They stepped out into the cold air and closed the door tightly, not even caring that it locked behind them; they wouldn't need to use it again. Daiya ...ed them close to the edge that overlooked the white, brown, and black streets below and then turned to face them. She fished the gold coin from her pocket and then held it out, fitting her thumb under it so she was ready to flip it. Lythia stood on her right side and placed her hand on the older woman's shoulder while Richard went and stood on. There were many stories Glade could recount of her northward wandering from the Great Desert to the Great Sea. There were stories of near-death and stories of love and triumph. And in all of these there was Demure: sometimes a saviour and sometimes a bane. On this occasion, Demure was a saviour. When Glade’s consciousness fully returned after several days of fever and delirium it was Demure who greeted her with a face of unfeigned delight at her lover’s recovery. And Demure wasn’t alone. She. “But how do you know?”“Trial and error, I suspect. You need to show trust and as they show themselves trustworthy and responsible, increase their freedom.”“And dating?”“Fifteen seems about right to me; for both boys and girls.”“What about sex?” Tasha asked impishly.“Here?” I smirked.“No! I meant what will you teach your kids about sex?”“Probably the same thing my mom taught me, though perhaps when they’re a bit younger. She and I didn’t have that particular talk until after I graduated. I’m. Was she serious? I looked directly at her and could instantly tell she was. I looked at her dress and found no hints there. I picked up the wine list that sat on the table. A 2004 Dom Perignon at $450 was at the top of the list. I looked at her again. This woman was a dead set knockout! Could I do this? Even if I lost, maybe I could still get lucky by getting her drunk. “Alright, you’re on!” I said after quickly finishing my drink. “Ok, I like a man who can take a risk. First guess.” I.