Moonspear one night the clock struck twelve

Something guilty swam in the boy's black-gold features, and Ciri mused that he looked as awkward as she felt. She averted her yellow stare toward the ground and the tip of her raven tail gave an anxious twitch, as she fully expected him to reject her presence entirely.

Hey, can you fuck off?

Phaedra's harsh words flagged in her mind, and Ciri's ears splayed backward at the memory of the pearl's cruelty toward her. She'd simply yearned for the companionship of a peer that night, eager to reach out for new connections with others outside her family circle.

Instead of bitterness, however the agouti youth... welcomed her to join him? Ciri pricked her ears and lifted her muzzle, surprised, and gawked at him for a long pause before she stumbled over her words: "oh, I-" Heat rose to her cheeks, which reddened beneath her fur. "I'm Ciri, I..."

I thought you were going to tell me to get lost.

"I would like that."