What is that first thing?

"The church is... do you have religion, at all, in the sea."

I don't know that word.

"...okay, this is going to be terrifically hard to explain and I apologize in advance. Remember I mentioned nuns?"

Nod.

"Nuns are a religious organization. You can't just show up and be a nun because you like the sound of the lifestyle, you also have to profess specific beliefs. Those beliefs are the same ones everybody else hears about at services every week - Jane'll bring you to those tomorrow morning - but they're more a part of life for nuns, and also for priests, they organize their - policies and their habits and the way they talk and everything around this set of beliefs. Not every human believes the same things, foreigners in particular are often different, even if they have the same general religion they will tend to implement some of the details differently."

Humans have - so much.  So much everything.

What beliefs do they have here?

Cymbeline looks at Jane, who is just sitting there, and then back at Cyllene. "There's an entire book about it, the Duality, and there's an official translation into Loegrian, but a lot of people can't read and just practice according to what priests tell them. Which is not always identical to what's in the book, because what priests think is important, too, and they're the ones who are allowed to interpret what it says. Individual priests aren't very powerful, but they often all agree, and when they all agree, that's a big power bloc that the nobility and royalty need to appease. The very basic idea is that the universe is the scene of a struggle between good and evil, or the constructive and destructive forces, and that this has various implications for how society should be organized and how people should conduct their personal lives. You may need to formally convert before we can get married, even if there are no other obstacles."

- She nods.

I think I have never thought of something as big as that before.

"Our priest that we have here at the castle is pretty nice, but I'm reluctant to suggest you just go ask him all your questions, since - having no religion at all isn't something he's used to, even if he would know how to handle the idea of a princess from someplace where they're mostly Cyclic sect or monotheists or something, and if he had a bad first impression that would be inconvenient."

I want to make a good first impression.

"Right. So maybe read the Duality, attend services for a few weeks, then introduce yourself to him."

I will do this.  Your parents want my parents to say yes to this marriage?

"It would be a lot tidier. It's not necessarily essential, but... it's what they were always expecting."

Do they want my uncle to say this or is that not the same.

"Your uncle saying it is better than nothing but he is not, at this time, the king."

She shakes her head, thoughtfully.

Is there a thing we can do that is not marriage, where I can still touch you, that we can do for a few years while I become very magic enough to bring a ship of gifts to my father.  And then get permission.

"There's being engaged but whether that will suit what you have in mind depends on how much touching you're thinking."

Some is allowed with that?

"We could, like, hold hands, maybe kiss, if we were just engaged."

What is that second thing?

"...it's a thing where people put their mouths together," he says after a thoughtful pause.

??????.  Humans do a lot of things she doesn't understand.  ????.

Is it good?

"It is popular but I haven't tried it."

I see.

But as engaged and not married we could not touch in more than one spot?

(She wants hugs...)