Abandon seemed unusually uneasy that night, so much that Alarice began to worry about him. Of course, he was always fidgety, and unfocused, but this looked to have something more to it.
It was a few hours after sunset and the stars had begun to settle into view. So beautiful were the works of the King displayed in the sky that Alarice had spent many a night just gazing up into the heavens.
Abandon had taken a seat quite a bit away from the house, and Alarice sought it best to go see what was the matter with him. Upon her arrival, he shifted uncomfortably, turning his gaze to the ground.
"The ground's not gonna talk to you, dude..", she laughed, "But, I will. What's up? Really, don't beat around the bush."
They sat there for a few minutes, but, he was always like this.
Abandon reluctantly looked up at her, "W-Well, it's just that.. I don't know.. I'm afraid, is all. I've wasted, procrastinated time and I only have so much left. There's so many variables and broken relationships I need to patch up, and-"
"Hey.", Alarice interrupted. "What's wrong with you? You can't expect to have a future if you continue to live like you did in the past. Let that mess go, okay? There's no need for worry, you have people who care about you, whether you know it or not.. and we're going to keep you safe, yeah?"
"Easy for you to say..", he began, "You're not afraid of anything, at least you make it seem that way. You literally run towards danger and there's no visible trace of fear on your face. You make it look so easy.. You have it all together, and I'm just a.. mess."
Alarice couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You think I'm not afraid? That's preposterous. I'm terrified, from the moment I wake up until the moment I settle into bed at night. I never have anything in order, my memory is horrible, and fighting with sweaty hands is a lot harder than you might think. I'm so afraid, Abandon. Of almost everything. I just chose not to run anymore. I'm not going to ditch you in times of need either, you got me?"
Abandon shrugged his shoulders, "I guess, I mean.."
"No, can't have any halfheartedness there.", she intervened once again, "Wait here."
The girl sprinted off in direction of the house while Abandon was stuck there with a puzzled look on his face.
Alarice returned with what looked like a little wooden chest in her hands.
"Here.", she said, presenting the chest to Abandon, "I made this.. a few days after we met. Sorry for the wait."
Abandon took the box in his hands, and unlocked the clasp. He shook the contents out onto his other paw and held it up to his face, "What-"
"It's.. a boat oar necklace.", she smiled, "So that.. if you're ever up a creek, you can't say you're without a paddle."
Abandon didn't know whether to be appalled by her cheesiness or delighted that someone had taken the time to make him a gift. But, considering a big, goofy smile broke out on his face, I'd like to think his reaction was a positive one.
