"I believe someone was attempting a pre-courting activity with me." Tyrael declared. Beside him, Rathma nibbled on a bit of dried fish, and switched between eyeballing him, and eyeballing the streets below. They'd scaled one of the still-standing art galleries to get away from Westmarch's crowded streets, and the nephalem had decided this was the perfect time for a snack. At least it wasn't another of Lorath's mini-pumpkins.

People bustled along below, unaware of the two watchers upon the gallery.

"What makes you say that?" The nephalem blandly asked around a mouthful of fish.

"She was very insistent that I dance with her. Would not let go of my hand." Tyrael replied, pulling a leg up onto his perch. He had never before experienced the fear of heights. His human instincts kept warning him about the dangers of falling from here, however.

"Well did you?" Rathma continued to munch.

"Hm?"

"Did you dance with her?"

"Oh...well, for a moment yes. But then I...stopped." Tyrael's leg went down again, and he rubbed his hands together. His cheeks were getting warm. "I thought she was going to ask for something else, but I don't think I could've given it to her." He looked up when Rathma let out a huffy laugh. The ancient thoughtfully chewed his fish before swallowing and fixing Tyrael with an amused stare.

"She probably just wanted to go on a date Tyrael, nothing so scandalous." An affectionate punch to the arm nearly made Tyrael lose his balance, and he glared over at his nephew. "And even if she did want something a little more physical, I'm sure you're more than capable if you wanted to."

Former Archangel of Justice he may be, but there were still some things that made even him balk and turn back and question. Mortal courting habits were one of those things. Tyrael looked away to stare down at the streets again, feeling unaccustomedly shy. Rathma probably would understand his situation better than most might, but it still felt terribly awkward to talk about it.

"Is that...even allowed?" Tyrael ponderously asked.

"Is what allowed?"

"If I wanted to have...a relationship...with a mortal. Is that allowed?" The question felt a little silly even as he asked, but Tyrael figured if anyone would know the answer, it would be the being beside him.

"Of course it's allowed." Rathma pulled out another strip of fish to nibble at. "You can love whoever you want Tyrael, so long as they are mature and consenting...oh. Is it your age that brings such questions?"

"What? Oh, n-no, I hadn't even thought of that." Tyrael resting his cheek in one palm. "It just feels like- well, since I'm not actually a human-"

Rathma suddenly smacked at his back. Not enough force to knock him off the building, but it did starle him. The nephalem continued patting at him a few times, before going back to his monching. Tyrael glared mutinously at him. Rathma simply smiled that wicked smile of his.

"Hm, nope, still no wings back there. At this point, you're more human than I am Tyrael." He offered. "You're at least the right shape and size, and you're got all the right limbs. I say again, so long as they are of a mature age and give their consent, and so long as you want to, you can date and love whoever you want." Not that he wouldn't tease the hell out of his uncle if he did find someone to share affections with, but as far as he was concerned there wasn't anything illegal about it.

Tyrael thought this over, humming. "What if I...don't necessarily want to?" His voice seemed a little bit small. Rathma side-eyed him for a brief moment, still chewing his snack.

"Then you don't have to." The nephalem said simply. "You're not obligated to anyone. Both parties need to give consent, and if you don't want to, then you're not consenting and don't have to."

This idea seemed novel to his uncle, and Rathma took the time to finish his fish. Absently, he noted the hilarity of the situation. Here he was, explaining the matters of courting and sex and love to his uncle, who was stil his elder by millennia. He wondered absently how the renegades had ever managed to reproduce if this was what they'd been dealing with. His mother must've been very determined indeed.

A quiet snort of laughter escaped the nephalem. It was really quite funny that Lilith had wanted him so badly, but they'd ended up hating one another so much. Ironic, or something.

"What's funny?" Tyrael asked, looking borderline distressed.

"My parents." Rathma answered honestly. "Just- everything about their relationship gets more ridiculous the older I get." He snickered again, and Tyrael blinked owlishly at him. Finally he smiled, and looked back down at his lap.

"Humans...often pair with the opposite gender, yes?" He asked.

"Well, yes. But they pair with other genders too." Rathma leaned back on his hands, tilting his face against the setting sun. It felt nice. "Personally I think everyone should be able to love whoever the hell they want. It's nobody's business but yours who you end up with." To his surprise, this seemed to cheer the former angel up.

"Then, there are no restrictions?"

"Well someone might bitch at some point, but they should be largely ignored." Rathma waved a careless hand. "Humans get pretty opinionated when they disapprove of something."

Tyrael's face fell. "Who would disapprove of something like love?"

"Who disapproved of angels and demons?" Rathma gently shot back. Tyrael winced a bit, but didn't back down. "There's always someone out there. Some bigot or another who thinks they've got the right to tell you who you can or cannot be with. Personally I always dealt with that by doing whatever they disapproved of harder." His smile was a little bit fiendish, and Tyrael got the message of what he would do loud and clear.

"I understand, I think." The former angel nodded, looking thoughtful.

The both of them sat in companionable silence for a bit. Rathma lounged against the marble overhang on which they sat, and Tyrael leaned forward to rest his chin on his hands, and elbows on his knees. He had been right to bring this up with Rathma. As impersonal as he could be, the nephalem still understood mortal's better than he did. He understood being something separate from a human too.

"Do you think she'd still be interested?" Tyrael asked suddenly. Rathma looked over at him with a 'hm?' "The woman. Do you think-?"

"Oh, perhaps. I'm not an expert on what a woman wants Tyrael, but you can always try and see." His tail batted lazily at the air a few times. The autumn sun was making him drowsy.

"I think I am curious about how humans court." The former angel declared. He stood up, and began cautiously making his way back to the hidden stairway that had led them up there.

"Good, good." Rathma nodded sleepily. "Don't break too many hearts now. I'm reasonably sure you're considered terribly attractive by human standards." He grinned at the sound of his uncle's sputtering.

Honestly, the odds were it would be Tyrael himself finding a bit of heartbreak, but that was just how it went for a human.

A/N Hello yes, being a queer artist and writer myself, these things tend to come up in my work. Love who you love, it is solely up to you, and life is too short not to enjoy it when it comes.