Tales of Cadence

[Roadie]

Thank you for the comments on the chapter. <3

Kevvie: obv it won't be exciting, it'll be terrible. Just like all the other chapters.

Toku: Ah, thanks for pointing those typos out. I rewrote a lot of passages when I was editing, so I must've missed those.


Oh yeah and just because I'm curious (and since the poll won't tell me), who're your favorite main/secondary characters? Totally not trying to get ideas for another oneshot...


Skit: Always Raven

Ilia: You know, climbing up the side of that riverbed was kind of fun.

Felix: I’ve never been rock climbing like that before! We should do that again!

Raven: Ugh, no. Let’s just walk around the damn riverbed next time.

Stephen: I thought it was an interesting experience…I mean, we should try everything out while we’re still on this journey, right?

Raven: Wrong.

Felix: Why did we have to walk through the riverbed, anyway? Why couldn’t we just go around it, like Raven said?

Cymbeline: Because there are spooky monsters hiding in the bushes.

Felix: R-Really?

Raven: There were monsters in the riverbed, too. (Though I wouldn’t exactly be surprised if she didn’t notice…)

Cymbeline: Hehe, I know. I was just kidding.

Ophelia: It's a lot easier to walk through the riverbed trail than trying to go around it. The trail’s much shorter and it’s not as dangerous.

Ilia: Dangerous…?

Felix: S-Spooky monsters?

Ophelia: No, there are just a lot of those stupid bushes. You know, like the ones we came through to get to the dragonling clearing.

Raven: Maybe…I’d rather go through the riverbed trail than being clawed up by those bushes again.

Ilia: Yeah, you look like you got way more scratched up more than the rest of us. What were you doing, rubbing against them on purpose?

Raven: No! It’s not my fault!

Ophelia: Oh, poor Raven…even the bushes seem to enjoy picking on you. Fufufufu...
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[Fernard]

My favorite is, and always will be, Cymbeline~ <3
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Count Sophie von Pamcakes says:

"Nyahahah! Visit Angelglory's YouTube Channel!"

[Kevvie]

My favorite is definitely not Stephen.

... >_>

[Desmond the Patient]

My comical favorite will be and always be Stephen!

My Normal favorite will be Ilia Ruden!! It's adorable!! ♥
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Avatar by OCR-ED-209

[Haeztiger]

I don't really know much of all the characters but my Fav is Felix!
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Mystique is Tales Love. Sig and avatar by haez =^.^=

haeztiger37 -> Haeztiger

[Gterren]

[Gamestop]

w00t w00t.

I've decided I love you Roadster.
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by Sir Shrek

sexy avy by Pictomaster Murasaki.

[Roadie]

Thanks, everyone. <3

Kevvie: Slanderrrrrr I would never say that. Maybe think it, but never say it. lol jk jk

Desmond: Oh, an Ilia fan.

Gterren: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! A break from fanstories sounds nice...I do have several projects I've been waiting to work on.

YZorker: Oh, why thank you. <3


And now, a special One Heart x Cadence crossover. Sexy art courtesy of the wonderful Yoru.


Somewhere in the not-so-distant future…

Years had passed since their first meeting, and all hope seemed lost but – with the alignment of the stars – Stephen and Elea found each other once again. Several months went by and, after a quiet wedding, the couple found that they were expecting.

Dahlia was one of the names suggested after they received the good news. Stephen was conflicted at first; after all, the name had once held so much meaning. But Elea’s words made sense: “You can move on, but you have to look back to remember the people who passed on before us.”

"Our future is only just the beginning..."
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[Zandra]

[Toku]

The art is indeed sexy...

Stephen and Elea make a great pair. Poor Dahlia though...or rather Ophelia. Oh well, it didn't seem like she liked Stephen anymore anyway.

For your question about favorite characters...I don't really have a favorite. Yeah, I'm wishy-washy, I know.
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[Kevvie]

[Roadie]

Thank you for the lovely comments on the crossover. <3 More coming soon...

And, of course, since it's a crappy Monday here's a terrible crapter to accompany it.


Chapter LIX

“Lukas,” Raven murmured again, watching the bleak figure of his brother—no, cousin, he quickly amended—as the young man trudged through the waves and up the beach.

“How did he find us all the way out here?” Ilia asked. Raven twisted around at the sound of her voice and saw the others coming up the hill behind him, their eyes wide with apprehensive curiosity.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Did you tell him anything?”

Ilia huffed, resting a tightly curled fist on her hip. “Of course I didn’t! Why would I?”

“For all we know, you could still be in league with him,” Harriette pointed out slyly. “How do we really know that you’re on our side?”

“I didn’t tell him! I promise!”

“You were looking forward to meeting him back when we were in Austror, weren’t you?”

“That was just-“

“That’s enough,” Stephen cut in firmly. “Lukas is here now whether we like it or not. Are we going to try to get away from him or confront him?”

“He’s probably here for me, so don’t bother with either,” Raven said, squaring his shoulders. “I’ll go talk to him by myself to straighten things out.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. Who says he’s here for you?” Ilia demanded. “He could be here for a completely different reason, you know. Like that dragonling extermination…even though he said he wasn’t going to-”

“No, Lukas never joined in on those kinds of things. He’s here for something else.” Raven was already descending the hill when he motioned to the others. “Go back to the clearing and wait for me. I won’t be long.”

“Hey, don’t go and try to play the hero-“ Ilia started after him, but Stephen grabbed her by the shoulder.

“Let him go. We can watch from here and make sure everything goes all right,” he whispered when Raven was out of earshot.

Raven let himself slide down the rest of the hill, kicking up a small cloud of dust as he landed on the sandy earth below. Lukas hadn’t seen him yet; the man was walking with his head angled toward the ground. Raven approached him at a slow pace, sucking in a deep breath of warm air as he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Lukas,” he called, anxiously biting the inside of his lip as his cousin’s head shot up.

“Edward! You’re all right!” Lukas said, a smile crossing his wan, tired face. “How have you been? You’re wearing different clothing since the last time I saw you!”

“So why the hell are you all the way out here?”

Lukas sighed quietly and shook his head. “Cutting right to the chase. You’re the same as always, I see.”

“…Why are people always saying that when I see them again?”

“I came here by myself,” Lukas continued, ignoring his younger kin’s muttered comment. “That elven friend of yours told me I could find you here.”

“Wait a second, how did Skylar-“

Lukas motioned for his silence with a stern wave of his gloved hand. “I came here to warn you about what the king’s been planning to do since Estershore was destroyed. We already know that whole disaster was the work of the Heir, since we saw her ourselves several months ago. Or, at least, that was our first and most logical conclusion.”

“But Elsynne…”

“She’s considered dangerous by the Austrorians. The king wants to arrest her,” Lukas said.

Raven’s scowl deepened. “That’s stupid.”

“Edward-“

“Shut up!” Raven pulled away as Lukas extended an open hand. “Just shut up. You didn’t come here to warn us about anything. This is just another one of your stupid traps, isn’t it?”

Lukas hesitated and took a step back. When he didn’t reply, Raven drew his sword.

“I’m not going to let you do this,” he growled.

“Please,” Lukas hissed as he reached slowly for his weapon. “I don’t want things to come to this.”

Raven’s only response was a swift, arching thrust of his blade. Lukas stepped quickly to the side and blocked the attack, swinging once more before Raven could strike again. Raven twisted away from his cousin’s fast-moving sword and stabbed at Lukas’s shoulder. The razor point touched Lukas’s skin, but only for a moment—he spun away and hit Raven in the side with the dull side of his sword.

“Stop!” Elsynne came careening down the hill, slipping through the dust before she slid to a halt between them. She threw out her hands and rapidly pushed Raven aside. “Don’t fight over something like this. We can talk it over-”

“We can’t talk something like this over!” Raven retorted, his tone flooded with frustration. “Move, now!”

Elsynne shrugged away from him, her breath catching in her throat; she could see a familiar, feral gleam in his eyes, and he obviously wasn’t aware of it yet. “The black magic,” she murmured fearfully.

Raven took a shaky breath, slapping a hand over his face. Now he could feel it—the old presence from the Tower—thick and acrid like bile, rising up again in the back of his of his mind.

But, for some reason or another, he didn’t really want to stop it this time. He felt stronger already; if it wasn’t hurting anything, why bother getting rid of it right away? It would be so tantalizingly easy to get rid of Lukas now, wouldn’t it?

‘But wasn’t that the same thought I had before I was possessed last time?’ an innocent voice questioned. Raven shoved it aside.

“Get out of my way, Elsynne,” he said hoarsely. “Or I’ll-“

A loud, sharp crack filled the air. A well-aimed bullet flew over Raven’s shoulder, just barely skimming tendrils of his black hair.

“Calm down, Raven,” Stephen said, his voice hard as he lowered the smoking barrel of his gun. “Take a deep breath and think things through.”

“There’s a lot of black magic in the air. Don’t overexert yourself now,” Ophelia added.

Raven hissed an inaudible curse under his breath, but he lowered his sword. “Damn it, Lukas,” he muttered, his hands tightening around the hilt. Lukas relaxed his stance as well, his gaze alternating quickly between Raven and Elsynne.

“Lukas, just give us some time,” Elsynne pleaded. “We’re going to fix things.”

“What do you mean?” the young man asked.

“I’m going to form a pact with the Spirit here. Rem will help me reseal the black magic fissures and reverse Amalthea— er, Albasta’s ceremony.”

“So you did start the ceremony!” Lukas took a step away from her, his lips curled back in an uncharacteristic grimace of disgust. “We were right. You were the cause of those earthquakes and all the black magic in the air. Think of all the people who died because of what you did!”

Elsynne shuddered, hugging her arms closer to her chest. “Yes… I’m sorry, I really am. If I could go back and redo things-“

“No. Apologizing like that doesn’t change what happened. You destroyed an entire city in one blow! And only Baldur knows what other terrible things you can do with that…that terrible power of yours.”

“But I didn’t mean to-“

Raven suddenly jumped in front of Elsynne, blocking another assault from Lukas before he could slice her in half.

“Would you stop trying to kill her for a minute and listen?!” Raven insisted. He held his ground as their swords met in midair, a shower of sparks gleaming dangerously in the fading sunlight.

“I thought you didn’t believe in religion,” Lukas protested. “Why now? What’s wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with you?!”

An explosive cloud of black magic instantly filled the space between them and tossed the two apart. Raven flew back and hit Elsynne in the stomach as they hit the ground together in a tangled heap.

“That’s enough. I don’t want to trigger Raven’s…condition again…with all this fighting,” Ophelia said, lowering her hand. “And Lukas, hear them out. Elsynne’s going to fix things with Rem’s help.”

Lukas pushed himself hastily from the ground, wiping a faint trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. “How can you be so sure?”

“I don’t want to see the black magic destroy this world either. Bonding with Rem can only help the cause.”

“What if she’s just bonding with that Spirit so she can cause more damage? How do you know she won’t do that?”

“She won’t,” Harriette said confidently. “She will use Rem’s power to reseal the cracks and stop them from destroying more of Austror…and the rest of the world, as well.”

Lukas’s reproachful stare flickered to the girl. “You’re one of those Penna, aren’t you? How can you expect me to trust you?”

“Can’t you trust Ophelia and me, then?” Raven asked.

“I’m confused… I thought you didn’t believe in any of this.”

Raven shook his head gently. “To be honest, I don’t know what to believe anymore, but…Ophelia’s right. Elsynne’s pact with Rem can only help us now. And besides, we’ll be there when she forms the pact.”

“I trust her not to do anything wrong,” Stephen added.

Lukas paused again, letting his sword drop only slightly. “What about what Skylar said?”

“What did Skylar say?” Raven said, his expression shifting to one of interest rather than hate.


“I met him outside of Estershore after it was destroyed. He told me where you were going.”

“He’s trying to slow us down,” Harriette hypothesized. “He sent your cousin here to keep us from forming the pact right away, Raven.”

“Cousin?” Lukas sucked in a quiet breath. “What-“

“He already knows, Lukas,” Ilia said dully. “He met with Lianne in the elven community a while ago. She told him about it.”

Lukas forced a small smile. “Ah, I see.”

“We’ll explain things later,” Ophelia said as she suppressed a tired yawn. “We don’t have time to wait around right now. Skylar knows where we are and he probably knows what we’re up to since we’re on Eus-Aen. We have to find Rem ourselves before he gets here to interrupt us.”

“We’ve already wasted enough time playing around with this stupid knight,” Harriette said, ignoring Lukas’s disdainful protest.

“Are you going to let us go, or are you going to keep trying to kill Elsynne?” Raven asked as he turned to face his sibling.

“I’ve…never heard of this ‘Rem’ before,” Lukas replied uneasily, “but…I think I trust you, Edward. To some extent, at least. I know how lightly you take all of this religion stuff, so…I guess we’ll see.”

“Just let us find Rem. You can even see the Spirit for yourself so you know we’re not lying.”

“Please, Lukas,” Elsynne said, lowering her gaze. “I didn’t mean to…to destroy Estershore like that… If I had known…I promise, it never would’ve happened.”

Lukas put a hand to his furrowed brow. “I really don’t know, but…whatever. I’m coming with you for now, just to make sure.”

“Let’s hurry up and find Rem, then!” Felix said, breathing a loud sigh of relief.

“I left Cymbeline and Arngon with that dragonling leader,” Ophelia told them. “Cymbeline’s trying to negotiate with him in their own language—the dragonlings seem more comfortable speaking in that dialect rather than our own. I guess they like keeping some things from the rest of us…”

“I didn’t even know the dragonlings had their own language until now,” Stephen confessed as they climbed back up the hill. Lukas trailed behind them, flanked on either side by a watchful Raven and Ilia.

“They’ve developed it since they were exiled here,” Ophelia explained. “It’s interesting, really… They’ve spoken our language longer, but they prefer their own.”

“I can’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to speak the same language as the race that kicked me out,” Ilia added. “The way they talk, though…it so sounds strange.”

“It’s a primitive language. They don’t have words for all of ours just yet, but they’re working on it.”

As the party came to the summit of the small hill, they could see Cymbeline and Arngon speaking with the tall dragonling. The other dragonlings stood on the edges of the clearing, whispering in hushed voices as they watched the mismatched group with mild interest. Ophelia was the first one running back down to the meeting place when Arngon turned and gave them a quick, optimistic smirk.

“They must’ve gotten something out of him,” Ophelia said as she jumped easily over the rocks jutting from the dusty soil. “Come on!”

“Calm down a little, will you? I doubt Skylar would know where Rem is anyway, and it’s not like he can form a pact with that Spirit,” Raven assured her halfheartedly.

“What made you so easygoing all of a sudden?” Ilia asked, one eyebrow delicately raised.

Raven only muttered a sarcastic remark as Ophelia spoke hastily to Cymbeline and the dragonling leader.

“You’re looking for the Spirit called Rem, correct? That’s what your friend told me,” the dragonling cut in.

“Yes,” Elsynne said. The beast towered over her, and she had to bend her head back to make eye contact with him—he seemed to be a good foot or two taller than even Arngon and Cymbeline.

“You won’t find him here. No one’s seen Rem for over a century.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Harriette asked despairingly. “We’ve wasted all this time hanging around here! Now that damn elf will catch up with us for sure!”

“Harriette, it’ll be all right,” Elsynne whispered before she turned back to the dragonling. “How can you be sure he’s completely gone?”

“We’re not sure. But he just hasn’t been seen by anyone in so many years… He hasn’t even appeared to the dragonlings, and we never deceived him or tried to bother him like the humans and elves did in ancient times.”

“But the Spirits we’ve formed pact with said they felt a very faint presence earlier. Rem might still be here after all,” Stephen told him.

The dragonling closed his dark eyes and sighed deeply, putting a massive hand to the back of his neck. “It’s possible, I suppose…and honestly, I doubt a Spirit as powerful as Rem could simply disappear into thin air.”

“Where did he use to be before he left?” Elsynne questioned.

“A small cave to east, not too far from here. It’s not hard to miss once you’ve found it, but you can’t get there through the riverbed trail.”

“Do you think we should go there, just to check?” Felix said, looking anxiously to Elsynne and Harriette. “I mean, it couldn’t hurt. We might find a clue!”

“What’s the use? We’re just wasting our time here while Skylar parades around the continents,” Harriette said irritably. “He’s planning something, but I don’t know what.”

“What if Arngon and I went ahead while the rest of you discuss what you want to do? We can check that cave to see if Rem is there or not,” Ophelia suggested.

“We can all go to the cave together,” Elsynne said, her cheerful tone forced. “There’s no reason for everyone us to stay behind.”

“Let’s go tomorrow morning, then,” Stephen said, tilting his head back to glance at the sky. Raven followed his gaze; a soft, silver dusting of stars was appearing on the darkening horizon.

“Good idea,” Ilia agreed as she sunk wearily to the ground. “I’m already tired and I haven’t even done too much today… Maybe I’m getting out of shape because of all the sailing we’ve done lately.”

“Is it all right with the dragonlings if we set up a temporary camp here?” Elsynne asked Cymbeline, casting a wary look back at the clearing. Only a few of the dragonlings were left milling around the area, and several of them had set up small fires with the dry brush. Their leader was still amongst them, surveying Raven’s group with a suspicious eye.

“It’s fine. They don’t mind company,” Cymbeline said with an oblivious grin.

“Some of them acted like they haven’t seen humans or Penna before…or half-elves,” Felix added as Ilia glowered at him.

“They probably haven’t seen very many aside from me and the extermination parties that used to come here several years ago,” Ophelia replied. “We’re the biggest group of peaceful humans any of them have seen in their lifetimes. Actually, I’m surprised they weren’t too violent towards us when we first met, regardless of my warning beforehand. I suppose they’re just curious…”

Raven turned away from the conversation—as informative as it was, he still thought it was tedious and boring—and sat by himself on the edge of their makeshift camp. He saw Ilia set up a small pile of wood and hold out her hands to light it; Raven flicked his wrist and set the stack ablaze by himself, watching with dull amusement as she jumped back with a startled yelp.

“I keep forgetting I’m not the only magic user in the group anymore,” the mage said ruefully as she took cooking supplies from her pack. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

“Yeah, fine,” Raven muttered. He leaned forward on his elbows and sighed, running a slow hand through his hair.

“What happened in the capital after Estershore was destroyed?” Ilia asked as the conversation died down. She locked eyes with Lukas for a moment before she hastily looked down at her equipment again.

“A lot,” Lukas admitted, shaking his head. “The entire continent was in turmoil when I left. People everywhere are afraid of what’s happening…they think it’s the end of the world.”

“And what about Libra?” Stephen said, leaning forward. “Is everything all right out there?”

“Libra’s fine, but I’m sure they’ve heard about what happened in Estershore by now. My father was asking their government for help with our refugees and the injured.”

“Then we can definitely be sure that Libra wasn’t affected by what happened in the Tower,” Harriette said, smiling. “We stopped the Messenger’s ceremony at the right time.”

“You tried to perform the ceremony?” Lukas demanded, looking curiously at Raven. “You’re surprising me more and more…”

“I’m…not sure what exactly went on. But it wasn’t me, I think,” Raven said in a low voice as he drew his knees to his chest. “Something happened to me before I wound up at the Tower, and…” Lukas waited for him to continue, but Raven had trailed off into an uneasy silence and was staring idly at the crackling campfire.

“I won’t ask you what happened now,” Lukas said, tracing a line in the dirt with his forefinger, “but I want to hear the story one day. Maybe when this is all over, all right?”

Raven paused for a long time before he finally decided on a careful response. “…Right,” he said, turning away before Lukas could ask him anything else.

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It seemed as though Raven had only just closed his eyes when he felt a gentle hand shaking him awake again.

“Come on,” Elsynne said faintly. “We’re going to find Rem now.”

He groggily opened his eyes, blinking hard against a dazzling, too-hot morning sun. He pushed himself up and rubbed his gritty face with the back of his arm. “We’re going now? This early?”

Elsynne nodded reluctantly. “Harriette and Ophelia are really anxious. They want to get Rem and go back to Lavinia before Skylar can catch up to us.”

“Yeah, I know. They wouldn’t shut up about it yesterday either.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault, so don’t bother apologizing. Let’s just head out.”

The others—all awake and unusually bright-eyed—were waiting for them on the outskirts of the dragonling’s meeting place. Lukas lingered at the back of the group, casting his gaze to the hills while the rest of the party discussed their plans in undertone.

“Good morning,” he said, grinning distractedly when Raven and Elsynne finally joined them.

Raven pointedly ignored the young man and turned to Felix. “Do we know where exactly we’re going?” he asked.

The boy glanced furtively at Lukas and looked back at Raven. “Y-Yeah. Cymbeline and Arngon got some directions from that big dragonling yesterday.”

“Listen,” Lukas interrupted, taking a step closer to them, “I need to talk to you, Edward.”

Raven kept his stare focused on Felix. “We’re going back to Lavinia after this, aren’t we?”

“That’s what Harriette wants to do,” the boy said, shifting uneasily.

Lukas hissed and took Raven roughly by the shoulders, pulling him away from Felix. “I’m fed up with these stupid games! I know you can hear every word I’m saying!”

“What the hell do you want now?” Raven said, jerking himself from his cousin’s grasp.

“There are several things you aren’t telling me. First of all, when did you find out you were a half-elf? Did Ilia tell you?”

“N-Not really,” Raven stammered gracelessly, taken aback by the sudden accusation. “I kind of…found out by accident. That fire at the castle—the one when I was fifteen—was caused by magic. Did you know that?”

“I thought so… I’ve always known you were a half-elf, but I thought the fire might be because of the Messen-“

“I’m not-“ Raven was forced to stop himself from saying something stupid again—he didn’t know what he was at this point; most of his mind was just a foggy, useless blur. Why bother objecting to something like that anymore when the evidence was still stacking against him, bit by painful bit? The purpose of his protesting wasn’t as clear as it had been several months ago—in fact, the whole thing seemed completely stupid now.

‘Or maybe that’s just the presence trying to reason for me again…’ Raven thought bitterly. He could almost hear the voice laughing at him in the back of his head.

“And I just wanted to say… since you know you’re a half-elf now and everything…” Lukas hesitated very briefly before Raven looked at him expectantly. “I know it sounds cliché, but I still consider you my brother rather than just my cousin. We were raised as brothers, after all. I can’t forget that as easily as you can.”

Raven felt his mouth drop open slightly. “That’s…”

“Hey! Are the two of you ready?” Harriette called to them from farther up the path. Raven held back a relieved sigh; he still had no idea how to reply to Lukas’s statement, and he doubted he would’ve ever come up with something halfway decent even if he had all the time in the world. ‘Do I see him my brother, too…?’

Lukas looked back to the hill again. “But…“

Elsynne followed his uneasy stare and gasped. Several dragonlings—Raven recognized them as the pair from the day before—had appeared on the crest of the knoll.

“There’s another ship!” one of them cried. “This one’s even bigger than the last one!”

When Raven turned to face Lukas, he could see the remorseful smile on the young man’s face.

“Everyone else is finally here,” Lukas said quietly. He pulled the sword from the sheath at his side and pointed it at Elsynne. “Under the order of the kingdom of Austror and his Royal Majesty, you are being placed under arrest for the destruction of Estershore and the casualties of its citizens!”

“You lying bastard!” Raven cried, drawing his own blade and pressing it to Lukas’s neck before his kin could react.
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[Zandra]

Kill the traitor!

That is all I have to say.
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[Kevvie]

Oooooooooooooooooooh snap. Now Lukas is a traitor. FIGHT TIME IMO

The chapter was chapterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrific obv! Can't wait for the next one!
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[Avatar: Roadrunnuh][Fanbar: squidmaster64]

[wolfeyes]

Daaang, saw it coming....I WANTED to believe Lukas wasn't actually going to pull a punk move like that but he did anyway....
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Pathetic attempts at fanfiction