After sixteen days of captivity the little goblin had been let out of his cage. Hours blurred by in fearful confusion until he realized that none of the new humans around him seemed to want to explicitly hurt him. Not like the other humans who had been rough with him. These humans were weird and dressed in odd black and white uniforms. The little goblin was brought to a very large human home full of dozens upon dozens of humans.

  His bare feet padded across polished marble, the smooth surface felt nicer than the cold metal cage he had grown accustomed to. The soft carpets and rugs felt even nicer. The goblin kept his head down as he walked between the walls of the noble estate that towered over him. Golden chandeliers dangled above them like captured stars. Extravagant paintings of pale-skinned figures of the past family members of the house watched his every step in their domain.

  The goblin had never seen so many shining things before. Even in the slave markets, where humans bartered flesh for gold and copper pennies. That other world had been dark and filled with filth and rusted cages. But here… here everything shined. The floors, the decorative vases, the golden trim along the arched doorways.

  It was very obvious that he did not belong in this place. And yet here he was, walking through a place built for humans that ruled above humans.

  The goblin was escorted by a maid who had only spared him one glance. She was young, dark-skinned, her uniform pristine and pressed, and her posture seemed unnatural to the goblin. It was like she was trying to be more like a walking rock rather than a real human. “Follow closely. Do not wander,”The maid had instructed him, her voice clipped but not unkind.

  Other servants passed by in a flurry of movement, many carrying cleaning items for some other part of the home they were working on. They barely glanced at him, too busy with their work and duties. However a few did whisper amongst one another when they thought they were out of ear shot.

  Humans were stupid like that. It appeared that they didn’t realize a goblin could still hear them.

  The maid led him up a grand staircase, each step bringing him farther away from the world he had once known. The halls grew quieter the further they went. Then they at last stopped before a grand wooden door, carved with intricate floral designs.

  “This is her grace’s chamber,” the maid said. She wrapped twice against the wood and waited before someone from inside beckoned them to come in.

  The first thing the goblin noticed when he was brought into the human's room was that it was red and big. The second thing he noticed was a distinct lack of weapons that he could use to defend himself. The third thing he noticed was the human woman sitting on her sofa, looking him up and down with her ruby-red eyes. Her dress was pale, and her hair was as white as snow. It almost glistened like snow in a certain light too... by human standards she was utterly gorgeous. By goblin standards? The little goblin wasn't sure.

  The bed chamber was large and filled with soft lights and the faintest scent of herbs. Tall windows framed by heavy silk curtains overlooked the estate gardens. A canopy bed, large enough to fit dozens of him, rested in the center, its sheets were red. A vanity stood near the window, littered with delicate glass perfume bottles, a hairbrush, and trinkets he did not understand.

  The maid stepped aside and gestured for him to enter. “Go on,” she said.

  The goblin’s stomach twisted. He swallowed and stepped past the threshold and into the room. Into the presence of the noble lady who now owned him. The goblin stared up at her. He'd seen a human with white hair like that before, hadn't he? The human that had bought him from the slavers. Only that human had been an actual man, not a woman. And the man had cold blue eyes like frozen ice. Was it possible that the two humans could have been from the same tribe? Did humans have tribes? Over two weeks ago the goblin had never seen a human before.

  Over two weeks ago the little goblin had only heard stories about humans from the few goblins in the tribe who had experienced encounters with humans. Most of those encounters happened to be less than favorable. In some instances, the tales the little goblin had been told about had been downright horrendous. At least in the past two weeks since meeting his first humans, this little goblin had not been tortured. He'd only been starved and beaten and even whipped on one defiant occasion.

  "So, you're the new toy father brought me," the woman said, finally breaking the silence after the goblin was brought in to where she sat. She leaned down and lifted the little goblin's chin with her fan, examining its face with a curious glint in her eyes. "Father did well… he knows I am a sucker for pretty faces." The goblin was meant to be a birthday gift from her father… It appeared to be a female. The poor thing looked starved and weak. The goblin was so tiny, it must’ve felt terrified. Even with the goblin's poor state it was adorable, big red eyes meeting back with hers. Just looking down at her like that gave her the urge to pick her up into her arms and hold her, telling her everything would be alright now… but she knew better than that. She wasn’t na?ve. As cute as this creature may seem, she was a goblin. Violent and savage creatures to be wary of, she wouldn’t let its cute appearance trick her.

  "Pretty? Me?" The little goblin asked, poking his cheek. He had been captured and sold off, told that he was to be this girl's slave. From one handler to the next. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

  "Well yes my dear, you are adorable," the girl said with a chuckle and she brought the fan back up to her face, studying the goblin with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. The little goblin was dangerously cute, she would give it that much. She always did have a weak spot for cute things. If it hadn’t been her father who brought the little goblin in, she would have been more suspicious of the goblin and its intentions. "What's your name?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. Her perceptive eyes never once leaving the goblin's.

  The goblin blinked and shook his head. "Have no name. Mean man called me Badtoe. Tribe called me Badtoe." His own red eyes watched her moving the fan with curious wonder. What was that thing in her hand? Some kind of weapon? And who was this girl? She was so nice compared to any human that he had met before. Actually, she was nicer than almost anyone the little goblin had ever met. His cheeks felt warm. He was even blushing at her compliments. There was a warm sensation flooding him and it felt so foreign and new... but he kind of liked the feeling.

  Badtoe? What sort of name even was that… It was so unfeminine. "Hm. Well what would you like to be called then, is there a name in particular you like?"

  "I not know." The goblin shook his head again. Was she offering to give him a name? Goblins didn't just receive names for being born. Goblins could earn nicknames like Badtoe. But real names had to be earned in the eyes of the tribe. And this human was going to give him a name? This girl just kept getting better and better. First, she gave him compliments now she was giving him his very own name? Could she give him a name? Only the chieftain or shaman of a tribe could give a goblin a genuine name. And yet he was not in the tribe anymore. In fact there was the possibility that he would never see his tribe again.

  The woman pondered for a bit as she eyed the goblin over. Badtoe… it was ironic enough her father happened to come across the goblin right on her birthday, almost as the little female goblin had been a gift from god itself. Her father didn’t have any intentions of buying any slaves that day yet he had taken pity on the little thing. Having made the decision to gift the goblin to his daughter to care for. Almost like fate. A gift from god. That would suit her… err… now that she looked a little more closely… she might actually be a he. She couldn’t really tell too well but that name really didn’t sound like a girl’s… might as well risk it.

  "What do you think about… Theo?"

  "Theo?" The goblin tried tasting the name on his lips. "Theo. Theo." The name sounded a lot better than Badtoe. A nickname he had earned back in his tribe after he had stubbed his toe on a rock. It had really hurt and the little goblin had gone around cursing out rocks and their very stupid existence. A lot of goblins had laughed at him and had thus started calling him Badtoe ever since. Now he had a real name if he accepted it. It went against normal goblin traditions but... he liked it. The little goblin suddenly beamed up at the human woman with his fangs. A mouthful of sharp and pointed goblin teeth prominently on display. "Me like Theo!"

  The woman chuckled and patted his little bald head. Her pale white skin brushed over his green scalp. His pointed ears twitched upwards and he leaned into her touch ever so slightly. Her touch felt nice. It was nothing like the rough touch of another goblin. Nor was it like how the slavers had treated him when he had been trapped in his cage. The woman had yet to raise her voice or strike at him with a whip. The slavers liked doing that, especially the bad man. Theo shivered at the memories of the bad man.

  She smiled warmly. Good. He didn’t correct her or complain about the name so the goblin must truly be a guy. "That's good to hear. Then tell me, Theo, are you hungry?"

  "Yes. Hungry. Feed Theo?" He looked up at her with wide eyes in astonishment. Now she was going to give him food? This human appeared to be quite generous and giving. Theo wasn't about to start complaining. If this human wanted to give him things he would gladly take all that she'd give. What would she give him next?

  "Well of course." She then gestured over at a pair of maids who had brought in a cart full of food. "This is all for you, Theo."

  "For me? All?" Theo's eyes watched the strange contraption, a metallic table on little wheels. Theo knew that humans liked their wheels. Then his nose visibly twitched as he caught a whiff of the food on the cart. Theo stared with wonder at the food. He'd never seen so much food offered to him. Nor had he ever smelled food that smelled quite like this. The scent that was wafting into his nostrils caused his mouth to water. He cautiously lifted a finger, reaching out towards the food only to pause and glance towards the human woman. She said all of this food was for him. But what about her? Had she already eaten? Did she plan on eating something better? Did she just want him to put some meat on his bones? Theo felt a little apprehensive. "What about you?"

  "Don't worry about me dear. I ate plenty earlier, just enjoy your meal." She waved her fan dismissively.

  Whether she was telling the truth or not. The little goblin was being offered food after suffering for sixteen days in a cage. Theo turned back to the food on the cart and he rushed for it without a moment of hesitation this time. He grabbed at delicious-looking food with both hands, shoveling as much as he could fit into his mouth. Which turned out to be quite a bit. Goblin jaws were made to open wider than human jaws after all. Theo made an absolute mess. Crumbs and sauces of different colors stained his green cheeks as he dug into the food cart. There was so much food. And it was all his. This was incredible!

  The woman watched Theo curiously as he ate while ever so slightly fanning herself, observing the mess the little creature was making. Perhaps he was a toddler… she knew goblins were small by nature, but he even acted like a child. No matter how she looked at him, he just seemed like an innocent child that saw himself in a bad situation. So far she saw no malice in him. Theo was just a scared, malnourished, and mistreated child with no knowledge of the world. She watched as his avaricious eating slowed down until it seemed as if he couldn’t take another bite. It wasn’t until then that she rose from her seat and walked over to where he laid, taking a few napkins from the cart to help wipe his mouth clean.

  Theo blinked at the odd gesture human woman wiped his mouth clean with napkins once he had finished eating. Theo had not been capable of eating everything but he had tried his hardest. He sat on the food cart in a big mess of dishes and platters and disregarded utensils. Theo rubbed his belly and then he burped and giggled before rolling off the cart and landing on his feet. The goblin stumbled slightly and braced himself against one of the cart legs.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Let's go give you a bath dear," said the woman as she held out her hand. He very much needed one after the mess he had made, simply wiping him clean wouldn’t cut it. The little goblin was also giving off an odor that was not pleasant to intake. She supposed he was in dire need of a bath regardless, she doubted the slave traders had washed him once.

  "What's bath?" Theo asked her. He tilted his head up at her offered hand curiously before taking it. His hand felt so small in hers. The mean man had said bad things would happen to him. But this wasn't so bad at all. This was more than any goblin or slave could hope for in life. This girl was nice, she gave him a name and fed him. Theo sort of trusted her already. It was an uneasy trust. It was as much as a goblin could trust any stranger. He trusted that she would give him more free stuff until he was no longer worth anything in her eyes. He didn't even understand why she was just giving him things anyways. She was a nice person. A nice human. It would be easy to take advantage of her. His crimson eyes looked up to her neck and then down to her stomach. What would be the best way to take her down if he ever had to? Not that he believed she would attack him or hurt him. No. The goblin was simply thinking about how hard it would be to kill her and steal from her to take more of that food for himself. Maybe he could even bring some back to his tribe. If he could even find his tribe ever again.

  "Well it's how we clean up our bodies," she told him, guiding him into her private bathroom. Her private bathroom was connected to her room. The tub had been filled and prepared by the maids. It wasn’t as large as the tub in the mansion’s washroom but it would do for just the two of them.

  "What that?" Theo asked, pointing at the tub with a finger. It looked like a large and oddly shaped bowl. The shaman had bowls that he used to mix things with his apprentice Leafbite. The tribe also had a few bowls that some of the older goblins had stolen from humans. One of the wood carving experts in the tribe had tried to copy the shape, making wooden bowls as well as wooden plates and even wooden cups. Sometimes a goblin would cry out after getting a splinter in their lip. Theo remembered a time when Nimbledash, a female goblin who had been a little older than Theo, had ended up with a splinter in her tongue.

  "A bathtub. You have to get in there in order to get washed up. Have you ever gone swimming before dear?"

  "Swimming?" That thing the bigger goblins and the hobs did in the river? He was never allowed into the river. None of the little goblins had been for fear of getting washed away by the current. The chieftain forbade it. The seasonal floods were bad enough.

  "Yes, it's like swimming but without going anywhere." Had the little creature truly not even so much as gone swimming before? Just how did these goblins even keep themselves clean? She could already imagine the all the filth they must live in.

  "Can swim?" Theo asked, looking up at her with excitement. Finally, he could swim and see what all the fuss about water was. Not the bad drowning kind of fuss every time the river flooded. More like the kind of fuss where hobgoblins would throw goblins into the river to swim.

  The woman chuckled. "Something like that." The goblin was most certainly a child. The little goblin had the same curiosity and demeanor as any toddler she had previously met. At least he would be easy to take care of. She was good with kids and she liked them quite a bit.

  The little goblin blinked up at her. "You name Theo. What's your name?"

  "My name?" The woman smiled. "Cynthia."

  "Cy... Cyn... Cynth... Cynthia? Cynnnthiiiaaa. Cynthia," Theo tried saying the name and then he nodded. "Theo. Cynthia's slave."

  "...More like a pet really. I never did like the word slave." Slave… he would hardly be considered a slave here. Cynthia never had the desire to own a slave. She never considered any of her previous pets as slaves and she never forced any of them into labor nor did she want to.

  "What's pet?" He asked her. Cynthia seemed to be smart for a human. She knew more human words than he did. She sure liked using big words too. Then again… he had only started learning the human language a little over two weeks ago when he'd first been captured as a slave. He had gone from not knowing any words in English to understanding most sentences. He still couldn't speak all that well but he did try. It was harder than the goblin language to grasp in understanding. But he was getting better.

  "It's a companion one takes in to take care of and have by their side," said Cynthia, feeling like she was acting as a dictionary for this kid. But it was a part of her job to be patient and take things slow with him. Theo was just a kid after all.

  Okay, that made some sense to Theo. Sort of. It was like the concept of mates. You took in a mate to have by your side. Theo had always wanted a mate. The little goblin... didn't have much luck when it came to girls however. Only a few girls had seemed interested in him, but a bigger goblin hadn't liked the idea of Theo getting too close to any of them. Except for Leafbite. The two had not been mates but they had mated three times before Theo's capture. "Theo swims now?"

  Cynthia nodded. "Need help getting in?"

  He took one more look at the tub and he thought about it. The tub was taller than him. He'd have to jump up and pull himself up and over the lip of the bathtub. Theo was not that strong. He didn't even have muscles. He was small for his age group. Small for a goblin really, he always had been. Not only that but he was skinny and his arms and legs were like small green sticks. Did she think he could get in himself?

  Theo shrugged. "Cynthia help Theo?"

  She smiled and picked him up gently and put him in the tub. "How does that feel?"

  Theo went still. How did it feel? The sensation wasn't anything like cold droplets of rain making him shiver as he huddled against the bark of a tree for cover in the middle of a storm. It wasn't like walking through the cool shallow spots in the river or playing with the tadpoles using his bare hands. The bath water was warm and pleasant. Theo let out a soft sigh and relaxed against the inner wall of the tub.

  "Feel nice!" Theo beamed up at her. He raised his hands and began to splash the water around. The sound was like music to his large ears. This was fun! Now he understood why the bigger goblins splashed around so much in the river, especially in the summertime. Theo had always wanted to join them… but he was considered too small. Even if he was just as old as some of the other goblins who got to swim.

  Cynthia knelt next to the bathtub. She grabbed for a sponge and some soap and she started to gently scrub him clean. His green skin began to drip with soap and dirt. Everywhere she touched, the wet sponge just seemed to generate more dirt from his body. It was as if he had never washed before in his life.

  "Cynthia swims too?" Theo asked. Then he splashed her with some of the bath water just like he had seen some of the other goblins and hobs do with each other in the river back at the tribe.

  "Sure, why not?" Cynthia chuckled. She stood up and stripped. Her dress, bra, and panties were neatly laid out on the floor next to her feet. Then with little effort she stepped into the tub and then she splashed Theo back.

  Theo giggled and brought his arms up to brace against the watery attack. A happy little noise escaped from his lips and he splashed her with a counterattack. "Cynthia swim!" He cheered.

  "I'm swimming. I'm swimming." She smiled and continued to clean him, washing even more dirt from his body.

  Theo giggled. "Theo. Cynthia's best pet!"

  "Yes, yes." She finished cleaning him and then she rinsed him off. "Alright, dear. You're all done."

  "But swim fun!" Theo protested. He wanted to do this for so long… and the water was amazing. Although it wasn't quite as clear as it had once been. Now the tub water was murky and brown from all of the runoff grime.

  "Well… you'll get to swim another time," she said, rinsing herself off.

  "No! Theo wants swim!" What was this? Theo had never been allowed to swim before. And now that he could she wouldn't let him swim for longer? How come she had let him eat all that he had wanted to, but she wouldn't let him swim all that he wanted to?

  "Theo… if you stay in the water for too long you could get sick."

  The little goblin folded his arms and pouted. "Fine. Cynthia says go. Theo go."

  "Good boy." She smiled and rubbed his bald little head under the palm of her hand.

  He climbed out of the tub and slipped on the floor when he landed. "Oof!" Theo lay there on his stomach.

  “Theo!” she gasped in concern, quickly getting out and scooping him up into her arms. The little goblin smelled much better and his skin that had been buried under a few layers of filth, was a paler shade of green. “My goodness Theo, are you okay?”

  "Theo fell," he said, feeling a little dazed. He looked up into her eyes as she held him. "Am okay."

  Cynthia sighed. "You got to be more careful dear."

  "Cynthia nice," Theo whispered. He felt heavy in her arms even though he was light in terms of actual weight. He felt tired. And no one had ever held him like this before. It was so… caring.

  She smiled and rubbed his back. "Come, let's get you dried up." Cynthia grabbed the towel and put it over him before heading back into her room.

  "Cynthia important?" He asked looking around the house. She must have been somewhat important to have such a large house. He guessed it was a house. Theo had heard stories of raiders from the tribe attacking human shelters before. He liked listening to those stories. Theo had often dreamed of growing big and strong like the rest of his tribe, like the ones who went out and raided. Though this seemed to be a really big house though, bigger than the ones he had heard about in the stories. It was big and filled with people and it was well decorated. Did that mean the tribe would see his worth if he led them here? If this place was better than any place the tribe had ever raided before?

  Maybe the Chieftain would give him his own name… but Cynthia had already given him a name. What would his tribe think of that? They already saw him as worthless and disposable. So if he came back with a human name… would he be punished? What was the protocol for goblins who got named by humans? He didn't know. But he suspected it was a taboo of sorts.

  "Me? Well, I guess you could say that." Cynthia sat him down on the bed and began to dry him off.

  Theo patted a spot on the bed beside him. The little goblin ran his small fingertips over the soft bedsheet. "What's this?"

  "That's a bed dear. That's where we sleep."

  "We sleep? Here?" Theo gave himself a little bounce on the bed and his round red eyes grew even rounder. This was a bed? It was so soft… and bouncy. This would be much more comfortable than sleeping on the hard ground every night.

  Theo grabbed at the blanket and gave it a little tug. He imagined sleeping underneath the material. Something like this would keep him warm for sure. With one of these, Theo thought he'd never wake up shivering in the middle of the night ever again.

  "That's right. It feels nice and cozy doesn't it?"

  "Nice," Theo said with a grin. "Cynthia sleep here. All time. Not on ground?"

  "That's right. I always sleep in a bed and from now on you do too."

  Theo's jaw dropped. "Me too?" Did the wonders never cease around here? This bed was his now? He wished the other goblins in the tribe could be experiencing this too. This was insane! It was as if he had died in his sleep and was stuck in an endless dream of wonders.

  "That's right. If you want, I can get you a personal bed for you and you alone."

  "Like this bed." He smiled and laid back in the bed and stretched. "Nice."

  Cynthia brought over some pajamas that might fit the little goblin. "How old are you dear?" she asked, helping Theo sit up and then she dressed him.

  "Eight. Almost nine!" Theo smiled proudly. "How old Cynthia?"

  She chuckled. "Well, how old do you think I am?"

  He studied her with his red eyes, searching every detail of her figure before shrugging. "Not know. Human age weird."

  "I'm twenty-two Theo," Cynthia laughed.

  Theo shrugged. Twenty-two sounded old. But then again, ten sounded old to most goblins. With him nearing nine, he was practically an adult. Goblins aged faster than humans so he had no idea what twenty-two meant for humans. Though… wasn't Redtear twenty-two too? That hobgoblin seemed old… tired… and depressed. Cynthia didn't seem like that at all. "Cynthia adult?" Theo asked curiously.

  She smiled. "That's right. I'm already an adult."

  "When adult?" Was she a young adult or an old one? He'd only ever known the chieftain and the grouchy old shaman. None of them were nice like Cynthia though. And Cynthia didn't look wrinkly.

  "I turned into an adult a couple years ago."

  "Young adult," he said, finally understanding. He was practically a young adult too. Though he wouldn't look like it because goblins stayed small. Except for those that evolved, like hobgoblins. But he didn't think that he would ever become a hob. That was just a dream for little goblins, to one day grow as tall and taller than humans. "Me too." Theo smiled with his fangs. "Am almost nine!"

  "Really?" Cynthia chuckled. "But you're only eight."

  "Almost nine!" Theo kicked at the bed sheets in protest. "Not eight. Almost nine!" He scowled at her. Goblins considered themselves adults around eight and nine and sometimes as late as twelve years old. The general consensus was that when a goblin was old enough to have children, they were an adult. However, there were a few odd cases with goblins making babies when they were only seven. Sometimes six at the very earliest. Some goblins just grew faster than others apparently.

  “Well for humans you’re considered an adult after your coming-of-age ceremony when you’re sixteen," Cynthia explained to the little goblin.

  “Ceremony?” Theo asked feeling confused. After turning sixteen? That was stupid. Humans grew too slowly. He wondered if she’d still think an eleven-year-old hobgoblin taller than most humans was a child.

  “That’s right, it’s to introduce you to society as someone of marriageable age.”

  “You’re married?” When goblins married they just found someone they liked to mate with and decided to stay with them for life, or until they were caught mating with another goblin. Was Cynthia mating with other humans? Did she have a mate? Cynthia was an adult and that’s what adults liked to do all the time. That and be annoying. But Cynthia wasn’t annoying, she was nice.

  “No, I’m not, but my father is looking for a suitable marriage partner for me."

  “Then lots children.” Theo nodded. That’s what mates tended to do with one another. And goblins had lots of children.

  “Well sure," she chuckled. "But I wouldn’t say lots, probably more like two or so if not one.”

  “Cynthia wants one? Not lots?” Humans were so weird. How could she only want to have one child? Goblin women on average had around one or two babies every two years. With such a high birth rate the Creeping Water Tribe should have been overpopulated with goblins. Except for the fact that goblins had a pretty high death rate. Not many lived to be adults. And even adults didn't live long either.

  “Too many kids are hard to care for after all," said Cynthia sagely.

  “Oh." And there was another difference between humans and goblins besides the difference in birth rates. Humans took too long to grow up. Too long to raise to have more than a few. Whereas goblins grew up much faster and became independent adults in less than half of that time. “Humans grow slow.”

  She smiled. “Yes, we do.” She climbed into bed and pulled him into her arms.

  Theo went still. She'd picked him up and carried her in his arms earlier. But this felt more intimate. They were so close. His skin was brushing up against hers. The heat from their bodies helped him relax against her. The little goblin laid his cheek against her soft, pale flesh. One of his ears twitched. He could hear her heartbeat when they were this close.

  “It’s late now dear, get some sleep.”

  “Cynthia nice,” he repeated that saying for maybe the third time this evening. He liked this feeling of being in someone’s arms. His mother might have done that for him when he was a baby. He couldn’t remember. As far back as he could remember, he didn't have a mother. Which was a silly thought because everyone who was alive had a mother. So that could only mean that Theo's mother simply didn't want him or… she was simply dead. Theo would not be surprised if he ever found out that his mother had rejected him for his tiny size compared to the average goblin or if she was just dead. There were many ways for goblins to die after all. The world was full of dangers for the little green people.

  Cynthia smiled and petted him. “Sleep, my dear.”

  Theo blinked slowly. His crimson eyes glanced up at her expression. His eyelids began to droop. She was soft and warm. He felt so comfortable.

  “Okay," he said quietly. He wondered how different things might’ve been if he hadn’t been sold off to Cynthia. He wondered how terrible his owner could have been… but he'd gotten lucky hadn't he? Cynthia was so nice… he could betray her another night when she was vulnerable again. For now, he just wanted to enjoy this nicety while it lasted. Theo would be glad to have another warm meal, another warm bath, and another night snuggled up to Cynthia. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.

  Cynthia continued to pet him until eventually dozing off herself.