Culture Lesson on Touch Part 1

I brought over the snacks and tea and handed them out.

"Considering this being the case," He continued, "How would you suggest hinting back that we accept their companionship and get them to follow the necessary rules without feeling like we are distancing ourselves from them?"

I nibbled on a strawberry the same color as my lips. "Easy. Physical contact."

"All of our notes suggest avoiding physical contact." the woman said.

"Physical contact when they are being polite is rude. It's akin to hitting on a lady at a business meeting who is wearing a wedding band. Not only does it break social norms and is rude, but it also lowers you from idiot and useless to troublemaker. However, if they break a rule towards you it's like following you on social media. If you do not reciprocate, it's like following an idol. They will either lose interest because they do not believe they will get anything from it, or they will become more aggressive."

He nodded fervently. It seems he's experienced some particularly difficult cases. I'd read similar things during my learning and found the problem during my studies. This was why I was more informed of this than others would be. Due to my high rank, I was also given special access to extra materials. Entering the Mary program had good benefits, but the best benefits came with entering the Mary program with high energy levels.

Although it also meant more risk, we cross over to fight for humanity, after all. That was why my lover never wanted me to enter the institute. The corners of my eyes fell as I thought about him. With this body, would I still be able to find him? Agents MIA usually rarely return alive in the first place…

I took another bite of the swiss roll cake. This body loved sweets. The energy threatening to respond to my emotions settled back down. I licked the leftover cream off my lip. "That's why it's suggested you do not introduce yourself on your first meeting. By doing so, you are breaking one of your rules. If they break a small rule in turn--standing while you sit, putting feet up, cursing, not responding to a question--they are reciprocating the offer to make good relations with you. At that point, the first one to break the rule can offer physical contact. For instance, it is suggested you end the first conversation with a handshake. If they accept or return it, it means the two of you are friends and rules no longer matter between the two of you. Whether they are followed or broken is entirely up to your character. That physical touch reciprocation means they are willing to open themselves up to you beyond formalities and rules and get to know you as an individual.

"Do note, however, that, unlike a human, physical contact does not mean intimacy. Some prefer touching your cheek, back, chest, stomach, or butt briefly as reciprocation. This isn't meant to be offensive or inappropriate. The closer you are to integral parts of the body the closer they are saying they want to be with you. A high five is a good business relationship, and a short handshake is a close and almost personal business relationship.

"The amount of time touching, and the amount touching is more important than placement. If they touch your torso or head they want to be close friends or family with you, while torso or head for a few seconds means they want to be intimate with you."

"So someone trying to feel me up may not be trying to feel me up?" She realized she used slang I might not understand and reworded it, "I mean- If someone touches my chest… they might be…trying to make friends… or something."

I nodded. I wrapped my tongue around a blueberry and burst it in my mouth. This is a good physical practice. I should ask for more blueberries. "Yes. It only counts as feeling you up if they try it again later when you don't reciprocate." I sipped the tea and took a deep breath to begin explaining again, "Consider the touch a greeting from there on out. It is polite to confirm at every meeting should feelings change. If a friend was going to move away they might go from touching their back to touching their arm to touching their hand every time they meet.

"The responses to the touch are important. It's unusual for someone to reciprocate unequally. If you break the rule first, then offer a handshake, 99% of the time they will follow with a handshake and continue a business-like relationship. The one who breaks the rule first is the one who gets to set the bar. However, if you offer someone a handshake and they poke your stomach, they are testing the waters to see if you can be closer friends. Maybe they see you as a mother figure or younger sibling, even if they hold it for longer. You give your response at the next meeting. If you offer a hand again, you want to stay in business. If you change to tap their arm or shoulder it means you are willing to get a little closer. Essentially, this means you are willing to meet them halfway for now and see where it may lead. If you get to know them more and want to get closer and poke their stomach or go back to shaking hands.

"This is a more extreme example. Even if they want to consider you a close friend, they will work their way up to it: hand to arm to shoulder, torso to heart, to neck.

"Hugs are more intimate than feeling you up. For humans, this would be the opposite. In our culture physical contact with more than a hand suggests intimacy. If touching your breast means they want to be family, touching knees means they want to… um… I'm sure there's a word for testing your relationship towards becoming a forever partner?"

"Dating?"

"Ah, yes. It means they'd like to try dating you. A hug touches heart to heart and head to head for a long period of time. This is… more like an offer to be a forever partner."

"Oh, my god. No wonder it's so strict. I never understood why they were so insistent about physical distance." the male gasped.

The woman lowered her head and cursed under her breath