He grinned for but a moment as the man confirmed his earlier suspicions: so you did notice that, he said, chuckling -- perhaps even awkwardly. The Knight wasn't the best at being able to tell, at times. Still, he didn't judge the other for it, or even derive too much from it. It was impossible to know why he looked: whether it was curiosity, admiration, a nervous habit, or actual desire. Stephan had always been a tease, and he'd always enjoyed putting others on the spot. It was what he was doing now, though perhaps in the moment it made him feel... a bit mean.
Stephan let the conversation slip, for a moment, and they moved on to something else: how the man had learned Silvain. His answer fascinated him: it was his native tongue. His first tongue, in fact. His adoptive mother even believed it to be tied to his race; a half-blood, perhaps. It would only make sense -- how could his native proficiency be explained any other way? A human mother or father taught him Silvain, before Common? Stephan doubted it.
He eyed him for a moment. He did look like he could've been a half-blood, even though his ears weren't very sharp. He had the coloration, including in his hair. He wasn't too rugged to be a half-blood, either.
"I see," the man nodded. After saying as much, the other - who stood before the hearth - began to entirely disrobe, removing his pants and letting them down before him. For a moment, Stephan could see almost the whole of his shape, up to and including his ass. He blinked, his body stirring for a moment. The exchange between them was quickly becoming unusual, particularly for a new initiate to the Black Remedy. Stephan shuffled slightly, then let out an awkward breath, that bled into a cough.
"Right, well..." he simply said. "Me...? Ah... I--"
The mage paused, his eyes narrowing. He wondered how much he should tell him; perhaps everything.
"To begin with, my name isn't quite Stephan Lange. It's Taelian Ela'Rannoch; I'm a full-blooded Sil'norai, in truth, and I've been concealing that fact in order to... blend in. I'd still like you to call me Stephan, though. It's my legal name in Lorien, so it's as good as any. I don't see it as some sort of privilege to call me Taelian; consider Stephan a nickname," he nodded. "I was born in Sil-Elaine. My parents died when I was very young, and I joined the Black Remedy not by will, but because I was forced to. I've been fighting the Dranoch scourge ever since."
He bit his lower lip, unsure of what else to say. In truth, Cyrus knew quite a lot about him: that he was an Argent, a member of the Covenant... Stephan believed himself to be a boring man, and couldn't think of too many attributions to spice up his introduction.
In the literal sense, though, the doctor was right. He'd exposed a lot of himself - all of himself, in fact - and Stephan hadn't exposed anything at all. As if to invite the other man to stare as he pleased, he quickly pulled over his shirt, revealing his tan and muscular chest. Again, the Lord Elf grinned. "This certainly isn't a professional exchange, but... we're the only two Ebon Knights in this whole country, so we don't really have to follow anyone else's rules. You are a handsome man, Cyrus. Is there any part of me you'd like to know about in particular?" Stephan kept a faint grin plastered to his lips.
