"And you'd never seen her." Mattern stared intently at the shadow. "Are you disappointed, then?"
"Of course not. You know that to me a human woman is merely an object of art. And she is very beautiful. But I thought she might not have come up to your expectations. Reality often falls short of dreams." The shadow's voice tautened. "Has she changed much?"
"Very little," Mattern said, absorbed once more in the game. "You'd think only a year or two had passed. Surprising how women do it."
The shadow sighed. "Surprising," it agreed, its voice relaxing. "But then the female sex is mysterious."
They played on a while in silence. The kqyres finally spoke. "You will need a lot of money to provide an establishment fitting for so lovely a lady."
"I have a lot of money," Mattern said. "More than enough."
The kqyres flickered so violently that Mattern's eyes hurt. "Not enough for the things she deserves to have. Jewels, palaces, planets...."
"One thing I know would make it a lot more comfortable for her," Mattern suggested. "If only you didn't have to be close to me all the time, kqyres. If only you could stay on the ship even when I'm not there. Not that I don't enjoy your company," he added quickly, "but she seems to be highly strung."
"Do you think I like the situation any better than you? But this is the way the mbretersha has ordered it."