Haircut

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jIt's not supposed to hurrt!"

Cirr shrilled at a MARCUS module perched on his shoulder, as an appendage of the droid applied a small vacuum tube to a tuft of freshly-shorn hair, sucking it up with a tttthoomp!

Instinctively reaching up to the base of one of his long ears to see if he'd been nicked, Cirr fumbled for the mirror with his other hand. This was becoming a disaster.

"Cirrsseeto, my work is accurate. If you would stop twitching as you do, I could complete this haircut as demanded."

Another module on the other shoulder began running a buzzer along his neckline, shearing the fine tufts of fuzzies that trailed to the base of the neck. How long had it been since he'd had a haircut again? And now, light years from anything resembling an accredited cosmotologist, he felt self conscious. He knew exactly why, but was keen to make any excuse. Truth be told, he'd been sporting a thick mop for months. It was time to remedy it somewhat.

"No no no, that's too much! Ahhh you've rrujined jit!"

Cirr grimaced as his attempts to micro-manage MARCUS during the haircut job was becoming a fiasco.

"It isn't ruined, the taper length is well within specifications of the picture I was given."

Panic-stricken, Cirr sucked on his lower lip as he watched the droids defile his hair.

"At thjis rrate, jI'd betterr just shave jit all off and seek asylum jin the Empjirre! jIf you kjill my beautjiful hajir jit's the scrrap heap forr you! Sanjis has wanted to junk you forr yearrs and jI've stopped hjim everry tjime. Not anymorre!"

MARCUS paused, visual receptors 'blinking'.

"Cirrsseeto, what a terrible thing to say."

[Sanis Prent]

"In the galley? I don't want your hair all in my food!"

I looked at my shirtless first mate as he sat, almost pitiable, at the table with a towel over his shoulders and two MARCUS modules perched on each side to anchor it.

I passed by, opened the fridge, and got the carton of blue milk out, giving it a quick sniff to make sure it wasn't ripe. Well, not too ripe. It could ride for a day. I chugged a bit out of the carton and picked up a container of some sort of leftover hash that we had on hand.

"Want me to paint your toenails too?"

This pathetic display. I knew exactly what was causing it.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Sanjis, don't poke fun, thjis jis serrjious!"

Cirr looked up with a slightly annoyed, slightly pained face. Normally a bit easy-going, it was apparent his skin was a little thinner when it came to this subject.

"jI ajin't had a prroperr hajirrcut jin too long. Just because jI'm a frrejighterr jock doesn't mean jI have to look jit. You know, not too long ago jI got compljiments forr my hajirr."

A MARCUS module held aloft a strand of hair and, inspecting carefully, gave it a quick snip.

"Knowjing my luck, thjis sparrkplug jugglerr's gonna gjive me an ewok cut. jI can't bearr the thought!"

[Sanis Prent]

There was, in my mind, a solution to all this kvetching.

"How about you go to the Valiant and find some cute girl with a pair of scissors. Chicks like that sort of thing. Win-win I say. Get a real person's aesthetic working on you, and have a set of knockers hanging over your face while you get washed, shampooed, and sheared."

I reached forward and picked up a dark-colored tuft.

"And best of all, keep this shit off our dinner table. I swear you're somewhere between a dandy and a caveman at times, Cirr."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Following after Sanis was a rather familiar form, and with a glance to Cir, Loklorien s'Ilancy pulled a strange face; something between astonishment and concern.

She moved to stand beside Sanis, ever-curious at this newest display of self-consciousness from the Cizerack mechanic. A look to the shorn patch of hair in Sanis' hand, then back to Cirr.

"You know, you could've asked me to do it."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr looked at s'Il with a mix of embarassment and fear.

"What, wjith a ljightsaberr?"

He grimaced and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Won't jit leave a rrash?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Ha."

Her voice was deadpan, and the Lupine gave a roll of her eyes.

"Not everything I do is done with a lightsabre you know. I've cut Teagan's hair enough to know how to use scissors... "

She thought for a few moments before going on.

"I used to cut Zem's hair too. I'd wager that if I can cut his, I can cut yours."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"No offense to be meant, s'jIl, but Zem's hajirr was crrap."

For emphasis, the felinoid pulled his locks back tight and off to the side.

"Held togetherr by wjishes and engjine grrease. Wasn't that what he put jin jit?"

Forlorn again, he leaned forward, propping his chin in a palm.

"What's the pojint jI guess? jI'm doomed to fate."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Well it was a long time ago," she defended, "I've not touched it at all in over twenty years. Whatever it looks like now is not my doing."

She stepped forward then, spurred on by his dejected attitude, and deftly plucking the pair of shears from one of the MARCUS modules, she shooed them away.

"It's not so bad," s'Il ran gentle fingers through the felinoid's hair, becoming stuck halfway through. A frown, and she carefully tried to continue. It was almost impossible.

"Ok well, maybe it is."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Ow, owww, my folljicles!"

Cirr bolted up, his back stiff as a board as his tail thumped audibly against the side of the chair.

"My scalp's sensjitjive! And jI've got kjinks so go gentle!"

[Una Rakesh]

With quiet steps the woman cautiously made her way through Layla. She was mindful to not make a sound, since it seemed there was enough of that coming from the galley. The yowling she recognized - she'd recognize Cirr's voice anywhere as it was. She'd also recognized Sanis' voice. The woman she'd never heard before in her life. Sounded like an overbearing mother from the way she spoke though.

Moving to stand in the doorway, the redhead half-grimaced at the sight.

"Cirr?"

It would be a miracle if anyone in there heard her over the Cizerack's protestations.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Calm down."

Extricating her fingers from his tangled mess of hair, s'Il gave an exasperated sigh.

"Just grit your teeth and deal with it."

She brandished a comb, holding it just over the top of his head. "Now on the count of three.

"One... "

And without warning the Lupine disregarded two and three, instead beginning the arduous task of brushing the tangles out of Cirr's mop.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

The familiar voice speaking his name took all the pain out of the combing, and instead of complaining at the onslaught, Cirr's ears just ticked back and he made a curious face.

"Una?"

Sanis's face confirmed it, as he could see her approach. Cirr was suddenly immune from s'Il's assaults, and his mouth hung open a little.

[Una Rakesh]

Great gods almighty he did hear her. Of course that meant Sanis had turned to look at her, but that was to be expected. The blonde woman had stopped her combing to look at her as well, and with so many eyes upon her - did the blonde have a scar through one? - she felt a bit frustrated.

"Yeah," she finally offered, stepping into the galley a few more paces, "... it's me."

[Sanis Prent]

I gave a look to Una, and a look back to Cirr with a smirk.

"Just remembered, got to log a flight plan on Valiant."

The kids needed alone time, as I saw it. What was it, two years ago? Cirr was the one to keep track of those sorts of things.

I pressed by Una on my way to the ladder leading belowdeck, giving her a curious look. In my professional opinion about women, there were reasons they showed up months or years later after certain romantic encounters, and none of those reasons were good ones. Not my business anyways. Besides, Cirr would be sure to tell me about it whether I wanted to hear or not.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

In one of the few times that she shared Sanis' feelings on any matter, s'Il gently set the comb and scissors down. A polite smile and nod to the redhead, and she followed after Sanis.

He had the right idea, and for all of her normal worrying and doting, the Lupine knew when to leave alone.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Abandoned, Cirr did his best to tend to his mangled hair as Una came around to the forefront.

"Djidn't rrealjize you'd trransferred to the Wheel."

He smiled politely, his thoughts running a thousand miles an hour and a bit distant. Almost forgetting, he stood, offering her his seat. The last he'd seen of her, she'd been tending to a squad of Y-wings on some far-flung Rebel outpost. They'd stopped in for work and supplies and, well, things happened. It was a week's worth of fling, and they were out again. The way Cirr figured it, they'd probably never see each other again.

"How arre you?"

His ears dipped at that. What a stupid thing to ask.

[Una Rakesh]

She gave a mutual wince. How was she? From what she could remember of him though, it was a bit normal, this awkwardness.

"Fine... I suppose."

Una declined his offered seat. Her eyes wandered - throughout the galley and even over Cirr. But her gaze was as distracted as his own thoughts no doubt.

"I see you and Sanis are doing well enough. After that last time I saw you guys, I never figured you'd sign on with the Alliance."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Bjit of an oddjity that we djid at all."

Cirr conceded with a nervous laugh, his tail jerking from side to side.

"But, yeah, ended up wjith the Alljiance afterr all. jI don't know forr how long, but that's how jit goes, jI guess."

He suddenly realized he was shirtless, and moved to pull his shirt of the back of one of the chairs, sliding it over his unkept hair and broad frame.

"You don't look a bjit djifferrent than when we met."

It was an earnest observation, but Cirr wasn't sure if he should've said anything, and averted his eyes a bit.

[Una Rakesh]

A weak smile, and Una looked away.

"Well thanks. You look about the same too."

And then she came to life, the reason for her visit needing to make itself known sooner rather than later.

Her eyes went up to meet his - well, she had to shift a bit to the side to meet his turned gaze - and she clasped her hands together in a bit of nervousness.

"Look Cirr.

"I'm here because of our son."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

It's a hell of a thing, fainting. Really, you aren't aware of it. You're aware of the strange cottony dryness in your mouth, and that speaking becomes impossible. You might even be aware of the humming in your ears, but as soon as the air becomes buzzy and your eyesight becomes fuzzy, you're past the point of no return.

So it was for Cirr, who for all intents and purposes hung onto Una's bombshell until his lights went out, and he fell across the table like a sack of potatoes, before sliding toe the floor in a heap.

[Una Rakesh]

It wasn't entirely what she'd expected to happen. Well, it was a distinct possibility at the very least.

A sigh, a mild shake of her head, and Una was down on her knees beside Cirr. Her hands framed his face and she lightly patted his cheeks.

"Cirr, come on now. Wake up."

Of course he didn't stir, and Una slumped her shoulders a bit. A scowl, and she leaned down to one of his ears.

"His name is Seeto."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"...mmm...www..."

Cirr's mouth struggled to move, to work the cotton out of it and speak. His eyes creaked open, a bit glassy and unfocused.

"...son?"

He blinked hard, and was awake again. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest. He looked incredulously at Una and stammered.

"jI...jI...a son? jI have a son?"

Part of him wondered if he was ready to be a father. Part of him wondered what his mother would say? The latter part of it all worried him.

[Una Rakesh]

A half-hearted smile, and Una rocked back on her haunches to allow him room.

"You do."

It wasn't entirely unexpected, his reaction.

"His name is Seeto," she repeated.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr tugged at an ear as he started waking from his faint spill, and all he could think was that the name Seeto sounded, well, a bit daft. He couldn't help to feel that it was the thought that counted though.

"He'd be, what then? A yearr old? jIs he herre?"

Suddenly instincts he didn't know he had began to kick in. He had to see his son.

[Una Rakesh]

Shuffling back a little more, Una wrung her hands at Cirr's question.

"Well... "

How to even begin going about telling him? The redhead gave a worried expression.

"Not exactly."

Her brow knit.

"He's on Carida. With his stepfather.

"Look, it's a long story. I came to you because I needed your help."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr was hooked now. He sat up, his ears perked forward.

"What kjind of help?"

Images flashed before his eyes. First words, first steps, teaching his boy how to pounce, learning to sing, all those things he remembered or had hazy recollection of as part of his own childhood. He wanted to be a part of that.

He wasn't sure what this stepfather business was about, but he was sure she was getting to all the details in good time.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She'd followed Sanis down into the cargo hold, unsure what to think of this new visitor who'd come for Cirr. But, her younger friend had been at least correct in the notion that the felinoid needed to be alone with the woman, and s'Il had wordlessly agreed.

With a worried expression, the Lupine slowly sat down on one of the few cargo crates littering the deck, her eye constantly returning to the stairwell. She'd heard a distinct kthump a few minutes ago, and her concern was rising.

She looked sideways to Sanis.

"You know this girl?"

[Sanis Prent]

I lit a stim as I slid my officer's jacket on. Might as well pretend I was respectable if I was going back on the big boat.

"Some lay Cirr got about a year or two ago when we were berthed up for refuel and repairs."

I shrugged flippantly.

"I dunno. Seemed decently non-mental. Didn't see much of her if you get my drift."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She cringed at his explanation.

"Could you possibly be any more crass?"

She rubbed at her temples while keeping an eye on Sanis. She frowned as he pulled his jacket on.

"You've already lost a button," she observed rather pointedly.

[Sanis Prent]

"You asked."

I spoke through a breath of purple smoke as I looked down with a shrug.

"Guess I'll get Cirr to stitch that when he's not...er...catching up on things."

Hooking my thumbs into my pockets, and smirked and looked at the ladder.

"Let him have a go. Really, he needs to let go of whatever issues he has with the opposite sex. I say it's healthy."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"There's healthy, and then there's the 'Sanis Prent Approach to Women and Life'."

She shook her head.

"The latter I don't necessarily recommend."

[Sanis Prent]

Retrieving my stim with at thumb and forefinger, I smirked a bit.

"Worked for me all my life. I'm here, healthy, and on top of my game. I figure my track record speaks for itself."

Jerking a thumb upwards, I continued.

"If it wasn't for mother issues, I'd say I'd get Cirr properly-adjusted in a year."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Your track record is shaky at best," she grumped while slowly rising to stand. Her knees popped, and with a groan the Lupine put a hand to her lower back; it'd been hurting her more often than not these past few days.

"... and for all of Taataani's... eccentricities... "

A pause as she thought before finishing. With a small frown she at least conceded to Sanis his last point.

"... ok I suppose 'issues' is the most apt description. But still," the Lupine looped her arm through his as they began heading through the umbilical toward the Valiant.

"... at least he hasn't paid a deckhand for any half-naked paintings of Jedi women to decorate Layla."

[Sanis Prent]

"As I recall, you happened to like that bit of work."

I gave a wink as we walked through the umbilical. As we went across the threshold, our ears popped due to pressure differential, and I yawned a bit to equalize it.

"All I'm saying is, ain't a whole lot that stays a secret on a ship as small as mine. I know exactly how many girls Cirr's had. It's not a big number."

[Una Rakesh]

* * *

"After you left I got sent on a mission to Carida. Wasn't supposed to be anything extensive, just a quick surveillance job."

Una slowly rose to her feet, and moving to the chair Cirr had been occupying previously, she sat.

"I'd been there for a week before I found out I was pregnant."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Do...you have a holo orr a pjicturre of some sorrt?"

Cirr moved toward her with a growing smile on his face, not quite sure how celebratory he should be. After all, it had been two years. Would it be presumptuous...

...

Cirr's ear's pivoted at uneven angles.

"You mentjioned a step fatherr? jI'm, uh, what does that mean?"

It sounded like one of those strange human arrangements that he needed explaining at some point or another.

[Una Rakesh]

Her smile matched his, though it was somewhat more timid.

"I've got a few holos of him with me... I knew you'd want to see him- "

She dug into the front pocket of her trousers for a moment before pulling out a thin dataslip.

That Cirr was unfamiliar with what a stepfather was seemed to give her confidence a boost, and she used this particular cultural barrier as a crutch almost; as a way to further prod along the slowly rising atmosphere of what she hoped was growing acceptance over this new and sudden revelation of hers. Cirr's smile at least buoyed her spirits.

"A stepfather... well... "

Una thumbed the dataslip she'd managed to pull from her pocket. She gave a helpless shrug.

"... he's kind of a father in place of the real father."

Which was the best way she could describe it, really.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Oh, ljike a Fennta'arr jI got ya."

At least, that's what he figured she meant. Fatherhood in Cizerack terms was in some respects an abstract and fluid concept. Only one was your father, but in terms of being raised, you had many fathers.

Cirr was hooked. He took the dataslip and quickly plugged it into the nearest reader, which prompted a hologram of a tawny-skinned kink-haired little cherub with tell-tale ears and a tail curling around a diaper.

"Hai'aanee, lookjit!"

He pivoted the hologram left and right, zooming in and out, his blue eyes bright and his mouth agape.

"jI'm a dad!"

The kid was a good bit lighter-skinned than his old man, but Cirr figured that had a lot to do with being a halfie.

"He's got yourr nose."

It was hard for the felinoid to look away from the holo. He reached a finger out to touch a tiny holographic hand, the hologram fuzzing out where he broke the plane of it's boundary.

[Una Rakesh]

She watched him intently, smiling at his reaction.

"And your ears."

A poor joke, but it helped to further ease her nervousness.

Una reached out to lay a hand on his arm.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr, gripped by this virulent paternal affliction, laid a big hand over Una's own.

"Therre's somethjing you should know, Una. jI'm, err, technjically marrrjied."

His ears fluttered, a sign of his troubled explanation.

"jIt was a long tjime ago, and forr all jintents and purrposes, jI'm no longerr marrrjied, but mjy motherr..."

His ears lowered.

"jI wjill do the rrjight thjing forr us, no matterr what."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

* * *


Sitting beside Sanis in a corner table of the Valiant's mess - the both of them opposite Cirr - s'Il stared at the holo the big felinoid had set in the middle of the table. She simply couldn't take her eyes from the sight of the youngling; Cirr's youngling apparently.

She blinked a few times as her brain slowly registered what he'd gushed out to her and Sanis.

"... a son... "

Leaning back in her seat, she crossed her arms, gaze still intent on the little one Cirr was claiming to be his.

Finally she smiled.

[Sanis Prent]

My expression remained that of a cynic. My lips were taut, and I diverted looking at Cirr's so- err...the kid, opting instead to look at my beer.

"So, has she asked for money yet?"

Guess I was gonna be the bad guy here. Cirr was too doe-eyed to think about this, and I'd spent my life more or less trying to avoid the situation he was now in.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

An annoyed look flashed across her features momentarily, and the Lupine gave Sanis' hand a light slap.

"Behave," she grumped at him.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr was momentarily broken from his trance, and he looked up at his two friends.

"She hasn't mentjioned any money, but jI thjink, as a husband, that's parrt of the rresponsjibjiljity."

At that, he got that faraway look on his face again.

[Sanis Prent]

I barely swallowed the disgust off my expression at that. Husband?

"Get the fuck out."

With a sigh, I quaffed down a bit of beer.

"You knock a girl up, and that Cizerack cuckold gene gets activated and now it's yes ma'am, how high do I jump ma'am."

The disgust evaporated into horror.

"You're fucking serious, aren't you?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Sanis calm down."

Another mild rebuke, this time in the form of an elbow, was sent into Sanis' side before her attentions went to Cirr.

"What are you wishing to do, then? You're not married to this girl; in fact, I seem to recall you already being married."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's ears drooped at that.

"Yeah. That's trrue. jI don't thjink marrrjiage underr Cizeri law would worrk, but..."

He looked cautiously to Sanis, understanding why his best friend was rightfully pissed off, and not sure how to explain.

"...jit's what's rrjight. How can jI not marrry herr? jI gave herr a chjild. That's my duty."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Once more she looked to the hologram of the blue-eyed cubling. Was a halfbreed still considered a cubling even? A ghostly smile touched her lips as she continued to stare. The little one was captivating no doubt, and the Lupine could understand Cirr's desire to do the best he could for his son.

She ignored Sanis for now, as he wore his frustrations on his sleeve for all to see.

"Duty aside, what do you want."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jI want to be a parrt of a famjily and rrajise chjildrren. That's what jI had on Carshoulis, and even jif jit djidn't worrk wjith Iesshaauurri, that's somethjing jI've neverr stopped wantjing. The only djifferrence jis, now jI have a say jin what jI want."

Sanis had pretty much zoned into his beer, and wasn't offering anything to say. Cirr's face twisted into a grimace, because he'd rather have a curse-laden tirade than silence.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The Lupine gave a nod as she leaned back in her seat, looking furtively to Sanis who'd more or less seemed to keep himself focused on his drink. A frown, and she let out a long breath.

"It is always important to be able to choose what you want for yourself - and for others close to you."

s'Il was certainly not so upset as Sanis, but she wasn't completely overjoyed either.

"Have you discussed with this girl your intent of marriage?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr looked up at s'Il with a bit of confusion on his face.

"No..."

He wasn't sure what there was to discuss.

"...have jI mjissed somethjing?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Well generally," she masked a small cough with her hand before laying both on the table, palms down.

"... the two of you should discuss something of this nature. You may want to be married, but does she?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"She came back forr me, to tell me about ourr son."

The confusion seemed to grow on his face.

"But, you say that may not mean she's askjing to have me?"

[Sanis Prent]

Unable to keep quiet, I finally looked up again at him.

"It doesn't work like that for humans, Cirr. For most anybody. You knocked her up. Now she's got a mouth to feed. There ain't a guarantee she wants that stupid ideal family setting you're so hell-bent on. Most likely..."

I looked away.

"...she's here to tell you where to send the credit payment."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il was not about to allow herself such a pessimistic stance as Sanis'. She folded her hands on the table, looking down for amoment while wetting her lips.

"I think it would be best if you discussed your thoughts with her. See what she wants, and then go from there.

"What you want is something that most may see as a hindrance despite a child."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr bit slightly at his lower lip as he averted his eyes. Suddenly, he was filled with unease and worry.

"You'rre rrjight. jI should ask herr."

He looked at Sanis, and opened his mouth to say...what? That things would be okay? That he wasn't going anywhere? They both knew exactly how different things would be if he did ask that question.

He didn't say anything at all. Instead, he got up from the table slowly and walked away.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Watching the big felinoid's back as he trundled away, s'Il felt her shoulders slowly sag downwards as her entire frame seemed to rest more heavily on the table. In the few minutes of silence between her and Sanis, she let her head fall to stare at the table.

"Everything changes sooner or later," she sighed out.

[Sanis Prent]

"I know."

It was a quiet admission, and I took a slow painful sip of beer as I looked straight ahead.

"Just doesn't seem to be breaking the way I figured it would. And I can't help feeling he's making a huge damn mistake."

A resurgence of anger, and I tilted my beer back for the last few gulps to drown it. I slowly set down my glass, my jaw tightening as I tried to deal with it all.

"Can't say anything without coming off as a jackass. You think I don't know how I sound on this?

She's gonna hurt him."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She gave a sad look to him.

"I will pray that you are wrong."

It was not said out of malice, but more tired agreement. For one of the very few times in the long years that they'd known each other, s'Il found herself agreeing with him on this matter.

Without thinking, the Lupine put an arm around his shoulders, drawing him into a sideways hug.

"Just don't discourage him too much," she whispered, "... and if she does hurt him, be his friend and help to pick up the pieces."

[Sanis Prent]

I nodded and looked at her.

"That's a familiar job. The year after we first left Carshoulis was hard on him. You think I'm the way I am because I'm just inconsiderate? I've seen what happens to guys like him who do care. It isn't fair."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"The circumstances may be different, but you're one of those types of people as well."

Releasing him, the Lupine moved to stand from the table. With one hand on the back of her seat and the other on the table's surface, she leaned down to place a gentle kiss to his forehead.

"You care whether you like to admit it or not."

[Sanis Prent]

I didn't like to be reminded of my own vulnerability. We both knew where we stood with each other. I wasn't about to spend any breath on the subject.

"I've got work to do."

I rose from my seat and looked back to her.

"Might as well get some hydrospanner time to remind myself how. I may be doing a lot more of that in the near future."

With that, I was gone.

[Una Rakesh]

* * *


"Marriage?"

It wasn't entirely what she'd expected to hear, and sitting across from Cirr in her own temporary quarters, Una wrung her hands out of nothing else to do. There wasn't any sense of dismay or outright revulsion to what he'd said, rather it was a healthy amount of confusion. The thought of marrying had been the furthest from her mind when she had set out to find him.

She looked to him.

"I... I don't know. Is that what you want?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

It was his turn for confusion.

"jIs that not what you want?"

His ears twitched at the unexpected response. Shaking his head a moment, he tried to clarify.

"jI gave jyou a son. jIt's only rrjight and prroperr that jI marrry you. That's..."

He suddenly paused. That's the way a Cizerack would do it. And she was clearly not one.

"Do you want to marrry me?"

He had over-extended himself, and was feeling vulnerable.