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Post by Ziya on Sept 15, 2018 15:29:22 GMT -5
Lucia watched as Conrí slowly fell to darkness, reacting only to block what she could of the rain of blows from his blades as she waited. He was getting stronger she noted, the blades actually stripping away some of the steel reinforcements from the stronger base armor beneath.
Then he stopped, and he fell completely.
Instead of a hybrid he now stood a full wolf, deep black with eerie golden eyes. She barely got a glimpse before he resumed his attack with renewed fury, somehow even stronger without the blades as the remaining steel flew off of her. "Well that didn't last long." The thing that once was Conrí growled at her, eliciting a sigh before she actually fell into a proper battle stance, shield-arm before her and the tip of her keyblade just to the side of it. "If there's still a rational part of you in there Conrí, I want you to know that this is what I wanted to happen. Now I can see your limits and how to prevent this from reoccurring. Forgive me for the pain."
A violet glow surrounded her as she focused Twilight into her body, doubling her strength and speed. "Twilight Augmentation: First Style." A moment later Requiem's Resolve turned to dust before reforming into a six foot long spear and began to glow brilliantly as she invoked both Weapon Shift and Elemental Blade: Light Style. Then she moved at last, the parched earth cracking beneath her as she moved at nearly forty miles an hour toward him before thrusting the spear past her shield four times in rapid succession.
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Post by Conrí on Sept 15, 2018 16:38:35 GMT -5
The wolf seemed to smirk when Lucia got serious. His vision had sharpened, and, he felt some sense of accomplishment when he had rid himself of her reinforced armor. It was pesky and in the way, anyway. The wolf focused on the woman's torso, and then realised that she was covered in a new set of armor, and her sword had disappeared and been replaced with a long spear. The peasant learned its lesson...try to keep me at a distance.
The wolf deftly turned to the left and right and occasionally jumped back. He leapt to the right, hoping to keep the shield out of his way and go after an opening. Any opening would do. He snarled and swiped and bit. at the opening, before trying to keep Lucia spinning in a circle. He snapped at whatever looked like an opening.
Meanwhile, something deep down heard Lucia's words and the hope in Conrí found himself staring at Claiomh Solais on one of the platforms of his heart. Something like a whisper reached him. "Conrí, this is what I wanted so that it doesn't happen again. I'm sorry." Conrí started to tear up, and then some form of Jason took shape and held him close, "I'll chase away all your worries and your fears, if you'll let me." Conrí started to reach out for the blade slowly. Claiomh, what do you want to become?
Bad wolf, however howled a super sonic wave at Lucia, wondering what it would do. He lowered himself down to the ground, and leapt into the air, this time, clawing at Lucia's visor.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 15, 2018 18:03:21 GMT -5
Seeing her attacks miss irritated Lucia, but they did have the intended effect of making the wolf assume she was keeping him at a distance. As he moved to the right she retracted her shield and gripped the spear like a staff, lashing out with the butt to fend off the initial attack. Her hands worked the shaft like the master she was as she used both ends of the spear in tandem to block and counter the teeth and claws, though several scratches and dents showed just how powerful her opponent truly was.
Behind her the crystal spikes dissolved into dust as she was stunned momentarily by a sudden sound wave, only to be met with a face full of claws moments later that nearly removed her helmet. Friend and apprentice or not, she was going to have to use all of her skills to deal with this or lose. While the wolf was still in her face she raised her left arm and punched into the beast's gut, her hand actually detaching and continuing the blow for several yards.
The absence of the hand revealed a large barrel within the arm, which she now aimed at the wolf and fired a cannonball made purely of Twilight with enough recoil to push her back a foot. The ball detonated on contact into a five foot wide explosion, even as she readied herself for a counterattack.
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Post by Conrí on Sept 15, 2018 18:27:01 GMT -5
The wolf growled, wanting to keep the destruction going, but, then, something actually hit him, causing him to yip and be sent flying back. He slammed into the concrete and slid, leaving a small trail of flames. The wolf was stunned for a second, but, shakily stood to his feet, and barely moved out of the way of the canonball, having enough sense to leap forward afterward and barely miss the explosion. A mass of flames now surrounded his gut, and the wolf knew he was just beginning to touch Lucia's power. He watched her closely, circling her but not attacking. He really wanted to just finish taking off her helmet, but, he felt something in him shifting. He decided to go for one last decisive blow and made a final rush at Lucia's torso.
Within the depths, Conrí felt himself melting into Jason's embrace. The wolf boy really did love him, and whispered as much, deciding to grasp at Claiomh Solais's hilt. He wondered if maybe he could break free of this, after all. The would be king felt a lurch, and heard a soft yip in the distance. For exactly one instant, Conrí saw Lucia in behind the blade. The wolf boy's grip on the hilt tightened, though his hand trembled, and he lowered his gaze from his master. "I probably don't deserve to stay with any of ye, now that ye know my truth. This beast." Lucia seemed to smile sadly at him, and he thought he heard words she'd said to him when they first met echo in the room. "You aren't a failure."
The platform started to shatter around him, and Conrí knew he didn't have much time left. Seizing what strength he could, the would be king stood and pulled Claiomh Solais from the platform and was dragged up into a blinding white light. The wolf was just about to touch Lucia, and then, it vanished, and Conrí returned, trying to hold up his arms in a block that wouldn't hurt Lucia. He closed his eyes, the last of the black flames leaving his face like two onyx tears. Master...if you are fully prepared to hit me, I'll take it, but...please know that I am so, so sorry.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 15, 2018 19:16:59 GMT -5
As the wolf charged at her once more Lucia readied her newest skill, creating three watermelon sized shards of crystal that glowed brilliantly. "Crystal Burst: Light!" At the last second she lobbed them at the wolf, only to look on in horror as Conrí reemerged and immediately attempted to disengage. In a panic she instinctively pulled on her connections to Jason and Jennifer and absorbed massive quantities of Light and Darkness within her, even as the three shards shattered into fifteen smaller, each set of five exploding into an eight foot blast.
The three Elements burst out of her in a violent maelstrom that shrouded her from view before scattering into tri-colored motes as she entered Requiem of Ascension. Her hair had changed to match the maelstrom from before, hidden eddies of power catching it in unfelt winds, and angelic wings now grew from her back in the same seething hues. Gone was her keyblade, replaced by a blade of pure Darkness and a shield of pure Light, and her armor had become pure Twilight with spiraling lines of Light and Darkness as embellishments and scroll work. Suddenly her eyes snapped open, revealing that her irises had become a vivid blue and the whites a fiery crimson, both glowing fiercely with untapped energy as she radiated power twelvefold to before.
The weapons left her hands as she quickly lifted off, the force of her strength and speed leaving a massive crater in the ground as shattering the air in a sonic boom as she fused Light and Darkness into an orb that should not exist, throwing it somehow even faster than she was already travelling to impact the likely near dead Conrí. The Dark Holy detonated on contact into a ten yard wide sphere, but rather than deliver the finishing blow it healed her apprentice fully, soothing all his pains from the fight. A tenth of a second later she caught him, quickly descending to hover just above the earth once more as she held him effortlessly and spoke with the weight of her entire people. "I'm so sorry Conrí. I should have trusted you far more than I did. Congratulations on besting your Darkness."
Abruptly the simulation ended, leaving the pair in the steel plated room barely capable of holding Lucia's wingspan. The console simply flashed ERROR repeatedly and the walls seemed to bow outward slightly as if from the force of a great blast. Lucia gently set Conrí down as she discovered that even in Requiem she could blush. "Um... Looks like it needed to be reinforced even more."
Just then the door opened and Jason rushed through to nearly tackle Conrí in a tight embrace, tears tracing twin lines down his face as he buried it into his love's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're okay! When Fenrir showed up and told me I was so afraid you'd be lost for good." Behind them Lucia allowed herself to revert to normal, dismissing her armor as she did with a small smile.
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Post by Conrí on Sept 15, 2018 19:46:47 GMT -5
Conrí felt a lot of impact all at once, and it honestly felt like his body was being torn to shreds. He opened his eyes, only to notice that he was flying away from Lucia, and, only then did he see partly how bad he really had been to her. His head felt light, and, it felt like he was about to enter a very different kind of void. What did you expect, exactly, eejit? The wolf boy felt himself falling, and his eyes closed right as Lucia turned into something majestic and terrifying. Fen...I beat it back. But, I'm probably not going to make it, so, take care of that crimson eyed a stór of mine. Remind him of just how much he meant to me. Conrí exhaled and at least fell unconscious.
Something washed over him that caused all of the pain to go away, and the would be king wondered if this was what death felt like. Before he could come to his senses fully, something caught him, and he opened his eyes to see a clearly powered up Lucia staring at him and apologising. "Master, you could have let me go on. I deserved it after what I tried to do. Besides, after what I did, I'm the one who should be apologising to you." As he managed to get this out, the simulation ended.
A hoarse laugh started to fill the room. Conrí half-looked around for the laugh, and then realised he was the one laughing. "L-Lucia, we..." a fit of laughter made him unable to speak for a moment. "Thank Lugus. But, we might not want the simulation to get to us so much next time," he said with a wink.
The wolf boy barely realised he was standing on his own two feet, and Jason nearly knocked him over in a hug. Instinctively, he wiped at the tears he had no doubt caused. "Chuisle mo chroí," he whispered softly into Jason's ear, forgetting that Lucia was still in the room, or, he would have blushed. Conrí held the crimson eyed one close, and felt their hearts beating. "I am so sorry that I made you cry. I asked Fen to tell you as a failsafe, and, it worked. You helped. Lucia punched me and was able to show up there, and, I was able to break out. Immediately after that, though, Lucia nearly killed me." He chuckled wryly, gestured to the sim room, and then pointed at Lucia, "I still didn't do it," he said in a sing song tone and stuck out his tongue.
He took Jason's hand, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. "M--er--Lucia, may I go sit for a while? I would like to better regain my senses, and, I suspect Jason might have an earful for me, because I scared ye so badly." I scared meself, too.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 15, 2018 20:35:55 GMT -5
Jason listened to his love, then his eyes shifted past him to stare at Lucia as he heard the last of the events. She was currently attempting to shut down the system with little success, but something in those crimson eyes made her instantly defensive, even backing up just a little. "I only used Requiem to heal him I swear! And the settings would have healed him even if I didn't!" Flustered, she hit the console with her left arm, only to be surprised when it actually shut down.
Some part of that satisfied Jason apparently, because she relaxed before leaving the room muttering about making breakfast for everyone, desperately trying to control her blush. Once she passed him he pulled back and smiled when Conrí took his hand. "I have nothing to say but that I'm glad you're still you. Come on, let's get you to the couch."
He helped the wolf-king down the hall and into the living room to finally sit before an argument sounded from the kitchen, quickly followed by some smoke. Eyes widening Jason rushed in to find Jen trying to cook what appeared to be pancakes, but using fire magic to speed it up. Lucia was using water magic to counter the flames, thus causing the smoke, and the sisters were arguing about common sense of all things. Just as he got them separated and the trio began cleaning the mess to start over the doorbell chimed, leaving Jason no choice but to yell back into the living room. "Lilulf can you get that? Things are a bit hectic in here right now."
On the other side of the door floated an androgynous teen wearing baggy jeans, a loose crimson hooded sweatshirt, and a matching headband keeping their dark green hair out of their violet eyes. A pair of black headphones somehow completed the look.
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Post by Conrí on Sept 15, 2018 21:19:12 GMT -5
Conrí took a second to kiss Jason's cheek, happy that he got the privilege to sit down. Soon, though, things erupted into chaos in the kitchen. He chuckled a bit. The wolf boy shook his head and managed to open the door. "I suppose this is my life, better start getting used to it." As he finished saying that, Conrí noticed a floating teen with headphones. "Hello, youth. Might as well come in. Jen's apparently tried to burn down the house. Lucia tried to kill me in a simulation, but, come in. There might be breakfast."
He walked down the hall and poked his head into the kitchen. "A stór, do we know any youths who float and wear headphones?" He was a little relieved to see that his love was trying to cook this time. "Two weeks, six days," he whispered to himself.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 15, 2018 22:31:03 GMT -5
Mink blinked with a bored expression on their face as Conrí opened the door and invited them in. As they floated behind him that quickly figured out when exactly they were based on where the four were and the fact that Conrí's aura showed he'd fallen for Jason recently.
Meanwhile all three of the adults in the kitchen heard Conrí's description before looking at each other in shock. Jason nudged Lucia toward the door with a wink. "Go on, Jen can finish cleaning her mess and I'll keep cooking." Jen stuck her tongue out at him but did keep cleaning as Lucia dried her hands and quickly walked into the living room with a huge smile on her face to hug her child. "Elmindreda! I thought I'd have to wait fifteen years to see you again."
Mink rolled their eyes at Lucia's affection, despite the hug only lasting a few seconds. "Mom... I told you to call me Mink instead." Lucia's smile turned fond somehow, as if it were an old argument kept around as a sort of bond between them. "I know, but I love your name so much! It's not like you don't want it, you just want to look 'cool' around people." Mink somehow rolled their eyes even harder. "OF course you love the name, you picked it."
They sighed before turning to Conrí suddenly with a tiny smirk revealing their actual feelings. "Hey Conrí. I think I like you better with the beard after all." Lucia perked up at that statement, eyes glinting as she faced her apprentice as well. "If they recognize you, then it looks like you're gonna be stuck with us for a while."
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Post by Conrí on Sept 15, 2018 22:55:23 GMT -5
Conrí's head was still spinning slightly from the simulation, and now, it seemed like he had the chance to witness first hand what Jason had told him about the kids and time traveling.
The wolf boy smiled softly when he watched Lucia embrace her child. They had a slight back and forth about the name, but Conrí decided to follow the youth's example and go with Mink. He was also somewhat taken aback when the youth mentioned his having a beard, and Lucia seemed pleased to know that the would be king would be with them for a good long while. This information caused Conrí to rub his chin thoughtfully.
He excused himself from the living room with a bow, and walked into the kitchen. Gently, he hugged Jason from behind, head swimming too much to care if Jen made a quip. "Chuisle, do ye think I'd look decent with a beard? The youth says it suits me in the future, apparently." He bent down to whisper in his love's ear, "And, it looks like I might make it through your little time limit on some things." He chuckled a little, "I wonder if we will be a bickering old married couple by then."
Conrí started to wonder if the simulation or his near death had somehow made him bolder than usual.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 15, 2018 23:13:06 GMT -5
Lucia and Mink's voices drifted faintly into the kitchen behind Conrí, but the sound of the vent hood muffled it enough to be unintelligible, at least until Jennifer finished the dishes and rushed out to yell "Mink!" before dropping her voice to match theirs.
Still in the kitchen Jason grinned as he flipped the bacon and cracked a few more eggs as he felt his love's arms. "Oh, Mink said you're still there then? Looks like things work out just fine then." He turned his head and gave him a peck on the cheek. "And I think you'd look decent however you decide, but I'm biased~"
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Post by Conrí on Sept 15, 2018 23:26:06 GMT -5
Conrí watched as Jen left the room. He smiled and sighed gently. "I certainly hope so." The wolf boy thought about asking Mink more about his future, but he shook his head. Whatever was going to happen would happen. He kissed Jason's neck softly. "Careful, a stór, we wouldn't want you to suddenly turn into deirfiúr and have you burning the bacon."
Conrí chuckled. He placed his head on Jason's shoulder and closed his eyes. "So, where would you like us to be in two weeks and six days?"
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Post by Ziya on Sept 15, 2018 23:39:52 GMT -5
Jason chuckled as he transferred the bacon and eggs to a waiting plate, leaving only one more to fill. "You're talking about Jen right? She could cook basic things at least if she'd quit trying to speed things up with fire magic."
Another set of eggs and bacon went into the skillets as Conrí asked his question, making Jason pause in thought for a moment before answering. "Well, that'll be fairly close to my twenty-eighth birthday, so hopefully just like this or better. Knowing my friends in there and their husbands though we'll probably be hip deep in some kind of adventure. At least it never get's boring."
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Post by Conrí on Sept 16, 2018 4:58:33 GMT -5
Conrí heard Jason's comment about Jen trying to speed things up with fire magic, and looked absolutely mortified. "Doing that takes a kind of precision that I am barely capable of. the only reason why I know it's even remotely possible is because that's what the druids did to get us used to controlling our magic." Very carefully, the wolf boy put his hand over the pan of bacon and eggs. The tiniest tendril of flame appeared on his fingertip, and he slowly browned the raw side of the bacon before extinguishing the flame. "Like so," he said, putting his hand back near Jason's chest.
Conrí breathed in his love's scent, and listened to what he'd said about his birthday. "So, what I'm hearing is, make you as happy as possible on that day." He lightly started to rub Jason's shoulders and kissed the man's neck again. The would be king wondered if the adrenaline was still making him forward, or if he now realised just how precious these little moments with his love were. "What I'm thinking is, that might be close enough to that month we talked about, and, I don't care what god I need to ask, but, maybe, I'm kind of thinking about making sure we stay in, because, I think I'd make a decent enough gift and roommate, if ye'd have me, a stór."
Conrí reluctantly backed away from Jason and went into the living room. He stared at Lucia, Mink, and Jen before clearing his throat. "With the exception of the youth, who I'd like to ask questions of, but won't, because spoilers," he said with a wink, referencing a TV show he'd seen once, "We don't know how much time we have to be with the important people in our lives." The wolf boy started to bow, and kept his eyes on Lucia, "So, please, Lucia, I will train twice as hard if necessary, so that ye are certain I'll not shirk my duties as an apprentice, and I'll beg gods if I have to, but, please let Jason and I have his birthday free of battles or missions or fighting. I admittedly have my own ideas for celebrating the day, but, instead, could we please maybe throw a celebration?"
The would be king rose from his bow, staring at all three of them. "I know I don't have all the information, so I know this is not yet my place, but, if you think there hasn't been enough of that weight hanging over all of us..." Tears came to his eyes. "My apologies." He looked at Lucia closely, "I amn't your husband, but, with the exception of Jay's birthday, I will fight alongside you however I can for as long as you can, so that maybe this youth can grow up happy. I even offer my services in helping look after the wee nabin after the birth."
With that, Conrí nodded, walked back into the kitchen and started to set the table without being asked. Occasionally, when he got close to Jason, he would put his hand on the man's shoulder or hug him briefly. "I hope to be able to surprise you, chuisle mo chroí," he whispered into Jason's ear.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 16, 2018 12:41:55 GMT -5
Jason grinned as his love not only showed him he knew how to use magic to cook correctly but then followed with a suggestion he dearly wished would happen. "Nothing would make me happier, lilulf." He moved to kiss him quickly, then moved back to transferring the food to a plate and finally beginning on the newly remade pancakes.
Meanwhile in the living room Jen had just released Mink from a bear hug when Conrí entered and began talking about Jason's upcoming birthday, surprising both the sisters but leaving Mink unfazed. "Of course Conrí, we always celebrate our birthdays! We might not after enough of them, but for now each one is important. And I'll be glad to have you fight alongside us." Jen giggled at his apparent nickname for Mink, something they noticed from the corner of their eye.
They floated into the kitchen after Conrí, ending up right behind him before speaking in their usual deadpan voice. "You do know that you're only four years older than me, right? You might not have told them yet, but I know."
Jason just laughed as he flipped pancakes.
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Post by Conrí on Sept 16, 2018 13:05:31 GMT -5
Conrí breathed out when he heard that they always celebrated birthdays, and then blinked, realising he wasn't entirely sure of his exact birthday. The wolf boy put a hand to his chin for a second, and then nodded. "In my world, I was born sometime in the midsummer, because I was presented with a blanket of holly leaves as a baby. The druids said it symbolised my role as a good leader, and also suspected that I would have an affinity for fire magic." He tapped his chin and sighed. "Just in case you wanted another reason to celebrate." With that, he excused himself from the living room.
As he entered the kitchen, he felt like Mink had followed him into the room. The teen seemed upset with him, so, he turned and faced the strange youth. "Oh, I'm sorry, instead of 'youth' would you prefer 'fae' or 'changling'?" As he asked this, he winked, and stuck out his tongue, admittedly glad that Jason just laughed as he flipped pancakes. The would be king looked into Mink's eyes. "Aye, ye may know a lot of things, but I'm smart enough not to concern myself with that. The druids claimed to have visions of the future, and never talked about them, save for where it was completely unavoidable. That said, I'm sure ye know yourself, so, if there's something ye'd rather me call you, tell me.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 16, 2018 17:54:41 GMT -5
Jen turned to her sister as Conrí and Mink left the room, a hint of a smile on her face. "So, what are you thinking, mid June?" Lucia nodded with a grin of her own. "Let's go with the 21st, since it's the Solstice."
Meanwhile in the kitchen Jason continued to cook, just about finished with the pancakes as Mink looked at Conrí blankly. "I'd rather you call me Mink or Min, but it doesn't really matter."
Jason's hand tightened on the spatula when Conrí mentioned visions of the future, causing him to miss the last pancake as it flipped and landed on the counter. "Sorry! I'll clean that up and we can get to eating. We'll talk after, I guess."
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Post by Conrí on Sept 16, 2018 18:34:12 GMT -5
Conrí looked at Jason, unaware of what he said that made his crimson eyed love miss the last pancake. Jason said that he would clean it up, but, without thinking, the wolf boy used some wind magic to pick up the pancake and put it into the bin. He wiped off the counter and floor. He sucked in a breath, glad that Jason said they'd talk after the food. The would be king walked over to Jason. "Jay," he said, deciding to try the shorter version of his name, to see if his love liked it, and his hand brushed away a bit of crimson hair, "If it makes ye feel better, I've not ever had it happen."
Conrí turned to Mink and nodded. "Min it is then, but, I'm sure you knew that, and, while I'm sure you know how this is all going to turn out, could you please give us a moment?" After he spoke, he eyed Jason with some concern. What is it, a stór? he wondered to himself.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 16, 2018 19:48:19 GMT -5
Mink shrugged and left to get the others, leaving Jason alone with Conrí and a more serious mood. "Jen's father-in-law can see into the future, and predicted what we were going to talk about after breakfast. I was the only one of us that also knew, thanks to overhearing Jen's granddaughter and Lucia's Master talking about it. But changing the future only leads to worse outcomes later, and so I had to bite my tongue and let it happen."
He continued to set the table as he spoke, placing food at each setting. "For a few days I thought they weren't going to forgive me, but somehow they eventually did. I'm not sure if I wanted them to." He placed the last plate in silence, then smiled weakly at his love. "We look so confident and powerful to people, but inside we're all barely holding together right now. But you're the reason why I'm managing, Rí." His grin grew just a hair as he winked to show his approval for the shortened name.
A few minutes later Jennifer poked her head around the corner, then walked in once she saw she wasn't interrupting anything. Lucia and Mink followed behind her before all three sat at the table and waited for Jason and Conrí to join them.
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Post by Conrí on Sept 16, 2018 21:22:42 GMT -5
Conrí listened to everything Jason said. He rubbed his forehead a bit, finally realising what his comment had unearthed. He walked over to Jason and wrapped him up in a hug. "I'm so sorry, Jay." he whispered and stoked at his love's hair. "You did what you had to do. But...ye can let it out now." When Conrí heard his name shortened, he smiled. "I'll always be by your side, a stór.
The wolf boy kissed Jason's forehead softly. "Shall we go face what lies ahead, or, did ye need more time to talk?" The would be king tried exceedingly hard not to get lost in Jason's eyes. He couldn't help it--the man was simply distracting.
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