Sage talked his way into Nathaniel's house. He had reminisced of their days at school. He had complained about absent parents. He'd shared his aspirations and passions, and how they'd always fallen on deaf ears. Nathaniel had been an easy mark.
Sage became a regular there, visiting multiple takes a week. Each time, a few items mysteriously vanished from the house. Starting small, but slowly increasing in size and value.
Nathanial became suspicious, noticing a pattern of when items were going missing, but was unable to prove anything. The mood between the two soured quickly, but Nathaniel never felt able to turn Sage away whenever he came knocking.
Until one day, Nathaniel sat alone in his living room. Alone in the dim light, dust marks adorning furniture where lamps and statues used to be. Alone and staring at the bare walls with nails sat awkwardly in stained outlines where paintings used to hang. He hadn't seen Sage in months.
A strange feeling swam in Nathaniel's stomach. Was he worried for Sage? Did he... miss him?