"Oh, but I am soiled beyond all cleansing.…" "Nonsense," said Mavin impatiently. "You are silly beyond all belief, but that is your sole sin I am awa… - Sheri S. Tepper

We are mates, whether we meet once in a lifetime, once a decade, or every day. Nothing changes when we are apart.

They make a mess,” Jared told her. “Tulip foliage dies and turns an ugly yellow. Pansies aren’t hardy. The bloom stalks on lavender drop their buds. Violets seed themselves.” His tone of voice made it clear that seeding oneself was a perversion.

"Forgive my mentioning it. If you are like most young men, you hate having it mentioned."
Mavin could not help laughing. "I hate having it mentioned. Yes. Perhaps…" She paused a moment before going on, "it is because young people are not that sure they are competent."
"There is always that," agreed the Seer. "But that feeling does not necessarily diminish with age. It is merely challenged less frequently. When one has over sixty years, as I do, then the world assumes we would not have survived without competence. With someone your age, it could always be sheer luck."