He sits on the edge of the bed, twisting to face her. He bows his head for a second, trying to summon the words for the Ritual of Ink. "Our markings tell our stories. They are worn for protection, family, decoration, warnings and claims," he explains as he opens a the clay jar of black ink and dips a brush in it. He positions her so that she's laying flat out on the bed before beginning the abreviated version of the ceremony.<br/><br/>Above her heart, he draws two circles intersecting. "Two lives joined." He moves around her belly button, painting short straight lines around it to form a circle before  dipping his brush again. He adds another long straight line to about even with the top her pelvic bone. "The bearer of life." He holds his breath while creating the the second to last symbol, vaguely U shaped intersected by a straight line at the end of the one descending from her navel. "The ritual of union." One more dip of the brush, and he gently cups her jaw. "My family's mark," he tells her letting out a breath before slowly recreating his own facial tattoo. When he's done with that, he lays the brush on the table before laying out himself. "The words are the same except for the the bearer of life. You'll say the giver of life," he says, suffering a small bit of physical discomfort.