[It's strange, the feeling of experiencing, to a degree, the reaction of another person to something he's said. The sudden swell of pride and happiness that seems to surge into him from the place that Reynir's head is resting on his shoulder is perplexing and foreign and at first he isn't sure what he said or did to trigger something like that. It becomes a little more clear once Reynir explains his perception of 'could look worse' and 'not-ugly,' but it just clears up the particular thing he'd said that triggered the feeling and not why.

Onni suspects that this is going to be a line of thought he's going to be following a lot while he's bonded to Reynir.

For now, he lets it go, to be mulled over later, though there's a chance, he suspects, that Reynir might have felt some of that confusion and the letting go. The next topic that Reynir brings up is something easier to wrap his head around - setting ground rules and ensuring they have some form of boundary despite this situation. Nodding a little, he makes a considering 'hm' in his throat.]

That makes sense. I'd like to be able to say that I can't talk about something. I...

[A pause, and he feels, for a moment, a deep sense of shame about the depth of emotion inside him that he tries to keep hidden inside himself. But there's no point in avoiding it. All of it will be obvious to Reynir one way or another, so it's best to have something in place.]

There are some things that I feel or think about or remember that are very intense. I'm sure you'll notice them. But those things...some of them I just can't talk about. Not now. Maybe not ever.

[A deep breath, and he's glad that Reynir's head is on his shoulder so the younger man can't see his face, can't risk eye contact.]

It would be good to have a way to tell you which things those are.