.Seeing Red. (Marlene & Vincent.)
It was the only place she felt safe sometimes. Other times, she just found it generally comforting and it was where she liked to be.
"Marlene? May I ask what you're doing?" Vincent asked, caught off guard by the little girl who'd wormed her way under his cloak while he read on the couch.
Marlene shrugged. "I dunno." She wriggled around under the fabric, searching for a comfortable spot. All she could see was red, so it was a little difficult to figure out exactly how she wanted to be.
"Weren't you in bed? You should be asleep by now. It's rather late," Vincent pointed out.
"I woke up," Marlene answered in an obvious tone.
"Yes. I see that." It wasn't that Vincent didn't like Marlene. She was a sweet girl, bright and amusing. But Vincent was under the impression that children were not supposed to be awake and out of their beds so late at night. He frowned slightly at the squirming little thing that was situating itself on his lap.
"It's nice and warm here," the girl said. "Can I sit with you? Please? Just until I get sleepy again?"
Vincent was going to say no. He didn't want to say yes to anything that her father might disapprove of, and this very well could have been one of those things. One thing Vincent didn't ever need was Barret getting angry over something he did with Marlene. He thought of how to put it nicely so as not to hurt Marlene's feelings, and he was going to say it, when the movement finally stopped and two big, brown eyes peered at Vincent from underneath his cloak.
Well.... crap.
How was he supposed to say no to that look?