this desert rose has thorns

Valentine watched with open curiosity as the woman started and pulled back. It had been awhile since he'd given anyone a fright and while that usually amused him outright he couldn't decide if it was a plus or a minus here. He settled for quirking a brow at her as if to say 'really?' but aside from that opted not to acknowledge that brief interaction. In a round about way it was an offer of harmlessness and how she handled that would settle how he decided to handle her. When it came to cute, helpless things there was a fine line between adoration and manipulation in Valentine's mind. Sometimes he wanted to take care of such creatures and others, to exploit them.

He nodded. "It is. I bet there isn't any other water source for miles." Valentine had picked his answer deliberately. He was genuinely curious as to what she would do. Would she run? Be brave? Freeze? This was a mild test on his part; he was hardly pushing at all. But she had his full attention now. Not that she hadn't had it before. Any creature as lovely as she was guaranteed to pique his interest. It was just a little harmless fun.