Alex was holding something behind his back as he stepped into The Tiger's Catch, his eyes scanning for Ellen. He had been up all night last night working on it, and now he was praying that it would work. The woren's tail waved slowly as he spotted Ellen, dressed up in her working uniform, cleaning off a table. With a sigh and a quiet 'here goes nothing' the woren made his way over to her.

"Ellen?" Alex had given up on referring to her as 'Ellie' or 'Love.' The nicknames only seemed to make her even more annoyed at him whenever he tried to talk to her, and Alex really didn't want to push his luck too far this time. He was at the end of his line and desperate to take all caution necessary if it meant the possibility of getting Ellen back. The woren waited, but the Persona User didn't turn to recognize him. Alex sighed. Not this again... Landon... please Ellie, just talk to me... "Ellen..."

"Not now, Alex." Ellen barely looked over at the woren as she turned and made her way over to another table, wiping it off quickly. "I'm busy, and I don't need you bothering me right now."

Alex gave a defeated sigh. I guess that's it... "Alright, I'll try again later..." With that, the woren turned and shuffled off.

Ellen paused in her cleaning. She was still mad at Alex, this much was true, but ever since Nike and Michael had talked to her she hadn't been quite as mad at the furball lately.

Give him a chance to explain himself, child. Ellen could hear Nike's voice in her head. Don't be one sided about the entire thing.

I guess you're right, Nike. It wouldn't hurt just this once... but don't think I'm just going to forgive him so easily! Ellen stood up and turned to where Alex was walking away. "Alex."

"Hrm?" The woren's ears perked up and immediatly he whirrled around, eyes wide in amazement that Ellen had actually talked to him. "Yea?"

Ellen opened her mouth to speak when suddenly she noticed something. Specifically, she noticed that Alex seemed to be hiding something behind his back. Immediatly her eyes narrowed and her voice took on a hint of suspicion. "Alex? What are you hiding behind your back?"

"Huh?" The woren felt his eyes drop and his tail hung limp for a moment, just barely twitching. "Behind my back?" Landon... "Uh... nothing, why?"

"Alex..." Ellen moved her glare from Alex's arm and traced it up to his eyes. The woren shrank back under the judgemental look of the Persona User. That little THIEF! I KNEW IT! I knew he was up to no good! "Alex, you've got something behind your back! Now, what is it?!"

"Ellie it's nothing..." Alex was now backing slowly towards the door of the resturaunt. Landon, this is not good... I can't just show her it now... she'll probably throw it at me, or... or yell at me for even trying to make it for her, or... the woren's thoughts only grew worse and worse as Ellen's face darkened.

"Don't you 'Ellie' me you little thief! Alex, I swear! If trying to steal something from THIS resturaunt-" Ellen couldn't finished her threat. She was far too mad at the woren as she stalked up to him, immediatly grabbing the escaping Alex by the ear. Alex let out a yelp of pain and Ellen's voice became low and demanding. "Alex, show me what you have behind your back!"

Alex reluctantly gave up the item that he had been hiding, and what Ellen saw in the woren's hand made her eyes go wide as she let go of his ear and stared in wonder. "Alex..."

"Call me a thief if you want..." Alex's voice sounded no less then hopeless as he began to explain himself quietly. "I don't know of any store in Torana that would sell these, but I guess you could accuse me for stealing the fabric or something..."

Ellen was staring in wonder down at the little doll in Alex's hand. The doll was a replicate of the woren standing before her, however much smaller, and with much less detail. The stuffed doll had a cookie-cut outline of a body and was wearing a miniature version of Alex's favorite outfit. A light brown fuzzy material had been sewed onto its head as hair, and it's only facial features were a couple of stripes that matched the woren's markings and two black dots for eyes. Basically, the doll looked like a chibi replica of Alex Brandshire. Ellen continued to study the plush doll for a moment before looking back up at Alex. "Alex?"

Alex sighed, his tail twitching uneasily as the woren fidgited with his hands, his eyes looking down at his feet for a moment before he could return his gaze to Ellen. "I thought... since you won't talk to me or anything... maybe you'd do something with that? I mean... I know it sounds stupid... but Ellie..." the woren paused for a moment, desperatly searching his mind for words but was coming up empty. The woren's voice was becoming shaky as he tried to explain to Ellen what he meant, "you wouldn't talk to me, you always ignored me... Landon... you wouldn't even look at me sometimes..." Alex was beginning to lose whatever was left of his compouser, and the woren blinked quickly and looked down again as a tear slipped from his eyes and began to roll down his cheek. With a quick brush of his hand he removed the tear and rubbed the back of his neck before continuing quietly, unable to return his gaze to the girl infront of him. "Anyway... I figured... since you wouldn't have anything at all to do with the real me, maybe you'd atleast have something to do with a me that isn't quite as annoying?" The woren forced out a weak grin, attempting to add humor to the situation as he slowly turned his gaze back to Ellen. "I mean... it doesn't talk back or anything... and... you can lock it away somewhere if you don't want to deal with it, or you can poke it if it makes you mad... and you don't have to worry about it running off and doing things or..." Alex let out a defeated sigh, no longer able to try and hide the desperation in his voice. "Landon, Ellie... I just didn't know what else to do..."

Ellen stared at the woren infront of her before looking back down at the doll. "Alex..." she took the doll carefully from the woren's hand and stared at it. I can't believe he did this... is he really that sorry? Did he really miss me that much? The Persona User felt her heart soften towards the woren a bit. I guess I have been a little hard on him... I mean, he even went so far as to do this... Finally making up her mind, the Persona User shook her and looked up at the defeated woren infront of her. "Alex. This..." She looked at the doll for a moment and shook her head. "This is cute, honestly. But there's something very wrong right now." The woren gazed at her with a lost expression. Ellen just shook her head once more. "No, see, I shouldn't be holding this little doll right now, Alex." Ellen set the stuffed doll down on a nearby table and looked up at Alex, a serious expression on her face. "... I should be holding you." With that, the Persona User wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and gave the woren a huge hug. The action caught Alex so off guard that all he could do was stand there for a moment.

"Ellie?"

"I forgive you." Ellen whispered quietly in the woren's ear. Immediately relief washed over him like a torrent and Alex swept his girlfriend up into a mighty woren hug, his tail waving happily as he pulled her into one of the most passionate Brandshire kisses ever. The kiss lasted for what felt like hours before Alex finally let her go, he was smiling down at her with such an expression of relief it reminded her of a little kid's face on Christmas.

"Ellie... you have no idea... I thought... I thought I had lost you..."

"Alex?" Ellen reached up a brushed a tear from her boyfriend's furry cheek. "You're crying?"

"Only because you've just made me the happiest man in all of Torana!" Alex gave his girlfriend another strong huge and kiss, one that Ellen returned. Finally a look of sudden realization passed over Ellen's face and the Persona User pulled away from her boyfriend.

"Oh! Alex! I'm supposed to be working right now!" Ellen grabbed up the doll and her small wash rag as she hurried over to another table. The Persona User was blushing in embarrasement as she realized that everything that had just happened had infact taken place infront of all the people who were currently in The Tiger's Catch. She didn't bother looking around to see who had watched the whole episode as she hurriedly began to try and catch up with her work. Alex's call from behind her made her stand up and calm down again as she turned to her boyfriend.

"Ellen? Can I see you later?"

Ellen smiled at Alex, watching his tail wave in delight as she nodded. "Of course, you silly furball! Why couldn't you?"

There was a huge grin on Alex's face as Ellen turned back to finish up her work. The woren made his way out of The Tiger's Catch, he would return later to pick Ellen up after her shift. As he headed towards home, Alex couldn't help but notice that he was feeling warm and fuzzy all over. And this time I don't think it's just because I'm covered in a layer of fur. The woren chuckled to himself.

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