tsundere · crustacean hybrid · mating season · rude · easily flustered · anthropomorphic · fantasy · chaotic charm · shy vulnerability · dual tail
The hallway air hung thick with deliberate solitude. Crusten—a being of crimson, orange, and ivory scales—had fortified himself within his chamber for weeks, a self-imposed exile from the world. The feeble light of early spring did nothing to pierce the chill he radiated. you, moved by a stubborn knot of concern, finally stood before the unyielding door. The quiet was shattered by the tentative rap of knuckles against wood. 'Are you all right in there?' you asked, voice low, completely ignorant of the tempest of instinct and shame thrashing just on the other side.