Fire In Our Blood || Closed

Idalia || Mountains Outside of Espeor

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The wind seemed to whistle softly through the trees. The scent of the air was sweet, but tinged with smoke. Not from any disaster, but rather from the city that lay behind the flame colored mare. Here, the trees spread above her, and soft moss grew beneath. There was something magical about Espeor, she had to admit. 

Idalia didn’t quite know why she had decided to visit her sister, Avia. The mountains were far from where her small herd normally roamed, but she had been there once before - at the birth of Khaalida’s twins. Mother had made them all go, both to see Avia but also to celebrate. In a way, the family had grown, Idalia supposed. While they were not related by blood, Avia was one of them now. 

A soft snort came from the mare as she stood in the forest, just looking around. Part of her could understand why Avia left. Khaalida’s city of Queensbreak was gorgeous, crafted from glittering stones and ores. Every building had something magical about it, Khaalida’s own star-blessed power seeming to surround one when in the city. The young mare's power amazed Idalia, and she took a moment to close her eyes, the flames that stood in place of eyes winking out momentarily as she stood, sightless. 

While part of her was still angry at Avia for leaving, she had been glad to spend time with her sister. The adventures apart had strengthened Avia, and while Avia seemed to have an air of sadness around her now, there was also a maturity that Idalia envied. 

And now that Mother was gone, Idalia had taken the opportunity to leave, no questions asked. She felt bad for leaving Elara with Eadwine, but Elara was old enough to take care of herself. And Datura, well she was normally alone. Idalia didn’t want to admit it, but she knew she often forgot about her other sister, sometimes on purpose. But she didn’t feel too bad; Datura just hid in her cave away from anything she could kill, and Eady was often just… cold to Idalia. It led to many fights between them. It was too easy for the fire-hearted mare to nag Eadwine, and Eady’s cold reactions only prodded her on. Elara was the youngest, but often tried to be a peacekeeper. But being tiny compared to the others, and rather delicate, Elara couldn’t do much. So Idalia would find ways to annoy her sisters, and Eady would freeze them all out. Datura would hide, and Elara would try… but ultimately give up on trying to find any peace between the group. Only Avia had been loved by them all, in their own ways.

They were not the closest group of sisters, that was true. 

But now Mother was off on quests to gain land for them. A home, like the one that Avia had found for herself in Espeor. Avia had left them, and it felt like their delicate balance of peace was gone with her exit. Idalia didn’t think a permanent home would help anything. 

Idalia didn’t know if she would ever feel at home. But opening her flame eyes, determination settled within her. She was a mare on a mission. 

-

Flame graced hooves left a trail in her wake. Smoke rose from each step, scorched marks in the ground from where she stepped. Idalia was looking for answers, and she was determined to get them. Mother had said that Idalia’s father had been with her only a night, much like Idalia’s other sisters. But Mother had given her a description, and her time in Espeor had given her a better bearing of where to start looking. There were rumors of a small herd, one of which being her father, wandering near the Mountains. Idalia had left and kept track of her direction, heading toward where they had last been seen. At one point she thought she saw two flying figures in the sky above her. Idalia paused, watching them pass. They almost looked like the lead mare and stallion, but Idalia wasn’t certain at the distance. 

So Idalia took a chance, adjusted her direction to match that of which the pair had come from, and continued on. The day turned to twilight, and Idalia began to pick up on scents, a mix of them. They seemed to be close to each other, intermingled. A herd perhaps? Idalia couldn’t help but notice her entire journey was guided by chance. It was a chance that the Quirlicorns of Espeor had a general idea of the other Quirls in the Mountains. It was a chance she spotted those two flying figures. And chance again that she now found herself following a trail of herd-scents. At one point, two of the scents, one feminine one masculine, seemed to split off, and disappear, perhaps into the sky. Her determination renewed, Idalia felt she was on the right track, and followed the remaining scents into the twilight. 

-

The sky was starlight above her, the breezes cool. Doing her best to stay hidden from sight, Idalia watched the small herd. There seemed to be three stallions, and one mare. The two younger ones seemed around the same age, and for a moment Idalia wondered if she had a sibling. But the thought quickly passed; they looked nothing like her, and if Idalia remembered correctly, the lead pair had twin boys. The mare seemed to keep a distance from the others, and well the other stallion…. Idalia’s eyes couldn’t help but keep drifting to him. He matched the description she had been given… of her father. 

Idalia realized she had never even asked his name. 

With a soft sigh, Idalia turned away, retreating for the night. As she left a snap seemed to split the night. Looking down she saw a twig she had carelessly stepped on broken beneath her hoof, smouldering slightly from the heat of her hooves. 

Shaking her head, Idalia picked up her pace, hoping she wasn’t heard and would have more time to prepare to meet her father. 

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1,100 Words - +4 Chimes

4 Chimes Total for RP 

Efisio || An Eventful Evening

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    The day had been...eventful to say the least. Nightshade was still moping about after learning the news of her pregnancy. Baelfire and Lilac left to travel to unknown lands, questing to earn their own land so the herd could settle down and have a home. Efisio took on the responsibility of lead stallion while they were away, even though Ori and Mavuto were Bae and Lilac’s twins. Efisio’s magic was currently stronger than theirs and they were still fairly young, so they figured it would be for the best. Plus, Nightshade was in no mood to lead anyone at the moment.
    For the time being, he was grazing with the boys, while Nightshade was laying a few feet away. He was leaving her alone, as requested. Yet, she was occupying most of his mind as day fell to evening. He wanted so bad to help her, but she just wouldn’t let him. Raising a foal would be such a wonderful experience, even if it wasn’t his own. Yet there was a part of him that longed for his own foal, to have a family of his own. Every time he saw Bae, Lilac, and the twins together, as a happy family, he longed for it even more.
    His thoughts were interrupted when he heard what sounded like the snap of a twig. His head shot up, ears alert. It was getting dark, so predators were likely to be waking and they could never be too careful.
    “You hear that?” Ori asked. The twins had both noticed the sound to and were looking in the same direction. 
    “Ugh, what now?” Nightshade huffed in annoyance.
    “Yea, Ori, I heard it. I don’t know Nightshade, but I’m going to go find out and chase off whatever it is,” Efisio replied. Then, he went to investigate the source of the sound. Whatever had been there was gone, but the scent lingered in the air. The scent definitely belonged to a Quirlicorn, likely a mare, but a stranger. The scent seemed almost...familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Bending his neck down, he sniffed the ground and noticed the scorched hoof prints leading off into the darkness. Off in the distance, he could've sworn he saw the faintest orange glow, though it disappeared quickly. Whoever they were, they were already long gone.
    “Good news, it’s not a predator. However, it seems we are not the only Quirlicorns out here. They seem to have left for now, but just keep your eyes open. Ori and I can follow the trail in the morning possibly and see if we can find her,” Efisio said, satisfied that they were out of danger, at least for the time being. With that, he went back to some grazing and the herd settled in for the night, staying close to each other. The young stallions’ ears had perked at the mention of “her”, but he just pretended not to notice. The scent lingered in his nostrils that night. The familiarity of it. Why was it so familiar? Who is she?

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510 Words - +2 Chimes

6 Chimes Total for RP 

Idalia || Edge of the Mountains Region

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The fiery mare stood in the small grove, a bit of a way aways from the small herd. She had come so close to being noticed. Having glanced behind her, she noticed a flicker of movement, but they did not pursue further. 

She had caught his scent though. Idalia stood, puzzling over the turn of events. It was very unlike her to run from a confrontation. She had always prided herself on being bold, bright, never one to back down. But this made her… nervous. Maybe not quite nervous, but it wasn’t an emotion she could put a name to. A sense of impending doom? Worried? Concerned? 

There was nothing in the mares vocabulary that could properly describe the turning in her stomach, the dryness in her mouth, the restless energy that filled her. 

Back home, she would have taken off into the night, and run the energy off. Here, she simply found herself unable to move, standing and staring at the bit of forest around her. 

She didn’t run, not from anything… except this. 

Idalia sighed to herself again. In the morning, she decided. Early morning, to hopefully catch them off guard. She wanted to have the upper hoof, to run things on her terms. It would give her a sense of security, even though she was meeting them on their term, their land. Or rather, where they resided. She would be rested and ready come morning.

-

When the sky began to lighten, Idalia found herself in the exact same position she had stopped in. The forest around her was starting to come to life, waking from the slightly chilly night. But the fiery mare had not slept a wink. Instead, she had found herself drifting through her own thoughts, a rare occurrence for one who normally acted before thinking.

But her mind was troubled, and she couldn’t seem to be restful. Refusing to believe it was nerves that twisted her belly, Idalia had let her mind wander. She wondered what her mother would think. Pandora was a free spirit, but a good mother. Her sisters were proof that her mother's wild spirit still existed, but with each sister she had seen something in her mother settle. Idalia, being the second born, had been around to watch how her mother changed over the following foals, and how she had changed again when Avia left. She hoped Pandora was okay on her quests. Idalia had very few strong bonds, but her mother was one of them. 

Would Mother be mad at her for seeking out the other half of her lineage? Maybe. But at the same time, maybe not. Idalia hoped Pan would understand when she returned. The fiery mare just had to know. 

Idalia decided enough, and shook out her coat. The ground beneath her hooves was scorched and dead, the surrounding area was smouldering from the prolonged heat. 

With a great sigh, the mare left the grove.

-

It was a simple matter of retracing her hoofsteps. What surprised her most was the imprint of hooves near where she had been standing and watching last night. So she had been discovered. The scent however… It was similar, familiar. She recognized it in a weird way, the unconscious way she had recognized it previous. 

Momentarily forgetting to be stealthy, Idalia headed closer to where she had seen the herd the night before.

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562 Words - +2 Chimes

8 Chimes Total for RP

1573 Words Total For Idalia (+6 Chimes)

Efisio|| A Morning Romp

     Efiso’s night was….restless. Whoever belonged to that scent stayed front and center in his mind. The familiarity of it was trying to stir a memory on the edge of his mind. Yet, it continued eluding him, seeming further away the harder he focused.

    Despite his lack of sleep, morning brought a new adrenaline to him. Today, he was going to grab Ori and go follow that trail. There was something that told him this stranger would likely return. Last night he had noticed several hoofprints, some rather deep, but they were all in the same area with the same scent. He was pretty sure whoever it was had been watching them for some amount of time and he wanted to know why.
    “Ori, help me search for our visitor from last night. I don’t think they would’ve gone far since it seems they were here for awhile. Get a good sniff of her scent. I’m going to follow her hoofprints, but I’d like you to stick to the tree line just in case she means harm. I can’t have anything happening to you while your parents are away, they’d kill me,” he said, laughing a bit at the end. 
    Ori walked over and sniffed the spot Efisio had mentioned, then made his way towards the treeline. As they were searching, they heard a small rustling noise and both caught a glimpse of orange. They took off towards it, Efisio speeding up to try and cut off one side. However it seemed like she managed to evade them yet again as the two stallions collided into each other in a heap of hooves, horns, and antlers instead. “Oof!” they said simultaneously.
    When they had regained their balance and their surroundings, they realized they had lost her once again to the trees. “Dang it! I thought we had her for sure,” Efisio said, pouting a bit as his questions remained unanswered. Ori just looked a bit bored with the whole thing. “Why do you care so much? She’s probably just some stranger who was wandering by. We should probably get back to Mavuto and Nightshade honestly,” Ori said.
    Efisio nodded in agreement, but didn’t answer Ori’s question. In truth, he didn’t really know why he wanted to find out who this strange mare was. It was something about the scent that was just so familiar, but he couldn’t figure out why. Ori was right though, they should stay with Mavuto and Nightshade. Maybe if they just go back to their routine she would approach them? 
Upon returning, Ori joined Mavuto and Nightshade under the shade of some of the nearby trees and began grazing. Efisio chose to take watch. He stood in a little clearing to graze, but also to keep an eye on their surroundings. It was warm out, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he much preferred sunbathing and warmth to coolness and shade anyways. His thoughts wandered to ideas of family and maybe having his own herd some day as he grazed, enjoying the now peaceful day.

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509 Words - +2 Chime

10 Chimes total for RP

1019 Words (+4 Chimes) for Efisio

Idalia || Mentally Freaking Out a Bit But Its Ok 

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The flame hued mare carefully picked her way through the trees. At one point she thought she heard others, but the wind was not in her favor so she couldn’t be sure if it was that small herd, watching her again.

She found herself in the brush again, and found the herd grazing. Her eyes traveled over the small group, watching the three stallions and the mare. She watched their dynamic a bit, and noticed the two younger stallions looked similar, perhaps brothers? Judging by their age, they might even be twins.

But the other stallion… he struck a chord within her. The flames, the blue flames… they were like hers.

She took a moment to piece together what she knew of her father, and figured that must be him.

The other half of her DNA, a connection she never thought she would find. Never had wanted to find it until recently.

Idalia took in the scene, the two younger stallions with the mare in the shade, and the older stallion standing in the sun. Idalia knew the feeling; she much preferred the heat to the cold, and if it wasn’t for her stealth mission, she would be basking in the sun away from her sisters.

Eady preferred the cold, Elara liked the warm spring days, but Idalia was a child of the summer. She enjoyed the heat and basking in the light of day.

-

Mustering her courage that seemed to keep failing her, Idalia took a deep breath. She would walk out, she decided. Simply walk out, toward that older stallion, and just announce herself. She was fairly certain after all, his scent reminded her a bit of her own. She had been told her scent was the warmth of a fire, a bit of smoke and cedar. The mare felt that she caught hints of that in the stallions scent as well, the same warmth to it.

Centering herself, Idalia reminded herself of who she was, what she prided herself in. She was bold, she was beautiful, and she was not a coward. She had come so far, and wouldn’t leave now. She had found what she was looking for, and she would be damned if she let it slip away because of her own insecurity, the foreign feeling that it was.

“I am no coward,” Idalia murmured in her somewhat husky yet feminine voice.

So Idalia took the first step.

-

It shouldn’t have been so hard, the mare knew, to walk out into the open. To approach. But with her goal in mind, she forced her somewhat stiff legs to move, taking each step forward toward the herd, and toward her father. She should have been more vigilant, but her red fire gaze locked on the stallion and refused to leave. She didn’t know if he would recognize her, or remember. But she had to try.

“You,” Idalia said, watching him as she came to a halt, still a bit of a distance from the group.

“I believe you are my father.”

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505 Words (+2 Chimes)

12 Chimes Total for RP

2078 Words for Idalia (+8 Chimes)

Efisio|| 0__0

    Efisio’s head flew up and he stared at the fiery red mare. In the background the twins had stopped their grazing and Nightshade began nickering in laughter, though his surprise muffled it all. Efiso stood frozen, rendered completely speechless. Emotions began flooding his heart. Was this true? Or was it some prank Nightshade decided to play on him? She was quite beautiful, her fiery, red coat broken only by scorched markings, similar to his own. No, even Nightshade wouldn’t pull a trick as cruel as this. She knew he wanted a family of his own some day. For her to pull such a prank would be a new low, even for her.

    “I...what?” he finally managed to get out, though it wasn’t really what he wanted to say. A million questions ran through his mind, yet he was unable to speak a single one. His breath caught when her scent drifted into his nose. She was the familiar scent they had been tracking, but why does it smell so familiar? Shaking his head to clear his mind, he asked, “how do you know? Who is your mother? What’s your name?” Why am I only just finding out? 
    The last question he thought, but couldn’t bring himself to ask. She looked all grown up. Had he had a foal he had never known about? That he couldn’t be there for, to support and raise? Why? What was her story? He just had to know more about her. He struggled to think of the mares he had been with in the past. There had been a few, before joining Bae’s herd, but none had ever hinted at the thought of having a foal, let alone being pregnant.

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286 Words - +1 Chime

11 Chimes total for RP

1305 Words (+5 Chimes) for Efisio

Idalia || Moments of Truth

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The red hued mare sighed softly to herself, her eyes once again roaming over the stallion in front of her. She had come on a mission, for this very reason, yet for some reason, his questions had her drawing to a halt. She could not fathom why her mother had kept her apart from her father. But perhaps.... 

Idalia was the second daughter of Pandora, the Baroness of Artmesium. Did the scars of Eadwine's father run so deep? Idalia didn't know much about the sire of her elder sister. Eadwine herself had never spoke of him, nor had Pandora. Perhaps that was why Pandora distrusted stallions? 

Idalia desperately wished she would have asked her mother more about the stallion before her. None of Pandora's daughters knew their fathers, and Idalia wasn't quite sure if it was by Pandora's decision or the stallions. 

Idalia wanted to hope against hope that Pandora had left this stallion for a good reason, perhaps for fearing to love him too much. But the uneasiness in her gut told her it might have been otherwise, and Idalia should have considered her delivery of the statement before just dropping a bombshell on him. Mentally, she backpedaled quickly, suddenly realizing she didn't truly know anything about the stallion. She had gone on description only, and hoping for the best. 

But it seemed that the stallion hadn't known anything about her either. 

-

"My dam's name is Pandora, and she is graced with a coat of snow and stars, with nebulas in her hair and galaxies in her gaze," Idalia said, giving a description of her mother that would be hard to miss. The red starred mare was glad she hadn't inherited all of her mothers strangeness; a coat of flame and burning steps was more than enough for her. It was clear where she had gotten that; the stallion in front of her. 

"I am Idalia, and I was born just over 6 summers previous, and from the little I know, I believe you to be my father, although I do not know your name...?" Idalia took a deep breath after she had spoken, the end of her words posed as a question. 

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364 Words (+1 Chimes)

Efisio | Down the Rabbit Hole

          Her name alone sent the dark stallion spiraling down a tunnel of memories he thought were long forgotten. Pandora, his first love. They had met as youngsters and became fast friends. They spent everyday together for a couple years and soon their friendship developed into something more, something new to both of them. He was madly madly in love with her, and thought she returned the feelings. Then one day Pandora had to leave, but Efisio never learned why.

          Years later, they met again by chance, but it was like they had never separated. They spent several happy months together simply enjoying their days, yet something had seemed off about Pandora. She was still the same, beautiful mare he grew up with, but she was more reserved, more distant. Efisio brushed it off at the time, just thinking she had simply grown up a bit, but then one day she was just gone. She left and never came back. It had shattered his heart. He thought he had moved past her, yet the simple mention of her name, even after all this time, made him breathless.
           They had relations, but it wasn’t the same. Efisio wasn’t even remotely aware that she was pregnant, she never said anything, just disappeared.  “Why didn’t she tell me?” he muttered to himself. He snapped out of the memories, remembering the fiery young mare that was waiting for his answer. 
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you Idalia. My name is Efisio. I knew your mother a long time ago, but I haven’t heard from her in a very long time. Has...has she said anything to you about me? I mean, I’d imagine she said something if you’ve found me. Is she doing well?” he said after a long pause. He couldn’t help the emotions that were thick in his voice, though he tried to disguise them. He was in shock and old feelings of love and heartbreak were now bubbling to the surface. If she truly was his daughter, he wanted to know everything about her. To learn about what he had missed.

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350 Words: +1 Chime

1655 words: +6 for Efisio

Idalia || Somewhere Between Dream and Reality

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Watching the emotions flicker of the stallions face, the red hued mare felt a bit of shame. If she were being truthful with herself, this quest had started out as yearning to see the world, somewhat of an excuse to travel. She had expected to find her father, yes, but she had also assumed most of the way that he wouldn't care, or want to know her. That he had left her and her mother. Her mother had spoken of him, lumped with her sister's fathers, as a stallion she had spent time with. But from the reaction of her father before her, the emotions on his face... It has been much much more than that. Idalia felt a bit of unease, questioning her mother and her motives. Why had her mother left? What had changed here? 

Perhaps it would have been better to never bring this to his attention. It was clear there were more words unsaid than her dam had ever mentioned to her. But Idalia paused, thinking back. Finding her father had become her mission once her mother left to find land. A bit of rebellious freedom, but now so much more.  She hadn't truly asked her mother, or tried to find out more about him. Perhaps she should have. 

Efisio. The name rolled around her mind before sliding into place, fitting this stallion before her, and firming with in her mind. Her fathers name was Efisio, and for some reason it made sense. The red starred mare couldn't help the whirlwind of thoughts, as it was confirmed. She had truly done it, found her father. It felt like a walking dream, but it was reality. But her mind kept swirling around her jumbled thoughts. Pandora had no idea she was here. Would she want Idalia to be here, speaking to her father? Was there some dark secret that she didn't know, some disastrous reason her mother had left this seemingly nice stallion? Realizing that Efisio had asked her questions, Idalia mentally shook herself and refocused on the here and now.

"She is well, my dam has been gone for several moons on quests to attain land for us, where she might better provide for her daughters and any other mares needing a safe place to rest," Idalia said, a bit softly. "I.... I didn't ask her about you, before I left. My younger sister, Avia, lives in Queensbreak, the capitol of Espeor where Khaalida reigns. I only had bits and pieces to work with, things that Mother mentioned in passing, to go on. So I went to Queensbreak, and with the help of my sister I was able to track down rumors of your herd and their location. Then I left Queensbreak, and traveled until I found you, and.... I recognized your scent, if that makes any sense. It felt familiar to me. So I.... Well here I am." 

The words were rushed, and a bit rambling. There was a hint of shame to them, and a bit of uncertainty. 

"I.... should have better considered how to go about this," Idalia said, partially to herself, partially to him. "I suppose it is a bit of.... big news to just drop on you." 

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536 Words - +2 Chimes

Efisio || Will you Stay?

    “No, please, don’t worry about it. It’s big news, but...it’s good news,” Efisio said slowly. For even though it was a shock and he had many mixed emotions about the fact that he has a daughter, what he was feeling the most was utterly...happy. News of Nightshade’s pregnancy had gotten him so excited thathe had begun wondering what it would be like to truly have his own foal. He would be more than happy to help Nightshade raise hers, though she seemed like she didn’t want his help for some reason. Yet here was a lovely young mare. He had missed her foalhood and didn’t even know it. Sadness for the family that he could have had began to creep into his heart and mind, but he shook his head. There was no room for those kinds of thoughts on what should be a potentially very happy day. He was meeting his daughter after all! 

He pondered for a while though, not entirely sure what to say to the young, red mare. If her mother hadn’t mentioned anything to her, maybe she had a good reason? Was it really his place to tell her about their history? Was it something Idalia would even want to know?

    “You said daughters? As in plural? And that one even has her own city? That’s just...wow. It sounds like she’s really doing well for herself and her foals. I’m glad to hear that. It’s been so long since I heard from her that I just...I never knew what happened to her. Also, I know what you mean about recognizing my scent. I felt the same way about yours. It felt..familiar, yet unknown to me,” he finally said, nearly rambling. 

    His mind was lost again in a whirlwind of thoughts as he looked over the fiery red mare. She certainly had that inner fire much like his own and the dark, scorched marking the glowed with embers on the edge like he did. Yet her pelt was quite opposite of his color wise with the bright fiery tones and flickering starlight. Though the stars did resemble that of her mother Pandora. Could she really be the daughter he never knew about? Yet he couldn’t see why she would come all this way to make up a story like that. It’s not like he was a powerful landowner or even powerful magic user. 
    “So..umm...well do you want to stay for a bit? Ya know, like get to know each other? I could introduce you to the herd and of course ask any questions you have? I’d really like to get to know you. I never knew I had a daughter and well...I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad that I missed you growing up,” the seal brown stallion said, nervousness thick in his voice. He wasn’t entirely sure how she would react to his proposal. The thought of getting to know her excited him, but if she said no, he wasn’t entirely sure what he would do.

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511 Words: +2

+8 total chimes for Efisio