Sun-Cursed gently cupped Ember's face with her hands and stared into his eyes. She wanted to reassure him that she was alright with it and would be unflinching about it all. "It's okay, Warm, I'm happy to be your light. And I wouldn't mind letting other kin know about it. Unless you want it to just be between us." she'd be lying if she said the idea of keeping whatever they were to each other secret didn't make her sad.

But if that's what Ember needed, then she was more than happy to oblige him. She did, however, chew on her lower lip in hesitation, before deciding she would act on her desires as Steals Kisses had often encouraged her to.

She acted on her desires and kissed him.

Before he could interject that she misunderstood what he meant when he said he only wanted to call her his light in private and not restrict her from calling him whatever she wanted to in front of others, she leaned forward and closed the distance.

For a good few seconds he forgot everything. His worries, his obligations, his manners, his principles, his name. He was ruled solely by the sensation of the kiss. It was like nothing he had ever experienced--incomparable to anything he had ever seen or done or felt before.

When his limbs started responding to his brain again, his arms pulled her closer to him, pushing them deeper into the kiss that he did not want to end.

When the imperative for air grew too much, they pulled away from each other. He sat there, his mouth still slightly open, both their clothes a little bit rumpled. He didn't know how long it took before he could speak again, but he knew that he wanted to say only things that would make her happy.

"I want everyone to know. I was hesitant because I didn't know if you'd want that, but I should have just asked. The neighbors have already start talking anyway. Some already assume we're together. But if I can have you this close to me, I don't care what they're going to say anymore."

Sun-Cursed wasn't expecting the kiss to last the length of time it did but she wasn't complaining. If anything, she seemed to resent her lungs for needing air. But even when Smoldering Ember broke away, she kept her arms wrapped around his neck, as if hanging onto him for dear life despite both of them still being seated.

She was already flushed from the kiss, though it deepened when he mentioned how some of the neighbors already assumed they were together in that way. She didn't seem in any way upset by this. Maybe a little shy, maybe a little amused at how silly they both were. "Oh, ha, guess it was more obvious to other kin. There is a reason there's a saying of one being too close to something to really see things."

That she had gone to consult with other kin likely contributed to the obviousness. "So, My Warmth," she began, hoping he wouldn't mind her altering her nickname for him so that they matched, "Think we can see the rest of the Forest? Together-together?"

Her Warmth. He very much liked that way that sounded, especially the way she said it.

He also liked the idea of going somewhere else with her. Though he would not force anything, he wondered if--maybe even secretly wished that--Sun-Cursed would try something bolder were they to find themselves in a more private setting. Or maybe he would muster up the courage to act on his own desires and initiate showing her his affection. He just hoped that going around this mysterious forest wouldn't immediately lead them back to the swamp.

He kept his hands on her hips while her arms stayed wrapped around his neck, refusing to be the one to let go first, "Of course My Light, let's see what else this place has to offer us. Together-together"