Leon

Leon yawned wide as he watched an elf named Naexi pace back and forth in front of the bookshelves where he had been snoozing. Naexi seemed to be deep in thought about something. 

“‘I wanted to tell you something that I’ve been keeping to myself for the last few months,’” she murmured. She shook her head. “No. That’s too straightforward.” She scratched her chin and thought through an alternate script. “‘I know we haven’t been hanging out much recently,’” she tried again, “‘I wanted you to know that it’s because my feelings for you have changed…’”

She sighed and ran a frustrated hand through her short, silver locks. “I’m going about this all wrong. I just wish I knew what to say.” She pressed her back to the wall. “Maybe I shouldn’t confess at all.” 

She let out a long sigh, and then finally noticed Leon sitting on the book shelf. 

“What say you, pretty kitty?” She asked. “You wouldn’t have any advice for me, would you?” She laughed to herself and shook her head. “Am I really so inept that I’m asking a cat for tips on romance? Satra would have a field day with this if she were here.” 

Leon surprised her by meowing in response. His meow was brief and encouraging, and it reminded her of a duck’s quack. It made her smile. 

“You’re telling me not to give up, aren’t you?”

He quacked again, as if to agree. 

“Alright, if you insist.” She pushed off the wall. “Maybe it’s too early to give up on this. The worst that can happen is she rejects me, right? And so what if she does? Life is too short to live in doubt.”

Leon gave another quack, his striped tail swishing back and forth. 

“Okay, I’ll try again.” Naexi shook her arms to get rid of her nervousness and then stared hard into empty space, imagining that her friend Satra, a deep gnome with a plump figure and an incredibly bright smile, was standing there. 

“‘Satra,’” she said, “‘You’ve been by my side as my best friend for over a decade, and my feelings for you have only deepened during that time.’” She crouched and mimed taking Satra by the hand. And then she took a steadying deep breath. “‘I love you.’”

She held the position for a few moments, and then stood straight. “How was that, kitty?”

Leon got to his feet and stretched with his tail high in the air. He straightened and dropped from the shelf to Naexi’s feet. He butted his head against Naexi’s ankle and purred with approval. 

Naexi laughed and scratched him between the ears. “Thanks for the help, little guy.”