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The Consolation of Dreams:

But that was the bad part of Ellika's day--that, and Issak laughing at her. Then again, Issak had kissed her today. Senik had almost kissed her. Despite all her flirting and dancing, she’d never been that close to a man before in her life. Senik had put a flutter in her stomach that still hadn’t quite subsided, and Issak had made her toes curl. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, or rather, how he’d made her feel. Issak himself--well. Beautiful, to be sure, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. A wonderful dancer, and charming in conversation. But apart from desire, she felt nothing for him.

Then again, desire was quite a strong emotion, almost as far from nothing as possible, and that one kiss had awakened hers. Ellika closed her eyes and remembered the way his hands slid gently around her waist and firmly pulled her close, the way he’d kissed the tears from her eyes--but those didn’t count as real kisses, she thought. What had he said? “Ellika, you are so beautiful, I must take this one kiss from you but then I must send you home.” She’d nearly stopped breathing until his soft lips touched hers. She wasn’t exactly sure how he’d done it, but he taught her what a real kiss was, with every move of his lips and tongue. When had she opened her mouth to him? That was improper, surely, but what counted as proper with an Embodiment, let alone a Lover?