"Well, then. I think this takes us to the other thing I would want to discuss, which is that I am... not sure... I would do well with exclusivity."

“Ah,” she says softly, and scoots towards him so she can cuddle him.

“I wasn’t going to assume we were exclusive until we talked about it. I do fine with exclusivity, but I might not need it. I don’t know for sure, though, it came with all my previous serious relationships. ... Well except for that threesome, but for the most part it was exclusive. Uh, what does your perfect future look like? What things do you need?”

"I need..." He pauses to think about it. "Things to do. Meaningful things, things that matter. New things, new places, new people. I think that is the best way to describe it."

She nods, and hums thoughtfully. “But you don’t drop the old things once the new ones have shown up.” Snuggle. “And you're not... using people, you're doing a new thing with them, and it’s all sincere and above board and honest.”

"Sounds about right."

She pets his hair fondly, then retrieves the appropriate soap and moves on to washing his hair.

“Well,” she says while she gently scrubs, “I don’t have any moral problems with any of that, it sounds like positive experiences all around? I don’t think I want to deprive you of them. That sounds like something important is getting lost by being with me. But on the other hand, I don’t know if I’d be hurt by it or not. It’s dealing with squishy feelings, and those are hard. My citation for that one is how I cried on you about how great you are.”

He hums thoughtfully (and perhaps with pleasure at the hair washing). "I would prefer to keep you."

“I’d prefer to keep you, too! You’re thoughtful and mature and brave and strong and our life goals line up nicely and we’re really great together, and I just want us to work.” She finishes scrubbing his hair, and kisses his shoulder fondly. “Want to not be exclusive, but take it slow and give me warning before running off to try new people? Until we know how I’ll feel about it in the moment.”

"That sounds like a solid plan."

“Okay. And hopefully we can give each other what we need without giving anything really vital up. That’d be nice.”

"It would be. And you know what I need right now? I think I need a kiss."

“Where ever will you find one! Alone! In a bath! With me!”

Oh, wait, right here: kiss.

Kiss! She's so great!

He’s so great, too! She likes him so much!

“I do believe that concludes our serious grownup talk. Good job, I think we did great, even if I did get distracted by royal bloodlines and the mechanics of inter-species sex.”

"I can explain the latter in more detail if you're curious."

She looks very tempted.

“Yes, but maybe as conversation while we’re wandering around the Fire Islands, because that seems like it might be a lot of explaining? If you have as much experience as you’re implying.”

"Another solid plan of yours."

“I have come up with a few of those!” She agrees, grinning. “Okay, I think we’re clean, and I’m hungry, so let’s be off my darling.”

"Let's indeed, my princess."

They have breakfast available again, waiting for them.

At some point she should meet and befriend his chef, along with the rest of his staff. Not knowing them all feels incorrect. She doesn’t expect to be as good at remembering all of the details of everyone James meets, but she’d like to know the people that directly work for him.

... ‘At some point’ might be now, actually, she does not expect James’s schedule to miraculously clear. Now might be a good time to mention this ambition of hers, at least.

“I kind of want to meet all of your staff at some point,” she says, while nibbling breakfast. “I bet they’re all very nice.”

"They are! I could introduce you. Now?"

“Now’s fine! Though maybe after we finish eating.”

"Yes, of course."

She goes back to eating, then:

“Oh! Do I get to introduce myself as your girlfriend now, and vice versa, or?”

"Only if I can keep saying I found you in a cave."