/uses prince icon because apparently i need to draw a serious surprise one

[Avery stares down at it, mouth hanging open, and his heart twists and tightens with the faintest shred of hope.]

Yeah.

Yeah, that.

[He sounds like a fool. Very erudite, Avery. Super expressive. Good job.

He eyes Ekkehardt for a moment, then snatches up a somewhat thick branch, breaking it in half over a knee. ]

This is probably too thin to work.

[He sounds almost distracted, playful tone vanished]

Pretty sure the posts are supposed to be more like logs, right?

[He tosses the broken branch up into the air, letting it spin once and catching it. Once. Twice. The third time it hits him in the head.

He curses under his breath, rubbing the spot, an eye trained on Ekkehardt.

He waits--hopes--for dry mockery to follow]