𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊.

        his hand in hers feels so familiar; if it weren’t for the aching in her chest it might feel comforting. her other hand wraps over his, holding them together like it might somehow anchor her. his touch is cool, not like the warmth she remembers, instead like an echo of what they once had. “i didn’t want to.” she admits, though she wishes she could deny it. “i never wanted to give up on you.” her eyes lift to meet his, tears spilling freely now. “but i had to try and give edgar a normal life.” for all that had cost her. 

     not just nearly. did he know ?? how was that possible ?? “no, he- he didn’t- i-” she pauses, brow furrowing. wait…was this how their son had truly died ?? was this how he had turned ?? had her sacrifice spared him nothing ?? “no…he-” she can’t fight it anymore. she feels weak, her bones heavy with the ache of her sadness. tears turn to sobs, unable to be bitten back any longer. shaking frame bridges the gap between them, burying her head in his shoulder. however lost she feels, however much of a stranger she is to him, she needs this. 

      HIS  BLUE  EYES  FELL  TO  THEIR  JOINED  HANDS  when  she  placed  hers  on  his  own  instead  of  pushing  him  away,  like  he  almost  expected  her  to.  he  could  only  hope  that  it  offered  her  the  slightest  bit  of  comfort  when  he  was  so  desperate  to  make  this  easier  for  her.  the  words  that  left  her  lips  made  him  swallow  hard  and  they  only  increased  the  undeniable  need  to  pull  her  closer  to  him.  “i  understand.  you  did  what  you  had  to  do.”  and  his  grip  on  her  hand  tightened  once  again,  at  least  until  he  reminded  himself  to  be  gentle  with  her.  “you  tried  to  be  there  for  our  son  and  allow  him  to  move  on.  you  were  so  strong.”  leopold  knew  that  she  must  have  been.

guilt  washed  all  over  his  features  when  victoria  began  to  realize  why  their  child  ended  up  as  a  vampire.  it  was  no  sad  coincidence  or  some  sick  joke  that  the  universe  played  on  them.  it  was  his  everlasting  desire  to  find  his  father,  dead  or  alive.  “victoria.”  he  whispered  her  name  ever  so  softly  when  she  started  to  shake  and  he  let  her  bury  her  head  in  his  shoulder.  the  hybrid  stayed  like  that,  just  for  a  moment,  before  he  gave  into  his  instincts:  he  let  go  of  her  hand  and  pulled  her  into  his  lap  to  hold  her  as  close  as  possible.  maybe  he  could  not  remember  her,  but  she  was  not  a  stranger.  she  was  his  wife  and  the  mother  of  his  son.  she  was  his  first  love  and  his  best  friend.  he  could  not  grasp  their  memories  and  bring  them  to  the  front  of  his  mind,  but  holding  her  was  not  difficult    ━  every  fiber  of  his  being  wanted  to  protect  her.  “i  should  have  been  there  for  you.”  he  whispered  into  her  ear  while  his  own  eyes  filled  with  tears  he  could  not  blink  away.  “i  never  meant  to  let  you  down,  to  fail  you  like  this.”

“well, i don’t think that he’ll kill us, if that’s what you’re asking.”  mack wasn’t actually sure how caspian felt about leo, but he knew that while caspian might put up a fuss about the originals having his help to make some sort of blood substitute, that he would likely realize that it was a better idea than letting hungry vampires go on a killing spree.  mack huffed lightly, making a face at the hybrid, “i’m glad you want to help.  this will do a lot of good for the town, and hell maybe they’ll start looking at you like jesus or something.  only instead of turning water into wine, you’re turning wine into blood.”

      THAT  WAS  NOT  WHAT  HE  WAS  ASKING,  no.  leo  was  fairly  certain  that  caspian  would  not  kill  his  own  creations,  but  he  would  not  be  fond  of  torture  either. “i  don’t  know  what  he  would  or  would  not  do  if  he  found  out.  it  doesn’t even  matter,  does  it?  we  have  to  do  this,  for  everybody’s sake.”  and  maybe  he  could  find  a  way  to  soothe  the  original  witch  if  he  got  pissed about  their  blood  substitute  plans. “i  doubt  they  will  look  at  me  like  i’m  jesus  and  i  don’t  want  them  to.  i  will  help,  mackinley,  but  i  don’t  want  to  stop  having a  private  life.”  one  that  he  would  always  put  first,  like  any  other  immortal  would.

Josiah’s head tilted down, letting his thoughts grow darker and darker before he faced his wife again. Wouldn’t the best selfish alternative be to provide her ancestor with someone higher up her so-called chain of command? Unless this person was only interested in the fresher generations, which would undoubtedly put Léonie at the top – even with her mixed status. He was grimacing before he realized it, composing his features into something less expressive. Emotions were of no help in this situation.

“You can’t ask of me to watch you die. Or let you go down that path.” The warlock almost scoffed, giving a decisive shake of his head. “I won’t choose between either of you two, and you are not allowed to make such a choice for me.” Although it rang in his head that, were his own survival at stake, he would ensure their child had the best fighting chance. Even when it might mean his own sacrifice – much like Ophelia was threatening to go ahead with.

A heavy sigh, some semblance of defeat he wouldn’t accept nor face with dignity hanging above them, before he spoke up again. “Have we any other options? It is not something that I would welcome, laying down arms. Accepting his tyranny.” Another face of poorly hidden disgust. “What’s been done by him cannot be undone by any other group? With as many creatures to be found trapped in here – do you happen to know what else he is after?”

      IT  WAS  TRUE,  their  emotions  did  not  get  them  anywhere in  this  moment. they  only  made  things  worse  and  ophelia  felt  like  she  was  playing  a  losing game  ever  since  caspian  arrived in  this  village. how  could  she  defeat  the  source  of  her  own  magic?  all  of  her  power  and  knowledge  would  fail  to  pose  a  weapon  in  a  war  against  her  ancestor  and  he  proved  that  when  he  used  his  magic  to  control  her  very  mind.  it  was  josiah’s  voice  that  pulled her  out  of  her  thoughts now  and  her  expression  was  blank,  except for  that  small  smile  that  she  offered him  as  she  squeezed  his  hand  again.

“i  was  born  to  have  an  average human  lifespan,  like  the  other  witches,  josiah. it  was  caspian’s spell  that  kept  me  alive  and  it  allowed  me  to  have  more  than  i  have  ever  dreamed of.  it  was  a  blessing, but  i  never  ceased  to  remember  my  own  mortality.”  she  was  prepared  to  die.  always.  “i  do  not  want  to  leave  you  or  léonie.  i  want  to  be  with  the  two  of  you  and  memorize every  single  second   ━  but  if  my  time  has  come,  there  is  no  choice. it  is  our  daughter  that  needs  to  be  protected, not  me.”  the  witch  leaned  closer to  him,  leaving the  softest  of  kisses  on  his  lips.  “you  understand  that,  right?” 

the  look  on  his  face  was  the  very  reason  why  she  tried  to  avoid  having  this  conversation  until  now.  she  never  wanted to  contribute  to  his  unhappiness and  it  hurt  to  know  that  she  made  his  heart  feel  so  heavy.  “i  have  no  idea  what  he  wants,  but  his  spell  cannot  be  undone  without him  or  his  death.”  her  dark  eyes  lowered once  again.  “for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  there  is  nothing i  can  do,  my  beloved. not  for  our  family  or  for  anyone else.  i  can’t  even  help  myself.”

“I agree,” Clare said after a pause. It was only a matter of time before people realized that shopping was useless in a dome such as this and stopped coming, which meant Clare would be out of a job and boredom on her was not a good look. People tended to get hurt when she grew restless, and she was attempting to curb that part of her. So far she’d managed it, but she didn’t know what would happen when the reality of her situation set in and she started to remember what it felt like to be truly trapped.

“What are you thinking?” she asked then, crossing her arms over her chest but leaning forward with interest.

      WHAT  WAS  SHE  THINKING?  that  was  hard  to  say  when  so  many  things were  going  on  inside  of  her  mind.  “maybe  we  need  to  do  something that  is  going  to  benefit all  of  us.”  ophelia  replied after  a  moment or  two.  “we  could  try  to  host  some  sort  of  a  charity  event. donate  part  of  our  intakes to  the  council or  whoever  it  is  that  people choose  to  trust.”  if  people realized  that  profit  was  not  the  only  thing  on  their  minds, perhaps  it  would  encourage  them  to  shop  more,  no?

“Oh I hardly think that was my fault, love. As splendid as you are, you can be a menace. Perhaps, I was teaching you a lesson. Or perhaps, I was biding my time with more important things.” Lucifer didn’t often tease. To most, he was not playful nor kind, but in her energy, he felt compelled to be himself. After all, they ran a kingdom together; something that he would not have without her. “What do you suggest? A tea party to make up for lost time?”

      THE  REDHEAD FAKED  A  SIGH  when  he  called  her  a  menace and  talked  about  teaching  her  a  lesson. “oh,  please.  we  both  know  how  much  you  missed me.  look  at  you,  you  can  barely  contain  your  excitement  right  now.”  and  with  those  teasing words,  her  plump  lips  curled into  a  smirk  while  she  traced  her  fingertips  over  his  chest. “of  all  things  you  could  suggest, you  pick  a  tea  party?  just  between the  two  of  us,  i  really  hope  that  would  involve  blood  ━  or  else  i  might  start  to  think  you’ve lost  your  touch.”

“everything is good lils, at least as good as it can be under this stupid dome.”  he didn’t want to concern her with things that were out of her control, but at the same time, it was sort of nice to be able to vent to someone who liked being caged up even less than himself.  “i’m just not used to being in a place like this, where i can’t come and go as i please.”  he smiled now, “i’m glad you like it, i just wish there was something more that i could do for everyone than just this.”

      THERE  WAS  A  FAINT  SMILE  ON  HER  LIPS,  the  dome  sucked  and  if  anyone could  relate  to  the  distaste of  feeling  trapped it  was  the  demon  queen. “at  least  we  get  to  walk  around,  right? a  golden  cage  is  still  just  a  cage,  but  this  is  more  comfortable  than  what  i  experienced  in  the  past.”  so,  at  least  for  now,  she  was  trying not  to  complain. “besides,  we  will  find  a  way  to  get  rid  of  this  thing.”  lilith  could  not  even  believe  that  caspian  did  this  without consulting  her  or  lucifer.  “hey.”  she  reached for  his  hand  now,  holding it  in  both  of  her  own.  “you  don’t  owe  these  people, daddy.  i  understand that  our  pack  needs  you,  but  you  are  doing  such  a  good  job  taking care  of  them.  don’t  be  so  hard  on  yourself. there  is  enough weight  on  your  shoulders.”

        the mood, the air, in the room has shifted ever so slightly and she can feel it all around her. like for the briefest of moments, in blushes and fumbled conversations, she had forgotten that life here was endlessly tumultuous. and in one thoughtless comment, the bubble had burst. “thank you.” she says softly, glassy eyes betraying the sudden wave of emotion that fills her. it is nameless, pulling back and forth between grief and joy, and she does her best to bury it back where it came from. “i will find a way to repay you.” if he wouldn’t accept money, she would find another way. she had spent too much of her life indebted to not give back now. 

    clearing her throat, doe eyes hold his for a moment. “the clinic ??” she repeats, brows knitting. she hadn’t even considered that she might be able to help there. but now that it’s been said, the more she thinks of it the more it sounds right. that she could help those who really need her for once. “that’s…that would be perfect. but i don’t - i’m not qualified-” victoria shakes her head, uncertainty evident on her features. 

      THE  MALE  NARROWED  HIS  EYES  when  her  own  glassed  over,  but  he  was  quick  to  give  her  another,  reassuring  smile.  “you  are  welcome.  and  please,  don’t  worry  about  repayment,  alright?  there  is  nothing  i  want  to  gain  from  this.  i  just  want  to  help.”  he  made  his  fair  share  of  mistakes  and  he  would  not  add  yet  another  to  that  list  by  leaving  her  to  fend  for  herself.

“our  situation  is  beyond  complicated,  qualifications  hardly  matter.”  henry  laughed  under  his  breath.  “are  you  a  quick  study?  i  could  ask  someone  to  train  you,  i  am  sure  you  would  have  it  down  in  the  blink  of  an  eye.”  the  essentials,  anyway,  and  that  was  all  that  mattered  now.

Suddenly, his demeanor changes and he removes the other’s hand from the wound. For a second, Bobby stills, the blue of his eyes rake over the blood that begins to prickle from the wound and he moves forward, taking Emmeline’s hand in a lead toward his couch. “Alright, lay down, keep pressure on it.” The veterinarian says softly, leaving her side for only a moment to grab what he would need before returning. “What did this?” Despite the smoothness of his tone, he was sure that the other could hear the anger lingering within it. This needed to stop. The fighting, the cruelty between species, and the dome needed to be done away with. Perhaps, he was so angry because of his own situation, but he knew that it was simply because of her true form. 

      THE  FEMALE WINCED,  but  she  let  him  inspect the  wound  before she  followed  him  to  the  couch  and  did  as  he  asked, applying  pressure  to  her  skin  ━  the  last  thing  she  wanted  was  to  ruin  his  furniture when  it  seemed like  he  was  going  to  be  kind  enough  to  help  her.  “it  was  some  guy,  i  can’t  even  tell  you  what  he  was  or  why  he  did  this.  he  must  have  seen  me  shift.”  apparently,  being  careful  wasn’t enough  these  days.  “i  guess  it  could  have  been  avoided  if  i  stayed like  this,  but...”  it  went  against  her  nature  ;  emmeline  had  to  turn  to  be  comfortable,  at  least  from  time  to  time.  it  was  not  like  she  attempted  to  hurt  anyone. “i’m  sorry  for  showing up  unannounced  at  this  hour  and  springing this  on  you.  i  really didn’t  know  where  else  to  go.”

“W-what? No — I just mean—” A furious, heated blush instantly spread on Rowan’s cheeks, the witch shaking her head quickly. “I didn’t —” When Emmeline laughed, the redhead realized it was only a joke, feeling even sillier, but forcing herself to take a breath. “I just meant….I don’t need for anything, right now.” She and Ash had made themselves quite comfortable in Wildemount so far. “If there’s a book or ingredient I need that I don’t have, that you can get… Something like that.” She watched the blonde’s brow furrow slightly at seeing what was contained within the book, and of course, Rowan understood her concern. “That whole shelf is spelled.” The witch assured her. “Only me or my familiar can take them from the bookcase. I promise you, it’s in good hands.” It’s why Rowan had sought out the book in the first place: to use it for good, and keep in away from anyone else’s eyes. 

      THE  BLONDE’S LIPS  SPLIT  INTO  A  GRIN  when  that  furious blush  spread  all  over  the  witch’s  cheeks. “oh,  honey, relax  ━  i  was  just  messing  with  you.  i  didn’t  actually  think  that  you  were  going  to  ask  for  any  sexual favors.”  even  though her  reaction  was  totally  worth  the  joke  and  well... it  was  not  like  emmeline would  have  judged her  all  that  much  if  she  did.  “alright.  just  tell  me  when  and  we  will  discuss  payment.”  she  agreed and  she  managed to  relax  once  the  female told  her  that  her  shelf  was  protected by  a  spell. “good.  take  this  from  someone  who  has  been  hunted  for  no  reason at  all  ;  it  sucks  when  people know  and  exploit your  weaknesses.”

he huffed loudly when she said that a lot of parents didn’t want to be parents.  “there are those people who actually try to parent their children, and you can usually tell the difference between those kids and the other.”  he knew she was right though, some people did just want to be friends with their kids, instead of disciplining them.  following after her, he couldn’t help but to chuckle quietly.  “i didn’t say it would be right, dear.  i just meant that it wouldn’t be too far out of your wheelhouse to be spoiled.”  when they reached the top of the steps, he headed toward the room, opening the door.  “besides its never polite to assume things, though i’m sure you already know that.”

      HE  HAD  A  GOOD  POINT,  even  if  many  of  those  parents  would  disagree  with  him.  “you  met  my  daughter.  do  you  have  children?”  he spoke  like  he  did,  or  like  he  knew  what  he  was  talking  about, but  maybe  that  was  just  part  of  being  an  alpha.  the  position  came  with  a  whole  lot  of  responsibility,  emmeline had  seen  that  many  times  before.  “i  do  know  that.  my  parents  taught me  well.”  she  gave  him  a  teasing  smile, but  soon  enough a  gentle  gasp  escaped  her  as  she  looked  through the  room.  “this  is  breathtaking,  mister  o’phelan. and  i  must  admit  it  does  spark  the  desire to  be  spoiled.”  the  blonde added  in  a  playful  tone,  though  she  certainly  meant  her  compliment. this  hotel  would  make  anyone feel  like  royalty.

“i know, mama.”  kaitilyn told the older naga, a smile lighting her lips.  "we’ve made it this far, we’ll be fine.  especially now that we have each other.“   her mother being here had already changed her world for the better.  it had been so amazing since she’d met cosimo, and now it felt like everything was coming together in her favor.  

"you really think it’s a wonderful idea?”  her eyes widened, her smile growing brighter.  "i would really like it too.  i really enjoy spending this time with you, and i can’t wait to be able to do things that we used to do.“

      THE  BLONDE  GAVE  HER  A  NOD  OF  HER  HEAD,  things were  going  to  be  fine,  somehow  they  always were  and  emmeline would  be  damned if  she  allowed her  child  to  get  hurt  for  the  second  time.  there  was  no  undoing  the  past,  but  there  was  changing  the  future.  “i  don’t  know  how  your  angel  friend  found  me,  but  i  am  grateful  for  it.”  she  finally breathed  before  a  light  laugh  fell  from  her  parted lips.

“of  course  i  do,  my  darling.”  it  did  not  matter  what  they  did,  as  long  as  mother  and  daughter  got  to  spend  some  time  with  each  other,  but  she  would  be  happy  to  do  something  they  used  to  do  together. “i  know  cooking  should be  the  last  thing  on  our  minds  right  now,  but  honestly? we  are  stuck  and  the  two  of  us  can’t  destroy  the  barrier,  so  why  shouldn’t  we  do  something  we  would  both  enjoy?”

A hesitation when the man laughed, Sadie feeling a ripple of dread roll through her. While she didn’t have a great understanding of witch magic, she trusted those working on figuring out the dome would find a way to lift it. But he was right – no one knew how long it would take. It was possible people would start to get worried if things got strained. “I— I don’t think that’s true.” Her only terrible experience had been with a vampire, and that hadn’t been under any trying circumstances. 

      HER  OPTIMISM MADE  HIM  LAUGH  ━  was  that  even  optimism or  was  it  the  desire  to  be  optimistic about  the  whole  thing?  something so  fragile,  it  could  be  destroyed with  the  simplest of  words.  “i  guess  we  are  about  to  see  ;  and  guess  what?  you  scored yourself  front  row  tickets  to  the  show.”

“Oh,” A shrug fell from her shoulders, Rowan not having thought that far ahead. “I used to travel a lot, and I’d trade for places to stay, food…Things are a little different here.” It was the first time she’d had her own place in a long time. “We can figure that out later.” She didn’t really need for anything at the moment, Rowan more concerned about helping people at this point. That’s what she wanted to do with her magic. The other woman’s laugh caught her off-guard, though the witch had to be glad that Emmeline wasn’t offended by the question. “I have….” Her brow furrowed with thought, the redhead moving to a bookshelf, fingers dancing over the spines until she found the one she was looking for. She brought it back to the island, flipping though it until Naga appeared on the page. “Here..” Rowan pushed the book towards the other woman. The book was specific to magic’s affects on other supernatural creatures. Of course, it could be used for harm, the best way to cast spells against others. But it was just information. It could also be used for good - which is what Rowan intended. She needed to know how her potion would affect the other woman, to make it effective. 

 𝘁𝗵𝗲  𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲  𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱  𝗶𝗻  𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁  and  while  she  was  not  fond  of  owing  any  FAVORS,  this  potion was  more  important than  her  pride.  “alright.  we  can  ------ i  just  hope  you  don’t  expect  anything KINKY.”  she  joked  before  she  narrowed  her  eyes  at  the  book.  maybe  it  was  nothing more  than  INFORMATION  to  some,  but  it  seemed  like  a  great  weapon  to  someone  like  emmeline.  someone who  had  been  hunted  for  centuries  and  lost  her  family  because of  it.  “i  hope  you  are  always keeping  that  extremely close  to  you.  it  could  cause  SUCH  DAMAGE  in  the  wrong  hands.”  but  the  witch  knew  that,  right?

“— and you thought coming to me was a good idea?” The veterinarian says, his hand pushing on his front door to close it. To say that he was a little confused would be the understatement of the century but he had allowed them to come in nonetheless. “You know that I’m a veterinarian and not a doctor, right?”

 𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲  𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱  𝗻𝗼𝘁  𝘁𝗼  𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵  as  she  continued  to  add  pressure to  the  wound  to  keep  it  from  bleeding.  “i  know,  yes.”  but  he  was  the  first  doctor she  found  and  this  hurt.  BADLY.  “i  could...  i  could  change back  into  snake  form,  if  that  would  make  it  easier for  you  to  treat  it.”  it  was  a  secret she  did  not  plan  on  revealing,  but  now  was  not  the  time  for  fear  and  distrust.  she  was  vulnerable  either way.  if  he  wanted  to  harm  her  he  could  do  it  to  this  body  too.

listening to her mother’s words made her sad.  not because emmeline was trying to make her sad, but because the world wasn’t as good as it should be, and there wasn’t anything that just one person could do to change that.  “its true i think.  lots of them are more worried about having power than how they’re actually doing as a leader for their people.”  humans were bad about this, just as the creatures were that she’d met in her time.

when the tune of the conversation changed, her frown turned into a smile, albeit still a sad one.  "i miss daddy.  i wish he were here too.“  a sigh fell from her lips, before she tried to brighten up her mood.  "i think we should do that, we should cook together again.”  she fondly remembered the stew that she’d made with lizzie, “my friend…. she brought me fresh meat once, we made stew from it, and it was delicious.”  she didn’t think her mother would want to know where it came from, so she left that part away, “maybe we can get our own meat this time, and make something wonderful.”

𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲  𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲  𝗵𝗲𝗿  𝗮  𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴  𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲  and  she  squeezed her  hand  again, attempting  to  comfort her.  “we  will  SURVIVE  this.  you  know  that,  right?”  she  would  do  anything to  protect  her  daughter after  all.  “and  we  can’t  change the  entire  world, but  we  can  change ours.” 

the  smile  on  her  lips  faded  the  slightest bit,  but  she  nodded  her  head.  “i  miss  your  father too.”  SOMETIMES  anyway.  it  had  been  so  long  and  at  some  point  she  needed to  BANISH  THE  PAIN  to  go  on.  “that  sounds  like  a  wonderful idea.  i  would  like  that.”

“they probably aren’t supposed to listen these days, but in my day we knew better that to speak to our parents or behave the way that these children do.”  his father would have likely had him locked away for life had he acted the way the teenage wolves in the hotel acted, or even knocked his teeth out, who knew really.  “well people come to a castle for royal treatment, yes?”  a smile quirked up one corner of his mouth as he winked over at her.  “and maybe to meet royals, but in this day and age, there aren’t as many royals as there once were.”  he gestured toward the staircase and the elevator, “besides you seem like the kind of woman who knows that she deserves to spoiled, so why question it?”

 𝘁𝗵𝗲  𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮  𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗱  𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗹𝘆  in  response to  his  words. “i  don’t  think  i  would  have  DARED  to  speak  to  my  parents like  that  either, but  times  are  changing.  a  lot  of  parents  don’t  even  want  to  be  parents  anymore.  they  want  to  be  friends.”  and  while  there  was  nothing  wrong  with  different methods  to  raise  your  child, you  still  needed to  do  the  RAISING  PART.  “i  came  to  the  castle for  a  roof  over  my  head.”  emmeline  smirked softly  as  she  decided  to  take  the  stairs,  rather than  the  elevator. she  enjoyed  luxury, yes,  but  that  did  not  mean  she  NEEDED  it  at  all  costs.  “oh,  i  do  ------  but  wouldn’t  it  be  wrong  of  me  to  assume that  everyone  is  going  to  spoil  me?”  she  teased.