Making a Connection

[dreamlinks]

Mirar was true to his word. He left his pocketwatch in his room, and went to find Auraya. By this stage, he knew the patch to her room almost as well as his own. He visited her as often as he could, and by dreams when he could not. He still missed the days when they’d been able to share, on the Charon. Although everything about the ship had been so strange and foreign, at least they’d had each other. The city had thus far been more hospitable, but in that short time, Mirar had gotten used to being close to her. Of course he missed it.

Reaching her door now, he knocked just briefly.

“Auraya? I’m here to keep that promise. Let me in!”


[[ ooc: Follows on from this thread ]]

Comments

[wildofthesky]

He wasn't the only one that missed the other. As much time as they always took to see each other, it still didn't seem enough. She missed his arms around her while she slept. The certainty of knowing where he was when she woke in the morning. They managed despite it, but she wished she could have him close like that again. Especially when they had finally gotten back to them as a couple. But she could be good and patient. Although that patience was running a little thin now, waiting for him to get to her room from his. She was in a good mood today, and there was nothing she wanted more than to spend that good mood with him.

When she heard his knocking she jumped up to answer before he even spoke.

"It was unlocked," she told him, grinning as she opened the door. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "Yes, I will admit. Nothing is better than human connection with you."

[dreamlinks]

She had opened the door and was in his arms almost before he was finished speaking. Mirar laughed, gathered her up in a tight hug, and moved past the door with her still in his arms. Turning his head, he kissed her cheek and pushed the door shut again with his foot.

“I get the impression you missed me,” he said, leaning back enough to smile at her. He still had his arms around her, though. She certainly seemed to be in a good mood. He’d missed her too. It seemed to him that they were more likely to spend time apart now that they were living in the city, and they had more space to move. He wasn’t sure he liked that side of this development.

“Is your roommate away?”

[wildofthesky]

She couldn't have been more grateful to feel his arms go around her suddenly. She held him tight as he held her. He even kissed her cheek. She was all smiles and it was because of him. He was always the one to bring her smiles and she couldn't help but turn her face to kiss him lightly on the lips. She was in a good mood for once in this hell of a place, and she was going to make the most of it with him.

"I always miss you. I hate that we have to be apart," she answered him as he smiled back at her. She loved his smile. She touched the corners of his lips gently as she looked in his eyes and nodded.

"She is away. We have some time to ourselves."

[dreamlinks]

"You're cheerful today," Mirar commented, as his smile widened perceptibly under her touch. Her brief kiss had taken him by surprise, but he'd leaned wholeheartedly into it, and now he's wishing it hadn't stopped. He brought his hand up, brushing it through her hair, before he kissed at her fingers and pulled away to take her hand. He brought her over to the bed and sat on it, speaking while he moved.

"Well then, we should make the most of it. I hate being apart from you as well. I am grateful, always, that we can dream together, but I had gotten used to nights by your side." He suddenly grinned, thinking of something. "Perhaps they deem that improper in Zelien. Perhaps they think we'd make love all the time and not pay attention to anything else."

From the mirth in his tone, there's a heavy implication that Mirar would be content with just that state of play.

[wildofthesky]

They probably would. Auraya hadn't been with Mirar since he'd realized who he was. That meant months of being close to him without ever actually being with him. She wasn't a woman driven by needs, but that didn't mean she didn't have needs. And she needed him. And now that she hadn't she couldn't really stop from more. If they had the time and the means, they would likely spend days in bed together just exploring each other and loving each other.

She sat down on the bed with him as they moved, moving a little closer to him so she could feel the firmness of his presence and delight in it. She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled. "They wouldn't exactly be wrong," she answered him. "I don't think I would get anything done giving the right opportunities."

[dreamlinks]

Mirar automatically moved his arm around her, pulling her closely against him, and then lounging back against her bed. These days, only one woman truly interested him, and that was the one who was lying on him. Still, he’d spent a very long time being anything but picky, and it meant situations like this felt more comfortable to him than almost anything else. Automatically, he brought his hand up to run his fingers through her hair. It was a nice, relaxing motion.

“No, they wouldn’t,” he agreed, with a little smile. “But I wouldn’t call it nothing. There are a great many very useful activities we can get up to here. You just have to use your imagination.”

His eyes slid to hers, and he feigned a look of innocence that she probably wouldn’t buy for a minute.

“I seem to recall you used to be very good at that. And at sneaking around. You used to be in my tent almost more often than I was.”

[wildofthesky]

Mirar moved them to her bed and pulled her down against him and Auraya easily followed him there. She wanted to be pressed up against him as much as she could. She wanted him. She kept her arms wrapped around his shoulder as she laid herself against him. He played with her hair and she closed her eyes, leaning into his hand.

Then he gave her that look as though he were so innocent. He was worse than her and he knew it. But she couldn't deny that when she was with him, she couldn't really help herself.

She trailed her fingers over his chest idly as she smirked at him.

"And I seem to recall you enjoying those trips very much. I also recall that, like most things I have learned, you were the one that taught me what dreamlinking could do for us when separated." She had many found memories of nights spent imagining all the way she could be with him, after all. She kissed his cheek and grinned.

"At least for this moment, we don't have to be apart."

[dreamlinks]

“I was always very fond of that side of dreamlinking,” Mirar said, with a secretive little smile. He leaned back, gathering her against him while she stroked her fingers over his chest. She was in a possessive mood today. Wholly approving of that, he ran his own hands over her back, playing with her in such a way that her clothes began to ride up and expose her skin. When that happened, he oh-so-innocently let his hands drift onto the bare skin of her back, which he touched and stroked with far more tenderness.

“I did, after all, invent the concept. Which might explain its ease of use in situations like that.”

Mirar had made ample use of it in his time. But real touch was better. To prove that, he leaned down to kiss her lips very gently. He couldn’t help himself with her, anyway. She was the focus for all this kind of affection from him now. All the desire he felt, every sense of need for companionship, was focused on and satisfied by her. She made him truly happy. It was a strange thought, because he had spent most of his very long life believing that there would never be any one person who would do that. He’d never been sorry for that fact, but that was largely because he hadn’t known what he was missing. He threaded his fingers through her hair now, smiling at her.

“I’ll sneak around with you again any time you like. A room ought to be easier than a tent. At least this time we’re only worried about offending people, and in all reality, Auraya. I was never going to get through this without doing that.”

[wildofthesky]

Auraya was very aware of what Mirar had done in his past with other women. It had never been a secret between them.... or the whole continent honestly. Mirar was pretty renowned for his experience with women. But she wasn't the least bit bothered by it. She never had been. It was just a part of who he had been. She had no doubts in her heart that he loved her. That was all that really mattered.

"Mirar," she laughed as he talked about offending people, leaning in close and smiling brightly at him. She felt light today. And he only made her feel lighter. He always did that for her.

"Well, if offending people is where this is all leading, then perhaps we shouldn't prolong the inevitable." She felt his hands playing at her back. He pulled her dress up, supposedly innocently so, and ran his hands over her exposed body. She didn't stop him. This was where she had wanted it all to go. Instead she leaned in and kissed at his neck. Her kisses her light, soft, and gentle. She teased him as she kissed a line along his neck and pressed the flat of her palm against his chest, leaning her body in closer against his.

[dreamlinks]

Mirar laughed quietly as she leaned in. Idly, he wondered how it was he'd ever been lucky enough to meet Auraya. He hadn't even been himself when he met her, and the most recognisable parts of his character had been concealed beneath Leiard's caution and calm. Certainly, Leiard had never chased after women in the way that Mirar used to. Perhaps that was why loyalty was so surprisingly easy for him now.

Or maybe it was just because Auraya had an appetite that seemed to match his own. She leaned in and he murmured, his hands now sliding along her back with far more purpose. In a very short space of time, he had removed her shirt entirely, and was stroking gentle fingers over her shoulderblades and along the length of her spine. The flat of his hands slid over her sides, and after a moment, he tilted his head and captured her lips in a long, sweet kiss. He sucked on her lower lip and pulled her up against him as he deepened it, pressing his tongue into her mouth so that it could suck on hers. His knees drew themselves up and he pulled her closer, so that she was on top of him and he could wrap his arms around her properly. He said nothing, to her words. The best answer he could give her was in this kiss; he was inevitably ready to offend people, and he always wanted her.

He'd felt that way, it seemed, for a very, very long time.

[wildofthesky]

It was kind of amazing to think of how they had ended up together. Considering when Auraya had met him he had been Leiard. And now he was Mirar. Although technically they were the same person. But still, coming to terms with Mirar had taken a little more time. She had felt like she had lost Leiard before, but then she had gotten to know Mirar and realized that he was Leiard. She had never lost him. There were just other parts of him that she hadn't known and was meeting. All things considered, it was highly improbably for Auraya to end up with Mirar, and yet somehow they had found each other despite all that.

And she was happier than she could put into words for it.

Luckily she didn't need words for it. They were doing enough conveying with their bodies for words to not be necessary. She had waited so long to be with Mirar like this again and now that she had overcome this last hurtle in their relationship, she really couldn't hold back any longer. She had loved to be with him like this before everything had happened. She was more than happy to return to it.

Her shirt easily came off and she murmured in appreciation as she felt his bare hands on her back. She leaned in as he kissed her, moaning as his tongue pressed into her mouth and sucked on hers. That feeling was so overwhelming that she shivered before she could stop herself. That only made her want him more, though. He pulled her closer as she pressed herself against him. She fell on top of him and her hands rested on his chest to support herself. But she didn't break the kiss. She caressed his tongue and sucked on it before sucking on his lip but she didn't stop kissing him. She just touched him and pressed her body against him as she started to pull away at his shirt.

[dreamlinks]

Mirar moved his hands away from her long enough to let his shirt fall away from his arms. Then he was touching her again, running his hands over her and drawing her all the closer. She was on top of him, settled on him, and his body responded eagerly to that sensation. Leaning forward, Mirar's kiss turned firm and he deepened it, wanting more of her. His fingers dragged gently against her back, raking over the skin and letting her feel his presence.

"Auraya," he murmured softly, during one of the moments that he separated their lips to draw breath. His eyes met hers; they were twinkling with happiness, and heat was building in his cheeks.

Carefully, he eased the waistband of her trousers down, giving him greater access to her skin. He stroked his way around her waist, onto her stomach and then up onto her chest, which he touched and rubbed at. The tips of his fingers teased gently at her nipples and his lips moved to trail soft kisses along her jaw. When he reached her ear, he kissed it, and leaned close to whisper.

"This was a good idea. Being alone with you is exactly what I needed today, Auraya."

[wildofthesky]

Auraya was glad she had found her way back to this piece of her life. Some people treated sex like it was only for reproduction. Or like it was something to be ashamed of and to ignore. Those people didn't know what they were missing. Auraya had never wanted many lovers, but that didn't mean she didn't want sex with the one man she truly desired it with. And she wanted it so often. It was a beautiful thing, and it was made perfect when she was with him.

She had missed this piece of her life. And with it finally back into place where it should be, her relationship with Mirar fully actualized, she felt like she was finally at peace.

She kissed him with a smile in her lips. His shirt came away and her hands moved eagerly over his body. He was so toned. She couldn't help but appreciate the feeling of the hardness of his body against the softness of hers. Speaking of hardness... She could feel him starting to get there beneath her hips. She grinned to herself and rocked her hips against his, wanting to get him fully there for her.

She took in a deep breath of air as he kissed along her jaw. Then he said that and she laughed and gave him a quick kiss on his neck. "As did I," she murmured and kissed his neck. "I don't know how I go a day without you." She kissed at his neck again. "Nothing makes me happier than being with you."

[dreamlinks]

Mirar felt her touching his body, exploring it. He wondered if she found it different from how it had been when he was Leiard. He’d been thinner then, more wiry. Since returning to his own mind, he’d put his proper weight back on, and he was heavier than before – his body developing stronger, harder muscles to cope with the travel that Leiard had for a long time foregone. He didn’t now understand how it had felt normal to him to be so thin. But now he wasn’t. Now he felt strong and healthy and he smiled as Auraya explored those old, familiar muscles.

Of course, she knew what she was doing. Even on the very first night they had been together, when she was still a virgin, she hadn’t been shy. Ever since then, she’d only grown in confidence. She was moving her hips now, teasing at him to make him react. Of course it was working, not that he would have needed her help. With her before him, he never needed the help.

He lifted her carefully, drawing her trousers completely away, and he stroked his way gently around her hips. He traced his fingers over her lower stomach, then brought them down against her mound and slid them easily between her legs. He started rubbing and teasing her, wanting to make her as excited as he was himself.

“If that’s how you feel, I’ll come every day,” he told her. Then he grinned wickedly. “And so will you, shortly after I get here. Perhaps you should be careful what you wish for.”

[wildofthesky]

Auraya helped to lift herself as he pulled away at her pants. They were hardly necessary right now and she liked to feel him beneath her when she was exposed like she was now. And he apparently liked her like this, because his fingers were pressing between her legs. He brought them up and began to rub at her. His touch was light and gentle, but it drew out a soft moan from her as she moved her hips a little closer to his hand, a little more eager for his touch.

Then he said that and she laughed slightly.

She leaned forward to kiss his cheek lightly. Then trailed her kisses down to his neck. "Oh yes," she sighed as she kissed him and stroked his chest. "Coming every day. And at your hands, no less. How could I ever want such a thing?" She teased him as she spoke against his neck. Actually, that sounded like the most perfect idea to her.

She continued to kiss at his neck, sucking at the skin gently as her fingers ran down his body. She found the hem of his pants and undid them easily another. She didn't try to pull them off, though. Instead she slid her hand into his pants, finding his length and stroking it gently with soft fingers as she sucked just as gently at his neck.

[dreamlinks]

Mirar sighed as she touched him, and his body stretched comfortably out beneath her. He could be as energetic as his partner liked in bed, but right now, he was absolutely content to go slow. A warm flush raised over his body as she started to stroke him. Her hands were soft and warm, and they knew him so well. He’d already been starting to harden, and now he grew further under her touch. He thickened and hardened and as she touched him, he let out the softest of moans.

At the same time, he was teasing at her. One of his hands had focused a pair of fingers on her clit. They were stroking at either side of her, occasionally coming together and rubbing the little nub more directly. The rest of the time they stroked and caressed, moving alternately back and forth and in a circle. His other hand had moved along, stroking its way over her pussy until it reached her entrance, and by now he had already been able to slide two fingers inside of her. Gently, very gently, he was fucking her with them and getting her ready for him. He moved his fingers in and out, curving them and dragging them against the walls of her pussy.

She kissed his cheek, and he turned to catch her lips in a far deeper kiss before she could look away.

“Every day sounds good,” he told her, smiling. “Perhaps sometimes twice a day, if we want.”

Then he kissed her again, murmuring as his tongue touched hers and he leaned into her again.

[wildofthesky]

She liked the way he reacted when she touched him. He did so much for her. She liked being able to just do something for him. Even if it was only this. She smiled to herself as she heard his moaning and wrapped her fingers around his cock to start stroking him more. She wanted him fully hard. She wanted to make him feel good. She rubbed the head of his cock with her thumb as she nuzzled at his neck.

Then he was doing more of the same to her. He rubbed her clit, slowly building her arousal as he did. Then he pressed two fingers inside of her while still stroking her clit. She gasped slightly at that feeling, especially when he dragged his fingers against the inside of her.

"Mirar," she murmured even as he kissed her now. They could do it as many times a day as he wanted, honestly. She would always want it too. She wanted him. She wanted everything with him. She stroked him a little more firmly now, pressing closer as she brushed her tongue against his and kissed him deeply.

[dreamlinks]

Mirar opened his mouth, giving her all the access she wanted. His eyes had fallen shut and he was exploring her body by touch now. Auraya was above him, teasing him, and all he could think about was that he wanted more of her. He dragged his tongue against hers and sucked it gently into his mouth. Then he kissed at her, withdrawing enough to suck gently on her lower lip.

"My Auraya," he murmured, kissing her softly and drawing her down against him. His fingers pressed inside her again and again, until finally her stroking of his length was too much for him to take. He drew his fingers back, bringing his hands to her hips and stroking at her. Gently, he lifted her up, bringing her over his hardness.

"I want you," he said. "I want you now. Are you ready for me?"

He'd wait, if she wasn't, but for his own part he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her.

[wildofthesky]

She looked at him as he took his fingers away from her, holding her hips and pulling her over his hardness. He was ready for her. And she was ready for him. But he was asking her if she was ready. He was making sure she was ready and wanted him and able to take him. He was always so sweet and considerate. She smiled sweetly at him and stroked his cheek, nodding her head.

"Very much so," she answered him.

Then, without his guidance, she pushed herself down on him, taking him in slowly. She let out a deep sigh as she felt him filling her. He was always so big inside of her. But she liked that feeling. He felt so good to her. She leaned in, kissing him gently and sucking lightly on his lower lip as she started to fuck him slowly.

[dreamlinks]

“That feels perfect,” he told her, and his hands slid over her legs. He stroked at her thighs, and then went to her hips to support her. He arched his back, pressing himself up into her and murmuring softly at the feeling of her around him. His face turned into her hand and he kissed the centre of her palm. Then he looked up at her, and his hands moved from her hips to stroke over her back. They even found their way into her hair, loosening and stroking it. He had always loved her hair.

“Auraya, my love. You know exactly what to do.”

She knew exactly how to please him. Smiling, he pressed up inside her and rocked his hips against hers. There was no one and nothing else that he wanted. It would always be his lovely Auraya. Always.

[wildofthesky]

She did know what to do. Because she knew Mirar. She knew what he liked and wanted and she loved to give it to him. But then she realized there might actually be so much more they hadn't tried together yet. Things he hadn't been able to remember as Leiard but could now. She'd have to ask him about that later. She wanted him to teach her everything.

But this was working for now. He was deep inside of her as he pushed his hips up into her. That felt so good. He felt so good. She moaned and pressed back down on him, whimpering as she felt a pressure in her stomach. She moved her hips a little faster at that, rocking back to take him in and help build them both to that point.

"Mirar," she moaned his name. She leaned forward to kiss him, still smiling as she fucked him. "I love you."

[dreamlinks]

He’d had a thousand years of practice, and if he had his way, he would have more than that with her. He’d be so willing to teach her, and even more willing to discover new pleasures with her. He’d been alone for a long time, and now he intended not to be.

But he felt her moving faster, and he smiled in appreciation at the way her body reacted. Her hips were rolling, and trying to drive him in deeper. He loved the sounds that were coming from her. Taking his cue from her, he let the hand that was stroking her clit speed up, and then as tension began to built in his own stomach, he groaned.

“Auraya,” he moaned at her, before he wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love you, too.”

With surprising yet careful speed, he turned them, pressing her onto her back so that he could drive into her. Drive he did, changing his angle and pushing as deeply into her as he could. Then he moved with purpose, fucking her harder. He was close, and he suspected she was too. He wanted to be deep inside her when he reached that point.

[wildofthesky]

That was sudden.

Auraya let out a sharp gasp as Mirar moved her so abruptly and then she laughed as she found herself on her back. That laugh turned into a grown as she pushed in as deeply as he could with the new angle and her laughs turned to moaning as he fucked her harder now that he was on top of her.

She eagerly wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him so that she could feel as much of him as possible and hold him as tightly as she could. her heels dug into the small of his back as she arched and her moans got louder with each thrust.

"Yes, Mirar!" She cried loudly. Her fingers dragged roughly down his shoulders and arms and she arched her back as she came finally, moaning with her release and clinging to him tightly as he fucked her through it.

[dreamlinks]

Mirar didn't stop moving. He felt her coming, felt the vibration of it rocking through her body, and heard the way she cried out his name. He kept going, kept moving faster in her, and he let his head drop down to rest against her neck.

"Auraya," he said, though it was more of a moan. "My Auraya."

His. All his. The thought sent a wave of pleasure to him, adding to the tingles that were spreading through his arms and legs. He moved in her, and he relished the sensation of her hands and feet on his back. He loved the way her heels dug into him, the way she gave him not one hint that she would let him go. Bringing his face up, he leaned in to kiss her fiercely. He worried at her lower lip before sucking it, and just as he pressed his tongue back into her mouth, he came inside her at last.

Their lips separated as he let out a soft moan that ended with the whisper of her name. Heat and pleasure spread out through his body, making his legs feel limp and his arms feel far too warm. It was a moment before he could manage to raise his head - which had fallen back against her neck - and meet her eyes.

When he did, he was wearing a warm, lopsided smile.

"My Auraya," he said again, stroking her hair back from her face.

[wildofthesky]

He didn't stop fucking her as she came. He fucked her through her orgasm and continued fucking her as he built to his own. It felt so good. She felt the full of her pleasure and she felt it doubled as he pushed her past that moment and she was filled with the intensity that came from being so sensitive after an orgasm and still fucking past it.

But he kissed her and she moaned against his mouth and kissed him back desperately. Because nothing was better than the feeling of him inside of her whiles he tasted him on her lips. She sucked at his tongue as she felt him press it past her lips and she arched her hips up to meet his.

And then he came and she let her head fall back with a deep moan. She could feel him inside her and he felt so good. She whimpered slightly and rolled her hips slowly on his as he finished emptying himself inside of her.

She looked back up at him as he looked at her and stroked her hair. Her fingers traced his muscles lazily as he smiled and her heart swelled with pleasure.

"Yes, Mirar," she answered him with a foolish smiled of her own. "All yours. I swear it."

[dreamlinks]

She moaned with him as he came. He knew it wasn’t because she had reached another orgasm. She was moaning because of what he had done, because he’d filled her and she genuinely liked that feeling. He stared at her, disbelieving that this woman was truly his.

And then she said that she was. A wide smile bloomed on his face, and he let his head drop down against her shoulder. He was breathing hard, his body still being caressed by the tingling heat that was the after effects of his orgasm. He shivered as it warmed its way through him, and he couldn’t convince himself to move – or to pull himself out of her. He was still inside, softening but staying within her. He murmured, and kissed her again.

“I swear it, too,” he told her, and then made himself lean up enough to look in her eyes. “I have been, and am, and will be yours. None will take that from us. That was perfect, Auraya.”

[wildofthesky]

He could stay inside of her all he wanted. Close to her, in her, however he liked it. Just so long as she got to hold him in her arms and feel the warmth of his body against hers. He was so very real in her arms. She smoothed her hands along his back, as if finding it hard to believe he was real. But he was real. And he was perfect. And he was hers and she was his.

She looked up at him as he leaned up, her arms still around him as her eyes met his. She stroked his cheek gently as he spoke.

"It was," she nodded in agreement. "I'm so lucky to have found you so early. I've rarely been without you all my life, Mirar. I could have been so unlucky as you. Waiting a thousand years to find someone as perfect as me." She shook her head and tsked softly, very clearly amused as she stroked his cheek as if soothing him. "To be so long deprived of me. You'll never be without me again." She looked about to laugh at her own ego.

[dreamlinks]

If she was about to laugh, Mirar did laugh. It sounded so strange to hear Auraya talking about herself like that. But in truth, she was not wrong. He had been a different person before he'd known her, a person quite detached from the person he was now. He wouldn't want to again be the person who thought himself incapable of love. He had been waiting for her. He just hadn't known it.

His hand cupped her cheek in turn, and he ran his thumb along it while he leaned into her hand.

"You say it like a joke," he said, shaking his head and smiling at her. "But you are right. You are perfect, and I do not want to be without you. In our own world, in this world, in any world. I can be content, so long as I am with you. Once, I would not have believed that of myself."

He'd never felt at home in a physical place. But he felt it with her, now. So long as he was with her, he was happy.

[wildofthesky]

She had just been making a joke, but Mirar had taken it a step deeper. Not that she minded, but it was a shift for her to hear him so serious when she had been light about it. But she didn't exactly know what it was like for Mirar, in all honesty. She joked about his time before her, but what did he think about that time compared to now? She didn't doubt his loyalty to her, but it was still a shift for him.

Apparently he seemed to think her joking wasn't far off base.

She leaned her face into his touch as he cupped her cheek.

"Then may I always make you content, for you will always be with me," she answered him. She lost her edge of humor and was just as serious as him now as she looked up at him. "I love you."

[dreamlinks]

He lay beside her, fingers moving gently against her cheek. His smile was a little lopsided, and definitely peaceful. He was settled with her. It was easy to do this, easy to talk to her, even though this was the part of the romantic encounter that he generally found to be a strain. Pillow talk. Idle chatter. Men weren't good at it, typically speaking It was something Mirar had trained himself to do.

But with Auraya, it came naturally. He was not certain why that was, but he suspected it had more to do with her than with him. Perhaps it was simply that in her case, it genuinely was about more than sex. It had never been that way with anyone else. Perhaps that was the explanation.

"I love you as well. I always have." He said those words, and in saying them, he knew they were true. He had loved her even before he had realised it. "Always is a long time. I'm only glad that you're willing."