Page 21 of The Outcast
I was about to answer, but Aubri beat me to it. “Banni is the best there is.”
“I think we need to talk about the three times sex rule,” Indiana said with a serious expression.
“All right.” I scanned the ten candidates. “Sex is considered a healthy physical need just like sleeping and eating. To avoid getting emotionally attached, we have a law that prohibits having sex with the same partner more than three times. Although it’s technically illegal, we do have an unwritten rule that if it’s been more than five years since you had sex with a person, you can go for another round.”
“What about marriage?” Keith asked.
“Since romantic relationships are illegal, the practice of marriage stopped when our people were forced underground. Marriages and committed relationships lead to jealousy and jealousy leads to trouble. We are all taught about the three-hour massacre where a jealous man murdered a whole district of people in a moment of insanity.”
“But what do you do if you fall in love?” Bjorn asked.
I looked to Sparrow in that moment before answering. “You don’t!”
“But falling in love isn’t something you can control,” Bianca pointed out. “I was married so I know. It’s just as hard falling in love with someone you don’t love as it is to stop yourself from loving someone your soul is attracted to. You can’t decide matters of the heart. The heart has a will of its own.”
I inhaled with some force and slowly exhaled audibly. “We are taught in school to never indulge in such fantasies or emotions. You Northlanders might think of romance as something wonderful, but to us it’s weak and dangerous. We would never profess our love for someone or admit that we’re unable to control our emotions. If you’re accepted as an Explorer and you choose to move to Old Europe, you’ll have to learn that love isn’t part of the package.”
“But sex is!” Indiana pointed out. “You can have as much sex as you want. Aubri and I had many offers and I’m sure you will too. We’re different and the French are curious about us. No matter your gender, you’ll be propositioned by both men and women, and should you wish to, you can have several at the same time.”
The candidates were exchanging looks of disbelief.
“And what if I don’t want to have any sex at all?” Bianca asked.
“Then you decline,” Aubri said as if that was obvious. “Indiana and I did that all the time since we chose each other.”
“Can we do that too?” A guy called Beowulf sent a side glance to Lilly. “I mean if two Northlanders fall in love, can we do what you did and be together?”
“We would strongly prefer that you integrate with our way of living,” I explained. “Aubri’s and Indiana’s stay was under different circumstances so please don’t think of them as your role models.”
Aubri squared her shoulders. “He means when it comes to sex. As Explorers we’re fucking amazing role models.”
“Yes, of course,” I agreed.
Keith raised his hand and spoke in a rusty voice as if he hadn’t used it for years. “Are you saying that if we go to Old Europe and clean up their lands, we’ll get as much pussy as we want?”
“Yes, or dick if you’re into that sort of thing.”
He wrinkled his nose at me. “I’m not a homosexual.”
My face stayed impassive. “No one cares what you are, as long as you’re not homophobic. In Old Europe, exploring your sexuality is as normal as walking in nature here. We all have a kink and it is seen as healthy to discover what that is.”
“Kink as in kinky?” Aristotle asked and looked to the others as if they had the answer.
“Kink as in you may get turned on by feet, armpit hair, a particular smell, sex in public, sex with a diaper, or rough sex where you’re spanked, fist-fucked, or dominated. Anything is possible and no one is judging.”
The ten candidates and Sparrow were staring at me with their mouths open.
“Did you do any of that?” Lilly asked in a tone somewhere between awe and disgust.
“Look, to us French, sex is a playground. I’ve experimented as much as all my friends and because of that, I know precisely what I like and don’t like. Working in France will give you the same opportunity. But as Aubri already mentioned, you can choose to decline all offers and focus on your work if you want to. All we ask is that you leave your judgment at home. Behaving like a prude will make you look immature to us French. We understand that you don’t have the same freedom and experience as we do, but if you come to France, don’t lecture us on living in sin or tell us that we’re vulgar or perverted. It’s part of our culture and either you accept it, or you keep your mouth shut.”
There was a long moment of silence before Indiana spoke up again. “I’ll be honest with you. The European government is skeptical of us Northlanders. They want the help we can provide cleaning up the earth, but they aren’t convinced that Northlanders can integrate with their people. Aubri and I did a phenomenal job as Explorers, but we never fully embraced their culture. The question is: do you think you can?”
“I can!” Bjorn exclaimed. “Being with multiple partners is my dream.”
“You mean women,” Keith said.
I was quick to call Keith out. “That, right there, is what I’m talking about. It’s entirely irrelevant what gender Bjorn’s sex partners are. If you don’t want to be his partner or have male partners, then don’t. But being a homophobe or prude who wants everyone to act according to your standards makes you look immature and backward-thinking in my eyes.”
