Elven Roses

For a second, Aldrec simply stared, his voice momentarily caught in his throat. At last, deciding action over words, he fumbled with his hip satchel and handed her a handkerchief.

The android hiccuped another couple of suppressed sobs as she stared curiously at him, then at his gift. At last, with a faint smile, accepted it. Her pale, exposed fingers seemed as delicate as a china doll's.

"I saw what happened," the elf said, the words finally coming to his mouth. He knelt beside her as she used the handkerchief to dab at her eyes. "Are you okay?"

The android shook her head, and a couple more tears streamed down her stained cheeks.

"No … I … I think I'm really, really far from okay," she croaked. "That little punk … My entire life was in that purse! My ether link, my makeup, my ID cards …"

Her last few words became garbled as she grimaced, and broke again into a torrent of cries and wails. She buried her face in the handkerchief, and before long, had soaked it through with her tears.

"It's … the perfect end … to a perfect day!" She raved once she came up for air, only to cover her face again and resume her crying fit.

Hesitantly, the elf placed his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. Readily accepting him, the android leaned over into his breast, and coughed out a few more ragged sobs, too exhausted to actually cry anymore. Within a couple of minutes, she managed to compose herself.

"Th-thank you," she quavered, looking more than a little embarrassed at having emptied her sorrow into the bosom of a complete stranger. She sniffled loudly. "I'm … not usually like this, really. It's just that … well, today's just gone all to hell, you know what I mean?"

"Oh, I can guess," the elf said, recalling, in spite of himself, the mood in which he had been before seeing her chase after that purse-snatcher. "Besides, I've had something of a bad day myself." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Have you ever had your purse stolen?" The android asked, as though nothing could have possibly been worse than what had happened to her.

At this, the elf stifled a potentially regrettable laugh. "No, but then again, how many men, human or otherwise, do you see wearing a purse?"

The android let out a slight guffaw, and smiled.

"Aha, so you can laugh!" the elf said. "I was beginning to wonder if your sense of humor had been taken as well. But seriously, if I did have a purse -heaven forbid- I know that it isn't exactly the best thing to wear in the city. It's too easy to steal: bands snap; there's nothing to hold on to. I've seen it before."