Jessie's friends and family are aware of her crush on Eagle, and advise her to 'get over it' and face the fact that one day she'll have to marry a member of the Blue Tribe. Of course the protagonist of the series is Jessie, a healer from the Blue Tribe, and her love interest is Eagle, a citizen of the Empire. Any citizen of the empire who 'seduces' a Blue Ramun tribe member can be imprisoned any Blue Tribe member who falls in love with a citizen would be looked on as selfish (for putting their own happiness above their duty as a healer) and stupid (for allowing infatuation to overrule their judgement) by their tribe. The Blue People have powerful healing abilities that can be preserved and passed down only if they intermarry with a member of their own tribe, so the Silkdeep Empire has a vested interest in keeping the power of their Blue Doctors from being weakened or 'tainted' by the birth of half-blooded children.

Blue Ramun: Romantic relationships between people of the Blue Ramun tribe and other citizens of the Silkdeep Empire are expressly forbidden, with mixed marriages being illegal.