Nova Peak birnen

weeoow sorry for letting this get out of date D: can be archived in a bit or we can continue <3

barbed by phaedra's words, mahler's countenance stuttered for a stickling moment. and for all of it he gazed into the balewrit expression of his eldest. he wished at once to thrust away the frog, to declare their game over; he wished for wylla to be here, so that he might explain through bitterness who it had been that kept the three from being reared as openly as he would have wanted.
but he recognized it in the next as his own selfish and foolhardy nature, snapping its jaws where the greatest ruin might happen. "not so many," mahler dared in the voice of the frog. "and each dear to me. but," and here he paused, wondering how he might bring some semblance of humour back to the intentions he had devised, "perhaps i shall also croak."
the gargoyle pawed at the slickslime hide suddenly, provoking a loud bray of sound from the amphibian. mahler stared at it a moment, then looked to phaedra and elke and ciri, settling upon little marble. "maybe the king has more to say."