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She groaned at his use of a loophole in her wording. "You learn to quickly," she complained, adjusting her gait so she didn't put too much pressure on her leg as they walked. "And I'd like to think I'm minorly crippled, thank you. It's not like I broke my leg."
He gave her a grin, "well I have been stuck around you for quite sometime now. I've picked up a think Or two." He didn't bother saying much else, knowing it'd only result in some kind of argument.
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((I'm playing with fire rn. Tess would be proud))
She simply suck her tongue out at him. With one hand, she held her stomach and sighed. "I'm hungry. That hospital food sucked, and I now despise pudding."
(Chiiild no. Put the fire down. Skskssk)
"But Pudding is delicious though." He protested even though he was joking. If anything he was sick of the smell, and too didn't like it much anymore. "Shall we order take out?"
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((Excuse me, but my mother ordered me to. I'm burning garbage, but I like referring to it as playing with fire))
Her eyes lit up, ignoring his joking about the pudding in favor of thinking about good food. "Something spicy. Or pasta. Or both. I'm craving spice, actually. But I like pasta too…" she trailed off, tilting her head.
(Sksksk. Make me panic. xD ugh I'm such the mom friend.
Also sorry this one is so short. I'm plotting something. Muahahah.)
"Is there such a thing as spicey Italian? Because if so, I totally vote we hit that up."
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((Oh? this sounds interesting. And I make a bunch of my mom friends panic, so it's nothing new to me XD oh gods i just realized how that makes me sound… i promise you i'm not a problem child))
"I don't believe I've ever been to an Italian restaurant that was specifically for spicy stuff, but I think there are spicy Italian dishes," she offered, looking up at him with an arched brow.
(Dear gooosh. As someone who currently has second degree burns, please be careful when you play with fire. xD
ALSO MY IDEA! After we get more into the romance aspect, what if Tessa gets kidnapped? But this time by Karkota family, and idk.)
"Then there you go. Pasta and spicey food." Karkota grinned, even though he was sure he looked, and sounded like an absolute idiot.
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((Ooo, I like it! When're you thinking the crushes are gonna start, based off of the pace of their relationship so far?))
Tessa snorted and reached out for the front door handle, pulling away from Karkota for a second to open the door. "I'll look it up while I'm banished to my room," she said, then paused and looked over at him. "You don't have to stay here, y'know."
(I'm thinking maybe they already have some kind of crush on each other? And then Idk one of them gets drunk and tells the other? And just YEET from there.)
She was right, he didn't have to stay. Heck he didn't have to save her, and he didn't have to follow her to the hospital. But for some reason he did. "I know." And he knew what that reason was. But was he really willing to admit it?
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((yeah, I'd say so as well. Tess, when drunk, get's touchy-feely and overly affectionate, but she also willingly spills secrets and her feelings if prompted. Just throwing that out there))
Her gaze darted around his him for a few silent seconds, whatever she might be feeling hidden from Karkota's sight. "Okay," she finally said, a tad softer than needed, then opened the door and slipped in. She let him make his own decision as to if he truly wanted to stay or leave, so she leaned against the wall to brace herself for the hobbling over to the couch.
(Kota is a bit lose when drunk, but that's about it. Also don't panic at this I'm plotting a bunch of different things at once.)
He could leave. It would be so easy, its not like Tessa was keeping him there. At least not forcefully. "I guess I'll be seeing you around then?" Karkota felt a stab of guilt. He could just admit his feelings and chose to stay. "Be careful, let someone help every now and again. You have friends."
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((good to know. Also, nooo, Kota!))
She turned to look at him, trying and failing to ignore the twisting in her chest. "Yeah, I guess so." She pushed off of the wall and came over to Kota, hiding her limp as much as possible as she slipped her arms around him in a hug. "I'll try to dial down the stubbornness," she mumbled against his chest.
(I promise it will all make sense soon. xD I'm sorry. Sksksksk)
He was surprised at the hug, not to talk about salt being rubbed in the wound. Why did this feel like a final good bye? "Good." He was hugging her back, not wanting to let go. But he did. He let go and was pulling back before he could stop himself.
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((nah, lmao. You're good!))
She let him go, her arms folding under her chest. She put almost all of her weight on her good leg to make it easier on her bad one. "Stay safe, please? No more kidnapping." She added a friendly smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly.
(Little does Tessa know! Muahahah.)
"Don't worry, I will." Karkota gave his own small smile, but it was some how sad. "You should get yourself outta this line of work. Be normal." He wanted to prolong this for as long as he could. Delay what was to come. " I should get going. C'ya around, Tessa." He took a few steps back before turning and walking away.
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She opened her mouth, but he was already walking away. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't so simple. She had a personal vendetta that needed carried out. But what came out of her mouth, in a hushed tone, was, "I'll miss you."
"C'mon, lets get you inside," came a male voice from behind her. She sighed and leaned back into a chest, letting Rhydar wrap a steadying arm around her. "He'll be back. No way he'll be able to resist your charms." She reached over and smacked his arm, earning a yelp from him. "Yup, there's the charm I'm talking about," he said sarcastically, then directed her into the house.
(Mind if I do a few days skip?)
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((Not at all. I gotta sleep anyways, so I'll be back tomorrow))
(Night! Sleep tight! Don't let the goblins eat your ankles!)
Karkota hadn't really known what to do with himself. Its not like he could go back to his father. Though he did call his mom to her know he was okay. Whatever lie his father fed to her being quickly cast away. But he couldn't be in the phone with her for long, he didn't want to risk his mom safety. So the call ended with a simple "talk to you again soon." And thoughts of Tessa quickly came back. What she'd last said, he couldn't forget it no matter how hard he tried.
He stood at the gate, millions of things running through his head at once. What was he gonna say? 'hey I'm back, and I brought you spicy Italian, though I added the spice myself so be warned?' gosh what was he doing?
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((Can't say I've heard that one before. Worry not, my good friend, my ankles are still intact))
Tessa was so used to being with Karkota that she had a hard time reminding herself that he was gone—he had left, and he was no longer withing arm's-length of her. She'd sometimes catch herself looking over to tell him something, then remember he wasn't there.
Today, Rhydar had taken it upon himself to entertain her, as she had been holed up in her room these past few days. He was the eldest brother of the twins, Cinthia and Wulfric, but certainly the most childish of the siblings—and the biggest troublemaker. Mud brown hair, exactly 6 feet tall, lean and slightly skinny build, and emerald eyes, he wasn't anything special on his own. What really caught people's attention was the jewelry. Large assortment of flashy rings on most of his fingers, asymmetrical earrings, other ear piercings along his ears, silver hoop lip piercing, double eyebrow piercing in the same brow, and leather bracelets, along with a ring on a chain hanging around his neck.
Tessa leaned against the metal gate that led into the pasture, watching Rhydar riding on Kaspa. The stallion was throwing a hissy fit, and Rhydar was attempting to be patient with the beast he raised, but it was clear he was getting frustrated. Her injured leg was propped on the gate, most of her weight on her other leg.
(Glad to hear!)
Karkota took a deep breath, pushed the front gates button, and awaited whatever voice would be demanding to know who he was. This was a safe house after all, its not like just anyone could get in. Heck, where they even there still? They could have gone to a different safe house and he'd have never known.
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It was Cinthia who answered, sounding tired and grumpy. "Hm?" Wulfric's voice said in the background, "She means what's up?" It was clear that, though this was a safe house, they weren't very serious in their security.
A different female voice, even further in the background, said, "You two are sleep-deprived idiots, you know that?" There was a crack of something hitting the wall, then maniacal laughter darting away.
Karkota almost cheered in relief, They where still there. "Uh, its Karkota. Is Tessa there?" He had completely ignored the laughter, even though it kinda scared him a little.
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Cinthia complained as Wulfric pushed her off to the side so he could talk to Karkota. "Yeah, she's here. Out back with Rhydar and the horses, I believe. Make yourself at home," he added, then pressed the button to open the gates for Karkota.
He had not expected them to let him in so easily. In fact he was almost sure they would turn him away. "Thanks," he said with a smile before walking through the gates and making his way down towards the horses, down where Tessa was.
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Tessa was still at the gate, but now she was resting her chin on one of the bars and arguing with Rhydar, who was seated atop his stallion and next to her. He was attempting to get her to ride with him, and she kept saying no, but looked more amused than anything.
"Tessa!" Karkota shouted as soon as he spotted her. Would she be mad at him for coming back? He started a slow jog, not really wanting to take his sweet time walking.
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Tessa turned around, brows raised in surprise, then grinned when she spotted Karkota. "Hey!" she called, waving him over. Rhydar glanced between the two, sighed, and turned his stallion around while muttering, "Finally done babysitting…" She glared at him, rolled her eyes, and turned her focus on Karkota.
Reaching Tessa, he held out the take out box he was holding, offering it to her. "I got you spicy Italian." He said with a laugh and a smile. But unlike the smile he'd given her last time, this one was actually happy.
