The pale and fragile 16 year-old knelt on the spongy ground next to a simple wooden cross stuck as deep as it would go into the earth. Messy black hair fell into his eyes as he cried quietly over the simple grave.

"Scraps..." he whispered and tried to remind himself what a good long life Scraps led. He had been his pet since Victor was three years old.

He also did his best to block out his mother's scorn. She had never liked Scraps and those feelings had not softened any at the animal's passing.

The wind blew cold. Victor shivered a little but he did not want to go back inside just yet to face his mother's derision and his father's awkward sympathy, which could only be expected of a man when his nearly grown up son could not stop crying over the loss of a pet.

A slight rustle beside him told Victor he was no longer alone. He looked up and gasped a little in surprise at who knelt beside him.

"Miss Everglot... "

"Hello Master Van Dort." She said softly laying a small bouquet of flowers against the grave. She gave him a soft little smile. When she looked at him his heart jumped and seemed to shed a tiny bit of grief. Her large, expressive blue eyes expressed sympathy for him as well as her own sadness and the chill of the rainy afternoon brought out the rosy cast to her cheeks and the pink in her lips. "He was a dear little dog. I used to watch out the front parlor window quite a bit when you two played after school. I wish I might have joined you but mother would not hear of it."

"I wish you might have joined us as well."

"As it happens I ought not to be talking to you now, not without an escort. But poor Hildegared is getting old and a day like this is hard on her bones. Still I thought it the greater of two wrongs that you should mourn alone for such a sweet pet. " She had not been outside for as long as Victor and the hand she timidly laid against his felt warm and oddly comforting. Victor was mortified to admit it but the tender little touch coaxed more tears from him. Without knowing quite how it happened he found himself weeping against her velvet cloaked shoulder as her arms curled softly around him.

"I'm such a ninny..." he whispered.

"No you're not." Victoria held him tighter. "You loved Scraps and no one can blame you for that. It's all right, Victor... I mean Master Van Dort."

This time when Victor stopped crying he felt slightly better and gave Victoria a wan smile. " That was terribly improper. Miss Everglot."

"Mother would be furious if she saw what just happened but I don't care, not this time. Still I ought to get back before I'm missed for too long. And you should definitely get inside. You're cold as... well your hand felt very cold."

"Yes I will, Miss Everglot. Thank you." They smiled at each other once more as Victoria hurried back home and Victor picked himself up feeling slightly stiff from how long he'd been sitting in the chill of the day, yet also feeling much less alone.