"Well, we've spent quite a bit more time kissing."

"...that's true. Is -

"- I'm still new to this culture. I don't know what it means exactly when two English girls sleep in the same bed. Or if they ever kiss, or, if they do, they do it like that. In my culture that would not be a thing girls who were just friends would do, at least not by the time they were our age. And even if it is a normal thing that happens in this culture for girls who are friends and are not otherwise attracted to women to do I don't know what it means for you as an individual."

"I may not be the best source on what English girls typically do with their friends, given that I only have the two, but sleeping in the same bed doesn't strike me as at all odd. Kissing would, perhaps, be odd - especially in the... particular manner in which we have done so. If I did hear some other girl was kissing her friends in a similar manner I would not conclude based on that that she was attracted to women. I'm not entirely certain how to put it in words for me as an individual - I enjoy kissing you? Quite a bit. I would be sad if we ceased doing so." 

"What do you think it... means... to be attracted to women, exactly."

"It's a mode of social interaction that's available in some other societies that were more flexible on the rules of family of marriage?"

"...not the acting on it, the attraction."

"I'm not certain what you mean?"

"Some people can fly, but that's not an answer to what it is like to want to fly. Right?"

"Yes?"

"So I am not saying, 'which people can do anything about it if they find that they are attracted to girls'. I am asking what you think it is like to be attracted to girls."

"I'd imagine it depends on the specifics of the society?"

"Do you think wanting to fly depends on the specifics of the society? Being hungry? Having dreams at night?"

"-no? But those aren't .... social phenomena?"

"Do you think when men are attracted to women this depends a lot on the society?"

"-possibly? I'm not entirely sure."

"Or when women are attracted to men, if that's easier to think about."

"I'd expect that depends quite a lot on society, yes."

"Okay, can you describe how you expect the things to be related?"

"Which things, exactly?"

"...I can't see your face so I am worse than I might otherwise be at guessing if you're uncomfortable, but if you're not subconsciously bouncing off the topic, then the degree to which I'm failing to communicate is making me kind of concerned about the quality of my translation effect."

"-I suspect that the gap is cultural, not translation-related. Though I suppose I am not confident... this would all be much easier if the emotional component of the empowered bond were to work between us."

Lucette sighs.

"Is there normally any voluntary element to it at all that I might be - defaulting differently on somehow?"

"Not that I know of. Why would you be defaulting differently on such an element if there were one?"

"Just because it would be surprising, maybe, whereas everyone else presumably knows it's a thing empowered do? Or it could be an artifact effect. ...if it's an artifact effect I think it's probably a positive one, so it might be controllable."

Lucette proffers a hand.