Meredith.
~Duskmoor~
After breakfast, I found myself in the sunlit drawing room with Xamira, a sharpened pencil in my hand and an expectant little girl watching me like a hawk.
"No, not like that. Hold it like this," she said, her tiny fingers wrapping around mine to adjust my grip.
I bit back a grin. "Like this?"
"Yes. Much better," she replied with the air of a seasoned instructor. "Now… draw a flower. But make it pretty. Or I will erase it."
Azul, standing near the window with her hands folded neatly in front of her, tried and failed to hide her smile.
I caught it from the corner of my eye and felt a small swell of pride—because for all the tension of the past few days… the humans' brazen attitude. This… this felt normal and easy.
I drew as Xamira directed, only for her to tilt her head and frown. "The stem's supposed to be curved."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Straight stems look better."
