“There you are.” Elpis' smile bloomed open. “I thought you were gonna sleep through it allll. That'd be very, very dull.”
She leaned in closer, fawn eyes alight with speculation. “That's neat. Like sticking a snake in a sock, oh, but you didn't hide the fangs right. Uh-uh. It's not a very, very good magic trick if someone can see the strings, you know.” The little goddess pulled back, rocking idly on the balls of her canvas flats.
“You shouldn't be so quick to growl,” she told him plainly. “Especially when you're in so, so much trouble. Because you are. You really, really are.”