Worrying she might cry, Alvin steeled himself for the possibility, but instead she simply held on until she was ready to let go. Alvin had never been good with tears. That was selfish of him, but he breathed out a sigh of relief and passed her a watery smile when she finally stepped back. It was strange, to feel the absence of her, but as she mentioned the need for some air, combined with the fact that no maid had followed her outside, he nodded and motioned toward the back garden, sketching supplies left under the tree.

Their backyard was not very large, nor very well-kept. It paled in comparison to the Potts' garden, but nobody around here has much time to neaten it up. Maybe he would make an effort to spend some time this summer. Sloane had always enjoyed herbology, maybe she would help him. It would give them something to do, at the very least. There was a little stone fountain in the middle, some stone paths in need of a good sweeping, a little wooden swing that Sloane had insisted on growing up.

Alvin didn't even have it in him to be bashful about it. There was too much going on to worry about it. "We don't come back here much," he explained with a little shrug. They should have at least made it a little more accessible for Wally, give him somewhere other than the house to get out to. It was better than being in the house though.