Herbalists' Cache devil gonna take me

Etienne’s words stirred a wild cocktail of emotions within Cambria. He was beyond elated to hear, “I will stay,” even if he didn’t love the next two words after that. Then he referred to the other man—whose name was Cat, apparently—as good and strong. He could deny it all he wanted, though the feeling that curdled in the Dragonling’s stomach could only be called jealousy.

He kind of wanted to tell Cat to bug off then, though he held his tongue and took a few steadying breaths. His two-toned eyes lingered on Etienne for a long moment before swinging back to Cat. He did look hale enough. The Dragonlings were doing fairly well for themselves, though the addition of not one but two strong, capable men would really help, particularly as winter approached.

Come with me, Cambria rumbled after a moment, both of you. He met Etienne’s eye and smiled softly, saying, I can’t wait for you to meet my daughters, as they began to walk. I’m sure Dess will be happy to see you too. You can stay with us for as long as you like. You’re welcome always.

He forced his mismatched gaze to Cat now, the light in them gone flat as his mouth as he said, I’d like you to hang back a moment when we get there. You and I can talk while Eti catches up with Dess and the girls. Then I’d like to give her—Dess, my wife—a moment to speak to you too. We’ll probably ask that you keep your distance from Vicky and Soph at first, until we get to know you better. Nothing personal.

His eyes flicked to Etienne, wondering if he would take offense at the Dragonlings’ treatment of his companion. Cambria didn’t want to risk pushing him away, now that he had him, but even lovely Etienne wasn’t his top priority anymore. He played second fiddle, along with Odessia, not that Cambria would ever dare admit he loved them both the same. Anyway, nothing mattered as much as keeping his little girls safe.

Since @Odessia is an NPC and this thread is older, I figured we could fade here, with intros happening behind the scenes. As far as I’m concerned, you’re welcome to infer that these guys integrated with the rest of the family within a few days, so you can thread freely with @Victoria and @Sophia. Don’t hesitate to ping and/or tag me for anything. :)