[There's a brief moment of surprise that shows clear on his face, the slight widening of his silver-bright eye. The blush on him, it rides higher still, blooms darker in the dim lantern-strewn night, but for all that it's only a matter of seconds before he leans into the touch, easy as sin. Body angling towards the half-orc just slightly, one leather-clad hand extended, hesitating for only a moment before finding the push of bone at Fjord's hip. He smiles, and this time there's nothing of bravado in it. A softer thing, more genuine.]

I...hah...my dear, that's...

[And it's there in him again, the urge to shrug off the other man's concern, push it away, assert that he can look after himself, that it's him that ought to do the protecting. But his thoughts snag around the desire and he remembers his sister again, all the things that happened in the strange place he'd found himself flung into before arriving here. Fort Harmony, and the lessons learnt there. That he shouldn't brush off concern when he finds it. That everyone needs a little help, sometimes.]

...woe betide anyone who has it in for me then, eh? With a strong protector on my side. I um, what I mean is er...I appreciate it.

[He lets the hand at the other man's hip drop, but steps in a little closer.]

I'll be sure to inform you. But I get around, you know. Seen some things, and all that. I can't imagine it's any worse here than any number of other places I've been.