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#1
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Ethereal Eclipse. Would you mind if we forward-dated this 2 or 3 days? <3

The forest was uncharacteristically quiet that morning, save for the crunching footsteps of the Italian man as he trekked through the snowy land. Despite the male's preference for the warmer climates, after spending a few years anchored down to Nova Scotia the cold was beginning to have less of an effect on him than it used to. His arms were crossed over his chest as he walked, the only outward indicator of his discomfort. His trusty traveling bag was slung across one shoulder, partially shielding the swath of new scar-tissue that marred it. Time had done well to heal the injury, though his shoulder would ache on occasion when he overworked it. At times, he considered it a well-deserved punishment for how foolishly quick he had been to leap into a fight with the dark-furred male he had encountered during his last visit to Halifax.


In part, it had been what prompted the man to take off once again, despite the ongoing ups and downs his family seemed to be facing as of late. He knew that he should have been dutifully keeping an eye on the Crimson Dreams borders, especially with the injured state his sister was currently in. Yet the male had been cooped up for too long, and could hardly sit idly by in the comfort of their communal manor. So the Marino woke that morning determined to travel. The towering concrete jungle of Halifax was his goal, though his thoughts were roaring with temptation to go further, to seek out the lands the woman he once cared for had supposedly claimed.


He would make that decision when he came to it, however. For now, his focus was devoted to the silent, winter-barren trees of the familiar forest around him. The tree line began to thin out before him as he continued forward, presenting him with a solemn little clearing. An old, forgotten cabin rested in the middle of it, its roof partially caved in from the weight of the snow that had overtaken it during the previous weeks' blizzard. Amber-gold eyes studied the building for a moment before drifting toward another structure beside it, half-collapsed by the old snow. The Marino brought himself closer to it, discovering it to be the remains of an small stable. Chocolate-colored tail flicked briefly in interest. The structure may have fallen, but it could still offer him ideas for the stable he planned to erect back home.


Ehno found himself humming a familiar old tune as he moved closer to it, examining the still-standing portion of the stable, which contained an old wooden feeding trough. Hummed notes soon gave way to words. "Davanti a me c'è un'altra vita... la nostra è già finita." He pushed aside a warped wooden plank that had fallen askew, and peered inside. "E nuove notti e nuovi giorni... Cara, vai o torni con me...." His song combated the silence that had been lingering around the clearing and the forest that surrounded it, the only sign of life in the otherwise winter-barren forest.


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#2
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I don't mind at all. March 6thish?

She was freezing. Even though a week had passed since her arrival in the snow-laden region she now called home, the mutt wasn't adjusting to the frigid air. Her home had been warm, and her fur wasn't made for the colder climate. Still, the Latin dog kept on trucking, determined to make the best of a less than desirable situation; Bartholomew deserved that much, especially after the warm welcome he gave her.

She left Cercatori d'Arte without her painted companion, walking on two legs rather than riding on four. Senorita deserved her break, and Krystalle was trying to exercise her body more since her interaction with the Phoenix Valley male. It was hard travel. The snow made her toes go numb. Still, the Californian moved through the eerie trees, swaying to the sounds of the barren forest. Her bag thudded against her hip, books clattering together inside of it and papers rustling. The author hadn't explored the forest as thoroughly as she'd wanted to before, and it was time to take notes and document what she saw.

The sound of foreign speech caught her flopped ears, drawing her scattered attention toward the source. Her path changed, feet carrying her in the direction of the words. It wasn't one of the languages she understood, though some of the faint words were understandable. Vita, finita. All things that resembled her Spanish understanding. As her pink eyes caught sight of the creature speaking, she hesitated; she was used to being around males, but the stranger evoked silence from her. He was a handsome, foreign stranger and she wondered where he had come from. He certainly didn't smell like her new family. Cautiously, she took a few more steps toward him, feet finding the ground anxiously. Her silent steps continued until a twig found itself under her padded paws, cracking beneath her weight.

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#3
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Sounds good. :]


As Ehno continued his preliminary inspection of the structure before him, his mind began to shift gears from the idleness of a wanderer into his craftsman mindset. He began to take note of the sort of wood used, the style of cuts, the way each piece was placed together. The Marino eyed the interior of the stable most critically, studying the way the roof had been stabilized in one section and comparing it to the damaged portion that the snow had torn down. As he leaned inside the small opening he created, his words drifted once more into the simple hummed notes.


The Dreamer was oblivious to his company until a sharp, succinct crack resounded behind him, the sound climbing over the low notes emerging from his throat. Chocolate-colored ears twitched and pricked up in response, homing in on the noise. He turned his head and cast a glance over his shoulder, expecting to perhaps find that one of the creatures that called this forest home had wandered into the clearing. Instead, amber eyes settled upon the figure of another canine standing a fairly short distance away. His eyes widened in muted surprise and he straightened up, stepping out from the small doorway he had created into the stable.


"Ah, hello," he greeted the other, the usual warm smile crawling to his lips. Amber-gold orbs studied the stranger as he spoke, taking note of her peculiar features. The Marino was no stranger to clothing or accessories despite his own desire to avoid them, though the styling of the woman's mane was something he had never seen before. She presented quite a striking and memorable image, and Ehno found his curiosity piquing at the sight of her. "Come to investigate the wreckage, too?" he inquired, accented words punctuated with a short laugh.

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#4
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3+ Awesome.

The breaking branch gave her presence away, and she hesitated as his honey eyes found her. He greeted, voice warm enough and accompanied by a smile, but the Latina mutt found her voice lost in the back of her throat. It was a strange predictament; Krystalle was never so shy. Her fingers tugged at the sleeves of her jacket to occupy her mind while she sought for courage that she knew she had. She forced a few more steps toward the structure that the stranger had been studying, words still lost to her until he asked a question. "Come to investigate the wreckage, too?" Her ears took in the accent he held. Beautiful, but unfamiliar.

"Hm? Si, I suppose so," she uttered, her own accent mingling in the air with the remains of his. She hadn't really come for the wreckage, but she didn't want to blurt out that it'd been his faint song that drew her there. A few more steps, and she managed to find herself beside him, taking in the sight of the ruined thing he'd been inspecting. Human structures weren't unfamiliar to the Luperci, who had lived in the still-standing stone buildings of her old home, but she'd found that many a thing in this new place found them unpleasant. Nayati Utina had seemed to think them taboo.

The stranger before her was apparently unperturbed, and it left her more comfortable than she had been in a long while. There was nothing to fear in a human building, though her father had once believed otherwise and had tried to instill it into his elder daughter. It hadn't stuck. A smile brightened her cream-white muzzle, though the pink eyes she bore remained still. "It's nice, huh?" She wasn't a carpenter, and couldn't really say much outside of that silly statement. As soon as the words left her lips, she felt ridiculous. It's nice was not the best turn of phrase.

Finally, she turned her mind to the reason she'd followed his trail. The language. With a hesitant shift, and a tap to the leather jacket around her chest, she gathered the gusto to confide her reasons. "I didn't...actually come for this." Her words were soft and anxious, feeling foolish for the reason behind seeking him out. All for foreign words.

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#5
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He was pleased to see the stranger continue to approach him, his smile widening by a fraction. His adventurous nature brought him many places, and as a consequence most of his travels were spent in the quietude of his own thoughts. Being the social butterfly that he was, he enjoyed finding the opportunity to pass the time with new and old faces alike. The unexpected company was welcome, even if it were only to be for a short while.


The woman finally spoke as she fell into place beside him, and his ears flicked with interest at her words. It appeared that she had an accent of her own that was uncommon in this region, and her use of the word Si provided further evidence for the possibility of her multilingual status. It was different from his own Italian lilt, but there was a familiar ring to it, faintly reminding him of his days in Santander. There was a subtle difference, but not enough for him to dismiss the similarities outright.


She spoke yet again, calling the snow-burdened structure "nice." He nodded and hmm'd his agreement. Nice was one way to put it. Intriguing, inspiring, that was how the Marino saw it, though he supposed those who lacked the eye and love for carpentry that he had would not see it the same way. Amber eyes watched in silence as the woman shifted slightly, hesitantly admitting that she had not come here to see the buildings. Ehno raised a brow, hardly surprised, yet curious as to what her true motivations could be. "Oh? Then what did you come for, cara mia?"

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#6
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Her fingers adjusted her jacket, pink eyes roaming the stranger's body in silent approval. At closer proximity, she could discern more of his features; the man certainly was more attractive than she'd first believed. Her fingers found her muzzle, tapping against it to relieve some of the anxiety she was feeling. He'd raised a brow to match his question: "Oh? Then what did you come for, cara mia ?" The way he said cara mia distracted her for just a moment, her eyes blinking rapidly.

Pushing past the distraction of the oddly seductive language, the Shepherd-mix turned toward the ruined structure. "I heard someone singing, so I thought I might see who it was," she explained. Her hands linked together behind her neck, the crinkle of leather replacing her voice. Her fingers tapped against the back of her neck while she thought. What did the stranger see in the ruins before them that she didn't? Clearly, something was missing. A sigh escaped her, and she cast a sideways glance toward him. "Mi llamo Krystalle. ¿y tú?" She shifted her weight to her other leg.

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#7
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When the woman revealed her motivation for wandering through this area to be his absent-minded singing, he let out a short, soft laugh. Beneath his fur a light blush colored his cheeks, and a slight grin crept to his maw out of embarrassment. Somehow, the thought escaped him that his little solo singing may have been heard. Ehno had an unspoken fondness for song, though he only indulged in attempted to recreate his favorite melodies when he knew himself to be alone. He didn't have much confidence in his singing voice. It caught him off guard to find that he'd had a surprise audience, though he supposed that it was bound to happen eventually.


He watched, then, as the woman shifted about slightly, moving to place her hands behind her neck and turning her attention once more to the old wooden structure. The Marino's own gaze flickered toward it briefly and he shifted his traveling bag from one shoulder to another. His focus was quick to return to the woman as he introduced herself, and he found himself grinning when confirmed his earlier suspicions with her use of the Spanish language. "Me llamo Ehno. Mucho gusto," he said in return. "I hope I did not offend you with my terrible singing earlier," he joked with a wink.

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#8
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She rubbed at one of her pink eyes, once more studying the thing that had captured the attention of her most recent companion. It wasn't in horrible condition. The construction could still be determined, and she was sure it was a wealth of knowledge for a carpenter who desire to learn more humanized styles of building. Still, she saw nothing else but a wreckage. They'd drawn the handsome stranger, but for what purpose? What reason did he have for approaching the ruined building?

The man introduced himself as Ehno and, to the delight of the Latin mutt, he spoke the words in clear Spanish. Her face lit up like a starry night sky at the thought that she might have found someone from a similar region. A smile spread across her muzzle. "It's nice to meet you too, Enno." The slight mispronunciation of the man's name flowed more naturally from her mouth. Beneath the spread of green fabric worn at her waist, the little stub of a tail she carried wiggled with joy.

She laughed at his joking words, though it took on a more anxious nature as he winked; again, she felt ridiculous. She certainly wasn't some naive little girl trying to flirt her way into the world, but the rush of adrenaline that surfaced from interacting with the male left her feeling as if she were back in Nakzhi with her family. Back then, she had been one of the flirting children. She'd grown up, of course. "Actually I...enjoyed it. What were you speaking? I haven't heard some've those words before, mi querido."

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#9
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Forgive my delay. And this horrible post. ;~;


He was pleased to see the woman's features brighten with such pure, unadulterated joy as he introduced himself. Her excitement was contagious, prompting Ehno's own friendly smile to widen and his tail to sway slowly back and forth. It was rare for Ehno to find the opportunity to converse with another in this region in something other than English. Italian was his primary language while with is family within the borders of Crimson Dreams, and he had, a handful of times, run into others who hailed from beautiful Italia as well. Spanish, however, seldom found its way past the Marino's lips. It had been years now since Ehno had arrived here on the ship full of rag-tag Spaniards, and time had slowly worn away his memory of the language. It's similarities to his native tongue aided him in his effort to resurrect his neglected knowledge of the language, however.


As Krystalle admitted to actually enjoying his song, the Marino let out a brief, self-conscious laugh. He certainly hadn't expected that. "Well, thank you." It was certainly a bit of a boost to his confidence. Perhaps he might spend a little more time indulging in his little known hobby. "I was speaking Italian, the language from my home, Italia. Es muy similar al español, ¿no?" he explained, his accent adding a peculiar ring to the Spanish words. It certainly seemed as though his new acquaintance had already picked up on the similarities between the two languages.

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#10
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Blerg. Crappay postay...sorray.

She brushed back blonde bangs as her eyes returned to the body of Ehno; his self-conscious laugh brought a smile to her pale cream maw, and amusement to pale pink eyes. A brief thank you flowed from him before he explained the language she had heard. Italian. The female had never heard of Italia before, but he was right in saying it was similar to her native tongue. One nod, two nods, and a laugh brought cheerful expression to often apathetic features. "Si, it is. 's beautiful. Where did you learn it?" she asked, body leaning toward his own ever so slightly.

If she had more ambition, she'd tried to learn it herself, but she had dealt with enough problems learning English alongside Spanish to desire another new tongue to speak. Of course, if it meant seeing the handsome male again, she might have overlooked what she knew would be a difficulty. White-tipped fingers tugged at her jacket, the leather giving a crinkle in the quiet about them. "Where is Italia? Across the ocean? 've never been across the ocean; Mi familia live southwest." A vaguely disoriented expression overtook feminine features as she turned her head, searching for southwest.

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#11
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Sorry if this is a little wonky. Was way distracted while writing it, lol. >.>


Ehno tilted his head slightly to the side as the woman questioned where he’d learned the language. “I grew up speaking italiano, it was simply my first language. An older wolf at my home, Monti Sabini, offered to teach English to mia famiglia when I was young. And español… español I learned from the sailors I traveled with, who came from España, across the ocean.” He’d never really considered it before, though perhaps it sounded a bit grander than it actually was. “I suppose you can say I have a bit of a love of languages,” he admitted with a bit of a wry smile.


He followed her gaze as she turned her head about to the southwest, wondering what there may be in that direction. The Marino’s knowledge of this continent was limited to the area of Nova Scotia. He did very little exploring about here, compared to the journey he’d taken as a youth through Europe. His knowledge of the lands across the ocean was much more extensive, and he drew upon his experience when considering her question. “Si, east, across the ocean. It took a lengthy journey through many lands and the seemingly endless waters to get here.” Amber eyes studied the intriguing woman for a moment. “E tu, Krystalle? Is your southwestern home quite far from here as well?” The ever curious Marino wanted to see what he could learn of the female’s own homeland.


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#12
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Like her, his foreign language was one of native tongue. In Nakzhi, Spanish was common. In San Solace, Spanish was mandatory. At that moment, it proved useful; Ehno spoke with Italian words trapped about English, and it was so very similar to her own native tongue. Listening to him explain about his home, a place he called 'Monti Sabini', was fascinating. It wasn't until he asked about her home that her fascination faded. Silence overtook the Latin female, and she turned her gaze back to the ruined structure they stood before.

"Home is far away, yes. 'm from this place, it's called Nakzhi. Very small, hidden somewhere in the desert." Her home was unknown, and it felt strange to speak about it to a stranger. Her father would have been furious. But her father wasn't there. She was a free woman. She could do as she pleased, couldn't she? A smile breached her features. "Some of the people who came to live there, they speak Spanish. My mother's family, in San Solace, they only speak Spanish. Mi madre taught me." Her mother, who had left so suddenly and without warning, gained no love from her daughter. Krystalle only held respect that a student might offer a teacher.

Her arms crossed more comfortably, the leather of her jacket giving a soft crinkle. "Where do you come from now, Enno? Not my home, in Cercatori. 'm sure I would have noticed a handsome wolf speaking Italiano." Perhaps there was flirting in her tone, but it went unnoticed by the speaker. He wasn't part of her home, and he wasn't part of Nayati's home, so where did he live?

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#13
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Short. >_>


Her home, like his, was far from the lands they now stood upon. This Nakzhi, however, lay hidden in the opposite direction of his own home, separated mainly by land rather than sea. She claimed that it was settled in the desert, something Ehno himself knew of only by word of mouth. His ears perked upright as she spoke, a silent declaration of his interest in her words. It seemed Krystalle had picked up Spanish from her mother and her San Solace heritage. It was intriguing to discover that two places that were as far apart as San Solace and España could both foster the same language.


The Latin woman then steered the conversation in another direction with a question and a slyly delivered compliment that summoned a modest laugh from the Italian man. “It’s the scars, isn’t it?” he said with a brief wave to his damaged shoulder. “Gives me a rugged mystique, no?” He laughed again, shaking his head slightly at his sudden playfulness. “My home is Crimson Dreams, not far west from here.” He motioned vaguely west with a brief nod of his head. The Dreamer’s amber eyes returned to her own gaze, another smile sneaking its way to his lips. Cercatori, you say? ‘Seekers.’ It seems you know some italiano after all,” he said with yet another playful wink.




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#14
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He laughed at her subtle flirtation, and it brought more firm smiles to the tan features of the Latin woman. Ehno gave a witty quip about his own appearance; the rugged mystique from scars that weren't numerous caused Krystalle to laugh. Pale pink eyes softened. "Yes, a rugged mystique. I'm sure that's what it is," she replied, with a playful wink dancing over wide eyes. His voice mentioned another pack, one she was unfamiliar with, named Crimson Dreams, in the west. She followed the motion of his arm; well, west was where her own home was. As his amber eyes found hers, the man's handsome smile stunned the Horzana woman into silence.

It seemed Cercatori was an Italian word, which didn't surprise her as much as it might have. Trilling laughter escaped her maw. "I guess I do! What the coincidence, ch'know?!" It truly was amusing, at least to her, and she locked that new piece of information back in the archives of her mind. "An' I guess we live closer than we expected; Cercatori is in the west too." Her tongue found its way out of her mouth in a childish display of interaction. Sticking out her tongue wasn't uncommon for the female, but it did make her seem more youthful than she really was. As the conversation closed, she looked to the building he had seemed so interested in. "Enno, why you come to this building? Looks kinda old to me, ch'know?"

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#15
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To his delight, his new acquaintance continued to play along with his silly words, playfully remarking upon the so-called rugged mystique he had jokingly laid claim to. Her good-natured wink and smiles lit up her tan features wonderfully, bringing forth more soft laughter and smiles from the man as well. It was refreshing to find someone who was willing to play along with his typical little quips and jocular attitude. The Latin woman then revealed that she had been unaware of Cercatori's linguistic origins. His smiled widened at her display of amusement. "Quite the coincidence, indeed," he agreed.


For a quick moment, amber eyes sought out the west, as if he could spot Krystalle's home from here. "Perhaps I will have to give this Cercatori of yours a visit sometime, if we live so close." The Marino had been unaware that there was another pack in the area as well. The only ones he knew of that were this far west were Crimson Dreams and, even farther, AniWaya. It appeared that the Dreamers had yet another nearby neighbor, and if the rest of its members were anything like this woman here, he knew they would get along just fine.


The woman's rosy gaze once again returned toward the wreckage of the old stable, prompting Ehno's amber eyes to follow suit. Their conversation began to move in a new direction with a question posed by the woman. Ehno supposed the building might not appear to be as interesting to others as it was to him. With his carpenter's mindset and the adventuresome curiosity that had been with him since he was a boy, the building posed a great wonder to the Dreamer. He reached out and rested his hand against one sturdy part of the wood, eyeing it for a moment before turning back to Krystalle. "Ah, well. I am a carpenter, you see. I want to build a something like this back home, and thought I could get some ideas here." He knocked briefly against the wood to punctuate, before dropping his arm back down to his side.


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#16
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She gave an eager nod at his notion to visit Cercatori in the future, not displeased when it came to the idea of seeing him again. Ehno certainly was interesting, all the way in the forest just to sing and see some dilapidated old house. She couldn't see the beauty in the structure, but he was a carpenter, and she supposed the dynamic was different. He wanted to build something similar in his own home. She tilted her head as she looked at it, pink eyes trying to see something useful in its shape and structure; she had never done anything involving wood, being an author and linguist instead. His hand reached out to rap against the wood causing her to right her gaze and look toward him. "Don't look like it'd be too hard. I bet you could do it." True, she didn't really know him well enough to know that, but she could assume he was intelligent as well as handsome. They usually were, at least in her experience.

One hand raising to scratching at her ear, she turned on the porch to look behind her. As much as she wanted to continue the conversation, returning home was probably in her best interest. Mars would eventually be looking for her, and she didn't want to travel in the dark. As it was cold during the daytime, she could only imagine a night in the forest. A heavy sigh passed her lips. "Should probably go home, ch'know?" Her eyes swiveled back to the man, without apology on her face or in her voice. He would most likely want to get to his carpentry, and she would simply get in the way.

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#17
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This project had been something he had been planning for some time now, but circumstance seemed fond of continuously making him push it back. The wounded shoulder, the appearance of the winter storm, and now his potentially lengthy trip out east had all contributed to the delay. It was happy coincidence that brought him here to find a source of inspiration on his way out, and meeting someone new as well. Her confidence in his ability brought a smile to his lips once more. "Grazie. Hopefully it will not be too hard at all.” Of course, he’d never taken on a project on such a scale before, but the Marino was not about to let that discourage him.


He made a brief toss of his head to keep his hair from his eyes and followed her gaze out into the forest. She had a point. Ehno would have to stop dawdling if he planned on finding Naniko any time soon. “Mmm,” he agreed, slinging his old bag over his scarred shoulder. “I should probably get going as well. Bit of travelling ahead of me.” The Dreamer man would have no problems spending all day chatting up his new acquaintance, but he had much to do as it was. Perhaps they could catch up again sometime should he ever make his way out to her home in Cercatori. “See you around, Krystalle. It was nice meeting you.” He offered her another warm smile and a playful wink.

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#18
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She couldn't imagine that the project would be too awfully difficult, at least not for the handsome rogue carpenter. His smile brightened and warmed her mind, as well as her features. Ehno Marino was an interesting thing. Physically, he was so very different from her wolfdog hybrid, Mars, and she couldn't help but take notice of all the individual differences in the two males. Of course, Ehno was simply an acquaintance where Mars was a lover and friend, but it was fun to do regardless. The stub of her tail waggled beneath the fabric of her kilt.

He agreed that leaving was for the best, as he seemed to have business somewhere else. It was a shame to leave his company, but she knew that time could bring them to meet once more in the future; he had mentioned visiting her home, after all, a possibility that left her excited for the progression of time. Mars had allowed his friends in their home, and she felt it was her time. A white-tipped hand ruffled her mohawked mane before raising to give a wave. "Same, mi querido! Maybe we'll see each other again!" The smile she gave as she started off toward her new home was full of cheer.

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