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Avery chuckled from Kimiko's reaction. "And you called me adorable," he teased. Avery pulled Kimiko along, looking for a good area for them to start. "Basketball or a shooting game to start?"

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Cassiopeia jumped out, holding onto Nic's hands, and waved at people as they started to leave. Jason and Todd hovered by the vehicle, waiting to see if Cass needed a ride back to her place.

Cassi smiled up at Nic before she looked down at their hands. She flipped one of Nic's palms over and ran a finger along the lines of his hand. "I could take the bus home, if you want me to stay a little longer," she said, looking up at Nic.

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Caden grinned, pleased Nero would allow him to keep up the surprise weekend he had in store for them. He laughed after his picture was taken and nodded. "We can take as many pictures as you want and do as many of those little couple TikTok videos, too."

He finished his champagne just before the plane started to drop more. "We're landing now, stay seated," he told Nero. A few moments later the plane touched the runway and started to slow as they taxied over to a private area. A black sedan waited on the tarmac, the driving standing outside. They moved once the plane stopped and took the luggage from the plane and added it to the trunk of the car.

Caden stood and buttoned his jacket up. "Ready, my dear?" Caden asked, offering their hand to Nero.

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Kiki smiles goofily at him calling her adorable before she lets him drag her along. “Hmm… Basketball.” She decides with a nod, pulling Avery towards the game once her eyes find it. It had been awhile since she played the game, but she hopes her muscles would remember it well enough to do well.

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Nic smiles widely, his dimples popping out. “I’d very much like that.” He tells Cass. Jason and Todd go ahead and leave as Ren, Nic, and Cass head up into the apartment. Ren retreats to his bedroom to start arranging some of the things that have been brought in.

Nic leads Cass into the kitchen and starts unpacking some of the dishes, knowing that will be an important first step for someone like him who eats almost constantly. “Go sit down, my little sorceress. I want you to take a break.” He gestures to the kitchen table and chairs that have been placed haphazardly.

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Nero almost leaps out of their seat when Caden says they can take TikTok videos. They love sending Caden those, so the thought of making their own excites them. When the plans lands, Nero jumps as they’re jolted a little. As the plane comes to a stop, Nero waits patiently, but wiggling still, in their seat until Caden stands and offers his hand.

The demon quickly unbuckles and accepts Caden’s hand, hopping out of their seat with a wide smile. “Ready!” They chirp happily, taking the opportunity to tightly hug their mate and bury their face in his shirt.

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Cassiopeia happily follows Nic and Ren into the elevator and up to the top. The joy of having cats is you can leave them pretty much all day and they're fine. As long as there was food.

Cassiopeia smiled and waved to Ren before he disappeared into his bedroom. Part of her worried she was intruding and that was why he went into hiding, but it had been a long day for all of them as well.

Cass follows Nic into the kitchen and starts to pull out bowels and glasses, unwrapping them and setting them on the counter so Nic could put them away where he wanted. She pouted when he told her to go and sit. Defiantly, she grabbed one of the unopened boxes and sat at the kitchen table with it. She opened the box and started pulling things out, feeling triumphant that she could do both.

"You were working all day, too," she reminded him to prevent him from protesting.

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Caden chuckled, shaking his head from their excitement. He kissed the top of Nero's head before leading them to the stairs out of the plane. He thanks his pilots and hands them an envelope. "Have fun. I'll contact you Sunday, but I think a late night departure would be best for everyone." The pilots are shocked but nodded happily.

Caden lead Nero down the stairs and stopped when they reached the bottom. He pointed to a plane that had just landed and was taxing down the runway "That's what most people fly in," he said, pointing to one of the large passenger airplanes. "Except they don't have bedrooms, or private bathrooms."

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Nic waves Cass’ protest off, shaking his head with a smile at how she did as she was told but still managed to to defy him too. “Yeah, but I’m a perfect boyfriend.” He reminds her as he starts organizing the dishes on the counter and opening up the cabinets to decide where everything will go.

“And perfect boyfriends can work all day and help unpack.” He takes a glass and rinses it out in case of any dirt or anything getting in it while it was moved, and fills it with water and ice, setting it down by Cass. “I just want you to take a moment and rest a little, especially before we start all over again tomorrow.”

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Nero looks where Caden is pointing as wind wraps around the two, playing with the demon’s hair. They glance between the jet they just exited and the passenger airplane, marveling at little at the difference in size. “Huh. Well I liked our way well enough.” Nero says, peering back up at Caden. They shift their weight, bouncing on their feet. They can’t wait to find out what Caden has in store for them.

“Okay, let’s go! They say as they energetically pull Caden towards the SUV.

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Cassiopeia stuffed the paper back into the box she unpacked when she heard the glass hit the table. Cassi looked over and smirked before she sat up and looked at Nic.

"And when do you get to rest?" she countered. "I'm okay, Nic. My head feels fine, my cut is fully healed," she reminded him. "I can still remember what happened last week and two hundred and fifty years ago."

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Caden laughed as they were pulled along. He let Nero get in first before he gave the driver directions. "We'll be there for a couple hours. You could drop off our things at the hotel before coming back," Caden suggested. The driver agreed, and Caden got inside the car.

"I think you're going to love it here. The life in New York is rousing." Inside the car, a black partition between the driver and the backseats was up, so the passengers had privacy. The windows were completely tinted so no one could see inside.

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Avery and Kimiko played a couple rounds of basketball, the games very close, but Kimiko got the edge out on Avery a couple of times. Then it was air hockey, then it was a couple of shooting games. At one point Avery lost it, laughing hard at the way Kimiko was freaking out and shooting anything and everything.

As they wandered to find their next game, Aver spotted a claw machine with giant stuffed animals inside, and Avery pointed at it. "These things suck, but do you want me to try and get one for you?" At some point, Avery had received a message from Caden that he and Nero were safely in New York.

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“No sleep for the wicked.” Nic teases with a wink. All the boxes are unpacked now that Cass has finished hers, it’s just deciding where everything should go. Nic sits down in one of the seats at the table, next to Cass but at an angle so he can see clearly into the kitchen and cabinets.

“I know your concussion isn’t an issue anymore and that you’re perfectly capable of handling yourself, but let me be a doting boyfriend. It fuels my primal need to protect and take care of you.” He leans over to kiss Cass’ cheek before staring into the kitchen cabinets as he thinks.

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Nero nods enthusiastically, sliding over in their seat so they can look out the windows as the car moves. “The city that never sleeps, right? Perfect for someone who doesn't need sleep.” Nero turns just enough to wink at Caden before peering outside again. They haven’t put on a seatbelt and practically kneel on the seat with their face almost against the glass again.

“How often have you been here?” Nero asks.

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Kimiko is thoroughly enjoying herself, even when she flailed hopelessly at one of the shooting games. Zombies in real life were terrifying and she lost her cool when she became surrounded by them in the game.

When Avery points out the crane game, Kimiko grins widely. It’s the perfect opportunity for a typical arcade date and she wants to be one of those girls carrying around a large stuffed animal. She nods excitedly to Avery. “Yes.” Kiki says, dragging him over to it. She spots a fat wolf plush and grins when she sees its mostly white with some grey, just like her wolf.

“That one.” She orders of Avery.

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Cassiopeia sipped her water while Nic looked into the kitchen, trying to decide what he wanted. She looked at Nic when he mentioned it being a 'primal need' and she laughed while he kissed her cheek.

"You are too good for this world Nicholas Wu," she declared.

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Caden grinned and nodded. "Exactly," he said, and looked out the opposite window. He watched cars and buildings go by as they made their slow way through. Walking in New York was always the better option, but Caden had requested a car for the evenings.

"Many times. I've lost count," he informed Nero.

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Avery looked at the stuffed animal she points out and he laughed. "Hmmm, I wonder why," he said, grinning. Avery scanned his wristband for the game to start. He concentrated, looking to make sure he had it lined up before he dropped the claw. The thing with this game was it was timed. So you only had so long before the game would shut down on you.

Unfortunately Avery missed it. He glanced at Kimiko. "You wanna try?" He stepped out of the way, scanning his card again for her, so she could try. He stood just beside her, with his hand on her lower back. He guided her when she needed it, but tried to let her do it on her own. When she didn't get it as well, Avery laughed.

"I have a larger, warmer, fuzzier alternative. Would that work?" he asked Kimiko, referring to his own wolf form.

"Let's try one more time, and then I can buy you another drink." He shuffled Kimiko out of the way, and gave the claw machine another go.

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A lopsided grin makes its way onto Nic face, making one of his dimples more noticeable as he looks at Cass. “Funny, I was going to say the same about you, Miss Alistair.” He pats her leg and lets his hand rest there as he stares into her eyes.

“I swear your eyes could trap me inside them.” He says as he moves his other hand to caress her cheek. Once again he has that feeling in his stomach, the one that tells him he’s in love with this woman, but he keeps it to himself. Two weeks into dating was still too soon to drop the ‘L’ bomb, he felt. However, he knows he loves her - it’s impossible not to.

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Nero turns around to peer at Caden as he looked out the window and smiled. They scoot over and sit in his lap, unable to help themselves as usual. “What’s your favorite part about the city?” They ask with their signature head tilt as they wrap their arms loosely around his neck.

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Kiki flushes when she fails to get the wolf as well and Avery laughs at her, but his offer is very tempting. She briefly wonders how soft his fur is while she steps aside to let Avery give it one more try. It looks like it’s going to miss again, but by some miracle it’s falls down the chute. “Eeeee!” Kimiko squeals, shoving past Avery to pull it out of the machine.

She notices that it’s sort of tucked in on the bottom and pulls to discover it’s reversible and the other side has an angry expression. Kiki grins widely and show Avery.

“Aw! He makes the same expression you do!” She teases before hugging the stuffed animal tightly.

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Cassiopeia smiled softly while they happily stared at each other. Her hand rested on top of Nic’s while it warmed her leg. Nic’s words warmed her cheeks, and Cassi broke eye contact. She curled her hand around Nic’s, squeezing it before setting in on her cheek and looking back at him.

”I’m happy you found me,” she whispered.

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Caden’s attention returns to Nero when he feels them crawl into his lap. He smiled, wrapping his arms loosely around them. Caden lifted his hand, brushing his fingers along Nero’s orbital bone, then down the side of their face.

”The art. The music and the culture. It makes this city feel more alive,” he said softly. He looked out the window as they crossed one of the bridges to Manhattan Island.

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Avery stumbled out of the way when Kimiko pushed him to get her prize. He laughed, shaking his head at the absolute minion she was. He leaned against the machine, watching her freak out and flip the thing inside out. His eyes widened at the comparison, and then he laughed.

”It does not!”

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Nic’s eyes don’t leave her face, even as she turns away before looking back at him again. “Me too.” He whispers back, once again trapped in her blue orbs. His dad is still upstairs and there’s no one else to interrupt them this time, so he closes the little distance between them and kisses her fully on her lip, the hand on her leg moving to rest on her hip.

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Nero closes their eyes as Caden’s fingers brush their skin, finding the motion soothing, almost lulling them to sleep. Almost. They open their eyes when Caden speaks and follows their line of sight out the window. “Human culture is always so diverse and different, yet somehow so similar. It’s fascinating.” Nero notes before resting their head on Caden’s shoulder. Maybe that’s why they collected so many oddities and why they were always so different compared to other demons; they already had an appreciation for humanity brewing inside them.

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Kiki grins widely before she laughs along with him, enchanted by the sound of his laugh. “It so does!” She says, her accent coming on strong. She holds the plush by the sides and in a deep gruff voice she says, “It does not.” She says, mimicking Avery.

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There was no one to stop the kiss this time, and although the kiss wasn’t as heady as it had been in the back of the moving van, it still pulled Cassiopeia in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning close to Nic while they kissed.

Her fingers naturally twirled in Nic’s hair, her mind drifting to how it had looked when he took his helmet off earlier, which led her mind to drift to the moment in the moving van. She knew nothing would happen here with Ren upstairs, but that didn’t prevent Cassi from wishing it would.

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Caden smiled, rubbing Nero’s back while they laid on him, and they watched the world go by together.

”Humans never seem to change either. Life after life there is this constant motion and need to become more. Art captures the movement of life, and some capture the beauty or the pain so completely of living. It’s fascinating.”

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Avery doubled over, having to turn around because he was laughing much more from Kiki’s impersonation of him with the wolf stuffed animal mimicking her face. Tears formed in his eyes and he wiped his face, shaking his head.

”Now you’ll always have me with you,” he said, calming down.

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Nic pulls Cass closer to him, the chair making a small scraping noise against the hardwood floor. His hand that cups her face moves to mirror Cass’, tangling into her hair as his tongue flicks out, asking for permission. Nic deepens the kiss, glad to finally have her in his arms and close to him after having barely any time alone with her the last week.

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Nero peers back up at Caden as he describes art and wiggles in his lap. “I’m starting to see why you like art so much.” They say. “I’ve never thought of it like that, but you’re absolutely right. I think I’d like to see more art sometime with that perspective.”

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Kimiko giggles, completely infatuated by how hard Avery reacts to her joke. She grins widely again as she watches him wipe his tears from laughter. Kiki tilts her head at his comment and shakes her head with a smile. “I remember someone telling me I have a larger, warmer, fuzzier alternative. That one can stay with me.” She steps lightly over to Avery and kisses him softly.

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A happy noise vibrated in Cassi’s throat, and she shifted in her seat. She moved without breaking the kiss to sit sideways in Nic’s lap. Once she was seated, Cass parted her lips so the kiss would deepen.

Her hands slid further into Nic’s hair, and Cass did her best to stifle a moan, but it was just quieter than it could have been. Her emotions flooded her body, and despite them being inside, a brief breeze drifted down Cassi’s back, pushing her to press her body closer to Nic’s.

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”Well, we are in New York. Maybe we will, my little imp,” Caden said, kissing Nero softly.

The car started to slow as it neared its destination. Outside, life in New York was transitioning from the busy work day to the active nightlife, and since it was Friday, the city was really coming awake.

Caden pulled back from the kiss seconds before the door opened. He set Nero down and got out before helping his imp get out of the car. Cars sped down the road next to them, horns honking and music playing from everywhere. Laughter and yelling filled the sidewalks. The overall feeling of life was provocative, and Caden smiled brightly at his little imp.

Behind him, in bold, burnished gold lettering read the words Death & Co. Thin, horizontal windows looked out onto the street, revealing black, red, and gold interior inside. People were laughing, and whispering into each other’s ears. ”I thought we could have some cocktails, and a small bite to eat before I take you sight seeing,” Caden explained.

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Avery looked down as Kimiko closed the distance. A smile still rested on his face and danced in his eyes from the laughter he had shared with her earlier. He felt his body warm from her words, pleased she seemed to like the idea of his wolf form keeping her protected.

Kimiko’s lips found their way onto his, and Avery wrapped one arm around her waist. His hand came to rest on her hip, and he tugged her close while they kissed.

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Cass’ moan nearly undoes Nic and he moves both his hands to her hips. Slowly, he starts to stand up from his chair, taking her with him and moving his hands to hold her more securely. He doesn’t break the kiss as he carries her to the thankfully nearby couch. Once seated, he lets his tongue find hers.

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Nero giggles to themself as Caden breaks their kiss just as the door opens. With his help, they exit the car and take a look around, eyes wide as they take in the city around them. When Caden talks next, Nero looks back at him and takes in the words he says as they look at the sign. They grin widely up at Caden. “I already like the name.” They chirp, grabbing Caden’s hand and dragging him inside.

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Warmth spreads through Kiki as Avery pulls her close. She throws her arms around his neck, effectively thwacking her boyfriend in the back with the large plush. With a a laugh she breaks the kiss but still stays close. “I somehow forgot that small Avery was in my hands still.” She tells him with a sheepish smile.

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Cassiopeia's hands tightened on Nic when he picked her up. Even after a day of being on his feet and then moving, he could still pick her up with ease. Cassi would be lying if she said the idea of that didn’t turn her on all the more.

Somehow, Nic managed to find the couch without running into anything, and his tongue finally tangled with hers. Cassi shifted her hands from the back of Nic’s head to tangle onto the top of his hair and pulled slightly.

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Caden chuckled and let Nero drag them along. ”I thought you might,” he said. They walked inside, the sensual atmosphere already wrapping around the pair. Caden spoke with the front-end staff member, giving them his name before they were led to a back corner of the restaurant.

Caden smiled and slid into the booth-styled seat, pulling Nero in with him so they sat on the same side of the booth together. ”Möchten Sie, dass ich eine Flasche Wein bestelle, oder möchten Sie einen Cocktail?”

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Avery laughed, the kiss effectively over for the time being. He gave Kimiko a crooked look, his eyebrows shifting and the corner of his mouth tilted up. ”Small Avery? Please tell me that’s not what you are going to call that thing?”

Avery released Kimiko, settling for her hand, and led her through the arcade, looking for a new game.

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Nic groans, unable to help himself when Cass tugs on his hair, pulling her closer before he started to lay Cass down onto her back. He held himself slightly above her, his hands fiddling with her shirt as he held her waist and hips. His hand was just about to slip under the fabric when he hears the telltale footsteps of his father coming down the stairs.

“Never alone,” Nic growls softly to Cass before sitting up and helping her sit back up as well.

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“Einen Cocktail bitte.” Nero says, scooting as close to Caden as possible in the booth without actually sitting in his lap. “Wir können später immer noch eine Flasche Wein kaufen, wenn wir wirklich wollen.” They add, beaming up at Caden before picking up the menu to look over it. They wiggle in their seat happily, already loving this trip so far.

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Kiki waggles her brow at Avery, squeezing his hand back gently as she laughs. “Well, I wasn’t going to, but seeing how much you like the name, I might.” She grins as she hugs the plush close to her with one arm and joins Avery in looking for their next game.

“Hmmm, what about ‘Little Wolf’?” She asks, enjoying herself very much.

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Cass had barely any time to register Nic's movements, her focus on his lips and his hands. The groan he made because of her had her toes curling. She slid her leg up his once she was on her back, her stomach tightening when Nic's hand brushed against her stomach. And then he was pulling away and she was sitting up.

Cassi felt a head rush from the change in position, and from being heavy in the moment and then nothing. The growl Nic emanated didn't help the sensations still crawling over her skin from Nic's touch. Cassiopeia stood from the couch and pulled her hair back quickly into a bun before she stood and retrieved her glass of water. She drank the whole thing before Ren walked into the kitchen and Cassi started organizing dishes into a cupboard, choosing the one near the fridge.

Her entire body was still electrified from Nic, and she was very aware of his presence. She had to keep herself busy in order to keep her mind busy.

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Caden rested his arm behind Nero, looking over the menu with them. Woher kommt Ihre Wertschätzung für Musik?" Caden asked them curiously. His fingers lightly stroked Nero's shoulder.

Nero had picked the composer they wanted to hear when Caden had played the violin for them that first time, and he was curious to know if that was something Nero had always loved, or developed a like for music after they had become a demon.

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Avery stopped when he finds the skeet-ball, and let go of Kimiko's hand. "Little wolf? Hmm, maybe. What would my nickname be though I wonder."

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Nic adjusts himself before he stands, making sure everything was tucked away that needed to be from that intense moment. He goes to join Cass in the kitchen, choosing a drawer furthest from Cass to start organizing the silverware into. He doesn’t miss that Cass has practically hidden herself in a cabinet. “Hey dad, everything okay?” He calls over his shoulder.

“Yeah, just realized I was getting thirsty up there and wanted some water.” Of course he did… Nic should have taken water or a bottle up to him sooner. He drags a hand down his face, his back now turned to his father as he lets out a quiet sigh.
.

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Nero leans their head back to look at Caden, wiggling their feet along to the music that the bar is playing as they think about his question. “Ich glaube, es war für mich immer eine Möglichkeit, menschliche Bewegungen zu verstehen.” They say, thinking out loud.

“Ich weiß nicht, ob das sinnvoll war oder nicht.” They admit to Caden with small sheepish smile.

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Kiki can hardly suppress a grin when Avery asks what his nickname would be. “Big wolf? Big bad wolf? Grandmother?” She starts giggling at the last one. “Oh, oh, I could start wearing a red cloak!” She says with a laugh.

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"Oh, here, Ren." Cassi grabs a glass from the counter and wipes it out before she fills it for him. "Did you want to help organize the kitchen?" she asked, not sure if he wanted a say in where everything went. Heck, she wasn't even sure if Nic would like where she was putting the dishes. She just needed to do something.

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Caden smiled and kissed Nero's lips once before answering. "Das macht absolut Sinn. Musik war für den Menschen schon immer eine Möglichkeit, das auszudrücken, was er nicht in Worte fassen kann." Their drinks arrive and Caden thanks the server before picking up his drink and clinked his glass to Nero's. "Ich glaube, Sie verstehen die Menschen weitaus besser, als Ihnen bewusst ist."

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Avery lets go of one of the balls he throws and it completely misses. He snorts, looking at Kimiko and shakes his head at her. [color=#B0C4DE}"Grandmother? Really?"[/color] He looked back at the game and tossed another ball.

"Well, I've never minded a little light role playing. Does that mean I get to eat you at the end?" Avery asked boldly and looked at Kimiko.

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Ren shakes his head. “I’m still going through some of the things upstairs, but I did find these.” He holds out a small pocket-sized journal and then one the size of a normal notebook. “The smaller one belonged to Lì and the larger one was Kiki’s. I thought if you were still here, you might want to look through them.”

Nic raises his eyebrows slightly, turning to see his father holding out two sketchbooks towards Cass. He had mentioned to his father that Cass might be interested in the old sketches of his mom and sister while attempting to convince him of getting a tattoo. He’s surprised to see his dad actually giving them to her.

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Nero’s eyes follow Caden’s movements after he’s kissed them, a silly little grin on their lips as they listen to what he says. “Vielleicht, wenn klassische Musik aus dem Mund von Menschen käme, statt aus dem anderen Kauderwelsch, das das tut.” They take a sip of their cocktail and dance happily in their seat. It’s delicious.

“Ich weiß allerdings nicht, woher die Wertschätzung kommt.”

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A weird, strangled squeak left Kiki at Avery’s words which catch her completely off guard. She nearly curls into a ball on the floor out of sheer embarrassment as her entire face flushes. She smacks Avery on the arm. “You can’t just say things like that!” She says, flabbergasted by his nerve at times.

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