Mayin's Lack Of A Love Life Analysed

I wrote this to kelkyag's first prompt "Mayin. (So, we've heard a little bit of how courtship traditionally works in Jan-li's culture. What about Mayin's? Her family keeps trying to introduce her to people, or was ...)". 

“Well,” remarked Raquel to her sister-in-law, Ley, “Uncle Charlie thinks the ones who’ve been soldiers are scared of her.”

“What?”  Ley stared in surprise.  “Those big, tough men are scared of Mayin?”

“That’s what Uncle Charlie thinks from talking to them,” confirmed Raquel.  “Not that they said that, of course.”

“And our friends who haven’t done military service all said they felt like they had nothing in common with her.”  Ley sighed.  “Just because she wasn’t doing the same things they were doing for the last ten years…  I mean, so she hasn’t seen a few movies.  So what?”

“We introduce her to apparently suitable men,” Raquel stirred her hot drink disconsolately, “and she sees them once, never to meet again.  If she was living at home our parents would be doing most of this because, let’s face it, you can’t build a relationship with someone you don’t know exists.”

“Oh, I know,” agreed Ley.  “Are we sure she doesn’t have a cyber-correspondent or that there isn’t someone she met in the war she’s holding a torch for?”

“Don’t think so on the first,” mused Raquel.  “The second, it’s possible.”

“But if that’s the case, why isn’t she pursuing it?”  Ley spooned some of the milky froth from the top of her drink into her mouth before she continued, “And there’s this man from the aid delegation, he seems to like her just fine.  I can see why she wouldn’t want to pursue that relationship but at least he was interested enough to kiss her and he has nice taste in flowers.  Deep pockets too,” she added thinking of the pink blossoms on the bare brown stems.

“What man from the aid delegation?”  Raquel perked up.  “If she fell for one of the enemy, that could explain a lot.”

“It didn’t sound like that was the issue at all,” Ley clarified, “but he was definitely interested.  If you see them on the news, he’s the one with the cybernetic eye and hand.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for him,” Raquel was promised, “But maybe she’ll like this new man you’re taking her to dinner with tomorrow.”

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