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[sub][color=7F6B5D]D A M I E N   E S T A T E  |  E V E N I N G[/color][/sub]
[sub][color=gray]I n t e r a c t i o n s :
Fritz [@JJ Doe]
M e n t i o n s :[/color][/sub]
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Zarai’s lips curled into a smirk at his joke, though her eyes lingered on him. [color=93a477]"Oh, I don’t know, my Lord. You might find I’m more than enough competition,"[/color] she teased with a familiar ease, but the moment he shifted the conversation to her feet, her expression faltered. The playfulness dimmed as she glanced away, trying to brush off the discomfort. [color=93a477]“Trouble? Nothing I can’t handle,”[/color] she replied lightly, though the faint tightness in her smile betrayed her. [color=93a477]"But if you’re offering a foot rub, I might be tempted to take you up on it."[/color]

[color=93a477]“How are you?”[/color] she asked, her voice softening to match his. Her hand twitched as though to reach for him, but she kept it by her side. [color=93a477]“Peter and Karleen doing alright? The bird too?”[/color] It was easier to ask about them, to avoid what truly weighed on her mind. She hadn’t seen them since their celebration, and she hoped this small talk might help ease into the real reason she’d asked to speak privately.

The silence between them grew, pressing down with an unbearable weight. They both knew this wasn’t why she had asked him to speak alone, but Zarai still needed to know about them. They had all lost someone dear to them. 

Would Udo think her brave for what she was about to do?

No. He wouldn’t. It was cowardly, but she didn’t know what else to do. Fritz had asked what had to change for her to be happy, and no matter how selfish it was, he had promised to help her. And now, the answer sat at the tip of her tongue, heavy and vile. She couldn’t say it—not when it was the very thing Fritz feared becoming. And here she was, contemplating doing exactly that. But was it the same? 

She didn't know.

The silence wrapped around her like ink-black tendrils, suffocating and cold, pulling her deeper into the dark lake of despair that threatened to swallow her whole. She felt trapped beneath its icy surface, unable to reach the warmth, the light. She couldn't say it. She couldn't turn him into that.

[color=93a477]"I'm sorry. This was a mistake,"[/color] Zarai murmured, shaking her head. She took a step back, her resolve crumbling under the weight of what she had almost asked. [color=93a477]"It might be best to talk later. Away from prying ears."[/color] She needed time—time to figure out another way to make her wish come true without dragging him down with her.

[color=93a477]"Shall we go back?"[/color] she asked, her smile returning with practiced ease. [color=93a477]"We can't let them start without us!"[/color] It was easier to slip back into that mask, to pretend, just a little longer. She only hoped Fritz would allow her that. 



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