"While I can logically appreciate that if I had never met Edward, and if I were not a vampire and therefore subject to various features of vampire psychology, I would most likely not have been alone forever, it's somewhat difficult emotionally to observe eleven might-have-beens not one of whom comes home to anything like my husband."

"Oh," says Liselen. "I guess that makes sense."

"It would be different if we were all dating unique people. It wasn't so bad when Stella was the only alt I knew about, although her Alice did not make a particularly good first impression. I'm the only one with a unique person, until and unless Pattern picks up someone who doesn't match," says Golden, shrugging.

"Is she looking?"

"If she were actively looking I'd expect her to loiter around the bevy of extra Sherlocks more than she does."

"Not the extra Jokers?" wonders Liselen.

"The extras are significantly older than her - which has never been a problem for us, even me, but is not an enticement. And also both default to female pronouns, although I'm given to understand the underlying situation is more complicated."

"Also, don't they work for her?"

"Queenie does. Ghosty is - helpfully visiting. I don't believe that would be an obstacle were Pattern interested, but she doesn't seem to be."

"...What do female pronouns have to do with anything?" wonders Liselen.

"Except for Cam, and sort of Amariah but she claims it's only because daemons don't count in the same way, we're all straight," says Golden. "Shell Bell's special circumstances."

"And straight means... you don't want to date female people?" the unicorn hazards.

"Given that we're female," clarifies Aurora. "If Cam were straight he wouldn't want to date male people."

"Oh," says Liselen. "This sex stuff is complicated."

"It gets worse," laughs Aurora.

"...How's it do that?"

"...I'm not sure how close to zero you're starting here."

"Really, really close!"

"I don't believe I'd contribute particularly effectively to this conversation," remarks Golden, and she wanders off.

"Uh, well," says Aurora. "...Can't you magically sense sex things, is that not helping you out any here?"

"Being able to feel pain doesn't make you a good healer," says Liselen. "I sense things, but I don't really have context for them; before one of you fixed me, I couldn't even be as close to you as I am right now without feeling like there were bugs under my skin."

"I'm perfectly unicorn safe," says Lexi smugly.

"Yes, Lexi, sometime you can visit Thilanushinyel and see if any herds of unicorns want you to frolic amongst them and be fitted for flower garlands. Meanwhile, um. Okay. So, a majority of people - at least humans - are only interested in having sex with people who are not their same gender. Some people don't care either way, some people are only interested in people who are their same gender, some people don't want to have sex with anyone even after they grow up, and this is all complicated by the fact that gender is only usually a one-or-the-other thing."

"Wow," says Liselen, blinking at her. "How do you sort it all out?"

"Look," says Aurora, "this is weird, where do little unicorns come from if unicorns can't be anywhere near nonvirgins unless they're patched like you?"