The sun was setting when Ruby Sulien returned home. Katherine, who was resting on the terrace, heard the front gate opening and then the sound of tires on gravel. She walked to that side of the building, and saw the archprincess getting out of her red car, but before the woman could spot her, she hurried back inside, walked down the stairs, and stood right in front of the main door. As Ruby opened it, carrying a bag, she was suddenly face to face with an angry looking Kate.

“Ah! You scared me,” the woman smiled, then she quickly got out of her high heels. “Was everything okay?”

“No. I mean yes, but no.”

“What's wrong?”

“What you people are doing in this world... it's not okay. I can't just overlook it.”

“Hmmm, so it's still that.” Ruby walked past the girl and entered the kitchen. Kate followed her. “Did you eat something?” the archprincess asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you have any issues with the house? Or your room?”

“No, it's all fine. Except...”

“Except the way our whole society is structured?”

“Yes.”

“I got it. We will talk about it soon, okay? But first, let me just... arrive.”

“Sure.”

Ruby started to unpack her plastic bag.

“Here is your phone,” she handed a purple mobile to Kate, “and I got us a salted caramel cheesecake. Have you ever had something like that?”

“Yes,” Kate nodded.

“And last but not least, some sweet champagne!” the woman put down two bottles on the counter. “How about alcohol, does that exist in your world?”

Kate nodded again.

“And, do you drink?”

“I have only done so a few times.”

“I'm not a huge drinker myself, but this, this is some pretty good stuff. Let's have some cheesecake first!”

While the archprincess grabbed a couple of plates and forks, Kate took a look at her new phone. The layout, the settings, the apps, it was all very similar to what she was already used to.

“Do you need help with it?” the woman asked.

The girl shook her head. “It seems like a lot of the things here are oddly similar to things in our world.”

“Is that so?” Ruby was now cutting into the cake. “Well, that's great to hear. The more common ground we have, the better. I'm sure we are not all that different deep down.”

“I'm not so sure about that.”

“Either way, we are both human beings, we are cosmic relatives at the very least. Girl, I truly feel sorry for your misfortune, and I respect the fact that your world is not exactly the same as ours. I do not intend to convince you that our ways are superior, I barely know anything about your home, after all. But I do want to get to the point where you don't resent us for how we live. I want to be your friend, Katherine Bold. Here!” she pushed one of the plates on the kitchen table towards the girl, who reluctantly took a seat.

The cheesecake was very creamy and tasty, and as they ate, Kate started to doubt herself. Minutes ago, she promised to herself that she will be stern and uncompromising, that she will bravely stand up for what she believes in – which in this case was that this whole society is toxic and twisted. But the way Ruby Sulien acted made her feel just a little childish. Maybe her judgement is too rushed, maybe she really does miss some context... but what on earth? What on earth could justify this utter separation of the sexes, and the complete commodification of sexuality? There is no way, right? Katherine always had an interest in gender dynamics, she identified as a feminist, and she considered taking a gender studies course in college. From her perspective, this world was obviously beyond abnormal. Still, she was a guest here, she was treated well, and she actually believed that Ruby had good intentions for her. She was also promised that they will try to get her and Jay back to their home, eventually. In that case, how should she really act?

Ruby suddenly got a phone call which she had to answer, so she walked outside. By the time she came back, Katherine was already done with her cake, she was lying on the sofa in the living room (which was connected to the kitchen), contemplating her fate. The archprincess quickly finished her own piece, washed the dishes, then walked up to the girl.

“I was thinking we could get in the pool on the terrace, it's really relaxing at nighttime. How does that sound?”

“Isn't the water cold?”

“Its temperature is adjustable, I will set it to nice and hot, of course.”

“Okay,” the girl shrugged.

And so they walked up there, carrying two wine glasses, the bottles of champagnes and a couple of towels with them. The sun was quite close to the horizon by now, painting the sky a beautiful shade of orange and pink, while in the other direction it was already dark and starry.

Ruby set the water to warm and bubbly with a remote controller, then she jumped out of her clothes, getting fully naked. Kate got a little embarrassed, and she averted her gaze. She wasn't really used to casual nudity, even though in theory she was not at all against it – she disliked how prudish her own mother was, and she wished to be different from her. The idea of people not being ashamed of their bodies was cool, but in practice, it still felt weird, which made her frustrated with herself.

“Oh, are you shy?” asked the archprincess as she got in the water.

“No,” Kate said stubbornly, despite knowing how unconvincing she sounds. This is so silly, it should be the least of my worries right now, she said to herself, and she began to undress, although still with her back turned to Ruby, who just kept silent.

Once naked, the girl jumped into the pool swiftly. She almost immediately felt more relaxed: the bubbles concealed their nudity from neck down, the warm water was really pleasant, and so was the view of the open sky. They sat next to each other (although not super close) on the shallower step of the pool, leaning back against the edge. Ruby poured both of them a drink.

“Cheers!” she said, and they clinked their glasses. “Ahhh... I should do this more often. Maybe not the alcohol part, but I rarely have time to relax in here lately. It's so good!”

“Hmm,” Kate took a sip of her drink. She didn't normally enjoy the taste of alcohol, but this champagne was sweet enough that she actually kind of liked it.

Ruby drank too, then she put down her glass, stretched her body, and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. She then grabbed her drink again and turned to Kate, looking straight into her eyes. She spoke with a soft voice: “To be abducted by aliens... to be torn away from your home and your loved ones, your whole life... to be thrusted into a strange new world, alone... I can only imagine how lonely and horrible you must feel. You had it though, haven't you?”

Katherine suddenly felt herself tearing up. “Yes,” she whispered as she wiped her eyes and lifted her glass to her lips.

Ruby got a little closer to her, and she gently put her hand on the girl's shoulder, just briefly. Then they got quiet for a while, drinking, relaxing and thinking. The city was surprisingly silent due to the relatively low number of cars, but they still heard the occasional passersby on the nearby streets, and there was some distant music and laughing too, probably from a bar or nightclub of sorts. Kate asked for a second glass of champagne, already feeling the first one getting to her head, but she didn't mind it.

A great mix of emotions were swirling in her. She liked Ruby, but she was also frustrated with her. She felt at ease around her, which she almost felt guilty for. This woman was so mature, so confident, so well put together... and so sure of the weird values of Motherland. She was gorgeous too, so much so that her perfectly curvy, womanly figure made Kate feel a little inadequate with her own lankier body and smaller breasts. Ruby was also the highest ranking person in this city, which was kind of impressive, even if the society itself was questionable. The way she carried herself, her very presence commanded respect. But she strongly believed that the separation of the sexes was a good thing, a normal thing. Why does she have to be like that?

And yet, all this tension didn't feel so severe to the girl at the moment. The alcohol, the warm, bubbling water, and the night sky full of stars eased up her frustrations and doubts. And so did Ruby's comforting words. All things considered, getting abducted by aliens definitely could have ended much worse.

“Say, how old are you?” Kate asked suddenly.

“What would be your guess?”

“Uhm... thirty?”

“Thirty-two,” Ruby smiled.

“How did you become an archprincess?”

“Well... by being elected as one.”

“Oh, you know what I mean! Why did you want to become one?”

“I'm just the type of person who loves challenges. If something difficult comes around, I have to dive into the problem head first, and I do well under pressure. But also, I love people, and I want the best for everyone, I want us all to keep growing and progressing. That's what a society should aim for, isn't that right?”

“I guess.” If something difficult comes around... like me? But Kate brushed aside the thought and finished her second glass of drink. “Sounds like a lot of responsibility though.”

“It is, but I really don't mind it. Although I admit that I have a tendency of overworking myself. But tomorrow will be my day off. I will show you around the city, and we can go shopping too, okay?”

“Sure.”

The archprincess gulped down her drink and refilled both of their glasses once again.

“You haven't heard our planet's anthem yet, right?” she asked as she handed one of the wine glasses back to Kate.

“An anthem? I haven't.”

“I'm not the best singer, but...” Ruby took a sip of champagne, put her glass on the edge of the pool, cleared her throat, and began to sing with a deep voice, in a slow pace:

 

“In starlight glitter I proudly step forward

My graceful perfection made true by two parts

The one truth of all men's ever pulsing blood

The trust in my own heart grown with care and love

Balance shall set the stage of dreams and passion

Where above and below works for ambition

They believe in us, we believe in the self

A pact made of no magic nor aching prayers

Wired in our nature and perfected by wits

Now nothing can stand in our way towards bliss

The limit's the sky and we will march forward

Our graceful perfection made true by two parts”

 

Katherine stared into her drink. Firstly, she thought Ruby was a pretty good singer. Secondly... “I don't like it,” she said.

“Why?”

The girl shrugged. She wasn't quite sure how to put it, and a part of her wished they could just ignore their differences anyway. At least for this one night, at least for now. If she could just let go and relax... but she already knew that it's too late. The tension, her bad feelings already started to resurface in her alcohol-softened mind. “Gaaah!”

After a minute of silence, Ruby said: “Here in this world, us women strive for greatness. That is our ideal. Of course how that looks in individuals varies, some women do prefer a laid back, peaceful life. But as a whole, the meaning of our existence, women's existence is growth. Perfecting our power, our beauty, our excellence, learning about the universe, and shaping the world around us as we see fit. Does that really sound so bad?”

Katherine was slow to reply. “Why women? How about men, what is their ideal?”

The archprincess chuckled, then she stood up, towering over Kate. She put her hands on her own wet body, pushing her big, firm breasts together and playing with her nipples while she sensually swayed her hips from side to side. She then winked at the girl, sticking out the tip of her tongue.

“Stop!” Kate yelled, blushing. Ruby quickly sat back down and drank.

“You are making men pedestalize you!” the girl frowned.

“Making them? No, Katherine. Seeing us that way is already in them, we are just letting them. Encouraging them.”

Kate angrily poured the remainder of her drink into the pool, and climbed out of the water, grabbing a towel. The sun was fully down by now, and the night started to get a little chilly.

“What are you gonna do?” Ruby asked as she watched Kate wrapping the towel around herself.

“I don't know!”

“Katherine... we do not look down on men. We do not disrespect them, and we aren't really forcing them to do anything either. All we do is accept their devotion to us, cultivate it, help them channel it so that beautiful and meaningful things can come from it. Who do you think built this very house? Men did. Well, with the help of robotic tools and whatnot, and with our guidance, or in this case my own guidance. But men do a lot for us, because they want to. They are even willing to risk their lives for us... although female peacemakers exist too, but the majority of our fighters are men, and they always will be. And us, women, love men for all their work. It really is that simple. I can assure you that I find it really important that men are treated fairly, and that their needs are met. It's...”

“Stop! Please stop!” Kate cried. “I don't want to hear about these things. I just don't. Is that too much to ask?”

“I'm not sure about that. It is such a basic part of our culture, and you will have to live here for a while. What I can promise though is that I will try to be more tactful about these things with you. I am sorry for being careless.”

Katherine turned around and started to walk inside, but she stopped at the half-open sliding glass door which led straight to her room. “I want to talk to my boyfriend,” she stated. “I want to be in contact with him.”

“I see,” the archprincess replied.

“So? Can I?”

“Not right now, that's impossible. But... I will think about it.”

As the girl disappeared inside, Ruby quickly finished her drink, leaned back against the edge of the pool again, and stared at the stars and the moon. Just what kind of weird way are people living on Planet Earth?