“Did you think that would be an impossible question for me?” Valentin asked disbelievingly.
Ellie wanted to answer that for a lot of men that she had dated it would have been. She felt before that he was different than anyone, she had ever been romantic with, but now she had even more evidence of it. There was a tiny voice in her head saying that she should be worried that he had studied her so much, but another louder voice told that voice to shut up, that he wasn’t one-hundred percent human, and they weren’t on Earth.
Their dining room transformed a second time to a snowy mountain top and their table turned into granite stone. They were surrounded by mountains and the soft falling of snow, but thankfully, it wasn’t cold. The staff entered again with a kind of citrus ice cream in long glass cylinders with long glass spoons to cleanse their palates.
Ellie was looking forward to the next question, she didn’t like heights and she wanted to move on to another place in the program, “What happens if we get the question wrong?”
“We stay on the mountain until we get another one right.”
“I hope it’s another easy one, I don’t like heights.”
“You know it’s not real,” Valentin couldn’t help but say.
“Of course, I know that, but it feels real and my body isn’t listening to my mind. My heart is pounding with fear.”
“Funny thing with holographic simulations, our bodies haven’t caught up with the technology our minds have created. I’m sure you’ll be able to answer all my questions. The thing you must be worried about is can I answer yours?”
Ellie wished again that she hadn’t made her questions impossible, but she thought at the time she was being coy. Now she was reviewing her answers in her mind and there were some that he would have to be the equivalent of a genius or a real stalker by Earth standards to know. She made eye contact and wondered if cheating was commonplace here as it was in the Empire. She decided that if he struggles, she would mouth the answers to him to get off this mountain. He spoke English so he would be able to read her lips.
“Elloisa, what planet was Valentin born on?” the computer asked.
“Reima Two.”
“You have won the third course. Valentin, how many sexual partners has Elloisa had including yourself?”
Ellie looked at the surprised look on Valentin’s face, but before she could mouth the word, he closed his eyes and then after a moment answered.
“One.”
“Correct, you have won the third course.”
Suddenly the room transformed, and Ellie was relieved to feel the room slightly elevate in the building and their surroundings now to become an enchanted forest at sunset. Their table became a rough wooden log with various types of wildflowers scattered on it and one large old-fashioned candle they could hardly see each other’s faces by. The next dish was a kind of Reima Two venison served on rustic stone plates and with a large knife that could have been used to kill the animal as well.
“How did you know the answer to the question? I could have been lying before by just omitting information.” Ellie asked once she settled into the new environment. The wine was giving her courage.
“It’s not something I would normally discuss over supper, but since you allowed it as one of your questions in the first place, I’ll answer you. First, even omissions are tough with these bracelets on” he held up his wrist. “Second, why would you lie? You had nothing to gain by the lie. We both know what Imperial people think about people who don’t engage in sex often.”
“We do,” Ellie agreed. “And I think because of that it might have put me off even more.”
“You don’t need to explain anything to me if you don’t want to, Elloisa. Your body and your experiences are your own. I went to Earth for the first time very recently. I was shocked at how different it is,” he resisted saying, ‘underdeveloped’. “Just moving to the Empire alone must have been overwhelming, never mind the other issues in your life at the same time.”
“You didn’t find me inadequate then?”
“No, I enjoyed having sex with you. I look forward to doing it again. I’d like very much to practice with you.”
She was gazing into his eyes as he spoke. It made her feel good that he said these things to her. Her biggest fear was losing him because she didn’t know what she was doing when it came to sex, but apparently, he assumed she would get better with practice, “I feel the same.” Then she added, “I was pretty good at sports in high school, so...” she laughed at her own joke.
Valentin was relieved that she seemed fine with the sex now. He had never been with in an inexperienced woman before. It just didn’t happen unless you were a slave artist or inexperienced yourself and a teenager. He didn’t think anything was wrong with Elloisa, just as she said, the right time never came around until now. He thought, And another reason not to take the binding tattoos in case she wanted to experience another man later in life. She was still so young. The idea made him wildly jealous, but that was now, in fifty years he wondered if he would feel the same way or if he would be able to share for a day or night if she wanted the experience of another man. He was brought out of his musings by her question, “Sorry?”
“Is that why my bed has so many sexual functions?” Ellie asked. “Do you find normal sex boring now? Was I boring?”
“No,” he thought for a minute trying to explain it. “Sex is an action like any other. The first times you do it with someone new, the simplest movements are very exciting. However, as the years roll on you, you want more from it because you’ve already mastered the basics. I wasn’t bored in the least having sex with you earlier today, Elloisa. And I doubt I will be for a very long time to come if ever,” he spoke sincerely and made direct eye contact with her as he spoke.
“But you wanted more?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“No, I wanted you just the way you wanted me. In time, if you decide to stay, the more we have sex, the more our relationship will grow and so will our expression of partnership through sex. Does that make sense?”
Ellie nodded, “I guess I should have thought that question through before just putting it out there like that.”
“I don’t mind. The whole purpose of this restaurant is to have fun as well as to get to know each other better by having conversations around the questions,” Valentin said reassuringly. “And this is something that was on my mind to bring up after supper.”
“How many women have you had sex with?” Ellie asked.
“I’ve not kept track. I’m older than you and I’m not ashamed to admit that I was wild when I was your age.”
“Slave artists?”
“A few,” Valentin said. “But more girlfriends, other Outcasts, and Imperial women mainly, but I as I mentioned before, no one has struck me like you.”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile at his words, but then she still had to ask, “Did you ever live with one of these girlfriends?”
Valentine wasn’t surprised by the question, Elloisa was human, “No. You’re the first woman I am sharing my home with.”
Ellie felt content with that answer, it was proof he did really feel differently about her. She took a sip of wine and then looked around the dark forest, “This place is amazing. Where is it?”