"Getting caught up into it as I did with the other is a bit more of a concern," he says. "Because you are right, this one... even just listening to the retelling, I felt a much stronger connection than I have felt when comapred with some of the other tales you have shared with me."

Her hands on his stomach as she works to sketch the lines out in charcoal are a pleasant feeling, and he has to work to remind himself - calm - save his energy for tomorrow and their ritual.

He also wants to see what she would do with the dye upon his skin; he peers at it, interested.

"Bird?"