â WAYNE, VICTORIA
    his hand in hers feels so familiar; if it werenât for the aching in her chest it might feel comforting. her other hand wraps over his, holding them together like it might somehow anchor her. his touch is cool, not like the warmth she remembers, instead like an echo of what they once had. âi didnât want to.â she admits, though she wishes she could deny it. âi never wanted to give up on you.â her eyes lift to meet his, tears spilling freely now. âbut i had to try and give edgar a normal life.â for all that had cost her.Â
   not just nearly. did he know ?? how was that possible ?? âno, he- he didnât- i-â she pauses, brow furrowing. waitâŚwas this how their son had truly died ?? was this how he had turned ?? had her sacrifice spared him nothing ?? ânoâŚhe-â she canât fight it anymore. she feels weak, her bones heavy with the ache of her sadness. tears turn to sobs, unable to be bitten back any longer. shaking frame bridges the gap between them, burying her head in his shoulder. however lost she feels, however much of a stranger she is to him, she needs this.Â
   HIS BLUE EYES FELL TO THEIR JOINED HANDS when she placed hers on his own instead of pushing him away, like he almost expected her to. he could only hope that it offered her the slightest bit of comfort when he was so desperate to make this easier for her. the words that left her lips made him swallow hard and they only increased the undeniable need to pull her closer to him. âi understand. you did what you had to do.â and his grip on her hand tightened once again, at least until he reminded himself to be gentle with her. âyou tried to be there for our son and allow him to move on. you were so strong.â leopold knew that she must have been.
guilt washed all over his features when victoria began to realize why their child ended up as a vampire. it was no sad coincidence or some sick joke that the universe played on them. it was his everlasting desire to find his father, dead or alive. âvictoria.â he whispered her name ever so softly when she started to shake and he let her bury her head in his shoulder. the hybrid stayed like that, just for a moment, before he gave into his instincts: he let go of her hand and pulled her into his lap to hold her as close as possible. maybe he could not remember her, but she was not a stranger. she was his wife and the mother of his son. she was his first love and his best friend. he could not grasp their memories and bring them to the front of his mind, but holding her was not difficult   â every fiber of his being wanted to protect her. âi should have been there for you.â he whispered into her ear while his own eyes filled with tears he could not blink away. âi never meant to let you down, to fail you like this.â
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â OâPHELAN, MACKINLEY
âwell, i donât think that heâll kill us, if thatâs what youâre asking.â Â mack wasnât actually sure how caspian felt about leo, but he knew that while caspian might put up a fuss about the originals having his help to make some sort of blood substitute, that he would likely realize that it was a better idea than letting hungry vampires go on a killing spree. Â mack huffed lightly, making a face at the hybrid, âiâm glad you want to help. Â this will do a lot of good for the town, and hell maybe theyâll start looking at you like jesus or something. Â only instead of turning water into wine, youâre turning wine into blood.â
   THAT  WAS  NOT  WHAT  HE  WAS  ASKING,  no.  leo  was  fairly  certain  that  caspian  would  not  kill  his  own  creations,  but  he  would  not  be  fond  of  torture  either. âi  donât  know  what  he  would  or  would  not  do  if  he  found  out.  it  doesnât even  matter,  does  it?  we  have  to  do  this,  for  everybodyâs sake.â  and  maybe  he  could  find  a  way  to  soothe  the  original  witch  if  he  got  pissed about  their  blood  substitute  plans. âi  doubt  they  will  look  at  me  like  iâm  jesus  and  i  donât  want  them  to.  i  will  help,  mackinley,  but  i  donât  want  to  stop  having a  private  life.â  one  that  he  would  always  put  first,  like  any  other  immortal  would.
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â TUDUR, JOSIAH
Josiahâs head tilted down, letting his thoughts grow darker and darker before he faced his wife again. Wouldnât the best selfish alternative be to provide her ancestor with someone higher up her so-called chain of command? Unless this person was only interested in the fresher generations, which would undoubtedly put LĂŠonie at the top â even with her mixed status. He was grimacing before he realized it, composing his features into something less expressive. Emotions were of no help in this situation.
âYou canât ask of me to watch you die. Or let you go down that path.â The warlock almost scoffed, giving a decisive shake of his head. âI wonât choose between either of you two, and you are not allowed to make such a choice for me.â Although it rang in his head that, were his own survival at stake, he would ensure their child had the best fighting chance. Even when it might mean his own sacrifice â much like Ophelia was threatening to go ahead with.
A heavy sigh, some semblance of defeat he wouldnât accept nor face with dignity hanging above them, before he spoke up again. âHave we any other options? It is not something that I would welcome, laying down arms. Accepting his tyranny.â Another face of poorly hidden disgust. âWhatâs been done by him cannot be undone by any other group? With as many creatures to be found trapped in here â do you happen to know what else he is after?â
   IT WAS TRUE, their emotions did not get them anywhere in this moment. they only made things worse and ophelia felt like she was playing a losing game ever since caspian arrived in this village. how could she defeat the source of her own magic? all of her power and knowledge would fail to pose a weapon in a war against her ancestor and he proved that when he used his magic to control her very mind. it was josiahâs voice that pulled her out of her thoughts now and her expression was blank, except for that small smile that she offered him as she squeezed his hand again.
âi was born to have an average human lifespan, like the other witches, josiah. it was caspianâs spell that kept me alive and it allowed me to have more than i have ever dreamed of. it was a blessing, but i never ceased to remember my own mortality.â she was prepared to die. always. âi do not want to leave you or lĂŠonie. i want to be with the two of you and memorize every single second   â but if my time has come, there is no choice. it is our daughter that needs to be protected, not me.â the witch leaned closer to him, leaving the softest of kisses on his lips. âyou understand that, right?âÂ
the look on his face was the very reason why she tried to avoid having this conversation until now. she never wanted to contribute to his unhappiness and it hurt to know that she made his heart feel so heavy. âi have no idea what he wants, but his spell cannot be undone without him or his death.â her dark eyes lowered once again. âfor the first time in my life, there is nothing i can do, my beloved. not for our family or for anyone else. i canât even help myself.â
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â GOLDSWORTHY, CLARE
âI agree,â Clare said after a pause. It was only a matter of time before people realized that shopping was useless in a dome such as this and stopped coming, which meant Clare would be out of a job and boredom on her was not a good look. People tended to get hurt when she grew restless, and she was attempting to curb that part of her. So far sheâd managed it, but she didnât know what would happen when the reality of her situation set in and she started to remember what it felt like to be truly trapped.
âWhat are you thinking?â she asked then, crossing her arms over her chest but leaning forward with interest.
   WHAT  WAS  SHE  THINKING?  that  was  hard  to  say  when  so  many  things were  going  on  inside  of  her  mind.  âmaybe  we  need  to  do  something that  is  going  to  benefit all  of  us.â  ophelia  replied after  a  moment or  two.  âwe  could  try  to  host  some  sort  of  a  charity  event. donate  part  of  our  intakes to  the  council or  whoever  it  is  that  people choose  to  trust.â  if  people realized  that  profit  was  not  the  only  thing  on  their  minds, perhaps  it  would  encourage  them  to  shop  more,  no?
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â LUCIFER
âOh I hardly think that was my fault, love. As splendid as you are, you can be a menace. Perhaps, I was teaching you a lesson. Or perhaps, I was biding my time with more important things.â Lucifer didnât often tease. To most, he was not playful nor kind, but in her energy, he felt compelled to be himself. After all, they ran a kingdom together; something that he would not have without her. âWhat do you suggest? A tea party to make up for lost time?â
   THE  REDHEAD FAKED  A  SIGH  when  he  called  her  a  menace and  talked  about  teaching  her  a  lesson. âoh,  please.  we  both  know  how  much  you  missed me.  look  at  you,  you  can  barely  contain  your  excitement  right  now.â  and  with  those  teasing words,  her  plump  lips  curled into  a  smirk  while  she  traced  her  fingertips  over  his  chest. âof  all  things  you  could  suggest, you  pick  a  tea  party?  just  between the  two  of  us,  i  really  hope  that  would  involve  blood  â  or  else  i  might  start  to  think  youâve lost  your  touch.â
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â OâPHELAN, MACKINLEY
âeverything is good lils, at least as good as it can be under this stupid dome.â he didnât want to concern her with things that were out of her control, but at the same time, it was sort of nice to be able to vent to someone who liked being caged up even less than himself.  âiâm just not used to being in a place like this, where i canât come and go as i please.â he smiled now, âiâm glad you like it, i just wish there was something more that i could do for everyone than just this.â
   THERE  WAS  A  FAINT  SMILE  ON  HER  LIPS,  the  dome  sucked  and  if  anyone could  relate  to  the  distaste of  feeling  trapped it  was  the  demon  queen. âat  least  we  get  to  walk  around,  right? a  golden  cage  is  still  just  a  cage,  but  this  is  more  comfortable  than  what  i  experienced  in  the  past.â  so,  at  least  for  now,  she  was  trying not  to  complain. âbesides,  we  will  find  a  way  to  get  rid  of  this  thing.â  lilith  could  not  even  believe  that  caspian  did  this  without consulting  her  or  lucifer.  âhey.â  she  reached for  his  hand  now,  holding it  in  both  of  her  own.  âyou  donât  owe  these  people, daddy.  i  understand that  our  pack  needs  you,  but  you  are  doing  such  a  good  job  taking care  of  them.  donât  be  so  hard  on  yourself. there  is  enough weight  on  your  shoulders.â
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â WAYNE, VICTORIA
    the mood, the air, in the room has shifted ever so slightly and she can feel it all around her. like for the briefest of moments, in blushes and fumbled conversations, she had forgotten that life here was endlessly tumultuous. and in one thoughtless comment, the bubble had burst. âthank you.â she says softly, glassy eyes betraying the sudden wave of emotion that fills her. it is nameless, pulling back and forth between grief and joy, and she does her best to bury it back where it came from. âi will find a way to repay you.â if he wouldnât accept money, she would find another way. she had spent too much of her life indebted to not give back now.Â
  clearing her throat, doe eyes hold his for a moment. âthe clinic ??â she repeats, brows knitting. she hadnât even considered that she might be able to help there. but now that itâs been said, the more she thinks of it the more it sounds right. that she could help those who really need her for once. âthatâsâŚthat would be perfect. but i donât - iâm not qualified-â victoria shakes her head, uncertainty evident on her features.Â
   THE MALE NARROWED HIS EYES when her own glassed over, but he was quick to give her another, reassuring smile. âyou are welcome. and please, donât worry about repayment, alright? there is nothing i want to gain from this. i just want to help.â he made his fair share of mistakes and he would not add yet another to that list by leaving her to fend for herself.
âour situation is beyond complicated, qualifications hardly matter.â henry laughed under his breath. âare you a quick study? i could ask someone to train you, i am sure you would have it down in the blink of an eye.â the essentials, anyway, and that was all that mattered now.
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â WILLARD, BOBBY
Suddenly, his demeanor changes and he removes the otherâs hand from the wound. For a second, Bobby stills, the blue of his eyes rake over the blood that begins to prickle from the wound and he moves forward, taking Emmelineâs hand in a lead toward his couch. âAlright, lay down, keep pressure on it.â The veterinarian says softly, leaving her side for only a moment to grab what he would need before returning. âWhat did this?â Despite the smoothness of his tone, he was sure that the other could hear the anger lingering within it. This needed to stop. The fighting, the cruelty between species, and the dome needed to be done away with. Perhaps, he was so angry because of his own situation, but he knew that it was simply because of her true form.Â
   THE  FEMALE WINCED,  but  she  let  him  inspect the  wound  before she  followed  him  to  the  couch  and  did  as  he  asked, applying  pressure  to  her  skin  â  the  last  thing  she  wanted  was  to  ruin  his  furniture when  it  seemed like  he  was  going  to  be  kind  enough  to  help  her.  âit  was  some  guy,  i  canât  even  tell  you  what  he  was  or  why  he  did  this.  he  must  have  seen  me  shift.â  apparently,  being  careful  wasnât enough  these  days.  âi  guess  it  could  have  been  avoided  if  i  stayed like  this,  but...â  it  went  against  her  nature  ;  emmeline  had  to  turn  to  be  comfortable,  at  least  from  time  to  time.  it  was  not  like  she  attempted  to  hurt  anyone. âiâm  sorry  for  showing up  unannounced  at  this  hour  and  springing this  on  you.  i  really didnât  know  where  else  to  go.â
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â WILKINS, ROWAN
âW-what? No â I just meanââ A furious, heated blush instantly spread on Rowanâs cheeks, the witch shaking her head quickly. âI didnât ââ When Emmeline laughed, the redhead realized it was only a joke, feeling even sillier, but forcing herself to take a breath. âI just meantâŚ.I donât need for anything, right now.â She and Ash had made themselves quite comfortable in Wildemount so far. âIf thereâs a book or ingredient I need that I donât have, that you can get⌠Something like that.â She watched the blondeâs brow furrow slightly at seeing what was contained within the book, and of course, Rowan understood her concern. âThat whole shelf is spelled.â The witch assured her. âOnly me or my familiar can take them from the bookcase. I promise you, itâs in good hands.â Itâs why Rowan had sought out the book in the first place: to use it for good, and keep in away from anyone elseâs eyes.Â
   THE  BLONDEâS LIPS  SPLIT  INTO  A  GRIN  when  that  furious blush  spread  all  over  the  witchâs  cheeks. âoh,  honey, relax  â  i  was  just  messing  with  you.  i  didnât  actually  think  that  you  were  going  to  ask  for  any  sexual favors.â  even  though her  reaction  was  totally  worth  the  joke  and  well... it  was  not  like  emmeline would  have  judged her  all  that  much  if  she  did.  âalright.  just  tell  me  when  and  we  will  discuss  payment.â  she  agreed and  she  managed to  relax  once  the  female told  her  that  her  shelf  was  protected by  a  spell. âgood.  take  this  from  someone  who  has  been  hunted  for  no  reason at  all  ;  it  sucks  when  people know  and  exploit your  weaknesses.â
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â OâPHELAN, MACKINLEY
he huffed loudly when she said that a lot of parents didnât want to be parents. Â âthere are those people who actually try to parent their children, and you can usually tell the difference between those kids and the other.â Â he knew she was right though, some people did just want to be friends with their kids, instead of disciplining them. Â following after her, he couldnât help but to chuckle quietly. Â âi didnât say it would be right, dear. Â i just meant that it wouldnât be too far out of your wheelhouse to be spoiled.â Â when they reached the top of the steps, he headed toward the room, opening the door. Â âbesides its never polite to assume things, though iâm sure you already know that.â
   HE  HAD  A  GOOD  POINT,  even  if  many  of  those  parents  would  disagree  with  him.  âyou  met  my  daughter.  do  you  have  children?â  he spoke  like  he  did,  or  like  he  knew  what  he  was  talking  about, but  maybe  that  was  just  part  of  being  an  alpha.  the  position  came  with  a  whole  lot  of  responsibility,  emmeline had  seen  that  many  times  before.  âi  do  know  that.  my  parents  taught me  well.â  she  gave  him  a  teasing  smile, but  soon  enough a  gentle  gasp  escaped  her  as  she  looked  through the  room.  âthis  is  breathtaking,  mister  oâphelan. and  i  must  admit  it  does  spark  the  desire to  be  spoiled.â  the  blonde added  in  a  playful  tone,  though  she  certainly  meant  her  compliment. this  hotel  would  make  anyone feel  like  royalty.
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â KAITILYN
âi know, mama.â Â kaitilyn told the older naga, a smile lighting her lips. Â "weâve made it this far, weâll be fine. Â especially now that we have each other.â Â her mother being here had already changed her world for the better. Â it had been so amazing since sheâd met cosimo, and now it felt like everything was coming together in her favor. Â
"you really think itâs a wonderful idea?â Â her eyes widened, her smile growing brighter. Â "i would really like it too. Â i really enjoy spending this time with you, and i canât wait to be able to do things that we used to do.â
   THE BLONDE GAVE HER A NOD OF HER HEAD, things were going to be fine, somehow they always were and emmeline would be damned if she allowed her child to get hurt for the second time. there was no undoing the past, but there was changing the future. âi donât know how your angel friend found me, but i am grateful for it.â she finally breathed before a light laugh fell from her parted lips.
âof course i do, my darling.â it did not matter what they did, as long as mother and daughter got to spend some time with each other, but she would be happy to do something they used to do together. âi know cooking should be the last thing on our minds right now, but honestly? we are stuck and the two of us canât destroy the barrier, so why shouldnât we do something we would both enjoy?â
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â STEWART, SADIE
A hesitation when the man laughed, Sadie feeling a ripple of dread roll through her. While she didnât have a great understanding of witch magic, she trusted those working on figuring out the dome would find a way to lift it. But he was right â no one knew how long it would take. It was possible people would start to get worried if things got strained. âIâ I donât think thatâs true.â Her only terrible experience had been with a vampire, and that hadnât been under any trying circumstances.Â
   HER  OPTIMISM MADE  HIM  LAUGH  â  was  that  even  optimism or  was  it  the  desire  to  be  optimistic about  the  whole  thing?  something so  fragile,  it  could  be  destroyed with  the  simplest of  words.  âi  guess  we  are  about  to  see  ;  and  guess  what?  you  scored yourself  front  row  tickets  to  the  show.â
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â WILKINS, ROWAN
âOh,â A shrug fell from her shoulders, Rowan not having thought that far ahead. âI used to travel a lot, and Iâd trade for places to stay, foodâŚThings are a little different here.â It was the first time sheâd had her own place in a long time. âWe can figure that out later.â She didnât really need for anything at the moment, Rowan more concerned about helping people at this point. Thatâs what she wanted to do with her magic. The other womanâs laugh caught her off-guard, though the witch had to be glad that Emmeline wasnât offended by the question. âI haveâŚ.â Her brow furrowed with thought, the redhead moving to a bookshelf, fingers dancing over the spines until she found the one she was looking for. She brought it back to the island, flipping though it until Naga appeared on the page. âHere..â Rowan pushed the book towards the other woman. The book was specific to magicâs affects on other supernatural creatures. Of course, it could be used for harm, the best way to cast spells against others. But it was just information. It could also be used for good - which is what Rowan intended. She needed to know how her potion would affect the other woman, to make it effective.Â
 đđľđ˛  đŻđšđźđťđąđ˛  đľđđşđşđ˛đą  đśđť  đŽđ°đ¸đťđźđđšđ˛đąđ´đşđ˛đťđ  and  while  she  was  not  fond  of  owing  any  FAVORS,  this  potion was  more  important than  her  pride.  âalright.  we  can  ------ i  just  hope  you  donât  expect  anything KINKY.â  she  joked  before  she  narrowed  her  eyes  at  the  book.  maybe  it  was  nothing more  than  INFORMATION  to  some,  but  it  seemed  like  a  great  weapon  to  someone  like  emmeline.  someone who  had  been  hunted  for  centuries  and  lost  her  family  because of  it.  âi  hope  you  are  always keeping  that  extremely close  to  you.  it  could  cause  SUCH  DAMAGE  in  the  wrong  hands.â  but  the  witch  knew  that,  right?
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â WILLARD, BOBBY
ââ and you thought coming to me was a good idea?â The veterinarian says, his hand pushing on his front door to close it. To say that he was a little confused would be the understatement of the century but he had allowed them to come in nonetheless. âYou know that Iâm a veterinarian and not a doctor, right?â
 đ˛đşđşđ˛đšđśđťđ˛  đđżđśđ˛đą  đťđźđ  đđź  đđśđ´đľ  as  she  continued  to  add  pressure to  the  wound  to  keep  it  from  bleeding.  âi  know,  yes.â  but  he  was  the  first  doctor she  found  and  this  hurt.  BADLY.  âi  could...  i  could  change back  into  snake  form,  if  that  would  make  it  easier for  you  to  treat  it.â  it  was  a  secret she  did  not  plan  on  revealing,  but  now  was  not  the  time  for  fear  and  distrust.  she  was  vulnerable  either way.  if  he  wanted  to  harm  her  he  could  do  it  to  this  body  too.
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â KAITILYN
listening to her motherâs words made her sad. Â not because emmeline was trying to make her sad, but because the world wasnât as good as it should be, and there wasnât anything that just one person could do to change that. Â âits true i think. Â lots of them are more worried about having power than how theyâre actually doing as a leader for their people.â Â humans were bad about this, just as the creatures were that sheâd met in her time.
when the tune of the conversation changed, her frown turned into a smile, albeit still a sad one.  "i miss daddy.  i wish he were here too.â  a sigh fell from her lips, before she tried to brighten up her mood.  "i think we should do that, we should cook together again.â  she fondly remembered the stew that sheâd made with lizzie, âmy friendâŚ. she brought me fresh meat once, we made stew from it, and it was delicious.â  she didnât think her mother would want to know where it came from, so she left that part away, âmaybe we can get our own meat this time, and make something wonderful.â
đ˛đşđşđ˛đšđśđťđ˛Â đ´đŽđđ˛Â đľđ˛đżÂ đŽÂ đżđ˛đŽđđđđżđśđťđ´Â đđşđśđšđ˛Â and she squeezed her hand again, attempting to comfort her. âwe will SURVIVE this. you know that, right?â she would do anything to protect her daughter after all. âand we canât change the entire world, but we can change ours.âÂ
the smile on her lips faded the slightest bit, but she nodded her head. âi miss your father too.â SOMETIMES anyway. it had been so long and at some point she needed to BANISH THE PAIN to go on. âthat sounds like a wonderful idea. i would like that.â
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â OâPHELAN, MACKINLEY
âthey probably arenât supposed to listen these days, but in my day we knew better that to speak to our parents or behave the way that these children do.â Â his father would have likely had him locked away for life had he acted the way the teenage wolves in the hotel acted, or even knocked his teeth out, who knew really. Â âwell people come to a castle for royal treatment, yes?â Â a smile quirked up one corner of his mouth as he winked over at her. Â âand maybe to meet royals, but in this day and age, there arenât as many royals as there once were.â Â he gestured toward the staircase and the elevator, âbesides you seem like the kind of woman who knows that she deserves to spoiled, so why question it?â
 đđľđ˛  đťđŽđ´đŽ  đšđŽđđ´đľđ˛đą  đšđśđ´đľđđšđ  in  response to  his  words. âi  donât  think  i  would  have  DARED  to  speak  to  my  parents like  that  either, but  times  are  changing.  a  lot  of  parents  donât  even  want  to  be  parents  anymore.  they  want  to  be  friends.â  and  while  there  was  nothing  wrong  with  different methods  to  raise  your  child, you  still  needed to  do  the  RAISING  PART.  âi  came  to  the  castle for  a  roof  over  my  head.â  emmeline  smirked softly  as  she ��decided  to  take  the  stairs,  rather than  the  elevator. she  enjoyed  luxury, yes,  but  that  did  not  mean  she  NEEDED  it  at  all  costs.  âoh,  i  do  ------  but  wouldnât  it  be  wrong  of  me  to  assume that  everyone  is  going  to  spoil  me?â  she  teased.
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â MALACHI
âOhh fine.â Mal pouted for a minute but that turned into a smile again. âNo breaking legs it is and I donât intend on losing myself, ever.â He shook his head. âSure, there will be more difficult times ahead, but the thing is, we have to learn to adapt with it and overcome everything thrown at us. Of course, happier times, like now with Leilani.â He smiled at Leilani who was still snoozing.Â
đđ¨đŹđ˘đŚđ¨  đ đđŻđ  đĄđ˘đŚ  đ  đ§đ¨đ  đ¨đ  đĄđ˘đŹ  đĄđđđ  before  his  features  SOFTENED  the  slightest bit.  âyes...  she  is  the  most  important  thing  right  now  anyway.â Â
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