“Yes.” I pushed the meatballs away. “And the pie, what’s in the pie?”
“Oh, just vegetables,” Laura said. “I think it’s leek and potatoes.”
I thought about Kya when I sniffed it carefully before taking a small bite. I didn’t detect any meat.
“Since our talk, I have a million questions for you,” Laura began and flicked her long hair behind her shoulder. “That’s why I made two lunches. I didn’t want the men to hear us.”
“All right. What do you want to know?”
“What you said about women living in freedom. Being educated and unafraid. I want to know more.”
“Well…” I finished chewing. “It’s a completely different life, Laura, you would love it there. You would be surrounded by other women and you wouldn’t have to hear men barking at each other. The men there are pretty and gentle.”
“Pretty how?”
“They typically don’t have beards but some of them have long hair too. The difference is just that it’s soft and cared for and often braided in beautiful ways. They also manicure their nails and smell wonderful, of soap and perfume.”
Laura had stopped eating. “They sound like women.”
“We don’t care much for gender roles. People are people and it really doesn’t matter what sex you were born as.”
“Yes, it does.” Her big blue eyes studied me. “We’re very different creatures.”
“You only say that because you grew up here and you don’t know what it’s like for women in the Motherlands.”
Laura looked over to Magni and Boulder, who were talking and eating. “But the thing you said about education, what did you mean?”
“I’m a professor at a university. I teach history and archeology. Others are doctors, social workers, artists, anything you can imagine.”
“Are any warriors?” she asked with another nervous glance to the men.
“Warriors?” I leaned back. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“I want to learn how to fight.”
“Why?”
“Because I think I’d be good at it.”
I bit my lip. “We don’t have soldiers and fighters like in the old days, but we do have people who practice martial arts as a hobby and to stay fit.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“Magni is really good at martial arts, but he won’t teach me. He says women aren’t meant to learn.”
I made a small snort.
“What?” she asked.
“Laura, of course he won’t show you. If you could protect yourself he would be redundant, wouldn’t he?”
She bit her lip. “I suppose so, but I watch him practice in the mornings and it looks amazing. Sometimes I try to do like he does when he leaves.”
“If you lived in the Motherlands you could train as much as you’d like. That’s what I meant by freedom. No man will ever tell you how to live your life there; you could pursue any career you want and walk around freely.”
We ate for a while, Laura’s mind spinning almost loud enough for me to hear. “Maybe you could take me with you when you go back. You know, just for a visit,” she said.
