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Bereck closed his eyes for a moment, still smiling and still a bit pink around the cheeks. "Well I'm glad you've seen sense... and that you still love me." After all that time, both of them, even if they hadn't realised or acknowledged. "It's like a Harper tale," the healer said with a huff of incredulity and a shake of his head. "Not that I object of course it's just...." Bereck frowned and waved his hand as he searched for the right words. "Harpery," he said eventually, dropping his arm again and wrapping it back around Alina. "I suppose though a Harper tale would have had us sixteen when we parted, and parted by great drama and tragedy that was no fault of ours. Ten turns later would probably be the time chosen for reunion; Harpers wouldn't want to be singing about people over the age of thirty."

By this stage Bereck was so relaxed and contented he had practically melted against Alina. The wine, of course, may have had something to do with this. "Full of all sorts of good things," he observed with a kiss to her cheek. "And yes, you're right, it's very Harperish... if you take out most of the factors." Well he felt a little foolish now but he knew what he'd meant, and thought that Alina probably did too.

"I'm happy with it too. More than happy," he added, shifting slightly at a sharp prickle of pain from his side but soon subsiding into relaxation again. "All good things come to those who wait?" he mused, tilting his head so that he could look at Alina more easily. "I don't honestly believe in such nonsense most of the time; just waiting never got anyone anywhere!... But whether the saying is true and apt or not, you were worth waiting for. I'm afraid you raised my standards too high to be happy with any other woman. I mean... mmh." Bereck frowned as he worked out what it was he was trying to express, squeezing Alina's fingers in lieu of his usual mannerism of raising his hand to rub his chin. "I don't believe in soul-mates as such, in one perfect match for everyone. It's bell curves, I think, but you're so many standard deviations above the mean that the chances of finding another woman like you are infinitesimal. I suppose you could say that boils down to the same thing, but I feel the principle is important."

"You don't have wrinkles. More... lines. It's different." Now if that wasn't an emotional, illogical response he didn't know what was. Probably shouldn't have any more wine. He nudged Alina's foot in return and freed his hand from hers to take his glass back from Sanguine; maybe he didn't feel like being logical today! He'd walked all the way from the infirmary unaided and that hadn't necessarily been logical. Telling Alina back when she had first come to see him that he'd missed her and wanted her to stay, and whatever else he had said hadn't been sensible. Both of those things had come out well. Of course that didn't mean that more unsensible things were a good idea, but it didn't mean they weren't and... Well he fancied at least finishing what he had, and maybe having a bit more so there.

"I don't like to believe anything is set," he said once he had returned his glass to Sanguine and his hand to Alina's. "I like to think that everything is of our own making. Fate, destiny; those concepts don't settle well with me. I would believe that my achievements are my own, even if that makes my failings my own as well. Venn diagrams though, and bell curves, yes. Consider the number of people in the world you ever meet after all. With that taken into consideration I was very fortunate to meet you. Very fortunate indeed. If I hadn't...." Bereck shrugged, squeezed Alina's hand and waist. "I think I would be a very isolated man."

The only two humans he had been close to since his parents - the less thought about them in this happy moment the better - had been Alina and Aleck. If not for her, he wouldn't have him and frankly he thought he would be a worse person than he was for that; being a parent had taught him a great many things, prioritization for one....

Interesting.

If he were to follow that logic on it went thus: To learn that people were more important than work he had needed to have a child who needed him as Alina had not. Therefore he had needed to have her to have Aleck, but had she and he not parted when they had he might have discerned her condition at a time when a trip between could have... solved things, and then they probably would have parted anyway because he was a fool who hadn't seen beyond his work.

Essentially he had needed to have her, and lose her, in order to have her?

"Odd how the world works, regardless."

He didn't think he had got his point across clearly. Those things were different, they weren't... well they weren't fate. "I can change though," he disagreed with a small shake of his head and a little frown. "I don't want to change the fact that I put wayward apprentices in their place but I could. Cogito ergo sum, and because I think I can alter my behaviour. I'm not just... just an actor reading lines that can't be altered, heading towards some ultimate goal set out by a metaphorical author. Playwrite." He could have just let it drop he supposed, but it was something he felt strongly about; he didn't think Alina had meant that life was predetermined over all but... well, he still didn't like it.

Anyway, more kisses; more kisses were good and so he gave her one too, a brief press of his lips to her brow. "Mmmm.... Well. Regardless. I wouldn't wish to meet somebody else fitting your... uh, parameters if you will. I didn't mean that. I just... I like to be in control." Not being in control of his situation was always deeply unsettling, or even frightening depending on the circumstances. To have no control over major aspects of his life? That wasn't a thought he could even contemplate.

"Oh, I see," Bereck nodded, "that makes sense.... On dragons though, I have two theories. Theory one," he held up a finger, gearing up to go into full lecture mode, "the Touching actually has an effect on dragons; the development of their minds is influenced by the candidates that come into contact with them, as those are the available options and they must find a suitable bondmate in order to survive. This would explain why Stands Impressions are not common. Theory two," another finger, "is actually quite similar. This theory goes that dragons are born somewhat malleable. They have personality traits but they are basic; archetypes not rounded people. What they need when they hatch is a mind about the right shape; they Impress and are impressionable, if you will. Find the right kind of mind - the first one they locate, again explaining why Stands Impressions are not common due to people in the Stands being more difficult to notice - and meld to it, fill in the details."

Feeling quite satisfied with himself Bereck lowered his hand and took his glass back from Sanguine. "This is all speculation of course," he said once he'd taken a sip, "and if either my theories are correct, by their very nature there's no way to prove them.... Well, no ethical way anyway. I somehow doubt anyone would allow me to restrict a Touching to only intelligent but short tempered males for example."

"Quite possibly a factor," Bereck nodded affably, "the desire I mean, the openness. They keep drumming that into your head in candidate lessons; be open, be yourself, try not to fixate on what you think you want." He had hoped for a brown, bronze, silver or perhaps crimson; those colours would have pleased V'eck. He was glad he hadn't got any of them.... Mainly. It would have been nice for her sake if Berath had been a crimson.

"Of course as you say not everyone has the capacity to Impress," Bereck went on, deciding that dwelling on the clutching issue again was a bad idea. "Everyone on the Sands should... should is operative; Weyrbrats never have to be looked over by a Searchdragon, so it could be that some are unsuitable. Humm. Perhaps I shall ask next time a crimson clutches here. For science." For science was always a good reason in his book.

"Search dragons," Bereck shrugged, "it's a terribly inaccurate science. It's not science. The dragons get to decide who they believe has the capacity to Impress, and who knows what they base their suppositions upon other than their own biases. Mmh. We certainly had records in Malvren; as healers we wanted to know when a clutcher rose so that she could be monitored. I can't say I know any such riders with a scientific bent though; unfortunate."

Weyrs by and large did not make sense. They were based on old traditions; even at Trine and formerly Malvren, called progressive for their attitude to atypes, did many things just because they had always been done. This was true of Holds too, and the worst of crafters. Who went into a craft just to do what other people had done, in the ways they had done said things? It didn't make sense to him at all.

"Mmmh?" Bereck's brows rose as he registered Alina's question. "Oh, no," he gave a small shake of his head, "he doesn't intend to and I certainly haven't tried to change his mind. I would if I could guarantee him a white but I can't do that and so I'm happy for him to avoid candidacy."