nothing ever happens by itself

[Claudius Aston]

B'AWWW Luna is so cute! (WC: 346).
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[/html]When the girl claimed that she had been too self-absorbed to have met him yet, Claudius had to reply with an energetic shake of his head. No, she was far too kind to be more selfish than he; if anyone was to blame, it was definitely him. He was a social recluse who had driven himself to hysteria following his family’s departure. After that, it had taken him months to pull himself out of his cave to do anything more than hunt. He’d been a wreck after that; he had barely eaten and had not interacted with anyone for four months. He’d wasted away and only begun to revive himself when his sister had returned. It had been nice living with Oce for a few months, but like the rest of his family, she’d left again and his anxiety had worsened. Being alone hurt, but it was much scarier to be around anyone else.

He lowered his gaze when she offered her condolences. He didn’t know how to respond, so this time, he just gave her a small nod in response. Claudius didn’t know if it would be appropriate to say ‘thank you,’ so he didn’t say anything at all.

After a short pause, the girl dashed off to tend to the tea. Claudius wasn’t too sure how it all worked, since he had never made tea before and neither had his mother, but she seemed busy enough. Claudius guessed she’d done this before; she looked very proficient bustling around her home collecting things. She returned with two handfuls of dried plants, each with their own distinct smell. When she asked him which he would prefer, Claudius hesitated before answering, unsure if he was allowed to pick both.

“What a-a-about… b-o-oth?” he asked hesitantly. “C-a-a-an I do-o-o th-ha-ha-at? The-e-ey bo-oth sme-ell ver-r-r-y ni-c-ce.” He reached out with one of his own hands to touch one of the plants, but hesitated, and ended up brushing his hand against hers. He quickly blushed – not that it was visible under his fur – and then turned away slightly, visibly embarassed.[html]

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