He straightened up when she came closer, instinctively pulling away before pausing in his tracks as he felt her hands cupping his cheeks.

For a moment, he closed his eyes, feeling his insides disintegrate.

Then, when he opened them again, he unhooks his fingers off the ring to cradle her hands in his own. "Rules...?" He blinks away the confusion in his eyes.

"I-"

A rule. What could be the rule that would be specific to him and his happiness of being taken care of in such a hospitable way? What kind of rule could he assign to himself that wouldn't be defined by the world?

One that could drive Kuon's proposition off the water.

"You would tell me if something goes wrong, right? If I did anything which made you...want to pull away."