Ocean's Breath Plateau ships going down, Captain

despite her blunder, kukutux found herself fascinated by the vision of the world aiolos created. men, subservient to women? a flush came to her cheek to realize what he meant by reproduction. a confounding word with a clear meaning. "i did not know there was such a place," she expressed in a tone of vague horror. "in my home, a woman could refuse a man who wished to marry her. but once she became his wife, she belonged to him."

"sometimes a man who was not satisfied with one wife could take another," kukutux flew on, still dazzled and perturbed by the concept of males being below women. her voice stopped a moment. "my ways are only my ways. i remain a stranger here. even my husband will not entertain the idea, despite the fact that we cannot —"

she trailed off, swallowed. "i knew a woman in the vale. kalika. she said she was of 'nereides.' she spoke of the sea. she said i did not speak as a woman should." the unspoken question hung in the air, and slowly the duck returned her shy gaze to aiolos.