Marcus notes and submits to this study, perfectly patient, and glad for what she says next. It feels as though, in her last comment, that she read in him something accurate, but he doesn't give voice to it. Trades his cigarette between hands, so that he might touch her face and tip it up and kiss her mouth, a parting gesture.

Then another one against her forehead, on his way to better posture, before releases them both from their comfortable tangle, squeezing her hand.

Plan settled, he moves off. Make the last rounds, check in on his griffon, get high on his way out.