Leon watches Hector get down from Alaric and tries to imagine him cuddly. He struggles when imagining a cabin in Rhodes somewhere like Rinaldo's. ]
Weren't you a hermit?
[ This confuses him. Who was he cuddling up with? Is he possibly, like, NOT a virgin?! Wait. The realizations are coming to him now. Hector is a heretic. He animates dead things, and Leon's even keeping one of his monsters in his lake. Any physical intimacy is the lesser of his sins, surely. ]
Who was it? Were you in love?
[ Leon's innocence is apparent by the way his curiosity is stirred. ]
[Hector's honestly confused for a moment... then Leon asks more questions. Is it too late to stumble back to the lake and let the water take him in its sweet embrace?]
I've, er... 'cuddled' with a number of people, and no, it wasn't love.
[Will God rip open the heavens and strike Hector dead with a lightning bolt if he begins to illuminate Leon on the variety of other reasons people might have sex? Probably. He is the Church's Special Little Knight.]
Sometimes, when the night is long and cold, sinners huddle together for what comfort they can find.
I just wondered how you'd be meeting anyone as a hermit.
[ He'd had a number of people he didn't love? —...But why? God doesn't split the sky to punish Hector for sharing such ideas with Leon, but the suggestion visibly puzzles him.
There's a moment where Leon wonders if he'd find it "comforting" at all to get physical with a stranger, but imagines it'd probably be the opposite. Navigating the vulnerability, or trying to make sex mean less would be difficult. He'd been offered it twice at the tavern, where devilish women had seemed to make sport of it in secret with those willing to test faith, but refused both times. He'd always thought it would be saved only for Sara. ]
I hope you at least liked them.
[ He gives up on understanding, saying this quietly and hopefully. It makes him a little sad somehow to think Hector may not have. ]
...I traveled around learning magic before I settled on my island, and even there, I'd occasionally have to encounter people to get supplies.
[It's not like Hector wanted to cobble his own shoes or weave his own cloth. He put up with people enough to buy or trade what he needed.
He's silent about the 'liked them' question. That's probably an answer in and of itself. He's definitely never going to tell Leon that he got railed by Walter throughout his captivity to help pass the time.]
[ He senses a hesitance there, and realizes he shouldn't have said anything. Leon knows enough about Hector's past by now to imagine how some of its events may have played out.
Looking at him, he thinks— about God, and about cruelty— before his gaze moves away, regretting having made Hector remember anything. He takes the basket of fruit, falling quiet for a moment. To move them past it, he's first to speak again. ]
I'd like for you to fall in love someday.
[ Leon sounds sure of at least this. He hooks the basket somewhere safe before moving to one side of Ophélie, untacking and unfastening the saddle girth. He doesn't have to look at what he's doing much, from years of handling it himself. There's a lot to do, and two horses. It'll take him a bit. He rakes his hand through his wet hair when it starts to fall into his face. ]
[A laugh comes rumbling, unbidden, from Hector's chest. He can't keep it in. Poor, sweet Leon, so earnest and kind.]
Ha ha ha, you'd saddle someone with me? I wouldn't wish that on anyone!
[What a catch Hector is, a necromanctic heretic with more baggage than he can carry and a history of spreading his legs for monsters. Who does Leon think he'd settle down with? A nice nun who will guide him to the light?]
I think I'll stick with keeping pets for company. Seems kinder for everyone involved. [And when he needs a 'cuddle', he'll find someone willing to do so with no strings attached.]
[ Leon receives a couple of pats from Hector while dealing with his horse, but continues to frown. ]
I really don't think I'm incorrect.
[ And the fact that Hector has used "cute" to describe his optimism means he still isn't taking him seriously. He doesn't get what's so hard to believe! ]
Surely I'd regret hosting you if you were really so unloveable. Or wish you gone. Instead, I worry about what will happen should you leave. I'm so used to you now.
[ All done. He shuts Alaric's gate and wipes his hands on his trousers. ]
I'm glad to know I have the charms of a stray cat.
[He doesn't mind Leon keeping him in his castle, but Hector assumes their arrangement will reach its endpoint soon enough. Many people want a Forgemaster in their ranks, but nobody wants Hector at their hearth.]
When you do tire of hosting me, just leave a trail of books and glasses of wine leading out of your door.
[He says it jokingly, though it would probably work.]
If you're done, we should head back inside and change clothes.
[ He'd tried sending Hector on ahead, but they'd somehow wound up yapping through the entire untacking process. After leaving the two horses some feed, he collects their basket of things. They've been outside and shirtless for too long, and at Hector's suggestion, he leads the way back from the stable. ]
You can just leave your clothes outside of your room when you're done. I'll bring them by the maid quarters.
Doesn't it defeat the purpose of having servants if you have to carry your own laundry around?
[Though, with it being so late, the maids are likely as not already abed. Of course Leon would be too thoughtful to wake them with a summons so late.]
But if that's your wish, I'll do so.
[And when Leon comes by, he'll find Hector's clothes from the day neatly folded in a pile outside of his room. His door is shut, and for once, there's no light shining from beneath the doorframe. Has the chronic nightowl actually gone to bed for once?
Nah, he's snuck to the kitchen with his recipe book and his basket of fruits, all the better to surprise Leon later.]
[ Shadows along the kitchen wall begin to shift. In Leon's kitchen, flour dust drifts upward, disturbed by something unseen as the space above the clay oven warps. Reality folds inward until a familiar mirror comes into being. Its golden baroque frame glints faintly and within the glass, the reflection of a certain dark haired vampire glimmers.
Maybe Hector will recognize him from the day he'd ventured to Walter's castle to tip the vampire off. If not, he'll certainly remember him from the day he backstabbed Leon.
His gaze is sharp. Without saying anything, he watches with an expression that's difficult to decipher. Hector should only notice he's being surveilled once he's lifted his head and left the cake to bake.
[The expletive slips out before he can control his reaction, turning to find Mathias skulking in Leon's kitchen.
He should cry out for Leon, but the castle is large enough, he's not sure his voice would reach the target. More likely, he'd rouse a servant, who would come to investigate and get themselves killed.
Hector shuts his mouth and eyes the vampire. If Mathias wanted him dead, he'd have killed Hector while he was bent over, sliding his peach cake into the oven. He's come for some other reason, using his magic mirror, and Hector's curiosity rears its head.
He leans back against the counter and asks, voice low.]
[ It throws him; when he'd sent the mirror to find the forgemaster, he hadn't expected such a scene. It's not a hobby that one would suspect, and he'd have thought to come in on him reading before bed or something.
Well, whatever. It makes no difference in what he'd appeared here for. He should get straight to the point, considering Hector's current circumstances. The other's patience with him may run thin. ]
Nevermind, don't explain it. There are some things Leon should see that I doubt he'd accept from me now. He'll take them if they come from you.
[ The Crimson Stone around his neck catches some light when he shifts at his desk, stacking a few journals and tomes within sight of the mirror. ]
[Hector eyes the books, then turns his gaze back to Mathias.]
Yes, you rather burned that bridge with him.
[But damn it, books are a weakness of Hector's, and Mathias must have some pretty spectacular ones. There is certain to be knowledge that Leon would find useful, especially given his aspirations to compile knowledge for future vampire hunters.
But Hector's curiosity doesn't erase his paranoia completely.]
I'm going to read them before I give them to him, to make sure they're not dangerous or inaccurate. That's my condition.
[ Mathias takes a moment to respond, reminded of what Leon thinks of him. The mention seems to roll off of him, and he remains composed and controlled while his gaze passes to the books. Of course there'd been a purpose, in exposing Leon to their contents. ]
They're accurate.
[ As for whether or not they're dangerous, the vampire picks his next words carefully. He's learned enough about Hector to imagine he may share beliefs and see eye-to-eye on many things. ]
Leon clings to a faith built upon rot. He should know that. If you truly value him, you'd want him to see the world as it actually is and not as it's painted to him.
Pure as he may be, his ignorance in this state is something to be exploited. You've seen the way he looks at the cross when he doubts. He's already started to sense it, Hector— some part of him knows about the Church and about God. But he cannot face it. He needs someone whom he trusts, someone like you to guide him to that realization.
[ He pushes the stack through the mirror, tomes levitating before Hector and waiting to be taken. ]
I wouldn't ask this of you if I could tell him myself. Please.
[ Mathias believes this firmly, and yet, he fails to see how he's made a habit of orchestrating attempts to break Leon. It registers as if it's a cruel necessity. Mathias, though, is fine if he breaks him. So long as Leon comes to him in the end— he can pull him back together after.
When he's questioned, he hesitates to speak. He looks at Hector carefully through the mirror's portal. ]
I'd hate to let this world waste him. If eternity must take, let it take everything else. Letting go of Leon is a kindness I no longer believe in.
You would seek to change him, then? The only eternity he would accept willingly is that of his church.
[And the thing Leon would become if turned by force... it wouldn't be Leon anymore.
Damn it, now Hector is going to have to source corpses to forge an army to protect Leon, but keep it secret from Leon and the villagers around him, isn't he? Fuck.
He crosses his arms.]
We have no need of your books. Begone. My cake's going to burn if I spend the whole night prattling on with you.
[ But now, Hector is refusing the books and refusing to cooperate at all. Mathias will find another way to make sure Leon sees their contents, and as easily as they'd been presented for taking, they're pulled back through to Mathias' side of the mirror. His eyes drop, and he sighs once before brushing his thumb across his pendant.
He shouldn't have been so honest with him. There's no point in continuing this. ]
Go on and coddle him then. He'll know the truth soon enough.
[ With the books in his lap, he readies himself for an exit: ]
It's a shame the situation has become what it is. Farewell, Hector.
[ And then Mathias vanishes in an instant, leaving nothing but the marrow-deep sinking feeling that he and Leon will always be watched. ]
[Hector stays still, arms crossed, watching the portal until it disappears. It's a shame to pass on the books, but he doesn't trust Mathias's intentions.
Hector will have to test out some protective spells to try to shield Leon's castle from Mathias' mirror. The man betrayed Leon's trust and now he'll have to live (eternally) with the consequences of his actions.
By the time morning comes, Hector hasn't slept. He knocks on Leon's door with a plate in hand, looking a little haggard and rumpled.]
[ Under normal circumstances, Leon would have hurried to the door much faster. Only recently does it seem Hector's started to feel more comfortable living in the estate, and to be approached first thing in the morning by him could still be considered unusual.
When the door of the bed chamber opens, Leon almost looks similar— rumpled, and as if hadn't slept much either. Even so, he smiles at Hector, awake enough now to show him some appreciation. ]
You brought me something?
[ He groggily rubs some of his eyelashes with his fingers, curious about the plate but too modest to assume it's for him until Hector says so. ]
[Hector holds forth the plate, which contains a generous slice of the cake he made, which has thin slices of peach baked into the top and peach juice and little bits of fruit incorporated into the batter.]
Cake, as promised. Hopefully it's not too early for sweets.
[It's only just now occurred to him that normal people wait until later in the day for cake. Hector's so used to his own bizarre hours that he just eats when he's hungry, eschewing normal meal times.]
I, uh, also need to tell you about a late-night visitor. We'll need to take some steps to shore up your home's barriers.
[ Leon Belmont is a simple creature, made awake by the cake that is offered to him. Hector really baked a peach cake?! He'd honestly forgotten about it, but it's all the more reason for him to be excited. ]
Oh! Thank you!
[ Cake! He takes the plate, and begins to move from the door. ]
Do you want to come in? We can share it while you tell me.
[ His almost pet-like happiness to be brought food isn't dimmed by the mention of a late-night visitor. If Hector hadn't come banging on his door screaming, it couldn't have been too bad, right? He thinks so, probably. Navigating Walter's castle also seems to have changed his perception of what's worth worrying about. ]
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leon in this tag: :o
Leon watches Hector get down from Alaric and tries to imagine him cuddly. He struggles when imagining a cabin in Rhodes somewhere like Rinaldo's. ]
Weren't you a hermit?
[ This confuses him. Who was he cuddling up with? Is he possibly, like, NOT a virgin?! Wait. The realizations are coming to him now. Hector is a heretic. He animates dead things, and Leon's even keeping one of his monsters in his lake. Any physical intimacy is the lesser of his sins, surely. ]
Who was it? Were you in love?
[ Leon's innocence is apparent by the way his curiosity is stirred. ]
premarital cuddling? /shockedpikachu.jpg
[Hector's honestly confused for a moment... then Leon asks more questions. Is it too late to stumble back to the lake and let the water take him in its sweet embrace?]
I've, er... 'cuddled' with a number of people, and no, it wasn't love.
[Will God rip open the heavens and strike Hector dead with a lightning bolt if he begins to illuminate Leon on the variety of other reasons people might have sex? Probably. He is the Church's Special Little Knight.]
Sometimes, when the night is long and cold, sinners huddle together for what comfort they can find.
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[ He'd had a number of people he didn't love? —...But why? God doesn't split the sky to punish Hector for sharing such ideas with Leon, but the suggestion visibly puzzles him.
There's a moment where Leon wonders if he'd find it "comforting" at all to get physical with a stranger, but imagines it'd probably be the opposite. Navigating the vulnerability, or trying to make sex mean less would be difficult. He'd been offered it twice at the tavern, where devilish women had seemed to make sport of it in secret with those willing to test faith, but refused both times. He'd always thought it would be saved only for Sara. ]
I hope you at least liked them.
[ He gives up on understanding, saying this quietly and hopefully. It makes him a little sad somehow to think Hector may not have. ]
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[It's not like Hector wanted to cobble his own shoes or weave his own cloth. He put up with people enough to buy or trade what he needed.
He's silent about the 'liked them' question. That's probably an answer in and of itself. He's definitely never going to tell Leon that he got railed by Walter throughout his captivity to help pass the time.]
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Looking at him, he thinks— about God, and about cruelty— before his gaze moves away, regretting having made Hector remember anything. He takes the basket of fruit, falling quiet for a moment. To move them past it, he's first to speak again. ]
I'd like for you to fall in love someday.
[ Leon sounds sure of at least this. He hooks the basket somewhere safe before moving to one side of Ophélie, untacking and unfastening the saddle girth. He doesn't have to look at what he's doing much, from years of handling it himself. There's a lot to do, and two horses. It'll take him a bit. He rakes his hand through his wet hair when it starts to fall into his face. ]
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Ha ha ha, you'd saddle someone with me? I wouldn't wish that on anyone!
[What a catch Hector is, a necromanctic heretic with more baggage than he can carry and a history of spreading his legs for monsters. Who does Leon think he'd settle down with? A nice nun who will guide him to the light?]
I think I'll stick with keeping pets for company. Seems kinder for everyone involved. [And when he needs a 'cuddle', he'll find someone willing to do so with no strings attached.]
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—Why're you laughing? I'm serious, I think it'd be good for you. You just said you hadn't been with anyone you were in love with before.
[ The more Leon elaborates, the more defensive he feels. ]
And you're not unkind. You certainly wouldn't be if you were in love. I highly doubt they'd be so miserable.
[ Huffing, he successfully manages to untack Ophélie and lets her back into her stall. Alaric's turn is next, and he goes through similar motions. ]
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You would think that. It's cute.
[He shakes his head, still not quite believing how wholesome Leon is.]
Your faith in me is... [undeserved] appreciated.
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I really don't think I'm incorrect.
[ And the fact that Hector has used "cute" to describe his optimism means he still isn't taking him seriously. He doesn't get what's so hard to believe! ]
Surely I'd regret hosting you if you were really so unloveable. Or wish you gone. Instead, I worry about what will happen should you leave. I'm so used to you now.
[ All done. He shuts Alaric's gate and wipes his hands on his trousers. ]
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[He doesn't mind Leon keeping him in his castle, but Hector assumes their arrangement will reach its endpoint soon enough. Many people want a Forgemaster in their ranks, but nobody wants Hector at their hearth.]
When you do tire of hosting me, just leave a trail of books and glasses of wine leading out of your door.
[He says it jokingly, though it would probably work.]
If you're done, we should head back inside and change clothes.
we can start a new scene once this one wraps up!
You can just leave your clothes outside of your room when you're done. I'll bring them by the maid quarters.
👍
[Though, with it being so late, the maids are likely as not already abed. Of course Leon would be too thoughtful to wake them with a summons so late.]
But if that's your wish, I'll do so.
[And when Leon comes by, he'll find Hector's clothes from the day neatly folded in a pile outside of his room. His door is shut, and for once, there's no light shining from beneath the doorframe. Has the chronic nightowl actually gone to bed for once?
Nah, he's snuck to the kitchen with his recipe book and his basket of fruits, all the better to surprise Leon later.]look hector it's the mirror you wanted!!
Maybe Hector will recognize him from the day he'd ventured to Walter's castle to tip the vampire off. If not, he'll certainly remember him from the day he backstabbed Leon.
His gaze is sharp. Without saying anything, he watches with an expression that's difficult to decipher. Hector should only notice he's being surveilled once he's lifted his head and left the cake to bake.
—Dracula jumpscare. ]
Stay quiet.
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[The expletive slips out before he can control his reaction, turning to find Mathias skulking in Leon's kitchen.
He should cry out for Leon, but the castle is large enough, he's not sure his voice would reach the target. More likely, he'd rouse a servant, who would come to investigate and get themselves killed.
Hector shuts his mouth and eyes the vampire. If Mathias wanted him dead, he'd have killed Hector while he was bent over, sliding his peach cake into the oven. He's come for some other reason, using his magic mirror, and Hector's curiosity rears its head.
He leans back against the counter and asks, voice low.]
What do you want?
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You're baking in the middle of the night?
[ It throws him; when he'd sent the mirror to find the forgemaster, he hadn't expected such a scene. It's not a hobby that one would suspect, and he'd have thought to come in on him reading before bed or something.
Well, whatever. It makes no difference in what he'd appeared here for. He should get straight to the point, considering Hector's current circumstances. The other's patience with him may run thin. ]
Nevermind, don't explain it. There are some things Leon should see that I doubt he'd accept from me now. He'll take them if they come from you.
[ The Crimson Stone around his neck catches some light when he shifts at his desk, stacking a few journals and tomes within sight of the mirror. ]
Can I convince you?
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Yes, you rather burned that bridge with him.
[But damn it, books are a weakness of Hector's, and Mathias must have some pretty spectacular ones. There is certain to be knowledge that Leon would find useful, especially given his aspirations to compile knowledge for future vampire hunters.
But Hector's curiosity doesn't erase his paranoia completely.]
I'm going to read them before I give them to him, to make sure they're not dangerous or inaccurate. That's my condition.
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They're accurate.
[ As for whether or not they're dangerous, the vampire picks his next words carefully. He's learned enough about Hector to imagine he may share beliefs and see eye-to-eye on many things. ]
Leon clings to a faith built upon rot. He should know that. If you truly value him, you'd want him to see the world as it actually is and not as it's painted to him.
Pure as he may be, his ignorance in this state is something to be exploited. You've seen the way he looks at the cross when he doubts. He's already started to sense it, Hector— some part of him knows about the Church and about God. But he cannot face it. He needs someone whom he trusts, someone like you to guide him to that realization.
[ He pushes the stack through the mirror, tomes levitating before Hector and waiting to be taken. ]
I wouldn't ask this of you if I could tell him myself. Please.
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[Leon is strong, but in many ways, he's delicate. Hector doesn't want to risk destroying him, so any mentoring he does will need to be done gently.
He steps forward to the mirror, but doesn't yet take the tomes. That 'please' isn't lost on him.]
What's your end in all of this? Can't let him go?
just lil drac things 😬
[ Mathias believes this firmly, and yet, he fails to see how he's made a habit of orchestrating attempts to break Leon. It registers as if it's a cruel necessity. Mathias, though, is fine if he breaks him. So long as Leon comes to him in the end— he can pull him back together after.
When he's questioned, he hesitates to speak. He looks at Hector carefully through the mirror's portal. ]
I'd hate to let this world waste him. If eternity must take, let it take everything else. Letting go of Leon is a kindness I no longer believe in.
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You would seek to change him, then? The only eternity he would accept willingly is that of his church.
[And the thing Leon would become if turned by force... it wouldn't be Leon anymore.
Damn it, now Hector is going to have to source corpses to forge an army to protect Leon, but keep it secret from Leon and the villagers around him, isn't he? Fuck.
He crosses his arms.]
We have no need of your books. Begone. My cake's going to burn if I spend the whole night prattling on with you.
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[ But now, Hector is refusing the books and refusing to cooperate at all. Mathias will find another way to make sure Leon sees their contents, and as easily as they'd been presented for taking, they're pulled back through to Mathias' side of the mirror. His eyes drop, and he sighs once before brushing his thumb across his pendant.
He shouldn't have been so honest with him. There's no point in continuing this. ]
Go on and coddle him then. He'll know the truth soon enough.
[ With the books in his lap, he readies himself for an exit: ]
It's a shame the situation has become what it is. Farewell, Hector.
[ And then Mathias vanishes in an instant, leaving nothing but the marrow-deep sinking feeling that he and Leon will always be watched. ]
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Hector will have to test out some protective spells to try to shield Leon's castle from Mathias' mirror. The man betrayed Leon's trust and now he'll have to live (eternally) with the consequences of his actions.
By the time morning comes, Hector hasn't slept. He knocks on Leon's door with a plate in hand, looking a little haggard and rumpled.]
Wake up, I've got something for you.
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When the door of the bed chamber opens, Leon almost looks similar— rumpled, and as if hadn't slept much either. Even so, he smiles at Hector, awake enough now to show him some appreciation. ]
You brought me something?
[ He groggily rubs some of his eyelashes with his fingers, curious about the plate but too modest to assume it's for him until Hector says so. ]
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Cake, as promised. Hopefully it's not too early for sweets.
[It's only just now occurred to him that normal people wait until later in the day for cake. Hector's so used to his own bizarre hours that he just eats when he's hungry, eschewing normal meal times.]
I, uh, also need to tell you about a late-night visitor. We'll need to take some steps to shore up your home's barriers.
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Oh! Thank you!
[ Cake! He takes the plate, and begins to move from the door. ]
Do you want to come in? We can share it while you tell me.
[ His almost pet-like happiness to be brought food isn't dimmed by the mention of a late-night visitor. If Hector hadn't come banging on his door screaming, it couldn't have been too bad, right? He thinks so, probably. Navigating Walter's castle also seems to have changed his perception of what's worth worrying about. ]
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leon says: you were right to block my ex sorry he dmed you like that honey
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stinky return
oops, this is why you don't let your horny houseguest sleep in your bed
😳
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will drop the bookie contents after your next tag!!
books books books books!
1/2 baby drac brings knowledge n drama...
2/2
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honey help i cant open the pickles
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so sorry for the wait! ;v;
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we can move to next scenes of witch hunty/angry churchy stuff soon!! i can make starter for that bit
sure!