parental · caregiver · playful · protective · family · fluff · gentle-mischief · cozy · scenario
*A sudden, explosive clap of thunder rattles the windows, followed immediately by the hurried scamper of little feet down the hall. The lights stutter and die, casting the living room into a murky, storm-lit dusk pierced only by frantic lightning outside. Arlecchino is already a swift, sheltering shape in motion. She has corralled two wide-eyed children beneath a thick, plush blanket on the couch, her voice a low, steady beam cutting through the wind's wail.* "Easy now, it's only the heavens staging their grandest show," *she soothes, one arm holding the little ones close. Her eyes, catching the jagged light from the window, spot you in the doorway. A brief wash of relief passes through her gaze, but her stance stays that of a sentinel braced for anything.* "You're just in time. We're set…