It's not breaking the rules if I live here

Erik didn’t show any resistance to her as she leaned closer to examine the crystals protruding from his throat and Ember took that opportunity to explore in a heartbeat. Her paw ever so gingerly rested on one of the larger crystals of the cluster, soft paw pads caressing over the smooth crystalline surface. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but it felt pretty much just like touching any other rock or crystal. Maybe a little bit warmer from his residual body warmth, but otherwise nothing magical or extraordinary. Ember silently studied his crystal growths, observing them with the same fascination a child with a new toy might. She didn't see them as a disability or a flaw. They were just a part of Erik to her—same as his eyes or his ears or his paws. She could see how they pulled and tore at the flesh around his neck, leaving it raw and unhealed in some parts. Were they actively cutting into him on a daily basis?

As she studied his mutation, Erik did his best to elucidate on her curiosities. His mother had called them residual effects of the Long Night. Ah, so his parents had probably been afflicted by the plague then. At least, that was how she understood it from the adults in her family. Once infected, it was always possible for the side effects and symptoms to be passed down to younger generations. Ember was no healer like her aunt or brother, but the whole deal with the Long Night was fascinating to her young mind. He did nod when she asked if they hurt him and that was all she needed to hear. If the crystals were hurting her friend, then they needed to go. Looking up directly into his eyes with a firm glance of her own, Ember told him, "Then stop talking." She liked hearing his voice, but if it was painful for him to speak then she'd rather he save his voice. At least that explained his rough hewn voice and short sentences.

While she checked out his crystals, bringing herself closer into his personal space to get a closer look at the bizarre mutations, she decided to keep their conversation going, at least one side of it. "I don't have a special weapon yet, but I want one. Dad says when I'm a yearling maybe I can have one." She really wanted a sword like her father's, but she'd be happy with just about any of her family's special heirlooms. Once satisfied with her investigating, Ember slowly withdrew her paws from his crystals, feeling this strange overwhelming urge to protect and help fix her friend. Maybe she could talk to her Aunt Gwyn and see if she had any ideas that might work... "No more talking, okay?" she instructed the headstrong viking with a resolute stare. "I'm flattered you've pushed yourself for me tonight, but I don't want you hurting yourself over me." There was no leeway in Ember's words. She wasn't letting him hurt himself doing dumb shit for her, and gods help the viking boy if he dared defy the will of the Carpathian princess.

Breathing a gentle sigh, Ember lifted her gaze from his neck up to his handsome face, pools of mixing blue hues holding onto the blazing orange of his eyes for a few long moments. There was a certainty in those oceanic eyes as they looked up at him, an adamant determination that came from the youthful impression that anything was possible. "If the crystals hurt you, then we're going to find a way to get rid of them," she told Erik. No ifs, ands, or buts. She wasn't going to allow her friend to suffer just because he had committed the awful sin of being born. Everything had a solution. They just had to figure it out.

"Ember Carpathius"