Part 26
There was a lively conversation as those who had been in the time-bubble filled the rest in on what had happen within it, while those who had remained outside reciprocated with news of the latest happenings on Kellaran and in the new training programs.
The Volunteers related how their plans to form eleven households with eleven group relationships had not turned out as they’d envisioned. Instead it seemed that once they were committed to loving each other, being lovers, and raising their children together, all of them had become much closer than they had already been. Their loves and relationships had spilled over between their households, perhaps triggered by the closer, loving relationship they all now shared with Mark. At this point, the bonds between some of the Volunteers were stronger than others, but there was some truth to the idea that all eighty-seven of them, including Mark, Talia, and Alilia, shared a single group marriage.
Upon hearing that, Fire had asked with a giggle; “So does that mean we should consider all The Hilian Volunteers to be our co-parents too?”
“You certainly can if you want to.” Zayobod told her with a grin. “But I’m not sure it would really be that wise, since it’s debatable whether we’re really any more mature than you three, even after we’ve been parents for the last dozen years! Your accomplishments since you left the time-bubble are entirely astonishing, not least being the change you’ve made in our children.”
“More mature than you?” Val laughed. “Some ways yes, some ways no. We like to think that we’re intellectualists; we believe that our intellect should guide our behavior, rather than our emotions, and our intellects are good enough to make mature decisions. But we do still feel the emotions and instincts of children our age, and we’re not perfect at being intellectualists.”
“None are!” Yazadril chuckled. “I’ve been an intellectualist for eight millennia, and I still occasionally find myself behaving emotionally in ways that I wouldn’t have chosen intellectually.”
“Hmm. I never thought of it in those terms.” Povon mused. “It’s certain that I wasn’t an intellectualist before I met Mark, and I am now, and there’s no doubt that I’m better for it. Though like most, I’m often not that good at it. But are we really intellectualists? I use my intellect to decide what I should do, but the goal is still happiness and emotional fulfillment.”
our emotions to decide what we want over the long term, and use our intellects to decide how to achieve it in the short term. Our intellects are just
few times along the way to give a quick hug to his mother and a few
diamonds on Hiliani, just like you did, mostly in the same ground you found yours in. These are the best three,
stones glinting among them on the table equidistant between Six, Val, and Fire, and let the three choose for themselves as he continued. “They’re all pretty equal in value; one’s a bit bigger but has a bit less clarity, and one has a tiny flaw, but you have to look at ‘em pretty closely to tell which is which. We cut and polished them ourselves, we made the chain from gold bar stock and did the mounting, and spelled it all to make them as indestructible as possible, but we’d done
Whenever you put them on, you’ll hear all
thank you, to all of you!” Val grinned as she put hers
a smile; “I assume they’re all listening psionicly? If so it’s
the listener’s ears. You can use it any time you have line-of-sight to the target, and sometimes when you don’t, up to several kilometers away. It’s a lot stealthier than using psionics because there’s no way for the target to know they’re being listened to. It’s one
clasps, but were easily long enough to go over
we should’ve grown out of when we were five, but we hung onto it because we’re all too damn stubborn for our own good. We were ungrateful brats with no honor, and you fixed all that. It was no fun at the time, but it sure feels good to be past it. And to
done, and I for one had a lot of fun
waved a hand toward the three necklaces. “How appropriate. Six picked the bigger one that’s a bit more opaque, and you picked the one