['i knew that you would need me to go first,' he says, smiling, and rynlan makes a face as he lightly nudges at him, a silent little oh, shut up. he doesn't want to interrupt what thancred has to say-- but as he speaks, rynlan shifts, resting his head on thancred's shoulder rather than looking at him.

if he lets thancred see his expression, he's never going to let him forget it.]

Comparing someone you love to your daughter isn't the most romantic of moves, [he murmurs, soft amusement in his tone,] but the rest of it-- sometimes I forget that you're a songwriter, and then you go and remind me you're as good with your words as your hands.

It's one of the things I like best about you, I think.

[he stays right where he is, still not letting thancred look at his face.]

...I must, too, or I wouldn't be so angry at the thought of you throwing your life away. I wouldn't want you to want to live so badly, or be so fond of hearing you say you'd rather hold me than bed me, though I certainly prefer to have both-- I wouldn't prefer the thinner coat you've been wearing over the warmer one you can summon, because only one of them has your warmth and scent to it.

If I didn't, I wouldn't need you to go first. It wouldn't matter so much what your answer was-- I wouldn't be surprised if you knew before I even answered you.