He'd... thought out to her? What, like he'd tried to talk to her with just his mind? Ryan shrugged it off easily enough. Maybe she, too, could just chalk it up to coincidence.<br/><br/>She couldn't shrug off the next bit. Her blood pulsed inside her and she couldn't control it. It was like some piece of the shell that contained the stable environment of her world cracked, and now there was a cold, chaotic breeze rushing in. The only thing she could think of that would make this possible were the combined facts that Ryan was only half Vortian and Anak was an Indigo--or, arguably, twice a regular Vortian. Perhaps the combination was strong enough to thrust a wedge in the age-old Vortian courting ritual. Even so, to want to be with someone of the same gender... She knew there were other races that experienced that--but not Vortians. The unpleasant thought that Anak probably wouldn't even consider it worried her. Ryan was already so sensitive about rejection.<br/><br/>So... The disposition must exist in humans that they can love either gender. Or... was it Ryan specifically who was that way? She'd only had about two days to observe the humans, and only a couple hours of actual observing time. Did she dare just ask about it? Were same-sex relationships common--<span style="font-style: italic">casual</span>--in Ryan's society, or would it offend him to bring it up?<br/><br/>She tried to compare what little she knew of human culture to other cultures. Arondites denied profusely any same-sex relations, but secretly, it was a guilty pleasure of theirs to keep things interesting in the bedroom. Elisions who preferred members of their own sex made no attempt to hide it, and kept few secrets in their sex lives. Graecians married only for the purpose of reproducing: they would share a home with people they loved, but only make love to their opposite-gender-ed spouse. Interestingly, they might not even like their spouse, and only see them as hosts to valuable genes, and not even share a house with them.<br/><br/>For Vortians, two individuals would fall madly in love and be together forever... But was it different for Half-Vortians? She started. What about Indigo's? If the theory about them absorbing their twin at birth were true, could they have a desire for the opposite sex if their twin was of the opposite gender? Anak did act slightly feminine at times.... She had to stop before she drove herself crazy.<br/><br/><span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"G... Get some rest,"</span></span>she said, hoping what Ryan was feeling for Anak would pass once his wounds were healed.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"It will probably pass. If... you still feel that way after a nap, then the three of us can talk about it."</span></span><br/><br/>She needed a moment then, and slid into the back room.