Meeting Rolf’s eyes as he came to lay on the other side of Dennis, Rose sent him a small, grateful smile. Rolf had always been better with these things than she had, and with him there, she thought there actually might be a chance that they could get Dennis feeling somewhat better again.
She listened intently as Dennis finally began talking, gently brushing her nose back and forth against the curls on the back of his neck. With each word, annoyance and anger and disappointment at the supposedly upstanding citizens that had been at that cuddle-thing began growing in her. It was perfectly fine for people not to have their wards set to let in other people, but to humiliate them like this because of what sounded like an honest mistake? That was just not alright! “What an arse,” she growled quietly, then tightened her arm around Dennis’ shoulder.
“You’re not losing us, sweetheart,” she said, wanting to assure him, because short of him hurting Rolf or any other person for that matter, with the intent to do so or him turning out to be a megalomaniac serial murderer, she couldn’t see how they could walk away from him. “You’re his cubby, my leu piu. I wouldn’t know what to do without you, babe.”