Page 26 of The Seducer
“In other words, zero,” he said.
“Remember my instructions: take a seat in the back and just be quiet,” I repeated, before we activated our mood readers and entered the virtual reality.
The tranquil atmosphere of the meadow theme was perfect, with the natural slope that made it easy for the audience to hear and see whoever was speaking under the old oak tree that stood with a beautiful crown large enough to provide shadow from the sun.
People were joining and quietly finding a spot to sit in on the soft grass. Hans stood in the background looking like himself, but with a different outfit on. Next to him stood Finn, but in the appearance of a blonde woman with long hair and very large breasts. Everyone would know Finn didn’t really look like that because of the G hovering above his head that told everyone the blonde was a generic avatar. Not that it was necessary, since no real woman would be staring down at her own breasts with such fascination. I signaled to Hans to get Finn under control when he started feeling himself up.
When it was time to start, I spread my arms and spoke in a loud and clear voice. “May peace surround you all. I am honored that you are all here, and as always let’s start with a moment of silent appreciation.”
The audience bowed their heads and closed their eyes for ten seconds in respect and appreciation.
“Today I thought we should talk about our neighbors to the North. Now that it is no longer forbidden to mention them, and we have five of them visiting our country at the moment, it seems like a relevant topic.”
Many nodded.
“We all grew up hearing stories about their strange ways, but only a few of us have met one of them in real life. I know that some Motlanders are unhappy about the Nmen being here, while others find it exciting.
“For me,” I said and spread out my arms, “I find this a great chance for spiritual growth for them and us. If our two nations are to unite at any point in the future, it will require a substantial amount of diplomacy, not to mention compromises on both parts.
“My question for you today is this, do you think we should work toward a union with the Northlands?”
A few people raised their hands and I pointed to an older woman that I knew. “Yes, Theresa.”
“Nmen terrify me,” she admitted and folded her hands in front of her. “I’ve heard so many horrible stories, and to see that someone like Pearl Pilotti, whom I’ve always respected and admired, would advocate for them makes me doubt everything I’ve learned.” Theresa was looking around at both me and the audience around her. “It’s hard to see how a nation with such vast difference in values from ours could ever change, and what scares me the most is that some of their values might rub off on us if we integrate. I think many of us would rather die than to see men back in power.”
“It is a frightening thought, if history were to repeat itself,” I agreed.
Theresa nodded and it made her short haircut bob up and down. “On our side of the border we’ve had peace for almost four hundred years. On their side, it’s been nothing but violence and war. History has proven men incapable of keeping peace long-term; they are too power hungry by nature.”
Knowing that it had to be hard for Finn to listen to this, I made an attempt to defend the Nmen. “I believe there’s been no major wars for the last thirty years in the Northlands,” I pointed out. “Things seem more stable now.”
“Yes, but maybe that’s part of their strategy to get us to open up, and once we do, they’ll try and take over,” Theresa said and sat down again.
An elegant man to my left drew my attention and I stepped over to connect with him. “What is your name?”
His long straight hair was parted down the middle of his scalp in a precise zigzag pattern, and he had a beautiful necklace on that went all the way to his navel.
“I’m Miles,” he said and stood up.
“I invite you to speak if you have something to add,” I said.
He bowed his head to me in respect before he straightened up and began talking. “I don’t mean to sound negative, but these past weeks people’s excitement about the Nmen is getting out of control. Our cultural differences are too deep for a union to ever work.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, their radical opinions and their old-fashioned hierarchic system are incompatible with our way of life. To be honest, I’m disturbed that we are talking about the Nmen as if they have the potential to ever be included in our society.” He spoke with a soft voice, but his words were harsh for a Motlander. “I’ve seen them on the news,” the man continued. “And even for an open-minded person like me, it’s impossible to overlook how primitive and unsophisticated they are. Some of the answers they give are painful and make them look like complete imbeciles.”
I drew my hands behind my back, considering my next words carefully. “We and the Nmen are very different in our political views and how we see the world; that is true. But I would like to challenge your judgment that they are imbeciles. It’s a harsh judgment to cast upon one million people without your having met a single one in person.”
“I want to say something!”
Recognizing Finn’s deep voice, I was afraid to look up, but Finn refused to be ignored and came marching up to the front row to confront Miles. The bizarre combination of his feminine appearance as the blonde avatar and his masculine walk was only underlined when he stopped and took a firm stand with a frown. “Why don’t you just admit that you feel threatened by the fact that the Nmen arereal men?”
Miles widened his eyes in shock from Finn’s rude comment, but Finn wasn’t done.
“It’s not your fault that your forefathers gave up their man card 400 years ago and you have become this…” Finn waved his hand up and down in front of the man, “this sad imitation of a male.”
A collective gasp went through the audience, and I sighed.
