text: Arilash (yesterday) recommended that I think carefully about whether I actually wanted to get married to anyone.
  
  "I don't want to be a bachelorette like you," I said. "The less I have to go chasing drakes, the better."
  
  "That word is 'slut', not 'bachelorette'," said Arilash. "If we're bothering to be honest about ourselves. But you could be a different kind. The virgin queen! All would look upon you and despair."
  
  "With suitable flagellation with my hukuchô," I said. "And I'm not a virgin. I've even beaten you in a sex contest."
  
  "You did! I still don't quite understand how you managed it. Anyway, bachelor dragonesses don't have to go chasing after drakes. Mostly not, anyhow. I had to work a bit to get Vuuthon, but the rest were easy."
  
  "You're less, well, lonely nowadays?" I asked.
  
  "Much less. Ressal, Kuro, and Nlirei have almost a regular schedule with me. Boruu and Psilia visit often. Gwixion and Llredh show up now and then, and Vuuthon occasionally. I haven't tried any hovens yet," she said.
  
  "Isn't Gwixion married?" I knew he was, to the elegant and crippled Ignissa.
  
  Arilash shrugged. "Ignissa doesn't mind. She's like Ythac that way. She's not the only married dragon with that opinion."
  
  "I wish I had a dozenth part of Ignissa's grace. When I get married — or not — will you add Csirnis and Osoth to your list?"
  
  Arilash laughed. "You've made up your mind to take pretty sparky Nrararn? But yes, I will, if Csirnis wants to. I'm not sure about him. Osoth has visited almost as often as you have, and been almost as flirtatious."
  
  "I haven't quite decided, but I suppose I'll take Nrararn. Have I been flirtatious at you?" I fretted.
  
  Arilash laughed. "Not a bit, and neither has Osoth. He wanted to though; I could smell his lust a dozen miles off. And I wouldn't ruin your mating flight any more than I already have."
  
  Ythac can do this, and Ignissa can, so I suppose I can too. "Arilash? Want to borrow Nrararn too sometimes? He deserves some actual pleasure once in a while, and I can't help much with that. And I trust you to give him back."
  
  Arilash thought a moment, curling her tailtip around her claws. "After you've been married three years, or six, I think might be wise. You two should get settled together first. After that, I should be glad to visit the two of you in your domain. I expect you'll want to crunch my wings the first time or two."
  
  "I'm used to sharing drakes with you," I pointed out.
  
  "So was Ythac, and he did that too."