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"Keith! How have you been?"

Gracie bounded up to her friend with a grin, taking note of how startled he looked when she called out to him. It had been a hot second since they'd seen one another, and she'd begun to grow worried about him, but she happened to catch a glimpse of him in the market while she was looking for some of the eggs that the munchkins had hidden throughout Bellavette.

"Sorry," she apologized, tilting her head to the side and slowing in her approach. An adult beside Keith seemed to be watching Gracie's approach just as attentively as Leala, and she wondered for a moment if she was Keith's mom or something, but he'd never mentioned having one before. "I mean, for being so loud. But I've been worried about you! Is it okay if I give you a hug?"

"Um - sure," Keith agreed, brows furrowing as Gracie pulled him into a gentle embrace. She noted how skinny he seemed to be - she could just barely feel his ribs jutting out, and she noticed she could see the gentle curves of the ridges as she stepped back, but he didn't seem to be too bad off. Just like he might've missed a few meals, but it was still enough to worry her, combined with having not seen him for a while.

She glanced at the adult behind him, who still seemed to be watching him protectively and gazed at Gracie warily. Did she have something to do with this?

"We should catch up sometime soon. Do you want to come egg-hunting with me later? Maybe tomorrow afternoon?" Gracie asked hopefully. She didn't want to ask him anything while the adult was present.

"Oh, sure." Keith smiled, glancing at the adult to get a nod of confirmation. "That sounds fun! Me and Leala can meet you outside of town, if that's okay."

"That's fine with me. Ohh, I missed you, Keith!" She gave him another little hug, unable to contain her excitement. She let go as she heard Leala growl, seeing Keith wince as she stepped back. "Sorry, sorry! I forgot for a second, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Keith reassured her, sucking in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly through his nose, giving her a half-smile. "I mean, I've been learning to get used to stuff like that, so it's alright. Thanks for remembering anyway."

"We've gotta be going," the adult told Keith, gesturing down the stalls and holding up the basket filled with produce she held. "Gotta get home and start making dinner."

"Oh, yeah!" he said with a smile, then turned back to Gracie. "I'll meet you on the road to the Auribelle, if that's okay."

"Absolutely! Stay safe, Keith," she said earnestly, giving him a wave as he turned to leave. "I'll see you later!"

"Bye!" he responded, waving back before following the adult away.

Gracie took in a deep breath as she watched him walk away, concern swimming inside her chest as she watched him disappear into the crowd. She hoped he was okay. The leanness in his body was unsettling, and she had no idea who that adult was. She knew Keith had a father, but had never heard him mention a mother. Whatever the case, she would get to talk to him tomorrow.

________________________________________

"Hi Keith!" Gracie greeted him with a broad grin, her tail waving in a sort of hello. Marvel and Ray were hot on her heels, and both sniffed curiously in Leala's direction as they approached Keith. "I'm really glad to see you again! I'm looking forward to this egg hunt. I've heard there aren't as many this year as previous ones, but I think that would make it all the more exciting to find one! And we could always split the reward if we find it together."

Keith seemed to be busy keeping up with how fast she was speaking in her excitement, looking a little overwhelmed. When the words caught up to him, he offered a good-natured smile and a nod. "Yeah, we could, if you wanted to. I wasn't really planning on going out and hunting in the first place, though."

"Well, we can have a lot of fun with it," Gracie hummed, prancing towards the woods nearby. "There's a place I want to check on the other side of these trees. I've heard some of the munchkins like to play in this clearing over there, where there's this good view of some of the mountains in the distance."

They made some more small talk, then walked along in companionable silence for a bit, Leala sticking close by Keith. Marvel and Ray chased each other through the underbrush, Ray panting and Marvel chirping as they made circles around the group of three. They disappeared into the brush sometimes, then would appear again on the path in front of or behind Gracie. She wasn't too worried about them running off, knowing they were just having fun. Leala was eyeing them warily, and let out a long, low growl as Ray passed by a little too close to her.

When they finally began to get close to the clearing, Gracie finally broke the silence. "So... who were you at the market with yesterday?" she prompted gently, looking at Keith out of the corners of her eyes.

"Huh?" Keith seemed to start at the question, turning to Gracie and blinking rapidly. "Oh, that was my sis- well.... That was Enya. She's been taking care of me."

"Oh," Gracie said, aware of the way Keith's posture changed suddenly, like he was shrinking into himself. "I'm sorry," she apologized, though she wasn't sure what for.

"It's fine...." Keith trailed off, staring after Marvel as her tail disappeared into the brush once more. "It's just been a little.... She's been helping out after I got sick."

Her gaze brushed over his lean form again, furrowing her brows and trying not to grimace. Is that what happened? She immediately felt awful for assuming the worst of the adult felis, knowing that she was probably only trying to make sure Keith was okay. "I'm sorry I didn't know. I would've come to visit you if I'd known you were sick," Gracie said with a sigh.

"It's fine, there was really no way for you to know," Keith insisted.

"Well, I'm just glad... y'know, that you seem to be recovering pretty well," Gracie quickly added, giving Keith the best grin she could manage. "That you're doin okay, y'know? That's the most important thing. And I am super-duper glad you had someone like Enya to look after you, she seemed to really care about your safety."

"Yeah, she's been really great with everything going on," Keith sighed, gazing ahead to where Marvel was waiting for Ray to catch up to her. "But I think this has been fun, and I'm happy that I'm finally well enough again to go out and see my friends."

Oh, yeah. They were supposed to be hunting for eggs. That was a thing. Gracie had been so filled with worry that she'd forgotten all about that.

"Well, we're pretty much there, we should really start looking for those eggs!" Gracie chirped, hoping to take Keith's mind off it as she dove into the brush after Marvel and Ray. Keith followed with a small laugh, and as they broke into the clearing that Gracie had declared their destination, her heart warmed merely at the fact that Keith was having a good time.

_________________________________

words: 1255

25 / 441 bells
art and gracie, marvel, ray
leala and keith
species

Description
"Keith! How have you been?"

Gracie bounded up to her friend with a grin, taking note of how startled he looked when she called out to him. It had been a hot second since they'd seen one another, and she'd begun to grow worried about him, but she happened to catch a glimpse of him in the market while she was looking for some of the eggs that the munchkins had hidden throughout Bellavette.

"Sorry," she apologized, tilting her head to the side and slowing in her approach. An adult beside Keith seemed to be watching Gracie's approach just as attentively as Leala, and she wondered for a moment if she was Keith's mom or something, but he'd never mentioned having one before. "I mean, for being so loud. But I've been worried about you! Is it okay if I give you a hug?"

"Um - sure," Keith agreed, brows furrowing as Gracie pulled him into a gentle embrace. She noted how skinny he seemed to be - she could just barely feel his ribs jutting out, and she noticed she could see the gentle curves of the ridges as she stepped back, but he didn't seem to be too bad off. Just like he might've missed a few meals, but it was still enough to worry her, combined with having not seen him for a while.

She glanced at the adult behind him, who still seemed to be watching him protectively and gazed at Gracie warily. Did she have something to do with this?

"We should catch up sometime soon. Do you want to come egg-hunting with me later? Maybe tomorrow afternoon?" Gracie asked hopefully. She didn't want to ask him anything while the adult was present.

"Oh, sure." Keith smiled, glancing at the adult to get a nod of confirmation. "That sounds fun! Me and Leala can meet you outside of town, if that's okay."

"That's fine with me. Ohh, I missed you, Keith!" She gave him another little hug, unable to contain her excitement. She let go as she heard Leala growl, seeing Keith wince as she stepped back. "Sorry, sorry! I forgot for a second, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Keith reassured her, sucking in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly through his nose, giving her a half-smile. "I mean, I've been learning to get used to stuff like that, so it's alright. Thanks for remembering anyway."

"We've gotta be going," the adult told Keith, gesturing down the stalls and holding up the basket filled with produce she held. "Gotta get home and start making dinner."

"Oh, yeah!" he said with a smile, then turned back to Gracie. "I'll meet you on the road to the Auribelle, if that's okay."

"Absolutely! Stay safe, Keith," she said earnestly, giving him a wave as he turned to leave. "I'll see you later!"

"Bye!" he responded, waving back before following the adult away.

Gracie took in a deep breath as she watched him walk away, concern swimming inside her chest as she watched him disappear into the crowd. She hoped he was okay. The leanness in his body was unsettling, and she had no idea who that adult was. She knew Keith had a father, but had never heard him mention a mother. Whatever the case, she would get to talk to him tomorrow.

________________________________________

"Hi Keith!" Gracie greeted him with a broad grin, her tail waving in a sort of hello. Marvel and Ray were hot on her heels, and both sniffed curiously in Leala's direction as they approached Keith. "I'm really glad to see you again! I'm looking forward to this egg hunt. I've heard there aren't as many this year as previous ones, but I think that would make it all the more exciting to find one! And we could always split the reward if we find it together."

Keith seemed to be busy keeping up with how fast she was speaking in her excitement, looking a little overwhelmed. When the words caught up to him, he offered a good-natured smile and a nod. "Yeah, we could, if you wanted to. I wasn't really planning on going out and hunting in the first place, though."

"Well, we can have a lot of fun with it," Gracie hummed, prancing towards the woods nearby. "There's a place I want to check on the other side of these trees. I've heard some of the munchkins like to play in this clearing over there, where there's this good view of some of the mountains in the distance."

They made some more small talk, then walked along in companionable silence for a bit, Leala sticking close by Keith. Marvel and Ray chased each other through the underbrush, Ray panting and Marvel chirping as they made circles around the group of three. They disappeared into the brush sometimes, then would appear again on the path in front of or behind Gracie. She wasn't too worried about them running off, knowing they were just having fun. Leala was eyeing them warily, and let out a long, low growl as Ray passed by a little too close to her.

When they finally began to get close to the clearing, Gracie finally broke the silence. "So... who were you at the market with yesterday?" she prompted gently, looking at Keith out of the corners of her eyes.

"Huh?" Keith seemed to start at the question, turning to Gracie and blinking rapidly. "Oh, that was my sis- well.... That was Enya. She's been taking care of me."

"Oh," Gracie said, aware of the way Keith's posture changed suddenly, like he was shrinking into himself. "I'm sorry," she apologized, though she wasn't sure what for.

"It's fine...." Keith trailed off, staring after Marvel as her tail disappeared into the brush once more. "It's just been a little.... She's been helping out after I got sick."

Her gaze brushed over his lean form again, furrowing her brows and trying not to grimace. Is that what happened? She immediately felt awful for assuming the worst of the adult felis, knowing that she was probably only trying to make sure Keith was okay. "I'm sorry I didn't know. I would've come to visit you if I'd known you were sick," Gracie said with a sigh.

"It's fine, there was really no way for you to know," Keith insisted.

"Well, I'm just glad... y'know, that you seem to be recovering pretty well," Gracie quickly added, giving Keith the best grin she could manage. "That you're doin okay, y'know? That's the most important thing. And I am super-duper glad you had someone like Enya to look after you, she seemed to really care about your safety."

"Yeah, she's been really great with everything going on," Keith sighed, gazing ahead to where Marvel was waiting for Ray to catch up to her. "But I think this has been fun, and I'm happy that I'm finally well enough again to go out and see my friends."

Oh, yeah. They were supposed to be hunting for eggs. That was a thing. Gracie had been so filled with worry that she'd forgotten all about that.

"Well, we're pretty much there, we should really start looking for those eggs!" Gracie chirped, hoping to take Keith's mind off it as she dove into the brush after Marvel and Ray. Keith followed with a small laugh, and as they broke into the clearing that Gracie had declared their destination, her heart warmed merely at the fact that Keith was having a good time.

_________________________________

words: 1255

25 / 441 bells
art and gracie, marvel, ray
leala and keith
species