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A smirk hinted itself onto Taquin's face as he continued to waltz away. He loved these games, he played them all the time, but with her it was different. Her frustration was more gratifying than usual. It wasn't just that he was victorious in this round but... the fact that Fuzzball was losing and was so angry about it, that's what really made the world beautiful right now. He could feel the heated cloud of irritation surrounding her as she stalked to his other side. Taquin had broken her charade, and the true scowl had finally slipped onto her face. In response he let his smirk spread into a malicious grin. Now what, Fuzzball?

She leaned in close again. Oh, silly female, didn't she realize that flirting had already been-

What was that?

Oh no no no no no, that did not just happen. Yes it did, Taquin. Yes it did. Weren't her words enough to confirm it? He checked her ocular spheres and sure enough, what he found there was complete and sincere... hatred. His stunned expression was followed by an involuntary step back. Oh gog, he was losing it, wasn't he? There was no denying to himself that his blood was quickening in his veins and a thick pressure was against his throat.

What had she done to him?

This was bad. He did not want this detestable creature to see him this way. But he refused to flee. It would be true cowardice to pretend these feelings were just the usual tormentation. He was going to take this loathing into his hands and own it. The glare that smoldered so deeply in her eyes was met with his own. "Likewise," he replied quietly after swallowing the lump in his chute.

She grinned at him as if she had stolen the expression right off of his face and plastered it onto her own. Had she been joking? Certainly not. She was delusional if she thought she hadn't felt the spark of pure caliginosity between them. Her new casual pretense was just another net of lies to catch him under. Ha, she believed she could just hang on to their old squabble like a fantasy lifeboat in the waters of reality? Sorry, puddingloaf, but it was your spade that unearthed this dark fount in the first place. Your attempts to bury it in the dust are futile. Taquin had trolled up to face the truth, and there was no way he was going to let her pretend like it made him a fool.

Walking away at this point was against the rules.

Though she turned her back on him, he was only a step behind. "Mmm, better things to do like bopping around to see the local highblood monuments?" He quickened his feet to swing around in front of her and block her view of the exit. "You aren't doing anything today. The city is your area of recreation." The look of sternness on his face sharpened as he spoke his next words. "You have no time to waste." It wasn't a particularly harsh comment, but his tone should be able to carry the sting through well enough.

The breath almost hitched in Taquin's respiratory tunnels as she said the word. "Duel." There was no greater acknowledgement she could have presented to him, and though he was far from admitting it, he was still a child. Any real experience with the quadrants was new to him, and the fear of the unknown was a puny lesion in the back of his skull, although it was the thrill that he decided to focus on. Fear was a sign of disconfidence, and a thought like that had no room to be entertained. However... this relationship between them had escalated much more quickly than he could have ever prepared himself for. Perhaps it was the folly of younglings, or perhaps it was simply sped along by the claw of fate. In any case, the tremor in his chest reminded him that he was unprepared for any of this. He ignored it the best he could.

...He could still back down. Easily, he could come up with a reason why it would all be too inconvenient and ludicrous to duel.... right here? Right now? The thought was followed by another shiver in the pit of his stomach, and it fueled his rage. He was NOT afraid! He would face this head on, and that was that! A dreep breath was inhaled through his sniff node and Taquin straightened his composure. "Alright then," he said in a serious tone. "We shall." The animosity remained preserved on his face while he let a thin grin creep up his mouth for her benefit. He left his end of the deal open; it was up to her to decide the when and the where of their wonderfully wretched battle.