Somewhere faraway, deep within the heart of a verdant, lush rainforest was a brown-haired man of Japanese lineage—humming jubilantly while traversing through the dense and forested terrain.
An apple with poorly carved out pair of eyes and a mouth—nestled snugly in his small and tight pocket. His outfit was blemished, mud stains left on his creased attire. A few holes and slits were also visible on the man's clothes yet he paid no heed to them and continued onwards with his journey.
"Mhmm! Hmm! Hmm! Another day scavenging for food!" The man sang enthusiastically, his lyrics and the song's high and low pitches uneven but it only helped fuel the man's fervour.
His eyes darted throughout the entire forest, carefully scanning each individual tree from their highest point down to their roots. He walked steadily, each tree he passed by lacking was barren until eventually, he spotted the one. It proudly showed off its bountiful produce—almost shining as the sunlight bounced off of each individual pear.
"Got you!" The man exclaimed, plucking a few batches of the tree's goods for his own sustenance.
"These will be enough to keep us full for a while, wouldn't it, Mr. Ringo?" The man spoke gleefully, taking out the apple from his pocket and staring at ‘it' with a wide smile etched on his face.
{Yes, that's right Takashi.} The man added, his voice of a higher pitch this time while moving the apple subtly—almost as if to show some sort of emotion despite knowing he was conversing with a mere piece of fruit.
"I knew it! So, where do you think we should go next, Mr. Rango?"
{I think we should head west this time. We might find some help out there. Best case scenario, the noble will finally give up searching for us if we went far enough into another lord's territory.}
"You know just how to read my mind, Mr. Rango. Alright, off to the west we go!" Takashi declared energetically, changing his course as he headed west—praying his notoriety has yet to reach the ears of the residents of the west.
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"...up…wake up…Wake up!" Sungah's body jolted upright—surprised by a loud and jarring voice. Her hands clutched tightly onto something that brought back feelings of nostalgia.
"Finally awake, are you?" The voice spoke in a tone of relief, tinged with a hint of gratitude. Though it sounded familiar, it too sounded distant for her ears. Sungah stared at the owner of such voice, squinting her eyes while awaiting for her vision to return.
Her eyes widened in pure shock once the face of the person became visible. It was none other than Florin herself. The maid that always had a positive and bubbly demeanour no matter the circumstances. But such person's eyes were bloodshot and had a weary expression on her face—as if she had been crying in anguish for hours on end. Even so, a beautiful and reassuring smile was still plastered on face despite her fatigue—supposedly having never lost its brilliance that always manages to cheer up anyone within the manor.
"Florin…" Sungah breathed her friend's name, but hurriedly averted her gaze—torn by guilt for the method she had used to confront Florin yesterday. At the same time however, she couldn't deny what she did wasn't the correct choice at least for her. She was thoroughly frustrated from the lack of information given to her by Florin, so her sudden outburst was expected.
Her mind wandered elsewhere, trying to think of words she could utter to Florin now that the both of them were facing each other once more. But nothing arose. She didn't know what to say, or even what to do in such an unpredictable situation. She took a deep breath, her mind racing to form even the simplest coherent sentence.
Out of the blue however, her train of thought halted as the first friend she made ever since her forced departure into this unknown world, enveloped her in a tight embrace. Florin's arms pulled Sungah closer to her, her head buried into Sungah's shoulder—a stream of tears dripping onto Sungah's dress.
Sungah's body froze at the unforeseeable gesture. It was the first time she found Florin to be in such a vulnerable state. Her usual bubbly and outgoing personality—overshadowed by despair and distraught as she held Sungah into her arms.
"F-Florin…" Sungah attempted to call out but her words were caught in her throat, unable to articulate her intentions while Florin poured out her emotions onto Sungah.
"I know I was wrong to have not given you the information, and I'm sorry. But please, don't ever go out when the witch's parade is being held ever again! You might think I see you as nothing more than a plaything because I've been staying far longer in the estate than you. But you're wrong, Sungah.
You're not a plaything. You're my friend. A friend that I can wholeheartedly trust and can depend on! A friend that I know will have my back if I'm ever lost! So, please, don't ever do something that dumb again!" Florin screamed, expressing the whirlwind of emotions she was experiencing ever since Sungah's sudden disappearance—up to this current moment.
She stared into Sungah's eyes, her tear-streaked face conveying all that was needed for Sungah to confirm her sincerity. At that moment, nothing else mattered for Florin but to ensure Sungah fully understood the depths of her feelings she held for her cherished friend.
An exhausted sigh escaped from Sungah's lips as she nodded slightly. Albeit still being rather conflicted about her last confrontation with Florin, Sungah could no longer deny the concerns her friend had over her wellbeing. Her eyes gazes back at Florin, this time a with a pleasant smile.
"I see…Thank you, Florin. Perhaps, I was acting oblivious on purpose. Maye because I've experienced many bad things. So…thank you…for opening my heart again…and for everything else you've done to keep me happy." Sungah replied softly, wiping the remaining tears on Florin's eyes.
"I won't act so rashly again, at least for your sake. So be assured, I won't disappear so suddenly without a proper reason next time. And if I do, I'll make sure I'll inform you beforehand. Once again...thank you, Florin."
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