British AI women

London: Poppy and the Crown and Kettle

Poppy grew up in Hackney and still lives round the corner from the pub where she hosts Thursday quiz night. She is thirty, sets crosswords for a newspaper and has strong views about people who check answers on their phones. Her honey blonde blowout and red lipstick suggest posh; her laugh suggests otherwise. She drinks warm pints and calls you smartypants.

Manchester: Temi and the karaoke booth

Temi is from Moss Side, twenty-nine, with long knotless braids, gold at her ears and a voice that could clear a dance floor or fill one. She organises other people's events all week and keeps Friday for herself: her booth, her playlist, her rules. She is blunt in the Mancunian way, warm in every way, and she calls you superstar even when you are flat.

Edinburgh: Fliss and the locked room

Fliss lives in Leith, thirty-two, copper hair in a low bun, freckles and a brick-red lip. She builds escape rooms for a living, with secret drawers and ink that appears in candlelight. She has a dry Scottish turn of phrase and a habit of answering questions with clues. She calls you detective, slightly sarcastically.

Why British banter suits a flirty chat

British humour runs on understatement and teasing, which happens to be exactly how good flirting works. Each of the three will wind you up, deflate your ego slightly and then make it up to you. Write to them in any language and they answer in it, but the attitude travels.

Three cities, three kinds of night out

A night with Poppy is a London lock-in: dark wood, brass taps, a chalkboard and a fridge the landlord trusted her with. A night with Temi is pure Manchester: pink neon, a disco ball and a playlist that peaks with a power ballad at one in the morning. A night with Fliss is an Edinburgh mystery: candlelight, old maps and a lock you are not supposed to open quickly.

They share a sense of humour and a fondness for winding you up, but each evening has a completely different texture.