His expression darkened and narrowed his eyes slightly. Still he hated being talked to in that manner but he was pausing, letting her talk in a way he would never have done pre-discovery of their divine connection. The god huffed, straightening slightly and looking at her with a disgruntled irritation.

Stare felt her heart hammer as she looked at the man who had stolen everything from her, and prepared to negotiate him for the remainder of her existence. She dropped her hand from his shoulder and neatened her wings beneath her cloak.

“I … I will stay with you Vitruvion,” the words slipped through her beak with deliberation, each one a century of meaning. “Willingly and without protestation. I will stop fighting, stop blaming you for every little thing. I will put my trust in you, give you my loyalty if you want it … my fealty if you're that arrogant.”

The words fell from her beak like drops of snow, gentle but able to cause an avalanche.

Vitruvion breathed in slowly, not betraying any thoughts on his face, as it became a mask of neutrality. He blinked, the azure eyes disappearing for just a single second. It was a few seconds before he answered. “And what do you want in return?” he asked quietly.

Stare swallowed. “I … know you want more from me,” she murmured, her eyes slipping from his to look at her hand on his shoulder. Letting it slide off she kept talking. “But I cannot give you it all. For reasons you have to understand I - I do not want to be intimate ever again with you, Vitruvion. I also want to ask that you - you free me for Ansaldo's sake. I will be yours in loyalty, but I ask not in property.”

He looked at her a moment, eyes narrowing. “The latter …”

“Please,” she said desperately. “Just think about it.”

There was a look of disgruntlement on his face but he nodded slightly.

She let out a sigh of relief. It was the best she had gotten in a while. “That, and I want to know the plans you have for me, I want to know if you wish to … turn me into a crow or whatever. I want to have a say in my life. But I will take into consideration what you have for me and my future, and stay with you.”

“Into consideration?” he replied, and her gaze darted up again. His eyebrow arching slightly, but in his eyes she could see intensity, as if he was delighted in what she spoke of, what she was proposing.

“Vitruvion, I don't want to be simply told what I am doing with my life. For the majority of things, such as if we moved city, if you decided to have a child,” his other brow shot up, “if you … decided to wage war on an entire civilisation - those you could tell me the minute before it occurs. But if they concern me directly, for instance you wanted me to marry, those are times I will-”

Suddenly Vitruvion leant forwards, cutting off her words with surprise. His arm that had previously been battering on the wall slipped down and wrapped around her waist, carefully curling around her wings. Stare's eyes widened as he grabbed her and then hoisted her into the air, pulling her easily up so that her head was level with his, as her back wing pressed into his side. His eyes were still dark but she saw upon his lips the faintest flicker of a smile. Easily he switched his grip so that he was embracing her but also holding under her legs. Then, quite elegantly, he twisted around, moving his eyes away from her face and continued down the way they had been headed, except now with her fully in tow.

“Vitruvion, I have not even finished,” she said, trying to shove at his arm.

“I agree to the majority,” he said simply. “You should know, however, that you will never marry.”

“That is precisely one of the situations that concern myself that I am asking that we discuss!” she stressed. As she struggled she found herself unstable and her more free wing began to flop. Quickly he adjusted his hold to take her spare wing into account, pinning it to her back as she gripped into his shirt. It was not that she was comfortable with his holding her so, but that she had more pressing matters to discuss, than his apparent dismissal of the entire negotiation.

“Fine,” he replied, dryly, coming to a halt. He lowered his arm, letting her drop to the floor, but kept a hand on her shoulder. Looking at her right in the eyes he spoke. “Do you agree, that given the circumstances, having stated what has been said, that you marrying would be entirely inappropriate?”

Stare growled. “At the moment, yes, but-”

“And romantic relationships,” he went on, “How about them?”

He had once ordered her never to have one. Now, he was doing little more than that, presenting her with information that showed just exactly how less of a possibility they were now. Not that she was entirely interested in them - there was something in her growing that she did not need romance in her life in order to continue. Even having intercourse with anyone would cause complications to a degree that neither of them were willing to discuss. Quite simply, Stare had seemingly won her side with a lack of intimacy between herself and Vitruvion, and she was currently satisfied to leave her sexual experiences entirely in the past. Her eyes dropped down. So, this was going to be one of his points of negotiation.

“I … do not need them,” she honestly said, “I did not need them even when you forbade me from them. I agree to them not being a part of my life.”

“Good,” and he tugged her to him, sweeping an arm down to take her up once more. She rolled her eyes, but this time gripped onto his shoulder as she felt a confidence come into his stride. His paces lengthened, his breathing seemed to ease, and his shoulders relaxed. Eyes dropping down she saw his fingers clutching around just behind her knees, holding her steady against himself, and she huffed a little as he murmured.

“Willingly mine, Stare,” he said, “that is what you said.”