"It's a lovely day," he began, shifting his weight slightly, "I had thought we might pull ourselves away from work long enough to enjoy it. I have food enough for the both of us, and a bottle of wine."
Was this too forward? Hopefully not. Just two friends sharing a meal. But, also...
"There is a quest as well, technically of the more intimate variety, but I asked around — it involves a quiet location and paint one can use on the body. If you do not care to indulge in that aspect, I do not mind either way. But I thought, perhaps, even doodling on our arms might entertain us."
Oh. Food and wine- a picnic. That's what the basket is for. Viktor's expression softens, but then colours with a tinge of panic as Xander goes on.
Intimate? Paint on the body? Oh dear. Viktor's brain stops working for a moment, and he feels suddenly very nervous. There's sort of a stunned silence as he continues to look up at Xander, before realizing he's being very rude.
"I-- ah, I'm sorry. A picnic sounds lovely. I... I may decide on the paint later on, if that would be alright," he stammers, blushing. "I didn't-- I haven't prepared for... Ah..." He looks down at his dirty hands. He's trying to say he hasn't had time to get ready for a date, if this is a date, so he doesn't look his best, and is this a date? But the words just get all tangled up, and he doesn't have the nerve to ask that question anyway.
"Sorry. Yes." He puts down his screwdriver and wipes his hands of grease.
Xander felt his own cheeks flush. Had he overstepped? Hopefully not.
"Of course." He assured. "That part is not mandatory. Well — none of this is mandatory, obviously. I am sure you know what I mean." He laughed, nervous now himself. "The location is beautiful, however. We would be remiss not to spend some time there."
And breaks were good. God knows they needed them. "Take all the time you need. Do you need assistance?" He set the basket down, hobbled over, and offered a hand.
Viktor also smiles and laughs- a breathless huff. His mind tries to catch up with himself, shifting gears from work to- to this.
"I would love to see it, then." These days, Viktor tries not to say no when a break is suggested, and especially so in this case.
"Yes, please." Once Viktor's hands are cleaner, he moves to his knees and takes Xander's hand, grunting softly as he stands. Steadying himself with Xander's help, he grabs his crutch from where it leans on the table.
"If I had known, I would have cleaned myself up," he says apologetically. "This is very kind of you to do."
He gripped his hand and planted his cane firmly to the ground, keeping himself steady so Viktor could leverage himself up. He released him once he was on his feet.
"If you're worried a little dirt might scare me off, you are very much mistaken. We are going to be outside anyway, and you look just fine."
Xander would help him clean up anything that needed to be cleaned up, and put up any tools that might get in the way for others. "I do apologize for taking you from your work. Is this the chair you were talking about?"
"Very well," he says with a sheepish smile, making a meager attempt at cleaning up his workspace. He appreciates the help, but it's mostly futile anyway- Viktor's workstation always looks a bit like something exploded there, messes of paper diagrams and machine parts and empty coffee cups. And the chair, well, that's staying on the floor, because neither of them are lifting that. So he doesn't waste too much time cleaning, eager to focus his attention on Xander.
"It's okay- it's not like this would be finished today, in any case. And yes, it is. I am building the frame now, and soon hope to acquire some magic crystals to power it. It will take a lot of trial and error if I want it to hover."
He places a tool on his desktop, squinting at the chair for a final moment like he's calculating something, then looks at Xander again and gestures for the door.
"If there is any way I can help, please do not hesitate to ask." He made sure to say, even if he had offered as much before. Xander was nothing if not eager to learn, even if their areas of expertise differed.
When he suggested they head out, Xander smiled, nodded, and picked up the basket again, carefully hooking it into his elbow. He turned toward the door, moving as fast as he could to assure he held it open for Viktor. Like a gentleman. "I—" okay. He should have mentioned this sooner, but... "I may have rented a carriage to drive us to and from the destination." He motioned to the horse drawn waiting outside the workshop. "Don't worry, they won't be prying on our... outing."
"Of course," he nods. "Many of the phases are easier with two people, so I would welcome your assistance at any time." He misses having a partner in such things. Someone committed fully to a project with him, staying up through the late nights together, struggling with problems as a unit, and celebrating successes together. Perhaps that is a once in a lifetime thing to find.
He's pondering this as the door is held open for him.
"Oh, thank... You- you--" his jaw drops as Xander reveals the carriage.
Okay, so yeah, this is definitely a date. Viktor has never been planned for or spoiled quite like this. He's never even been on a real date. He's gobsmacked. He almost laughs, a breathy incredulous sound.
"All- All of this for me? Why...?" Why him? Is there some occasion? What did he do to earn this sort of attention?
The funny part was — this was the bare minimum for Xander. An Imperial nobleman wasn't going to walk to his destination whether he was in perfect health or otherwise. And he certainly wasn't going to ask his date to take a hike through the woods after such an impromptu invitation. He only thought to warn him now because he recalled that vision he had seen. Viktor... probably was not used to this like Xander was.
"Why not?" He asked earnestly as he turned to smile at him. "I am taking you out. I may as well make it comfortable and worthwhile. If we were to walk, our time would be wasted resting once we arrived."
The last decade of Viktor's life has thankfully been more fortunate than his childhood, and carriages are somewhat common in Piltover, so it's not as though he's never been in one or only sees them as a princess fantasy. But he's still agog at... All of it. All the planning, preparation, and thought Xander did to do something nice for him.
"This is... True, yes..." In Viktor's mind, the question that follows this explanation is naturally Why are you taking me out? but he doesn't voice that, because it seems impolite and likely to be taken the wrong way. Xander made these choices of his own accord, and Viktor trusts that he is a smart man who knows what he wants. So, if he wants this, Viktor isn't going to put up a fight. And, of course Viktor wants it too, so that helps.
"Okay. Well, thank you. Let us go, then." Another shy smile, and he links his free arm with Xander's basket-arm.
There was a moment where Xander, once again, wondered if he overstepped. The familiarity he felt with Viktor may have muddled his mind and he read the situation wrong and —
Oh. Nevermind. Their arms were linked now, and Xander felt his heart race with excitement. He took a breath and moved forward, the dryad serving as their chauffeur kindly opening the door for them. Xander shifted for Viktor to enter first, then followed after. Luckily, it was only one step up, so it wouldn't cause them too much grief.
"You do like wine, yes?" He asked as they settled onto the cushioned benches. He should have asked sooner.
While he knows carriages are not only for princesses, he can't help but feel a little bit like royalty as they board the carriage. He feels... Special. It's a strange and new feeling. He's nervous, but there's also a giddy excitement in his gut.
"I do," he confirms. "I don't drink much, but it is nice to indulge now and then." And don't let his size fool you-- he can hold his liquor.
Now that they're in the carriage, he decides that if Xander has been so bold as to plan an entire date, Viktor can be so bold as to sit close and lace their fingers together. But first, he removes his glove (wow, lewd).
"I cannot contain my curiosity- what sort of spot have you chosen? Or must it be a surprise?"
Rawdogging hand holding? What next? Longing glances across a crowded room? Disgusting.
He gently squeezed Viktor's hand. Soon enough, the carriage started moving, slow and carefully through the streets of Grey Ward and out toward the farmlands. "Out in the woods — not far enough in for any danger, but the flowers are blooming and the shade will be nice."
That's definitely in the queue. Viktor is very good at pining.
"That does sound lovely." He relaxes into his seat as his eyes gaze out the windows of the carriage. It's nice to be out of the workshop, seeing the city without needing to labour over walking.
"What... Made you want to do all this with me?" He hedges.
It was simultaneously an easy question to answer and an incredibly difficult one. Xander's cheeks warmed with a blush.
"A desire to be closer to you, somewhere outside of the workshop." Where they worked and socialized, yes, but they did not focus on personal lives as much. "If you would allow me to be so bold, I am quite fond of you already."
Viktor blushes again, and has his quick moment of flustered smiling, but then gathers the nerve to look his companion in the eye.
"I am fond of you too, Xander," he says warmly. "I am... Not used to receiving this kind of attention. I hope you do not interpret my shyness as unwillingness."
His metallic thumb rubs against Xander's. It doesn't produce its own body heat, but the heat of Xander's hand is seeping into it, slowly.
"I would like to know more about you." He wants to know absolutely everything about him, actually. "Will you mind if I ask you some questions about yourself at our picnic?" He asks this because he once upset Rolan by asking one too many personal questions, and he doesn't want his intense curiosity to scare anyone away.
"I will admit, I worried I overstepped a few times so far." He sounded amused, at least. More nervous than uncertain now. "I've never met another so eager to learn as I am. It's nice to meet a like mind that will not judge me for my sometimes wild suggestions to improve the world."
A brow raised; quizzical. "I do not mind at all. I was hoping I might do the same for you. And you do not have to wait for us to settle — if there is something pressing you wish to know now, I will answer."
"I'm just a little... Green," Viktor admits coyly. "I may need to take things slowly." Or maybe he won't. His brain sure did love to jump into tentacle fantasies on their second meeting, if that's any indication.
"I would never judge you for that!" Viktor says emphatically with a shake of his head. "Quite the opposite. Your desire to improve the world entices me." And it's similar to his own. That tireless, self-sacrificing, any-means-necessary ambition to help people.
"Of course, you may ask me anything you like in return," he offers. He doesn't talk about himself much, but it's mostly because no one asks, and he tends to yap about science or magic instead.
Hm. It's true- they are alone in this carriage. Might as well start now.
"Very well. You saw a glimpse of my childhood... It made me curious about yours." In other words, start from the beginning and tell him your whole life story. Go on, then.
"I had not intended to rush. It has been a long time since I attempted to court anyone." And he had no idea if this would even work? But at this point, what was the harm? Celene had been telling him for years to try and get out there again.
He shouldn't have been surprised by that question, and yet he still seemed to be when his eyes widened slightly. "A bit different than yours, if I had to fathom a guess. I was born in the Empire — a vast part of the world consisting primarily of humans. Coin and prestige are vital to survival, and I was lucky enough to be born into a noble family — the Riverwatchers. I have a younger sister, Petra, who became a Temple Knight. Ah..." he frowned. "They are an order who hunt down unsanctioned mages in the Empire. At any rate—" moving on from that! "I was blessed with access to the vast libraries of the realm, and I took to them in my youth. My fascination with the human body came from an older scripture, that I knew when seeing it was... partially outdated." He chuckled. "The old illustrator was still alive and displeased when I suggested he had labeled some things incorrectly. I was 12."
Despite having guessed a while ago that this is a date, the word court still flips Viktor's stomach. It sounds so formal, so official. Yet, warmth spreads through him at the notion. Even Rolan, despite his obvious intense interest in Viktor, had not tried to court him.
Viktor raises his eyebrows as Xander says he was born a noble. No wonder he thought nothing of ordering a carriage. And a sister who hunts mages... Wow. There are empires in Viktor's world, but where he lives is definitely not one. There is, however, stigma against magic where he lives.
He laughs a little, at the last part.
"A young prodigy," he says warmly, his tone half impressed and half me too.
"You must have attended a nice school." Being noble and all. "Did you fit in?"
Xander would not get into the religious aspects associated with the stigma against unsanctioned mages, and how much the Empire sucked with regards to the rights of anyone that was not noble born. That did not make for good date conversation.
"Well enough." He said with a shrug. "I made a few friends — but school was always a competition, and there were so few who desired to study medicine, that said competition was even more intense. I was too caught up in my books either way to do much... socializing beyond what was mandatory." But it seemed like it might have been better than what Viktor went through? At least from what he could parse in that vision. "I was young and spry, then. Shame we did not meet when we were younger."
Viktor nods, understanding about the tough competition, and also glad Xander was at least able to make some friends. Viktor was an outsider first for his disability, then for the fact that he was at a topside academy as someone from the Undercity. At a certain point, though, his isolation became purposeful.
At his final statement, Viktor raises his brows, frowning innocently at Xander, big-eyed.
"Why is that a shame? I like you as you are now." Xander understands what it means to be disabled, and that is more valuable to Viktor than, er- courting someone who is spry and strong.
"Perhaps we could have been friends in school, but I think it is more likely we'd both have holed up in separate nooks and ignored each other." He smiles wryly.
His gaze softened, tan cheeks tinged with a blush once more. "I had a lot more energy then. Perhaps I would not get so easily exhausted by late night sessions in the workshop." He chuckled softly. "But I am glad you like me as I am. That means a lot." And perhaps he shouldn't have sounded so surprised by the admission.
"Oh, most likely. I nearly suggested we visit the library when we first met, but I had thought we might do just that. It did not make for good conversation. Your schooling was... different than mine, I gathered? Socially, at least."
"If anything, your exhaustion is permission and encouragement for me to rest, which I should do more of anyway." Xander is so sweet, he has the deep urge to kiss him on the cheek. He abstains, but does lean into his side a little, placing his free hand over top of their intertwined fingers.
"My schooling..." He looks out the window, thoughtful. "I never really had any friends. As a child, my disability alienated me from my peers. Once I was old enough, I snuck into the academy in the rich part of town, and pretended to be a student until the Dean noticed me and took me on as an apprentice. Then, I was alienated for being from the Undercity, not having a patron or a last name that held any weight. In fact, I have no last name at all. But," he shrugs. "As you said, some of it was simply me prioritizing my work over socializing. In the end, I met Jayce, and that was enough for me."
"I am more than happy to be the encouragement you need. We will get nothing accomplished if we're exhausted." Then they'd waste even more time sleeping. God forbid.
Xander leaned into him in turn, and if their hands weren't interlocked, he'd be tempted to wrap his arm around him. The slight bumpiness and the abundance of shade and foliage outside the window suggested they had made it into the more verdant path outside of town.
"That was bold of you." He said, his tone suggesting a genuine awe. "Many would not dare to impersonate a noble back home — and fewer would live if they were caught doing so." He almost made a joke about taking his last name. Too soon for that, even in jest. "Tell me about Jayce."
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Was this too forward? Hopefully not. Just two friends sharing a meal. But, also...
"There is a quest as well, technically of the more intimate variety, but I asked around — it involves a quiet location and paint one can use on the body. If you do not care to indulge in that aspect, I do not mind either way. But I thought, perhaps, even doodling on our arms might entertain us."
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Intimate? Paint on the body? Oh dear. Viktor's brain stops working for a moment, and he feels suddenly very nervous. There's sort of a stunned silence as he continues to look up at Xander, before realizing he's being very rude.
"I-- ah, I'm sorry. A picnic sounds lovely. I... I may decide on the paint later on, if that would be alright," he stammers, blushing. "I didn't-- I haven't prepared for... Ah..." He looks down at his dirty hands. He's trying to say he hasn't had time to get ready for a date, if this is a date, so he doesn't look his best, and is this a date? But the words just get all tangled up, and he doesn't have the nerve to ask that question anyway.
"Sorry. Yes." He puts down his screwdriver and wipes his hands of grease.
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"Of course." He assured. "That part is not mandatory. Well — none of this is mandatory, obviously. I am sure you know what I mean." He laughed, nervous now himself. "The location is beautiful, however. We would be remiss not to spend some time there."
And breaks were good. God knows they needed them. "Take all the time you need. Do you need assistance?" He set the basket down, hobbled over, and offered a hand.
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"I would love to see it, then." These days, Viktor tries not to say no when a break is suggested, and especially so in this case.
"Yes, please." Once Viktor's hands are cleaner, he moves to his knees and takes Xander's hand, grunting softly as he stands. Steadying himself with Xander's help, he grabs his crutch from where it leans on the table.
"If I had known, I would have cleaned myself up," he says apologetically. "This is very kind of you to do."
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"If you're worried a little dirt might scare me off, you are very much mistaken. We are going to be outside anyway, and you look just fine."
Xander would help him clean up anything that needed to be cleaned up, and put up any tools that might get in the way for others. "I do apologize for taking you from your work. Is this the chair you were talking about?"
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"It's okay- it's not like this would be finished today, in any case. And yes, it is. I am building the frame now, and soon hope to acquire some magic crystals to power it. It will take a lot of trial and error if I want it to hover."
He places a tool on his desktop, squinting at the chair for a final moment like he's calculating something, then looks at Xander again and gestures for the door.
"Shall we?"
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When he suggested they head out, Xander smiled, nodded, and picked up the basket again, carefully hooking it into his elbow. He turned toward the door, moving as fast as he could to assure he held it open for Viktor. Like a gentleman. "I—" okay. He should have mentioned this sooner, but... "I may have rented a carriage to drive us to and from the destination." He motioned to the horse drawn waiting outside the workshop. "Don't worry, they won't be prying on our... outing."
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He's pondering this as the door is held open for him.
"Oh, thank... You- you--" his jaw drops as Xander reveals the carriage.
Okay, so yeah, this is definitely a date. Viktor has never been planned for or spoiled quite like this. He's never even been on a real date. He's gobsmacked. He almost laughs, a breathy incredulous sound.
"All- All of this for me? Why...?" Why him? Is there some occasion? What did he do to earn this sort of attention?
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"Why not?" He asked earnestly as he turned to smile at him. "I am taking you out. I may as well make it comfortable and worthwhile. If we were to walk, our time would be wasted resting once we arrived."
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"This is... True, yes..." In Viktor's mind, the question that follows this explanation is naturally Why are you taking me out? but he doesn't voice that, because it seems impolite and likely to be taken the wrong way. Xander made these choices of his own accord, and Viktor trusts that he is a smart man who knows what he wants. So, if he wants this, Viktor isn't going to put up a fight. And, of course Viktor wants it too, so that helps.
"Okay. Well, thank you. Let us go, then." Another shy smile, and he links his free arm with Xander's basket-arm.
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Oh. Nevermind. Their arms were linked now, and Xander felt his heart race with excitement. He took a breath and moved forward, the dryad serving as their chauffeur kindly opening the door for them. Xander shifted for Viktor to enter first, then followed after. Luckily, it was only one step up, so it wouldn't cause them too much grief.
"You do like wine, yes?" He asked as they settled onto the cushioned benches. He should have asked sooner.
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"I do," he confirms. "I don't drink much, but it is nice to indulge now and then." And don't let his size fool you-- he can hold his liquor.
Now that they're in the carriage, he decides that if Xander has been so bold as to plan an entire date, Viktor can be so bold as to sit close and lace their fingers together. But first, he removes his glove (wow, lewd).
"I cannot contain my curiosity- what sort of spot have you chosen? Or must it be a surprise?"
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He gently squeezed Viktor's hand. Soon enough, the carriage started moving, slow and carefully through the streets of Grey Ward and out toward the farmlands. "Out in the woods — not far enough in for any danger, but the flowers are blooming and the shade will be nice."
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"That does sound lovely." He relaxes into his seat as his eyes gaze out the windows of the carriage. It's nice to be out of the workshop, seeing the city without needing to labour over walking.
"What... Made you want to do all this with me?" He hedges.
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"A desire to be closer to you, somewhere outside of the workshop." Where they worked and socialized, yes, but they did not focus on personal lives as much. "If you would allow me to be so bold, I am quite fond of you already."
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"I am fond of you too, Xander," he says warmly. "I am... Not used to receiving this kind of attention. I hope you do not interpret my shyness as unwillingness."
His metallic thumb rubs against Xander's. It doesn't produce its own body heat, but the heat of Xander's hand is seeping into it, slowly.
"I would like to know more about you." He wants to know absolutely everything about him, actually. "Will you mind if I ask you some questions about yourself at our picnic?" He asks this because he once upset Rolan by asking one too many personal questions, and he doesn't want his intense curiosity to scare anyone away.
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A brow raised; quizzical. "I do not mind at all. I was hoping I might do the same for you. And you do not have to wait for us to settle — if there is something pressing you wish to know now, I will answer."
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"I would never judge you for that!" Viktor says emphatically with a shake of his head. "Quite the opposite. Your desire to improve the world entices me." And it's similar to his own. That tireless, self-sacrificing, any-means-necessary ambition to help people.
"Of course, you may ask me anything you like in return," he offers. He doesn't talk about himself much, but it's mostly because no one asks, and he tends to yap about science or magic instead.
Hm. It's true- they are alone in this carriage. Might as well start now.
"Very well. You saw a glimpse of my childhood... It made me curious about yours." In other words, start from the beginning and tell him your whole life story. Go on, then.
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He shouldn't have been surprised by that question, and yet he still seemed to be when his eyes widened slightly. "A bit different than yours, if I had to fathom a guess. I was born in the Empire — a vast part of the world consisting primarily of humans. Coin and prestige are vital to survival, and I was lucky enough to be born into a noble family — the Riverwatchers. I have a younger sister, Petra, who became a Temple Knight. Ah..." he frowned. "They are an order who hunt down unsanctioned mages in the Empire. At any rate—" moving on from that! "I was blessed with access to the vast libraries of the realm, and I took to them in my youth. My fascination with the human body came from an older scripture, that I knew when seeing it was... partially outdated." He chuckled. "The old illustrator was still alive and displeased when I suggested he had labeled some things incorrectly. I was 12."
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Viktor raises his eyebrows as Xander says he was born a noble. No wonder he thought nothing of ordering a carriage. And a sister who hunts mages... Wow. There are empires in Viktor's world, but where he lives is definitely not one. There is, however, stigma against magic where he lives.
He laughs a little, at the last part.
"A young prodigy," he says warmly, his tone half impressed and half me too.
"You must have attended a nice school." Being noble and all. "Did you fit in?"
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"Well enough." He said with a shrug. "I made a few friends — but school was always a competition, and there were so few who desired to study medicine, that said competition was even more intense. I was too caught up in my books either way to do much... socializing beyond what was mandatory." But it seemed like it might have been better than what Viktor went through? At least from what he could parse in that vision. "I was young and spry, then. Shame we did not meet when we were younger."
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At his final statement, Viktor raises his brows, frowning innocently at Xander, big-eyed.
"Why is that a shame? I like you as you are now." Xander understands what it means to be disabled, and that is more valuable to Viktor than, er- courting someone who is spry and strong.
"Perhaps we could have been friends in school, but I think it is more likely we'd both have holed up in separate nooks and ignored each other." He smiles wryly.
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"Oh, most likely. I nearly suggested we visit the library when we first met, but I had thought we might do just that. It did not make for good conversation. Your schooling was... different than mine, I gathered? Socially, at least."
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"My schooling..." He looks out the window, thoughtful. "I never really had any friends. As a child, my disability alienated me from my peers. Once I was old enough, I snuck into the academy in the rich part of town, and pretended to be a student until the Dean noticed me and took me on as an apprentice. Then, I was alienated for being from the Undercity, not having a patron or a last name that held any weight. In fact, I have no last name at all. But," he shrugs. "As you said, some of it was simply me prioritizing my work over socializing. In the end, I met Jayce, and that was enough for me."
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Xander leaned into him in turn, and if their hands weren't interlocked, he'd be tempted to wrap his arm around him. The slight bumpiness and the abundance of shade and foliage outside the window suggested they had made it into the more verdant path outside of town.
"That was bold of you." He said, his tone suggesting a genuine awe. "Many would not dare to impersonate a noble back home — and fewer would live if they were caught doing so." He almost made a joke about taking his last name. Too soon for that, even in jest. "Tell me about Jayce."
cw suicide plan/attempt
Ah yes the palate cleanser i needed
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