Elann’s reply to his conceding was hopeful and it meant she was willing to give for him too. Noah still didn’t have it in him to broach the fullness of his argument for fear it would erupt into something else again. They were close like this once before in their fights and it would be damaging to their relationship and bond if the closeness was rifted. He didn’t want that, so he conceded. Elann’s reaction was enough to give him a glimmer of hope in getting what he actually desired as well. There wasn’t much telling how he would act if they got a home distant from the city.

“Okay,” he said, looking down as she nestled all the more into his lap below.

Noah slowly shied away from her hand as it encroached up to his armpit. He grabbed it and gave it back to her gently. The look he gave her didn’t speak of amusement but it wasn’t hard either. It was a glance of studying but could’ve been interpreted in anyway. Since she knew him though, and knew his faces, she could tell by the way his eyes moved about her body that he was examining her more than showing any outward sign of offense to her gesture.

In a motion of curiosity, he reached forth and put his fingers meticulously at the crook of her neck, tickling there. The clear shift from serious moodlessness to playfulness came like the changing winds and, like they would whisper across skin, his fingers did the same, drawing a reaction from her as his smile came about amusingly as he moved. Noah bore down all the more in his tickling of her, moving down over her sides and down to her legs, hands slipping towards the insides of her thighs to tickle there as well.