"Yes, but even humans used to do that in the early days," Skori said.

"But that was over half a millennia ago," Jenius reminded the android. "And law, combined with necessity brought about by the sterility crisis changed those attitudes … among humans, at least." He paused, and sighed. "However, my people differ from humans in that we are extremely slow to change. We treat androids the same as humans; that is true. But we're obsessed with solidarity to the point that the idea of relationships outside our species is disturbing to some, repugnant to most, and simply wrong to others. And with androids, it's like a double standard. We see them as sentient and very much alive, but, if you'll pardon my saying so, no self-respecting elf would risk falling in love with one. And because humans expect this behavior from elves, discovering that one is in a relationship with an android may have disastrous consequences on both sides, especially if the knowledge becomes widespread in a short period of time."

"Already, some android is spreading the news about your sister and this elf being lovebirds," Tescadji said grimly. "We don't know who it is yet; whoever it is has been doing a good job of covering his or her tracks, but we thought that it'd be better for both of you to hear it from us rather than someone else … and believe me, sooner or later, you will."

"Well, what do you want us to do, then?" Sedriil said with vague apprehension. "We can't tell Meri to stop seeing him. That's not our place to-"

"We didn't say that," Tescadji said, taking a sip of his whiskey. "If worse comes to worst, we'll have some major fire control to do, especially with the Republic and Daina … possibly Cires as well, but I sincerely hope that it won't come to that. However, we do advise caution. You two need to watch yourselves, and keep a closer eye on your sister. I'm certain that we're all in agreement when I say that no one wants to see her in the crossfire."

***

Skori and Sedriil left the restaurant later that evening, much more disconcerted than when they entered. Skori felt a tension in the air unlike he had ever felt in a long time. The crowds of revelers and homeward bound families were thinning out, but he still felt as though all eyes were fixed upon him and his brother, weighing down upon their backs. Being that Lusea was an elven city, this potential situation that Tescadji and Jenius warned them about could indeed become a worst case scenario. How much had this unknown troublemaker caused so far? It had to be quite a bit in order to rouse the concern of the ATF. The possibility that this could become volatile did not sit well with him at all; it stirred up too many unpleasant memories: recollections of a past life and love that was shattered by the madness that hatred had spawned. Lusea was a city just this side of heaven: peaceful and serene. He would hate to see such tranquility shattered like his former life, by latent prejudices turned active.




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