As the man protested, the Draedan chuckled and loosened up his grasp, easing until he was certain his beloved felt comfortable. "Right... sorry," he whispered. He was reminded that Thomas had a cracked molar -- a wound -- from being punched by Lord Weissen. He almost regretted not going further in his retribution, but he tried to calm the flash of red he saw while contemplating it, stilling his mind with the thought that he would simply mete out justice when the time was right; a justice far more grave, and more bloody.
He snapped back into reality with an exhale, listening closely to what Thomas had to say. He did not disagree with him, in truth. Thomas would need to be strong to have a partner like Latham -- he would need to be prepared for the vicious nature of politics, the games that nobles liked to play at their most extreme, given the state of civil war their nation was entrenched within. He needed to become an asset not only to Taelian, but to himself. That was simply the truth.
He pondered, for a moment, what could be done. The first adaptation was evidently clear, and Thomas pointed it out well enough on his own: no more crime. There would be no events like this, any longer -- as horrible as it was that he was harmed for it, he hoped that somewhere within the pain, Thomas would learn of the unsustainability of his lifestyle.
"That would be appropriate, yes," he muttered, nodding his head. "What you're missing, Thomas, is discipline -- the sort I got from Aldrin in the Remedy, the sort any man needs to function in the world. From now on, I will be that disciplinary force for you; unrelenting. Your place is at my side, Thomas, and you will learn the intricacies of that place -- and its outer boundaries. I will be your husband one day, and from now on, you must respect me as such. You must listen to me, heed my words. No longer will you doubt my intentions," he said, tensing his brows.
One arm left wrapped around Thomas, the man turned towards Maladan, and nodded soldierly. "I apologize for the commotion. To properly introduce myself, I am Lord Taelian Latham-Stephan Venger von Retzen, and I would be glad to take you under my wing," he said, his voice becoming more stately. "I am a pure-blooded Sil'Norai, like you, and we must advocate for our brethren in these trying lands. Too many of our people end up in the dungeons of sadists and the deranged -- no longer. When I am Kaiser of Lorien, which I intend to be by the end of this war, all of that will change. If Thomas trusts you, I would be glad to have you as a friend and ally."
