Warmth in Winter
((Drabbles are a wonderful thing no? Lol here have a glimpse of one of their shared moments from Cassia-mun))
Cassia remained as still as she could, gently stroking the chameleon’s head crest to help him sleep soundly as his head was currently using her lap as a pillow. The doe smiled fondly at the slumbering ninja as the wind outside her tree house reminded her that the winter storm was still whirling around outside with bitter chills to face. She didn’t have much of a heating system originally, since most of her home was made from wood and fire was a very bad idea. Yet…the tightly wrapped bundles of sticks and logs that were woven together to build this place kept most of the chill out and prevented snow and icy winds from entering the shelter.
After she met Espio however, something changed and she wanted to try and make it a little warmer in the winter. She had managed to put together a stone firepit in the center of her house where the tree trunk support was at its widest. Filling the hole first with clay to seal it then dirt and finally stones to keep the flames from lighting her whole house on fire. Today, she had used it for the first time once he had come over to the valley just before a snowstorm hit the Secret Valley Zone of their world. It had dulled down into just embers now, yet the entire tree house was warm and comfortable even as the storm continued into the night.
She was sitting on the floor, her legs tucked up to one side as he had fallen asleep unknowingly. Cassia suspected that it was due to the talent she had of making the often concerned chameleon calm and relaxed in her presence. Reassurances and a sense of comfort could do wondrous things to people who usually had so much on their minds. She should know…
“Silly lizard…” She murmured softly as she watched him breathing, her hand now simply resting on his head.
A part of her wondered if he really was asleep or just pretending so that he could share a moment with her off guard.
Either way, she was enjoying the moment as she pulled a blanket off of the handmade sofa behind her to cover the chameleon with. The blanket was one of the few things she had brought with her from the Legion. It was the same one that they had used for Cassia herself when she had to be confined to her bed…thus it smelled of two things: lavender and sage. The herbs used to help her sleep better at night after her episodes…now it was just a welcome scent that reminded her of her sister and made her feel safe. She hoped it would do the same for Espio as well.
She couldn’t help but admire how amazing Espio was, his smooth color changing scales were a source of great fascination to her and every time they shifted into some other tint she felt her breath get stolen away. Like she told him before on the day they met, his scales were beautiful and she would never imagine him any other way. Even the normal hue of magenta was wonderful to see on the chameleon, it made his horn and eyes stand out in all their golden splendor. The moment she learned the names of those colors she had them ingrained in her mind due to how they were the colors of the only friend she had out here in the valley even if he wasn’t always around.
Then again…somehow the chameleon managed to make every color he changed look like a piece of art on his form. He looked handsome no matter what part of the color wheel his scales had chosen to be during the moments he let them shift in Cassia’s presence. Or at least to her he did…
Even down as the dull embers flickered in a faint glow, Cassia felt a tightness in her chest as she watched the faint light being picked up by the chameleon’s glistening scales and shining horn. It was strange but it was a good feeling, like something taking hold of her heart for a moment to make sure she knew it was there….whatever “it” was.
She leaned back against the sofa behind her and let her eyes deactivate, descending into her familiar dark world, so she could try and get some sleep herself… ____________________________________________________________