Page 103 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

"I can explain things to you," Esag said after a moment. "I have it all rehearsed for when Tula's son comes of age, and it will be my job to explain the birds and the bees to him because I know Tony will just overcomplicate everything with his science."

Khiann shook his head. "Who is Tony? And why do you say Tula's son?"

"The child is not mine. When I met Tula, I mean, in this life, she was already pregnant. The father is Tony, a former Dormant she had a relationship with. But she is no longer with him. She is with me now, and Tony has found someone else as well. When the child comes, the three of us are going to do our best to raise him well."

The parallels seemed obvious, but Khiann doubted Esag saw them as he did.

He was also mated to a female whose children had been fathered by others. They were all grown up, so he would not be tasked with raising them, but in a way they were now his children too, and he had to learn to reconcile himself to the fact that these children were all much older than he was.

"I hope you will one day have a child of your own with Tula."

"I hope so too, and the same to you." Esag lifted his bottle in a salute and clinked it with Khiann's. "To our future children."

"To our children." Khiann drank. "Now I only need to learn how to make them."

"I have an easy solution for that that does not involve me explaining the facts of life to my oldest friend." He set the bottle on the floor. "I can show you."

Khiann stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Humans film themselves in the act," Esag said, as if he were discussing the weather. "Some of them are couples actually filming themselves because it gives them a thrill, and some are made with actors. I prefer the ones with actors because there is a story and it's less clumsy."

"And you researched this so you can one day show it to your son who is still in his mother's belly?"

Esag smirked. "I could say yes, that it was done in the name of research. It's like those history films you watch. It's just a different sort of education. It will not have the venom bite, because those are made by humans, but it will have everything else, and it will show you the order, the timing, and where everything goes. Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"Your phone can show you films just like the device Vrog gave you. I can put several good ones on it, and you can watch them at your leisure."

Privacy was an issue, and he did not know how to resolve it.

"I do not want Annani to know that I am watching this kind of educational material."

Esag leveled his gaze at him. "It's not good to hide things from your mate. She would understand. She might even want to watch with you. It might be fun."

Khiann shook his head. "Maybe sometime in the future, I will share it with her, but not now, when I feel so deficient for needing the instructions. I am not going to hide it from her forever, but right now I do not see how I can watch it in her house."

Esag shrugged. "Then watch here. The shed is yours whenever you want it. Tell Annani you are learning to whittle." He picked up the knife again and turned it in his fingers. "So that it's not a lie, I will teach you. It might even help you relax, and that might help with the other issues. Go ahead. Start watching."

"Now?"

"Why not now? Do you know how to make it so the sound goes only into your earpieces?"

Khiann nodded.

"Excellent. I will work, and you will watch. If you have a question, ask. It's just the two of us here." He looked at the figurines. "And them, but they don't judge."

That got a nervous chuckle out of Khiann, and as he handed Esag the phone, he put the figurines of his parents in his pockets.

Just in case.

Esag put it next to his own phone, did some things, and after several minutes handed Khiann back his phone, now full of small pictures.

"Before you begin, a few things about venom," Esag said. "Since the films will not show you that."

He held up one finger.

"The bite goes in at the peak, not before. Wait until you are both at the edge."