#morpho scorched earth

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Dream Catcher

Art (c) me

Characters (c) me

[shikkokunohaoh]

what if i hacked an instagram or tiktok influencer account and had them post some insane shit that makes literally no sense like “you think morpho knight and spamton are the judas iscariot of exploring each other’s bodies” and delete every other post they have. scorched earth. All must die.

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Morpho makes the most of the good weather by sky dancing! Here he is being his cheerful self. Despite being born into the tribe, Morpho's role was never clear to him. During his trial period, he tried out each role but he never felt satisfied. What he does love, is performing. Be it dancing, singing, stand up, etc. He LOVED putting on a show. However he was extremely shy about his secret talent. The only person who knows of this, is his childhood friend Hope; who is herself not the most social butterfly. She is very supportive about his passions, even going so far as to practise with him and being his dance partner. There's one reason why he held himself back from expressing himself; the tribal system itself. Performing isn't seen as a necessary role within a tribe and is seen as generally unhelpful. Not wanting to disappoint his parents, he keeps everything to himself. And hopes one day, he'll be given a chance to express himself freely with fear. ______________________________________________________ Scorched Earth is a story that revolves around Hope, her friends and family, as well as other characters. As danger looms in the shadows, she leads an expedition in search of answers. How did the fire start and what exactly is this 'danger' that they must face? But importantly; will they discover the answers before its too late? See full collection here!! ______________________________________________________ Morpho (c) me Art (c) me

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Morpho and Geotona (c) me

Art (c) me

Characters from Scorched Earth

 https://www.deviantart.com/silversiskin/gallery/70438482/scorched-earth

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Morpho

Morpho (c) me

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"HEY NERD DOCTOR!! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH FLUFF PLEASE HELP OH MY G-" Morpho yelled, panicked at his friend's condition. "Morpho calm down! What's wrong?" "HOPE ISN'T RESPONDING TO ANYTHING! NOT EVEN IF I PICK ONE OF HER FLOWERS SHE WON'T CHASE ME AWAY LIKE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO!" "Oh that's indeed a problem, okay bring her in quickly." Morpho hastily brought her to Pavo, shaking. Pavo checked Hope's pulse, her reflexes and breathing. "SO!? IS SHE DEAD?!" "Pardon..? N-no Morpho she's breathing and her heart is healthy" Pavo replied, perplexed that Morpho couldn't pick up on something as simple as a rising chest. "I can't concentrate with you shouting at me so please lower your voice. The last thing she needs is stress." "Okay I'll just...sit here then..." he whispered, tapping his hooves together impatiently. Pavo sighed now that Morpho finally agreed be quiet. He placed his hoof over her forehead to check her temperature, only to realise that she was burning up. "Did she spend most of the day in direct sunlight?" Pavo enquired. "Probably?! I don't know!? I found her like this!? IS SHE OKAY?!?" "Morpho shush! Alright I've come to the conclusion that she's suffering from a sunstroke." "Sun- what?" "Stroke. As a result of being out in the sun for too long. Take this pot and go to the river to fill it up with water, quick." "You got it, nerd!" he said before darting out to fetch water. Pavo took a few deep breaths to recollect himself from the stressful situation and looked at his patient. "I should have been more vigilant instead burying my head in books all day" he thought to himself. "And now I have a headache; great job Pavo, you've overworked yourself for the billionth time. You're tired, you're dissatisfied and the one deer who always makes it bearable, is sick. Jeez, what would Orion think of me now?" Pavo's inner monologue was cut off as he saw Hope' eyes flutter a bit; not a lot but it was enough for him notice. "You'll be okay, Hope. You'll be okay".

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Impasse

Hope: “So you saw it too?”

Darcie: “Not gonna lie, I thought you two were as good as dead. That explosion though, that was nothin’ I ever saw before”.

Pavo: “Death won’t come knocking on our doors as long as I’m around”.

D: “That’s bullshit and you know it! Doctors are all the same, the lot of em. All bark but no bite”.

Pavo fell into an awkward silence.

H: “…Aren’t you going to say anything?”

P: “She merely expressed her opinion. An incorrect opinion, but with that strong head of hers I doubt she’s willing to listen to my so-called ‘bark’ ”.

Last I remembered, he had plenty of ‘bark’ to go around. And now he drew the line?!

M: “INCOMING!!!!”

Morpho came at full speed, tackling me to the ground in a hug.

M: “Fluff, you made it! You made it! Oh Megaloceros thank you!…Oh nice to see you too, twigs ~”.

P: “Pardon?”

M: “What? Don’t like your nickname? ~ ”

P: “My…what?”

M: “Don’t tell me you don’t know what a nickname is! Your antlers reminded me of twigs so I think its rather fitting!” ~

P: “Please spare me the sentiment”.

Their conversation faded from my mind and became tormented with worry. Cara was nowhere to be found.

The perytons turned up nothing. She simply vanished.

And as morbid as it sounded, there was no way for her to scream for help.

A hoof on my shoulder woke me from my daze.

M: “You’re probably overthinking this, Hope. Its normal for the little devils to go off exploring”.

P: “Its highly probable she’s home safe and sound”.

D: “We get it, you want go home! Grow up already”.

Pavo’s expression soured and stuck his nose in the air.

M: “Guys chill! I’m sure if we stay put, she’ll show up in no time! ~”

P: “You might as well serve us on a silver platter! We almost died back there!”

Maybe they were right. Maybe she was at home waiting for us? But surely she would have left some sort of message for us.

Either way, my mind was scrambled and aching. I noticed Pavo had his arm outstretched looking off into the distance.

His ears twitched to and fro. He then pressed his lips together and whistled.

Out of the nothingness came a giant ferocious terrifying beast!

I screamed and curled into a ball awaiting certain death.

But death didn’t come. I opened my eyes to see an enormous bird perched on his arm.

Pavo unfolded a piece of parchment it had in its talons.

P: “Much obliged, Aquila”.

His feathered companion screeched in response. Aquila's sternness towards me put Pavo's to shame.

D: “What’s it say?”

P: “Its for you”.

H: “O-oh? For me?”

Who was it from, I wondered. Whatever it was, I had a bad feeling.

M: “A secret admirer perhaps…?” ~

I rolled my eyes. Morpho was breaming with excitement by the second. How he found joy from this sort of thing was something I couldn’t comprehend. Listening in on the latest gossip that trickled through the streets.

That dork.

I skimmed the page and read it over again and again. Fighting the doubt that lingered.

It was a summons, and an urgent one at that. No! We did not come so far only to turn back. Not without Cara!

H: “I…”

I instinctively dropped the note, my nose wrinkling in disgust. I had never been so split on a decision before.

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole and make the call for me. For all I knew, Cara may have been in the ground too.

My emotions clouded my judgement. I felt myself spiralling.

P: “We’re wasting time. We won’t know how bad it is until we see it for ourselves”.

M: “I need to know if my folks are alright!”

H: “Okay! But after this is over, promise me”.

I glanced over at them all individually.

Morpho.

Darcie.

Pavo.

H: “Promise me you’ll help me find her! Please!”

Pavo thought for a moment and then spoke with the formality we had come to expect.

P: “When the Chief assigned me to this farce as the final test of my apprenticeship, I had every intention of fulfilling it as I do now.

No matter what. Only then will I get what I was promised; recognition as a doctor by none other than the Chief himself, the highest honour.

If he wants everyone all back safely then so be it. That includes her”.

I hoped he meant it. I really did.

While everyone was running, I couldn’t help dragging my feet.

Looking back, I wish I listened to my gut that day. Maybe then things could have been different.

But nothing ever goes according to plan, does it?

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Scorched Earth Blurb:

Under the guise of discovering new herbs, Hope and four others escape from their overworked life of Home Village, excited by the prospect of adventure. But when one of her crew goes missing, Hope refuses to return home without them. On their mystical journey they discover new locations, characters, cultures and make a very powerful enemy. Can they uncover Hibernia’s darkest secrets and save their friend in time? See their story here!

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I have been thinking about redesigning some of the main cast from Scorched Earth. Cara, Pavo and Darcy's (pre-amputation) designs will remain the way they are. I feel like I can come up with a better design for Hope and Morpho in particular now that I have a good idea of who they are as characters. It has been a long time since I've added an entry but I can assure you that I have not forgotten about the series. I'm doing a lot of work behind the scenes which I can't show due of spoilers. But for now, I'll show my thought process behind updating Morpho's design. Warning: I'm breaking the "Show, Don't Tell" rule of writing in order to discuss certain changes I've made to this character. But at the end of the day, I'm an artist  first and a writer second (or thirteenth, I'm not that good xD ) - Removing Morpho's Facial Scars: I have decided to remove Morpho's scratches from his face and I may place them somewhere less conspicuous. The origin of these scars are from Morpho himself after being told that Hope, his childhood friend, didn't reciprocate his feelings romantically. Hope and Morpho's friendship despite not being romantically involved is an important part of the story. With Hope, dealing with the guilt of having to reject her best friend. And Morpho, learning that their friendship and in extension her happiness is what truly matters to him. Leaving Morpho with the facial scars might make the viewer believe that his rejection defines his character as the "scorned lover of the protagonist". - Alternate Markings: Coming up with unique character designs is no easy task, especially for someone who isn't great at making big decisions and sticking with them (aka me). All Scorched Earth characters have the same thing in common; a main coat and a secondary coat. (For example in Morpho's original design, his main coat is a light green and his secondary coat is a richer shade of green) I have followed this trend for as long as I can remember and I feel its about time I stopped and tried something new. Morpho is a passionate and creative-centric character. He doesn't take life too seriously and likes to fun while dragging his friends along with him. He enjoys dancing in particular. So his design is inspired by dancing attire; specifically ballroom dancing. The secondary coat and the extra fur on his hind legs mimic a tail coat that of male dancers. His white markings imitate a vest, making him look like he's wearing clothes. I must say that I'm much more satisfied with his new design, except for the wings. I'll continue to play around with them. Which design is your favourite? I would love to hear from you! ^^ Art (c) me Morpho (c) me

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“OH HOLY PETUNIAS!” Hope shrieked looking down between the gaps of the wooden planks. Her voice barely audible to the rest of her friends who were waiting on the other side. Except for Morpho who was ahead of her.   “We’re almost there! You can do this!” he called out. “No I can’t! Oh this was a horrible idea. Why did I agree to do this?!” Morpho turned to face her, focusing on his footing. Morpho then, had an idea. “Hey, remember those dance routines we did when we were little?” “Yeah! And how is that going to help?” “We are going to do one right now”. “WHAT?! YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!!” “Look at me fluff” he said. “I would never let anything bad happen to you. I promise” he said, slowly raising a hoof. "You can trust me. You can always trust me". Hope opened one of her eyes to see her best friend of ten years, a comforting smile on his face. For the first time since she found out the truth behind the scar on his face, she didn't burst into tears on the spot. She still felt guilty and wasn't quite ready to forgive herself just yet. But in that moment, it didn't matter. She was not going to let something so small ruin their friendship, and neither did he. Not without a fight. She opened her other eye and smiled as she put her hoof on his. She was going to be okay. They were going to be okay. “Four steps forward, two steps back. Just like how we practised”. “Yeah… I remember”. ______________________________________________________ Scorched Earth is a story that revolves around Hope, her friends and family, as well as other characters. As danger looms in the shadows, she leads an expedition in search of answers. How did the fire start and what exactly is this 'danger' that they must face? But importantly; will they discover the answers before its too late? See full collection here!! ______________________________________________________ Morpho and Hope (c) me Art (c) me

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| Ria’s Relapse |

"I'm FINE, Ray! Now let me see Nimbus!" Ria demanded as she stood threateningly. But Ray didn't move a muscle. "Nimbus isn't here, hun. The thunder and lightning is triggering an episode. Let's go to the chief until this storm blows over. Please hun, you're scaring the kids". "YES he is! He's right behind you! And I'm not going to Image until I give him a piece of my mind!" she growled. As Rayalta kept trying to convince Euphoria to leave, Hope cowered in Morpho's embrace. "I-I want it to stop. W-why is she like this? Why is she mad at me?" Hope whimpered. "I don't know but it will pass. Would it help if I sang a little?" "Mhm". _________________________________________________________ Okie, its note time! - Euphoria's Condition: When she and Hope were rescued by the tribe, they quickly found out that Ria suffered from hallucinations. Basically she sees things that aren't actually there. One of her most notorious hallucinations is of Nimbus; her ex husband and Hope's father. She also has her fair share of triggers that may set her off, like thunder and lightning. The real world equivalent of her condition is known as schizophrenia. Its a heavily misunderstood illness and I implore you to research into it, if you are interested! - Hope's Fear of Fighting: Hope's fear of confrontation has always remained constant throughout all her drafts. It serves as a major flaw of her character and for a while, I didn't know why. She just doesn't handle it well, or not as well as other protagonists from in TV series or books. However as the Scorched Earth story continues she'll grow from this. And the other characters will grow too. It is a story after all! What's the point in telling a story if your characters don't grow or become better versions of themselves? ^^ - Morpho Sings..?: Yep he sure does! In fact, he's the most expressive out of the group. As a fawn he would put on performances where he would sing, dance, stand-up, you name it! And when times get tough, he would sing to Hope to calm her down or make her feel better. ______________________________________________________

Scorched Earth is a story that revolves around Hope, her friends and family, as well as other characters. As danger looms in the shadows, she leads an expedition in search of answers. How did the fire start and what exactly is this 'danger' that they must face? But importantly; will they discover the answers before its too late? See full collection here!! ______________________________________________________ Euphoria, Rayalta, Hope and Morpho (c) me Art (c) me

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Is Darcy Engaged??

"Y'know Cookie, I never did ask about that ring of yours". "Yeah?" "Now, I know you are well capable of making own decisions and all but... aren't you a bit young to be getting married?" "WAIT WHAT? Where the hell did that come from?!" "Well you see, rings aren't easy to come by. My parents have rings because they're married and because one of the forgeries is in Tonntamore; where my parents first met and eventually eloped". "Your point?" "How did you get one then?" "I just found it. On the ground. That's it". Morpho raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "UGHHH IT WAS MY MOM'S ALRIGHT?! HAPPY?!" "Oh..." Morpho was taken aback by her answer. "Y-you have a family? I've known you for years and you've never talked about them before. Listen, if you don't want to talk about it, I understand". "Don't give me that preachy shit". "Alright then, I'll leave the preachy out and just give you shit cuz I care about you. Happy?" Darcy snorted at his jab. "You, ass" she grumbled, trying to hide her smile. "Love you too kiddo~"

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Back in Tonntamore... "I can't believe you are dragging me along with you" Pavo groaned, thoroughly displeased that he was disturbed so early in the morning. Morpho was the first to wake up that morning, bustling with energy and a hunger for excitement. He spontaneously took Pavo by the ear to go exploring with him. The only thing on Morpho's mind was adventure while Pavo wanted to sleep in for an extra hour or two. His mind was reminiscing over seeing Hope in great pain. Why was she so upset? "I'm doing you a favour, you know. No offence twigs, you need to actually have fun for once. Otherwise you'll be a grumpy old buck for the rest of your life". "And how do you know I'm not grumpy now?" Pavo raised an eyebrow. "Cuz I'm a delight to be around, duh" Morpho smirked. "Not that you needed to be reminded, of course". Pavo rolled his eyes at the peryton's remark. "WAIT PAV-!!!" Pavo suddenly skidded down a large crater in the ground. He tried to run back up but he lost his gripping on the rocks, making him slide down all the way to the bottom. He coughed as the large dust cloud slowly faded away. "Woah you okay down there?!" "Y-yeah I'm fine just..." Pavo looked into the cave and froze. All he could make out was a giant silhouette, expanding and shrinking slightly. He didn't know what it was but, this was breathing. "You getting the hang of it! What a great start! I'm coming down!" Morpho announced, taking a dive into the cave. "See I told you! Wasn't i- uhhh... what's with you?" "Don't. Move. A muscle" Pavo muttered under his breath. "Pfft, I'm not going to fall f-" "I mean it Morpho d-" ~~~GROWL~~~ Their hearts stopped. The creature emerged from the shadows, stalking the two intruders. "RUN!!" Morpho shouted. "AGREED!!" As they ran in opposite directions, Morpho clumsily flew just in time as the creatures barbed tail swung past him. Pavo ran up the side of the cave, only to slide back down. The creature turned its attention to the lone buck, stumbling in panic. "HEY!! LOBSTER FACE!!" Morpho shouted and threw rocks at the creature, getting the it's attention. "EYES ON THE STAGE!!" Morpho performed summersaults through the air; twists, turns, flips and all. Irritated, the creature swung its tail at the peryton. Buying Pavo some time to escape. With the beast preoccupied, Pavo made a final dash for the slope. This time he got enough grip to pull himself up one of the ledges. He leaped across to another ledge with the beast preparing itself to attack. It was now or never. He was mid jump when the creature's tail went to grab him. It narrowly missed, grazing Pavo's tail. He ran to the top and fell onto the soft  grass beneath him, catching his breath. Morpho perched himself in front of him, also trying to catch his breath. There was silence momentarily as they calmed down and looked back down at the beast, which scuttled back into the darkness for another day. Realising that they were safe, they both started to laugh. "BOOM BABY!!" Morpho cheered. "Now that was thrilling!" Pavo didn't answer, instead continuing to laugh. "What the heck was that?!" Pavo asked, questioning everything he knew about the world. "Haha! Who cares?! We defeated a monster, Pav! We. Defeated. A. Monster!! Just like the stories my parents told me as a kid too! I'm might to be remembered as hero someday!" "Those were just stories Morpho. They are completely fictitious and have been greatly exaggerated". "What if they're not? We both saw the same monster, how do you explain that?" "I-I don't know...but it can't be...ughh headache again". "Come on! Let's go tell the others!!"

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Hope’s Declaration

Hope: [Gahh- I can’t believe I am going through with this! Stupid nerves! Can’t you give it a rest for once and allow me to function properly!?]

Morpho: Oooooh Hope~! I have gathered everyone including the Chief himself! All of them eagerly await your grand entrance. I have even gone out of the way and came up with some choreogra…phy… (…) Um… are you feeling alright, my friend?

Hope: Every part of me wants to crawl into an deep dark abyss and never crawl out again.

Morpho: I know! Isn’t it exhilarating!? I dare say it is the best part of any performance!

Hope: *sigh* Morpho, please be serious. I can’t dance around the issue like you I- (…) Am…I really cut out for this?

Morpho: Hope! I have seen you doubt and question things throughout the years. Most of all, yourself. If you sense something isn’t right, go with your gut. Trust yourself and stand firm in your convictions. Show them what your made of, cottontail!

Hope: Right! Thank you Morpho!

Morpho: [aside] Yes! I knew that extra rehearsal would come in handy!

Hope: Huh? Did you say something?

Morpho: NOPE~! Best of luck!

———

Hope: [This silence is killing me but I can’t give up! I won’t let my efforts be in vain. I won’t!]

Chief: Herbalist Hope, what might this be about?

Hope: Oh! um… sorry…I-I have an announcement to make. *Sigh* I…I want to lead an expedition and journey beyond our borders.

Chief: Well this is most… unexpected. We will set aside a time to deliberate this new development.

Hope: I never said this decision was up for discussion.

Chief: W-what did you just say!? You dare disobey your own chief and throw away your title?

Euphoria: Sugar…why are you doing this…?

Rayalta: You want to leave the tribe behind?! WE RAISED YOU!! And now you want to throw us aside?!

Captain: Rayalta… let the kid speak.

Chief: Explain yourself.

Hope: With each passing season, the quality of the soil deteriorates. It will only be a matter of time before it is rendered lifeless, making it impossible to grow the crops we need. If we don’t act now we would be putting our village in jeopardy.  

Chief: Tell me, do you plan on going by yourself?

Hope: No. Three members will join me. And although I have zilch confidence in myself, I have full confidence in their combined abilities. We will leave tomorrow at dawn. I… That is all.

[Narration: Hope's POV] There was so much I wanted to say in that moment. But I could not bring myself to meet their disapproving gazes. After all, I disobeyed the Chief and lied about my true intentions. Little did I know, this was the beginning of something that would change my life forever.

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Scorched Earth is a story that follows Hope, a curious girl who wants more from life than growing herbs for her village. Something is rotten in Hibernia and she aims to discover a past her seniors are desperately trying to forget. Joining her are four tribe mates that are as different as night and day. Can she discover the truth in time and stop history from repeating itself? See full collection here!!!

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Hope and Chief (c) me

Art (c) me

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Morpho is happy with his redesign and decides to show it off. Poor Pavo xD <3

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Hope’s Sickness - narrated!!

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Passing Judgement

Audio/Narration:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HMfmF…

"Uh Hope? You... okay?"

Morpho asked a nervous and slightly dazed Hope. Today was the day. Hope had been preparing for this day almost all her life.

"Nope nope nope nope nope. I can't do it. I can't DO IT."

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"Yes you can! This is your only chance to finally get the answers you want. We've rehearsed this many times. You. Can. Do. It"

"I-I'm not so sure. What if-"

Morpho interrupted.

"Do you want this? Yes or no?"

"Y-yes I do"

"Good. Now go give the chief a peace of your mind!"

With a slight tremble in her step, Hope walked into the centre and stood looking up at Image. The rest of the tribe members sat in a circle, awaiting her announcement. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to block out the stares. She could hear Darcy's laughter from behind followed by a swift kick to the leg by Morpho. She took in deep breaths in and out. 'Come on Hope. You're ready. YOU. ARE. READY', she thought to herself.

"Image; chief of the Reperyton Tribe. I am eternally grateful for the kindness you have given to us. You allowed my mother and I into your tribe in our most desperate hour of need. Because of you, I am alive today. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Image nodded in acknowledgement. Seeing him nod eased her anxiety a little.

"Today, I have come with a request. I-I I'm proposing an expedition back to the Ancestral Land"

The members were in shock upon hearing this and began whispering to each other. Lorcan was the first one to speak.

"This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! That place is long dead and should be left alone.

"Shut up ya jackass and let her finish!"

"Sugar, I forbid you from going. That's absolutely insane! It is too dangerous. We almost died!"

Image sat motionless while the members around him bickered. Hope quivered at the sound of conflict, regretting every single second. She looked over at Morpho in defeat. He mouthed the words 'keep going'. She turned back to look at Image.

"I want to know what happened because no one else seems to know. I-I need to know..."

Her tone shook with vulnerability as she stood there. The crowd fell silent. Pavo stood up and walked over to Hope's side, giving her a quick look of sympathy.

His social anxiety seemed to leave him that moment.

"Me too. T-that is if you would like me to?"

Hope nodded with relief while foot steps came from behind her. It was Morpho dragging Darcy along.

"Oh thank goodness, I do need a vacation! After all, I need to work on my tan"

Darcy said nothing and stood with a grumpy expression on her face.

Hope's heart soared knowing that her friends volunteered to go with her on the perilous journey. She held her breath when she noticed Image standing up from his ledge.

"I would like to say something.."

They all froze.

"You have my permission"