Surprise was the dominant emotion Tae'loren felt as Elariel spoke. Surprise at himself for behaving exactly as she had stated, surprise at himself for failing to think strategically rather than emotionally, and surprise at himself for allowing himself to become emotional. It was when he felt her lips that he realized the simple truth about himself, and about all beings with emotion: he wanted to belong and be loved, and with Elariel, he had both. He pressed into her kiss and held her close, lovingly cradling her in his arms. She was gradually guiding the hunter toward the understanding that he was a living being that had a unique life to live, not just some tool that served a means to a better end.<br/><br/>Despite his desire to prolong this moment Tae'loren knew they should rest. Even though they had only known each other for a week, they had little quality sleep. Snuggling into Elariel, laying beside her and facing her, he took her hand in his between their warm, sweat-slicked bodies, fixing her eyes with his. "Elariel, I need you to do something for me: when the time comes for us to rescue those families, I need you to put their safety above anything else. I'm not saying this because I intend to be reckless, but because I intend to do anything and everything in my power to ensure they escape."<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>