Gwen audibly sighed in relief when the salve was applied to her shoulder and the pain began to fade. Experimentally she rolled her shoulder and found her skin did not feel tight so there was no chance it would crack. That had been an ordeal had been agony she was surprised she didn't scream louder. Women underwent that to avoid rape and enslavement? All things considered, she imagined a burn would be preferable to a dozen men taking advantage of your body.<br/><br/>"I'm used to earthy smells." she told him with a slight grin. "I often use certain herbs or oils in my rituals. One of them requires four different kinds of moss, that is a smell that sticks with you.” With a chuckle she moved to lay down on her back piling her hair up to keep the mixture from getting into her hair. Oddly enough she had a feeling this one small brand was going to hurt more than the one on her shoulder had.<br/><br/>Reaching over she grabbed the leather strap and slid it back into her mouth. Darius was wise in his decision to place it on her hip rather than above her pubic bone or her breast. Her own runes had to be put there and she had no idea how the magic would interact with a fresh injury. There was a good chance her magic would instinctively try to heal it and that was simply unacceptable. Once she was comfortable she nodded to him. Just this final mark and then she would be one step closer to being accepted by his people.