After a moment Naevora moved closer on the bed, raised her hand, and ruffled his longer hair.
Her fingers pushed through the dark strands, undoing what remained of the bun, before settling loosely against the back of his head.
A faint smile touched Brandon's lips, and he leaned into her ruffle without resistance.
Seeing this, a quiet chuckle escaped her lips, and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer.
"You must be stronger than me now, right? Do you even need a Master anymore?"
He let out a low chuckle and turned his head just enough to rest his cheek against her shoulder.
"Stronger?" he murmured. "Maybe. In raw power, yes. In the things that matter…"
He tilted his face upward, meeting her gaze with that same shameless half-smile she had always hated and never quite managed to scold out of him.
"I still need my Master."
Naevora gave the back of his head a light, reprimanding pull.
