Hermit's Roost

She starts wriggling with a caw. "You don't got me! Nooo!"

 

"...hey, hey, hey, not like that, it's okay. I mean. I mean I'm here for you, I won't hurt you," Emberlyn protests with a squeak.

 

"...Oh." She gives one last wiggle, just because she can, then settles down. "...I'm cold."

 

"C'mon, you can come inside and get warmed up and have some cocoa, okay?"

 

"Okay." She nods, pulling away from the hug. As she does so, she catches a few strands of shiny hair on her fingers, 'accidentally' pulling them.

 

Emberlynn winces as the golden strands pull out. "Nnngh... okay. Okay. C...c'mon..."

She stands, whistling for the piggies.

 

"You have pigs." She observes curiously, putting her hands behind her back. There, she winds the stolen strands around her finger into a coil, then tucks it into the pocket of her shorts. The shiny has been secured!

 

"Mh-hm... This one is Waddles, and this one is Sir Francis Bacon," Emberlynn smiles.

 

"Neeeaaat.... when are you gonna kill them? Can I have the eyes?" She asks with a sweet, hopeful smile, offering her hand for the pigs to sniff.

 

"....they're pets. They aren't for food," Emberlynn chews her lowerlip, gently putting a hand on Corvie's shoulder and guiding her towards the house.

 

"But they're pigs..." She informs her, trotting along at her side. "You're s'pposed to eat pigs."

 

"Not these ones. These ones are pet pigs, I have pet kitties and bunnies, too."

 

"Those are weird pets. Do the cats pull your chariot?" She gets distracted by the sidewalk pavers, hopping from foot to foot over the cracks, then starts balancing on the curb.

 

"No, they mostly just curl up and nap in the sunbeams," Emberlynn watches her play for a bit, then carefully ushers her up to the door and into her house.

 

She peers around the doorframe before cautiously walking in, peering around at everything. "Your house is weird."

 

"It's cozy, though. Come over here, I'll get you some cocoa, okay?"

 

"Okay." She looks down at her feet and the velvet rope-wrapped boots thereon with a frown, like she's trying to remember something, then goes ahead and walks in with them still on.

 

Emberlynn pads, barefoot, into the kitchen, kicking her shoes off in the doorway.

She'll leave the kid be, will tidy up later.

She busies herself making cocoa, and decides to throw some marshmallows in, too.

 

The kid starts looking around her kitchen, nosy and not shy about it, opening drawers and cupboards as she comes across them, peering inside with her head tilted. The feathers growing through her hair lift as she does, signaling her curiosity.

 

The woman watches her quietly.

Oh boy.

Yeah, going to need to get this one somewhere better to stay where she won't find the gem cabinet in the bedroom. "Hey kiddo, what's your name?"