It was evening. The sun was setting, swallowing Warfang in a bright orange light. The streets were busy, filled with a multitude of dragons either heading home or going out to restaurants for dinner. Spyro was among the business of the streets on his way to Cynder's house, his head raised high and his chest puffed out. He was looking forward to the date, as usual, as he loved spending time with Cynder, and was hoping this would be the chance to figure things out regarding the problems Cynder was having as well as where their relationship was going to go next.
He wanted to propose to her. So badly. She seemed to be doing well yesterday, and he was hoping that she was beginning to get better. If things were getting better, then Spyro would be sure to propose as soon as he could. He was starting to run out of patience.
There was a voice in the purple dragon's head that told him things weren't going to get better, but he knew that was a possibility and that things weren't likely going to go the way he wanted to. Spyro took the optimistic outlook in the hopes that it'd lift his mood for once, and make the date more enjoyable.
Spyro finally arrived at Cynder's house, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door twice. He took a step back, tapping a claw on the ground while he waited for Cynder to open the door for him. Before long he could hear her pawsteps, before the door opened in front of him.
"Good evening, Spyro," Cynder greeted with a smile.
Spyro stood there dumbfounded at her. Her scales were polished and had a beautiful sheen among them, especially while standing in the light of the bright sunset, making the black scales seem oddly bright. Her emerald eyes also sparkled, the same way they usually did when he saw her.
It didn't take him long to realise he was standing slack-jawed out in the open, staring at her, before he clamped his jaw shut with a click of the teeth and smiled at her. "Good evening," he purred.
Cynder just giggled, standing back a bit to let Spyro in, shutting the door behind him. "For a moment there I thought you'd turned into a statue," she said teasingly, raising a claw and tapping him on the nose. "I figured I'd have to drag you in here at some point."
"Yeah, well… your beauty never ceases to astound me," Spyro murmured with a small blush.
The black dragoness felt her own cheeks heat up with a blush, although it was hidden by her dark-coloured scales. She stepped forward and nuzzled him, sighing contently. Spyro returned the nuzzle, the corners of his mouth burning from his wide smile. Cynder pulled away from the nuzzle, before leaning forward again and kissing Spyro on the cheek. The purple dragon's heart lurched at the touch of her soft lips against his cheek.
Cynder stepped away, making her way into the kitchen where she had begun preparing dinner. Spyro followed her, his mouth watering at the sight of the raw pork ribs sitting on the bench, as well an empty bowl and ingredients for the spicy marinade. She quickly got to work making the marinade, the purple dragon watching from the other side of the bench as his favourite meal of Cynder's was prepared in front of him.
"So, how's your day been?" Cynder questioned.
"It's been… pretty chill to be honest. I went to the library and got another novel to start reading, and I caught up with Kairo over lunch," Spyro explained.
"How's he going? Blaze and Arcton too? It's been a very long time since I last talked to them," Cynder said.
"Kairo's doing pretty well. He's started going to the gym and the training arena a lot more, wanting to get a lot fitter. He's wanting to go into the Warfang Army and after our talk a couple days ago I think he's really starting to pursue it now; I could already see he was in better physical condition than he used to be."
"Better? That guy's already pretty bulky and well-defined," Cynder said with a smirk, raising a brow.
"Yeah, it surprised me too, but I reckon he's definitely going to need to exercise a lot more if he's going into the army."
"You got a fair point there."
"And just because I said he's in better physical condition doesn't mean you can seek him out for his looks," Spyro chuckled with a roll of his eyes.
"What? Why would I do that?" Cynder chuckled, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Don't act like you don't remember the first time you met him, Cynder," Spyro chastised, poking her in the shoulder with a smirk. "You were absolutely gobsmacked, and even asked if you could touch his muscles. I think everyone was lucky I stopped you or otherwise no one would've heard the end of it."
"Spyro, that was two years ago. I was a lot more immature than I am now. I think all the girls were interested by those hulking muscles of his anyway."
The purple dragon scoffed. "We were already a year into dating by then," Spyro murmured. "You remember how awkward I was hearing you fawn over Kairo."
"It doesn't matter; we're past that," Cynder chuckled. "Besides, I've got you, and I'm more than happy with you, Spyro. You know that."
Spyro smiled, rolling his eyes. Silence swallowed the air before his smile turned into a cheeky one as he studied Cynder. "You're still thinking about his muscles, aren't you?" he teased, noticing Cynder's somewhat thoughtful expression
"No I'm not," Cynder scoffed, another blush heating up her cheeks. "Let's change the topic, please. How are Blaze and Arcton doing?"
"Okay, okay," Spyro chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, I caught up with Blaze and Arcton yesterday, and they're going pretty well too. Blaze got an apprenticeship as a blacksmith, and also ended up asking Zeena out."
"Oh, Zeena? How'd that go?" Cynder questioned.
"She said 'yes', and Blaze said that it went really well."
"I guess they're a couple then, huh?"
"Yup. No longer just me who has a significant other in my friend group," Spyro said with a chuckle. "Arcton also started talking to some girls as well. He's not started a relationship yet, he's more just starting friendships to build the foundations."
"Even Arcton's getting himself out there. Who's he talking to?"
"Fairen and Cerina."
"Ah, the pretty ones," Cynder giggled. "Good luck with him keeping his composure around them. I've seen many a guy completely stumble over their words around those two."
"I'm pretty sure that's common for most people who find someone they like," Spyro said with a shrug.
"Yeah it happened with you to me quite a bit," Cynder replied. "Still happens now, even."
"Oh, shush."
"You can't deny it though, can you?"
"N-n-no, not really."
"You know I like to tease you, Spyro. And with your teasing to me about Kairo, I think you deserve it."
Spyro just shrugged, looking away from Cynder for a short time. His gaze turned back to her after silence overtook them, and he noticed that she was starting to marinate the pork, putting the meat in the bowl and rolling it inside the spicy marinade. He watched as she rubbed her paws gracefully along the flesh, spreading the sauce all over the rib, her digits digging into it as if massaging it. A small sigh left the purple dragon's lungs, to which Cynder looked up at him, noticing his longing expression.
The purple dragon didn't realise that her gaze was now focused on him until she lifted her paws up slowly from the bowl, her paws dripping with the marinade. His face fell as his eyes suddenly met hers, and the biggest blush yet assaulted his cheeks. Cynder just giggled at the flustered purple dragon in front of her, lowering her gaze back to the food and continuing to cover the pork in the marinade.
"After dinner, I can give you a massage if you want," Cynder offered.
"No, it's fine. I mean you're already doing the cooking so it's a bit much if I get you to give me a massage as well," Spyro said nervously, unable to keep his gaze on Cynder.
"Spyro, I offered to make dinner and I'm offering to give you a massage. Just like you always offer to do literally anything that involves paying or making food on most of our other dates," Cynder replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'd recommend taking my offer while it's still open."
"Are you sure you want to?" Spyro questioned. "You wouldn't prefer it if I gave you a massage instead? After all you are making dinner."
"It's not like I'm wearing myself out doing so; it's pretty simple," Cynder said with a shrug. "Take a day off being responsible for everything for once."
Spyro just sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to argue with her. "Alright, offer accepted," he said with a chuckle.
"Great!" Cynder exclaimed. "Now you better enjoy it."
"I will, I promise!"
"Good. Now, I'm going to cook the meat now; you can go sit down if you want."
"Alright," Spyro replied, standing up and making his way to the dining table where he sat down and watched as Cynder cooked.
She breathed a small burst of shadow fire at the stove, igniting it with a glowing dark purple flame, before she started cooking the pork ribs. The smell was heavenly and it made Spyro's mouth water. He was looking forward to eating.
It was in this short time of silence where Spyro took some time to reflect, remembering the original reason for this date. It was to monitor Cynder to get a better idea of what could be going on with her. So far she seemed pretty normal. Playful teasing, a firm sense of independence, kindness… Nothing felt out of place quite yet.
Spyro hoped it was over but it was still early; something might appear later. He had to keep a close eye out on things.
Cynder soon finished up, bringing the plate of beautifully cooked marinated spicy pork ribs to the table. "There we go," Cynder said as she sat down beside the purple dragon. "Now be careful with how much you eat. I don't want a repeat of last time we had this when you ate so much you almost threw up. I really don't want to have to clean up vomit."
"I know, you told me yesterday," Spyro said with a chuckle.
"I did?"
Had she really forgotten something that happened only yesterday? It was small but it wasn't an incredibly small detail. Spyro hoped it was her brain just playing up, but it was an oddity that could have something to do with her mood swings and emotional instability.
"Yeah, you did," Spyro replied, trying not to appear too concerned as to not make Cynder suspicious.
"Hmm, I don't remember saying that," Cynder murmured, shrugging. "Anyway, let's eat."
Spyro and Cynder grabbed some of the spicy pork ribs and dug in, enjoying the food. The purple dragon's mouth had been watering while Cynder was cooking the ribs, and it was great to finally sink his teeth into the meal. And ancestors, the wait was worth it. The succulent flavour of the marinated pork washed over his tongue, his mouth flaring up with the heat from the chili powder in the marinade. He didn't mind though; he loved spicy food.
A low growling from beside him caught his attention, and he looked over at Cynder. The growling was coming from her. It was almost a primitive growl as she ate, tearing into the flesh of the meat. It was strange; she wasn't eating the way a primitive animal would. She was being slow and careful, the same way she always ate. But she never growled like this.
The black dragoness didn't seem to register the spice levels either. She didn't mind spicy food but her tolerance was definitely not the same as Spyro's. Usually when they ate spicy food she'd end up sweating or breaking out into panting halfway through the meal to try and cool herself down. Cynder wasn't having those reactions.
Was this something to do with the earlier problems? Was this an oddity to take note of too?
Whether it was or not, Spyro took note of it, believing it could have some significance. He hadn't spent that long here yet, and already Cynder was having a few moments of not acting like herself. The purple dragon remained quiet however, and continued eating his food.
They ate in silence, before they cleaned up. It was a quick job, as they didn't have many dishes out, and afterwards Spyro and Cynder made themselves comfortable in the living room, snuggling up into each other's warmth on the couch.
"So, we talked about me earlier," the purple dragon started. "How about you? What've you been up to since yesterday?"
"Uhh, not much," Cynder replied slowly. "I did a bit of painting today. I tried to start something new this morning. I think it was an ocean scene I tried to do. I stuffed it up though, so I got rid of it and continued the painting I started last night."
Spyro was caught off guard by the slight aggressiveness behind 'stuffed it up'. Cynder got frustrated when she made mistakes, but she was usually pretty calm while painting. She almost never got angry at her paintings and she most definitely didn't throw out paintings. The amount of half-completed paintings she had in her painting room was astounding; she kept everything.
The purple dragon swallowed. Cynder seemed really off tonight. He wasn't sure if she knew it, but he could tell that she was.
"Oh. Sorry to hear that," Spyro murmured. "Also the painting last night, what is it?"
"It's uh… it's a secret," Cynder said bashfully. "It's a surprise."
"Alright, whatever you say," he replied with a chuckle, which was somewhat forced. "I'm guessing it was with the new paints you picked up yesterday… the black and red ones."
"Yeah, you're right. That's what the paints are for."
"You doing okay? I did notice the paints were a little out of the ordinary for you, considering you're usually known for your bright, cool colour palettes. It was especially weird to see you needing that much black paint."
"I'm fine, Spyro. I just wanted to try something different."
Spyro raised an eyebrow. He wasn't buying it, but something was telling him that Cynder wouldn't tell him. He hoped she was just wanting to try something new, but she had been known to do a lot of dark vent art, and to see her needing two tins of black paint worried him slightly.
"That's good though; trying new things can be helpful. I'm looking forward to seeing what you make," Spyro replied.
"As always," Cynder chuckled.
"You know I love your paintings, Cynder."
"I'm your girlfriend; that's a biased opinion."
"No, I legitimately mean it!"
"Sure you do," Cynder giggled, nuzzling Spyro.
The purple dragon returned the nuzzle with a chuckle at Cynder's teases. It was never a secret that she enjoyed teasing Spyro. It was good to see her happy, even though it cost Spyro a bit of humility.
"How've you been doing emotionally?" Spyro asked, wanting to see how she was doing. "Still had any mood swings? Feeling like yourself again?"
"Um, I've had a few mood swings today, yeah. Still a bit here and there but I'm doing as good as I can, you know?" Cynder replied, her expression and tone neutral. It was hard to figure out what emotion she was portraying. "I hope it stops soon, and I wish I could understand what's happening to me. I had a nightmare last night as well, so that was fun."
"A nightmare? What about?"
"I… I can't remember. I think I vaguely remember seeing yellow eyes. And there was this one word… ak'rhoran or something like that. I don't know. It was weird. I don't remember how it ended or what happened though. That's all I remember."
"Ak'rhoran?"
"Yeah. I got no clue what the hell it means. I don't know why the word sticks out to me either. It's… bizarre."
Spyro just mumbled in agreement. It was very strange. Very worrying, too. There were a lot of new things being brought up today. The purple dragon sighed, knowing that all these things put together were likely going to reveal something bad, and he didn't like it.
"Just know that if anything happens that worries you or upsets you, you can come talk to me about it, right?" Spyro said.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks," Cynder replied. "You've been an amazing support through this. Through all my life, really. I really appreciate it."
"It's the least I could do, Cynder. I'm more than happy to help," the purple dragon breathed, nuzzling Cynder.
"I love you, Spyro," Cynder murmured. "Always."
Spyro inhaled to reply, but his breath was taken from him as he felt Cynder's lips press against his. He flinched slightly at the sudden kiss, but quickly returned it, feeling a sense of euphoria wash over him. Every time he kissed her, that euphoria never changed. It always felt fresh and inviting, and he often wished he could never leave.
The black dragoness pulled away, a wide smile on her face. The two dragons stared at each other briefly before nuzzling each other. Cynder let out a satisfied giggle, before she slowed the nuzzle and lay against Spyro, drawing circles on his chest with a gentle claw. She felt the purple dragon lean into her, resting his chin on top of her head, his chest rising and falling slowly as he breathed. A soft growl rumbled from his throat at the sensation of her claw drawing circles on his chest.
Cynder suddenly gasped, realisation coming to her. "I almost forgot, the massage! Dinner's finished now, so whenever you want that massage, let me know," she said to Spyro.
The purple dragon stammered, somewhat flustered. He'd never gotten a massage, let alone from his own girlfriend. "U-u-uhh… alright," he replied. "If you say so."
"Oh don't get your tail in a knot, Spyro. It'll be fine," Cynder giggled as she stood up. "Now, roll onto your stomach."
Spyro cleared his throat, swallowing his nervousness, before obeying Cynder, rolling over on the soft couch so that he lay on his stomach, his head resting in his arms. He almost jumped with surprise when Cynder's paws finally came in contact with his back, rubbing against his scales slowly but firmly. It felt strange at first, but he eventually came to realise he enjoyed it. It was soothing and comforting. On top of that, it was his girlfriend, not just any massage therapist. It felt special, and was more intimate than he imagined a normal massage would be.
The black dragoness' delicate paws slowly moved up Spyro's spine, working their way in between the folds of his wing joints. Her long, firm strokes along his scales hit a nerve, causing a low groan to rumble from his throat. His breathing slowed and a soft, content smile overtook him.
Cynder giggled as another groan left Spyro's mouth. "You enjoying it, Spyro?" she chuckled.
"Are you sure you don't work as a massage therapist?" Spyro breathed. "This is very relaxing."
"No, I'm sure," Cynder said softly. "I barely know what I'm doing; I'm just rubbing your back."
"Whatever you're doing, it feels good," Spyro replied, drawling out the final word as Cynder moved her paws about between his wing joints again.
The purple dragon lay there for a couple more minutes while Cynder continued to rub and massage his back, before she decided she was finally finished and laid down on top of him. Spyro's satisfied groans turned into groans of pain and surprise, which eventually just turned into wheezes. "Cynder, get off me!" Spyro coughed.
"No, I'm finished," she drawled.
"Alright, but get off me!"
Cynder just laughed, leaning forwards and licking the side of Spyro's neck, before getting off him. The purple dragon sat up, breathing heavily. "Ow… thanks Cynder," Spyro sighed with a roll of his eyes.
"You're welcome," Cynder replied cheekily, before turning and walking back to the kitchen.
"What? Where are you going?" Spyro asked.
"I figured we finish the night with a bit of a drinking game," she replied, pulling a few bottles of wine out of the cupboard. "Have a bit of fun."
"A drinking game? You know that's not fair, Cynder!" Spyro complained. "Your stupid poison element stopping the effects of alcohol doesn't count. Plus, you know I don't like drinking a heap."
"Come oooon, Spyro. It'll be fun!" Cynder chuckled, sitting down in front of Spyro and popping open a bottle with a smile.
"It's very biased towards you winning."
"Fine. Let's go for 'who can empty a bottle the quickest'."
"A skulling competition? Can't we just do that with water?"
"But wine tastes better than just plain old water. Where's the fun in that?"
"I'd much rather not get drunk, Cynder."
"I've never seen you drunk."
"And I haven't seen you drunk."
"You know that's not possible."
"I know that."
"It's just a bit of fun, Spyro," Cynder pleaded, annoyance starting to flare up in her tone. Her gaze hardened slightly, and it caused Spyro's heart to skip a beat. "Just this once? You know I like a good wine, and I've never been able to play a drinking game before because everyone chickens out."
Spyro groaned, knowing that it was pointless to argue. He didn't want to argue with her. He didn't like arguing, especially with Cynder. It felt wrong. Reluctantly, he gave in, getting up off the couch and sitting on the ground in front of the black dragoness. He then proceeded to reach forward towards a bottle, hesitating significantly before he finally took hold of it. "Alright fine. We'll play just this once, and never again. Got it?" he said firmly.
Cynder nodded in acknowledgement, smiling widely, showing off her teeth. Spyro opened the bottle, staring at it nervously. He'd never been drunk before and he wasn't looking forward to it, because he knew he was eventually going to get there. He remembered yesterday. He probably was on the verge of drunkenness, and already that knowledge concerned him. How far was he going to go? Just for a stupid competition?
The purple dragon had even become so focused on his nervousness and trying not to participate originally, that he didn't notice that Cynder had just been pressuring him to drink. She enjoyed it, especially considering she could never get drunk, as her poison element treated the alcohol like poison and prevented it from affecting her. Usually she ended up getting a lot of alcoholic drinks when going out for food and social conventions, and she often surprised people when she never ended up drunk from it.
Despite this however, she'd promised Spyro many years ago, even before they started their relationship, that she would never pressure him into drinking too much. He only enjoyed a small amount of alcohol, as he wanted to avoid getting drunk. Originally Spyro wasn't interested in drinking at all, but as of recently the purple dragon began to have a few drinks, and didn't mind it, but was always wary of how much he drank.
It was always something that Cynder respected, as she knew everyone, except for her of course, had limits, and Spyro was very cautious of crossing the boundary. She had never pressured him to drink more than he wanted to, ever. Now however, that was exactly what Cynder was doing, and Spyro hadn't picked up on it, his attention on Cynder diverted by trying to convince her he didn't want to play.
It was too late to think about it now. Cynder counted down from three and the two dragons quickly lifted their bottles to their lips and started gulping the wine down. They were both fine for the most part, but the bottles were large, and not even halfway through the first bottle Spyro was beginning to squeeze his eyes shut, his grip strengthening on his bottle.
Not too long after he reached halfway, he lowered the bottle, letting out a large exhale, shivering slightly from the amount of alcohol that had just washed out his mouth. It was all he could taste and it was strong. He'd taken big swigs of alcohol yesterday but he'd never skulled half a bottle in one go before.
Spyro looked over at Cynder to see she was still going, and by this point, his competitive side was unintentionally kicking in. He grit his teeth, took a few deep breaths before lifting the bottle to his lips again, after a small amount of hesitation. He kept his eyes squeezed tight, focusing on holding his eyelids closed to distract him from the wine that flooded his mouth and throat.
Near the end of the bottle he started slurping in an attempt to get some air in as well, his lungs running short of breath. His arm started shaking, and by the time he had finally finished the bottle he'd lost enough control of his arm that his paw flexed, his claws digging into the bottle and breaking it into pieces.
The purple dragon took in huge heaves of breath, lowering his head and gritting his teeth together. His mind was already getting clouded. It was more alcohol than he'd consumed the day before, the bottle being significantly larger than the medium-sized one he had yesterday, and on top of that, he'd taken it all in at once. He was already sluggish from swallowing so much liquid at once, and the alcohol wasn't helping.
He tried to open his eyes, only to squeeze them shut again as blurry lights assaulted his vision, his heaving breaths turning into low growls. He raised a paw to his head, clutching it tightly, his head starting to spin. After he calmed himself down, he opened his eyes, squinting slightly, before blinking several times to try and clear his vision. It wasn't perfect, however. His vision was already slightly blurry.
If he was still in his right of mind he would've quickly realised how bad of an idea this was, and that he needed to stop now. But he was starting to lose it. A slurred chuckle escaped his jaws as his lips pulled in a lopsided smile.
"Already a bit tipsy?" Cynder remarked.
Spyro ignored it and just grabbed another bottle. Cynder didn't complain, raising her eyebrows in surprise before grabbing a second bottle of her own. After the countdown they continued to skull the drinks. This time, Spyro didn't pause in between, but he let out a couple of disgruntled groans here and there, his eyes closed tightly the whole time he was swallowing the liquid, his other paw on the ground, clenched.
Nevertheless, he finished the bottle, panting after taking the bottle away from his lips. His eyes were glazed over and his vision got progressively more and more blurry. A roaring belch tore from his maw, before he let out a somewhat slurred chuckle at the sound he made.
"Spyro? Are you okay?" Cynder asked, tilting her head slightly as concern started to fill her expression.
"Yesss…" he murmured, pausing to hiccup. "Yes I'm fine. Never had… so much damn alcohol in my life before. But I'm fffffine."
"They were two pretty large bottles… bigger than the bottles most places have..." Cynder mused. "Maybe this was a bad idea."
Cynder noticed Spyro was slumping back a bit, relying on the couch to hold him up. She sighed, definitely regretting her decision to force Spyro into this game. Those two large bottles were enough to get most people drunk, and Spyro had just downed them both within a few minutes. Cynder was thankful for her poison element and how it reacted to the alcohol that entered her body, treating it as poison and numbing the effects on her, but she definitely took it for granted, knowing no one else had the same ability as her.
She'd gotten Spyro drunk. It was… sort of funny to watch, but at the same time, he didn't want this, and it was very embarrassing.
"Alright, let's get you back on the couch," Cynder murmured dejectedly, helping Spyro make his way on the couch.
Spyro moaned as he lay on the couch, his vision spinning. He didn't feel good at all. Cynder was quick to run off and grab a large bucket just in case Spyro threw up. She could see his dizziness and didn't want to have to clean up vomit.
Afterwards she put the bottles away, some still full and returning to the cupboard, the empty ones going to the bin, before returning to Spyro. Upon seeing her, Spyro gave her a lopsided smile. "Ccccynder," he drawled.
"Yes it's me… I'm sorry, Spyro. I probably shouldn't have pushed you into playing…" Cynder murmured, reaching forward and stroking Spyro's cheek gently. "Anyway, you can stay here for the night; you're in no way capable of going home and looking after yourself."
Spyro just sighed. "A-a-alright, Cynderrr…"
Cynder let out her own sigh, before turning and leaving Spyro in the living room. It was getting late anyway, so she decided to go have a bath and then go to bed. Spyro could bath in the morning after recovering from his drunken state.
The purple dragon tried to get to sleep, but was somewhat struggling for the first hour or so, his body starting to revolt against him. He had three fits of violent vomiting throughout the hour, the second of which lasted so long that Cynder had to check on him, and even had to grab a new bucket.
The third and final vomiting fit mainly consisted of loud, hoarse dry heaves which also woke Cynder up, and she was on the verge of getting up to help Spyro again. Luckily after two revolts of his stomach, the vomiting finished.
It took Spyro a very long time to fall asleep afterwards, as the room reeked of vomit and his mouth was now tainted with the horrible burning taste of bile. Eventually, he grew way too tired for his own good, and he began to get lightheaded. Not too long after that, he gave way into unconsciousness.
Whoo! I'm back! University hit hard throughout October so I apologise for my silence, but I have now finished my first year of university and I now have time to write again! And do all sorts of other things like draw, learn guitar, and make more YouTube videos (links to my Twitter, DA and YouTube are all on my profile btw). On top of this actually, I released a song a couple days ago on another YouTube channel I have called Luu Luue, and the song is called Mirror. I've been really busy with trying to get music finalised this year, and some of it is finally ready lol.
It was good to finally get this chapter finished, and I hope you enjoy some more Spynder. Hopefully I pulled it off lol (I get nervous every time I do something romance-y haha; I think I just need to start telling myself I'm at least somewhat decent at it lol).
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Dragon of Mystery: Aww thanks man. It's good to know I'm doing good with getting people anticipated for the next chapter. And uhhh... how was drunk Spyro for you pahaha? It was always the plan to get him drunk this chapter and you just so happened to comment about it the chapter before it hehe.
TARDIS1039: Guessing it's more than bloody time for this chapter's release haha. Uni's been frustrating; you've probably heard of it already lol. Glad you like it, and I like how there's now an 'SK archive' lol. I very much agree with the 'guardians' errand boy' topic not being touched on much in fics; that's the whole reason why I wanted to explore it.
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Anyway, with this all done, hope you enjoyed, leave a review, and I'll see you in the next chapter, which hopefully won't take two months, although I'll probably be focusing on Demonised first; I kinda wanna get it done now so I might be focusing on that a bit more. I aim to try and get another chapter of GEM done by the end of the year though, so fingers crossed.