"It is ... forbidden ... verboten...." There was no word in the tongue.
"I can't understand.... If you love...."
He swallowed hard. For the girl, "love" automatically settled everything, and consummation must follow. How could he explain.
"Letha—in your culture, 'life' is the highest value."
"How could it be otherwise? Love me, Meikl."
He took a deep breath and straightened. "You understand 'drama', Letha. I have watched your people. Their lives are continuous conscious play-acting. Your lives are a dance, but you know you are dancing, and you dance as you will. Have you watched our people?"
She nodded slowly. "You dance a different dance—act a different play."
"It's not a play, Letha. We act an unconscious drama, and thus the drama becomes more important than living. And death takes precedence over life."
She shuddered slightly and stared into his eyes, unbelieving.
"I don't know what you mean."