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He cas
“Do you reo?” Alan asked “She used to watch you practicing the sith binoculars I never told you I’m sorry”
Nick laid his sword down on the draining board with a metallic clink
“Why did you do it?”
“Well, Nicholas, she was over sixty I thought you’d be a little disturbed”
Nick said nothing He stared at Alan, jaw set, and let silence stretch from hi for Alan to talk on
“Look, they needed help and ere the only ones who could give it,” Alan said rapidly “I can buy another talisive Mae mine and replace it—”
“Stop lying to me”
The scrape of the spatula in the pan faltered Nick crossed his arms over his chest and waited
“I don’t knohat you m—”
“It was the boy who had the probleirl the talisive her so Don’t pretend you didn’t want to iically attentive to her needs you could be”
The tips of Alan’s ears were violently red
“Maybe you’re right,” he admitted
“I’ht”
Alan hesitated, then set his thin shoulders “I wanted to impress her, but I wanted to help them too The talisman will protect her If I wanted her to — to like me as well, what does it matter?”
Alan looked tired in the reht of the kitchen He should be asleep, not up frying eggs and worrying
“I don’t see why it matters if she likes you or not”
Girls were an old subject of arguhed, and Nick stared out the here the shadows of night were paling slightly, preparing for dawn
“Don’t — I know you’re worried,” Alan said “Don’t be How many people with first marks have we seen? How many first marks have you removed? How is this different?”
Nick turned his gaze from theto Alan
“This is different,” he said “This is you”
Alan looked terribly pleased for a moment, and Nick realized that his brother had taken this as one of the ridiculous, sappy things Alan was used to saying all the time Nick had only meant what he’d said It had never been his brother before
Thankfully Alan did not make a fuss about it He could believe Nick had said any stupid thing he wanted, so long as there were no scenes
All he said was, “Here, have your dinfast Then we can start packing”
“Dinfast,” Nick repeated
“Dinner and breakfast!” Alan said triumphantly “Like brunch”
Nick subjected hi with you,” he said at last “I thought you should know”
Undaunted or perhaps just unsurprised by this news, Alan began to do the dishes He pushed Nick’s sword aith sudsy fingers topan
“Where do you fancy living next?”
“London,” said Nick, because he thought that Alan would like it
Alan looked pleased, and he saw he’d guessed right
“London, then We’ll find a better house, one with a kitchenthat’s not all so to the Goblin Market and find someone to dance—”
“I’ll dance,” Nick said
The co-up stopped Alan had gone rather still
“You don’t have to Soain”
For all that Alan was so fond of talking, for all that he could bang on endlessly about nothing for hours, he didn’t actually see quite clearly He had never intended to go into the circle again, never intended to dance for the deain As far as he was concerned, the o to someone else for help
Only this time the marked one was Alan, and it was different
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He cas
“Do you reo?” Alan asked “She used to watch you practicing the sith binoculars I never told you I’m sorry”
Nick laid his sword down on the draining board with a metallic clink
“Why did you do it?”
“Well, Nicholas, she was over sixty I thought you’d be a little disturbed”
Nick said nothing He stared at Alan, jaw set, and let silence stretch from hi for Alan to talk on
“Look, they needed help and ere the only ones who could give it,” Alan said rapidly “I can buy another talisive Mae mine and replace it—”
“Stop lying to me”
The scrape of the spatula in the pan faltered Nick crossed his arms over his chest and waited
“I don’t knohat you m—”
“It was the boy who had the probleirl the talisive her so Don’t pretend you didn’t want to iically attentive to her needs you could be”
The tips of Alan’s ears were violently red
“Maybe you’re right,” he admitted
“I’ht”
Alan hesitated, then set his thin shoulders “I wanted to impress her, but I wanted to help them too The talisman will protect her If I wanted her to — to like me as well, what does it matter?”
Alan looked tired in the reht of the kitchen He should be asleep, not up frying eggs and worrying
“I don’t see why it matters if she likes you or not”
Girls were an old subject of arguhed, and Nick stared out the here the shadows of night were paling slightly, preparing for dawn
“Don’t — I know you’re worried,” Alan said “Don’t be How many people with first marks have we seen? How many first marks have you removed? How is this different?”
Nick turned his gaze from theto Alan