sentiment, or cowardice?: cowardice.

He lets go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. At some point he'd forgotten of the dagger's existence. It gave him some hope that his departure would be forgotten about too. He's a coward for it, but he knows. They're no stranger to ditching their responsibilities, but this is a step in the dark... A risk that can't be reversed if they pull it off. A shiver crawls down their spine.

 

He hasn't left a note, but he's an adult, what are they going to do? His resolve restored, he quietly gets up with the bag, and the dagger in his left hand. He peeks at his reflection and stops when he sees someone else.

 

There's no logical reason to take it. There'll be better knives for cheap in other towns, and that's not even considering whether he actually needs one, or the fact that he could always nick one of the daggers lying around the forge. And yet. In a room full of stuff from his childhood, this is the only thing that calls to them. He determines that there'll be no harm in bringing it along, and tucks it in his boot. That will do for now.

 

...The things one does for sentiment. The things one does for cowardice. How blurred are the lines? How crossed are the crossroads? How much can you keep when you're running away?

 

Taking in one last glance of his room, he vows to leave and never return. Maybe. He's never truly cared much for vows, and they mean little to him, especially when he makes them to himself. 

 

He covers his face with a hood, leaves through the front door, and disappears into the night. He looks back, but keeps on going. The dagger doesn't feel heavy in his boots, but there is an indescribable ache in his heart weighing him down, begging him to reconsider. He stomachs it down. Sammich leaves Acrine in record time. He doesn't think that anyone would miss him.

 

By noon the next day, he's reached a small town and, upon booking a room in a tavern, falls asleep immediately. The dagger sits on the bedside table, awaiting the next chapter of its life with him.