[OOC | THAT TABLE. IT'S SO SEXY. -dies-]

I hold their attention as I work my magic (no pun intended, of course) and the sensation of having all eyes on me is intoxicating. I have never been one to draw attention, and perhaps I would be uncomfortable if it were anyone else, but having had relations with Gaucho such as we have had, I suppose there is very little that I ought to feel embarrassed about. The chain hangs lightly about my nape, the crystalline flower resting gently against my chest, its pressure a gentle reminder of the barbaric steed that had claimed me, it would seem, as his own. Perhaps I ought to be offended or afraid that our affections resulted from ownership more than love, but I find that it is almost a thrilling prospect. I do not have to question him in this regard; he will not leave me unprotected, if I am his "property," for lack of a better word. He will not abandon me like Note. Will he?

Don't get me wrong - I do not believe that Gaucho views me as property. I just do not believe that he understands affection in the same terms as most. I simply have no other way to describe his feelings, for he cannot explain them to me himself, and I must decipher his looks and touches and scant vocabulary as well as I can.

His snake seems to be just as interested as her bondmate, and I hold still as she stretches to examine its form. I still have a healthy respect, if not fear, for the creature, but I refuse to show weakness before one so strong. I am not weak, although he surely views me as one in need of protection; my strengths simply lie in different areas than his. Speech is certainly not one of the commonalities that we share (seemingly the only similarity between us is mutual desire for one another), and as I make a sad attempt to tell him my news, his dark gaze roves uncomprehendingly over my body, conveying once again only that inexplicable claimance and that unfailing desire. Is this what I am blessed with, in place of true love? Would I even want to go back to what I once believed to be real? Had I a choice, would I take Gaucho and his savagery or Note and his propriety?

Perhaps I am afraid to admit my true answer, even to myself.

He tosses his head, unsettling his companion with a rather amusing physical show; his banner cascades handsomely along his nape and I sigh, slightly awed. It distracts me for a moment, but I am quickly brought back to reality by the sensation of something slithering up my left leg. I freeze, a squeak of terror caught in my throat, muscles tensed, before I realize that it is only his silver snake. I force myself to relax as it drapes something else around my neck, though my heart beats rather loudly in my chest. I wonder if they can hear it, and I curse my fear. She is gone as quickly as she arrived, though, and I find that I can begin to understand the appeal of such a companion. And she fits so perfectly with his image - the bone in his nostrils, the dreamcatcher in his antlers, the bloody prints decorating his body. It all fits together - he fits together. I wonder where I fit.

"Gaucho protect Soh," he says, looking fairly pleased with himself, and I smile uncertainly. It is his job to protect me, after all, that is his rank. "Thank you," I tell him. But what am I thanking him for? His words? The amulet? His protection? Is it so bad to wish that he wants to protect me more than everyone else? That he understands that we have created another being together that will also need his protection? Something in his voice makes me think that he knows, that somehow magically he understands, that he is promising all that I wish from him.

But it could just be wishful thinking.

"talk talk talk"

Live... I want to live on fire
Die... I want to burn out brighter
Brighter than the northern lights
Want to live to feel the daylight