There were times when Sylvia was convinced that Wander was some kind of weird experiment of Mother Nature.
She hadn't paid much attention in school but there were some clumps of knowledge that had somehow stuck to her and had been bothering her ever since. Her teachers, she forgot who exactly, had sometimes droned on about survival of the fittest and how living things changed their behavior to adapt to their environment. One particularly smug voice had even suggested that the creatures that inhabited the universe today were the ones that had climbed to the top on the blunders of others and that the world as they knew it was born out of sheer cunning.
If that was true, Wander must have been created to test the limits of kindness and see how long he would survive.
Sylvia had to admit that he was doing pretty well so far. Most of that, of course, could be attributed to her keeping him out of trouble whenever he rushed to the aid of some poor soul whose name he didn't even know. Even now, that they had become known fugitives and their names and pictures were plastered over wanted posters on every corner he still found the time to help three random strangers in less than ten minutes. Her frustration with him had been growing steadily but whenever he apologized for running off with a breathless voice and eager eyes she got reminded of a strange, inexplicable fact that amazed her every single time.
Wander genuinely liked helping people. It wasn't some sort of scheme to gain loyal followers or establishing alliances in case things went south for him and Sylvia. Ill intentions or ulterior motives were completely foreign concepts to him. If you were sharpening your sword to cut his head off, he would probably offer you a whetting stone.
And one day, he would come across someone who would gladly take that offer.
She turned away from the filthy grate in the dark alley and peeked out into the busy street looking for her friend who had once again given her the slip. She wondered how long it would take for all his good luck to run out and for the rest of the intelligent, cunning universe to finally catch up with him. Sure, he made the world a better place wherever he went and sure, there were planets spinning happily because of him but there was bound to be a time when someone worse than Hater would come along and then no amount of good will would get them out of harm's way.
Unless by then, the bright, glowing path of peace and kindness that Wander left behind would engulf the entire universe and there would be no point in worrying about stuff like that.
Sylvia grinned and watched Wander bound over the crowded street to catch a small furry creature plummeting from an open window. She was beginning to understand Mother Nature's cunning plan after all.
I never chose this fandom, it chose me.
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