Approval

'Wouldn't it be nice to just get married to the one you truly love?'

The sturdy hedges of the garden pathways converged at the zoo's center, a paved place with park benches, swing sets, and other small children's attractions. Conrad watched from the fringes of a crowd of parents and children.  Knowing what's coming next, he picked up a park map from a nearby kiosk and wrung it between his hands to keep them busy. 

'But still, the Mondragon heir, huh? I recall Hershey reporting on him often,' he mulled. 'He got into some troubles with Blair back when they were still classmates. I thought for sure their fallout in fourth grade was the end of such a tumultuous dynamic. But it seemed Hershey withheld an important detail from me-' 

Conrad was cut off mid-though upon seeing Blair's face light up with recognition before turning to Cadmus.