Hunkered Down in a Castle (Patreon)

Below is a few paragraphs co-written with a friend that was meant to compliment the series of sketches.-Drip. Drip. Drip.

There was a leak somewhere. A dozen, probably. And a draft. A dozen drafts. Between the water and the wind it was getting pretty chilly.

Awfully cold- and she was awfully little. All alone over there. Looking like the cherry on top of a sundae in her cute poncho. Homeostasis was hard when you were only the size of the average mom's purse. A gentleman would get over there and help her out.

He was well aware that he was just making excuses for himself- and honestly he didn't need them- but it was getting harder and harder to be good the more he got to know her. Turned out she wasn't just adorable on the outside. Her personality was pretty cute too.

And sure, he was a gentleman- but being a gentleman only went so far.

He stood carefully. Once tonight already he'd made the castle tilt. She'd given him an impressed look for that, and embarrassed though he was he found his way to being a little bit proud of it, too. It was nice to have an audience.

Especially one that looked at him with such bright and friendly eyes- with an edge of something else. Not fear, they were well past that point, but a flattering trickle of apprehension that he couldn't bring himself to be ashamed of.

He opened his mouth at her back like he meant to kick up a conversation, smiling to his back fangs, but that was when she turned. Her poncho opened and her hand stuck out. She lifted her arm toward his face and opened her palm, presenting a hunk of quartz like she was offering a horse a cube of sugar.

Something she'd squirreled away for him at the quarry no doubt.

Cute. But terrible timing.

A moment ago he'd thought he still had a well of restraint, but the bottom had just fallen out of it.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

That's all that was left.