[Urianger starts petting him again, and Ithaqua can't help but close his eyes and nuzzle into his hand like a cat. Urianger's affection just sparks this sort of spoiled reaction from him, and it's something he believes is beyond his control.

But he's not so distracted that he's not listening. On the contrary, he's doing his best to listen despite how good his lover's hand feels.]

Mm... I'm almost tempted to encourage you to do so... But would it not be better to let the untold future be and forge our own? [Make the most of what they have right here, right now.]

Not to say imagining an ideal future for us would be imprudent, however.

[At this point, imagining something good for the future is what's keeping Ithaqua going... But he has Urianger to tether himself to now. He might be the strongest anchor he has.]