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 Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 12:29 pm
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 11:41 am
In the end, she only made him stay at prom for another half an hour. They'd had their fill of candy and familiars, even kirin and naiads, and it wasn't long before they mutually and silently agreed to retire, slipping away to Thian's room like twin pastel shadows.
Howard would not have approved of her being alone with the demon, but Amory didn't live with the older chimera anymore, and he could no longer police her friendships or whereabouts without wasting a significant amount of personal time doing so. These days she knew Howard would much rather spend that time in the baphomet's arms. Oz. Nice guy. She felt kind of bad for him.
[114]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 11:44 am
Thian felt dirty, watched, scrutinized even now, a half an hour after they'd left. He loved the spotlight, but only on his terms, only with her. She might have been the single, solitary person to hold the title of his friend, but unlike when he had been younger, he could now see that someday others might too. He could have more. If there was one Nightmare like Amory, surely there were two more, three, even twenty. Twenty friends. Maybe he wouldn't mind being the center of their attention either. Right now, however, they seemed prohibitively out of reach, these friends. Right now, Amory was enough.
"Did you see that one kirin with the hair?" he said, wiggling his perfect toes. He and the chimera lay side by side on his bed, their legs propped upright against the wall and tails twined in a loose spiral.
[ 145 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 11:47 am
She nodded. "They were obviously trying to make a good first impression, but, well, they made something, I guess." Amory bent her knees, laying the soles of her feet flat against the wall. Though she never said it out loud, she was forever envious of Thian and the things he couldn't control. His hair, his skin, the graceful curve of his horns. By comparison, she was clunky and awkward, a jumble of overlarge bits that never seemed to work in tandem. Even now, just lying on a bed, her wings and tail were pressed against the mattress, squished and uncomfortable, while Thian lay there unencumbered. Amory shook her head faintly. Whatever.
"I've got something for you," she said, reaching down into the space between the bed and the wall.
[ 129 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 11:52 am
The demon propped himself up on an elbow to watch where Amory reached. She had something for him... under his own bed? Did that mean she had been down there before without him realizing? What had she seen? What did she know?
Suddenly more than a little embarrassed, Thian quickly sat up all the way and pulled at his skirt to both straighten it and to preserve his dignity. "What? What do you have? And what are you doing down—"
She resurfaced with a small box, and Thian's curiosity shut him up immediately. Apparently she had hidden something here. He was going to have to pay more attention to his own room from now on.
"What is it?"
[ 118 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 12:01 pm
"Calm down. I barely touched anything under there, and all I found was a bunch of dust." That wasn't entirely true, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with Thian's hysterics, nor did she feel like bringing up the things she had seen. They'd be better suited as future blackmail material anyway. She held out the small box she'd retrieved, hoping to discourage him from arguing.
"Open it and see for yourself."
Amory had purchased the gift a couple of months ago for just such an occasion: another disappointing party, after which she longed to exert her dominance. It crept up on her quite regularly these days, the desire to stoke Thian's ego with gifts and praise so that he would stay close to her. So far, it hadn't failed.
[ 131 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 12:05 pm
He didn't sass her for a change, Thian simply took the box, looked from it to Amory and back again, then tried sliding off the lid. It was a substantial cardboard painted deep purple with bright swirls, and it seemed to tug back as he tried to remove it. He sat up all the way to get the proper leverage, and he smirked with satisfaction when it finally gave. The tissue paper inside was purple as well. He moved it aside.
Nestled on top of a small, dark cushion was a necklace. Its stone glowed a vibrant pink, bright enough to attract attention without being gaudy. Thian huffed out a small, impressed laugh.
"Aw. You shouldn't have."
[ 117 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 12:05 pm
Amory watched very closely for that spark of delight, the appreciative smolder that meant he owed her something he hadn't intended to. It warmed her, another assurance that he would always be there. No matter how often she forced those looks out of him, Amory would forever have her doubts. She sat up once he had lifted the necklace out of its box, and she held out her hand to take it from him.
"I know. But I had to. It fits you perfectly." She didn't mean its size since she hadn't really measured it, though she hoped it fit in that way too since she'd tried it on herself. She meant in color and... ostentatiousness.
"Here. Turn around."
[ 119 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 12:07 pm
He handed it over, turning his back so that she could more easily get it hooked around his neck. The necklace did fit him in the way she had meant, and he liked he soft glow that lingered out of the corner of his eye, perpetually reminding him it was there. Once it was fastened, Thian wasted no time hopping to his feet and crossing his small room to the mirror.
"Perfection," he said, barely keeping his mocking laughter at bay. He might have been vain, but such a declaration was still a bit much. "I know you only buy me these things to keep your pampered little pet beautiful, but I really do appreciate them. You should know that." He looked back at her reflection in the mirror, eyes lidded and a little accusatory. They might have both been orphans, but she'd ended up with a guardian at least. Better than what he'd been stuck with, and more lucrative too.
[ 161 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 12:14 pm
It wasn't a thank you, not even close, but it was all she was going to get and she knew it. Amory didn't really want more anyway, mostly because it wouldn't mean anything. No number of thank yous could tell her how he felt, not when she already knew. She let herself roll onto her back again, sighing, "I do know it, don't you worry," as she wiggled deeper into her divot in his sheets.
"So... that kirin. You think I could get away with something like that? I mean it would take forever just to grow my hair out." She threaded her fingers behind her head, fanning the hair in question out across the pillow.
"You've got the advantage on me this time."
[ 124 ]
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 12:33 pm
He continued watching her in silence as she got settled, jealousy and irritation tainting what should have continued to be a pleasant gathering between him and his best friend. He wished he knew what had set him off. All he could be sure of was that one minute he had been receiving a lovely gift and the next he had been resenting the one who had given it. Was it the parent thing? The fact that she consistently put herself below him when she just... wasn't?
Rather than goading himself to the point of real anger by thinking too hard, Thian paused. He breathed. He climbed back onto his bed, pressing in close and wrapping an arm around Amory's stomach, calming considerably when she put her own arm over his.
"I think we should both stay just the way we are."
[ 141 ]
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