Nicci was impressed by Marcus stepping up to the plate so calmly, it seemed he was used to being in charge, he had an air about him much as good producers have, assured, and productive with no drama or attention seeking overtones. She smiled thinking about the comparisons to some of the directors she had known, now almost all of them were almost all about the drama. She felt as though Marcus would be a good person to go to for calm advice, a man who would listen and be practical in the way he dealt with things, hands on rather than elusive too.<br/><br/>She turned briefly to smile at Bo as she felt his fingers brush against her skin, it seemed strange that only a few moments ago she was thinking about how much she needed touch and all the other sensual experiences of life and here was Bo touching her and letting her feel comforted and connected to him.  She leant back again letting the small movement of his thumb soothe her and also fill her with hope for the future the small gesture bridging the space between them and promising so much more.<br/><br/>Her attention focusing on Marcus again, keen to hear his answers, she was touched that he had the humility to site his mother as his hero, it was very endearing and showed just how at home he was with his own masculinity, again no posing there. His next few answers seemed to underline her thoughts and she smiled as he described his antics in the lift, and his lighthearted description of his tongue's quest. It was lovely to get a sense of the light touch of his humour she thought that perhaps this would find more of a voice as he relaxed with them all.<br/><br/>Not prepared for the next question; his swift smile; or his quite lovely answer Nicci nearly missed the answer to next one as she was lost for a moment in the little rush of pleasure and disproportionate flood of warmth it had engendered, and really she didn't understand what he was talking about until later and she heard the question again.<br/><br/>When it came to answering her questions she realised that in only quite a few words he still managed to say rather a lot and she looked at him thoughtfully, still thinking about his replies as Bo got up to take the sheets of paper and go next.<br/><br/>She didn't know much about the American forces, she thought that being a seal was somewhere in line with the SAS and SBS in her own country and knew just what that entailed. She tightened up  a little inside thinking of the damage some of the brutal experiences did to some men and also the pain and suffering some of them witnessed.  She had seen it effect different men in different ways and wondered just how much Bo would be able to let go of his previous life and peel away the shield men like him had to erect to survive.  It had taken her many years to even loosen the armor she had erected around herself when she was a child and if she was honest it occasionally still came back with alarming rapidity.  She nodded very slightly, suffering and fear, she could relate to that, and they seemed to come from the heart which made her hope he was capable of doing that in other ways too.<br/><br/>Like Marcus the lighter questions seemed to help him show that side of him and even flirt with her and the others, his touch again on her shoulder combining to make her grin into the fire, he certainly was loosening up, how lovely that he was already feeling relaxed enough to do so, perhaps the scotch and the warm fire were helping too as well as such special company.  His childhood memory was quite revealing, she thought, and again it gave her a lot to think about.  She had already thought he would not say much about his sexual nature, the fact that he skipped the question showing just how difficult he found it to answer, but again he showed a brief glimpse of a deeper part of himself with his answer and she was pleased that he had not been flippant about it and had opened himself up to them all.<br/><br/>She turned to smile at him, that he needed a real connection with his lovers made it even more special that he was making a connection with her, and it made her own feelings safer in his hands.  She took the questions, keeping her eyes on his for a moment, wanting him to know how much she appreciated his kindness.<br/><br/>Nicci read the first question and said, smiling wryly,  “Well my Childhood Hero was Robin Hood, I loved the idea that someone would help the poor.  I used to imagine him striding onto our estate, protecting the weak and giving us and other families money for food and heating.  He was a sort of fairy godmother in green tights,” she said smiling across at the two girls, “And I used to try and make bows and arrows out of twigs and string.”<br/><br/>The next one was harder and she frowned slightly, “Three words to describe me......... well, I can be a bit impulsive, so impulsive.. and.....” she tried to find a word to say how well, sexual she was and just didn't know how to say it and in the end said, “Sensual......... and,” she almost said submissive but is was more complex than that and she added with a very faint blush to to the top of her cheeks, “Loving.”<br/><br/>She took the last sip of her coffee and then putting the cup down beside her on the floor she went on, clearing her throat and trying to be really honest, “I think it is easier to lie than people realise, to say they like a meal, or a dress or to tell a child their drawing is perfect.  So yes, I would lie to protect a loved one's feelings, but when it comes to the bigger things it is harder, the decisions more complex”  She looked up but not seeing the room around her, rather looking through it into her memories and thinking of the lies she had told her mother, so, so many of them, and she didn't regret any of them. As her eyes refocused she realised she was looking directly into Vince's eyes and tried to smile lightly, that was the second time he had seemed to catch her at a moment when more of her self was revealed.<br/><br/>“I would hope my soul mate would let me stay with him, as whatever happened on the ship or off it I would want to face it with him.” she said after reading the next question, “My best friend I would let choose first, as they have the right to make their own destiny, then together my soul mate and I can decide our fate too.” she paused she'd always hated questions like that, she had such a vivid imagination she could feel the lurch of pain and fear that situation would create and more than anything the fear for the people you loved.<br/><br/>“I get angry when I see people lost - abandoned by the state and society looking down on them and not giving them the  helping hand they need, I get angry about abuse and torture war and the dispossessed.    I try and turn my anger into action, and if in a small way I can make things better, even if it is only a few people's lives then at least my anger wasn't in vain.”<br/><br/>She looked up, suddenly realising she had got a bit vehement and then smiled, well, her passion for so many things was bound to come out sooner rather than later, and she hoped she hadn't offended anyone.  “Fear, well for myself I am afraid that I might never find a polyfamily that accepts me for who I am, I'm scared of mice and I'm frightened of very few of things most women are.”<br/><br/>I would find it very hard to creep people out, making them laugh or doing something a bit silly would be fine, but I suppose if it was a dare or a bet or something and I had to do, I not want to frighten anyone, so perhaps something like......  have a conversation out loud with an imaginary person,” she smiled, “It would be kind of fun to make it an argument perhaps about which floor I was getting out on”<br/><br/>Turning to the next one she said smiling, “I think my tongue would exaggerate dreadfully, I've noticed that it thinks things are much bigger than my fingers and can feel things so much more intensely so you'd need to take whatever it said with a pinch of salt” Nicci laughed, her eyes meeting Marcus' and thinking about his comment about a pointy nub, “So it would say when it licked your nipple that it had felt a lot more than a pointy nub, and describe it as a thick juicy stalk that it curled round and tantalised.”<br/><br/>She didn't need to look down to read the next question as it was already hovering in her mind so her eyes went next to Vincent, and she spoke aloud the thoughts she had already had about him, “I think Vincent your sexy Irish charm hides a deep loving soul that needs a family as much as mine does” she found that quite the hardest thing she had had to say so far and for a moment she found that looking down at the papers again she wasn't really seeing anything and all she could feel was her own heartbeat.  She nearly reached for her cup again before remembering it was empty, her mouth feeling very dry, and then turning round she smiled at Bo and laying her hand over his said, “And in a way although you are behind me you are also on my right, so I would say to you if I knew you better that you should trust your heart Bo, and reach out passed the controls you have had to build round you in the past,” as she turned back she left her hand up over her shoulder resting on his, bringing her thumb under so she was holding his fingers, hoping he didn't mind her being so personal.<br/><br/>She read aloud, “What is the colour of a smile? I think I would describe them as golden, the small shy ones with an antique softness that can only just be glimpsed and the big grins like highly polished gold glinting in the sunlight.”<br/><br/>For her own question she wanted to be as honest as the others, this was such a big thing for all of them, “Sexually I have always been a very open person with a high sex drive and almost no inhibitions, so I have been on the party scene for a few years now, and also because I found that I am submissive by nature I have also just started to go to a BDSM club and before coming here was thinking about asking a dominant to train me.  I have known for quite a long time that I will only ever be happy in a polyfamily, and for that reason  for over a year I have not had a long term boyfriend or partner because I would never want to hurt anyone who needed to be monogamous.” she didn't meet anyone's eyes as she explained her background, as she knew a lot of people might be shocked at her permissiveness and she didn't think she could bear to see any disappointment on their faces, she hoped so much that in time they would understand that it was just part of her and that she wasn't a bad person, not really.    It had taken her a long time to come to terms with the way she was, and not feel bad about it, but other people, were another matter, and normally she kept that side of her life to the kind of people who understood.<br/><br/>“So,” she said, still looking down, “The last one, a favorite childhood memory. In fact I was thinking about it earlier, mine is earning enough money to buy my mother a washing machine, I was so proud and so happy, I was walking on air for a week afterwards.” She  looked across at Mari, somehow Nicci thought from the way she had spoken of her family she would understand Nicci's feelings.  She took a deeper breath, realising how much it had taken out of her to answer all the questions wondering f if she should hand the questions to someone or wait for them to take them, and as a compromise she leaned over and put them all on the edge of the coffee table as she knelt up and brought her cup over to refill it, giving Bo's hand a quick squeeze before she drew hers away.