He smiles too and feels slightly guilty for how much he is enjoying this and how it's distracting from the lecture.

Half an hour later the lecturer bids them goodbye and wishes them well, and Maysoon says, "I believe the gardens are next on the itinerary if you're still up to it, Nebetah?"

This is an opportunity for Nebetah to complain of a headache or something if she needs to bail but instead she says, "Oh, yes, I'm so excited to see them."

He is relieved at her enthusiasm to continue their time together, and despite his calm demeanor, is likewise enthusiastic. He bids the lecturer a good day before offering his arm to Nebetah.

"I've always enjoyed the gardens of the temple, ever since I was a small boy. They're a simple, yet very pleasant place to avoid the heat, as much as one can outside the Dome." 

Nebetah peers curiously at the gesture and doesn't touch him. "There are some plants under the Dome, but they all require magical support, and practically nothing grows by the beach."

He realizes his offer of an arm is at minimum impolite and is barely able to keep from blushing before continuing on if nothing had happened. "That makes sense. Sothis has some lovely gardens, but you should really see the farms in the country if you like plants." He winces internally, fearing he has again insulted her lack of travel.

"Wouldn't the farms be all one thing? To be easier to pick?"

"Yes, but there's a lot of them. There's something about a place where things grow, especially food. When you can see miles of fields of wheat or grapes, and know that the people will eat and drink and trade... There is a simple beauty to it, even if it isn't the same as the gardens of temples and palaces."

"Is it like an ocean of grain? Poems sometimes talk about oceans of grain."

"Sometimes, yes. Along the major rivers, just before harvest, it does look like an ocean."

He glances over his shoulder at the chaperone walking not far behind them. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can."

"What are you..." he thinks for a moment, silently cursing his lack of subtlety and charisma. "Hoping for? In a husband, I mean."

He's quiet, hoping no one else will overhear him and later mock him for his ignorance in these sorts of things. It's much easier to extract information from prisoners, even with Catherine's bizarre and arbitrary rules about what is and isn't allowed, than to figure these things out.

"Hm. Well, everyone, me included, hopes that a husband will be responsible about keeping the finances in good order so there's no need to fret about being squeezed together in too small a house or hiring enough help or feeding the children, but past that I suppose there are women who want mostly to be let alone and women who don't, though sometimes I think the difference is mostly who matched well and who didn't. I would like - the sort of husband who doesn't make me the sort of wife who'd rather be let alone. Which I suppose means being an involved father and an affectionate partner and temperate and calm."

He nods contemplatively. "Well I am lucky enough that finances are not a problem, though I am obviously not able to keep a household such as your brother, nor would I really want to. I would hope I am not the sort of man who would make his wife prefer to be alone, though perhaps I am not the one to ask." How brow furrows, wondering what his traveling companions would tell her if they were here.

"As for the rest... I quite desperately wish to be an involved father. I have had the joy of watching the children of two of my companions grow, and that has been one of my favorite things of the last few years. I think I am temperate and calm as any man can reasonably be. I am... inexperienced at affection, but,"–he glances at her to try and read her face–"I think I could learn how to be."

He takes in a breath, as though he had not let himself breathe for the last moment or so. "Excuse my bluntness, your highness. My gifts do not include some of the finer points of subtlety, and I tend to be a bit direct."

"That's all right," she says. "It simplifies things, in a way."

"It does. Though some tend to find it a bit off-putting."

"What tends to require such delicacy? Are you doing a lot of diplomacy while you bop all over the globe?"

"I meant more in terms of personal relationships. But to your question, yes. We've been involved in diplomatic relations and negotiations in Thuvia, with the King and separately the Queen of Korvosa, made complicated trade arrangements in Bachuan, and are now working on building a coalition for a crusade to the Worldwound."

"Ooh. Which of those was the most exciting?" she says, quite sparkling with fascination.

He notes her fascination and hopes to impressed her. "Well they're all exciting in different ways. The missions to Thuvia was the most directly impactful on Osirion. We started trying to find why river traffic was being attacked, and we recently managed to effectively seal the House of Oblivion. That was quite a battle, and I was in the front lines for that." This is possibly the closest he has ever come to bragging about himself. "Bachuan probably saved the most lives. But Korvosa the most exciting. We stopped a plague and a palace coup and defeated an evil queen."

"Wow," she sighs. "The house of Oblivion has been around for so long... I knew you'd closed it but I didn't know you were right in front, that's amazing."

"Yes. It was quite an experience. We spent a fortune preparing all the equipment and materials to do it, and called in a lot of favors. But we did it—all of us. And yes, right there, watching the Divs and demons come out of the entrance to attack us."

"- I hope you got all that money and then some back in bounties!"

He thinks for a moment. "I think we did alright. I don't know if Naima or Catherine got a return on their investments, but they're more than able to handle that sort of thing themselves. As for myself, I'd have to check with the church accountants, but it was absolutely worth the money in the long run."

After a moment, he adds, "Besides, not all rewards are financial. Some are personal. And some are... social, I'd guess you'd say," he says, looking at her with the faintest of smiles as he does.

She beams at him. "Korvosa had a coup you needed to stop and an evil queen? Was she trying to usurp a relative?"

"She married the King, and so was not the rightfully sovereign. But she murdered her husband and framed us for it. Which we definitely did not do! But tried to seize control of the country using foreign troops and deny the rightful heir and stop resurrection attempts. So we ended up having to stop the coup and then ended up with us fighting her. It turns out she was quite the powerful magic-wielder."