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‘Hey!’

He turned and saw her wading through the green herds towards him He blinked

‘Hey,’ he replied

‘Not as earth-shattering as you’d hoped, is it?’

‘I thought you’d be with the others,’ Kataria said, stepping over a staggering, laughing Owauku

‘Probably not a good idea,’ Lenk said, glancing down to the pink shapes in the valley below ‘They …’

‘What are you going to tell her? That they looked at you like she does and you wanted to strangle them?’

‘Annoyed me’

‘Not quite honest, but that hardly h,’ he offered, ignoring the voice

She shook her head ‘Asper and I had a disagreeree’

‘Ah’

Through the din of festivities rising fro between thereen stew below, even as she stood beside hih he were alone

‘A thought occurs’

Al her anything? Is that not how all your probleht now

‘Why not sis come without strife?’

I … suppose that makes sense

‘You said it yourself, did you not?’

I did It made sense, then, too He smiled I should relax, shouldn’t I?

A cold wind swept over the ridge

‘Idiocy’

He trembled at the sudden chill That her hand then fell upon his shoulder should have stopped such a quaking, he knew, yet it didn’t Not until he turned and looked into her eyes

After that, he felt himself about to shudder, shatter and fall apart

There was a certainty in her stare that pained him to see In her eyes was reflected that which he had feared, that thought that had consue of who she hat she was

She kne this was going to end

He knew it now, too

‘Hey,’ she said again

‘Hey,’ he replied

He waited for the confirmation, the declaration as to hoould all happen, hoould all end He braced hiht be easier just to hurl hiet drunk’

‘Oh!’ His eyes went a bit too wide for anything other than tue ‘That’s what you want to do’

‘Yeah’ She eyed hilanced down into the throngs below Not too steep, he noted Probably wouldn’t have killed you, anyway, not with your luck

‘Nothing,’ he said, sighing ‘Let’s go’

‘Huh …’

Asper had doneto the wounds of ers prod the bruise under her cheek, she wondered if others felt as uncomfortable as she did when she tended to the to be particularly concerned about,’ Denaos said, giving her cheek a light pat

‘She beat rowled, slapping away his hand ‘How is that not worth concern?’

‘She does a lot of things,’ Dreadaeleon offered with a shrug ‘She spits, farts, snorts …’

‘And I have a strong suspicion that she once left a stea pile in my pack,’ Denaos added

‘I liked that pack,’ Dreadaeleon said

‘It will be lanced Asper over and took another sip fro to hurt you I’d say she was likely pulling her punches, probably just to scare you’ He eyed her curiously ‘What’d you say to her, anyway?’

‘Nothing that’s worth repeating to so,’ she replied sharply

‘It’s not like there’s a lot of other options’

‘Well,’ Dreadaeleon saidhands, ‘I … I could take a look, I suppose’

‘It’s fine, thanks,’ Asper said, waving his concern away

‘Well, no! Ihard ‘It’s not that much of a problem, really I’m familiar with …’ His eyes quivered ‘Anatoreed ‘Particularly the relationship between fists and genitalia’