[Open] Feeling Alive

Oh, wow! It was really nice outside! Sabriel usually stayed inside in his room, doing work or just staying away from everyone else, but now that the weather was warmer he felt compelled to leave the building. Adorned in only a pair of worn out jeans and a plain black T-shirt, with sandals on his feet, he made his way toward the garden, humming softly to himself. There was a slight bounce to his step for once, but he wasn't quite sure as to why that was. Sabriel wouldn't dare say anything against it, though; for once he was happy and he just prayed nothing would change that.

Spinning in a circle, Sabriel laughed before jogging the rest of the way to the garden. The grass didn't snap beneath his weight as he ran, merely bent only to stick back up straightly. He had always loved spring! He loved the way the trees looked while they were coming back to life but weren't quite there yet, the way the flowers popped up out of the ground and were so tiny still, and the way refreshing scent in the air. After how dead everything was in the winter it was a welcome change for the few weeks spring remained until it at last melted into summer.

Sabriel's pace slowed once he got to his destination and a wide, childish grin spread across his face. A gentle breeze pulled at his black hair and he pressed his cat-like ears against his head in response to it with a light giggle. Once again he spun in a circle before finally feeling contented, closing his golden eyes for a few moments.

When he reopened his eyes, he was somewhat surprised that many of the flowers had already grown to perhaps their full potential. Weren't they supposed to be babies still? Sabriel cocked his head to the side and walked toward a patch of tulips, plopping down on his bottom in front of them and merely looking at them.

"You're all very pretty!" he exclaimed finally, reaching his arms around them gently so he wouldn't break them as he gave them a hug. "Keep it up! I'm very proud of you all for growing so big!" Sabriel removed his arms from them and patted one of the tulips at the top of its petals as if it were its head before placing his hands on the ground to push himself up. "They grow up so fast."

He continued walking along the stone path, humming quietly again. It was so beautiful and tranquil here; he could have stayed here for hours. Once his knees started hurting from all the walking and spinning he had done, Sabriel spun in one last half circle and allowed himself to fall backward onto a patch of grass that near lilies and daffodils.

"Sorry if I hurt you guys. I don't think I did, did I?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows. He checked the flowers to make sure he hadn't broken their steps or disturbed their blooms and nodded. "Knew it! You guys are the best." With that said Sabriel fell back on the grass and closed his eyes, folding his hands on his stomach and allowing himself to become comfortable. His legs were bent at the knee and his cat-tail swished back and forth.

Out of instinctive reaction, Sabriel's eyes shot open when he heard someone walking up behind him. He relaxed though when he saw the boy, deciding it didn't really matter for now. For the time being he heard someone else a bit further away from them, which caused his ears to twitch in the direction of the words. It sounded like someone was reading - and something really cute, for that matter! He sat up, able to see the little boy now but still not able to tell what he was reading."Wha--" He cut himself off from calling out when the boy next to him planted something in the ground.

Sabe's attention shifted from the little boy now to the flowers near him. His head cocked to the side and his ears twitched. There were too many stimuli; he didn't know what to react to first! There were people, there was noise. He felt like a confused pet in a new home. This was the first time he'd been around this much in... in... how long had it been? He didn't even know when he'd been able to manage being around two people at once.

Then it clicked in his brain that this flower was different from the rest. It was white and made somewhat differently than the others. It was still smooth, but there was just something about it that made it not seem real. But it had to be real! It wouldn't be here if it was fake. "Wow," he said in a hushed tone, looking up at Carta. "Is that like..." He gasped and put a hand over his mouth, as if he really only fully understood now. Without checking his volume, he continued, "It's an albino flower, isn't it?! Wow! Where did you find this?! It was so good of you to put this back where it belongs. Oh it's so pretty." He reached out and pet it lightly before withdrawing his hand, still absolutely amazed by it.

Sabriel looked up at Carta, that silly grin still plastered on his face. That was so nice of him! No one brought him flowers, even if it was just to put in the garden and not really for him. It was still the thought that counted! "That was really kind of you," he said. "I've never seen an albino flower in real life for you. I mean, I've heard about them, but didn't really think it was real. Well I was wrong!"

His heart swelled when Carta sat on the grass with him. No one ever sat on the grass with him, either! Today was his lucky day! Was he making — had he made — was it possible?! A friend?! Sabriel almost felt nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a friend. "My name is Sabriel," he said. "But you can call me Sabe! Or anything you want, really! What's your name?"

It was at the draw of his statement that he heard the little boy from before call over to them. Sabriel's head turned to him immediately, his ears sticking up straightly upon his head. He was surprised by what the boy said and blinked, his golden gaze shifting back to Carta before he stood up. He jogged over to where Daniel had been, having noticed the book laying there. "Wait a second!" he called, leaning over and picking up the book. "Hey, you forgot this!" He held the book in one hand, held toward toward Daniel to take. "You don't have to go, you know! We're not gonna hurt you."

There was something about those scared words and the jittery countenance that made Sabriel bite the inside of his lip. What did that remind him of? He couldn't exactly recall.

Oh well.

Sabriel grinned when Daniel accepted the book. That looked like a good sign, at least! Oooh, maybe he'd be friends with him too! "You're welcome!" he beamed, tilting his head to the side and lowering his hands to fold them behind his back just above his tail once the boy had taken the book from him. Once the boy began to calm down, Sabriel felt more at ease, but he was still sad that he seemed so uncertain.

"Aww, we don't bite," he said, lifting a hand in front of his mouth for emphasis. "We don't mind, either! Practicing is good, don't be ashamed." He still couldn't quite place where he'd seen those sort of anxious eyes, and it bothered him greatly. Who had he seen with that same look constantly in their eyes? This was going to eat away at him until he remembered, and he had a feeling he wouldn't. His cheerfulness seemed to abate somewhat with that, only to be perked right back up when the kid introduced himself.

"I'm Sabriel," he said again. "But Sabe is okay." When Carta spoke up, Sabriel turned to look at him and his grin returned tenfold, to the point where his eyes seemed to be smiling as well. Sabriel threw his arms around Carta's side, giving him a somewhat awkward hug and then resting his head on his shoulder. "Carta's my new best friend, Daniel!"

With that said, the cat-eared teenager released Carta as if nothing even vaguely awkward had happened and swayed from side to side. "You look awfully young to be at this kind of a place, Danny-boy. Where are your parents?" He looked around, expecting them to be nearby, only to not see them and look back to his two new friends with a puzzled expression.