"Am I okay?" Solae repeated back to Rene incredulously. Both her brows lifted as she took a moment to look him up and down, her eyes lingering on where she knew the fabric to be concealing wounds he acted as if he did not possess. The marquise knew the marines instilled in him a pain tolerance and stamina that exceeded her own but this did not fool her into ignoring them completely. Rene's nerve endings still functioned no matter what he led her to believe.

"You have deep scratches all over your arms, your leg is still pitted from where you pried something sharp out of it, and you were burned, all while trying to save the whole of Amber Horizon, and taking lives in the process so no one else feels the burden. You've consistently put yourself in danger for me, have run yourself veritably ragged selflessly, and just summoned authority you do not relish to make a slaver believe you mean to execute him. And you are asking if [i]I[/i] am okay? Renard Lucius Du Quentain," she said, smiling as the name crossed her lips, "if you were not so handsome I might be compelled to strike you upside the head in hopes it knocks some sense into you."

Solae had not answered the question for herself which in itself was telling. The soldier deflected his own needs to focus on her and so she did the same. Such escapism did not do either of them any favors. She had yet to confront the demons of doubt that nightmares had planted into her soul. The marquise was changed by the guilt of survival, the guilt of Rene's protection, the guilt of having happiness when so many were suffering or snuffed out of existence entirely. Articulating this to her consort would place an undue burden on his psyche. He too had crawled out of a mire of death without guidance from the universe as to why or what he ought to do with this opportunity. How could he console her when he was no better?

"I wonder if I asked you the same questions what methods of interrogation I might have to use to get an answer out of you," she wondered aloud idly with an impish grin. Solae stepped forward to be so close that their breath graced one another's skin. "The courts may have the upper hand on tactics here I believe. Maybe if I were to..."

It was as she leaned in as it to plant a kiss upon his neck that two Syshin rounded the corner and found themselves in the midst of human display of affection. One female gasped and dropped a basket she was carrying while the other stared, unblinking, with studious detachment.

Red-faced Solae moved back and cleared her throat. Pink colored her ears no matter how fervently she tried to stifle her embarrassment. Were they happened upon by other people (such as Oanh and Min Ho) then she would have nonplussed, but Syshin did not understand the 'mating rituals' of humans unless they were sold into sexual slavery. Being watched by them felt inherently strange because she was not just herself, performing an action all others did, rather she was a demonstration for curious foreigners.

"We brought... things," one of them struggled in broken common. Leaning down the shorter Syshin picked up her basket and presented it to Rene and Solae jointly. "Things for... move? Journey?"

Rene, who seemed substantially less mortified than Solae, took the gift graciously. There were several items in the basket but they were all thoughtfully sized to fit into the backpack that no longer was being used for transporting wine. Leaves had been wrapped around a foodstuff not unlike rations that was composed of rice, dried fruits, vegetables, and nuts to maximize its nutritional value. Two small earthenware jars were labeled 'Bruise' and 'Cut' and filled with ointments made by their healers. Long strips of fabric had been tightly rolled for use as bandages were they to find themselves injured. Set slightly to the side, however, was a small brick of a sweet-smelling biscuit that was more confection than meal supplement.

"To eat, for hurt, and for..." the Syshin faltered and looked to the other as she gestured to the block that reminded Solae of a bizarrely-shaped cookie.

"Bonded use it to help bring child," the other said as she patted Rene's hand. In their culture fertility was a brief window that all bonded had to make use of if they hoped for the continuation of their species. Due to this facet of their society they assumed that [i]all[/i] bonded were actively trying to conceive- including humans. People did not speak with Syshin long enough to clarify this misunderstanding.

Solae was stunned into silence, a rarity that was increasingly common with recent events. "I... we...," she tried to form a coherent sentence but failed. The Syshin smiled knowingly which only made the marquise more perplexed. There was no tactful to broach the fact that although Rene and she called one another 'bonded' for simplicity they were not wed and, in fact, were not preparing to become parents.