//------------------------------//
// Saa 
// Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot 
// by Equimorto 
//------------------------------//

"What are you doing?"
The unicorn stopped, just for a moment, and the precarious pile of assorted things held in his hooves trembled, perilously close to falling on the ground. "I'm leaving," he said, his tone a little twitchy. "Not for long, not forever," he immediately clarified. "Just for a little. I think I've earned a break. A small one. I'm going to see a friend."
"And you're leaving the lot of us here on our own?"
"Oh, of course not. You won't even notice." The unicorn smiled. "As a matter of fact, you really won't notice. I'll be back just a few minutes after leaving, you see. I'm actually heading back a couple of weeks, that's when my friend is. I'll just take the long way around, and I'll be right here again to take care of everything."
"Hm. Fair enough. What's that near your hooves?"
"Oh, this?" The unicorn looked down at the black and green splotches on his hairless skin just above his hooves. "Paint," he said. "It'll dry off and rub off eventually, it shouldn't stick around for long."
"Paint?"
"Paint," the unicorn repeated. "I've been painting."
"A painting?"
"Oh." The unicorn shook his head. "No, not a painting, a present. Well, uh, I suppose it doesn't matter to you that it's a present. It's a figurine, I've been painting it myself. It's for my friend, you see, it's a present. I have it wrapped up and everything." He nodded towards one of the many objects in his grasp, specifically a small square package shoddily wrapped in off-brown paper, with a small silver ribbon on top. "Not a good packaging, I know, I'm not good at packaging, but I hope my friend will enjoy the present."
"Well, I hope so too. Are you going out like that? Won't ponies notice you?"
"Oh no, don't worry about that. I have a far more presentable look for my outings," the unicorn said. "I also have far less presentable looks but this time I'm picking the more presentable one. I'm meeting with a friend after all." He shrugged a little. "If you, uh, if you don't mind then I'll soon be going, I wouldn't want to be late." He turned and had a look at the table. Besides clean dried brushes, closed little bottles of paint, and partly painted over pieces of paper, nothing else seemed to be there. "Yes, yes, I do believe that's everything, so I should get going."
"Well, alright then. Make sure you really are back soon though. And enjoy yourself."
"Thank you." The unicorn began to head towards the door, walking shakily and threatening to drop all that he held in his hooves. He finally made it there, and awkwardly leaning the pile against himself he clawed at the knob with a hoof, sliding uselessly off of it a couple of times before he finally got a good grip and pushed it open. He stumbled outwards, miraculously managing not to drop anything, and closed the door again behind himself.