"Ooh, how wonderful," he says, smiling with delight. "A hot bath can only ever be enhanced by sharing it with someone else who appreciates such a simple pleasure."

As he takes Sinric's robe and hangs it up beside his own, his eyes inevitably flit down over the scars on his back. Yes, he is aware of them, he's seen them, he's felt them. But they make no difference to him.

He skims his hands down Sinric's arms and kisses a smooth patch of skin on his shoulder.

"Shall you step in first?" he says, holding his hand to help steady him.