"Your... your what?" I exclaimed, staring at her. Although I had thought that she must have had lovers in her forgotten past, I still found the fact disconcerting when actually confronted with it.

"My lover," she repeated. "How could I have forgotten him so... so completely? I feel sick about it—that I could have just moved on like that."

"So... he meant a lot to you, then?" I asked, feeling the early pangs of jealousy stirring in my chest.

"Yes... yes, I think he did. I... I wish I could remember more. I know that we weren't supposed to be together, but I don't know why. I know he was killed, but I don't know why or by whom. I don't remember meeting him... but at least now I can remember his touch and his kisses... and him."

I held very still, almost afraid to move—afraid of what her next words might be. Uno looked up at me, then crept over and rested his chin on my knee. In my head, I heard him say, "Be at ease. Avani loves you, Leon."

I smiled gratefully at the fox, then stroking her hair, I said in a low voice, "Why don't you tell me about him? Talking will help the memories take root, so you're less likely to forget again. And it sounds as though these memories are too important to you to let them slip away again."

She looked quickly up at me, surprised by my suggestion, then leaned her head against me for a moment. She slid over my thigh and sat between my legs, and pulled my arms around her as she leaned her back against my stomach. I rested my cheek against her hair as I held her tightly, and I waited.

"Like I said, I don't remember how we happened to meet. I only have little fragments of memory—a few events. I can remember the first time he said he loved me... the first time we kissed... the first time we made love. But... not how we met." She paused and sighed.

"Perhaps you don't remember because you'd known each other since you were very young?" I suggested.

"Maybe. I just don't know." She sighed regretfully before continuing. "He was a beautiful man, tall and straight and strong, with long, deep green hair like the cedar forests and eyes like the night sky—dark and full of stars. I don't recall his vocation, but I do remember he played a sort of a harp-like instrument, I think it was called a sur-mandal. His was exceptionally beautiful, I seem to remember, painted like a... like a peacock's feather," she said glancing at my fan lying on the bedside table and smiling. "He played it very well, though like I said, I don't remember if he was a musician by profession or not. He had a beautiful voice, soft and sweet. He himself was a very gentle, kind man. If he hadn't been so gentle... maybe he wouldn't have died." Her voice sounded a little strained, as if choked with tears.

After a moment, she went on. "He... I don't remember much about how he died. I think I lived in the mountains somewhere. Not like the ones around here, though—my impression is of heat and humidity, and vivid green, lush growth. Anyway, I think we'd been walking in the woods in the mountains, and someone found us. We weren't supposed to see each other, I think, and the person that found us was... was infuriated. They fought, but Sundara wasn't a fighter, and the other man... he pushed him, near the edge of a precipice. He slipped and fell.... I tried to reach him—I ran and threw myself down to grab him.... I caught his hand, but I didn't have a good enough hold on him, and I wasn't strong enough. The man that pushed him refused to help, though I can remembering begging him. And then... and then he slipped from my hand...." She put her head down and began to sob again.

I sat and held her tightly in my arms, and let her cry herself out. After a time, her sobbing slowed and gradually subsided. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes and leaned into me. With a sigh, she said, "I remember now, too, that I tried to follow—tried to leap after him. But that man grabbed me and hauled me back, and he wouldn't let me go. I think he threatened me... but I can't remember much that has to do with him. Whenever I think of him, I'm filled with such terror, I freeze. I don't know who he was or what kind of hold he had on me, but he terrifies me even now—even though I don't know where he is or even if he's alive or dead."

We sat in silence for a little while, each with our own thoughts. Then Avani stirred and said, "I wonder why all this came back? And why only fragments? There's still so much I don't remember."

Sano perked up and looked at her, then he sat up and said, "We suspect that the return of your memories is due to our presence, Lady Avani."

She looked startled, and said, "What? How?"

"We are not certain how, but we belong to the spirit world. We believe that somehow we are acting as a catalyst for the return of your memories. There is a seal..."

"A seal?" I said sharply, scowling.

"Yes, a seal, on your mind—like a locked door to a room in which all your memories are stored. And we think that when you dream while in close proximity with us, somehow you connect with us in the spirit realm, and as a result of that brief connection, your memories are able to... leak out. The other time you had dreams of your past was also while we slept in your bed with you, was it not?"

She frowned in thought. "Yes, it was—after I was caught in that explosion. I thought it was from my injury, but...."

"How would that even work?" I asked.

"As we said, we don't understand the mechanism. This is all conjecture, of course, and we may be mistaken. But both times we felt her presence as she dreamt."

"So you think that if she dreamed while sleeping very close to you, she might eventually regain all of her memories?"

"That is a possibility, yes. We do not know the nature of this seal that is upon her; we have not seen its like before."

I looked at her. "Well, My Lady. Here is a chance to regain at least some of your memory. Do you wish to try it?"

She shivered and leaned into me. "I-I'll have to think about it. I know there's something in there that scares the daylights out of me, and I don't know when... or even if... I'll be ready to confront it."

The foxes both walked across the bed and sat side by side before her. "Lady Avani, we are willing to assist you if you so desire," Uno began.

"But we cannot predict the success or failure of such an experiment," Sano added.

"Therefore, until such time as you are ready..."

"We will withdraw from your presence when you sleep..."

"In order to prevent undesirable consequences."

Then in unison, the two said, "We will respect and honor your wishes, as we respect and honor you, our Lady Avani." Then they bowed their heads to her and vanished.

"What in the..." Avani said, looking up at me in bewilderment. "Why... why do I feel as though I just received obeisance from a pair of princes?"

I gave her a half smile. "Perhaps," I said thoughtfully, "because you did."

************

The final, and perhaps most memorable, event of that week began very shortly after Avani's dream. I'd decided to take a day to go hunt down some reagents that I had run low on and to take my foxes out for some fresh air and exercise. I especially needed some Chimera claws, and the only place to get them was in the ruins of the old water shrine. I'd just cleared out a couple of rooms when I decided to stop for lunch. As I was sitting among the fallen, crumbled pillars, eating a sandwich, I heard voices. Pricking my ears, I discerned Avani's voice approaching. I stood to hail them as they approached, but Uno suddenly appeared before me. "Leon, you may wish to withdraw and with haste."

Startled, I looked at him. "Oh? Why is that?"

"Do you recall telling us that it is considered a gross violation of human propriety to intrude during the act of human copulation?"

"Well, yes, but...." I drew my brows together. They couldn't mean....

"We do not know which portions of the act are taboo and which are not, of course. But I can tell you that approaching us now is the Lady and a man who clearly wishes to mate with her."

"What? You mean, they're..."

"So far, we only sense that desire from the male, not from the female. But we assume it is only a matter of time before she becomes receptive to his advances, assuming that he performs whatever pre-courtship rituals must be observed correctly."

I felt an oddly overwhelming relief, and smiled weakly down at the fox. "I see. Well, of course, I'm sure there are plenty of men out there who, err, wish to mate with her. That doesn't mean that she'll respond, though. And it's only the actual acts of intimacy that should be given privacy, not anytime when the mere potential exists." I looked around, seeing no way to slip away discreetly. "Still, I certainly don't want to eavesdrop. But I don't see any way out of here that won't draw their attention, and casting Escape will make too much commotion. I'll have to just take cover and hope they're only passing through."

The foxes vanished, and I ducked down behind some pillars in the corner of the room. A moment later, I could hear them clearly enough to make out their words as they drew nearer and nearer. The wind blew the scent of horse hair and leather in addition to Avani's various scents to me, and I confirmed my suspicion as to who her companion was.

"I told you, didn't I? We just aren't compatible! You're just too stubborn to see it!" I heard Avani exclaim.

"Me? You're the stubborn one! You know you can't trust those fortune tellers—they're just a bunch of crooks!"

"You're only saying that because he said what everyone else already knows—that we aren't suited for each other! If he'd said we were a perfect match, I bet you'd be singing a different tune!"

Dylas snorted. "As if! Who cares what anyone else says, anyway?" Their footsteps stopped—right in the middle of the room where I crouched, hidden from sight, half hoping they'd leave, and half hoping they wouldn't.

"Listen, Avani. I-I don't know how to say things all nice and pretty. I'm sorry, I'm just not good at things like that. But... I... I.... Augh! Dammit, I love you, Avani! There, I said it—I love you, and I want you back. I can't tell you how much I miss you. The nights are the worst. I dream about you all night—about holding you in my arms, about the way you'd kiss me. I can almost feel your hands on me... how soft your skin is... the way you smell when you get all worked up. Those little sounds you'd make when you were coming that would drive me right over the edge. The way you'd dig your nails into my back and call out my name. It... it gets so I can hardly stand it—but at the same time, I want the dreams to go on and on, even when they're nothing but torture, because they're all I have left of you. I don't even care anymore that you... that you're sleeping with Leon now. I just... I just want you, even if it means sharing you."

By now I knew my foxes had been correct—Dylas's pheromones were so potent that I felt slightly ill from them. I half expected them to take a tangible form—a creature born of his desperate need for his former lover. I knew that it was really just a matter of time before she took him back. I didn't like the idea at all, but... since I refused to commit to her, to both give myself entirely to her and to claim her as mine and mine alone, I really had no right to interfere in her affairs. I put my head in my hands and sat as still as I could, wishing that they would just leave and go about their business. The thought that they might actually do so right there, while I sat hidden within sight and sound and scent, filled me with a sudden horror, but I convinced myself that she wouldn't do anything like that without giving me fair warning. She was scrupulously honest and would never deign to deceive another.

I realized that it had been some time since either had last spoken, so I ventured a look, moving as silently as possible. However, they were still there—Dylas had Avani in his arms and was kissing her with all the pent-up frustration of the past several weeks. I ducked back down and waited; a moment later I heard a loud smack of leather on skin and smiled slightly to myself. Dylas must have tried something that she didn't like. Then light footsteps running away, a shout from Dylas, and heavier, slower footsteps giving chase. And I was alone once again.

************

I'd lost any interest in my original project, so I returned to Avani's rooms. Looking around, I was keenly, painfully aware that she would soon ask me to return to my old room at the inn. I felt my chest constrict, and my heart felt heavy. I turned and walked out the back door and over to the inn. I paid Lin for a bath and a bottle of wine and went on in. She brought the wine in to me once I was in the bath, so I sat and soaked in the hot water, sipping wine and thinking back over the time that had passed since I'd met Avani as I proceeded to get pleasantly drunk.

Apparently Xiao became concerned about my condition, and she went to get Avani at some point after I was clearly intoxicated. However, I refused to get out of the bath, loudly insisting I wanted another bottle of wine. So Lin temporarily closed the bathhouse, and Avani came in to get me. She patiently helped me dry off and dress, then walked me back home. She cooked some grilled mackerel for me, despite my clumsy and poorly-timed advances. Somehow she got me fed, then sat me down and just looked at me, until I started to feel very uncomfortable in spite of the numbing haze that enveloped me.

After several minutes of just staring into my eyes, she finally said, "What's up, Leo? This isn't like you at all. Is there something on your mind?"

I just looked at her for a minute, then I put my arms around her and pulled her closer to me and rested my cheek against her hair. I sighed, and said, "I... I can't hold onto you... but... I also don't want to let you go."

"Go? Go where? I don't understand."

I pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I was there this afternoon."

Realizing what I meant, she blushed and looked away. "I... I see. I didn't think you were the sort to eavesdrop, Leo."

"Wasn't on purpose. I was there minding my own business, just eating my lunch when you showed up. The foxes... they warned me, said Dylas wanted to... to "mate" with you. There wasn't anywhere to get away, so I ducked out of sight, hoping you were just passing through. But you weren't—you stayed. And I was stuck there, listening to him begging...."

"Oh, Leo...."

"No, it's okay. I knew it would happen sooner or later." I stood up, still wobbling. "So how soon do you want me to leave? And are you... are we...?" I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence.

She stood up and put her arms around me, resting her cheek against my chest. "For now, nothing's really changing, Leo, that is, unless you want it to. It's true that Dylas wants me back—as you heard. And it's true that I've decided to take him back. We'll... we'll figure out some arrangement. But I don't want you to leave. When Dylas and I become lovers again, I don't intend to kick you out, although there may be times that I ask you for... well, for some privacy. But as far as I'm concerned, this is your home now, as long as you care to stay with me."

 "But... but why would you want to stay with me, knowing I can't commit to you? I'm pretty sure no matter what he thought about marriage and stuff before, Dylas would be thrilled to marry you and settle down with you now. So... why?"

She lightly cuffed me across the top of my head as she gave me an exasperated look. "Because I happen to love you, you dolt!" Then she pulled me down to her and demonstrated just exactly how she felt about me in terms that any man could understand—whether drunk or sober.

************

The next day, I spent several hours searching for those reagents that I'd started to look for the previous day. Upon my return, I disembarked from the airship and headed down the stairs to Avani's back door, thinking over what I'd acquired and what I still needed to obtain and wondering if Arthur might have anything of use. As I approached the back door, I stopped and listened, my ears swiveling. From inside, I heard distinct—very distinct, and very familiar—noises, despite the heavy door and thick walls. I blanched slightly, as I realized that Dylas was indeed back in Avani's favor—vigorously so, from the sound of it. I waited until the noises ceased, then steeled myself to behave as nonchalantly as possibly as I opened the door and walked in.

Sure enough, there in Avani's bed was Dylas, lying on his back, glistening with sweat and a satisfied grin spreading from ear to ear as he gasped for air. Sprawled across him, equally drenched and spent, was Avani, her pale green hair damp and disheveled as she lay with her cheek on his chest, trying to catch her breath. Dylas's arms were loosely wrapped around her as they lay naked and exposed. My nose twitched at the fresh, pungent scent of their sex—that was going to take some getting used to.

Such was their exhaustion, that when they heard me enter the room, neither managed to do more than just lie there staring at me, moving only enough to turn their heads towards me. I stood at the edge of the bed and stroked her damp hair, then looked down at Dylas. With a smile, I said, "Well, it looks like you're back in the saddle again!"

Then I quickly darted upstairs to the study as Dylas shouted after me, "I am not a fucking horse, dammit!"