If Gavriil was looking for any sort of good advice for how to “woo” a woman Ragnar would be of little help to him. He was not a romantic creature and while Thistle might have considered some of his gifts or charming words or actions as “romantic” the Viking would have brushed it off as her being biased. He was her husband she was supposed to say those things about him. Though love had come of their marriage, it had not been the driving force behind Ragnar’s proposal and the fawn colored shield maiden knew that though Ragnar suspected that no one else did. While Ragnar was no expert on relationships (fleeting flings and marriages, yes) he knew women and had plenty of wives and dalliances that perhaps he could prove to be useful to Gavriil in some way or another. After Gavriil had finished speaking Ragnar drew in a deep breath, settled back upon his haunches (really all they were missing was the beer and they could have been having a normal human man conversation between friends), considering the cinnamon colored man’s words. Ragnar did not understand the other’s hesitancy to go after Pump if he truly desired her as Ragnar suspected he did.
Then again, Ragnar was not the same kind of man Gavriil was. He went after what he wanted with a near single minded drive and relentless ambition. Gavriil seemed to soft to Ragnar who, in a comparison, was a much harder kind of man. Of course, it had been Gavriil’s compassion that had led Ragnar to think that maybe (after guessing Kennedy) that Thistle would take him as a mate. In some manners, they were much more alike than Ragnar and Thistle.
“Did you know that Thistle is not my first wife?” Ragnar started out, knowing full well that it was extremely likely that Gavriil did not know that. “In fact she is my fourth wife,” He had a poin the was working towards but it might have prove to be beneficial if Gavriil understood Ragnar a little better. “My first three marriages were based nothing more than fleeting lust, and one might have lasted if her body had not aborted our children. I had not loved her but I would have made an exception for sons,” It was probably cruel sounding, but Ragnar assumed that Gavriil would understand because he, too, came from the North. So much was different down here. Too much, for Ragnar’s general liking. “When I asked Thistle to be my wife it was not because I loved her. I was fond of her and jealous that she kept talking about Kennedy and you,” Ragnar fixed the other male in his gaze offering him a wicked little grin before his expression turned serious once more. “I asked her to be my wife without knowing what she would say, neither of us loved one another and there was no real reason for her to say yes, at that time,” He paused, licking his lips. “The point is, Gavriil, that I asked her, regardless.” That wasn’t to say that Ragnar was intimidated by Thistle because he wasn’t,.
“I’m not saying run off and ask Pump to be your mate; I’m saying don’t let her intimidation hold you back. Start out by getting to know her better, find out if you are compatible with one another. Thistle and I are proof that opposites do attract. Pump is a hard woman, but she is a woman all the same. She doesn’t seem the type to like subtly so it’s probably better, when the time comes - when you’re confident in her and yourself - to be straightforward with her. If you want something, go after it. If you don’t you will live to regret it, some day, wondering what might have happened if you had just tried.” Ragnar shrugged his shoulders simply, listening for anything Gavriil had to offer.
