Gold Nel: Bleach (Patreon)

The pale desert wind moved across the dunes as the moonlight caught on Nel’s hair, a shimmer of turquoise against endless white. You’d been walking for hours before you finally saw her—a lone figure perched on a fragment of stone, smiling like she’d been waiting just for you.

She rose as you approached, brushing sand from her arm.
“Lost?” she asked, voice soft but edged with amusement. “Or did you come looking for trouble?”

You started to reply, but her grin widened.
“Because if it’s the second one,” she said, stepping closer until her breath touched your cheek, “I’m very good at that.”

Then she laughed—light, musical, and impossible not to follow—as she turned away.
“Come on,” she called over her shoulder. “Let’s see if you can keep up.”