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 Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:53 am
"Well, alright then," he savagely tossed in a skinny worm, slightly put-off by the thorough rejection of his genius - come now, a deer called Mutt would be fantastic. "If you're so clever, Locke, you tell me what I should call him."
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:53 am
“I think...” he started, then paused and pursed his lips in deep thought, “you should call him M...hmm. Mellt. That sounds like enough to your Mutt.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:54 am
"Mellt?" He paused mid-dig, idly dusting his fingers off as he rested a hand on his knee. "Mellt." A moment of consideration, and Thornley grudgingly relented his previous desires, and embraced the new. "It does sound like a rather nice name. Rolls off the tongue well, Mellt. What does it mean?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:55 am
“It means pudding for brains,” he dryly informed.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:55 am
The statement washed the negativity away - Thornley laughed, nearly tossing his hard work out of the cup. "Thank you Locke," he noted briskly with a smile, shoving the worms back in. "There, it is settled. I shall call him Mellt."
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:57 am
“I beg your pardon,” he said, indulging in an incredulity that was not in the least bit subtle, “I must have misheard - I was under the impression that you had made the unfortunate decision to name your Guardian Mellt just after I had told you it meant pudding for brains.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:58 am
"You wouldn't name my deer 'pudding for brains'," he was back at the task after a dismissive wave, "I know you better than that, brother. Whatever it truly means, I'm sure it is of suitable majesty for my boy."
Now-Mellt bit savagely back at the thorns that had plagued in him in rage, and jumped back with a yelp that sent a slight shudder through Thornley's shoulders.
"It's a good name, Mellt. I am pleased with it."
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:59 am
“The two of you are stellar testament to human and cervine stupidity,” he shook his head, leaning back on his hands, “you are perfect for each other, if nothing and no one else.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:59 am
Locke was back to his standard jibes, the little petty ones he'd gotten all too used to in these few years, and so he continued his work unaffected. "What are you naming your little lady then?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:59 am
“Nifl,” he said with the immediate placidity of a mother who had decided upon her darling, bawling, bundle of joy’s name ages ago, no matter what the father might like to say about the choice.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:00 am
Thornley, with clueless paternal ease, praised it: "it's a pretty name, well-suited to her loveliness. What does Nifl mean?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:00 am
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:01 am
"It suits her." He had paused to look back at Locke and smile to ascertain his sincerity.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:01 am
“You really have got pudding for brains,” he retorted, but did not press the point. He was too busy regarding his Guardian at this particular moment, her effortless grace upon her hooves as she picked her way around her bumbling counterpart.
It had been dark, that night in the Wardwood. The fog had been thick, and made it darker still - yet where the moon shone through the trees, it had been pale.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:02 am
"Locke," he said, eyes shifting to the Ashford estate and the movement of servants in and out, "what should we do about the ball? It is impending and I cannot imagine how to keep them from us, much less Father that night. You?" Though the very thought gripped his chest with anxiety (Mellt glanced over quizzically before continuing to nurse his gums with berry juice), he had faith in the workings of Locke's quick mind. Surely he must have some plan...
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