When they have meandered most of the way to the palace and been offered a lot of food and a lot of wedding presents someone actually steps into the street, raises an eyebrow at Tyelcormo, and says to her, you know, he sleeps with men.

Aaaaand there is the limit to her ability to not snark at people. Are you asking me to take my top off to prove I have breasts?

The stranger's osanwe wasn't directed at him, but he catches the response and turns around, blinking, bewildered.

Thought he might not have disclosed it, says the stranger, eyes narrowing at her. Suppose he would have imported someone who didn't know any better. 

I assure you, I know my own gender.

Something wrong, dear?

Some guy being a dick.

He steps closer to her and glares at everyone in the vicinity. Do we need the dungeons?

Nah, he was being a dick about you, not me. Apparently same-sex relations is one of the things the social conservatism covers?

...yes.

So he was like 'you know he sleeps with guys right' and I was like 'are you asking me to prove I'm female' and he was like 'Suppose he would have imported someone who didn't know any better.' and I was like 'I promise you I know what gender I am.'

I really really really love you.

I love you too and I suspect I am missing a lot of cultural subtext.

He's ....right? That I should have told you before we married and most people here would feel really betrayed if they'd gotten married not knowing that - not that they wouldn't forgive it if you were willing to promise you'd gotten corrected or grown out of it or whatever, but they'd want to know. I didn't keep it from you deliberately, it's just - I want you. I am going to want you for all the ages of Arda. It didn't seem very important, just another stupid politics thing.

I really don't care. Do these people seriously think you can grow out of being attracted to a gender? I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that.

Lots of people say that they do so maybe don't put out a proof that it's impossible? Safer for them. And, like, I mostly slept with men because it doesn't get you accidentally married, now I am married, that's sort of a flavor of growing out of it.

There's a stereotype back home in some circles that that's how bisexuals work, is they sleep with the same gender to avoid--well, pregnancy, in our case--and then get married to someone of the opposite gender, and that doing this is a betrayal--am I going to run into any ex-boyfriends who're gonna accuse me of tempting you into doing that?

No. If I had any ex boyfriends who were likely to affect our life that would be the sort of thing I'd mention. And no one'd risk outing themselves to you. It's illegal.

She sends back the emotional equivalent of a rude gesture at the relevant social and legal structures. Idiotic. If I wasn't so attached to you I'd probably go live down south where you said people are saner.

I am totally okay with going to live down south.

Well, I'm also attached to my sister, and she's totally going to live here because she has to learn all the everything, and I don't want to take you away from your family. Besides, I like them.

I do too. A lot. Don't repeat what that man just said around them, though. They've probably heard it but they pretend they didn't.

I didn't get the impression that they were particularly susceptible to local conservatism...

They're not, but this one's a big deal. And it's not that they'd be rude, it's that - 

Maitimo pretty much runs this city, if he wanted it to be less of a big deal he could kick up a fuss. And he hasn't. And he definitely knows.

Oh.

I love you. I apologize for people.