Yue

 22nd October

06:18 GMT +8

"…like learning about the history of seventeenth century India, if only to learn why it's different from the history I know." No Bangladesh or Pakistan, for a start. "I just don't see how it makes sense to have it running first thing in the morning when anyone listening is going to be half asleep."

Jade raises her eyebrows. "What should be on at first thing in the morning?"

"A news summary. Headlines and a brief description of the contents. That way, the listener will hear any item which particularly interests them and can ignore the rest."

Surprising what you notice. America colonised from the west coast by China? I never visited anywhere in the United States, so even when I go there it doesn't really strike me. Japanese Australia? Same thing.

"If you want someone to record a summary of daily notices, just send an e-mail to Intelligence."

"I can't do that." I scrape up the last of my porridge. "That would be misuse of official resources."

"Keeping super functionaries informed is literally Intelligence's job. They prepare daily notices anyway, they won't mind having someone record it for you."

"And broadcast it?"

"And e-mail it to you each morning so the apartment control system can play it."

"That can't be secure."

She rolls her eyes. "It's as secure as a broadcast. Or if that really bothers you, you can have them send it in text form and have the control system use a text to speech program."

"Ooh, that could work. Plenty of super functionaries get those e-mailed to them. Yeah, I'll put in a request today. If.. Lantern Fang approves my reactivation."

"He's going to approve your reactivation. Now can we talk about Lady Yifei?"

"Ah…"

"I know that Europeans are usually monogamous, but you told me that you weren't Christian or Jewish."

"I… No, but I grew up in a Christian society and.. tend to have the same cultural norms."

She frowns curiously. "You've never tried to insist I wear a headscarf in public."

I wince. "Yes… But that's because I come from a parallel Earth where Europe is a.. little more… Enlightened than it is on this one. My Nan wore a shawl, but that's because she had a perm in Gloucestershire. And there was this.. one slightly odd woman I met in university who was a bit of a back to basics Christian who wore one… But I haven't even met anyone else who does. If you started wearing one I'd find it weird."

Which is a good part of why -despite it being the only place on this Earth that speaks the same language as me- I don't spend much time in Britain. It's like someone lifted all of the culture from nineteenth century Britain and dropped it into the modern state. No British Empire plus no World Wars -not ones in Europe anyway- meant no mass immigration or switch to higher female participation in the workforce. And those sorts of social trends are so associated with Qing China that they're opposed in many quarters as 'cultural imperialism'. That sort of thing's sad when it happens to someone else's country but it's downright disturbing when it happens to yours. It's also why I've tried to have as little to do with Ambassador Alfred Clayton as possible.

"You do.. like her?"

The woman who was my tutor, and who unlike Lantern Fang was liberal enough to make allowances for our vastly different cultural backgrounds? "Yes, of course I do."

"You find her attractive?"

"Ah-. Dh-Jh-yes..?"

"You understand that wherever you grew up, she and I grew up in a Neo-Confucianism state where polygamy is perfectly normal?"

"Except.. it.. isn't, is it? Where it occurs it's virtually always one man -usually a rich man- and two or more women. The reverse hardly ever occurs. I mean, it's basically… Some Tibetans? And even then it's only the really traditional ones."

She stares at me. Her eyes narrow slightly, then she blinks as she tries to work out why I'm saying the clearly nonsensical things that I'm saying. "So… The reason you're not going to ask Lady Yifei out is-"

"You know.. she-"

"-because you want to ask out a.. man..?"

"-doesn't like friends calling her that in private? Not like.. most of the others."

Which is probably why she seems so personable. Technically, every member of the Heavenly Guardians should be referred to as Lord or Lady by anyone who isn't either a member or the Emperor of China. Even in private, even when they're not around. Sure, it's only a slap on the wrist offence outside of the security services but it's considered a major social faux pas and it's seriously weird. And Yifei Jade finds it weird as well, which was a mercy when she was assigned as my tutor because I'd have found that really hard going.

"And no, I don't want to ask out a man."

"Do you.. want.. me to?"

"No, not.. particularly. Do you.. want to?"

"N-." She squeezes her eyes shut and makes a frustrated exhalation. "Why do you think I want to?"

"I don't think you want to. But.. I believe in the rightness of gender equality. If I have the option then you should as well."

"Okay. I do, legally, have that option. I just don't want to exercise it because there isn't anyone I'm interested in like that."

"And… Because… Me..?"

She rolls her eyes. "Obviously I'd talk to you about it first."

"Oh-. Good."

"The whole idea clearly makes you uncomfortable, so I'd have to think very carefully about it. But it doesn't make me uncomfortable, so if you're interested then you should go for it."

I sort of shake my head in confusion. "Have.. you.. talked to her about this?"

"No, of course not. I'm not the one who's going to be involved with her."

"You're-. Sorry, I'm.. still not really clear what-. How it works."

"How.. dating.. works..?"

"N-. I.. muddled through that with you, but I'm not an expert. I mean, dating more than one person."

"Mostly the same, but it's not always the same person? It's not that complicated."

"But not.. the three of us.. together?"

"I-. Maybe? Our schedules might make if difficult to make it a regular thing. Why?"

"I think-. In the European context, the only.. thing I've got to compare this to is either bigamy, or.. a wife plus a mistress, and in either case I associate it with dishonesty. I think.. the only way I could.. be alright with.. including 'Other Jade'-"

"Don't call her that."

"-would be if the relationship was… Omnidirectional."

Her eyes widen slightly. "Oh."

"I don't know how you feel about-."

"I.. don't… It's.. been a while. So that's another European taboo you don't have?"

"Yep."

"Because I read a magazine article which said that some Europeans fetishise homosexual relationships due to them being taboo in their own culture." She raises her eyebrows. "Do you want to see Lady Yifei and I together?"

"Iaaaahhh… The idea has some appeal, but it's mostly that I prefer to have a single home, with my… Family all in one place. Even if our work schedules mean that we're not actually all in one place at the same time all that often."

"Hm. I don't have a problem with that. But I think that's something we should speak with her about before making any decisions."

"Alright… I'll.. phone you when your course is over."

Because I'm sure the conversation with her won't be any harder than that was.