The Emissarial staff walked slowly down the streets of Canterlot heading toward The World's Cuisine. Each of them had learned different things from the soon-to-be parents but all three knew they had made the right decision. Artex had been the most leery of deciding on the rich couple, but their personalities and preparations had eased his concerns almost down to nothing and he could admit to himself that he seemed to have misjudged them. If he was being really honest, he actually liked them, even though he would probably not admit to it out loud.

The man decided to broach a topic that had been the source of some significant tension earlier in the day,
"I know I goofed when I made the reservations earlier and I'll ask next time before I do so again. I apologize for that Oriana."

The Zebra mare smiled up at him,
"You are forgiven Artex. I do not hold you to blame for your blunder. The finer details of herd relationships should have been discussed before we began. Let us remedy that now while we walk. As I have heard you say, 'there is no time like the present'."

Razor folded her ears partially back at Oriana's words,
"We were both at fault for not being clear on how these relationships work, Artex. You, for not asking and I, for not bringing it up."

"Well then, let's clear the air here, because I've still got a few clouds in the sky about how multiple partners works." Artex said using a Pegasus figure of speech, "I keep hearing the term, 'first couple', would one of you please explain what that means and how it works?"

Oriana giggled at his question,
"Hehe, I would have thought you knew, but I do not wish to assume. The first couple is the first pair that form the herd. All herds begin with two individuals and others join them but the first couple are the founders and are responsible for deciding who else joins the herd. If they both do not approve of a potential new herd member, that potential member does not become part of the herd. Any and all hopeful members of the herd approach the first couple humbly and have to woo the stallion and prove to both the mare and the stallion that she is worthy of joining. She gives gifts, offers her services for work or assistance, or treats the first couple to outings. If the mare or stallion do not want the new member but also do not wish to say so openly, they will take steps to weed the new mare out. Not allowing the new mare make a reservation at a restaurant where all were supposed to eat is one of the biggest signs that that night is the last night they will be together. It is like a parting gift to say they are not interested as politely as possible. Other polite ways include buying land or a house for the new mare, contacting her relatives without her knowledge, or having the stallion sit down across from her while eating. The last one seems strange but it is a show that he opposes her, it's fine for the first couple to sit across from each other though. The first couple are also very often the ones who consummate the marriage bed first while the other mares act as Comforters. After the first couple have finished they decide which mare is next. The first couple are also responsible for the finances of the herd and which mares spend which days and nights with the stallion. They tend to be the ones to have foals first, but that is not a guarantee. The decision to conceive is determined by only the two who are together and does not have to be approved by anypony else, though it is always a good idea to make sure all members of the herd are aware of it. There is no happy stallion in a home filled with pregnant mares. Herds are about working together and delegating responsibilities. A wise herd casts every significant decision to a group vote, but if the herd were to follow to strict tradition, the first couple could make all the decisions. That is rarely done though because it places the other herd members as subservient and can cause rifts."

"Hold on, back up a little bit there. You mentioned contacting the mare's family without her knowing. How is that a bad thing?" Artex asked.

Oriana twitched her mouth,
"Because a mare decides when to introduce her family to the herd she wishes to join. It is taking her decision away from her, another way of saying you can and will subvert her decisions."

Artex nodded,
"That... actually makes a bit of sense. It's a good thing you mentioned about me not sitting across from you because in Human tradition, at least where I'm from, it is improper NOT to sit across from your partner. The idea is so you can see their face and pay attention. I'm guessing the reasoning for not sitting across from a potential herd member would be because you would be looking her in the face to... gauge her actions, like watching an enemy to see what they do."

Razor beamed happily,
"Very good, that is exactly where it originated."

Artex stroked the side of his nose,
"Hmm, I think I can understand buying the mare land too, it's to give her a place to live specifically away from the herd."

The two mares were ecstatic that their pseudo stallion was picking up the reasons quickly,
"Now once a mare is accepted into the herd, is it alright for the stallion to sit across from her?" Artex asked, "I just want to be sure."

"Yes that is fine." Oriana replied.

"Is it alright to hold doors open or pull out chairs for a a potential herd member?" Artex asked.

Razor nudged his left thigh with her shoulder,
"That's fine too."

Artex then crossed his arms,
"Alright, I think I'm getting all this well enough. I do have a question though, we're focusing only on Kavim customs and completely ignoring mine. I'll be honest, I'm starting to feel a bit left out and trampled on here. I need to know and feel that my Human customs are being honored as well. I think that may be part of why I was so urine-like earlier..." Artex pursed his lips, "Some figures of speech really don't translate well. I meant 'pissy' but it just doesn't quite have the same effect."

"Artex stop." Razor Wit said quietly.

The three of them stopped in the lengthening shadows and dim, waning light of the day. Oriana looked up at Artex, but the Human's eyes were solely on the tan Unicorn. Razor Wit stepped close to him and nuzzled against his left thigh affectionately back and forth several times silently.

She withdrew her head and looked up, catching Artex' eyes,
"I never meant to make you feel that way." she said quietly, "You're right, I've been so focused on correcting you about my customs that I've been neglecting yours. I'm really sorry about that, please forgive me. This relationship is supposed to be a mixture of both our customs and I've been selfish."

Artex leaned down and scratched Razor behind her right ear,
"I'm not angry with you just a bit hurt. You didn't realize what you were doing. I forgive you, but how about we meet halfway here. With new mares, I'll defer to you but once somepony is established, we'll discuss changing things up and merging our cultures. If we tried to merge the cultures with the new mares, they would probably get confused very quickly because they don't understand Human culture like you do. How does that sound?"

Razor leaned into his fingers and closed her eyes enjoying the feeling,
"Mmm, that sounds good."

Artex then turned to the Zebra mare on his right,
"Is that O.K. with you Oriana?"

She nodded and flicked her whip like tail,
"Your proposed compromise seems reasonable enough to me. Perhaps we can discuss some of the details of your customs at dinner? I am quite hungry."

Artex removed his hand from Razor's ear, but she was not finished. She waited until he straightened all the way up then rose up onto her hind legs and wrapped her forelegs around his stomach. Artex was initially startled, but he leaned over and returned her hug just as warmly. They held each other for a few full minutes before letting go.

"Come on," Artex said with a smile, "We're not too far from the restaurant."

* * *

They arrived at The World's Cuisine only to see a long line of finely dressed Ponies stretching from inside to outside the door and half way around the block. Artex felt a distinctive pang of disappointment upon seeing the line.

"Aw," Oriana moaned, "That line is going to take hours to wait."

Razor's ears wilted,
"Let's see if we can find another place to eat tonight."

"Nope." Artex said loudly, "I made reservations for my girls and I plan to keep to that." without another word he strode purposefully toward the doors.

As he neared the doors, the crowd took notice of him and began whispering amongst themselves. Artex could hear their hushed voices.

"That's him!"

"He's here."

"The Emissary!"

"Are those his staff?"

He pointedly ignored the whispers as he stepped up to the doors which were held partially open by the Ponies standing in the door. Fortunately they only took up the right side of the doors so he opened the left one and walked right in. The hostess behind the podium had changed, but Artex didn't care. He was on a mission. A well-dressed Unicorn mare and stallion were standing directly in front of the podium waiting for their turn. Artex walked right up beside the two and gripped the top edge of the podium, getting the hostess' attention.

He smiled hugely as he spoke,
"My name is Artex Rias and I have a reservation for this evening."

The hostess looked down at her notebook briefly before shaking her head and turning the page back,
"Ah here you are. Reservation for Artex Rias, Razor Wit, and Oriana." she looked up with a warm smile, "We are currently experiencing an unusually high volume of patrons this evening. However you made your reservation earlier this afternoon and we always honor reservations. Because of the number of patrons we have no regular seating available, but we do have a private reserved section ready. Will the private section be acceptable? If not, then we can move another table into that area to clear it up for you."

Artex had been ready to argue over what seemed to be an oversight, but he was pleasantly surprised,
"Give me a moment and I'll be right back."

The mare nodded as Artex poked his head out the door and waved Razor and Oriana over,
"Please tell me you didn't get angry at anypony." Razor said as she stepped up to him.

Artex shook his head,
"Didn't have to. Is a private table alright?"

The two mares exchanged an eager look, and Oriana nodded happily to Razor,
"A private table is fine." Razor replied.

The man led both his mares into the restaurant. The hostess beamed a glowing smile at the three and grabbed a trio of menus off the podium then turned toward the back of the restaurant and motioned for them to follow her. Artex allowed the mares to go first while he discreetly admired the view of Razor's slightly swaying haunches. He kept his eyes off of Oriana though, feeling it would be somehow inappropriate to watch her the same way.

The hostess led them through the server's door and through a short hallway. The kitchen was on the right, through two separate doors, one at the front of the hallway and one at the rear. Wondrous smells and aromas wafted through the air and Artex felt his mouth watering.

The hostess stopped in front of an unassuming wooden door and pushed down on the handle. The room beyond was five Fathoms by five Fathoms and had only a single table in the center. The walls were decorated with painted floral designs around wall sconces lit with candles. The table was already set for four and one of the chairs was the same type that had Artex had been given earlier in the day. The hostess set down the menus and removed the fourth setting.

"Will this be acceptable for you?" she asked.

"Ladies?" Artex deferred to his dates.

Razor looked around,
"This will do nicely. Oriana?"

"This is perfect," she turned to the hostess, "Thank you."

"Your server will be with you shortly." the hostess said before leaving and closing the door behind her.

The three of them sat down and looked over the menus briefly before deciding on what they wanted then folded the menus and sat back.

"Razor and I already discussed finances a little bit on our last date, but there were some things we didn't quite manage to talk about. Would it be alright if we continued that now?" Artex asked.

Razor nodded,
"So long as that's alright with you, Oriana."

The Zebra mare nodded,
"If we are going to be serious about a herd then we do need to reach an understanding. Lead on Artex."

He cleared his throat and laced his fingers together, hands resting on the table,
"Razor, you said that between the two of us we earn enough to support an entire herd, correct?"

Razor nodded,
"We do and it would be fairly easy to accomplish."

Artex chewed his cheek as he thought,
"I want to buy a home. If we're serious about having a full sized herd and family we'll need a house."

"True enough, but that brings up a possible cultural conflict. Traditionally, a herd lives in the same village, city, or town as the first mare's family. That is not so widely practiced today, but many families still adhere to that tradition. The idea behind it is that if the herd needs help in an emergency of any kind, the family is there to help. The safety of the herd falls to the first couple. The mare directs the stallion and the stallion keeps the herd safe. If something happens to the stallion, the first mare's family steps in to shelter their own." Razor said.

Artex took a stab in the dark,
"Is it safe to assume that your family is one of those?"

Razor bit her lower lip and arched her eyebrows briefly,
"Good guess."

Artex nodded,
"Hmm. You said your family lives in Trottingham?"

"That's right. It's to the Southwest of New Humansville, about a day's walk on hoof." Razor answered.

Artex nodded,
"Are there any traditions Zebras have about where a herd lives?" he asked Oriana.

The Zebra mare shook her head,
"Fortunately no, you settle where you settle and as long as your family has an open invitation to visit any time they wish, nobody will make a fuss."

Artex clicked his tongue,
"Alright, seems simple enough I suppose, however I wanted to live in New Humansville so I could be near my people if they need me. Trottingham is much closer than Ponyville, but I wanted to live IN New Humansville." he lightly clapped his hands together in front of his face, "Alright Razor, let's compromise."

Razor Wit tapped her right forehoof lightly on the table top,
"What did you have in mind?"

Artex held up his hands,
"Before we get into that, I want to know something. Do you want to live in Trottingham, or do you feel obligated to move there because of what your family would want?"

"I want to be close to my parents' herd because if something happens I know we can depend on them to help, but it might be a little complicated." Razor admitted honestly.

Artex nodded,
"You want to be near your support system. That makes sense. How would it be complicated though?"

Razor Wit fidgeted her forehooves nervously, looking at the table top,
"It's my Lamine, she's scared of other species that are bigger than Ponies. My Lamane brought a friend over for dinner once, his friend was a Minotaur. My Lamine was a nervous wreck the whole time. She tried to be pleasant, but she was shaky and nervous the whole time, she was snappy too. My Lamane's Minotaur friend was so uncomfortable he never came back. My Petamines grazed on her about the incident for months afterward. She isn't specist, she doesn't hate other species, but she thinks they're dangerous. She thinks that one shouldn't be around other species of different shapes, she thinks it's risky since so many are predatory in nature or just more physically imposing. She doesn't have any problems with Zebras or Saddle Arabians and she probably wouldn't have any issues with Crystal Ponies, but Gryphons, Minotaurs, Diamond Dogs, Dragons, and Buffalo? No, she wouldn't want to even get close to you. She forbade me from setting out to the Diamond Dog city/states at first. I went anyway though, and when I came back we got into a big argument about it, but eventually I made her see reason. When the Diamond Dogs come to Trottingham to trade she'll go to them reluctantly, but she never invited one into the house. She almost had a heart attack when I asked one of my Diamond Dog friends, Slobber Chops, to join us for dinner. She was furious, but I told her there was nothing to worry about. She didn't even stay in the same room as him and the two didn't exchange a single word the entire night."

Razor took a breath before continuing,
"You have to understand, she comes from a long line of pure blood Unicorns. She and her own parents exchanged some very heated words about her marrying my Lamane. He's an Earth Pony and my Lamine wasn't the first mare, both of which were unacceptable for her parents. They eventually accepted my Lamane and Petamines, but it took my birth to do it. I was a Unicorn so they were satisfied. I don't ever plan on introducing you to them. They dote on me and they're sweet to my Vindamines and Vindamane, they are polite to my Petamines and Lamane and they love my Lamine. If I told them that I was in a herd with a Human and a Zebra... I doubt they would ever approve. They have close friends of all tribes of Ponies, but they believe the tribes should never intermarry. Now, my Lamane and Petamines are some of the nicest and most friendly Ponies you could ever meet. They'll welcome you as warmly as if you were already family. My Lamine though... she'll take a hundred Stones of convincing to accept you. When I finally left home, I told her that I would find love in whatever form it took, I was expecting to find a stallion, but things didn't turn out that way and I'm not complaining. She said that she could accept anybody so long as they were a Zebra, a Saddle Arabian, or a Pony. She may have a breakdown when I tell her about you, Artex."

Artex took a deep breath and let it out angling his head and arching his eyebrows briefly,
"Well, meeting your mother should be an experience. I'm willing to compromise on this. What about a house between New Humansville and Trottingham? We could have plenty of land and not be too far away from your family or my people. Would that satisfy you?"

Razor Wit put her right forehoof up to her mouth in thought,
"I... will need time to think on it."

A knock on the door heralded the arrival of their server. They placed their drink orders and selections for an appetizer and their entrees. For the appetizer, they decided on spiced olive oil and crusty bread for dipping. Oriana ordered Chokolaghe, said it was a traditional Zebra recipe. Razor Wit surprised Artex by ordering an alfredo type noodle dish with bits of shrimp in it. Artex asked if he could place a special order. Upon receiving an affirmative answer he gave the server instructions on how to make a mushroom topped hamburger and fries. Thankfully Ponies knew what mayonnaise was or else he would have had a hard time. Feeling brave, Razor and Oriana also ordered two bottles of wine while Artex ordered a bottle of pomegranate and lime liquor and all three of them ordered glasses of water. Ponies served bottles of liquor in restaurants, who knew.

After the server left they continued discussing how an actual marriage would work,
"With all three of us receiving pay as members of the Emissarial staff, we'll have plenty of money to have a house built. At least I'm hoping that idea is alright with you." Artex hinted.

Oriana shrugged,
"A house is merely a house until it is inhabited. A home is where you live. I have no preference either for or against it."

Razor clicked her tongue,
"I don't have any problems with the idea." she then turned to Oriana with a concerned expression, "You seem a bit less... enthusiastic than I thought you would be. Is something wrong?"

Oriana sighed and set her chin on the table,
"I'm beginning to understand just how little thought I gave to this idea. I was excited at first because you two are absolutely wonderful, but... I'm trotting toward a lifelong commitment and I realize now how little I really have to offer you. I have the bits from the work but other than that and the potion recipes I've been taught... I don't have anything."

"Not true." Artex said somewhat forcefully, "Why did your grandmother have you stay here?"

Oriana rolled her head from side to side on the table,
"You asked for knowledge and wisdom, which I can understand, but I don't have any to offer."

"Again, not true." Artex held up his hand to forestall any rebuttal, "You stopped Razor and I from escalating our disagreement any farther today. It was you who suggested that we interview Fleur-de-lis and Fancy Pants when I was ready to turn them away. You have a very warm heart, you are friendly and open, and you have a sweet spirit. You have much to offer both Razor and I. Razor and I both would have made several very poor decisions had you not been present. I think I would go so far as to say we need you." Artex leaned toward the saddened Zebra mare, "We care about you. You enrich our lives and help us make good, sound decisions. You help us moderate our temperaments and keep us aware of what we're doing." he reached his hands across the table, one toward Razor, the other toward Oriana, "Put your hooves in my hands." he ordered softly.

The two mares placed a hoof in each of his hands, and Artex continued in a soft voice,
"I value you both a great deal. You're very dear to me." he gave their hooves a gentle squeeze, "I don't make friends easily, but once I find something or somebody that I care about, I take hold and I don't let go. I care deeply about you both and I don't want to hear either of you devalue yourselves. I appreciate and value both of you on different levels. You are both appealing and amazing ladies in your own ways. You are unique and wonderful mares and I feel privileged to have you both interested in me at all." he lowered his head and tenderly kissed the hoof he held in each of his hands, "Don't ever change girls."

Razor and Oriana were both sporting deep blushes as Artex let go of their hooves and sat back against his chair,
"I meant what I said, you are both wonderful mares."

The server returned with their drink orders and appetizer. She set the drinks and glasses around the table in front of each dinner then set the oil and two loaves of bread in the center of the table. She arranged small bowls for oil in front of each of them then set out a dizzying array of spices to flavor the oil with. She stated that their orders would take some time before they were ready, but she would return to see if they needed anything else before that.

After the server departed Artex reached for the ladle in the big oil bowl then halted his hand suddenly,
"Would it be improper or offensive if I served you ladies?" he asked .

Razor shrugged nonchalantly, but Oriana let out a pent up breath that her two companions had missed,
"It would be VERY improper, especially since we are not even married."

Razor cocked her head to the side,
"I'm familiar with many Zebra cultural mores, but I don't remember one about being served having a double meaning."

Artex' face suddenly flushed and he withdrew his hand quickly,
"Served or... serviced?" he asked, "As in..."

Oriana nodded her head vigorously as a brilliant blush formed on her cheeks and went all the way up to her ears. The direction and orientation of her eyes and face seemed to indicate she found the grain of the tabletop to be suddenly very interesting.

"So serving you is a proposition for 'servicing' you... in bed... sexually?" Artex asked for clarification.

Oriana nodded again, her blush deepened and Razor waved her right forehoof,
"You get the picture Artex, you don't need to make her combust." Razor paused thoughtfully, "Although... since we're on the topic of physical intimacy... wasn't that one of the things we neglected to discuss on our first date?"

Artex bit his lower lip briefly before answering,
"Yes it was. I'm sorry if I offended you Oriana. We don't have to talk about this if it's going to make you uncomfortable though."

Oriana looked up, her blush fading somewhat,
"N-no... it's alright. We need to talk about... that." she gestured vaguely with her left forehoof.

Artex turned to Razor,
"And I assume you're alright with it too?"

Razor nodded,
"Yes I am. It's actually pretty important for interspecies herds. Sometimes spells need to be involved for the herd to be intimate. A Minotaur for example, would have a good deal of difficulty being with almost any but the largest Pony. We don't even know if our bodies are physically compatible with yours."

Artex ladled some oil into the small bowl in front of him while he thought. He selected a bit of salt, oregano, and thyme to flavor his oil with. He stirred the spices into the oil while the mares served themselves a bit of the oil too. The two loaves of bread were only slightly larger around than a kielbasa sausage, but almost half again as long. The bread was coated with a fine dusting of flour and while somewhat crusty on the outside, the inside was soft. Artex broke off a piece that was about twice as long as his hand and dipped it lightly into the oil.

He savored the flavors and swallowed his mouthful before finally responding,
"I have no idea if I'm physically compatible with either of you. I'll admit to having been tempted to try to take a peek behind a tail to quell my interest, but I haven't been that crude. Besides," he broke another small chunk off the piece of bread on his plate, "It would be extremely disrespectful to either of you if I did that."

Razor's horn lit up as she dipped a piece of her bread into her own oil,
"It would be extremely rude, though it is considered highly flirtatious to lift a tail, but you wouldn't have seen anything anyway."

Artex stopped chewing his bread and just blinked in confusion, 'Say what? How does that work?' he thought back to when he had burst into the bathroom at Sugarcube Corner, 'Fluttershy was backed up to the toilet and her tail was to the side. They obviously need to excrete waste, both liquid and solid... what am I missing here?'

He quickly finished chewing his mouthful and swallowed it,
"How would I not see anything? Aren't your... private parts back there?"

Razor blushed and giggled at the figure of speech,
"Of course they are, silly. I meant that unless Oriana or I wanted to show you something, you couldn't see... us. Our pelvic curtains would be in the way."

Artex blinked, completely lost,
"Pelvic curtain?"

Razor nodded,
"You know, the flap of skin and muscle that meshes together to cover our, as you said, private parts."

"Huh?" Artex expounded eloquently.

Oriana blushed and giggled as well,
"Every species in the world has some kind of pelvic curtain, why do you think we go without clothes? I do not know about you, but if my... parts were hanging out and exposed all the time it would be very awkward and embarrassing."

Razor picked up the slack while Oriana bit into a piece of bread,
"It's part of the history of clothes for us. Clothes were first developed to show that a stallion or mare was 'unfolded' underneath their clothes. It was a sort of unspoken innuendo for herds that if a mare wore clothes that covered their backsides, they were exposed underneath and all you had to do was lift the clothes and look. It was meant to be a method of arousal using one's imagination. That's why when a mare gets married she wears a gown that covers her entire backside. That's also why some ponies consider it improper to watch somepony getting dressed or undressed. Eventually clothes became a fashion statement and the sexuality of it fell away. The Saddle Arabians developed the eroticism of clothes. Their culture is much more open about it."

"So if I lifted your tail right now, I would see nothing except a blank patch of skin?" Artex asked.

Razor's cheeks heated up,
"No, if you lifted my tail right now I would kick you over the horizon. You have the right idea though. The pelvic curtain is only to hide the genitals, the two sides can be pushed open easily enough. Doctors often have to do that when a mare visits her... O.B.G.Y.N. for the first time. You also have to be examined before you marry to make sure you're healthy back there."

Artex nodded,
"That makes good sense."

Razor swallowed hard before continuing,
"So... what did you want to talk about in regard to... sex?"

Artex shifted uncomfortably in his seat,
"How much do you know about sex? Oriana?"

The Zebra mare rubbed her left forehoof over her right one,
"I know how it works and the first time hurts but after that it's supposed to feel really good."

Artex turned his eyes to the Unicorn mare,
"Razor?"

"Same. I know how it works, but other than that, not much." she admitted.

Artex nodded,
"Fair enough. I know how you feel. I only know how I pleased my wife, she was the only one I ever engaged in any sort of... intimate acts with. She is no longer in my life, so I have to start over... mostly. I know what I like, but I don't have the first clue how to sexually please a mare." he licked his lips and looked to his right, "Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear myself say."

"Well... why don't you tell us what kinds of things you like with... sex?" Oriana asked.

Artex quirked his left eyebrow at her,
"I propose a trade. I'll tell you what I like and you tell me what you like, or at least fantasize about."

Razor nodded,
"That seems fair."

Artex placed his hands flat on the table and took several deep breaths,
"Alright I'll tell you, but I need you to promise me that you won't make a fuss about what I say." he received a silent nod from both mares so he screwed up his courage and dove right in, "Sex to me is about loving somebody and translating that love into actions to show it to the one you love. My personal views of it are that it is meant to be slow and relaxing and enjoyable. It's a time where both partners share and enjoy mutual pleasure with each other. My wife and I had healthy sexual appetites, myself especially. It was sometimes a problem because some of the medications she took damaged her sex drive, but we made love at least a couple of times a week. If I am sexually active with a partner I am going to want to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh fairly frequently." he took a sip of his liquor, "I think that's a good start. Who wants to go next?"

Oriana cleared her throat, making known her intention to speak,
"I have never given myself to anybody but I know I have the urge. It's kind of scary how... powerful the urge is sometimes. I... I thought about trying to kiss you once Artex, but... I got scared. The whole thing just seems scary to me, but it's also something I want to experience. Married couples almost never talk about it around those who are unmarried so it's kind of... mysterious to me." she hung her head, "That probably sounds stupid."

"It doesn't sound stupid at all." Razor Wit spoke up quietly, "I... I feel almost the same way about it. It's mysterious and scary, but it's also something I want." she shifted her eyes to Artex, "With the right one."

Artex nodded and folded his hands on the tabletop,
"Well..." he ran his tongue over his teeth, "How about you girls ask me questions and I'll answer them as openly and honestly as I can?"

"A-alright," Razor acquiesced, "Since our first time will be our first time, Oriana and I, is it true that it hurts?"

Artex had figured they were likely to ask that,
"I don't know how different the body of a mare is from the body of a woman, but I can tell you what I've experienced. On out wedding night, we fell asleep and didn't make love until the following night. That night we decided to take our time and explore each other. We had talked about it beforehand and we both had a rough idea of what to expect, still I had never seen a woman's... lady parts before. I was curious when I saw her... her and I asked before I touched anything. She was patient with me and allowed me to touch different places to see what felt good to her. After I was satisfied I laid back and let her satisfy her curiosity about me. She had given herself to a couple of men before but she never took the time to look at... anything so she was curious as well. It was actually kind of funny and her blush was really cute. She poked and prodded and did some other things so she could become comfortable with... the new part of me she suddenly had access to. We did eventually make love, but I couldn't tell you how her first time felt. I know that I didn't last very long, but we... did... other things so I could... satisfy her." the blush on Artex' face was comparable to a ripe cherry tomato.

Oriana and Razor Wit seemed disappointed, they exchanged a look and Razor spoke first,
"Did you... um... fit easily enough?"

Artex rubbed the back of his neck,
"It took a little... work at first but yes. I did fit."

Oriana bit her lower lip,
"When you say you didn't last long... you mean before you... erm, e-e-ejaculated?"

Artex nodded silently and Oriana pressed on,
"How... long did you last?"

Artex let his head fall into his hands,
"About a minute the first time. I got better as I became more experienced. Before I came here I was... lasting about fifteen minutes if I was really trying." his voice was muffled by his hands, "I cannot believe I'm talking about this."

Razor's eyes bulged, unseen by the Human. She turned to Oriana and mouthed, 'Fifteen minutes?' Oriana nodded, her blush deepening. She mouthed the words, 'Long time' back to Razor. Oriana meant it as a question, but Razor assumed the Zebra had once heard something that explained how long a stallion tended to last. The continuing silence seemed to go on forever as nobody wanted to be the first to break it.

Finally Razor had an idea,
"What did you two do once you became comfortable with your, um, intimacy? Did anything change?"

Artex lifted his head from his hands with a sigh,
"Not many things changed. We tried to be open and honest about whatever we wanted, but I'll get into personal kinks later. She never really had to put a lot of effort into satisfying me, I guess I'm just easy to please. Other than that, after we made love, I always asked her if I had been gentle enough and if I satisfied her. For me, part of where I get my pleasure is in knowing I pleased her and when we go to make love, the same will be true for each of you. It takes work and willingness to try... new things and see what you do and don't like. I'm open to trying almost anything at least a couple of times to see whether or not I'll like it, but I do ask for a few a few things too."

He took a deep breath and drummed his fingers on the table,
"For example, if I ever do something that hurts you, please tell me. If something hurt you and I found out later that you didn't tell me, I'd be very upset. Also, if you tell me to wait or stop or anything like that, I will. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to..."

Razor suddenly looked up,
"B-but our first time..."

Artex interrupted her quickly, as his passion about the particular topic came to the surface,
"No." he said emphatically, "I don't care if it's our first time or our ten thousandth time, if you say stop, I stop." he leaned part way over the table, face sincere and voice caring, "I will never continue if my partner says 'no' or 'stop' or 'wait' or any other word or phrase that indicates not wanting to continue. I don't care if you want it and you're being held down by Comforters, if you so much as whisper 'no' or anything like that, I will stop and you will have to convince me to continue. Some women like being dominated by a chest-beating, bullying, confrontational 'alpha-male' type. Well that's not me and it never will be. I won't hold you down unless you tell me to, and I will never, NEVER force anything on you. If I'm engaging is any sort of sexual activities, it's because I love my partner dearly and I want to show them how much I love them. In my mind, sex should never be hurried or really rough, it should be slow, sweet, gentle, tender, and caring. I've never engaged in anything sexual that lasted for less than a full hour, granted it was often mostly foreplay. Now that said, if you want to try something quick, I'll be willing to give it a try. If you want me to hold you down for kinky play, I'm game, but my biggest want is to please my partner. If you want something, I'll be willing to try." he leaned back and took a bite of bread.

After swallowing his bread he continued,
"There are a few things I won't do though. Number one, I never put my hand around anybody's throat, even in kinky play and I never let anybody else do that to me. Some folks like that kind of thing, but I will not do it. My wife asked me to do it once and I did, but afterward I felt terrible, like I had abused her. I will not do that again. I also don't do 'dirty talk'. Some folks like it, but my wife once referred to herself as a 'slut' and my... yeah it went limp. I also don't do bondage, like whips and leather and so forth. I might be convinced to tie you up for a bit of kinky role-play, but it won't go any farther than that. No 'master' and 'slave' stuff. I know all this is really blunt, but you should know what you're getting into with me."

Razor Wit and Oriana were completely silent as the processed all the erotic details and scenarios that had just assaulted their virgin ears. Artex, fearing that he had offended them, sat back in his chair and tore off another piece of bread. Dipping it into the oil in front of him, he popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly as he waited for one of the two mares at the table to break the silence.

Eventually Razor Wit broke the ice,
"Humans like some really strange things."

Artex, feeling much relieved, chuckled,
"Then be glad I left out some of the REALLY weird stuff."

Oriana slowly raised her eyes to his,
"What could be more strange than the whips and leather... whatever they're for."

Artex shook his head,
"Feet fetishes, some people love licking toes. Some people will put on a diaper and act like a baby. Some people like having somebody squat over them and pooping on them. There are all sorts of strange sexual fetishes."

Oriana stuck out her tongue,
"That's disgusting! Why would somebody want THAT?"

Artex held up his hands, palms open,
"Hey, they like what they like. Who am I to tell them what they shouldn't like?"

Razor looked Artex up and down, as much as possible considering half of him was obscured by the table,
"You Humans like some things that are just... gross."

Artex shrugged,
"If you try something and don't like it, that's fine and I won't pressure you about it or think any less of you for it." he lapsed into silence briefly as he searched for a good way to change the subject, "I'm not trying to be intrusive, but how small are mares back there? Actually better question, how big is an average stallion? They must have taught that kind of thing somewhere."

Razor's face heated up as she looked at the remaining half a loaf of bread,
"I-i-it's supposed to be bout half as... thick as the bread and about one and a half to two and a half Hooves long and spiraled like a Unicorn's horn but with a gently rounded end to open a mare slowly."

Artex regarded the bread and began chewing his cheek furiously,
"Well drat." he said flatly.

Razor and Oriana both looked up sharply,
"What's wrong?" Oriana asked.

Artex shook his head and sighed,
"I'm not trying to be gross, but I'm about as big around as the bread and bit under one and half Hooves long."

The eyes of the two mares bulged almost comically and Razor reached her forehooves between her hind legs,
"Oh dear." she whimpered, "That... so... you're shorter than a stallion, but more than twice the... girth?"

Artex gave her a slight nod in return,
"But shaped more like a long mushroom rather than being spiraled and most Human males are naturally ribbed a little bit."

Oriana shivered,
"This conversation is starting to make me uncomfortable now. Can we change the subject?"

The server chose that very second to knock on the door again,
"Perfect timing." Artex quipped.

Next Chapter: Chapter 48: Anger Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 43 Minutes