[ Olivine is...so sweet. And earnest. Basch sighs again, stroking the other's skin, squeezing him back when his grip tightens even as he tries to formulate his response. ]

I don't know, in the greater world. But in the Guard, no, it wasn't common. Our engagements were often secret, and in the rare cases they weren't short-lived, we often didn't acknowledge them outside the privacy of an encounter. Many had political or safety reasons to keep things close to their chests; I don't begrudge them. But I often didn't know why someone was acting the way the way they were until much later, if ever. This -- is very different.