Here, if nowhere else, he disappoints, as some heretofore-unnoticed tension in his body eases. The thought of children probably should make him slightly nervous, but right now, it doesn't. If anything, it's clarifying: there, in her voice, is what he wants. A legacy for Whitestone, a lively home, room for each of them to give a child the things they were denied. As always, Vex finds the heart of an issue and hands it over to him, when he would have searched for ages.

"We'll have to consummate this marriage at some point," he murmurs, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice, "if you want a family."

Maybe today, even. Dreary weather is, frankly, the perfect backdrop for intimacy. But that's a matter to settle later; he wants to keep her talking, hear the dreams she has for them. "How many, do you think?"