Dani had stated in her reply that what Rand and Min were doing was called "cuddling", and I was going to correct her and say the term was actually "comforting". Rand and Min introduce us to it:
From Min: "What we did, my innocent lamb, was comfort one another. Friends comfort one another at times like that. Close your mouth, you Two Rivers hay-hair."
He did, but only to swallow. He thought his eyes were going to fall onto the floorstones. He nearly spluttered getting words out. "Comforted? Min, if the Women's Circle back home heard what we did called comforting, they'd be lining up to peel our hides if we we're lucky!"
Another from Min: "Wouldn't you rather comfort me again?"
He stopped dead, staring at her with a silver-worked red coat hanging forgotten in his hands. She hoped she was not blushing. Comforting. Where did that idea ever come from? she Wondered silently. The aunts who had raised her were gentle, kind women, but they had strong notions of proper behavior. They had disapproved of her wearing breeches, disapproved of her working in stables, the job she loved best, since it brought her into contact with horses. There was no question what they would think of comforting, with a man she was not married to."
And another: "Min's heart went out to him. He had mentioned hearing voices; he must mean that. She raised her right hand toward him, forgetting for the moment that it held a knife, and opened her mouth to say something comforting. Though she was not entirely sure she would ever be able to use that particular word innocuously again. She opened her mouth—..."
From Rand: "No Min here, no comforting presence to make him laugh, make him forget the Dragon Reborn."
Another from Rand: "His head lowered so slowly. It was a brother's kiss, at first, mild as milk-water, soothing, comforting. Then it became something else. Not at all soothing. Jerking upright, he tried to pull away. "Min, I can't...."
After looking around, I found those two weren't the only ones getting lucky. There's a lot more sex going on in the books than most people realize, and between couples that might surprise you. Now, keeping that "comforting" word in mind, and taking random quotes out of context, we can get some rather strange pictures in our heads:
A disturbing one from Rand: "It was hardly a comforting thought, and, sword or no sword, Gode kept watching. And smiling."
And another: "Mat bent over him, holding a cup of water to his lips. "Just rest easy. You're Rand al'Thor, that's who you are, with the ugliest face and the thickest head in the Two Rivers. Hey, you're sweating! The fever's broken."
"Rand al'Thor?" Rand whispered. Mat nodded, and there was something so comforting in it that Rand drifted off to sleep..."
And again: "Rand hesitated. It would be good to have someone else along. The way Mat was behaving, being with him was almost like being alone. The Ogier was a comforting presence."
Rand seems to get around quite a bit: "Suddenly it seemed as if the lanterns were the only light left in the world. Rand realized that he was jammed shoulder-to-shoulder in between Perrin and Egwene. Egwene gave him a wide-eyed look and pressed closer, and Perrin made no move to give him room. There was something comforting about touching another human being when the whole world had just been swallowed up by dark. Even the horses seemed to feel the Ways pushing them into a tighter and tighter knot."
From Mat: "Turning her head, she gave him a look of respect. Mingled with surprise, but he managed to ignore that. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and there were tearstains on her cheeks. Maybe if he put an arm around her. . . . Women usually appreciated a little comforting when they cried."
another with a twist: "Strange that she remarked on it, too. But then, why not? Light, those dice had him shying at shadows and jumping at sighs. Or maybe it was just her, a discomforting thought.
From Perrin: "Night after night he bolted upright in the dark, panting and reaching for his axe before he realized the wagons were not in flames, that no bloody-muzzled shapes snarled over torn and twisted bodies littering the ground. But those were ordinary nightmares, and oddly comforting in their way. If there was ever a place for the Dark One to be in his dreams, it was in those, but he was not. No Ba'alzamon. Just ordinary nightmares."
And another for the blacksmith: "The stable was a large structure of the same stone as the inn, though only the stone faces around the big doors had been polished. A single lantern hanging from a stallpost gave a dim light. Stepper and the other horses stood in stalls near the doors; Loial’s big mount nearly filled his. The smell of hay and horses was familiar and comforting. Perrin was the first...."
Some from the ladies, too:
From Nynaeve's' pov: "Yet with almost nothing in Salidar as she had expected, she had to admit, however reluctantly, that it would be. . . comforting . . . to know she and Elayne had more than Birgitte to depend on. Not that she would take up the offer of escape, of course-if that was what it should be called-not under any circumstances. Their presence would just be . . . comforting."
Another from Nynaeve: "Still, failure hurt, and worst of all, if anyone ever discovered that she had cried like a baby in Theodrin’s comforting arms when she knew she was failing ..."
And another: "Would you, like cool mint tea?" Janya said, and it was Nynaeve's turn to blink. "I do think tea is comforting. It smooths conversation, I always find."
Another disturbing one for Nynaeve: "Strangely, the fear stilled her trembling. With hands as steady as if she were grinding herbs in her own house she slit the picket-rope as she had the others. Thrusting the dagger back into its sheath, she untied Bela's lead-rein. The shaggy mare woke with a start, tossing her head, but Nynaeve stroked her nose and spoke comforting words softly in her ear. Bela gave a low snort and seemed content."
From Elayne: "Nynaeve had asked to borrow that pretty roses-and-thorns ivory bracelet that the Aiel woman never wore; surprisingly, Aviendha had snatched it to her bosom as if it was her most precious possession, and of all things, Elayne began comforting her. Nynaeve would not have been surprised to see the pair fall weeping on one another's shoulder."
Elayne again, very descriptive in the bonding ceremony: "She opened her eyes, stared into the eyes of the other that was herself, and closed hers again, content. Thud-thud.
Change, sudden, shocking to one who had never known any change. Pressure. Thu-thud-thu-thud. That comforting beat was faster. Convulsive pressure. Again. Again. Getting stronger. Thu-thud-thuthud! Thu-thud-thu-thud!"
And another: "Anyway, Elayne could feel her. It was different from the bond with Birgitte, yet she could feel her sister's presence in the city, like sensing an unseen person in the same room, and it was comforting.
This is Moiraine: “He - he just used to talk funny, good mistress, when he’d had too much to drink. He just. . . .” Simion scrubbed a hand across his eyes and blinked. “Thank you, good mistress. I know you’d have done something if you could. “ She put a hand on his shoulder, murmured comforting words, and then she was gone from the shed."
Moiraine spurns Egwene: "Shivering despite her sweat, Egwene closed her eyes. The Aes Sedai did not want comforting. She was a lump of ice, not a woman. Egwene settled herself to trying to recapture that pleasant feeling. She suspected such would be few and far between in the days to come."
Aviendha turns down Egwene, too?: "Egwene grimaced. Respect for the Aes Sedai, though a respect between equals, included but little for the pupil, even one they believed was Aes Sedai. She kept her tongue still, in any case. Bair was capable of sending her to fetch her herb pouches and telling her to brew the incredibly bitter tea herself; it had no purpose at all, except to cure sullenness or sulkiness or whatever else a Wise One might find disfavor with, which it did by taste alone. Aviendha gave her a comforting pat on the arm."
Siuan and Sheriam: "For a moment Siuan only stared, expressionless. Then the glow of saidar enveloped her. Gasps filled the room. Slowly Siuan leaned forward and kissed Nynaeve on either cheek. A tear leaked down her face, then another, and abruptly Siuan was weeping, hugging herself and shaking; the gleaming aura around her faded away. Sheriam quickly folded her into comforting arms; Sheriam looked as though she might cry too."
One from Tylin: "Tylin's beaming face hardly seemed right on a woman whose son had just told her he had killed a man. "Just be sure your visit is brief. Stab my eyes, but Davindra will be one of those widows who wants comforting, and then you will either have to marry her or kill her brothers."
And a few random ones:
"Only Delana never joined one of those brief conversations. She stayed close beside Halima, who at last admitted that she was cold. Face tight, the country woman held her cloak close around her, but she still tried to comfort Delana, whispering to her almost constantly. Delana seemed to need comforting; her brows were drawn down, putting a crease in her forehead that actually made her seem aged."
"You are making great strides, Elayne," Anaiya said calmly. The bluff-faced woman was always calm. "Motherly" was the word to describe her, and comforting usually..."
The mayor, his wife, and Perrin?: "Bran grimaced, and his wife stroked his shoulder comfortingly. But strangely her eyes stayed on Perrin, all sadness and comfort.
And, come to find out, the Aiel are a little kinky:
"Wise Ones moved about aiding the burned, comforting the dying...."
*What a comforting thought*
