I am. [ and doesn't it feel strange to be able to say that out loud to someone else. he's never resented the privacy they have to conduct their relationship in--he has no desire to tarnish their reputations--but sometimes it does weigh on him a bit. ] But even if I wasn't.. [ he trails off a moment, then forges on. ] Even if things between us weren't as they are, I'd still respect them a great deal. It wasn't simply some bizarre sort of euphemism when I said that Aral has mentored me. Our personal and our professional lives are strictly separate.

[ well, mostly separate. when jole nags aral to take care of himself, it weighs a bit heavier than it would coming from someone else. and there have been.. times.. but if he thinks about that, he'll be scarlet before long. ]

I should hope you have. You have his majesty to think about now, after all.