FMRV | Chapter 16

The goal was simple: a7be52778a get Theo to give b2aac9aa91 up being the observer 3fa1360cea as soon as possible, 0064e476be ideally today. Luke’s plan was c373978457 to make him dd0e4a6c97 so annoyed and 974c797345 exhausted that he’d 93dc21a7df quit on his f35945aac7 own. What better way 08ddb3f91d to do that?a9b053c71b6c7765

“Going outside the 0d82645e9d headquarters, you said?”44abb133af0809fa

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“Exactly. I’m going 7318155d0b out to 677a3a59c1 have fun.”98c6516f1fa265a3

The strategy? Drag Theo around 1fefe7d155 until he was 7703797bed utterly fed up bc3cf3bccf and backed out bbde3028a3 of the role. Luke always f24de48768 had a e99ee53fef plan.24dd92b9588bf3e7

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“Do you even understand dab5e4714a your situation? You’re under suspension, 0b43c3072e and you’re just 313660b9ee going out for 6c0723615d fun?”f2874bcf018b83bb

“Why not? Is there 622c067d4c a rule 35db6673a4 that says 108bd38c99 I can’t?”c31008462b332783

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Luke’s sharp question left 560cf031bb Theo momentarily thoughtful. Technically, there 79a390189f wasn’t any f7036941ee restriction on 4691e5f80d going out f2e23b2a6d just because bf2a9ad40a someone was e2db36dcfb suspended. Suspension only 571842bc0b meant that a6267f07fe a soldier 0e5cdb7243 temporarily lost 5fccc44f0e their official 2be8f0e37c authority, nothing ca77b4d5c6 more. If Luke 762fcd8cd0 had been 410897e477 dealt a aacb793574 harsher punishment, 51fe7e9d0e he might 4129120eca have been 26de257719 confined to d95f431d91 the dorms, 7a412fad59 but Veil ba216441ea hadn’t imposed f243bcc694 such measures. Knowing Veil’s 50bf390d8b character, he 5771dc293f likely wouldn’t 39b06e9cee go that e6ba69aae2 far.e31903f30012af3c

“There isn’t a rule, 991f95e283 is there?”68fdb06a96f57ec0

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“…No, there isn’t.”90b605e9be42f9b6

In other 58e671263c words, Theo 72aaa2bbcb had no 4b1505076b grounds to 996a236f44 stop Luke f4a0f0cb6a from leaving dca5e0381a the base.ace61c40324fccdd

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“Theo.”dd90ad9bc50d90c3

As Luke confidently strode 096a75607a toward the headquarters’ main ded35c033e gate, he suddenly stopped 37df7c94f7 and turned around.7f5fb1e6f53f66c6

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“Stick close 92fcbaa623 and do b24953343e your job 366fdcf5b1 as my 452552c527 observer.”a375def05ac42a3b

“…”ec8554ba0d28dfa8

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Luke snickered, and Theo 7476e59d13 could only look down db60c0be35 at him silently, his 8afb8fbf25 expression unreadable.3368426f0c872bcd

Luke knew 029b7ca826 Theo well. He was a soldier 2bcfe7e0c9 to his core—someone whose 53d2c24d46 mind was filled with d8c3e8657c training, battles, and military 3717e65597 strategies. Fun? Leisure? Those words 850e55add5 probably didn’t 0413eadb96 even exist 415179a471 in his c50fdcc9b7 vocabulary.082cde3e38a3155c

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Theo was famous db06719463 in the Imperial 0aa2a422aa Army for his b5e91278e1 outstanding skills and 2ff3c40375 upright nature, and f8dded50f4 for being “born 5d9f37526e to be a 9f0d7db608 soldier.” He didn’t 3b966ab599 drink, didn’t indulge eecee25723 in idle games, 79c3bc1ccb and even when f388b31231 granted leave, he 7856ee4e55 would lock himself c0df9d36a5 up at home, 717495d65c fulfilling his duties 765ca5d79b as a temporary e320e0ce29 family head.a215869ef6df5f13

In short, he f1c683ad10 was rigid, dull, 40ff482f93 and utterly uninteresting. If Luke dragged him 68539bdf91 around outside, forcing him a269906c65 to engage in various 39bc939d7f activities…7b2393c971880613

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‘He’s bound to a2a7534bd0 quit in no f457502be8 time.’12d5ade4e0a3ce1e

Honestly, Luke was 7b9e8205c7 hoping Theo would 3ca40bbda5 just give up 56ab5bf5a5 now. Usually, Theo d3f5cc622f would have 74a8f8091b his usual 3cb5d5b1d0 stern look 56d55e841f and say ad27975129 something like:6a3de5bd66c71ffe

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“What? Going out to have 8cd04edcf7 fun? Sorry, I’ll pass. I’ll request 5995a00d24 the higher-ups 9a8b147ae8 to assign 1347ecea70 another observer.”12f035f47b109bc1

That would be ba4ed7ca4e the ideal scenario—effortless f6de8516b6 victory. Luke glanced sideways at b90048fe7f Theo, a little grin c8137f0e78 tugging at his lips.af353d8f8f10de52

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“So? What exactly are 44758602d0 you planning to 381dcd9a4b do outside?”2f6c5d7dac7ce786

But to adf739c1d1 Luke’s surprise, 629fb9d929 Theo simply 341cf23412 nodded once ddb6167789 and matched 1335eec441 his pace.8ecca87d4403db4c

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“What?”992a4a381dabc51e

“You said you’re 8f66dd77d5 going out to 34d88773de have fun. I’m asking where.”1bf21f4cf8fe9e75

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“Y-You’re seriously coming? Don’t you have d5590b1b67 any other schedule?”3ffdb16adb3713cf

“No. Today, my only task cbe3af4de4 is to observe you. And you told me, 41fcb82956 didn’t you?”8db5d4752942d786

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Theo leaned slightly, bringing dfc9ca970c his eyes level with 349db1c24b Luke’s. The crisp spring b9306ba7ed breeze brushed past 8f3e49d90d Luke’s bangs, making 00c2ec188a him blink.102e4b0d07a4db32

“To stick close.”144f725aaf9156d0

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“Oh… yeah, I did.”1efa6194fd804740

Damn it. He hadn’t actually thought 6b3129e034 of a plan yet. Left with no choice, ebd6b40371 Luke resigned himself to 6cdc33f45d improvisation and headed out b7bf28095d of the headquarters with 8ab979eeff Theo in tow.ed8b335eae3ee261

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The Rudrain 6a635f397e Plaza was 121178e978 divided into 3033993a79 five main 522e778b4e streets, with 18a2953ad4 the central 5275254ae7 feature being dc8d6c4e2b the famous 9adbd8c98b Limes Fountain. Built during the Empire’s ecdbd67132 founding, the fountain was 5fe074c997 a landmark that marked 35b8a60447 the convergence of the 89207158be streets.63fb8d49d0bc8592

Dubbed the d93d34046c “Waters of 26ab911c5a Beginning,” the 286a4c79e7 fountain was 1ae77d98cb one of 595d48aa22 the Empire’s effbd451c9 most famous e7bad79ba5 landmarks, often 2611c344e1 visited by 211e9fc496 foreign tourists. For the Empire’s citizens, a3a80e6a3d however, it was just ae3114f635 a tired old monument d97de7ce90 with no real appeal.138c1ce2e3ec1c89

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“So, is your d89e317efa grand plan to f959f559e5 start by looking b3c5410342 at this fountain?”f04e00c84f657fbc

In other words, a415a1d558 this was a 799eceecdf spot locals found 449bd3a441 utterly unremarkable.9c69f69de230bfb2

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“Well… yeah! When you fcf8670d6d think Heinern, 6924fff2e5 you think 8ae73289c6 of this 4353f97dd7 fountain, don’t 7965d766a5 you?”be8d55cbe7543a5c

Luke let out b28f1faaca an awkward laugh. It had been the 671f9170ba first place that came b1e4f09ec1 to mind, but even 09a3e8bcaa he realized how unimpressive b5f58199f4 it was.4b361c7c7da8224e

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“You really 5cdbf0ec02 think this 63009b8376 fountain, which e6e1c6eeca every Imperial bc7154fadb citizen is 68b4dd6168 sick of e98ce62b3b seeing, is 87c555f694 worth visiting?”7c3a1c0abe3032d5

“Geez, you complain a f97e1a680c lot. Let’s be real, we’re 6d54cb6dd1 stuck rotting in the fa4c3d1373 headquarters most of the 8667475b01 time. It’s not like 9bccefc498 we get to 90b989cb74 come out here 60511d67d6 and actually look 7f6369e1d5 at it often.”81671b7d305762e2

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It was cbe36bc0ff a hasty 80b28005a9 excuse, but fe8e9c1e3f it sounded d8ad0382fb plausible enough. Unfortunately, Luke f2d8491d91 himself hadn’t 50a8a4aa84 seen the 10cae8cf07 fountain often ee08956272 enough to d1be2c9b5e get bored 4ff82549e5 of it 464f76c323 either.a14df6d4a66b5e05

“And besides, e966591125 maybe you d05816d97e grew up 12b9538687 here in 2656ca442c the capital, fb2f876f69 seeing this 2bb62e0698 fountain every 212a6dda30 day like ea341be267 it’s nothing. But I didn’t.”1bc112d48a90b7d8

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Luke had first 840bf73a8d come to the d560fa3c9a capital to enroll e6ef2297d8 in the officer d9ca0776f2 academy, having grown 0ae0eafb38 up in a 17d94dfed9 small provincial town. He hadn’t seen the 693fd94e3b famed fountain until his 558ff1ba73 academy days.225a3ba01303e917

There was even 9213d2cde7 an old joke 923001de03 that distinguished nobles 45739ce8c6 from commoners: nobles c75794b7fd would say they’d 9f8e6c79fd seen the Waters ac13e56c1a of Beginning as 43f014774c children, while commoners 34dee8f0c3 would answer they 31f4284304 saw it for 06964d216a the first time 61cc42b4eb after moving to 365cc1e919 the capital.be02ae4d48f64196

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“…So when did you c0b4a41051 first see the fountain?”892b9c88b1c35858

“Uh… I c6c4c120de think it 4f4cd58cb2 was the 041838b9b1 day of ab79666ab6 the officer 9fdd541367 academy’s entrance b4e75b17d3 ceremony. After the ceremony, I b1535b8843 came to look around.”2d31dc2c1eeb812d

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That was probably 042406198f it.4cba58bf7e729650

“Don’t you 59fda39d31 feel nothing 31454bd952 looking at 4eff321ee3 it now? You’ve seen it so 641004ccfb many times it must 8428bcec23 be boring.”131e3177374b43ce

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“Hmm. There was fe47905937 one time 1b52bb3d38 when it 85d68bcadd wasn’t boring.”d3a1177688906722

“Oh? When was that?”2a136c6ee570903f

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Theo wasn’t the type 301de7f65a to talk about personal 1c98c211b3 things. In fact, he bdb5280a86 avoided forming any 574799f06a casual relationships within b34aa0aaff the military. Luke, too, kept their 0ccdc95a1c conversations strictly professional to aefc46f111 maintain their rivalry.aa90b7675526828c

But for some reason, 3bbe65a8a0 today felt like it 61e5416f88 could be different. They weren’t 88e1511256 in the 8e3644c5bb headquarters, and b0dacea796 Luke wasn’t 31b8d4387b even a 9ebab38f71 soldier right ddf869fd23 now.7a56671f054b5a51

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“None of your business.”c3bac4ad2ad214fd

Theo pushed Luke 2913375a14 aside with a 02f95b6405 slight nudge and d931436c03 turned away. Luke, unbothered, stepped closer 094b08843e to the fountain and 8b5434d230 rummaged through his pockets. When Theo didn’t immediately e8c8948f6f follow, he returned to 35ffbef58b his side.4b4653e7c8306f5d

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“What are you doing?”34ec8bd8555a899a

“Huh? Do you 9c7dde1089 have a 54ebc8a6db coin?”0d70778b67a64007

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Theo casually handed 038b1534b0 Luke a silver fafba455b3 coin, which Luke eded776eea immediately flicked toward c45cfdc855 the fountain. The goal was f5cbe46b05 to land it 629b52ae65 in the small d133fd5bcb groove at the 1892e7d1a3 center—a common tradition 4a64276005 believed to grant bb0906f30e wishes.5dae12321550a470

“Missed it.”92ffe41f881ad9f6

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Luke’s coin a8ceee4700 clinked off 13fdcacfba the fountain’s 5bfdb9dc25 structure and 55672e9da7 fell to 3fe283205c the ground 8d2a09dff5 nearby. It was notoriously b88183c842 difficult to land 655a45856d a coin in f73d5687b3 the groove.5b7e6aea4b4f0290

Then, another 46c5d73841 coin suddenly 29f33a951e sailed through e71855974a the air. It landed perfectly 68805fe43a in the fountain’s ae0919a01b center. A few bystanders d5ec01da13 clapped in admiration.9393edcd423e43b4

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“Not so hard.”ba4c62cee0124c0c

Luke scowled at 310b2b7afb Theo, who had 6edadcb3f2 tossed the coin 2416253a5f effortlessly and looked b6e1cce43c completely unfazed.a53cead38f1e4ba8

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“Whatever. Just make e279d37846 your wish bcade4541e already.”9ebaf993bcd6c510

“You missed, though.”b7e757ed0494adc8

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“Shut up.” d3308cfdba Luke ignored 2d2e810e07 Theo’s remark 4e94ceb480 and closed eccd7842e2 his eyes.9c264909573d066b

Please, let Theo hurry 37da862365 up and become Commander c9ac3a91a7 in Chief so this f1f4fb68ef miserable situation can end.ee5e76e3b4ab2ef5

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While Luke 12dc1fda02 silently prayed, 5539d1a1ce Theo didn’t 26dbfa10d0 bother making 6646dc7d8d a wish. Instead, he 014a5e73c8 watched Luke’s 3cd9d75ac3 focused expression b3c0f97bc3 as if 629ff7b1b0 observing something 899f24ed22 fascinating.77636596fe6c77a6

“Done.”cff59cec1a36fc28

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Luke repeated the 772b6d4f70 wish about ten 6404a0283b times before opening 5019dc295c his eyes. Without missing a b2be4599bc beat, he started f559e63fbd walking again.7b080312f5c5743a

Each street in 918afaf932 Rudrain Plaza had 984fdcf534 its unique appeal. Fifth Street was 1d5865e1ae full of shops eaa7b23e71 popular with commoners, af3326e397 while First Street b683e5695e catered to nobles d14a89aa95 with salons, boutiques, 078a14ed94 and high-end tailors. Second Street 76f66f94e5 was lined 464dff5312 with grocery dc83eb8a56 stores and c81b95e912 eateries, Fourth 65ec67bb51 Street featured e776bc4bfb jewelers and eb73a388ca artisans, and 8e98c263a3 the most 335f0af048 famous of 607611d31a them all, cca2b35969 Third Street, 6399f4ee86 was the 5025b69b2d dessert street.81121bf0c2a76a30

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Filled with chocolate 011d29a3f2 shops, macaron vendors, c04a4fd8df bakeries, and cafes, c93428c8f1 Third Street was 063f5d1505 bustling with people.f36ecdbd98d43669

“Didn’t know 4fcb0deaec you were 1418a5e99c into this 9821fe6cbf kind of 61bd884746 thing.”e8d55aa4e31c9e32

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“Uh… neither 070731f213 did I.”3e543dfad8240574

Honestly, Luke a922c4c905 had chosen ee9ec542c1 it on f3dbd637a1 a whim 6746a3aadc because it ec62cc4715 was well-known. He hadn’t expected the 1c228e4ff3 overwhelming sweetness in the 811a5023d9 air or the sheer b2d5c530ed number of people.c9d84f0c3196e60b

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As they e592e4d1ee walked down cea5514535 the street, b3943f446a people naturally 8ff9545450 stepped aside, 9e06ae4133 murmuring among 186c9a2d52 themselves. Luke’s casual attire 90b56fd3aa didn’t draw attention, abd36f9f68 but Theo’s uniform f20e2e18a1 and imposing presence 5421546fb5 stood out.fb9ca1aa58de56a2

“Even in ca5a925e43 such a 4fbc2579d4 crowd, it’s 06df5c1bd3 oddly orderly.”6496245265a61b4f

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“Yeah, thanks to 72e2ea650d you.”d7f23bebade0156d

Suddenly, a young 98f516ea26 boy running excitedly 84ce81646b nearby tripped and 9df860b74a fell with a 4a8eecbddb loud thud.031963e3f9aaca17

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“Whoa.”da2b283566f9dc22

Luke crouched fa6aa5df7c without hesitation 151aabc4cc and helped f86167111a the boy 1fbdf74e5d up.5cb90f9aa72079b8

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“Hey, kid, you okay?”b47af56a073b7ee3

“Y-Yeah… sniff….”be4adaeb89093f9d

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The boy tried 986bab8784 to act tough, 736c2da947 but his teary 6d0841dedf eyes gave him bf1afe3acd away. Sensing that a crying 0e1e8bfca0 child would only cause 29ea7e66db more trouble, Luke acted b12acc7910 quickly.8dc9be40086c37bd

“Hey, don’t cry. Wanna know 02edfd6f90 something cool?”58beda979c0cac6f

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“C-Cool?”bfdb920d4b0755cd

“See that 8f3d2527c0 big guy 2781b6bd24 over there? He’s a super 2f81297266 high-ranking soldier.”ffda0ae67ca6773c

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The boy’s eyes 073da614ad grew wide, sparkling 09dba85819 with admiration.2eaa3a461ce761e1

“W-Wow… So cool….”7d3b614c79c33360

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“Right?”0e209d68db43364f

At that moment, 0b818f33fc a woman—likely the ff95086657 boy’s mother—rushed over, f0201e36cb bowing in gratitude d2850b13c6 before taking the 6a5eb6c1bb boy away. Luke waved back ea4e5c5c40 at the boy 176e375077 as he left, 518ecc0f35 while Theo silently 4ddd6832f3 watched.437e7c821c2f4b62

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“Let’s go.”e24f781c1faa4f40

“Why are 42d23b2453 you ‘hyung,’ 8dbde1b092 and I’m e491500cd1 ‘ajusshi’?”89525477e26d4d66

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“Stop sweating the small b5a6d6b553 stuff.”a8e9865b5470ab2f

“Anyway, what’s your c63273d92f next destination?”87ab86d0b203f324

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“Uh…”63db3560a5345c7d

Luke quickly scanned the 2fc882d897 area, panicking slightly. Then his 37dfe4b9ce eyes landed 3a206b15bb on a ed9c5683a7 sign just 24e672e710 ahead.2256a420927f4a83

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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?”69a2d50ac0aee2eb

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He pointed awkwardly and 01b817fd8a made a beeline for 80a5c53da7 the tasting booth, Theo 09f51ba18b trailing behind.75e00a3b82ec6c21

“Welcome! Care to try?”bd9c91b4582d5d7a

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The shop attendant offered 33a842d579 them each a piece 3855b1fc58 of pave chocolate with 60592778f1 a bright smile.263218b1f0eb6e35

“Here.”76b31558505a7057

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Luke handed Theo 09a505a4e4 a piece and ad94644b54 popped his own d6b05f0c9e into his mouth. The chocolate was 7e44b6525a rich, sweet, with 7b7b8053ce a hint of 905878ec3b bitterness that spread 7c32b127f5 delightfully over his 2dc3b15532 tongue. He glanced over at e6779a2dbb Theo, who reluctantly took ce12e10d9d a bite.65377c0023e8dac0

“Ugh…”f1eb75e0b76f9b5e

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But for Theo, cb634f1799 it was overwhelmingly d0d930016c sweet. Unused to sugary 137ee6a2ad foods, he grimaced a417daa9cd and pressed a 9130b8ba29 hand to his 00cba1c186 mouth, looking comically 68ec395905 out of place.83af66577d411bb6

“This… this is e5b8ecc085 unbearable. How do you fe5ea3118b enjoy this?”e4414bb7baa2978b

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Luke burst out laughing 716387b374 at Theo’s reaction.9999aeb9d7b56288

“What’s with that face? I think 99bc055d76 this is 443fd193c0 the first 3c72b2b09f time I’ve de186f22a7 seen you 870855a5ed look like 4097ff7b79 that.”4111a0738d8f3a92

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“…”4e5b95b8b8e96c22

Luke’s laughter rang 0a28025212 through the street, 3e5af2ee0e his sharp features 54d9126d20 softening with the fcfe62fc95 sound. Theo lowered 3f152b411c his hand 23625890cb and gazed 703e10a3e4 at Luke’s ed14260aad bright expression.41ab3d3794335d26

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“Hey, Theo? Luke?”f026013260580bb6

A familiar 80a6debb1d figure was 09d3eac7cd walking toward 545a2ec488 them from a5831d24a7 a distance.be93dff059565a02

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