The way Ilia stared at him was so unnerving! Shadow wasn't sure whether or not if she was chastise him for ogling, too long, lecture him ant tell him she told him so ...or cast some kind of a weird Aes Sedai weave on him... Light it was that bloody green dress! she it made her so...so... what did it do! It shouldn't do anything, she was just the same, the same Ilia in the accepted white dress as she was now... it was she hugged him! Shadow gently rested his cheek of her head and gave her a warm squeeze in return.<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Do you think...that someday you could tell me your real name? "</span></span><br/><br/>Shadow felt his throat go dry, he tried to reach back into his memories but he could not find it... he remembered what the white cloaks had called him...Sam....but that wasn't his birth name, he didn't know what his birth-name was and he couldn't remember his parents... he just knew he had them. He knew life had been simple once.<br/><br/>"I..I can't remember that far," he admitted. "I...I just always was given nicknames I guess... the Aes Sedai who found me called me Shadow because I wouldn't leave and just followed them like a lost puppy until brought me to the Tower," he admitted and omitted the part where had received the last decade of his train prior coming to tower was from living in white cloak encampment... that was not a secret he felt comfortable sharing, not even with Ilia.  He supposed he could lie and just say 'Sam' so that she wouldn't ask anymore but he didn't want to do that either... somethings were best left unsaid and he didn't want to be reminded of the white cloaks, during the horrible days where he was filled with so much hate...hating the those he now loved without just cause! back then he had hated all Aes Sedai... Silent Sam was dead buried in the past.<br/><br/>"I am sorry... I wish I could tell you," he apologized defeatedly, he would have loved to have shared that little secret... well... unless it is was something like or Bob, or Bobby... gosh the whole barracks would laugh at him if they ever heard that was his name! It wasn't but... still! what if it was...or Benedict or Eggs or Fred...not exactly stuff of legends.<br/><br/>Shadow felt his ears go red, "At...at least I can talk now...right," he smiled, "Well... ," his neckline reddened, "Maybe thats not such a good thing," he admitted... and then leaned in paused barely an inch away from her lips... he gazed into her eyes. "I should get packing for the journey," he whispered... teasing her. He opened his mouth about to rattle off an entire laundry list if she let him....boots, weapons, he had to service sharpen all his blades, extra wool socks... if she let him he'd go on and on!  until she either kissed him or kicked out of the room!