake up, but his body didn't seem to want to move. Whatever he was lying on was very comfortable, and he felt warm and lazy, entirely disinclined to move. Whatever it was he needed to wake up for, someone else could deal with it.
"It looks like you're finally coming around," a voice somewhere above his head observed. It wasn't entirely unfamiliar, but Akoya couldn't immediately place it, either. He stiffened. He didn't like strangers getting too near him, and when he was in an unprotected situation like this...
With a gasp, he opened his eyes. There was a face looming over him. Not an unpleasant face, he might have admitted - elegant, in a sharp-featured sort of way, framed by gold-tinged hair. Akoya looked up at it and found himself unable to place the color of the man's eyes. They seemed like they ought to be brown, but there were hints of lavender and smoke mixed in, so that Akoya found himself staring, trying to get a fix on those elusive hints of color...
"Still feeling a little groggy?" the man asked sympathetically. "That's only natural. You'll feel like yourself again soon."
"I had the strangest dream..." Akoya murmured.
"It wasn't a dream," said the young man, smiling with amusement. "Look around."
He stepped back, giving Akoya room to sit up properly. Moving slowly, Akoya levered himself up and looked around. He was in a bright, airy room that seemed to be made entirely of carved alabaster, the walls worked with gloriously detailed bas-reliefs depicting gardens and flowering meadows. The petals of the flowers and trees were made of gemstones, ranging in size from as small as the tip of his smallest finger to as large as his palm, catching the light in an array of rainbow colors. There was a deep white carpet on the floor, as pure and clean as new-fallen snow, as if no one had ever set foot in this room until Akoya and the strange man had arrived there. The windows matched the walls, jewel-toned stained glass depicting various flowers, and the sun shining through them made colorful geometric patterns on the white floor. The bed Akoya was lying on was large enough to easily accommodate three people, with a canopy and layers of curtains, pink silk on the outside and delicate gauze on the inside. The other furniture he could see matched the bed: pale wood, pink silk, and embroidered flowers. If he'd been given free rein to create his ideal living quarters, he might have invented something like this.
"Where am I?" he asked slowly.
The man smiled. "Welcome to your new home."
Akoya just stared. He recognized the man now: Sulfur, god of wealth and prosperity, ruler of the Land of the Blessed Dead. With that recognition, everything else came back.
"It really worked," he said. He looked down at his hands. A little breeze stirred out of nowhere, twining around his fingers, carrying a gust of flower petals that vanished again before they could touch the floor.
"You can trust Aurite when he tells you things," said Sulfur. "Welcome to the Heavenly City. I'm sure you'll be very comfortable here. These are your new rooms. If there is anything you need or want, you should be able to find it here. Rooms here tend to be very accommodating. Anyway, Aurite says you should stay here and rest while your new powers settle in. Tomorrow you'll start meeting people so you can choose your new consorts."
"Ah. Of course," said Akoya. He slid carefully off the edge of the bed and began walking around the room, exploring. It was apparently part of a suite of rooms, with open doors leading to the rest of his living quarters. At least exploring would give him something to do while he waited for the morning and everything it would bring with it.
"Is everything in order?" Sulfur asked. He was still being very courteous, but there was an air about him of a man who had other places to be.
"Everything is fine," said Akoya, more or less reflexively. He'd found a walk-in closet and was beginning to explore its contents. He didn't need to worry about amusing himself - he could easily spend the rest of the night trying on clothes.
"In that case, I will leave you to it," he said. He flashed a quick smile. "Welcome to the pantheon, Pearlite, god of beauty."
Akoya smiled. He did like the sound of that.
When Sulfur was gone, Akoya wandered over to one of the windows and opened it. The view looked down on the entire city, rows of glittering golden streets and beautiful houses surrounded by graceful trees, but it was the landscape that captured his attention. There were a few chunks of land like islands that floated in midair, apparently unconcerned by gravity. Rainbows arced and twisted in the air like so many scarves flung to the wind. Overhead, he could see something like a strange moon, a great golden sphere surrounded by rings of topaz, emerald, and cobalt. The stars were clustered together as thickly as snowflakes in a blizzard, all of them larger and brighter than anything he'd ever seen at home.
So, this was how it was going to be from now on. Joy began to well up inside him. He'd really made it. He was a god. He was going to be young and beautiful and perfect for the rest of time. Everything was going to be perfect forever and ever and ever...
"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea," said Ryuu.
He had gone back to Io's place. At the moment, he didn't want to be in the Heavenly City, no matter how comfortable he usually found his living quarters there. Aurite had already put out the word that the newly made god Pearlite's hand was up for grabs to anyone who could charm him into agreeing, and that meant Ryuu suddenly had quite a lot of his friends and neighbors pestering him for favors. Oh, not all of them, of course. Some of them were already happily involved with someone else. Some of them simply didn't care for Akoya's type - quite wise, in Ryuu's opinion. There were still enough to cause a nuisance. It was far safer to hide in the underworld until this was all over.
"I thought you liked it," said Io. He'd picked up a diamond the size of an apple and was rolling it casually from hand to hand.
"Going along with it and liking it are two different things," said Ryuu. "Aurite should have put a time limit on this. Otherwise the guy is likely to string things out forever. Meanwhile everyone will be bugging me to give them an edge. As far as I'm concerned, I'm back where I started."
Io smiled a little. "Maybe you should throw your own hat in the ring."
Ryuu, who had been pacing the floor, stopped as if he'd walked into a wall. "What... why?"
"Well, they could hardly ask you to favor them if you told them you were interested in the man yourself," said Io.
"Have you forgotten that I am married already?" Ryuu asked. "Because I'm happy to remind you any time you like. Try me. I could stand to blow off some steam."
"Listen to yourself. That's the point," said Io reasonably. "You are, as you are so fond of telling me, the living embodiment of carnal desire. You've been faithful to me for a long time - and I'm not complaining about that - but people will believe you if you say you're interested in, ah..."
"A little variety?" Ryuu offered. He thought about it. "Nah, that's no good. I don't want to cheat on you. I don't even want to pretend to cheat on you. And I definitely don't want other people getting the idea I would cheat on you if a good enough offer came along. I spend enough time telling them off as it is."
"I know. It's almost sweet," said Io, smiling. Ryuu smiled back automatically. It had taken him a long time to come to grips with the fact that his best friend was also the man he wanted as his life partner, but every time he saw Io smile, he knew he'd made the right decision.
"How about this," said Io. "What if I were to join you? We'll say we talked it over and decided he appeals to both of us, so we've decided to let him join our little family. Aurite did stipulate that he is to choose one of us each from the heavenly city and the underworld. That covers the two of us quite neatly."
"You may have a point," said Ryuu thoughtfully. "I guess we could say we come as a package deal. He takes both of us or neither of us."
"Agreed," said Io. "Although, now that I think this though... what do we do if he decides we're what he wants?"
"Not happening," said Ryuu firmly. "Aurite asked me for a love match, remember? No way I'm falling for a guy like him."
"No, I suppose not," said Io. He looked thoughtful. "He is very pretty, though."
"Don't you start!" Ryuu exclaimed. "Don't you forget, you're married, too. You want to look at someone, you can look at me."
"I never forget," said Io, smiling. "You know I've always been happy to be with you."
Ryuu grinned and went to slip his arms around Io's waist. "That's what I like to hear. Nobody's ever going to take your place with me, and you'd better not forget it."
He leaned down and began kissing the back of Io's neck, enjoying the feeling of their bodies pressing together. He'd go along with this plan - it was a reasonable enough one, and Io was usually right about these things - but he had no doubt of how things were going to turn out. A pretty face wasn't going to charm him. He had Io, and that was all he'd ever need.
When the knock came at Akoya's door, his first slightly panicky thought was, It's starting already.
His first few hours of divinity had been entirely pleasant. He'd investigated his new rooms and found them more than satisfactory, whiled away some time trying on the extravagant wardrobe he'd been provided with, and enjoyed a splendid meal on his new balcony, watching the stars spin slowly over the city. He'd discovered that Sulfur had been being quite literal when he'd called the rooms "accommodating". All he'd had to do was wonder aloud where one went to get food in this place, and he'd turned around to find a little table drawn up with a covered dish sitting behind him. He'd tried thinking about exactly what it was he wanted to eat, and when he'd raised the lid, that was what he'd found. When he'd mentioned that it would be most pleasant to eat in the fresh air, the table had obligingly vanished and reappeared where he'd wanted it. He could definitely get used to that sort of service. He'd fallen asleep that night in a state of blissful confidence, certain that his life was finally going the way he'd always known it should.
That morning, however, he'd awakened in a rather less sanguine frame of mind. Today he would be meeting his new suitors. It wouldn't just be flirting and excuses this time - he was going to have to choose. What if it turned out he didn't like any of them? Not all of the gods were known to be gentle and attractive - what if the only ones who turned up were the ones no one else wanted? What if they all scorned him for having once been human and wanted nothing to do with him? What if he had only traded the familiar comforts of his old life for an eternity of solitude and rejection?
He'd been working himself into a fine state of paranoia when the visitor came, and for a moment he had an irrational urge to pretend he wasn't home.
Don't be ridiculous. Everyone knows I'm here. Where would I go?
"Coming," he said, as grandly as he could manage. He cast a last look into one of his many mirrors, making sure he would make the best possible first impression, and went to answer the door.
Standing on his doorstep was a tall man with drowsy blue eyes and rather rumpled blond hair. He might, Akoya thought, have been quite handsome if he'd made any effort at all. That effort clearly did not rank highly on this man's priorities. If his hair had been combed at all that morning, Akoya saw no sign of it. His robe was gorgeous, a deep satiny blue spangled with silver glints like tiny stars, but it was slipping off one shoulder, showing the wrinkled white shirt beneath, and the belt had been tied in a sloppy knot that seemed in danger of coming loose at any second.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Akoya asked.
If the frosty greeting troubled the man at all, he didn't show it.
"Cerulean," he said. "Or En, if you want. That works too."
Of course. This was Cerulean, god of sleep and dreams. No wonder he looked like he had just been dragged out of bed - he probably had been.
"Anyway," En continued, "they sent me here to help you find your way around. I'm what you'd call a dispassionate observer."
"What do you mean?" Akoya asked.
"I mean," said En, "that I'm just about the only person in this city who isn't worked up over the idea of you being here. I mean, no offense, but you seem pretty high-maintenance, and I just can't deal with that."
"No, I suppose not," said Akoya, regarding him thoughtfully. "So you're my chaperone."
"You got it," En agreed.
Well, that made sense. He supposed he should have expected that they wouldn't just leave him to his own devices.
"What happened to the ones who were here before?" he asked. "Aurite and..." He trailed off, weighing the implications of that remark. If Aurite had sent En because En had no interest in courting him, did that mean...
"Aurite's busy doing important stuff," said En, cutting off that line of thought. "That's why he told me to do this instead. If there's one thing I never am, it's busy." He made a face, clearly disgusted at the very idea of having things to do.
"I see," said Akoya. He considered that and decided it was more of a relief than a disappointment. Aurite might be the greatest of the gods, but Akoya had a shrewd notion that the man had every bit as much pride as Akoya did, and probably would not make an easy long-term companion. "And Sulfur and Vesta? I suppose they're occupied as well?"
It had occurred to him that he was actually a little sorry not to have yet seen them. Back at home, he hadn't had any close friends, but at least he had known people. He knew who was entertaining company, knew where to go when he needed something or wanted something. Here he knew absolutely no one save for the three gods who had brought him here in the first place. He couldn't exactly call them friends, but at least they had been helpful and comforting. He would have found seeing them reassuring.
En grinned. "Didn't you know? Those guys said they were going to make a try for you. You'll see them later."
Akoya didn't say anything, but his mind was working rapidly. Everyone knew from the stories that Vesta and Sulfur were married. They were, by all accounts, a model of domestic happiness. If they had decided to court him, then surely that boded well for his acceptance here. He began to feel a bit more cheerful.
Following En's lead took him down a bewildering maze of corridors and staircases, eventually bringing them into what looked like a feast hall. Akoya tried not to gawp at it. It could have easily held his old house six times over, and the roof wouldn't have even scraped the ceiling. One wall was mostly windows, looking out on the surreal landscape outside, while the other three walls had been lined with tall, narrow banners decorated with the sacred symbols of the many gods who gathered there. As far as he could tell, all of them were there, ranging from Aurite sitting at the head of a small table a little removed from the rest, on down to various lucky humans who had been chosen as the eternal companions of their gods. There was a possibility he hadn't considered before. Could he do that, someday when he was a little more established in his divinity? It could be rather nice to have a few people whose only purpose in life was to please him. A thought to keep in mind, most definitely.
En shepherded him over to an empty seat alongside Aurite, then dropped into the seat on the other side of him, apparently exhausted by the labor of walking Akoya to breakfast. As they settled into their places, Akoya watched the reactions of the other people in the room out of the corner of one eye. He hadn't missed the fact that the instant he'd walked through the door, the volume level of the conversation had suddenly dropped, then gradually swelled until it had nearly doubled in volume. Not everyone was staring at him - some people were already happily attached, and some, like En, simply weren't interested - but there were more than enough eyes on him to satisfy his pride. He noticed Vesta and Sulfur sitting a few tables away. Vesta caught his eye and gave him a wave and a wink, and Sulfur smiled and made a friendly nod in his direction.
Once Akoya had settled into his chair and had his breakfast in front of him, Aurite stood up. The crowd must have been watching for just such a signal, because it fell instantly silent.
"My people," he said, his quiet voice carrying easily to the far end of the room, "I am sure you all know why we are gathered today. Today we welcome to our family our newest member, Pearlite, god of beauty. Please make him feel welcome."
Akoya was not someone to miss a cue or shun the spotlight. He stood, flashing his most ingratiating smile and modestly lowering his lashes.
"I'm very happy to be here," he said, "and I'm greatly looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you."
His greeting was met with applause that seemed a bit more than merely polite. He sat down again, satisfied that all was well.
He didn't hear when Vesta leaned over to Sulfur and murmured, "Well, this is going to be fun."
Io was wandering distractedly around his home. Vaguely, he was aware that Ryuu was staring at him, but since he wasn't actually saying anything, he could ignore the look. Instead, he simply paced around his room, occasionally pausing to move something - nudging a lamp a few centimeters, straightening a crooked rug, tugging at curtains, making minuscule adjustments to the placement of various knickknack.
"Do you mind telling me what you're doing?" asked Ryuu at last.
Io paused, feeling sheepish. "I don't know. Just passing time, I guess."
"Uh-huh," said Ryuu. "Try again. I know you too well for that. If you just wanted to pass the time you'd be off polishing your coin collection or something. What's really eating you?"
"I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to be doing," Io admitted. "Akoya's supposed to be here soon. How am I supposed to act? Do I put him off? Do I try to be friendly?"
Ryuu laughed. "You should see the look on your face right now. You'd think the idea of going on a date with a pretty boy is some sort of death sentence."
"I'm not kidding! This is your area of expertise, not mine. Besides, we're not supposed to be serious about this, are we?"
Ryuu shrugged. "I'll put it to you this way: I trust your judgment. Just be yourself, and if it turns you don't like him, you can tell Aurite you gave it your best shot and it didn't work out. If it turns out there's something about the guy that appeals to you, well... we'll work that out if we come to it."
"That's not really a lot of help," said Io, making a face.
"Can't tell you what I don't know," said Ryuu. "Look at it this way - he's just come to a new place where he doesn't know anybody. Maybe he could use a friend. You can do that, right?"
"Well, maybe," said Io, who wasn't sure he could. He wasn't a people person. That was one of the things he relied on Ryuu to deal with for him when he could.
"Sure you can," said Ryuu. He looked up sharply. "I think they're on the way. Well, good luck. Tell me how it goes!"
"Wait, you can't just..." Io protested, but it was too late. Ryuu had already vanished. Io sighed.
"I am going to make him sorry for this later," he muttered.
Still, maybe it was for the best. Ryuu had his nature, and that was to encourage people to pair off. If he was hanging around when Akoya arrived, he wouldn't be able to resist interfering somehow. At the same time, Io couldn't help wishing he'd stick around, just so one of them would know what to do.
Io could barely remember a time when he and Ryuu hadn't been friends. It seemed to him that they had known each other since approximately ten minutes after they had both emerged from the primordial darkness. After all, as Ryuu was fond of pointing out, money was a potent aphrodisiac, and jewelry had long been associated with romance. It was only natural that the two of them should be drawn to each other. It had taken longer for them to realize that they wanted more out of their relationship, but the point was that it had all happened gradually. There had never been any need for this getting-to-know-you business, because they had already known everything about each other for centuries. He might have been happily married, but he had only the vaguest idea how to court someone.
Well, he was going to have to think of something soon. Aurite, fair as always, had arranged matters so that Akoya would be spending a set amount of time with each of his suitors, with the order to be determined by drawing lots. His time with the previous contender would be up soon, and then it would be Io's turn whether he liked it or not.
He was still dithering when a rush of warm, flower-scented air announced the arrival of his anticipated guest. Io took a breath to steady himself and composed his expression into a polite smile.
"You're getting the hang of things, I see," he remarked.
Akoya preened a bit. "It seems to come naturally." He began walking slowly across the room, his eyes roving to take in all the details. "Is this where you live?"
Io understood the reaction. It wasn't that he believed in ostentation. It was just that his home was where he kept his things, and after collecting (some would say hoarding) things so effectively for so long, he'd accumulated quite a lot of things.
"It's home," he agreed. "I hope you don't think it's pretentious."
"Not at all," said Akoya, sounding genuinely sincere. "I rather like it."
Io smiled. "Let me show you around, then."
That was an easy enough option to take. The way this place sprawled, they could easily spend hours simply wandering around the mansion and its environs. He offered Akoya his arm, and after a moment of hesitation, Akoya lightly placed his hand over Io's sleeve, not quite touching him.
"So, is there something particular you'd like to see?" Io asked.
"I'm sure whatever you'd like to show me is fine," Akoya replied.
That struck Io as unfair, making him do all the work. He made another attempt.
"Well, what sorts of things are you interested in?" he asked.
Akoya considered for a moment. "Clothes, jewelry... I like flowers..."
Io smiled, suddenly relieved. "Would you like to see my jewel collection, then?"
"Why, yes," said Akoya, looking pleased and surprised, "I think that is exactly what I would like."
"Right this way, then," said Io.
It would not have been accurate to say that Io owned anything like a treasure vault. His whole house was his treasure vault. Still, he did keep some areas a little more organized than others. Now he led the way through the many hallways of his home, making small talk and enjoying the way his companion seemed to be admiring the surroundings. Eventually they came to a large pair of double doors. They had no handle or keyhole, but when Io pressed a hand to them, they swung gently inwards under their own power. Another gesture brought up the lights, and the contents of the room flared in the sudden brightness.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Oh my word," said Akoya softly. He took a few slow steps into the room. "I want to live here."
Io smiled, feeling rather flattered. He had worked hard in here. The room was filled with heaps of precious and semiprecious stones, all of them neatly organized and arranged to best display their beauty. First came the uncut stones, then the cut ones, then the ones that had been worked into jewelry, each section arranged into further categories by type, size, color, and shape. Some of the largest stones were big enough to be hollowed out and used as rooms, if he'd been willing to damage them that way. Taken all together, the effect was understandably overwhelming if you weren't prepared for it.
Akoya stepped closer to a particularly fine opal, reaching out and stopping himself just shy of touching it. "May I?"
"Of course. Be my guest," said Io. "I'm happy to have someone to share them with. Ryuu tries, but he's just not as fascinated by them as I am."
Akoya gave him a curious glance. "Ryuu?"
"Vesta," Io explained. "That's his title, the name he uses for mortals, but his real name is Ryuu. I suppose I should ask - do you prefer to be called Pearlite, or...?"
"You may call me Akoya," said Akoya, with the air of one bestowing a favor.
"All right, then. You can call me Io, if you like."
"Io. I like that." He turned his attention to the displays of jewelry. "Do you mind if I try these on?"
"I expected you to," said Io.
They spent a pleasant hour amusing themselves among the treasure trove. Io had been telling the truth when he'd said that Ryuu found his hoard less than enthralling. It wasn't that he disliked jewels, but his interest in them was limited. He preferred to focus more on the beauty of living bodies rather than lifeless stones. Akoya, however, was perfectly happy to listen to Io talk about his favorite specimens as much as he cared to. Io, for his part, was a good host, even going so far as to bring in a full-length mirror so that Akoya could admire the effect created by draping himself in various priceless jewels. He was relaxed and smiling by the time their scheduled appointment was over. Io was surprised to realize that he'd actually enjoyed himself.
"I hope this won't be your last visit," he said, as he helped Akoya put everything back in its place.
Akoya's smile was unreadable. "You do make a good case for yourself. None of my other suitors have offered anything like this."
"Please don't think my offer is contingent on you marrying me," said Io hastily. "The offer stands, no matter how things turn out. You're welcome in my home."
Akoya's expression became guarded. "I wouldn't want to impose."
"There's no imposition," said Io. "I've enjoyed our time together. I'd like to think that we could be friends."
Akoya continued to stare at him blankly. At last he turned away.
"I doubt I'll have time for visiting," he said stiffly. "Thank you for your hospitality. I must be going now."
He vanished before Io could get a word in edgewise. Io found himself standing alone, staring at empty space. He frowned.
"Well, that was interesting," he said.
He was in his bedroom, still pondering the events of the day, when Ryuu came back to check on him.
"So, how'd your date go?" he asked, dropping into his favorite chair. "The bed doesn't look slept in, so I'm guessing things didn't get too out of control."
"Funny," said Io. "No, we looked at my rock collection."
"What a thrill. I bet that had him ready to propose," said Ryuu.
"Actually, I think he was having fun," said Io. "Right up until the point when I invited him to come back."
Ryuu raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I get it. I mean, you're not the kind of guy to come on too strong."
"I didn't come on at all," said Io testily. "I just told him that he could come back and visit again if he wanted to, even if he ultimately chose a different suitor. We'd been getting on well until then, but as soon as I started in that vein, a wall went up." He shook his head. "You should have seen the look in his eyes, Ryuu. It was the same look as when we told him that he could become a god - that look that says it's all too good to be true and he's just waiting for us to start laughing at our joke. He couldn't believe what I was telling him."
Ryuu frowned. "That's weird. A guy like him, you'd think he'd assume everyone in the world wants to hang out with him."
"I don't think it's like that," said Io. "I think he's used to people wanting him, but I don't think anyone has ever really liked him."
"Since when are you the big expert on people?" Ryuu asked.
"I'm not," said Io. "Some things are just too obvious to miss. The way he didn't even want to take my arm when I offered it. The way he tensed every time I moved close to him too suddenly." He shrugged. "I just get the feeling this isn't a man who trusts anyone."
Ryuu looked like he wanted to argue, but then he stopped, looking thoughtful.
"Well, maybe you're on to something," he said. "I've been thinking, there's something kinda screwy about this whole situation."
"What do you mean?" Io asked.
"I mean, no mortal, not even the most gorgeous person on earth, ought to be able to cause as much trouble as this guy has," said Ryuu. "There have been beautiful people before, and they never made this much of a mess. Maybe we ought to look into it."
"Or ask someone else to look into it," said Io. "It isn't our responsibility."
"Well, it kind of is," said Ryuu. "Mine, anyway. Aurite charged me to find this guy a love match, and I can't do that if I don't know what kind of issues he's dealing with. Besides, I'm curious now."
"Don't get in trouble with Aurite over it," Io cautioned, but he knew it was a hopeless cause. Once Ryuu made up his mind about something, all you could really do was get out of the way.
"I won't get into trouble," said Ryuu. "I'm just going to check a few things, that's all."
"Well, be careful anyway," said Io. He smiled. "And don't forget you have some courting of your own to do at some point."
"Oh, right," said Ryuu, making a face. "Guess I'd better get on that, too, huh?"
"Behave yourself," said Io, smiling a little. He was well aware of Ryuu's proclivities, and had a pretty good idea of what any sort of courtship was going to involve. Before the two of them had begun their relationship, Ryuu had been well-known for his wandering ways, and while he was loyal to Io, he hadn't completely changed his nature. Io also knew that Ryuu was going to stay loyal to him. He might steal a kiss or a quick caress, but he'd go no further than that, and he would always come back to Io.
How much does it cost him, I wonder? Io thought, not for the first time, as he watched Ryuu vanish in a burst of reddish flame. Sometimes he thought that the universe had done Ryuu no favors when it gave him dominion over both the romantic and carnal sides of love. It meant he wanted to be loyal and play the field at the same time. He certainly seemed happy enough, married to Io, but sometimes Io had to wonder if he missed his carefree days. Would he be happier if he had someone else to turn to from time to time? Maybe this whole situation could turn out to be a good thing. Io's mind flicked back to the afternoon he'd spent. It had been a long time since he'd been able to talk like that with someone who shared his interests.
This might just turn out to be a good thing for all of us.
To Be Continued...