"Excuse me, little one." His fingers curl around her upper waist as he pulls her aside slightly so he can walk around her, and she giggles lightly, it brings him to a grinding halt. Whatever it was he was intending to do fell away to the soft tingling sound, he looks down at her, and she stares ahead at her work bench. "Did the shy little thing that I've taken as my own just do what I think she just did?" He squeezes her upper waist again, it gains him the same reaction, and she jolts slightly in accordance. "Oh, our Father, you did."

She smiles to herself as he spins her around, she's so small, that he hooks his hands under her arms and heft her off her feet. Instinctively, she curls her legs around his waist, and he crosses his arms under her. They share a smile, his is fond and amused, hers is small and shy, she's such a shy little thing, his little apprentice.

He leans in close, pressing his forehead against hers, and their eyes meet. "Did you just giggle?" He whispers for only her to hear. She smiles again, nodding slightly, and it makes him beam in joy to know that he made his beloved shy little apprentice giggle so adorably. "You did?" She nods again and he smiles, leaning forward to kiss her nose lightly, it makes her giggle softly once more. "You're absolutely adorable, my little apprentice." She blushes lightly and averts her eyes. "It's a sweet little giggle. Can I hear it again?" She refuses to meet his eyes, so he leans in and kisses her nose again, she giggles softly, and her eyes lift to his. "I love it. It's so cute."

Someone clears their throat, and he turns to see who has interrupted them, his brother smiles at him knowingly. "Yes, Constantine?" Little Araton blushes and ducks to hide against his shoulder, trying to shrink away from any prying eyes, her shyness is endearing. "Sorry to interrupt, it was rather heartwarming—" he narrows his eyes slightly. "Out with it little brother." The younger Virtue nods lightly. "Did you finish the ointment I needed?"

Zed nods to the jar on the work bench, the other Virtue nods, smiling in appreciation, and reaches forward to take it from them.

With their privacy returned, he turns back to his little charge, she's still hiding in his shoulder. He brushes his nose against her neck, goose pimples form over the soft skin, and he presses his lips to a spot under her ear. She giggles softly against his shoulder. "Let's go upstairs. I want to hear more of that soft little giggle."

He carries her out from behind their work benches, away from their work station, and through the threshold of the Infirmary back to the stone steps that lead up to their home above. He closes the door to their room with his foot, nudging her neck with his nose lightly, urging her to come out of her hiding place against his shoulder. "You can come on out, we back in our room, no prying eyes can see you."

Araton nods against his shoulder, sitting back up, leaning back in his hold. He smiles up at her adoringly, bouncing her lightly, and she curls her fingers into his shoulders. "I repeat myself, you're absolutely adorable, I don't regret snatching you up at first sight." She smiles at him, a soft small smile, and it melts his heart to goo. "And, you're all mine." The Virtue leans forward, kissing her nose again, basking in the giggles it produces. "I'm sharing those precious little giggles with anyone else." He walks forward, one of his hands coming up to cradle the back of her head, as he leans over and lays her down on his bed. "They're all mine."

She looks up at him with shining hazel eyes. "Thank you for taking me even though I'm weird."

"You're the farthest thing from being 'weird'." He holds himself up with his hands, placed on either side of her head, she gazes up at him with a happiness shining in her eyes that only he has the privilege of seeing. "You're loving, kind, brilliant, and adorable." The elder apothecary shakes his head lightly. "But, most certainly not 'weird'. They're all idiots who can't see what's right in front of them. I saw." He leans down to kiss her forehead lightly. "I saw and I snatched you right up."

He presses his forehead against hers, rubbing their noses together, and she smiles up at him. "Now, about that giggle, that sweet little giggle of yours." She scrunches up her nose when he presses his lips to the tip. "Your little waist can make you giggle." He lifts his head, looking at the side of her neck playfully "What about here? Does your little neck make you giggle?" He leans down, pressing his nose into her neck, and she giggles airily, her shoulder scrunching up on him. "Oh, it does. Wonderful." She giggles brightly as he presses his lips to her neck to give her a soft playful kiss against the sensitive skin. He takes a deep breath, the giggles slowly winding down, and blow out softly into her neck. Araton shrieks softly, hands flying up to grip at his tunic, curling into the soft fabric. "Oh, that was a bit more then a soft little giggle, let me hear that again." He takes another deep breath and blows out again, he gains a similar shriek and he smiles against the soft skin under him. "You're so precious."

Her giggles are continuous, like little bubbles floating in the air around them, and he pulls back to press their foreheads together again. "I just can't get enough of you." Kissing her nose again. "I'm the luckiest angel in all of Heaven." Araton giggles brightly, leaning forward to kiss his chin, and he smiles at the light peck of a kiss. "You're a cheesy angel." Rubbing their noses together. "I'm your cheesy angel." She giggles again. "Am I yours too?"

He nods seriously. "Yes, you are. All mine. I'm not sharin'." He leans in to kiss her nose again. "You're my cute little kitten."

"I like kittens."

"I know you do. Do you want one?"

She looks up at him with wide eyes, mouth slightly ajar. "I can…I can have a kitten?"

"Yes. If you want a kitten, we'll get you a kitten, what are you going to name it?"

"Nibbles."

"It's the perfect name."

He leans back, laying one of his hands on her belly. "Okay, kitten, we know your little waist and your little neck make you giggle, what about your little belly?" She giggles. "I'll take that as a 'yes, seeing as I'm not even doing anything, my hands literally just laying there." He twitches his fingers and she shrieks softly. "Oh ho, what's this, is your little belly gonna be really ticklish?" He lefts his hand, her giggles never ceasing, and she shrieks again when he pokes a finger into her lower belly. "This, this has got to be my favorite spot yet." He pokes another finger into her belly, two at the same time, and she squirms lightly. "Oh, it makes you squirm too, this just gets better and better."

Zed falls still, staring down at her, her bright giggly eyes staring back up at him. "What about this?" he digs five fingers lightly into her belly, palm pressed over her belly button, fingers spread out wide, and she shrieks again as she arches her back slightly. "Oh, my, my, someone does have a ticklish little belly." He tilts his head playfully. "I wonder…." Araton giggles continuously, watching closely, as he pulls the bottom of her tunic up, only slightly, and leans forward to press his lips to the small piece of bare belly that's revealed for him. He chuckles softly when she shrieks softly, arching her back again, and kisses her belly softly. "What about this?"

Taking a deep breath, the Virtue blow out on her belly, and he's rewards with a bright squeal from his shy little kitten of an apprentice. He laughs softly against her belly, her hands having let go of his tunic to clutch at his hair, perhaps his slight beard only adds to the sensation. "I have to repeat myself, this belly, this is my favorite spot." He moves his head slightly, presses his lips to her belly again, and blows out just as much as he did the first time. Araton squeals again, arching her back lightly, and he smiles as he pulls back. "Adorable. You're adorable."

He curls his hands around her small ones, folding her fingers within his as he pulls them away from his hair, he presses his lips to the little hands he holds within his. "I've never heard something so wonderful before. I adore you, little kitten, with all my heart."

"I love you too, Z."

Zed was her first and greatest friend. He made her laugh, now that he knew how to, and held her when she caught the wind of the others in her class whispering about her under the impression that she couldn't hear them and broke down, let her explore her curiosity in the fine art he taught her. He didn't think she was weird. He thought she was amazing. He got mad at the others when he caught them talking badly about her. He'd scold them harshly and dismiss them back to their dorms for the rest of the day. He treated her like she was special, he made her feel special, he was hers just as much as she was his.

He leans forward to kiss her forehead. "Should we return to our work below?"

Araton yawns softly and shakes her head, nodding back into his pillow, and he chuckles lightly. "No." Kissing her forehead again, he leans forward, pressing his to hers. "Do you want to take a nap now, little kitten?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. We can take a nap."