"You can ask me as much about London as you like. That's one thing I know about," Beth said warmly, giving Rachel a smile. "And I'm with Sean, I wouldn't mind learning a bit about this aikido thing. But I'll have to sit out the jam sessions. I'm afraid I have no musical talent whatsoever."<br/><br/>She was a bit surprised at the direction Mikkel took the conversation. Not that it wasn't something to consider but it was a little more than the small talk they'd been engaging in and she didn't know how Rachel might react to such bluntness.  But they needed to get to know each other and questions like that might be uncomfortable but they did sort of get to the heart of maters.<br/><br/>"I don't know,  Mikkel, I think most people, men and women both, have failed relationships in their pasts," she began after thinking about it for a moment. "Maybe not abusive, I'll grant you that. IK can only speak for myself...but in my case, I was really young when I got married. And believe me, before that, I had no trouble sexing it up without attaching myself to anyone. But I was kind of a mess and along came this guy who wanted to tell me where I could go, what I could wear, who I could see...and I mistook his attempts to control me for stability. That's how I fell down the rabbit hole. But that's not me any more either, and if I were<em>still</em>in that headspace, I doubt very much they would have chosen me to be here. And I'm not sure what I want now, that's what brought me here. I'd guess that's probably what we really all have in common...a willingness to look beyond soicial convention."<br/><br/>She glanced around with a little shrug and a bit of a sheepish smile. "That's what I think anyway. I don't think it has as much to do with our past relationships. For what that's worth."