Bil paused for a moment as Nelphy and Jash got a good grip on their gifts. He let them admire the items and get a feel for them, with no need to rush.
Nelphy stood still while looking down into her hands. There laid a simple necklace, a necklace unlike anything she'd ever seen. She ran her finger along the ridges of the oval pendant. The grooves separating the two halves were mesmerizing to the touch. It was made up of two curved teardrops to form a perfect oval. In awe of the design, Nelphy asked, "What… is this?"
"It's a pendant. Before you were born, those sorts of pendants were popular among couples separated by the war…"
Her mouth opened to speak again, but Nelphy's lip and heart trembled.
Bil offered a grim, sorrowful smile. "That pendant was a gift to my lover… She… She took the ocean blue half. I kept the fiery orange half. We promised to survive and stay together no matter what it took…
