[ Basch relaxes further as the gardens give way to more natural, wilder growth. This was a good suggestion.

The question pulls him back a little, and he looks down, shy and disoriented. Was that really just an hour ago? But a glance at Sylvain reminds him it's not to mock or to judge. He could say anything, or nothing. ]

I mostly observed. [ And...maybe was guiltily tantalized by some things, repulsed by others. ] I was certainly given offers for other couplings. It was a strange thing to express I was spoken for. This helped. [ He touches the collar at his neck, having near forgotten it. But it had been a pleasant shield and promise when he was otherwise overwhelmed. ] I think that made me more desirable to a few.