'I don't want to throw a damper on the evening, but I actually find that prospect quite disturbing. Mainly because it's rapidly becoming true. There are a lot of them here now, millions.

'I'd have thought the rush for housing will benefit you as much as me, probably more so.

'Financially yes, the blond said, holding up a kebab of spiced torkal and pork, marinated in red honey. 'But multiples don't fit into the Living Dream ethos. He bit into the meat and started chewing. 'We didn't exist in Makkathran, the Oriental one explained.

'Surely they're not against your lifestyle, are they? She had an unpleasant thought of how devoted Mareble and Danal were to their ideology, to the complete exclusion of just about everything else. That didn't make them hostile, just unaccepting.

'Oh never actively, no. Perish the thought. Their precious Waterwalker wanted everyone to live together and get along without conflict. But tell me this, how did your buyers react when they found out you weren't sharing the glory that exists only within the gaiafield?

'Surprised, she admitted. 'Then I think they wanted to convert me.

'I bet they did.

'It won't last long, she assured him. 'As soon as the Pilgrimage starts, they'll all flock away to join it. My couple told me that. They're only here because they think this is where the Second Dreamer is hiding.

'Which is equally disturbing.

'Why? she asked as she poured herself some more of the excellent rose wine.

'If you're the next chosen one, why hide? And more than that, why keep releasing the dreams that let everyone know you exist and are in hiding?

'I don't understand anything about Living Dream. The whole thing seems stupid to me.

'The word you're looking for is dangerous, the short one said. 'Too many impossible promises; too many people believing. Bad combination.

'You're an old cynic'

All three of hims at the table lifted their wine glasses. 'Guilty and proud of it.

'You have gaiamotes. Are these second dreams real?

'Is a dream real? three mouths grinned in unison. 'The dreams exist. Everything else is down to personal perspective. If you want to believe in them, then the Second Dreamer is somewhere out there receiving dreams from a Skylord somewhere inside the Void. If not…

'I don't know what to believe. I'm almost tempted to get gaiamotes just to find out.

'Take it from me, said the blond. 'It's not worth it. The gaiafield is just another fad that got hijacked by a bunch of fanatics.

'Why did Ozzie invent it?

'He said so that people could understand each other better. If we had more empathy we would be more peaceful. Nice theory. Haven't seen it having much effect on human nature recently.

'Yet you wouldn't exist without it. And you think you're the future.

The Oriental Mr Bovey produced a modest smile. 'True. And I doubt Ozzie envisaged us, either.

She held her wine glass close to her face, and dropped her gaze demurely. 'I never envisaged you.

'There's a lot of things we don't know about until we encounter them. The Oriental Mr Bovey pressed up against her and plucked the glass from her hands. She liked the warmth of him against her. On her other side, the blond one stroked her cheek and turned her unresisting head for a kiss.

She closed her eyes. Hands stroked her spine. Hands stroked her legs. The kiss went on and on.

'Come with me, one of hims instructed.

The kiss ended, and she saw all three of him smiling in that way, gentle and knowing, not bothering to conceal his anticipation.

The three hims escorted her to a warm second floor bedroom where the lighting was a cosy candle-flame orange. She stood at the end of the bed while they stripped off in front of her, just the way she liked, making her the centre of attention, the centre of desire. Then it was her turn, removing her clothes slowly, showing herself off, drinking in the admiration from hims, exultant with approval. When she was naked, hes began to explore her flesh with formidable intimacy. 'Yes, she finally shuddered in delight, and they lifted her on to the bed.

Rushing headlong through space the creature could feel stray molecules kiss its broad vacuum wings as it stretched them wide. Scintillations from the tenuous impact dripped from its trailing edge, leaving a weak contrail of fluorescence through the empty gulf. Ahead, a star gleamed bright against the glorious background of an undulating turquoise nebula, creating a warm pressure of photons which so very slowly assuaged its physical nourishment. The creature spun leisurely in the rich torrent of light as it listened to the thoughts grow stronger on the solid planet that was still lightyears away.

One thought was exceptionally clear. 'You see, you have to rest now; if you were multiple another body could simply carry on. The ecstasy would continue for hours. More bodies could perform at the same time; imagine that pleasure you've just experienced doubled, quadrupled, increased tenfold. Wouldn't you like that? Wouldn't your life be so much better, so much greater…? The thought dwindled away into the vastness as the solar wind cooled and dimmed.

There were only two of hims asleep on the bed when Araminta woke. She checked the time in her exovision and groaned in dismay. Five past seven already. There was so much to do in the third apartment today. The bots should have spent the night stripping out the old tiles in the fifth apartment, but her u-shadow revealed they'd stopped work at three in the morning as they encountered a problem their semisentient software couldn't cope with. She had two prospective buyers for apartment four arriving before noon.

'Great Ozzie, she complained as she heaved herself out of bed. No time for a shower. She grabbed the clothes she'd worn to dinner last night — which really weren't everyday garments. Must bring a bag with some decent clothes for morning. Would he object to that?

She escaped the bedroom without waking the Mr Boveys. Scuttled down the stairs, raking fingers through awful strings of tangled hair. The smell of coffee and toast was permeating out of the big kitchen. Which was sorely tempting given her body's chill. I must ease off those booster aerosols. Surely a single minute spent with one cup of tea wouldn't jeopardize the whole day?

She put her head round the archway to smile into the long open-plan kitchen diner. Five of hims were sitting round the breakfast bar, with another three lounging in the big old settee. 'Hi— The smiled faded from her face. A woman was perched on the sixth stool at the breakfast bar wearing a big fluffy towelling robe. One of hims had his arm round her, hand lovingly massaging the base of her neck. The woman glanced up from a big mug of steaming coffee, and pulled a delinquent face. 'Oh hi there. I'm Josill. I guess I was being worn out by the half of hims you weren't with last night. He's good sex, huh. I managed four. She grinned round proudly at her entourage of Mr Boveys.

Araminta managed to freeze her expression before she did anything petty like glare or pout or start shouting about what a useless pile of shit he was. 'Right, she said in a croak. 'Got to go. People I'm honest with coming to see me. She headed for the front door, as fast as she could without actually running. Even managed to get outside. Her old carry capsule was resting on the gravel pad. Fifteen metres away.

'Just hold on.

She turned. It was the body she'd had that first dinner date with. He always used that one to talk to her with when it was something serious. Obviously working the whole age equals wisdom angle, with maybe a little trust mixed in. 'Drop dead, she snapped. 'All of you.

'You knew I would date other women.

'I… She spluttered with indignation. 'No! Actually, no I didn't! I thought we— Some stubborn little part of her was desperately trying not to cry in front of him. What the point was with someone who knew her so completely eluded her — still she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much she cared.