[ Claude's encouragement shouldn't be met with an odd pang of sadness mingled with nerves. The things she wanted hadn't happened during the course of their eight hundred years, nor could she recall having conversations about what those things were with either of her partners. Her divine self had simply gone and taken whatever it was she wanted anyways; it only occurs to her now that maybe that version of herself hadn't cared for what she wanted, at some point, some day.

But the things she wanted feels like inviting an imbalance in the strength and stability they had found. She knows enough about the both of them, knows enough about their circumstances, their wandering affections here and life in Fodlan, that to do so would be selfish. Selfishness is something she'd long since come to terms with about herself, but this feels like the one thing she can't bring herself to breach the topic of because it's asking for too much. And in some ways, she knows in her heart of hearts what their answers would be.

So she doesn't ask, too worried about causing a fuss after everything they'd gone through. For a moment the tracing of faint lines on his skin stops before she starts again. ]

I never understood why you encouraged me to be selfish. [ Her eyes close as she lets out an exasperated breath. ] It's not like it's attractive to anyone - and don't try to convince me otherwise.

[ Her eyes open again to regard him. ]

What else were you thinking about?