My sister tells me the naming in the end of this chapter seems rather forced. To be honest, I agree with her. At the same time, I haven't played Radiant Dawn in forever (sorry, I know...), so I forgot exactly how Micaiah described meeting Sothe. All I can really remember is that one picture, come to think of it. Maybe it shows too well, perhaps you'll tell me in a review (hint, hint)? Well, just reading it's fine, too. So on that note, please enjoy chapter two!

Friendship Appears

Moving completely unnoticed, he darted from shadow to shadow as he trailed her, breathing heavily yet silently in exhilaration. She hummed a tune unknown to him as she walked, a cloak like his own billowing from her bare shoulders. It nearly grazed his face once or twice, but still she had absolutely no clue that she was being followed by the same scrawny child she had met over a fortnight ago- as she had remained unaware for every single one of those days.

He was disgusted at his fascination with her, it went against everything he had ever thought valuable. Yet, he craved her, hungering and thirsting for her as if there were a massive hole in his chest he was forever unable to satiate or quench, to be seeing her face, her eyes, they made him feel as if the world was a shining, beautiful place, as if he too had a chance at a good life. He still didn't trust her, of course. He never would, if everything went according to plan. As she had not for the last few weeks, she'd never know his proximity. Hell, she'd probably forgot he existed.

Or so he thought with fleeting hope as she turned around, as if she finally found something to talk about with him, like he had been there all along. "I'm really sorry to talk with you, since I know you're trying not to be seen, but really, you're going to catch your death of cold if you keep following me around in this weather with those rags."

Taken aback at the sudden revelation of her knowledge of him, he was tempted to flee into the shadows, where he felt safest. But once again, her eyes rooted him to the spot. She extended her arm in a gesture of friendship as she bent down to meet his eye level. Gasping involuntarily, he jumped back fearfully. He was fully aware that he was showing weakness, and he could almost see the fear in his own eyes, but at the moment his survival instincts took a backseat to his long-seated fear of close contact with another human being.

Undaunted, she merely extended her hand further towards him. "Won't you take my hand?" Her voice soothed him, it was like a bell that drew him in. Against his better judgment, he tentatively took a slight step forward. She smiled at this, prompting him to take another, bigger step into the light. He was scared of light. It made him feel uncomfortable, standing out in the open, completely vulnerable to attack. She emanated light, making him feel apprehensive as he should be, but yet, her light, it was not harsh, unforgiving, burning, it was instead warm, soft, golden.

He took one last forward, slowly raising up his palm and meeting it to hers.

She cocked her head to the side, smiling, obviously happy they were able to connect. "I'd like to be friends, but if we're going to be spending this much time together in the future, I think it's time I learned your name," she said softly, resting her hand on the top of his head.

"…Sothe," he muttered, almost unintelligibly, even less audible than the slightest whisper. She raised her eyebrow quizzically, pointing to her ears. "…Sothe," he managed, a little louder this time. Again, she motioned to her ear. "Sothe," he repeated finally, raising his voice to normal speaking level. She smiled again.

"Sothe, hm? It's a beautiful name. I don't have a name myself, so I can't give you mine, unfortunately," she replied, a tinge of sadness in her voice. She covered it with another smile, but he had spent so long subconsciously analyzing faces that he was immediately able to tell it was a false happiness. On the other hand, he knew well enough that should he have been in her position, it would have been uncomfortable to be asked questions, so he wisely decided not to probe further. "Would you like to give me one, Sothe?"

He looked up at her, surprised. "…Give you a name?" She nodded. He was utterly bewildered by such an odd concept, so he stuttered and blundered around as he thought. "I-I like…" The sentence never finished, as he forgot what he was going to say, flustered that he should be communicating with someone as equals. He turned about in place and looked around wildly, looking for some sort of inspiration as his eyes darted about, finally resting on a bag of wheat. "…Gr- Grain? …No, er, Bleached? Um… Percent. Monosodium Glutamate." At last, he saw the brand name.

"…Micaiah."

"It's wonderful, Sothe," she replied, glowing. "Shall we be friends?"

"…I- I've never… I've never had a friend…"

"Perfect. Neither have I."