Cad tried to hide his relief - feigning sympathy was hard for short periods, he wasnt sure if he would be able to sustain the fiction if they started delving into deep matters of the heart.

'Not speaking of it, it is.' he said authoritively, and seated himself on the blanket. 'Have you met Deimos?' he asked gesturing to his owl, who had jumped from his arm to the floor where he picking at the bits of straw that littered the owlry floor. The owl was the opposite of his owner and his name - named for the god of dread and terror, Cad had thought he looked fearsome, with his grumpy and intense face, but he had turned out to be a sweet and very affectionate animal who, when he was able, liked to sit on his owners shoulder, and fall sleep with his head turned into Cad's hair. For all of his grumping, he didn't really mind it, and on the holidays he liked to let Deimos sleep in his room.

Knowing he was being discussed, the owl turned towards his master and the girl he was with and fluffed his feathers, preening. Cad let out a chuckle, 'He's a bit of a show off'

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