<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/4/42/Gaidin.jpg)</div><strong>Character name:</strong>Galvren Valynar (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=234819.msg11585469#msg11585469)<br/><strong>Position:</strong>Gaidin.<br/><strong>Bondmate:</strong>Suana Bemesta.<br/><strong>Tag:</strong>Suana Bemesta.<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Evening, Saven 7th, 990NE.<br/><strong>Place:</strong>The Grounds, Secluded Corner Of The Garden.<br/><strong>Warning:</strong>N/A<br/><hr/><br/>He wasn't entirely certain whether to take her comments on his maturity as a compliment or a backhanded insult; was she calling him overly mature for his age - whatever that meant - or was she noting that he was young and could therefore be excused for making mistakes born of pride or ego? Was she complimenting him in that he acted in a more mature, more evenly developed manner than some of his peers...or suggesting that he should try to act like that more often since he was slipping into bad habits? He honestly wasn't sure, even with the pulsating warmth in the back of his head...that only told him that she felt affection and other cuddly feelings towards him, not what each specific thought meant...perhaps with practice he would be able to discern such meanings, but for the moment, he really was an amateur when it came to reading the Bond, so he couldn't really be certain of anything past the glaringly obvious. And further, what was he supposed to make of her assumption that his "previous partner" had physically abused him in some way? It was perhaps the obvious conclusion to draw since he was the one who had flinched at<em>her</em>touch, rather than having flinched at taking the initiative, but who was to say that it was her abuse on him?<br/><br/>As far as he saw it, it was the reverse, and as far as he was concerned, her attempts to persuade him that her hitting him wasn't personal and that she would never do such a thing kind of made him feel a little worse. Did she now see him as a damaged little pup who needed to be protected from being hurt? He frowned a little. He didn't need molly coddling or babysitting and, honestly...he didn't<em>want</em>it either. He wasn't seven, and he wasn't running home crying after being picked on by the neighbour kids. He was a<em>Gaidin,</em>for The Lights Sake, and it actually irritated him a little that she felt the need to assure him that she wasn't going to hurt him. Of course he knew that; he wouldn't have Bonded with her if he didn't trust her. The irritation lasts only a fraction of a second, however, as he quickly tames his - how did she say it? - "bruised pride." She didn't mean it in that way, and she likely assumed that he had been physically abused due to his own actions just a few moments earlier...why would she assume otherwise? Still...he couldn't bear the thought that she might look at him like some kind of victim when the truth was far more ambiguous.<br/><br/>He shook his head a little. "It isn't like that, Suana Se-<em>Suana.</em>" She'd said that she wanted him to use her name only when alone...so, as a loyal servant, that was what he would do, even though it might take a little while to get used to it. "I wasn't physically hurt in any way, shape or form. It was...a little different than I think you imagine it. I wasn't forced or coerced or threatened or abused.<em>I</em>was asked to do something to<em>her</em>and I did...but I didn't care for it." He looked at her, though, his hands moving to rest on her back. It seemed like the "mood" had been killed for the moment, though the hug was also rather nice...especially given the subject of their conversation. Sometimes, you just needed a hug, after all. He ran his hands along her back slowly, just taking in the warmth both of her body and the pulsing, blooming tree in the back of his head. "I...do appreciate the promise, however. Thank you." And that wasn't lip service; the fact that she wouldn't try to get him to do something he wasn't comfortable with was, whilst obvious, still something that meant quite a bit to him.<br/><br/>Of course, she could break it with barely a word, but he doubted she would. Suana took her oaths<em>very</em>seriously, even if Aes Sedai could lie in the first place...and that statement was way too direct to be anything other than sincere. For that moment, at least, she was telling the truth. And he believed her. Would he tell her one day? Probably. It might even be one day soon, knowing him. It<em>was</em>important and it was something that Suana would have to know about in due course, especially if the nightmares continued, but it was also not something he wished to talk about during happy times, and most certainly not something he wanted to talk about when he had a beautiful woman perched on his lap. He relaxed a little, his body curling forwards as if to mould around Suana's perching body, his shoulders knitting inwards a little around her frame as his hands crossed each other to rest on opposite sides of her waist. He turned his head and rested his face in the top of Suana's hair, staying largely silent and allowing the Bond - radiating fresh feelings of warmth and comfort, the self doubt and fear if not gone, then at "normal" levels - to do the talking. Of course, he couldn't bear to stay silent....he had to say something. "I enjoy your touch, Suana...very much so. It was a one-time reminder...please don't take it as a sign that I dislike our contact. I, um...I like it very much. Please...allow me to apologise for making you believe otherwise." Before he could change his mind, he pressed a quick, almost timid kiss against Suana's cheek before pulling away and then blushing profusely. He had to do something to drag the mood out of the gutter than it had fallen into, and maybe some genuine affection - and it was indeed genuine; he genuinely wanted to kiss her as much as he possibly could - could do the trick. At least, that was his hope.