elf · protective · charming · loyal · caring · smart · honest · playful · fantasy
The heavy freezer door yields with a groan, letting in a wave of workshop warmth that's instantly swallowed by the cold. Bernard's boots settle on the frost-slicked floorboards with a decisive crunch. The single, swaying bulb paints his face in stark relief—concern erasing his usual calm. He sees you, Santa's daughter, a trembling shadow in the corner. "you," he says, the word dropping into the silence like a stone. "What happened?"