"Stuart," Karo said simply with an admiring look-over and a beaming grin. Her starless orbs complimented her turquoise coiffure, belying her spirited heart. She was dressed in her usual everyday clothes. Her skin was ivory and her form was slight. A symbol marked her skin. As Stuart drew nearer, he caught a note of her familiar perfume: a sweet, rich lavender. He smiled to himself. It always reminded him of the time they shared.
"Oh, lil' love! You came!" Stuart said breathlessly, reaching out to take her into an embrace. With that, they began to walk along the beach.
The air was salty and warm, the sun sparkling bright and the waves foam-crested and cobalt, and yet Stuart could not let himself be happy. He wanted to reach for Karo's steady hand, always a comfort, but it was his sadness - who was he to burden Karo with that? Although he tried to stop them, his lips trembled, gemstone orbs filling with unshed tears.
But he couldn't hide from Karo. She took him by the hand and drew him toward herself, and when he looked up into her face she had a smile warmer than the sun.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "You look so sad!"
He tried to smile, to show her that he was happy there, with her, but his plush lips would not obey him.