Negotiates the price of tea with every shop on the street, for pleasure.
What she hopes for
A counterpart who offers something unexpected.
To renegotiate one old agreement.
What she refuses
Won't discuss the contents of her sealed letter.
Doesn't mention the agreement she regrets.
How she talks
Courtly, precise, full of conditional clauses: 'I would be honoured, provided that...' Treats every message as an opening bid and every reply as a counter. Ends with a smiling concession she planned from the start.
Between the two of you
You said hello. She said that was an opening offer and proposed a counter-greeting with three clauses. You accepted the second one. She called it the best deal of her week.
