The revelation caught Luthene by surprise, but of course she should have figured it out by now. There were happy memories of Galin, of the two of them being… intimate together. There were no such memories with Lajaka’s father. It also explained some of the feelings Luthene— the other Luthene— had associated with her pregnancy. Luthene took one of the books from the pile beside her, and flipped through the pages before turning it so Lajaka could see it.
“When I… when she was carrying you, there was so much conflict. At first I didn’t understand it. I thought those memories should have been happier. And she was happy,” Luthene added quickly, “But there was also so much fear, and sadness, even anger, and I didn’t know why at the time. It makes sense now.”
Lajaka nodded, her eyes scanning the page, reading the words, but she didn’t speak.
“Sometimes, after giving birth… women struggle,“ Luthene went on. “It’s difficult for them to bond with their child, and they’re very despondent. That’s how it was for her. That’s why she named you Lunar.” Luthene smiled. “You may not have liked the name, but it helped her.
Lajaka closed the book. “Mind if I hang on to this?”
Luthene nodded, and handed her the rest. “Some of them are a bit disjointed, and there are other memories I can’t really place. But that’s everything I remembered.”
Taking one of the other books, Lajaka flipped through the pages. “Everything, eh?”
Luthene flushed. “I didn’t want to forget any of it!”
Setting the books aside, Lajaka refilled both of their wine cups. “I want to know about you, now. And Galin. This Galin, I mean. How long’ve you two been knocking boots?”
Luthene flushed. “It’s not quite like that.” Lajaka raised an eyebrow in confusion, prompting Luthene to explain further. “Well, when I first joined with the Company, the story we used was that I had been kicked out of the Academy in Egjora for going to bed with a swordmaster there, since they probably wouldn’t like who I really am. And of course, a story like that would result in some advances from the other men, so Galin told them that we were together. They left me alone, of course, but to sell the story, we had to share a hut, and there’s only one bed. There was a spare blanket, though, and he slept on the floor. Except when we were out, and there was a camp. Then, we had to…” Her flush deepened, and she took a drink. “It was rather awkward, trying to pretend, and especially with Galin, keeping up the act even when there was no one to see it. But of course it wasn’t an act for him, and I had feelings for him, and now… We’re not really pretending anymore. Not entirely. We’re together, and of course the kissing is real, but…”
“But you’re still making him sleep on the floor?” Lajaka asked.
“Well, no, but…”
“But you ain’t seen him naked yet?”
Again Luthene flushed. “Well, when we were on a job in Vilpamolan, I… But that was an accident!” she insisted.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, woman, bang him already!”