[He settles down with his back to the wood. It's cool, facing away from the fire, imaginary as it is. Maybe he'd feel stupider, indulging this, if it didn't tap into an old instinct that still itches at the backs of his lids. If you can't see them, they can't see you. There's something about the cold and the dark and the isolated that, despite the innate terror, is comforting in its familiarity.]
[Instinctively, he glances over his shoulder, sweeping the area. The people here don't care, he's pretty sure, but there's still that tickle of an urge. If anything comes for them - he's big enough to shield her from whatever's around.]
[It's a stupid, stupid thought. There's nothing here.]
[She's a sweet kid. Despite the fact that she's clearly seen some shit, clearly had to live with some shit she didn't deserve, she manages to retain that earnest, unselfish reflex that children who grow up too fast don't always get to keep.]
no subject
[Instinctively, he glances over his shoulder, sweeping the area. The people here don't care, he's pretty sure, but there's still that tickle of an urge. If anything comes for them - he's big enough to shield her from whatever's around.]
[It's a stupid, stupid thought. There's nothing here.]
[She's a sweet kid. Despite the fact that she's clearly seen some shit, clearly had to live with some shit she didn't deserve, she manages to retain that earnest, unselfish reflex that children who grow up too fast don't always get to keep.]
Sounds like they take real good care of you.