It was a surprise to be pulled so quickly and easily into the embrace that Arf tensed up out of surprise. And then when she felt the strength of Garviel's arms about her, the broadness of his chest... the armor... she relaxed and almost melted into it. And then she felt his lips upon her forehead.

Despite the pain she was in, her tail wagged a bit before she tried to respond to Garviel's words and the pain spiked. Letting go of the ice, Arf reached her hand up to rest on his cheek and steeled herself to the pain talking would give her.

"This is from before we first met... I fear it's coming back."