Dumas relaxed when Mari accepted his confession with nothing except sympathy.  He should have known that she wouldn’t judge him harshly.  Of all the people at Wonderland, Dumas felt the most comfortable around Mari.  As much as he enjoyed his time with Chester, it always contained a certain amount of tension -- the constant verbal sparring, the sexual taunts that never led to action.  A meeting with Chester usually left Dumas edgy and pumped full of adrenaline.  Mari, by contrast, was a spot of calm in the storm.  Soft and quiet and safe,  If she ever held him in her arms, Dumas felt certain that he’d finally be able to sleep.<br/><br/>“Thanks for understanding.  I just...I knew you’d try to help.  You always try to help.  And I didn’t want to hurt you.”<br/><br/>Dumas smiled as Mari squeezed his hand.  Her touch brought him a sense of comfort that even the morphazine couldn’t replicate.  Even when he felt her grip relax, Dumas clung to her a second longer, before letting her hand slip from his.   “I know you’re not,” he assured, after she promised that she wasn’t deliberately hiding anything.  “You’re doing your best to deal with a scary situation.  And I think you’re being really fucking brave.”<br/><br/>Obediently, Dumas followed Mari to the kitchen area.  “Look at you,” he teased.  “So eager to feed and pamper a man.  How have you managed to avoid getting married?”