After a beat of confusion, Jude managed to put together what Kieran was saying, about the crowns - stimulating desire. Despite his best efforts, his flush only increased, burning another shade deeper on his cheeks, any happy warmth he had been feeling transformed to a... different sort of warmth.

He ought to be relieved he hadn’t put on a coral crown, then, really, and he ought to be pleased he wasn’t still wearing one now. The problem was... Jude wasn’t entirely sure wearing one would make any difference, at this point.

Not in this particular company.

Worryingly convinced the erratic state of his heartbeat was going to give him away about this, Jude swallowed and blurted out the first response he could think of. “You’re terrible, you know that?” He reached out to give Kieran a light nudge in demonstration of his exasperation, but he regretted it as soon as he had, and hastily followed that by raking his hand through his hair (and managing to miss most of the strands still in disarray).

“Clearly that wasn’t what today was supposed to be about,” he said, more in defeat than in reproach, since it was not as though Kieran wasn’t fully aware. (Jude supposed he should be grateful the charms hadn’t been potent enough to cause mass chaos.)

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