The less Melinda worried about words spoken the more of an open book Dalindme became. Though still a figure of mystery, her intuition revealed to her some of Dalindme's essential truths. By drawing on her  sympathetic nature, quieting her fears and just being with him in the moment she got impressions of who he was and what his life had been before meeting her. Much of what she perceived was fleeing and nigh incomprehensible for his native state of existence and frame of reference for reality was so different from hers. Like a dream or nightmare, none of it made rational sense but internally, she understood it as his life.<br/><br/>Seering, hungry flames and noxious, fetid skies were to Dalindme home, safe and warm like the hot pool they had been in together. Pain, so much pain, it slashed through all he'd been incandescent and shocking like lightning until such agony became 'normal' and its lack a true source of suffering. Ask of it taking forever, or no time at all turning each moment into an eternity of torment until time became meaningless. As were things like horror, degradation, victimization and decay.<br/><br/>The only solace he'd had was a delicate silver thread anchored to the core of his being, creating a mote of something untouched and untouchable by all he'd been forced to do and endure. That thread was a purpose, and it was that purpose that brought him out of the Fire and Perdition, into the squalor of a night in a blind alley in Whitechapel inevitably to the simple pleasures of this moment with her.<br/><br/>For out was quite clear to Melinda that her touch brought him a new sensation, joy. It was like nothing in his past. It was pure and gentle, kind and caring, delicate and delightful. Of course it changed him and let him wanting more. Dalindme, connected as he was to Melinda, answered her question coherently with a single word, "you." He reached out and played the back of his clawed hand, now less off a beastly paw, along Melinda's cheek with a timid tenderness. There was a hint of tension in his strong jaw and Melinda was hit with a flash of many savage battles where Dalindme tore through one horrid monster after another just to survive. When the vision faded it left het with the lingering impression that she was the only entity he'd ever touched with anything but deadly intent. "You," he repeated softly, filling that single word with so much meaning it hung in the room between them or maybe just in her soul.