He makes some quiet sound in response, affirming but pleased and maybe with a slight rumble that slips into his voice as his hand moves up to lightly brush through his hair, the touch surprisingly gentle. ]
Then start counting.
[ It's immediate -- this a test, after all, he doesn't want to play around, he just needs to know before the game that Byerly will be able to do this, that he'll be lucid enough to tell him to stop when he needs it. He shoves his arm hard against his throat, not holding back, enough to make it entirely impossible to breathe as his other hand tightens through his hair, forcing his head back against the bark. He's counting, his voice low, perfectly steady the entire time, one, two, three . . . ]
no subject
He makes some quiet sound in response, affirming but pleased and maybe with a slight rumble that slips into his voice as his hand moves up to lightly brush through his hair, the touch surprisingly gentle. ]
Then start counting.
[ It's immediate -- this a test, after all, he doesn't want to play around, he just needs to know before the game that Byerly will be able to do this, that he'll be lucid enough to tell him to stop when he needs it. He shoves his arm hard against his throat, not holding back, enough to make it entirely impossible to breathe as his other hand tightens through his hair, forcing his head back against the bark. He's counting, his voice low, perfectly steady the entire time, one, two, three . . . ]