"Probably not, if I am to be honest with you.” Atem sighed deeply. He felt the part of a great fool, sitting there on the dirt in the dark blindfolded while explaining what it was that was actually getting to him. He owed her a explanation, certainly, but where in the world did one begin when it came to something like this? “What Mana said is true. The men in my country are…Unique in a way I am sure you would find impossible to believe without seeing it. It is a gift we are given from birth. I was born seeing the world in various shades of grey, black, and white. In exchange for this, we are given the ability to…Transform, if you will. Once my head stops pounding, I will show you, but it is something that affects us very deeply.” He paused, trying to settle the pounding in his head. One hand rose to his temple, a low noise of complaint coming from him with the sensation.
“It turns us into beasts, Miss. It is worst for those that go longer without finding someone to ground them. In this world, there are many people a soul could find that would pair well with them. For those like myself, we see those people very clearly in color. It is a fleeting thing, just a reminder, something we do not need to act upon, I want to stress that. Because, for me, I saw colors again meeting you that first night. I see them now, again, and it is…Painful in a comforting way.” If that even made sense. For someone like him who had gone so terribly long without someone, it was kind of the world to remind him he still had a chance in this world if he took it. “My people are bonded very young because of this. Mahad met Mana when they were both seven years old. They were bonded by the age of eight. It’s…a process Mana would be better to ask that for. I have no idea what she went through, nor did I care to ask because of what I know how I was taught, it is a nightmare for the male involved. He loses sense of self, and whatever animal she calls forth is what overcomes him. We need that to stabilize us. It gives our souls a solid form to maintain. The trade off is the gift is stronger in those that remain unbonded. I have many, many beasts in my skills. Mahad has very few, and even now maintains only the one Mana gave to him.”
He stopped talking, feeling like he was dumping too much information at her at once. After a few moments, he reached up to take off his blindfold and, squinting at her for several moments, he finally had some semblance of control over his eyes. “If you would like me to show you, you will have to close your eyes for a moment. I’ve very few good clothes to my name and I don’t intend on ripping these in the process of shifting.”
