So we walked, turning our feet up the street. I refused to walk in silence, though - or to ignore what had happened.
"So is sex why you don't want to get married?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yes. Having sex means getting pregnant. No one ever knows which baby will kill them either. Sometimes it's the first. Sometimes it's the tenth."
"Ten?" I gasped.
"Those women are revered in the community," she explained.
"Okay..." I nodded. "Well, around here, most people only have a few. Two or three is most common. Four, sometimes. I've never known anyone to have ten."
"But not everyone gets married here," she reminded me. "If they just have sex, and then sometimes that makes a pregnancy..."
I wanted to slap myself in the face. "Okay," I said. "You know how sometimes it's the most common things that are easiest to forget to tell someone? Like how I would never explain how to breathe because it's just assumed you'd already know how?"
"Yes," she said. "I feel like that all the time, and so often you're all surprised at what I never knew you needed to know. Like the days!"
"Exactly like that," I agreed. "Well, here's something we forgot to tell you." I glanced over because I needed to see her reaction. "Tailless Dragon women use birth control."
"What's that?"
"A medicine which prevents pregnancy so women can have sex without needing to fear having a baby afterwards."
Her feet stumbled to a halt. "What?"
I nodded. "That's why families don't have ten children, Ayla. The women decide when they want to have a baby and stop taking the medicine. Otherwise, they can do what they want. Have sex, not have sex, or just fool around."
"But why would they do that?" she asked.
"Take birth control?"
"Sex!" she hissed, struggling to keep her voice down even as the word burst from her lips.
"Well..." I paused.
Right now, I was so glad I'd covered this a million times with my students. While it might not be a part of my official job, the kids asked the adults they trusted. Now, Ayla was doing the same.
"Okay," I tried, struggling to put this into terms she would not only understand but also believe, "Ayla, people like touching each other. A hand on your shoulder. A palm to clasp when you're scared. Arms to wrap around you when you're sad."
"They didn't in the compound," she admitted.
"But you hugged Zasen when he gave you the bow," I reminded her. "Did that hurt?"
A tiny smile flickered over her lips. "No. It was nice."
"Exactly," I agreed. "And when two people care about each other, sometimes they like to touch more. I heard you saw Drozel kiss his partner. Did that seem like it hurt?"
"No."
Nodding, I kept going. "Well, that's touching too. It makes them feel good. It's romantic. They kiss because they are in love, Ayla. Even though they are two men, they are in love and attracted to each other. Jeera kisses Brielle the same way. Believe it or not, sometimes men feel that way about women. They love them - and women love the men back."
"Really?" she gasped.
Again, I nodded. "Yep. They hold hands, and kiss, and even cuddle. They touch because it makes them feel closer, and most people like being emotionally connected to someone. Close to them, Ayla."
"Like friends?" she asked.
"More," I said. "Or maybe it's different. There are many kinds of love, but falling in love is amazing. It makes you feel like you want to smile all the time, and you can't stop thinking about the other person. You want to touch them, even kiss them, and all of that is okay. It doesn't hurt at all. In fact, it's one of the best feelings you can imagine."
"Maybe for men," she mumbled.
I angled us to the side, aiming for the area filled with brightly-colored canvas canopies. "For women too. If you don't believe me, you can ask Jeera, because that's where we're going first. Her stall is just up ahead. The blue one."
We entered the market section and turned right. As we walked down the aisle, Ayla looked around in awe, but the girl pressed closer to me. That proved she still trusted me, so I'd take it. And once we reached the end of the row, I turned her into a square booth covered with bright blue fabric.
"Jeera!" I said, getting her attention.
The woman turned from where she had a collection of her wares spread out. "Kanik? Ayla!" At the sight of my companion, Jeera's eyes lit up. "Need vegetables? Fungus?" And she flicked her brows, clearly aware those were the names Ayla knew - and only those names.
"Actually," I said, "I need your help. See, we just found out Ayla's convinced sex hurts, and since she won't believe a man..."
"What?!" Jeera looked at Ayla. "Really?"
"The first time makes us bleed," she said softly, glancing around like she was making sure no one overheard. "And if a woman tries to move, her husband will hold her down or hit her to keep her in place."
"Yep, this is a long talk." So Jeera grabbed a sign, dropped it on the front counter, and then hurried to the side. "Loviah? Can you keep an eye on my stall for a bit? I have to step out."
"Got it, Jeera," the woman beside her said.
