Fresh air. The idea suddenly excited him. Amid the buzzing in his head that grew with each passing second, he caught glimpses of what fresh air meant. A nice breeze, the smell of forest, the waterfall he planned on taking Dorothea to see. The water would be a pleasant coolness on his skin, the wet soil a pleasant smell. He'd always liked the smell of wet sand.
"The best for me!" he repeated with a light laugh as she linked arms with him and started to walk with him toward the door. "Always the best, that fresh air." It felt like he'd been indoors forever, the smell of the bar suddenly overwhelming.
He found it a little hard to walk for some reason. He felt more like he was floating, and that made it difficult to know when to lift his foot and take a step. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up falling again, and he didn't want to appear like a drunkard in front of dearest Dorothea, the sudden light of his day.
Sweet, sweet Dorothea. Always looking out for him. Always there for him. How could he have possibly been upset with her earlier when life was so wonderful and her smile so delicious?
When they made it back outside, he took a deep breath. It still smelled like a town, people smells here and there, but it was so much better than the smell of alcohol and vomit and sweat.
He started laughing again when he saw a black cat streak out from behind the building in front of him, its quick movement amusing him for no reason he could see. Cats were silly creatures.
He leaned on Dorothea. "Ah," he said. "The outdoors. Amazing."
Maneki was staring at him from Dorothea's shoulders, a penetrating stare. <Something's wrong with you,> she said, voice tinted with heavy suspicion, which made him laugh more.
