Estinien was the kind of man used to thinking about exactly one thing at a time, and usually that one thing was stabbing. Now he had multiple things to think about and it was starting to make his head hurt a little.

An Azure Dragoon was not expected to marry and sire children, or to even be that good at making friends. It would only cause more harm once you'd died, and death was almost certain in that job, so why bother? Almeric certainly hadn't stressed it during Estinien's upbringing, or his training.

It also m eans that when he does have a concern, he's exceedingly blunt about it. Gaius will find his solitude interrupted by six and a half of feet of spiky, blood-tempered armor looming quietly in his vicinity, attempting to phrase an awkward question.