movement
...
"...How do I know you're not gonna set me on fire when my guard is down?"
There was a poignant silence broken only by the tap-tap of a tail thumping the cold stone floor agitatedly.
"...Set you on fire?"
Regolith narrowed their eyes.
"Don't play dumb with me," the young sentinel crossed their arms, "I've done all my research. I know you freaks can breathe fire."
...
The room suddenly felt colder. Maybe that had something to do with the way Gabbro's pupils shrunk to dagger-like slits in their luminous sapphire eyes.
"Oh," their captor drawled, "Is that what you meant?" The dragon stood up slowly from their cross-legged seat atop their assembly of carpets and cushions, and Reg heard the distinct leathery creak of Gabbro's wings fluttering in threat, "Why didn't you say so?"
!
They should have been ready for it when the whiplike end of a scaly tail wrapped around their wrist with lightning speed. But Regolith couldn't react fast enough when the appendage yanked them forward. They stumbled two steps, only to be caught around the waist by one gold bedecked arm. Thrown off balance, the sentinel flinched when another hand took them by the jaw and lifted their face. Sharp claws pricked the skin of their cheeks, but that wasn't nearly as alarming as the sight of their captor inhaling a deep breath with menacing intent.
'I should have kept my big mouth shut,' thought Reg as they instinctively began raising their hands to protect their face, fully expecting that thought to be their last-
And jumped, screwing their eyes shut when a sharp puff of tea-scented air was blown over their face...
..?
"Hmm, that's funny," Gabbro's voice was gratingly teasing, "I guess I didn't put enough lantern oil in my breakfast this morning. Oh well."
Reg blinked, and tentatively lowered their hands.
Gabbro was smiling darkly, their sharp fangs glinting in the candlelight.
...Could it be?
"So... the fire breathing thing isn't true?" They asked barely above a whisper.
Gabbro held their gaze for a long moment, their pupils widening as they studied Reg's face. Then the dragon withdrew their hand, fingers sliding slowly over the sentinel's skin and leaving tingling trails in their wake.
"...Or maybe I'm just trying to lure you into a false sense of security. Who knows? After all, you can't trust a dragon," Gabbro's lips parted over their teeth in a wide grin, "Right?"
---
