A mask he would not believe, bu an act? Perhaps he should have said that from the start- he was a terribly good actor when given cause in such things, and in this? He could be quite masterful. He'd needed to be to survive the Crows. To survive Taliesin. Apparently now, again, to survive Michel.

But did Michel require surviving?

There were too many variables, too many possibilities where things went wrong, where Michel became bored, where he was granted clemency-

There would be no future for them. Not with the world as it was. That- that wasn't an excuse. That simply was how the way the world worked, a reason to protect himself above all else. He hardened his heart against the damp of Michel's eyes, the catch in his throat. Last time he'd given one last kiss. Now? He could not possibly offer the same. Not with Michel's heart in his eyes.

"If all you expect is a taste, that is yours to have. But wanting me to feel the same- that cannot happen." Will not happen. But he would offer his flesh for that was easier to barter his body than it was his mind, his heart. "And should you wish for that- you know where to find me."