"Yes, but I see clockwork, it's a lot of work to figure out what it all means! And I don't use it in random social situations!"

"Mmm, that makes sense." Sigh. "It would be nice if understanding people was easier!" 

"If you want me to look at your gears in random social situations I can. If I remember, which I won't usually because I'm not in the habit."

"Oh." He looks thoughtful. "I'd - like if you did, I think, if it'd help. I want you to understand me." 

"Okay." Snuggle. Peek.

He's VERY happy. This is obvious even though Azabel isn't an Empath and isn't using Thoughtsensing, just from the surface alignment of his gears. He's intently focused on her, and plausibly anxious, though this comes across differently in his mind than in most people's. 

His self-stabilizing metaphorical gyroscope is - being pulled off balance? It seems to be related to how he's trying to pay close attention to her - maybe to the snuggling specifically - and, unlike most people, his mind isn't especially set up to do this, at least not in a way that's reassuring and steadying rather than stressful. 

"- huh - look at this -" She tries to bounce the impression back to him.

"....Huh. I don't know how to interpret that?" 

"Um, you're getting kind of destabilized? I'm not sure what to make of it..."

"I guess I do feel like I...don't really know what I'm doing, here? Maybe it's just that." 

"Maybe it'll go away by itself with time. Is 'try to relax' completely unhelpful advice here...?"

"I mean, I can try? It sounds...nice, to be relaxed - with you at least." 

Ma'ar leans into her, resting his head against hers, and closes his eyes. 

"People find deep breaths help, and sometimes tensing up specific muscles and then releasing them so they aren't hiding totally unobserved tension."

"Mmm." Ma'ar tries this. 

He does end up noticeably more physically relaxed, and it helps with the surface signs of nervousness and hypervigilance in his gears. It...seems to mostly do the opposite of help with the gyroscope-pulled-off-balance, but he's not visibly distressed about this. 

"...well, now you're pillowier but your gyroscope is still tilty... is there something very weird or, uh, at odds with your self concept, about this situation?"

"Oh. Hmm." Ma'ar falls silent, mulling it over for a minute. "I guess that - being partial to people - isn't something I'd usually encourage myself to feel, even if I do feel it sometimes anyway. So that's odd for me." A shiver. "...Feels sort of dangerous, too. And like it might be unfair to you. I think probably that feeling isn't calibrated, though. Urtho's Tower is really safe, and it seems like you like it when I'm partial to you." 

"How would it be unfair to me?"

"- I'm not sure why I keep feeling that way! I guess maybe because it - feels like asking for something from you? If I want you to feel a certain way, and - maybe I'll want other things from you, which might be inconvenient, and if you didn't want that it'd be unfair?" Ma'ar shakes his head. "I don't know, it sounds dumb when I say it out loud."  

"It... doesn't sound that dumb as a default for strangers but kind of weird for friends and definitely weird for if we're going to date. Um, it's my job to tell you if I don't want - things -" there is one very obvious thing but she's not going to say it "if you should happen to want them first, so presuming partial doesn't mean entitled I don't see how it would be a very big deal if you did want them..."

"Mmm. I don't think I would be entitled? If I am you should tell me and I'll stop." 

Ma'ar's shoulders have tensed up a bit again. He rolls his neck from side to side, lets out his breath, and snuggles against her again. 

Snuggles are nice. "Would you relax better if we festooned your room with even more wards? I'm sure there's room somewhere."

"Let me think." Another long pause. "I...don't think that would help? I do feel kind of scared, but I think not about that." 

Pet pet. "What about?"

"I don't know! I'm trying to figure it out..." He makes a wry face. "Sorry I'm inconveniently scared about things." 

Pat pat. "Should I guess?"