Eric doesn’t say anything. At first, he doesn’t say anything. There’s this residual panic that he’s going to lose her and be abandoned again. You. Her. It seemed so simple in his mind. Her over you. But obviously in hers, it had been different. Eric didn’t know how to be a parent, that much was clear, he didn’t understand the sacrifices one had to make, those that came almost like knee-jerk reaction. And, most importantly, he didn’t understand that there was space for more than one lion in Elswyth’s heart. I mean, that’s what happens when women have little crotch-goblins, right? They stop paying attention to everyone else and turn into their mothers. But I thought you would understand… These words had cut into him, more than she’d ever know. It hadn’t occurred to Eric yet, how stupid of him, that Elswyth was the only one who’d let someone down. He’d let her down as well. Maybe he was just as bad as everyone he hated, hated so that he didn’t have to ask why they’d leave. @Elswyth asked if they could start again, and Eric looked at her. He was covered in sand, breathing hard from running, his eyes were bright and almost glassy. A few seconds pass, and then another few. A long, heavy sigh… “Alright, alright.” He extended his paw towards her, just as he did the day they met. “Hi, my name is Eric Björklund. And you are?” A lopsided smirk appeared. “And please, do tell if you have any more secret children.” But "Sentimental Boy" is my nom de plume Art by Swan, Code by Swan (fixed by Cala)

she thinks he's going to say no. she thinks, as the time stretches between them, that he is going to turn and walk away and she's going to be alone, again. you'd think by now she would be used to it, trying so hard to make friends only to be forgotten over and over again. you'd think, by now, it wouldn't hurt so badly.

but it does, and she's already half-opening her mouth to try to convince him that she's a worthwhile friend when he's thrusting his paw out her way.

it doesn't take her too long to react, in a mere second she's grasping at his offering in a manner that almost seems desperate. "elswyth mae," she says, all prim and proper, the way she used to do a hundred times a day in her youth, "it's a pleasure, @Eric Björklund." of course his name comes out half-butchered on her tongue, but hopefully she'll earn points for trying.

and while she almost wants to give him heck for jabbing at the still-sore wound between them (she had never meant to keep secrets, after all) she lets it go in the interest of keeping the peace. instead she smiles back, tipping her head to the side with a bounce of her ears and a twinkle in her eye. "only one daughter, i promise."

have courage and be kind

image by vicki clarke, code by corvus

His chest hurt, in that weird, angsty kind of way. Eric chucked it off to standing at a crossroads again, the fear of where the road chosen leads. The rational part of his brain was biting at his heels like an angry chihuahua, but just like one it was quickly shaken away. He’d survived all these years with his heart at the helm. Why bother stopping now? Elswyth Mae. Eric chuckled. Geez, even her name was straightlaced. He stifled another laugh at her attempt to say his name, and looked deep into her eyes as they shook their paws together. It was quick, natural. Up and down and then his paw was under him again. Yet it felt like forever in an instant. Eric cleared his throat and told himself to stop acting like a teenage girl. “Good, now catch me up on all you’ve been doing.” He began to walk again, slowly this time, leading her down the shoreline towards a place where the sun was beginning to break through the clouds. Maybe they could make a new plan this time. One that didn’t involve escape plans or secrets. I guess that’s what normal people call “hanging out”. But I think that if we’ve established anything, it’s that Eric and @Elswyth are far from normal people. - Fade Out via Conversation/Leisurely Beach Stroll But "Sentimental Boy" is my nom de plume Art by Swan, Code by Swan (fixed by Cala)