"I've..."

Had lovers she was either using up and throwing away or manipulating towards an end or often both.

Not - Eliese.

"...It kind of is. She's - good and wonderful and no one else has ever been like her - "

She squeezes Acererak's hand and smiles a little. "She is. You should hold onto that, and - onto your own pleasure, not just hers."

She leans forward to kiss Acererak's cheek - oddly chastely. "And you should learn to love one person before you try to love two."

" - I could love you, though, or - I think I could - and I know how to love Eliese now, it's - everywhere in my chest - "

Squeeze. "Feeling love and knowing love is - different." She hums. "There's - a certainty you can get, that I don't think you two have yet." Deep breath. "Would you be upset, if she fell in love with me, and if she then looked at me in a way she doesn't look at you, because I give her something you can't?"

"...Yeah."

"It'll feel different, once you're used to being loved, but - "

"Just because your heart's big doesn't mean you need to cram it to the brim."

Squeeze.

"And - Acererak, we're immortal. There's no rush. In a decade? Chances are I'll still be functionally single or with someone who'd like to share. Take your time. Learn how to love your girlfriend, and what being loved means, and - when you're ready, when you can think about me and her separately from you and just feel unabashed happiness for the both of us - then you can try to add me. Or someone else, even."

She thinks.

"...I don't think I'd be - happy, right now, if you two wandered off for alone time without me..."

Pause.

Then, slowly: "And that's not - fair to her, or to me, or to you."

Pause.

"But - I want her to be happy, and to have every little thing she wants..."

Small smile. "I bet she wants you to be happy, too, and to have all the little things you want. Much more than she wants to own me. And - you guys can absolutely still have days like yesterday with me. I'm not turning those down, at all, that was great. Just..." Shrug. And, wryly: "I'd rather be the occasional spice than a main dish, at least for now."

Sigh.

"I - see your point." She turns her hand over to squeeze back. "And... Thank you."

Quick kiss. "It's no problem. Sensibility is one of my specialties. Alongside the masochism."

Grin. "I'll stick to horrifically insulting the basic fabric of reality, I think."

"We all have our talents."

Heh.

The rest of breakfast can be spent in lighter topics, then...

Quite happily.

They're still sitting together cozily, whenever Eliese wakes.

Which is an hour or so later.

She yawns as she moves unerringly in the direction of the coffee.

She's adorable and Acererak loves her.

She moves aside a bit to make room for Eliese at the table.

She squeezes in next to Acererak, giving her a peck on the cheek.

Nuzzle.

"Sleep well, darling?"

She takes a drink.

"The best. Good morning, sweetheart. And Lace."

"Good morning."

"You two looked cozy."

"We've been talking," she says, smiling a little.

"Only good things if it was about me, I hope."

Heh. "All things about you are excellent." Sip. "Discussion was more about the 'two of us' part, though," she says, gesturing to encompass herself and her alt.

"Ah." She takes a moment to think. "I had wanted to ask you about doing this again sometime."