Her affectionate touch surprised him and without thinking he quickly returned the gesture. Valentine wasn't entirely sure what to make of their relationship, but it had certainly never struck him as affectionate in nature. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but the touch and its possible implications confused him. Was she wanting more than what they had now? Ash had certainly changed things, but he hadn't considered the possibility that Esti might want something different. It was entirely possible he was just thinking too much.
"He's running me ragged and he's not even half my height," she said with a quiet laugh. The corners of his lips lifted in a slight smile and he offered, "I'd be happy to take him with me more often." He meant it. Ashmedai was a handful, but he was a cheerful as he was energetic and they had a lot of fun. "He also has three perfectly capable older siblings who would love to babysit, I'm sure."
Esti assured him he'd done no harm in visiting and then asked him to stay. Before he could respond she contradicted her hopeful tone by dismissively saying it was whatever and up to him. Momentarily confused (and a touch suspicious as he reconsidered her kiss) Valentine searched Esti's eyes for understanding. After a moment he crept closer and lay down so that his right forepaw was between her forepaws and his left was just to the left of her right forepaw. "What's not important?" Clearly something was important enough for her to ask.
""
NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.
