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“That seems so American.” Kiki teases, but makes a mental note of it for later. When Avery asks what her favorite is, she grins at him. “Chocolate covered strawberries.” She tells him, rolling up the paper wrapper from her straw before undoing it and folding it.

“Or really, anything with fruit will do just fine. I had a friend who refused to see anything as a ‘dessert’ if it had fruit in it.” Kiki shakes her head with a small smile remembering how hard she had tried to convince the friend that a chocolate covered strawberry is indeed a dessert.

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When Caden offers to cover the woman’s bill, Nero frowns and fidgets. “Did I go too far?” They ask softly of the handsome man who sits across from them. Curling into themselves, they chew on their lip as they way for his response and glance at the woman they had inadvertently made cry.

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Nic laughs, loving Cass’ sense of humor regarding his high thoughts. He pouts when she refuses a massage but graciously takes the refilled water and chugs that as well with a satisfied sigh after finishing it all. Considering offer, he regards her fondly, stepping closer to her as she started to ramble.

Gently, Nic grabs Cass’ chin with his left hand, his forefinger going underneath while his thumb brushes over her lips. “I can stay the night.” He tells her gently while looking in her eyes. No matter what, he can never get over how blue they are each time.

“No taking advantage of me though, I’m in a vulnerable state between the fuzzy tea and the tattoo after all.” He bends down and kisses Cass’ lips softly before she can argue.

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Avery laughed when Kiki said it was just chocolate-covered strawberries. ”At least make the dessert something challenging. You already know I can make flawless chocolate-covered strawberries,” he said and paid their supper bill.

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Caden looked at Nero and reached out to claim their hand. He twitched his fingers, beckoning Nero to unfold themselves and reach out to him. ”It depends on who you ask, I suppose. I think we both saw that the couple was not going to last. If anything, you did them a favour. However, right now she does not see it as such. A little kindness will go a long way in getting her to feel confident again,” Caden declared.

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It isn’t until Nic’s thumb runs over Cassi’s lips that she finally shuts up. In fact, she goes quiet mid-sentence and just stares into Nic’s eyes. How is it he can capture her attention so easily? Aside from plants and her work, nothing can pull Cassi’s attention quite so immediately as Nic can. Her anxious heart is grateful for it.

Cassi blushed when Nic told her she couldn’t take advantage. She would never, but she could tease him. Before she can say as much, Nic is kissing her, and Cassi is leaning into in. She kissed him back softly, tasing the strong tea she made him drink earlier, but its diluted now because of the water and time.

Cassi pulled herself away from the kiss. ”Okay, okay. We’re almost finished with the tattoo, and then you can distract me after. Let your dad know you’re staying so he doesn’t worry.”

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With the bill paid, Kiki stands up and smooths down her short dress. “Well, I just told you anything with fruit would work too.” She holds her hand out for Avery to hold if he wants while she thinks further on it.

“Hmm… I like mochi… Daifuku, taiyaki, parfait, crepes, macarons, frozen yogurt… Honestly there’s too many to choose just one favorite.” Kiki sheepishly laughs with a shrug. “The French and Japanese do dessert well if you want a more general idea.”

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Nero reaches out their hand to Caden as his words tumble around in their mind. “Maybe she’ll learn not to glare at people as they eat.” Unable to help themselves, they joke about it. They squeeze Caden’s hand three times before finally looking up at him. “I guess we can view that as a wholesome prank though.” A smile tugs on their lips.

“But also, I don’t care what anyone else thinks, especially strangers. I care what you think of me.” Even with their immense guilt towards Cassi, they still just want her to repair the friendship he has with Caden. If she ends up hating Nero for all eternity, it’d be okay as long as Caden still loved them.

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Nic laughs heartily, dropping his hand from her chin to release her from his hold. “Yes ma’am.” He winks as he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to his dad, letting him know of the plans. He gets a thumbs-up emoji as a reply.

“Yeah, I think I’d much prefer staying here for sure.” Nic says with a chuckle before showing Cass the text exchange. “Definitely going to ask Kimiko tomorrow morning about getting a luncheon set up sooner rather than later.” He shakes his head a little before kissing Cass softly on her lips again. “Sorry, need one more.” He says with a smile before heading back towards the tattoo room before he really distracted the two of them.

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”Hmmmm, okay. All noted,” Avery said, taking Kimiko’s hand while he stands. He squeezed her hand while they walked, and he led her from the restaurant. He pushed the door open, his arm over her head and let her go first before he followed along behind her.

”Are there any tree house homes in Japan?”

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Caden smiled and squeezed Nero’s hand after they squeezed his three times, learning that was Nero’s way of saying ‘I love you’. ”I think we balance each other out well. I don’t mind your wholesome, mischievous pranks, but if they go too far, I can bend them back the other way.”

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Cassiopeia frowned at the simple emoji message back from Ren. That definitely didn’t make sense to her. And he didn’t tease Cass at all today. Something was up. Cassi picked up her tea after the second kiss from Nic, and she followed behind him and Wayland.

”Ya, I think that’s a good idea. Costa wants me to work on this red cap case anyway. I’m not sure how long it’ll take me. They are incredibly annoying and aggressive, and by the sounds of it, there are several of them causing terror.”

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Kiki ducks under Avery’s arm as he holds the door open, a light blush covering her nose and cheeks. Honestly, she probably just likes being under Avery. Don’t even start. She tells herself strongly before she goes down a rabbit hole of imagining other ways she can be underneath him. “Actually, I’ve been following the story of this man who bought land where an endangered tortoise is native to and built a ‘treehouse resort’. It started back in 2014 but… Here let me see if I can pull it up on my phone for you.”

Pulling her phone out of her yellow purse, Kiki pulls up their website tp show Avery. “Anyway, super sustainable, super lovely, and they’re ever expanding it. I would love to visit.” She sighs dreamily.

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Nero nods, their smile becoming bigger. “Who needs angels when the world has you.” They say before finishing the last bite of the cheesecake and resuming their happy wiggling. “Do we need to go back to the hotel to pack or anything? Or do they do that for us like they did with unpacking?” They ask as they wipe their mouth with the napkin before setting it down on the table.

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Nic squats and picks up Wayland with his left arm, holding most of the cat’s weight on his forearm as his palm kept him secure by holding Wayland’s chest. “What are red caps? Do you need help with that at all?” He asks Cass inquisitively, entering the room and sitting down in the same position again and letting Wayland get comfortable in his lap.

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Avery led Kimiko to the SUV, his hand hovering over her lower back as a guide until he stopped to open the passenger side door. He took Kimiko’s phone and looked over the place she had been talking about. He sent the link to his phone and nodded.

”This place is really cool. How come you’ve never gone?” If she had money and was well off like she said earlier, it didn’t make sense to Avery why she would wait to go.

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Caden chuckled and kissed Nero’s hand before letting them go. ”Thank you, my little imp, and no, everything is packed up and probably already in the jet waiting for us,” he said. He finished his cheesecake along with his drink. ”Thank you for letting me spoil you so much this weekend. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.”

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Cassi groaned in annoyance. ”Malicious little bastards are what they are,” she said, her Scottish burr coming through. ”They are magical creatures that can shift to look more human, but they are warriors and love bloodshed. They get their name from bathing their caps in the blood of their kills.”

Cassi sat down on her stool and switched the needles out on her tattoo gun after washing her hands and sanitizing. ”They are nuisances more than anything, but they do have a nasty bite that can affect other magical creatures. I dealt with them a lot when I was in Scotland. I have to look over Costa’s files that he sent me before I get started, but I don’t think it’ll take me long to dispatch them,” Cassi said honestly.

She sipped her tea and sighed in contentment before looking at Nic. She smiled brightly at him. ”Ready?”

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Kiki climbs into the passenger seat before she turns towards Avery to take her phone back and shrug. “Well, most of mum’s latest blessings in the past decade have been in Western Europe, a little far from Japan. And when I first visited there, it hadn’t existed.” With a small smirk, she puts her phone back in her purse and stares in her lap for a moment. “Also, even though I do prefer isolation… I dunno, it didn’t feel right going by myself.”

Nervously, she glances again at Avery. “Would you… want to go with me?”

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Nero does love the perks of dating someone rich - it came with a lot of great benefits. They smile happily at Caden before beaming at his words. “I enjoyed every second of it.” They assure their mate, reaching for his hand back.

“One day, I hope I’ll be able to spoil you somehow.”

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Nic listens with rapt attention, a little concerned when she mentions the bites of these things can affect other magical creatures. He nods when she asks if he’s ready. “Let’s do this.” He says with an easygoing smile.

“Does their bite affect you at all?” He asks as he relaxes in the chair and starts petting the cat in his lap again.

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Avery rested his arms along the top of the SUV while Kimiko explained why she had never gone. He chuckled and nodded. ”Only if I get to stand on the porch and yell into the trees like black Tarzan.”

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”I’m spoiled every day I get to spend with you,” Caden said and kissed Nero’s hand before he stood and pulled Nero up with him. ”However, I understand what you mean, and I look forward to that day as well.” Caden kissed Nero softly before leading them out of the restaurant and to the car.

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Cassi started tattooing again, debating on whether she should answer Nic’s question. She couldn’t avoid not telling him everything all the time, but there were risks with this line of work, and she wasn’t going to avoid doing it just because it put her in danger.

”Yes. I’ve been bitten before. I got rather lethargic and tired. I was only bitten once, but the venom was pulled out quickly.”

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Kiki laughs, shoulders shaking as she does. “So just another version of ‘Garden of the Gods’ then?” She teases, referencing the place he had taken her to to scream. “We should go to that diner again soon.” She says before leaning in and up to kiss Avery softly. “Thank you for another great date.”

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Nero kisses Caden back briefly before being led out by Caden. “Maybe a whole day of just sweet desserts that happen to be green. Bonus if they look like a dragon.” Nero teases as they exit the restaurant and head to the car. “Are we going straight to the plane?” They ask Caden with a head tilt.

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Nic digests this information for a moment before giving Cass a look. “Are you able to pull out the venom yourself? Or are you sure you don’t need another person helping you?” Nic asks. “Or is lethargic and tired the worst that’ll happen?” He tries to ask gently out of mild concern, just to make sure she’ll truly be okay.

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”Exactly! But in a tree this time,” Avery said and kissed Kimiko back. He smiled, brushing her cheek before he nodded. ”We should.” He closed her door before he got in on the driver's side and headed for the nearest FroYo place.

”Next date is on you,” Avery declared. ”I want to be wine and dined this time.”

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”Ooo, that sounds like a great way to spend a day with you,” he said and opened up the back door to the town car. Caden looked down at Nero and nodded.

”Yes, it’s time for us to head home.”

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”Well… no. If someone with a magical ability is bit more than once by a Redcap, we could fall into a dreamless sleep. A coma for the scientific world. We can come out of it. We won’t die, but.” Cassi pulled the needle away and shrugged as she added more ink and went back to her work.

”Being bitten once won’t put me into a coma or twice,” Cassi added. She glanced up at Nic and sighed. ”You have too much going on, Nic. I can’t run you ragged. It’ll affect your job, and the people at the hospital need you more than I do..”

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Kiki turns to smirk at Avery. “Works perfectly since I’m buying FroYo.” She teases. “I’m not Caden level of rich, but I can definitely wine and dine you.” She assures him, her smile turning more genuine than teasing.

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Nero beams before reaching up to kiss Caden again. “As much as I love New York, I miss our bed.” They tell Caden before scooting into the car. They wait for Caden to join them before speaking again. “Maybe I’ll learn how to cook or whatever and make all the desserts for you.”

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Nic looks at Cass pointedly. “Just tell me how I would pull the venom out or how to wake up someone from their coma. Just so I know how, please.” He looks into Cass’ eyes, trying to remain only concerned and not go too much further into Nurse Wu mode.

“I would feel better if you had someone there who knows how to do those things if you can’t do them yourself.” He explains. “I know you’re strong and can take care of yourself, clearly,” Nic smiles at her gently. “It’ll just ease my mind so I’m not running myself more ragged worrying about you.” He winks.

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Avery pouted as he had been hoping for more than just Froyo. He made a turn and cruised along, ever aware of the traffic and other drivers on the road. He glanced over at Kimiko when she promised to wine and dine him one night.

”Good. I’m looking forward to it,” he said, resting his hand on her thigh while he drove. He leaned his right elbow on the console, his left hand on top of the steering while he cruised through Chicago.

”Don’t they do those robot war things in Japan, too?” he asked, making conversation while he drove.

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Caden couldn’t agree with Nero anymore. He missed them in his bed as well. He missed the house they were making theirs and was looking forward to the renos to start to join their spaces together.

Caden slid in after Nero and immediately wrapped his arm around his imp, pulling them in close and kissing the side of their head. ”The most fearsome little imp in my kitchen covered in flour, baking…Yes, I think I would like to see that,” Caden said, smiling before he kissed them again.

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Cassiopeia scowled at Nic’s arm. It made a lot of sense when he explained it that way. Cass sighed and pulled back from tattooing to look at Nic. You could extract the venom like you would with any poisonous bite, same treatment protocol I would image, too. I can also manipulate the fluid in my body to pull it out, but if I’m out of it, that isn’t as easy. As for a coma… There’s a myth that true loves kiss works,” Cassi said and cracked a smile before she went back to working on Nic. ”So if you have Jason Momoa’s number, that would be great.”

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Kiki places her hand over Avery’s with a goofy smile. “Last time I was there was in the 80s.” She tells him with a small laugh. “I think the robot wars you’re thinking of started while I was in Spain.” She glances over at Avery. “Are you interested in that?”

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Nero giggles softly as they’re pulled into Caden. “Hmm, maybe I’ll jump into our bed while covered in it.” They tease Caden, nuzzling into his side. “I wonder if Luci and Mika missed me or if they even noticed I was gone.” They chuckle to themselves at the idea that the two might do that.

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Nic’s worries ease as Cass speaks before he laughs at her bringing up Jason Momoa. “If I had his number, I’d be keeping it for myself.” Nic tells her with a wink. “I’ll make sure to be standing by so I can step in if needed.”

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Avery turned into the parking lot of the Froyo place and parked. ”Oh, maybe. I've seen videos and it looked pretty cool.” Avery pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened up the door. ”I think the hiking around there is really good. We could camp, too.”

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Caden laughed. ”What's with you having the desire to get our bed so messy all the time?” Caden picked at his pants before looking at Nero. ”And I'm certain your cats will be pleased with your return.”

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Cassi pouted at Nic. ”You wouldn't share with me? How rude,” Cassi said returning to her work.

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“It’s starting to sound like we should plan a trip to Japan sooner than later.” Kiki says before hopping out of the SUV and joining Avery on the other side. “It’s usually good to go between March and May or September and November since that’s when it’s still warm but not humid… So we could go really soon or we can wait a bit.” She tells Avery before grabbing his hand and dragging him into the frozen yogurt place.

Kiki does a little happy dance, tapping her feet, as she sees the establishment has tons of options both for the frozen yogurt and the toppings. She grins at Avery before she lets go of his hand to go start tasting the different FroYo flavors.

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“It’s for the funny demon pranks.” Nero says with a sly grin before shrugging. “The bed is just so big and I feel like I’m jumping into a pool every time I get in it.” Nero places a random thread off of their outfit and puts it in the place Caden had just picked at on his pants.

“I hope they were nice to your staff, they weren’t always nice to the peons.” They say before glancing up at Caden again with an innocent smile.

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Nic laughs before grinning lopsidedly at Cass. “It depends on how much I like you if I’d share or not.” Nic says before looking at how the tattoo is coming along. Of course, it’s hard to tell during the tattoo between the running ink and tiny dots of blood making everything red, but it looks amazing so far. “When did you learn how to tattoo?” He asks.

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Avery doesn't mind being dragged around by Kimiko. Honestly, he finds himself enjoying it. He chuckled at her enthusiasm and followed along behind while she tried all the different flavours.

”Are you going to try every flavour?”

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”MMM, so you have to prank your dragon, too? You can't just leave me be?” Caden didn't mind if he was the one being pranked. He knew he could get Nero back just as easily.

”I gave my staff the weekend off,” he said, picking the new string off his clothes. ”Kiki and Avery would have dealt with the cats.”

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”Well, I would share with you,” Cassiopeia announced. She finished a line and wiped away some ink and blood before starting working again.

”Oh, it's been a while. I learned how to do it with a needle and thread dipped in ink. It was a slow and incredibly painful process. But it was also rewarding. My family used to get tattoos when you went through a ceremony. It was a mark of accomplishment. A high honour to be tattooed by the matron. I never got to do it for my family, but I did it for Caden and did it to myself once.”

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Kiki turns to beam innocently at Avery. “How else would I know which one’s the best?” She asks as she tastes the place’s ’flavor of the month’. She hums delightedly at the flavor before pursing her lips. “I think I might have just made it harder on myself to pick instead…”

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“Gotta keep you on your toes somehow, don’t I?” Nero teases before they dramatically gasp, putting both hands on their cheeks. “The canines were in charge of taking care of my girls?” They ask in faux shock. “Wait, is a fox a canine?” They can’t help but smirk when Caden has to pick up the new lint they adorned their pants with.

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“You made a new family to share the tradition with.” Nic smiles gently at her when he says this. The fact that Cass mentioned Caden made Nic a little hopeful that the tension between the two is easing, but he’s doesn’t press much further in case it pushes Cass away. “Thanks for agreeing to tattoo me.” He’s tempted to call her ‘matron’, but he doesn’t in case that would be offensive.

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Avery chuckled and got himself a cup of the flavour of the month. ”There, one less flavour to choose from.”

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Caden chuckled and leaned forward to open the bottle of champagne and poured them both a glass. ”A fox is a canine. And Avery adores you, trust me, your babies were well looked after,” Caden said and handed Nero a glass.

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Cassi smiled sadly, but nodded. It was true. After the loss of her family, Cassi really tried to create that with Caden, and Kiki when she came along.

[color=#DB709]”Thank you for letting me tattoo you. I feel better with you being a part of my world knowing I've protected you as much as I can,”[/color] she said.

Cassi started to add the hidden runes as she worked. [color=#DB709]”You might feel some more tingling as the magic connects with you… You also might feel more pinching as the tea wears off,”[/color] Cassiopeia wanted him before she continued with the invisible ink.

As Cassi completed each rune, Nic's skin would glow faintly before fading as the magic settled and became a part of Nic.

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Kiki watches with a coy smile. “Are you saying you’re going to share yours with me or that I can’t have because you do?” She asks before she finally grabs a cup and splits it with half strawberry and half banana before going to the toppings, adding fresh blueberries along with strawberries and bananas to it with a happy giggle before moving to add candied pecans, walnuts, and coconut.

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Nero chuckles happily to themselves and takes the glass from Caden, clinking it softly with his. “I think the girls qualify as our babies at this point.” They grin as they remember when they had first introduced the cats to Caden.

“When I first brought you to my house and had you meet them, I almost told them you were their ‘new daddy’.” Their cheeks turn a little pink at revealing this to him, but their smile remained.

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“Just make sure you protect yourself just as well as you try to protect me.” Nic reminds her softly before nodding at the next bit of information. “Got it, so I should start screaming my head off any minute here, right?” He jokes, knowing his pain tolerance had to be better than that.

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”Because I’ll share with you,” Avery said and followed along behind Kimiko. He added blueberries and raspberries to his as well as some M&M bits.

He looked over at Kimiko and shook his head. ”Jesus woman, do you want some yogurt with your toppies?”

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Caden sipped his champagne, his own cheeks darkening from Nero’s words. ”I didn’t want to assume, especially with how long you have had them,” he explained.

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Cassi blushed, but she continued her work, needing to focus on this part more than anything else she had done so far. After some time, she answered Nic. ”Oh, I think you are stronger than that,” she said and went back to her work.

Cassiopeia completed the Nauthiz rune symbol for willpower and endurance, and the Sowilo symbol for health and cleansing in one fluid movement. It took her more steps to complete the traditional symbol for protection: the Celtic shield knot, but once it was completed Cassi shut the needle off and wiped her brow. She smiled at her work, spraying it down with cold water and wiping it gently.

”Take a look,” Cassi said, pleased with her work.