[ he hates how lilia is right. is leona kingscholar adored? yes. but is he feared? yes. loved? maybe only by one other. while he wants the attention and the prestige, finally being recognized for his contemporary viewpoints and desire to see his home and his people given opportunities to do more than survive... but thrive. those hopes and dreams stifled by the feeling that everything that he does ends up meaning nothing. efforts wasted. all because he's not the king.

and even though it might sound silly, it's a core tenet to who he is. leona recognizes it as such. but it still means something to him deep inside. ]

Tch, of course I adore you. No one around here could ever match your spirit. You leave everyone in your wake.

[ it's not that he wants to go directly to touching lilia down there. it's... the more skin that touches skin, the better he'll feel. the closer they'll be. they're separated in many ways: by age, by station. by experience. but he doesn't want there to be any other disparities. he doesn't need to know everything. yet if he doesn't, that expanse between them will feel even wider. ]

How else do I gotta show it? [ he smirks. ] By ring? By bite? Leave somethin' permanent on ya that won't ever fade?