It was a warm day, and Obi was staring out of his window. The bright sun made him feel drowsy. He had nothing to do and was bored out of his mind. Down in the courtyard of the castle he saw Shirayuki walking by, which made him think about her. He could visit her and try to start up a conversation. But he didn't feel like walking over there, so he just stayed there at his window instead.

Where did Shirayuki come from again? Tanbarun right? That made him remember the days he was there himself as a kid. It wasn't too long ago; when he was thirteen he went there for some days to relax at a place somewhere peaceful. He stayed there at an inn, in a room that had quite an uncomfortable bed. He rubs his back as he remembers it. During those days he would mostly just go fishing at a lake in a nearby forest. Not a lot happened back then, and he didn't meet any new people. At least he thought so. Wasn't there that one girl, that was about a year younger than him, that he saw one day? Hmm..

Obi didn't sleep well last night. The bed he slept on was very uncomfortable. It was probably bad for his back as well. Just a few more days and he would leave Tanbarun again. He'd be sure to let the innkeeper know about that bed before he left.

He put on his boots and went outside. He skipped breakfast. Although the inn's cooking wasn't bad, he wasn't feeling hungry at the moment. The streets were almost empty in the early morning. The skies were clear; a great day to go to his usual spot.

Obi walked through the streets, passing by buildings and small alleys. Everything looked normal. Though before almost having left the small town, he happened to look through the windows of a small, one-story building. Inside was a girl with red hair, about a year younger than him. It looked like she was putting stuff on shelves that she could barely even reach. The whole scene was kind of cute actually; she didn't seem troubled by it at all. Then she turned around and noticed Obi standing outside the building. After a few seconds she put on an innocent smile and waved to him.

That smile made his heart skip a beat. He felt really warm. Then Obi suddenly realised he was standing there in the middle of the street just staring at her like an idiot. Hoping she wouldn't notice how his cheeks had turned red from blushing, he quickly looked away and continued walking. Just a few seconds later Obi already regretted it. Maybe she thought he was being rude. He didn't even wave back! Out of anger he kicked a rock. Unfortunately that rock wasn't loose but stuck to the ground. He now already had his second regret of the day.

After some walking on small paths through the forest outside of Tanbarun, Obi finally arrived at the place he had spent his time the last few days. It's a small spot of flat land between the trees, directly next to a lake, with some logs of cut down trees left to sit on. He had left his fishing rod there. Judging by the past few days, it seems not a lot of people pass through here, so there's no reason to be concerned about the rod getting stolen.

Obi put a worm on the hook of his rod and threw it into the water. And then he would just sit there for some time. If he caught something he would just throw it back in. It started to get kind of boring. Maybe he would go back home tomorrow. He has spent enough time here. But then something disturbed that feeling of boredom. Startled by the sound of someone walking through grass, Obi turned around. Behind him stood a small girl with red hair, who looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see her here.

"Hello," Obi said.

"Hi," the girl answered.

A few awkward seconds of silence passed, both people not knowing what to do. The girl looked at him, and then at his fishing rod.

"Are you fishing here?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Do you mind if I watch for a while?"

"Uh, suit yourself. I can tell you that it's not very interesting though. It will probably be a waste of your time."

The girl ignored that last part and sat down on the grass next to him. She was intensely staring at the dobber in the water, as if she was actually expecting a fish to bite every few seconds.

"I haven't caught anything yet either so far," Obi added to that.

The girl next to him looked up now and stared at him. She looked cute. Red hair and green eyes, which were just below a pair of frowning eyebrows.

"If it is as boring as you say then why are you doing it?" she said.

"W-why? It's not like I had anything better to do. I was bored. And besides, who cares. What are you doing here?"

That might have sounded a bit rude. He instantly wanted to take it back. Just like when he suddenly walked away earlier that day when a girl waved at her.. THAT GIRL!

"Hey wait, I remember you! You.. waved at me earlier today didn't you? Back in town."

"Yes that was me. I saw you looking at me so I tried to greet you. But you just walked away."

"I'm sorry! I got a bit nervous and instantly turned away, I didn't mean to come off as rude! I-"

He was interrupted by her laughing.

"Stop worrying silly. It's alright."

He let out a sigh from relief. Then there was another silence. He asked his question again, but now in a normal tone.

"So what are you doing here in the middle of the forest?"

She points at her bag. "I was looking for some plants to make herbs out of. I make medicine and then sell them. Or people can come to me if they have wounds. I barely know anything yet though! I'm still learning, but it is a fun thing to do."

"Ooh, that sounds very cool. I myself am training myself in martial arts. In a few years I'll be so strong no one can beat me!"

"Wow! Maybe one day you will be so strong that the prince will ask you to be his guard!"

They continued talking for hours enjoying each other's company. But after a while the sun already started to set. They walked back to town together. The girl also seemed to know her way well in the first, Obi noticed. A question suddenly popped up in his head.

"Hey, can I ask how old you are? I'm thirteen."

"I am ten," the girl replied. "And I'm turning eleven tomorrow."