Ellia looked at him with some form of compassion—a look he rarely saw from tribal leaders. She scratched her cheek, avoiding his gaze. “Well… I’m in my mid-thirties, my favorite beverage is coffee—although it’s nearly impossible to come by in these days—and I’ve killed two aqrabuamelus and two tribal leaders—small time leaders, but leaders nonetheless.”

Nikodemus chuckled, sitting next to her on the bed. “Really? That’s it? There must be more to you than that. Tell me something else.”

Ellia glanced at him and then down at her feet. She shook her head with a bitter smile. “I love children. I used to help my mother deliver babies. And… I loved men, too. I had a boyfriend when I was sixteen. Sweetest person I ever knew. Died in one of the Tribal Schisms. Tried to love women the way I love men. Didn’t work out. Kinda hard to live without that sort of… intimacy though. Not just the physical stuff, but the mental support, too. Never had that support or loyalty from anyone but my boyfriend or my family, and I lost them both.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Nikodemus’ mouth. “Glad to hear you love men. The way you looked at me when we met just now made me think you hated them. I was afraid you were going to beat the crap out of me!”

Ellia sniffed her laughter. “No… I just… You’re not really my type of man.”

Nikodemus snorted. “Pygmies aren’t any woman’s type of man.”

Nikodemus was shocked when he saw unshed tears gleaming in the woman’s eyes.

“You know what I miss most about them?” Ellia murmured.

Nikodemus shook his head, waiting for her to elaborate.

Ellia wiped her eyes, despite the fact that no tears were dripping from them as-of-yet. “Just the little things. I miss how overprotective my dad was, and I miss how my boyfriend always knew before I did that I was cold and gave me his jacket. I miss how he wanted to carry food for me when we went out foraging, despite the fact that I was perfectly capable.”

The pair were quiet for a moment, both silenced by the woman’s genuine pain about losing the other sex.

In a moment, she asked, “What about you? Do you miss men?”

Nikodemus grinned. “Well, I am a man so I can’t say I’ve felt their absence as well as you have. Frankly, when I was in my twenties, no women had any interest in me because I’m not exactly a… Pinnacle of manliness. Having no competition is quite nice.”

Ellia chuckled a deep, hearty chuckle at that. “I can’t deny that I wish a typical man rather than a pygmy man had been the last one to survive, but at least you’re funny.”

Nikodemus winked. “My best quality, according to most women I’ve met. Of course, since men have been slowly dying out, women have started to get particularly tall, and you are no exception. Lucky for you, I’ve always liked tall women.”

Nikodemus hoped she would laugh at this strange and gradual evolution of females over the past century. While men became rarer and rarer, women became bigger and more muscular. Instead, she merely rubbed her temples in frustration. “It’s not just that we’ve lost men… In a way, we’ve lost women, too…” She muttered to herself.

Nikodemus grinned awkwardly. It was important for this woman to like him if he was to spend the next few months with her before her tribe was inevitably wiped out by another. He had been captured by many tribes in the past who had not treated him kindly, and he had suffered bruises, both mental and physical, from such tribes.

He had to turn up the charm.

“I’m just kidding of course…” Nikodemus pulled back his veil of humor, deciding that revealing his humanity was the best way to get Ellia to like him. “I miss my dad and my little brother more than anything. I miss having someone male to talk to… I miss having people who were interested in me for more reasons than just the fact that I can provide them with children.”

Ellia glanced at him apologetically, and then at her wall. He could tell she felt guilty about capturing him, which told him that she was a good woman. She cleared her throat. “What happened to them, if you don’t mind my asking?”

His own eyes became glassy. “Dad was killed in a tribal raid. My brother… Fell from the third floor in my home and hit his head.”

Ellia nodded sympathetically. “I’m sorry…”

He smiled bitterly. “It’s in the past.”

Ellia snickered in a moment. “I have to say, Nikodemus. You are one unlucky man. How is it that you have only produced female children for so many years?”

He elbowed her playfully. “Oh, hush up. Maybe it’s not luck at all. Maybe the factor that’s missing has been love. Maybe we'll have a male since we’ve gotten to know each other a bit. What do you think? Are you in love with me?” He asked her cheekily.

Ellia rolled her eyes, unable to help a grin. “You really think we can make a male child if we’re truly in love?”

He saw an opportunity to sweep her off her feet, and he took it. He pressed his lips against hers, making her cheeks turn red. He pulled away after a moment, and then whispered, “Only one way to find out…”

Ellia giggled, kissing him back, and did what was natural to them from there.