“You heard everything, didn’t you?”
Psiksi and Kayen sat awkwardly at the table while the Thantophor paced up and down.
“You heard every word we said.”
The Thantophor didn’t seem angry. But neither of them could really tell. He was just pacing up and down, looking like a perfectly normal yet slightly bemused Skyavok.
“You even heard Kayen agreeing with me that you need to get laid.”
Finally, the Thantophor stopped pacing. He turned to the two Skyavok and sat down opposite them. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Was he smiling?
“Yep. I heard every word.”
“How?”
“I was literally just down the hallway. These walls, while being very insulated, are also not very good at… muffling sounds. I heard everything you said. But I would have heard everything you said anyway because I subconsciously pick up any chatter about myself. You shouldn’t have been talking about that stuff though, because I already know. I’ve known about all such plans.”
Psiksi and Kayen looked at each other nervously.
“You knew me and Kayen were planning…”
“I also know when you were plotting with the Dessaron. And before then, when Tenuk and Elksia tried the same thing.”
“So this has happened… a lot, I guess?” Kayen asked hesitantly. “You’ve had loads of vok telling you that you should get a partner?”
The Thantophor nodded.
The two Skyavok looked at each other again.
“Are you angry at us?” Kayen asked.
“No. Not really. Because I know you both mean well. But what you’re suggesting just doesn’t work for me.”
“You can’t have sex?”
“Well, I don’t know about that since I’ve never tried it.”
“You want to have sex though!” Psiksi butted in. “You’re lonely and desperate. And we want you to not be lonely and desperate!”
“Like I said…” the Thantophor frowned. “It’s nice that you both care about that sort of thing. But I can’t allow you to try and matchmake for me or anything like that.”
“Why?” Kayen was insistent. “Psiksi says you’re miserable. You seem lonely. Why can’t we help you?”
“Well, aside from the obvious fears of a potential pregnancy somewhere…” Arkadin sighed as he leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. “It’s because of consent.”
The two Skyavok remained silent, neither of them understanding what the Thantophor was on about.
“We’re, uh… not suggesting you, uh, rape someone…” Psiksi finally muttered.
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean?”
The Thantophor sat up straight now. There was annoyance in his voice, but not a lot. “Tell me, how do Skyavok feel about relationships where one being has power over the other? I don’t mean in a submissive or dominant way, I mean in a relationship way. A boss dating one of their employees for example?”
“Not great…” Kayen shrugged. “Some might say it’s an abuse of power. That the employee might only be staying in the relationship out of fear.”
“Exactly. Now scale that up to a mortal and a deity. Is it right for me to have so much power over a potential partner? How do I know whether someone is willing to sleep with me because they genuinely want to or because they are scared they will upset me? At the same time, it is immoral for me to peer into one’s mind to find out the truth. So I have two options: I either pretend to be a mortal being and use deceit to get laid, hiding away my true self, or I simply remain untouched, until I meet someone on the same level as I am.”
“That seems…” Kayen paused. “A little… extreme… Surely with enough time, you could come to an understanding with someone?”
“With enough time, yes. But for now, I need to do things my own way.” Arkadin smiled, just a little. “Anyway, we should change the subject. Do you two want some ice cream?”
The Skyavok eyed each other nervously.
“Actually, I think we should head home… Tenuk and Retvik are probably getting worried.” Psiksi muttered as he and Kayen got up. “Thank you for, uh, having us.”
“Alright!” Arkadin waved. “Have a good one!”