[she looks at herself in the mirror, contorting a little to see as much of the sides of her head as she can, deeply regretting that she's only got binocular vision in this younger body]
Why, it's lovely! Oh, this is a treat. Thank you, Miss Li. I don't think I ever learned how to get my hair this smooth, when I had it—there wasn't anyone to teach me.
[she reaches up hesitantly to touch the braid, but barely brushes her fingertips over the surface, not wanting to pull any hairs loose]
[her smile fades as she contemplates what Kohran said about her life]
And about your career—your era sounds terribly unfair. You would be discouraged from service to the Machine Spirits simply for being a woman?