As Chess awaits her answer, she keeps her face an emotionless mask, letting the woman reply without her own emotions influencing her.  She didn't know... well, Chess did ask it out of the blue, honestly.  She loved her... Chess knew that, she'd said so before and Demi may have been a Bitch at times, but she wasn't some heartless harpy.  Did Chess love her... of course!  There was no woman in any realm she'd ever met that she loved as much as her!  Was there room for them both... for her and a goddess whom she'd love since her youth, and whom she'd built a temple for...<br/><br/>"I-" she began, but was cut off, when she tried to answer, only to have the hound archon apologize to her, telling her the question was inappropriate, and then... the answer-<br/><br/>"Demi, don't say that, not yet, please." Chess said after she moved around the finger at her lips, still holding Demi's gaze with her own "Your question wasn't stupid;<em>I</em>am the one being stupid.  I was the one stupid enough to believe childish attachment to be legitimate love... and<em>romantic</em>love at that.  Hell, everyone in this temple loves Eilistraee... but as much of a genius as I am, I'm the only one stupid enough to fall<em>in love</em>with her.  I know I've told you before that I loved Eilistraee, and I do but..."<br/><br/>She sighed, suddenly wishing this conversation had never been brought up by she herself.  But... if things worked out... then her life, and Demi's life, would be taking a turn for the better...<br/><br/>"That's what I was thinking about; whom I love, and how.  I fell 'in love' with Eilistraee as a child... but it wasn't that sort of love.  Eilistraee was the closest thing to a mother I ever had, or a father for that matter; she was the one that watched over all of us Good Drow-blooded, and she was so beautiful... how could someone so young<em>not</em>be attracted to her?  I... took it too far, I never grew out of that childish notion that I'd grow up and become her lover one day, and I'd be with her 'forever and ever'." she explained, grinning and shaking her head a bit at herself, finding how stupid such a phrase sounded when she uttered it "I fixated on her since then, loving her and not noticing anyone else beyond a hot, heavy fuck, at best... because I was<em>in love</em>with a goddess... with someone who would likely never be able to love me the way I loved her... and a woman I'll likely never meet in person, have stand at my side, speak to... she'll likely forever be the 'Dark Maiden' and never just Eilistraee.<br/><br/>"But you... you caught my interest even when I was fixated fully on Eilistraee and hadn't ever considered another.  I didn't just lust after you from the start either; we got to know each other, learned about one another, fucked and fought with each other and others... and we fell in love together after that." Chess continued, smiling a bit more now, happy images of their history together going through their minds "I love<em>who</em>you are, not just<em>what</em>you are and stand for, like Eilistraee.  You walk with me, talk with me, tease me, spend time with me... and I you... and when have I ever talked to Eilistraee beyond prayer?  When have the two of us gone out and had a beer together?  When have we laid together and told one another how much we loved each other, like I gladly do with you without a<em>thought</em>to my goddess in the process?"<br/><br/>A pause, to calm herself, and recollect herself, and then she began one last time.<br/><br/>"I love Eilistraee... but I am<em>in love</em>with you, only you.  No matter what you would say, what you would do,<em>who</em>you would do even after you became my wife... I would love you." she concluded softly "She'll be in my heart always... by my heart is yours to have.  It's your face I want to wake up to every day, it's your body I want to hold and kiss, and any relation with Eilistraee--even if she came to me and fucked me six ways to a ten-day--would be between a divine and her devoted... nothing more...<br/><br/>"So I'll ask one more time: Demi... would you marry me?"