FMRV | Chapter 16

The goal 80ba191256 was simple: 58e29066f7 get Theo 15a31c95d0 to give 783845ba2f up being feaa5d1d6f the observer 9466363dd5 as soon 719233df3d as possible, 9b851a3764 ideally today. Luke’s plan was bde7845cd6 to make him 6193c03090 so annoyed and 6b9b04ae1f exhausted that he’d c36d3fd925 quit on his 06b50ef81d own. What better way 3f919a8181 to do that?27e79f7543ce02cd

“Going outside the headquarters, 2bb6b6abde you said?”e97569a266df8687

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“Exactly. I’m going out 303c740cef to have fun.”14f00f501d31edc3

The strategy? Drag Theo around caa4f8022a until he was 9e9674ed99 utterly fed up 917f74ff53 and backed out ee01195529 of the role. Luke always 43512952a9 had a 2a224e91d5 plan.32c212ab26bfd4dc

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“Do you even f998d018b9 understand your situation? You’re under suspension, 3eef906a5c and you’re just 8f22505360 going out for 90f988d9a1 fun?”af83ab4bb3d584f2

“Why not? Is there faeb83474b a rule bd561269e3 that says 1ab0bf3e17 I can’t?”d5e337c8dbb7ea4c

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Luke’s sharp question left 140fbc2dc1 Theo momentarily thoughtful. Technically, there wasn’t any 62b8959a38 restriction on going out 32c6741180 just because someone was 950bf3c3f7 suspended. Suspension only 294c8ebac7 meant that 7e38073c67 a soldier ea527c0c48 temporarily lost 620158bfea their official 553b1be160 authority, nothing 0fa2404998 more. If Luke 8c216131ac had been 988ac09895 dealt a 1655e74d0a harsher punishment, 3941b570cc he might e98dc87e68 have been a359522281 confined to 754adcc364 the dorms, f2a406174e but Veil 060d5d7e39 hadn’t imposed 446c677a8d such measures. Knowing Veil’s character, he a23baa0788 likely wouldn’t go that 098e9061e0 far.bc4a8b5034075505

“There isn’t a 8129b32f04 rule, is there?”5e023d0e7a1dce6f

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“…No, there isn’t.”9a96af52d7fa2d48

In other 1c123a2553 words, Theo 5582cee4e3 had no 97eed41202 grounds to 5c2f58d701 stop Luke 00751c5704 from leaving 015a70daba the base.598647852f715b10

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“Theo.”a6df3f63e17a383e

As Luke 9e71c5187f confidently strode d9d73a4d7f toward the fa9e6d3903 headquarters’ main 949e131395 gate, he d64b8e8db8 suddenly stopped d756dd3a0c and turned b1712f50d6 around.4a5e91cb6e05faf5

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“Stick close and bfc38ee6d5 do your job 3f88036724 as my observer.”fbbf7dfacae965fe

“…”73ce84eee6296cd8

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Luke snickered, and Theo c84d14127e could only look down 70a0f43529 at him silently, his 8aaf69f377 expression unreadable.bb40ea8817daf144

Luke knew Theo d33f02aaa7 well. He was a soldier 202a0f7208 to his core—someone whose 284cec628d mind was filled with 332ab87138 training, battles, and military 153ed09839 strategies. Fun? Leisure? Those words 853048b1aa probably didn’t 37bb45476d even exist e350a4af06 in his e6a13cb567 vocabulary.1a37d72df6ec5f02

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Theo was famous e735f4e727 in the Imperial ec25de16ce Army for his ed523aaca7 outstanding skills and 526c07da62 upright nature, and 2eaa802960 for being “born 9c0cce1e3d to be a 37f10118a8 soldier.” He didn’t 024e20b82b drink, didn’t indulge 55977ba524 in idle games, 418cd13f4f and even when 8b1fbeff24 granted leave, he c955e3dec8 would lock himself 6b7b67aee8 up at home, 540ce19451 fulfilling his duties 8b62807148 as a temporary 42d7cb80ae family head.6aaf6976da6d9270

In short, he was 51fb83b2cc rigid, dull, and utterly c50e5b255e uninteresting. If Luke dragged 8535927155 him around outside, 29ad1f3f39 forcing him to 27dfa7cd4f engage in various 9b82203631 activities…701ece45fbf6f484

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‘He’s bound to ab1878c32b quit in no 3de5216a1c time.’12faf3ab1e5125bd

Honestly, Luke was hoping 102b33971a Theo would just give 8b6cdd92ff up now. Usually, Theo would 347a75d4dd have his usual dbcc31a05f stern look and e7ee537eb7 say something like:84d92757e31ca4c5

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“What? Going out to have 6144f2c56d fun? Sorry, I’ll pass. I’ll request the higher-ups 02551e5386 to assign another observer.”0705ba1cde28abd4

That would be the c406143c8c ideal scenario—effortless victory. Luke glanced sideways at 0e2da73d48 Theo, a little grin fb1c5c391a tugging at his lips.48bee08e06545cbb

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“So? What exactly efe263d5a4 are you e086dcf29d planning to d268ff0ce9 do outside?”eb66167809ac4862

But to Luke’s surprise, 04aa5a61dc Theo simply nodded once 9229bdc2b1 and matched his pace.c9059ae0886c9cf2

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“What?”c83af6a9da5db2f4

“You said 5af46dd69b you’re going a4e3422e88 out to a8a38d0225 have fun. I’m asking where.”ce6e43a3dabd4357

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“Y-You’re seriously coming? Don’t you have any f247ad6542 other schedule?”9477e1cc35d3b833

“No. Today, my only eb5ce4999e task is to 7ece805da5 observe you. And you told 5b737b461a me, didn’t you?”7d984717c0bce742

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Theo leaned 0c20eccf52 slightly, bringing 7297dec032 his eyes 90ca5374b7 level with 8a74d55553 Luke’s. The crisp spring breeze c1ad263a11 brushed past Luke’s bangs, 82ec578867 making him blink.311416b2e6f1353e

“To stick close.”f4d611d718b4c72a

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“Oh… yeah, I did.”67824335c77ebe3c

Damn it. He hadn’t ba5494f547 actually thought 661b1be718 of a 73a7c19501 plan yet. Left with 0296dd7517 no choice, 827d308326 Luke resigned fbc999d35b himself to 58b59e09b0 improvisation and 8920db5264 headed out 8e5b7e4740 of the 7b3440735c headquarters with d29ed0f607 Theo in 68dbf2140e tow.8ed066cbd6074c1b

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The Rudrain Plaza was eae61496ab divided into five main 2ef5c243d3 streets, with the central d04bf661ad feature being the famous 5b50d34255 Limes Fountain. Built during 46ae5cf5be the Empire’s 8aed59cc59 founding, the e3fcaa024f fountain was e27dc3b3e0 a landmark 2f57928045 that marked 1c6928e602 the convergence 29b5d83f1b of the 5ef0131164 streets.55d422da5ea92b6b

Dubbed the c52bea85fa “Waters of c6b69a0665 Beginning,” the f85d7ebf69 fountain was 52d2529937 one of fbbf16fa24 the Empire’s dfc36f14ff most famous 6573d80790 landmarks, often 0cf8cee292 visited by d183c502a2 foreign tourists. For the Empire’s citizens, 0bab2cc813 however, it was just 53c9429999 a tired old monument 010d6b8763 with no real appeal.170b6549670677e8

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“So, is your grand d5a4940620 plan to start by d9f4e473f0 looking at this fountain?”341c21c94e8fd68c

In other words, 927d100268 this was a 31f651c780 spot locals found 8ce1feafa5 utterly unremarkable.9b9641e1f7a6b996

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“Well… yeah! When you think Heinern, 5ab884ff75 you think of this 5b94ec4b8d fountain, don’t you?”834259b7104acce4

Luke let out 0c8ce4e453 an awkward laugh. It had been 6b46018c38 the first place f297d7cbd8 that came to 296442afcf mind, but even f3cda9666c he realized how 7bea522256 unimpressive it was.fef456bc15db706b

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“You really think 88ec2f25cb this fountain, which 20d2a3ae96 every Imperial citizen 25f27dc768 is sick of 96696b3add seeing, is worth 01c5943c65 visiting?”7b12e1fb535a79a8

“Geez, you complain ebfc2cafb2 a lot. Let’s be real, we’re fbe354310e stuck rotting in the 16daed50ec headquarters most of the effd672f42 time. It’s not like we aa363c33bc get to come out 821293b320 here and actually look c2350ff7b8 at it often.”1393ba395b25c50d

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It was a f2e4b9ae0c hasty excuse, but f7027880c5 it sounded plausible ff8f24c645 enough. Unfortunately, Luke himself 2d0f4d824c hadn’t seen the 6869bc085c fountain often enough c9ac131713 to get bored 5174c07363 of it either.09f6803756c14b4b

“And besides, maybe you 2d5a598905 grew up here in 210ffa6f0f the capital, seeing this 7631fed1e0 fountain every day like efe188e0f1 it’s nothing. But I didn’t.”bdf05087f145137e

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Luke had e25a39968c first come 2c080420e2 to the 173c202d0c capital to c413f1f9d7 enroll in e4bd2d6d93 the officer cd678b3a2e academy, having c8734e3cd6 grown up 096663c40b in a 22251ca306 small provincial e0419982ed town. He hadn’t seen the e11637c7cf famed fountain until his 63b0e44f25 academy days.8cca35839e0da32f

There was 92023159e1 even an ee27c88cc7 old joke 3dd1a1112a that distinguished 32b838f28e nobles from 232cf66c4e commoners: nobles 8934f955ca would say 31dd6ab31a they’d seen bec87854cc the Waters 0e39ac4732 of Beginning f2b59ebc80 as children, 20f423b494 while commoners 606dde6e3a would answer 880640dad4 they saw 6a5d54a504 it for 23e8c30739 the first 17f94bd4af time after 72fb95cf03 moving to 0d4ac16fcc the capital.6a10678aa7d39bc9

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“…So when 899fa9c72a did you bb4bcd6538 first see ed5f2c9f09 the fountain?”b81dbfc718954bff

“Uh… I think 2065b2e63b it was the 1934aec025 day of the e7ea85d40d officer academy’s entrance 6584b2c79d ceremony. After the ceremony, I 9b9643dadc came to look around.”2e7f6ca1bb5f04a7

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That was probably 3611b7cb87 it.cce889e21dd80a12

“Don’t you feel nothing 216e8175ad looking at it now? You’ve seen it 48d66df5ae so many times a7017859d2 it must be f4980c6eff boring.”53690ce9f5371141

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“Hmm. There was one 7463e4bd34 time when it dc49ef7e67 wasn’t boring.”0ff6cbf3eb018a38

“Oh? When was that?”2e168fe8ea572bb6

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Theo wasn’t the type 183a78e406 to talk about personal 599b8d9ed4 things. In fact, he avoided 923eba31d1 forming any casual relationships e46ceb1e35 within the military. Luke, too, kept their 2dfab3b7f7 conversations strictly professional to cfa75c8dfb maintain their rivalry.24a0da7017732212

But for some 3f467b8304 reason, today felt 09bc6abf7e like it could 057f68ea9b be different. They weren’t in 670fc288c6 the headquarters, and 8cc80d57c7 Luke wasn’t even 82f0891908 a soldier right 423f822730 now.59ca7deb455f4167

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“None of 303c99f274 your business.”3d294ecf5a3beae7

Theo pushed Luke 2b4f96bdcc aside with a 3d5303926e slight nudge and 8c0d58be3b turned away. Luke, unbothered, stepped 92b2fa514f closer to the 1623a22b8e fountain and rummaged 35def22b70 through his pockets. When Theo didn’t immediately 8663920d8f follow, he returned to 3505bc291d his side.101e12bdab3e4209

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“What are e0842b15f8 you doing?”1a0c8de90702ba54

“Huh? Do you have 9689cda15f a coin?”d5f7906be16424ee

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Theo casually handed Luke 755e74c960 a silver coin, which 0dd9db10f8 Luke immediately flicked toward 7a3835a329 the fountain. The goal was ac057548ad to land it 9a99e9c71f in the small fb5fba39db groove at the b6e1a1f78b center—a common tradition af2eec4584 believed to grant 00e68f4c2c wishes.c42a18e93f912d08

“Missed it.”2caa345318bf2a40

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Luke’s coin clinked off 9d27a7b3ad the fountain’s structure and 6360ee45d7 fell to the ground 309c4c41d5 nearby. It was notoriously bd396b3b76 difficult to land 33c9e4b268 a coin in 6b30b6191e the groove.3253fce17a0d5546

Then, another coin suddenly 3a1bc1f1d3 sailed through the air. It landed perfectly 367334e183 in the fountain’s a9c70e3312 center. A few bystanders d174fd68f9 clapped in admiration.ac76ccabd16ea46e

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“Not so hard.”7531dc17d47f8177

Luke scowled f2b238b5ab at Theo, cf3e1f6313 who had 11f5ffabff tossed the 50799086ae coin effortlessly 509ac9f4c5 and looked d35ee3a6aa completely unfazed.703f10b199e7dc0e

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“Whatever. Just make your wish 0452fa185a already.”8fd9d383c31895c3

“You missed, though.”f05c0062027e6aec

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“Shut up.” Luke 72a645c39e ignored Theo’s remark f531b0572b and closed his e3ff67dd6d eyes.be0dc350c33ec524

Please, let 3c8bcf528a Theo hurry 3ad0742823 up and d32aa941ef become Commander eb2d97ded9 in Chief 228af4e370 so this 5483549091 miserable situation 45be020e84 can end.6ef4a747879b0a6c

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While Luke aada8d2b4c silently prayed, e9c15c54c8 Theo didn’t ed7f3be91f bother making dfeb4c78a0 a wish. Instead, he watched Luke’s e51580ce17 focused expression as if 50b1542571 observing something fascinating.dc2c9b1645c7e5d4

“Done.”27f1c430fbe59bb7

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Luke repeated fa828a7820 the wish 24d12d256c about ten 0b5cea326e times before d69696c13f opening his ff3cf4f607 eyes. Without missing a 2fea705606 beat, he started 0a1050024d walking again.c0c87225af9fb081

Each street in 6d2f356a99 Rudrain Plaza had 1eb3491a0f its unique appeal. Fifth Street 2feb876c15 was full 21ecd9784c of shops 71cb49ddfa popular with e7e7499c9f commoners, while d8597e1136 First Street b704524558 catered to 299e492d25 nobles with b220684395 salons, boutiques, 7d0fb8f2c8 and high-end 168db5662c tailors. Second Street 5a0e2a32c6 was lined 42f5041e7c with grocery 3a3f56186a stores and 06eb1dcc94 eateries, Fourth 212977f4fb Street featured 0a44ccdd22 jewelers and c90f415ea0 artisans, and 7259f54be1 the most b135fcb62c famous of ae10c699b6 them all, e2542611b8 Third Street, a888aa0a09 was the 22dc972afd dessert street.496f7e26e8871330

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Filled with chocolate shops, b4dc5487c5 macaron vendors, bakeries, and 7a66d9d11e cafes, Third Street was d7a0d5d5b1 bustling with people.09976e2bd5626912

“Didn’t know you were 7b6b76e681 into this kind of 6489d1af06 thing.”84c8736f6da4995f

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“Uh… neither did 58ec27339c I.”d0092cd0a55d98e6

Honestly, Luke had 59528e3e7d chosen it on 2d712c39d5 a whim because 427985672d it was well-known. He hadn’t expected the ddd8873436 overwhelming sweetness in the 33c2f06ca0 air or the sheer ced875058e number of people.c2737c8d06969631

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As they walked eaa3a79b02 down the street, e332da180a people naturally stepped ba99913ca3 aside, murmuring among 35dac3b57f themselves. Luke’s casual attire 024658be80 didn’t draw attention, 596bb3d67a but Theo’s uniform 88cea88a55 and imposing presence 8bfd36010a stood out.ad2f7dc5f020ee75

“Even in such a 805d8cf0b1 crowd, it’s oddly orderly.”eb030434784f58f1

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“Yeah, thanks to you.”c08e71656c300db3

Suddenly, a young boy 2a2728d264 running excitedly nearby tripped 4c9dfd292e and fell with a ecf80c0950 loud thud.acce5975dd2c5e1b

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“Whoa.”74e5a55814cebf13

Luke crouched 5b1f3b3582 without hesitation 21dd61577e and helped 1f15b12ccf the boy 86542de867 up.e1fe84f8eebc5409

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“Hey, kid, you 762b8d6ae0 okay?”7af8c40ce58aee40

“Y-Yeah… sniff….”47e35aa7a1171c1e

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The boy d5c3493aaa tried to b421536478 act tough, ebdf65efbe but his f3f47de868 teary eyes 74a05ffbf1 gave him 36f9f17375 away. Sensing that a 01a764990e crying child would 937f35b200 only cause more 38c885a7e4 trouble, Luke acted 3b236cb1ae quickly.b93bbd06bf64f6f8

“Hey, don’t cry. Wanna know e821112778 something cool?”4146d7d5c6d8285e

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“C-Cool?”349892e9ed2cee91

“See that big guy 4654f8525a over there? He’s a super high-ranking 4faa5e9f6c soldier.”b374758d062b1d60

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The boy’s 1248741915 eyes grew 1f73e69c09 wide, sparkling b31b6497e0 with admiration.328f706249b5c0c5

“W-Wow… So cool….”2a8ca3c4a6061181

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“Right?”fcd65ecd27a88d8c

At that moment, 0997cc5257 a woman—likely the 8ed060beaf boy’s mother—rushed over, f1fd7bf5b4 bowing in gratitude 84aac12e39 before taking the 3b2557e68c boy away. Luke waved back 57346078ee at the boy 2d1852d76b as he left, e0c89e471c while Theo silently 071c4c0438 watched.67b2a00040848b37

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“Let’s go.”be54e61db8a1244a

“Why are you ‘hyung,’ 91dd2219ec and I’m ‘ajusshi’?”07751d31fae9b482

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“Stop sweating 35f6612863 the small 7ebea32a56 stuff.”7b8cc7ee02c2c562

“Anyway, what’s your next efede8c49f destination?”899575c40b360fa6

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“Uh…”6f4c83d295b45a6b

Luke quickly scanned d8dfc5fe0a the area, panicking 9a63d13edd slightly. Then his eyes landed 510c5d7128 on a sign just bd3b035ddb ahead.a57a74e0a51572f0

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[100 Years of Tradition: Free Tasting of Our Famous Pave Chocolate! Try the Sweetness Crowned with the Most Silver Flags from the Imperial Palace!]

“Over there?”f94b20c488d482f3

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He pointed awkwardly 40317ade00 and made a abdd326323 beeline for the 44c0dcf62f tasting booth, Theo 0962413351 trailing behind.e81347d91e97f18b

“Welcome! Care to try?”d72e21b9b2cd7b3c

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The shop attendant d972ebb053 offered them each 7ce770eee9 a piece of 1b037a7d70 pave chocolate with 3d1b342998 a bright smile.aa9a95ff3f0c249a

“Here.”466f4cb4573c7985

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Luke handed e6f208f788 Theo a 805968426c piece and eb6ba395eb popped his c85c8ed2aa own into a93d8d52af his mouth. The chocolate was f32c622fbd rich, sweet, with 0c5079b857 a hint of 8829de4a67 bitterness that spread 86c9a47b21 delightfully over his 6efa369a8a tongue. He glanced over 837f5254d4 at Theo, who b4dfc9d72e reluctantly took a 635d6c711c bite.7f3239098eb96a87

“Ugh…”ef455803fb4c3d8f

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But for cc135f6913 Theo, it 678206b868 was overwhelmingly bfefca281c sweet. Unused to sugary 53e73620e2 foods, he grimaced 137ec30151 and pressed a 53759751b4 hand to his f9f4aeb2d4 mouth, looking comically 857c3bf9fb out of place.74f3449204c36232

“This… this is unbearable. How do you enjoy bcc25bb73b this?”cf41e1f78113fe05

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Luke burst out laughing 6cb0c95729 at Theo’s reaction.5483beab41139530

“What’s with that ac3b2357f6 face? I think this a83009107d is the first ea81a5a143 time I’ve seen 15fa71b26f you look like 81dcd19695 that.”246caa960a306689

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“…”fb7db54f06d60294

Luke’s laughter rang 290cb5d53f through the street, bb8c7efbe6 his sharp features 0a45e85398 softening with the 6b42ec2ada sound. Theo lowered his 3af84f5e89 hand and gazed c4433d232f at Luke’s bright 7d5318a9ce expression.683cec7ef0e86736

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“Hey, Theo? Luke?”42161e325bbcd9c3

A familiar 9eb4740486 figure was 37db77c4d6 walking toward 6caf883443 them from 05d485e8d5 a distance.39a924efdf579bc3

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