Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 1, 2021 10:56:14 GMT -5
Sol opened the door for him. "It's a surprise," he answered. He gave Parker’s hand a tug, encouraging him forward. "Come."
Inside was a small but well appointed waiting room. Two rows of chairs lined the front windows, with a glass coffee table before each row. Under both tables was a circular plush rug, while on top was an assortment of beauty magazines, as well as a binder with the company name on it. Directly in front was a long, curving counter, behind which stood a tall blonde with a bright smile.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. How can I help you?"
Sol let go of Parker to push him front and center. "The works," he told her. "And anything else he asks for."
The clerk's smile widened. "Of course. And what's your name, handsome?" She posed the question to Parker.
☆~☆~☆ ( Yeah. That pulled on my heartstrings too. 🥰 )
It was a good while later when Aidan's tears stopped, and several minutes more before he spoke. "It's because of the bad dragons, isn't it?" he asked, his voice muffled by Seth's shirt.
Seth nodded, his chin brushing Aidan's hair. "Yeah, bud. I'm wanted by a very evil person. As soon as she has a reason, she'll send more. The town won't survive another attack."
Aidan was quite for another couple minutes. "This bad lady. Is she the Order?"
Seth glanced down at him in surprise. "Yes," he answered. "She is."
Aidan nodded slowly, then asked, "So why don't you go to the Rebels?"
Seth tensed. "I... The Rebels and I don't really get along, Aidan."
Aidan finally sat back, letting go of Seth to wipe his cheeks. "Why not?"
Seth cringed inwardly. Because I've spent the last four years killing them. He quickly banished the thought. "It's complicated," he said quietly, hoping Aidan would leave it at that.
After a moment, Aidan nodded. "Okay. Can we go to the ocean then?" he asked hopefully.
Seth relaxed, smiling. "We can try. The coast is pretty far. We'll have to remain mostly unseen. And —" He let out a breath. "Aidan, if you're coming, you have to listen to me, okay? All the time, no matter what. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. No questions, no hesitation. This isn’t a game. All right? Can you do that?"
Aidan was a little wide eyed, surprised by the sudden turn into seriousness, but after a moment his surprise faded and he nodded. "Yes," he said. He held Seth's gaze, then added, "Me and Star will be on our best behavior."
Seth blinked. "Star?" Then he shook his head. "Of course," he said. "You and Star." After all, Seth couldn't really expect Aidan to leave Star behind when he himself hadn't even paused to consider the idea of leaving Hero behind. To them, leaving their dog simply wasn't an option.
"All right." Seth stood up and offered Aidan his hand. "Let's go in. If you're coming, then we have a lot of packing to do."
Aidan took his hand and bounced off the hay bale with a smile, though it quickly faded. "Seth?" he said hesitantly. "Why did you change your mind? About bringing me?"
Seth looked down at him and answered truthfully. "I didn't really. I think the reason I waited so long to tell you was because I was trying to convince myself to leave you here. I could never quite manage it."
Aidan was quiet for a minute as he digested that. Then he was smiling again. "Okay. Come on! Let's go pack!" And he started dragging Seth back toward the house.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 1, 2021 11:45:09 GMT -5
There was no other choice but to follow at this point. But that there was a reason to not follow. It was just a salon after all. Entering, Parker's eyes scanned the well decorated place before landing on the woman at the front desk.
"Oh, uh, Parker," he answered, unsure exactly what "the works" entailed. He looked back to Sol, hoping to find some answer there.
~•~•~
Anya's patience paid off. After a while, she saw the dark figures of Seth and Aidan come around the barn. She stood and waited. From the way Aidan was walking, he didn't seem as upset as before, which caused her to let out a small breathe of relief. So Seth had managed to work things out. Good.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 1, 2021 11:57:22 GMT -5
The clerk wrote down his name, and added a few notes, then nodded to herself and stepped out from around the counter. "Perfect. If you'll follow me, Parker?" To Sol she added, "He should be done in about three hours."
"Make it four," Sol replied, earning her grin. He didn't smile back, just turned to Parker. "Don't question it," he told him. "Just go along and enjoy it. It'll all make sense later."
☆~☆~☆ Seth noticed Anya first. "Hey," he said as soon as they were close enough.
"Anya!" Aidan said eagerly. "I'm coming with you!"
Behind him, Seth sighed.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 1, 2021 12:04:02 GMT -5
"Three hours?" Parker asked despite himself. He wanted to ask what would possibly need three hours for, but he was told to not question it. He sighed, stated at Sol for a moment longer, then shook his head. "You're paying for it, so I guess I'll go along with it," he said. Then he turned to follow the woman.
~•~•~
Part of her figured Aidan would be going with us. Like Seth, she was hoping he would stay with her family. It was safer here, and he would be surrounded by people who love him. But that might have been asking for a little much.
So she smiled and playfully ruffled his hair. "Then we should go get your things ready, huh?" She asked.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 1, 2021 12:20:49 GMT -5
Sol watched him go, then headed for the door. He had things to do.
The woman, meanwhile, led Parker down a short hallway to a second, smaller sitting room. Another woman, a redhead, was sitting behind a desk. She looked up as they entered and smiled. "Hello." She stood and came around the counter. "Who have we got here?"
"Parker," the blonde answered. She handed over a clipboard. "The works, with room for anything extra he requests."
The redhead beamed. "Perfect. Thank you, Angela."
Angela smiled, shot Parker a wink, and went back the way she'd come
The redhead offered Parker a hand. "Hello, Parker. I'm Ashley. You ready for some pampering?"
☆~☆~☆ "Yeah!" Aidan let go of Seth and darted into the house, Star on his heels.
Seth sidled up beside Anya and shrugged, a tad sheepishly. "Tears are my kryptonite," he said, only half joking.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 1, 2021 18:22:52 GMT -5
Parker obediantly followed the blonde down the hall, heading towards whatever fate he had just walked into. The smaller room he was brought to was as simply decorated as the front room, but still nice and comfortable looking. He nodded a greeting to the woman who was waiting there, feeling his awkwardness increase. "Um, not really, but to no offense to you or your business," he said, giving a sheepish smile. "I just wasn't aware that this was happening until two minutes ago."
~*~*~
Anya watched Aidan go, his sadness all but forgotten. "I can't blame you. I was close to following him too, but I figured he would want you to talk with more than me," she said. Then she turned up gaze to him. "Will it be safe for him, though? I mean, I know we'll both try to keep him safe, but what if something really bad happens?"
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 1, 2021 19:29:44 GMT -5
It took Parker a while to get used to being pampered. Coming from a farm, the only kind of pampering they ever got was an uninterupted long bath and maybe a break from the chores. There was really no such thing as all of this. There wasn't really a need for it. Farm life was just too rough and too in need of attention to spend this much time doing nothing. It was strange to him to have a whole team of people waiting on his hand and foot. It took all he could do not to tell them it was all unnecessary.
After the first hour, and the massage that he was given, Parker began to relax a bit. He certainly hadn't realized how tensed his body was until they started to work out all the cricks in his back. After that, he was a little more open to the idea. Still not completely okay with being waited on, but he wasn't at risk of telling them to stop.
There wasn't a whole lot of extra stuff he wanted them to do. It was more than enough with all they were doing now, so the only suggestions he gave was just to despribe how he wanted his hair cut and other things of that nature. And then it was time for the clothes. Naturally, he wanted to go with simple. However, simple must not have been in their waredrobe. For everything looked high end and expensive, and completely opposite of what the young man was used to. He asked if the outfit was really necessary. The answer was no, but it never hurt anyone to have a nice set of clothing for any special occassions. So, with a small sigh, he picked out the simplest peieces he could, even though they still screamed fancy.
At the end of the four hours, Parker stood in front of the full length mirror, staring at himself in a mix of awe and confusion. The man in the mirror was clean cut, dressed in a new white shirt, a grey and black vest with embroidered designs along the front, a pair of black high wasited breeches, and a pair of brand new black boots. A grey frock coat was hanging on a rack behind him, but he left it off as for the time being. Even though he knew it was his reflection, this was a far cry from the farmer boy he was used to seeing. In fact, it almost looked... better. His mind breifly recalled the comment Sol had made the last time they had gone shopping. Simple doesn't suit you. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to think the captain had been right. A pang twisted his heart. Of course, he would have found that out the last day he had with the man, which only added to the misery of it all.
Right. Sol would be waiting for him. His four hours was up, so he assumed he would be needing to head back to the main lobby. He turned and gathered up his coat before finding the person who would be leading him back the way he had come.
~*~*~
It was as good a plan as any. Anya nodded. "Sounds good to me," she said, slipping her hand inside his. "Are you okay with it?"
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 1, 2021 19:53:24 GMT -5
The clothier led Parker to Ashley, and Ashley guided him back to the main lobby, raining compliments on him the whole time. Then, when the reached the larger sitting room, the blonde, Angela, complimented him profusely as well.
There was a ding from the door, announcing Sol's return. He too had cleaned up and dressed well, but not quite as nicely as Parker. His steps slowed as he caught sight of Parker, making his approach longer so he had more time to admire the view. When he reached him, he stopped much closer than necessary. "You make a very good pirate," he said, in the tone only Parker ever heard.
☆~☆~☆ Seth automatically flipped their hands so they were palm to palm, fingers intertwined, and pulled her closer. "With bringing him? Yes. It'll be dangerous, but... I don't think I could have ever been okay leaving him." Aidan had been abandoned enough by the people he cared about. So had Seth, for that matter.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 1, 2021 20:05:51 GMT -5
Parker blushed under the rain of compliments given to him by the women, smiling as his confiedence in the outfit slowly grew. Did he still feel over dressed? Yes, but there wasn't much he could do about that.
At the sound of the door opening, Parker turned to see Sol striding in. Well, would have been striding if he hadn't slowed. He felt his face burn hotter under his gaze, even though he hadn't said anything yet. When he did, words failed him.
"I-I, um... I d-don't... Uh," He stammered, trying to figure out what to sayin response. The women's compliments he could brush off. After all, even if they were sincere, they were strangers and not anyone he really cared if he impressed. Sol, however, was a whole different story. He swallowed and took a deep breath as he finally was able to avert his gaze from the captain. "Thank you," he finally managed in a somewhat steady voice.
~*~*~
"Then that's all that matters," Anya told him softly. "Besides, who knows? This might be a good experience for him."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 1, 2021 20:50:00 GMT -5
Sol made a conscious effort to cut the heated kiss short after only a few minutes. If he didn't, he'd be dragging Parker to the nearest inn rather than their destination. He broke away as suddenly as he'd started, backing off a few paces to put a bit of distance between them while he got control of his senses. Then, when he had recovered his breath, he stepped forward again, reclaimed Parker’s hand, and led him from the alley. "Come," he said.
☆~☆~☆ Seth shrugged. "We can head anywhere, really, so long as we stay off the grid. Aidan recommend the ocean. If nothing else, we can head in that general direction."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 4, 2021 13:00:38 GMT -5
The next morning was one of bitter happiness. The Dorreh household did their best to treat the morning as if this was just Anya leaving for Illera all over again, and not leaving due to the punishment given to her by the Elders. The whole crew as there, minus Felix and Jakob's girlfriend and fiancée. Trenton's wife, Catherine, and the two youngest family members were included as well. As seemed to be the tradition, they had all come to share one last meal before the group left. And all of them did their best to keep the topics of discussion on lighter subjects. Well, when Ryner and Felix weren't trying to take jabs at Seth while they still had the chance.
Once the meal was over, they all more or less congregated towards the yard where the dragons were waiting. No one said anything outright, but it was clear that they were all stalling for as long as they could. Kaylee, oblivious to it all, was running wild, as usual. The young girl had tried to get Aidan to chase her around the yard, but when her efforts didn't work, she quickly found something else to do. Catherine kept an eye out for her, Haley being bounced gently in her arms, watching as she went to investigate Corrik. The black dragon she had no worries of. He had never done anything that gave her worry that he would act suddenly. Plus he had grew up here, and Trenton was actually the one who actually encourage their daughter to go make friends with him. Corrik, she knew, didn't mind having the little girl climbing over him. Stel, however, she didn't know if she would appreciate that. So when she saw Kaylee make a mad dash to the dragon, she quickly handed Haley off to the nearest person. Which happened to be Seth. "Can you take her while I stop Kaylee? Thanks," she said without even giving Seth a chance to argue. Then hurried over to stop her daughter, calling out that she couldn't just climb on her without asking.
Haley, for her part, just looked up at Seth with wide eyes, as if unsure what to make of the man holding her.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 4, 2021 14:53:46 GMT -5
Sol gave him a dry look. "I'll give you two guesses," he said. They rounded one last corner and a small tavern was at the end of the dead end street. It was soon clear that this was their destination. When Sol got to the door, he threw it open and gestured for Parker to enter first.
☆~☆~☆ Seth was up early the next morning, readying the dragons for the coming trip. He knew they would be leaving shortly after breakfast, and he wanted everything done before so he didn't feel rushed. Anya could have as much time as she needed to say goodbye.
Breakfast was a big affair that morning, though everyone tried to treat the reason as normal. Seth took Ryner's and Felix's teasing amicably, though he still gave as good as he got. He decided he was going to miss having such battles of wit with the two lovable idiots.
After breakfast, and everyone had gathered together out front, Seth and Aidan stood off to one side, watching Anya make her goodbyes. Trenton's wife was nearby, but she was occupied with her kids so Seth didn't feel the need to make conversation with her. He was running through a mental checklist, double checking they had everything, when he noticed young Kaylee jump off Corrik's tail and run straight toward Stel's. Seth didn't think anything of it — Stel acted tough, but she was a big softie — but it seemed Kaylee's mom wasn't of the same mind.
He barely had time to lift his arms and take the baby before the woman was off. Seth stared after her for a moment, then looked down at the baby, held rather awkwardly in his arms. Her wide-eyed look felt accurate for the situation. "Yeah, you and me both, kid," he muttered. He hadn't held a baby since he was three years old, holding infant Cami. Somehow, this time it felt infinitely harder.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 4, 2021 15:54:20 GMT -5
And his guesses had been right. Parker's lips twitched into a smile. Sure, he hadn't really wanted them to do anything, but it was very on brand with the pair to have done something like this. Upon approaching the tavern, he walked through the door Sol opened and into the room, bracing himself for what might be in store.
~*~*~
Trenton, seeing his wife running after Kaylee, glanced over to where Seth was holding, if one could call it that, his youngest He grinned. "What is Seth? Having some difficulties?" he called, good humor tinting his words. And of course, with his words, the whole family had turned to see what was going on. Already, Ryner was grinning impishly, a whole new slew of taunts forming.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 4, 2021 16:05:58 GMT -5
As soon as Parker stepped over the threshold, a string of lights lit up the back wall and a mass cry of "Surprise!" rang out from the waiting crew. Most every man and woman from the Comet was there, holding a tankard or mug or glass of their preferred drink. The two closest to the door were, of course, Mason and Quill. They approached Parker now, and Mason handed him a cup. "Took ya long enough, boyo," he said, grinning.
"But look at how cute he looks," Quill pitched in, also grinning. "Did you pick that out, or did they?"
☆~☆~☆ Seth glanced up and glared without heat. "You tell me. She's your kid." He managed to shift the baby into a more comfortable — and less awkward — position. "Should this be difficult?"
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 4, 2021 16:19:39 GMT -5
Parker paused as the lights came on and the shouts sounded. The an stared around at the sea of faces, stunned silent. Truthfully, he had only been expecting a handful of people to be waiting, not the entire crew. Some of them he hadn't really even gotten to know well as others, yet they were here. Or, at least, those who weren't still on the ship. Surely they had just come because of Quill and Mason, not for him, right? Whatever the answer, he felt the burn of tears in his eyes, and he quickly blinked them away. Having the scheming duo themselves approach him helped.
Taking the glass, Parker playfully shoved Quill. "I'm not answering because I feel like you're making fun of the choices made," he said, though there was no hurt feelings present. Just amusement.
~*~*~
"No, not really," Trenton replied.
"If she pukes, she likes you," Ryner offered, earning a light slap to the arm from Maria.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 4, 2021 17:18:40 GMT -5
(Are they going to give him their farewell gifts tonight at the party, or in the morning before he leaves?)
He had drank with these pirates many times, spent several nights of karaoke with them, thought he had seen them at their finest. No. All of that was put to shame tonight as they all celebrated his final night among them. There was laughter and jokes and drinks all around. Parker himself only had one drink, enough to get him feeling good without making him drunk. He was enjoying himself a lot more than he would have ever thought he would, and it made the reason for the party all the more bitter for him.
~*~*~
"I'd argue, but I can't," Trenton said, smiling. He could have come over at any time to take his child, but he didn't. As for Haley, she looked between Seth and her father. Then back again. Her bottom lip began to poke out in the tale tell signs that she was going to cry.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Sept 4, 2021 17:31:58 GMT -5
( How about right now? 😉 )
An hour or so into the festivities, someone made a subtle gesture and the music dropped to a low background hum. "Present time!" Quill yelled into the sudden quiet, making the nearest crewmate shove him off his chair. He slid right off and onto the ground, laughing the whole way.
While everyone was distracted by the spectacle, Mason came up behind Parker and dropped a long leather cord over his head. A carved wooden pendant landed solidly against his chest. It was a little smaller than his palm, and shaped like a sun. Exactly like the one painted on the Comet.
☆~☆~☆ Seth chuckled and shook his head. "Of course you can't." Then he glanced down and saw that trembling lip. The was a moment of panic, quickly suppressed. "Oiy. Don't even think about it, missy," he said in a bright, cheery tone bordering on goofy. "You're gonna make me look bad."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Sept 4, 2021 17:44:37 GMT -5
Parker, who had made his way to talk with some of the junior crew mates, turned at the sudden shout for presents. Curious, he looked in Quill's direction, but hadn't even found the man before the cord was dropped over his head. His hand grabbed the pendant, turning it over as he recognized the symbol. "What is this?" he asked, looked from it to Mason. Obviously, he knew what it was, but he wasn't sure what it meant.
~*~*~
For a moment Haley looked as if she would start screaming any second, but the tone of voice helped to stall the tears. For a couple of seconds. Then she started to let out a small, constant whine.
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