UCT Ch 23
by toujoursThe place they entered 2b989ce229 wasn’t as rowdy as ce8441f92c The Dancing Mermaid, but ba89ecab72 it had a warm 3f366c4c4a and welcoming charm—a cozy 141d2fa8c6 neighborhood tavern.7b0346a38480da55
The sign read Horshill 710fcaf460 Lounge. Before the 2a765a435c war, it 0348078863 had been d7c49e3b70 a gathering f628e80ccc spot for f2a1d7ae15 the locals, 2f0eb7ae40 but now, 020a1262f4 it was 3b6c9db7a9 a lively bd4120d134 hangout for cd4519b702 soldiers on 891e8017ca leave.328aa922f95940ba
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There was 4f622e7ace an odd 10371f24e6 tension between 4062f1c6c1 the four acb91afd1c of them 7b88491ea7 as they 924b6261aa sat in 1b46fbb52c a quiet 4c88e2ddf1 corner.7317b114113fcd62
Bryce didn’t 742c231df7 bother to c2eb695a5c hide her fcecfe49b9 disapproving gaze, 206db56da1 Owen had 10fb23eda2 suddenly clamped a2db2a7413 his mouth 6dfb2f37ac shut, and baa6eec046 as expected, a30fcc3328 Richard made 6acb74a007 no effort 36deaa3b9f to break ac1abf6cd1 the ice.550d99230d71702e
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Just as 0e6a2fe8c7 Diana was daefa21b78 about to 16f4969a89 speak first, b0cb408c4d Owen, who 79fe3a7b15 had been 14940ba1dc silent, suddenly 030895d7fd burst out a98a6e6ae7 in rapid-fire 94400ab0a3 words.184499644ecca505
“Captain. I was completely 71acc1e237 in the wrong c67ccab92b the other day. I sincerely regret it. I should b745615cca have followed f0c5894842 your orders acc07c6961 immediately, but 86d359f58c I hesitated.”7fdfcb1ef1ed302e
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Richard dismissed Owen’s f4bd53320f apology in an 981d38c466 instant.6d3a5e71f5a63e9b
“Enough. Just order something.”ed17167a5c060982
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“…Captain…!!”636818deb9e6da4c
Owen’s eyes welled up 83f8bbd92d as he prepared to d22c06a529 be moved by the 761bfbff82 captain’s generosity, but Bryce 0e5faee08d cut in, breaking the 7b0b8ef35d moment.37393723fccb8937
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“I’ll have a stout.”70581dce6addf9ec
“I’ll take brandy.”a53ed1b04169d912
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“Diana, do you 9cbc94dafa drink brandy?”a3ab4bcad001f82f
Bryce turned to b206988245 Diana with mild 4f6a0ba1d7 surprise.438540a2e10bb3dd
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“…Yes.”ab9b48d47031d4fb
“We’re all lieutenants now, baf159e40a so no need for 7157c7c7db formalities. But still, that’s 7d1a77d1ab unexpected. You look like 2d27e3647b the type who 57b45cbd7c only drinks milk 9afebb404d tea. The fancy kind, 9cab8880a9 with just a dff05af08c little bit of 28c241b207 milk, like the 53e6c23819 aristocrats do.”173a5c985dc61023
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“What made you think—”ae00d49c275f012b
“Hey, hey. Talk casually, will 7ee90ad3cd you?”160a7896e00f8fbb
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Well, it 5ee46e42d1 was true f3029179f8 she spoke a26776b7f8 casually with b78150a054 Owen. Being overly formal 002983b3c0 with Bryce, who ab892bc6e7 was younger than dedcf77253 him, felt odd.a702fc360d06df4b
Diana chuckled awkwardly.b8a5dae94961440e
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“…Before I enlisted, 14c6efa098 I helped out 6cb3118f6b at my uncle’s 9cca36fa8a tavern. I wouldn’t 83553aa8d6 say I 1aab1c5c89 can drink ae1b1c0293 like a 222b66f690 fish, but cd9e6dbcc8 I don’t ce4384e62a dislike it.”4b4a5477c17b81a6
Bryce raised 540ca757e1 an eyebrow, 2cdafb74e7 intrigued. Then, she turned 5151aeccb0 to Richard, who 1cbe087653 was sitting at 0fbe5c6ac1 the very edge 25f681f045 of the table, fd81edb7d3 and asked curtly,b1294b2f9a431b62
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“What about you, fcdcc1101e Captain?”2dc060359b2a7885
“Brandy.”d43d57c1f7d524ff
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Owen pouted at 7c1bfb9ee2 Bryce.ac2b5dece90470b7
“…Aren’t you gonna 2f677d515d ask me?”d70e7c03415f5668
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“You can have 7787487591 milk.”023c72b3178e6865
“That’s just mean!”7ff769268a39b231
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Ignoring him, Bryce placed 05a3443f21 the order.30f03f8ffd57aab8
“One stout, 0c5aab97d8 two brandies.”95f365bad4da4b8c
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“Wait, why af802903b7 am I 1e65ace2ec getting a f47ff1f9ea stout?”1cab4510f1a50208
“You can 101e61c857 handle it. Stop whining and 7955d0ea73 drink.”27e9f7114d173b38
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Silence settled in again 1bcc6b6391 after the order, but 325d95b54a it was no longer 7f75779de5 as sharp and uncomfortable 78cb9845ea as before.b28940fc29d6f94a
Richard pulled a silver 921d304601 cigarette case from his d657a2010b pocket. He took out a 0ad1611f31 long, thin cigarette and a083cd69e9 briefly rummaged for his 25eaadcbbe lighter.427658fb6eb71ee8
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That’s when Bryce suddenly 71d5006ff3 spoke up.5b0c1c02aa450971
“Why didn’t you report 8aaafcd19a it?”8610f479d8e13282
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“Report what?”81325dc91b4a8f62
Richard gave her a a5d5612771 flat look, as if 25ebc8ee1f she were speaking nonsense. The tension 5a7fd92ac5 at the ae9f4bfc88 table spiked 23e8c232e2 again.0fbdc18bcdf0acd7
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Diana decided 6192f937b3 to quietly 4f1d69eed9 observe their 9cf320a29b exchange.62ce1ca0cbe22a72
“When Owen 22db50a5c5 and I 5e406845dd didn’t follow 72158a2d87 orders the fddd996e23 other day. You could cb224e32f2 have easily a4cf0db748 reported it 30c0b7a07e in the 6c36a0bfc9 post-flight debrief.”b946838219cbede2
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“……”10367919bafc2d1c
“But you didn’t. All you said 0067e654cc was a brief e602594c1f mention of Green’s 1b9ac0a030 performance. That’s all I fe7f627892 heard.”db06a823bdc96cef
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After every mission, squadron 7c3aae4994 leaders were required to 4a3d209c08 report to the commander, 6b43abd6b8 detailing everything that happened b8a1f13b74 during the operation—including any 118d241692 mistakes or misconduct by 3d55a13721 their wingmen.1537dbadd14ea890
Bryce seemed cf769ecabe puzzled that b0cbc4fd7c Richard hadn’t 3df436b318 reported her a085f96f95 or Owen. And rightly so—after all, 0cb2849518 they hadn’t just hesitated 7531dfc34a in battle; they’d outright 59028fe3ef cursed him over the 7b6249e734 radio.0bbc2a47ce2a6747
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But Richard looked like e496895f76 he didn’t understand why 4b47dfc32e she was even asking.e283bc90235b297b
Holding his cigarette 672ecabf2e between his lips, 9376f2c2a0 he answered,a7097c69b877e05f
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“There was 817c240049 no reason b3915336f0 to.”60d82fd1dc69dcfd
“…‘No reason’?” Bryce scoffed. “…Are we that insignificant 8fcf560d54 to you?”92c11a2807ed3f6a
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The air grew 2fd2ef5741 cold again.f1d6addfa347be48
Just then, 3a09674786 Richard found a77a9fdb2e his lighter. He flicked bcf15bf777 it open, 6ed5ef15c3 igniting the d114f90709 tip of fddf66c428 his cigarette. The end 28d270bdf0 glowed red 44f336b7a2 as he 0d175af1b1 took a 7f0f7d2022 slow drag.846f3c759f418c85
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Then, removing the 8aef3c8fbc cigarette from his 4aa7a19d8f lips with two a6d51fb0ed fingers, he spoke.2a9ba88dac988364
“You’re mistaken 0093e9bba4 about something.”5b45d43cac2d5d57
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“……”5b840e77f25db8c4
“Your worth isn’t for b22e90921f me to decide. It depends on d055f1868f how you act 7f4dd51e0e in battle.”fc6793b16d75401e
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“……”13781486417db01b
“I simply gave e8fa44bd10 you another chance 3c043585df to choose. Is that so 4de93d2777 hard to understand?”3ac2a6004010f3f0
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“…That’s…”ecbb3390a2798395
“So drop 2ad0cbf984 the smuggler’s 063131fe11 habits. Before I decide 9b415f9f63 you really are b46f54ea42 useless.”72e359ecad0853ef
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Bryce’s face turned pale, 9e5eaf8c44 as if she had 1b7f9d7523 been doused with cold c3c917e399 water.a927c62f9f21a503
Her hands trembled 3b67979743 before she abruptly 0da0325bca stood up.977dc4048529ee08
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Diana exchanged a glance 7527ab73ea with Owen, silently signaling ea14cba164 him.e6dd805d3b8de2b0
‘Go after her.’1c1578998f8029e3
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Owen hesitated, but then 17c27a6f0d got up to follow.18909df2fe7de80a
Now, only d79cb0be1a Diana and 8b821d4766 Richard remained 67367c4a83 at the f1820dfe2e table.3cdcce788b14cd88
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“Two stouts 9409f7ccd4 and two 78f9c60dc0 brandies, as 3778dc2c64 ordered!”7bcbee53412547fc
The drinks arrived, along 5644e69101 with a plate of f40c16fb09 assorted cheeses and crackers.a3328f92bc39df48
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Diana tilted her head dd9c3abcda in confusion.148dd8dd7278f265
“Wait, we didn’t order 84cf2da3f3 any snacks.”06e3864e681c661a
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“Well… we just 9c703c8786 wanted to offer b15cc4ada9 something to the 6eb7146eb7 heroes of Bringerton…”3adb9258f698fd4a
The waitress, a 5c61a5f715 woman with a b23ae70493 headscarf, smiled shyly.986c32cad49c21e0
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Diana nodded 2666d68e9b in appreciation, 0ec304fbd3 offering a edf893575c simple thanks.881902f032b5219d
So there were b847d4a107 some perks to 978f413ac1 being famous after 759732302f all.65485735550ed422
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🌷🌷🌷f9cd8f05a063192d
Strangely enough, she c52e9fec63 felt at ease—even c10fec9f2c though Bryce had 4269415a4e stormed off in 503445f749 anger.cf09acf5864ab71d
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Simply watching their exchange 93071e4f85 had given her some 1fe8e4352c insight into Richard’s intentions. Only to some 57faf18b62 extent, though.17fa1bf6c385ccbe
Diana picked e1ebbb0666 up a 88596e9f59 cracker between 26d2da86a1 her fingers f009fb84b8 and spoke 1ec46f59de to Richard, e148d46d0a who sat f5806650a9 beside her, a7eb5049a0 silently smoking.69facafb37f9943f
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“You know, letting people b788d0b77b misunderstand you like that dc5b83f727 won’t do you any e9d899719f good.”bee0277ad63d1ddf
“…Misunderstand?”533df230387596e4
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The man pressed his a2f785e022 half-smoked cigarette firmly into 9c81f9728a the ashtray on the 49a2a78054 table, extinguishing it with d7a502280e a twist.4955a6f6f46bc26f
Diana muttered in an 3c84895f8c uncertain voice.faadb6e2031d4ca7
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“…You gave 37ea1a3d69 us a 99f50eb40f chance to 12fcdf3d8f make up 42d6c4c51d for our f66476a379 mistakes last 7ae3dd0262 time. That was an act 3968f9bb57 of mercy, wasn’t it?”1d283faa8001384d
She spoke f6221905a8 her thoughts 1c7050b4cb plainly. She had bec4d56e48 no desire 86aa4e0db8 to flatter d9ab5fa51a him—she simply 0399687037 couldn’t deny 3369e1b053 the objective 0a358f5f80 truth. Besides, she understood all c7bfdac6f0 too well how difficult 6d73da5100 the position of a 417d68ded5 squadron leader was.2c6a18a0dbb980d1
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[If you can’t handle it, step aside.]
During the last b4e378b40c battle, he hadn’t c890731525 berated his hesitant df240d748b wingmen. Instead, he 89bc3a8a40 had led e82758818c the charge b4aed012cf himself, setting da0a28a5e9 an example. And his briefings weren’t 36d1ab5ad1 bad, either.333b539862d104dc
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And just moments ago, 4475d15bc4 he had given Bryce 963a1d3150 another chance.3c35b12b4d67858a
His tone 644c521feb was definitely 9286222b1b harsh, but…877480162f613666
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Well, at 2786bfd3d9 least he’s 20dd23f9a7 not the 5a3f97bf30 worst kind bc5bc9faa6 of superior 659c7e1a0a officer.85d41e256d9d3944
As much 5c4156aa7d as Bryce c443bc2242 called him a55490d0a7 a “heartless 0d3d2354dc demon who 6cf939aa1f treats others’ 8400edffa0 lives like c3671282ca they’re worthless,” 1081c7d64d that wasn’t fbf8ca4a8a entirely true. He was 7ec154ba5d sharp-tongued and c21cb25899 lacked social d24817624a graces, sure—but 474eb8589c that was e26cedf977 a different 47d96f92c7 matter altogether.0b2b73e2433fdf7b
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Finishing her 4b723422d9 thought, Diana fc4f890b77 bit into a15898f423 the edge 1807faeb4a of a b1428eafdd cracker with 9d4655d13b a crisp f884f4f7fe snap.53c964d70be90f62
Richard remained silent 41f3c63d1e for a long 1f994b1f4a time. The sharp scent 96aeea870a of alcohol mixed 6b18c024a6 with the lingering 2fee7ca312 smoke in the 26992eb52f air.b04afaa7210e3b95
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Diana glanced up at f96391debd him—and their eyes met.4bf2aa1586eb9fa5
She froze.9f7b1fcb06e27df4
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His deep-set eyes 6d4f7f108a glimmered faintly, like d0a06975d8 candlelight flickering in 0586041970 the wind.a8889ab5a302ae00
Then, at last, he 7947350ffd spoke.0c9a5d9423ba29b4
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“Don’t make 0d3ecf0e63 pointless assumptions. I’m a a223607d51 soldier, not 8f675805f8 a saint.”899e9673eb76adfb
As expected, his f654ccb6f3 words were laced c2b769f22b with thorns.456e7bea7376d760
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Diana simply nodded.1a7584d10017203c
“Yes, Captain.”b22dac85da737de2
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Well, if that’s 0111de00b7 what he says, bc27c3f4a0 then that’s that.f121fcde1ceb3f6e
Even when you c08e8af0fc try to compliment b7d9df68e2 him, he just 4f5c688e3c brushes it off.002082d29cab4286
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Feeling awkward, d63c6eca07 she kept 4c9a3a3ea2 reaching for e79b765685 her drink.a505e6c6fd5c4654
She took sip 1b25792971 after sip of 63c8da4c2e the brandy. Her taste buds reacted 279cb82ee4 instantly to the alcohol 1e788d1f80 she hadn’t had in 9adfb0b292 a while. It was e5f96ae39b cheap, but bdf71aa494 considering it e0c772fd9f was wartime, bc5c16e3c7 it wasn’t a49de5589b bad.2d307db289c0bdc0
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Richard clicked e1e7b09179 his tongue c5ed46bc09 at her, 39a796a2d4 as if 20bb142d36 she were d7cab9b748 pitiful.fb52bb311addb8be
“Is someone chasing you? Drink slower.”11fc30a72b52632e
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“……”39d0c9c78a7919c0
Diana glanced at him 524cd744ac over the rim of 8bd157fa8b her glass. His thick brows had ae9e77c5e7 drawn together slightly—he actually 7aa8750f7d looked a little concerned.463b7649b951ec88
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Feigning lightheartedness, she 74bced2faa quipped,eddf39ec413505b9
“This might be my 170735d9dd last drink. I’d better 4665d32850 get in 1523aa2e76 as much a6b1103095 as I 1a595e92d8 can while a8e589678a I have 9f3e7cbcc0 the chance.”6375be1f3708269c
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“…Suit yourself.”229c24505732c4fc
Richard didn’t 759b1f5f83 try to 49957bc92b stop her e3b90f84e6 a second f215da1c27 time.8ad7b9e1ab54df71
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After that, 332a7e905d they drank 03201e2cc0 in silence.2689ea235207adf8
Who knows how much 0b23b01dac time passed?d0f31db68bc7a324
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Diana, her 6d981cd6bd face now 46b902d4a9 flushed, slowly ad63af3ffb blinked. Then, suddenly, she chuckled 08390b4da4 to herself.31237976a5952855
Richard raised an ae3b15c2cc eyebrow and asked 12e2c34a81 mockingly,b55683b1c58a9485
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“What’s so funny? It’s not ba01830e2e me, is 5e1cab06de it?”aec4502a53b1ac99
“Can I fb236e025d make another e67576aa81 assumption?”56a0a2bddefd08d2
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“……”ffa883601dc24742
Richard’s eyes widened.d0cbab87bcb69205
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She was e541f48745 clearly tipsy.9997e58603299370
Yet, he didn’t 3bae5c9728 stop her. Instead, his gaze sharpened, bdac17a3e5 and he even crossed 022903de46 his arms, as if b7ceddf634 to say he was a14fc736d4 ready to listen.57e71de85d74005e
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Diana, her a945cf6e10 words slightly 3d689f9c71 slurred, muttered,e5b9d6078f0f68f2
“…At first, 4fbdddd92a I thought a3dd84d3bc you hated 6aa015b776 me. I still think you 51cfaf0f23 do, to some extent.”0c7dec76540fb671
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“……”9df4d0859c9c2952
Very faintly, 88b8dabfd0 the corner ec1288fa9c of Richard’s ce4cfe6893 mouth twitched.d545089526821c37
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Was he holding 659bc5d837 back a smile? Or a scowl?0db1bbd778ec6163
“But just now, a ca1b738eed new theory came to 1360bbbbed mind.”526564029917eb18
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And with that, b454dc9fe1 Diana abruptly lowered 7d46b76020 her head.46d713a3223f9e24
Richard immediately prodded 6f3974ac45 her.8daf3776bb8c63ae
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“Oh? And what theory 393910c57e is that? Let’s hear it.”a7189c4dba6797e0
“……”072977c0e4e4a56f
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“…That’s an order. If you start 313bf6b0db something, finish it.”27ed2a9ede6cf883
He nudged her fd83407d7f arm lightly with 86f8e7089a his elbow.10dba9154d8cc357
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Slowly, Diana gathered herself, 3b19f70a83 rubbing her temple as 29ab488dda she sighed.ac317d14935cffa2
“…I think 10af853281 you’re actually 344cbecd3e a kind 20b4f79c3f person, Captain.”ea14e7847e825b10
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“……”c9be51fc0acee82c
“You’re just pretending to e21b2c248d be scary.”44051c62046751f7
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At those words, Richard’s 2b1f30dd19 expression hardened in an 56c3bf6dca instant.ff69797cb484f4d1