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He saw within her gaze the slight disbelief, the hesitation, the fear - Things he read as respect. The crocodile smile widened.
The girl came to him quietly, a wraith as she always was. He was larger than her now, but perhaps it would not always be so - With children of Larkspur, it was difficult to guess. There was a joy within her as she approached him, and it was contagious, filling him also with a pleasant warmth. She had succeeded, and in doing so, she had made Sirius succeed. Salsola's weapon was precious indeed.
She did as was asked, and came to him solidly, wrapping arms about the man's leanly muscled torso. He immediately did likewise, folding her into a steely embrace as the sharp crocodile smile remained. The corded muscles of his arms tensed about her as the girl snuffled against him, and only when she whined did he loosen his grip.
Hands fell to her shoulders, and gripped her upper arms tightly. He held her at an arms length so that fervently poisonous olive eyes could look her up and down, checking for any injury that showed she had betrayed Salsola. But apart from smelling strongly, she was clean. "You have done well, my niece," Came the caramel purr, his narrowed pupils lost to a mass of excited, feverish green, only a few shades darker and shallower than her own. "You have pleased me greatly," He shook her once to reinforce the statement, breath hissing in an exhale between clenched, yellowed teeth.
Then, abruptly, he released her and took a step back. The cunning, calculative mask slid into place, leaving only the heated emotion to circle ebony pupils. "Have you completed the task in all entirety?" One hand was held out to her, palm up, seeking. "Where is the item you retrieved?"
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