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"Yes it was, wasn't it?" Bereck shook his head and ran his fingers through aforementioned hair; a little receded, a little thinner, much much more vivid. He still quite liked it regardless, the way it was now felt as much a part of him as his knots and his glasses.

When Alina mentioned horrible things and dribbled water on him Bereck looked up at her with an eyebrow raised and his head cocked slightly to the side. What could she possibly-

Bereck splashed her. "Tch, if you want to know so badly I should force you to investigate with proper scientific rigour!" He grinned as he made that suggestion, but then laid three fingers at three different points just on his left hip bone, matching the spread of the claw marks. "These ones end bout there, there, and there," he elaborated. He then raised his other hand to gesture at three points on his right side. "Here, here, and here." These ones went down past the hip; the furthest in by a good couple of inches, the central scar a little further than that, and the one on the outside further still to a point near the top of his thigh.

Bereck spluttered, partially at the awfulness and partially at the seawater that was splashed up at him. After a few moments to recover however, recover and think, he twisted his wrist in her grasp so that he could gently take hold of her wrist in return. "I'm sure we're both rusty," he replied softly with a soft little smile. His eyes slid away from hers then, down to their hands. He ran his thumb over the bump of her wrist joint and then raised her hand to his lips, kissed her fingers softly. "But I'm yours," he continued after a few moments of silence, raising his eyes to hold hers again. "Whenever you want. Whatever you want. You know... I... I do miss waking up with you. If you ever want to stay over with me... well... you'd be welcome." More than welcome.

He was seldom so aware of his own heartbeat as he was right now. A shiver ran down his spine as she touched his cheek, opened her mouth and... failed to speak. She didn't look angry or upset though, just hesitant, and so he waited for her to get her thoughts lined up. What these thoughts came out as made him smile and bring her hand to his chest to press her palm over his heart. "Whenever you want, my Star. I love you. I'd like to live with you again. With the rebuild there were all new weyrs for riders and I managed to get quite a big one thanks to my other credentials... there's easily room for two people's lives. If you'd like that, I mean. I'd understand if you'd rather keep your privacy."

This was all rather abrupt, observed an analytical part of him. It wasn't criticism of himself or of her, just observation. Months of dancing around one another and now he asked her to stay tonight, and for all future nights?

...What would he do if she refused?

Okay.

Right.

Excellent.

Bereck swallowed, nervous again abruptly but in a good sort of way. History definitely repeated itself. Smiling softly, if a little nervously, he reached up to brush her damp hair back from her face and then lent up to kiss her tenderly.

"I do," he replied simply.

They hadn't lived together before. Spent a great deal of time in one another's quarters, yes, but this was different. This was progression. Weyrmates? He supposed it did. The thought was faintly intimidating to a man of fifty whose longest romantic relationship spanned merely a turn. It had been a turn with her though, and nobody had been able to fill the void she had left in his life. He hadn't even tried to force somebody to. He didn't believe in fate and destiny but he did know that certain substances bonded weakly whilst others bonded closely. The imagery might be overdone but it fitted in his mind.

"Weyrmates," he echoed, "I would like that." She would like more. She was Hold born, and when he had known her last that had still been important in some aspects of her life. They hadn't spoken of marriage for themselves but she had spoken of it between others people once. He still remembered the look on her face.

A ring. There was definitely going to have to be a ring, and a promise and titles more traditional than weyrmate. He was going to ask her to marry him.

Alina looked mortified, and Bereck abruptly felt as t hough he'd missed a page of the script. "What are you talking about woman?" he asked bringing a hand up to her face to lift her chin, his face lined with a frown of confusion. "I said I want to live with you again. I said there was room for two lives in my weyr. I said I would understand if you didn't want that. What did you think you heard?" Leaning up and still gently cupping her face he kissed her briefly on the lips.

"I want to live with you," he repeated, voice soft and low, lips almost touching hers. Smiling softly he kissed her again and then wrapped his arms around her again to draw her close. "Don't apologise, just tell me if you want that too. If you don't... well, you'd be welcome any night you wanted to come by." He thought he'd made himself clear but maybe not, maybe she was trying to back track, suddenly feeling rushed. She'd seemed so keen on the idea though so he was more inclined to think there had been an error in communication, or that she was paranoid, or both.

"Oh, I see," Bereck nodded as comprehension set in, more or less anyway. Still smiling to show he was content - he knew that 'oh I see' didn't always sound positive regardless of tone - he squeezed her gently and gave her another brief kiss. "Well we've sorted that out now... though I suppose I should confess I don't even spend much time there. When I am there I'd like you there as well is what I mean. I'm sure Berath would be happy to help you move some things over any time you like. We can have a reorganize too, decide where everything ought to go. It would be our weyr after all, not just mine."

Having her to sleep beside really did sound like an attractive prospect; nightmares still troubled him from time to time though less so now that he was busy again and exhausted when he went to bed. Having a warm comforting presence beside him along with Berath's presence in his mind might solve that problem, or at least help with it. He probably ought to explain to her though so she wouldn't be shocked if it did happen... not just now though, there were much more pleasant things to talk about and do.

Bereck gave a sigh that was half contented half weary. "Yes, I do." How long was he going to keep it up? It had been intended as a short term coping mechanism when Aleck had been very young but somehow it had become his life. He wasn't sure that he could go back to living like a normal person, eight or nine hours of work didn't feel like enough. Ten didn't either, nor eleven, twelve, thirteen.... He wasn't getting any younger. A time would come when he simply wasn't capable of working so hard anymore.

He squeezed her back then and kissed her cheek. "Speak for yourself, I'm perfectly sensible. Mostly. Old though, perhaps a little. I don't feel it quite so much tonight though." Was he really sensible, or did he just manage to give of their air of it? Given his previous train of thought, maybe the latter.