Bonded

Chapter Thirty Three

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Kavya

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With the way India lets his hands cling to both my sleeve and Ronin's I know that neither of us is even considering walking away from our India and leaving him at the mercy of his master... Even if we do both know Master Qiao should be relatively harmless since he is already bound to someone... And his certain someone does not seem to be very receptive to the thought of not being the only one with his attention... Our chaperone currently pouting over the fact that his future husband asked him to go and sit and finish his breakfast while the lot of us stood and moved away from the table once Ronin and I began to challenge the idea of Qiao getting our India alone...

I did not think we were the type to feel as territorial as I feel right now.. *As territorial as Ronin looks right now with his arm slung so protectively around India's waist to offer him support and partially shield him from the disapproving eyes of his master as we stand here in the corner for some semblance of privacy away from all of the tables and prying eyes and eavesdroppers that are probably so curious about this new courtship blooming in such plain view of all of them... As if they were not already witnessing more of our entanglement than any of us would like them to due to needing to go about this the proper way so that we do not damage India's reputation...

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Ronin

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"You had something you wished to speak of? Might we get on with that instead of debating whether or not you think it is appropriate for us to be here with India when he is ours." I know my tone is dryer than it should be... I know that I've got no right to speak to a Master of any kind this way...

But I feel as though he should be aware of how inappropriate it would have been for him to talk to India alone after he's accepted our offer of courtship...

It matters not if he has a wife he is currently waiting to wed... Kavya and I hadn't exactly been looking for India or to expand our relationship or our plans for the future... but now both of us are more than aware of the way that life and the gods may have things planned for you that you never actually intended to experience... And different paths that they have fated you to walk through even if you did not expect the journey...

Master Qiao should have known that such a request would come off poorly and so very inappropriate... Even if he is trying so very hard to pretend that the ones acting strange here are Kavya and I as we shield India from the stress of interacting with his mentors in such an odd way...

And yet here we are with him staring me down as if I am the one out of line and out of place when Kavya and I are the only ones actually suitable to stand by India's side to protect him and keep him safe... His words making my eyes narrow in his direction, "Fine... As long as India does not mind I suppose I should not either... I wanted to ask that the next time you decide to pick flowers to please... Take them back to your room and leave them there...Turning yourself into such a display may keep others from properly focusing on their studies..."