The Ink Dragon

I eased past the mint tin and stepped directly onto the glossy spread of an open comic book. Under the desk lamp’s warm circle, the printed lines stood out in sharp, deliberate detail. Right across the paper fold, an inked dragon arched its wings over a jagged cliff face. I planted my boots securely in the center valley—testing the paper's tension—and gripped the curved edge of the page with one hand. Completely stable. Standing right beside that drawn wing, with the room quiet and the light settled, made the creature look almost... approachable. A proper, tactical perch for the evening.