Briar thumbed his bottle across the tabletop similar to how his tongue explored the inside of his cheek, little brows furrowed in what could only be an abject focus. His eyes trailed off to catch the horizon and the sun that dipped below it, the warmth of its orange cast thickly coating his violet gaze until it ruddied a conservative brown. Each little twinkle in what he held of his sight was dulled by the number of thoughts that amassed in too small of a head. He'd bring his fingers together for a wispy sigh, the little pout of his lips wistful, and wriggle them around the sides of his glass bottle.

He played across the cold with his hands, drawing and dripping condensation, and he'd dip his head just to the rim of the mock shape before blowing down into it. He was a pitiful little sight, bubbling the liquid inside with the slow intensity of his air gracelessly given, slumped over the top of the glass. It made a little whistle, splashing up to his lips in auburn fluid that he'd wait a few moments before lazily flicking his tongue to clear. His feet even gave a little tap, parting before being led back to each other in a squish together. It was when he clicked his heel a little too suddenly and it dragged, tapping the person across from him, that he squeaked and sat up a little straighter. "S-sorry, Ves!" He'd meep, the bound of his hair fluffing around his expression with a bit more life shot into it as he was brought back to his surroundings.

He'd cling around the root beer bottle and bring it up to his lips, sipping like he was an old, tired adult, and then placing it back on the table with a heavy exhalation. "Man, pally ..." He'd start, twiddling his drink from side to side. That sugar really hit the spot, clearing his throat of the tightness that had built up in his oh so heavy burdens. "I think I need'ta learn how to hit things."

[ 356 ]

A glimpse through the looking glass, a single dewdrop shining through the rusted lacquer of the bottle. Vesper was hunched over, head nestled in an open hand firmly propped upon the table. A single eye winked to focus on the sparkle that shone through the bubbly carbonation of the beverage. He enjoyed the presence of this tiny star, a calming smile adorned his face, fingers gently tapping along the rosiness of his cheeks. He'd rise along with the curtains, tilt his head to stare at the sun directly, unsatisfied with the mute reflection captured in the makeshift telescope. A pitter-patter of fluttery pulses, a natural rhythm in the blissful cadency that he'd grown quite accustomed to with the boy sitting across from him.

Harmony.

Briar was a fascinating creature, something was clearly vexing him, but the way he played with the bottle, completely lost in the throes of whatever dilemma plagued him paled in comparison to how adorable his actions were. Vesper lifts his root beer to his lips, a quick swig, roiling the saccharine sarsaparilla along the contours of his tongue, sticky liquid that almost seems to sizzle against the edges of his blunted fangs. A tepid burning in the way it's swallowed down into the pits causes the boy to exhale, come for air, and then... A light tap against his leg and the critter across the table squeak, emerge from his daze and apologize.

"It's okay, Brii~ What's got you in such a tizzy?" He'd giggle, a soft hum that flits and intonates into a tranquil hum, a familiar tune from one of their shared musical performances together as he whisks the bottle along to the melody. His lexicon has been irreversibly altered by the distinctive way his best friend spoke. There was no sarcasm tinting the purity in his words, vivid scarlet perking up to stare at the troubled boy earnestly.

A genuine look of astonishment and hand rises to conceal the sneering smirk that creased his mouth, dragging his eyes down into a squint. He'd clear his throat, regain his composure, and refuse to laugh. "You think... you need to hit things?" He'd avert his gaze, slope his neck backward with arms folded in front as he thought. "Do you mean, like... with your staff? I can teach you how to beat people up~" Vesper puts up his dukes, wriggly body contorting to wind up in a mock punch that would never be loosed, all tension released into the nether as he fiddles with the etched ridges of the bottle. "Mmm~ What makes you think that, though, Brii? I think even without hittin' people... you make me feel safe~" A blinking smile, that lingers in the breadth of a fleeting moment and bursts again.

His little face wavered, contorted, and his lips left their line in a squiggle that threw his entire presentation off. When his eyes next met Vesper's they looked almost watery, blurred and wobbling at the edges and the centers filled with bright, shiny stars that only served to dilate his pupils. He sniffed. It came slow and loud, trembling his glass of root beer between the tired little paws that held it so tight. His foot gave another jitter, tapping quietly under the table, and his ears looked like they might lay fat. A veritable wet rabbit. "You think?" He questions earnestly as Vesper says he makes him feel safe already.

He shakes his head, sharply, and re-centers without the clear melting that had taken his expression moments prior. Another sniff, and he pushes off the side of the table to launch himself up on shaky feet and mirror the 'raising of the dukes' that Vesper just partook in. He rowed invisibly off to the side, standing in profile for the other boy, before whirling around to face him right; and he brings his arms up as if to slam on the table. He stops before impact, seeming to lose all momentum inches from the action, and ends with a light press down with both arms on the wood. His slight shoulders tensed, narrowing down to his face where he'd stare Vesper dead in his eyes with a ... mostly unwavering gaze, his mouth set between a look of determination and a pout. "I wanna do that, too."

He'd lift up his arms and flex them around, his brow narrowing with the same precocious weight that he's putting on both, still facing Vesper and shorting a little huff. He'd lean back on his spine, puffing out his chest, and squeezing his eyes shut until he could mirror Vesper exactly. "Hu -- huah!" He squeaks, throwing a right hook forward that goes off-skilter midway through the air and unsettles a bundle of his hair down half his face. He blows it away, triumphant, ineffectively. "I wanna be a man, Ves. Darnit!"

Vesper paws at the bottle of his syrupy drink, lifting it up to his limps, a slight jitter from the sugar high as he plonks it back down on the table, wiping the lingering remnants from his lips. "Of course, I think that! You're always protecting me on quests and in battles." He'd cusp his own cheeks, a doting expression relaxing the furrow of his brow as a keen smile peeks from behind the veil. Vesper is confounded on where this is coming from and the sopping little bunny in front of him made his heart suffer a lamentable twinge of pain. He hated the sight of seeing someone so radiant yet, overcast with clouds that would deprive the world of such a beautiful person.

Briar scampers from his seat, sniffling all the same with a hurried, tumultuous flit of his arms to crash down with a gentle breeze regardless. Vesper can only watch as the boy works himself up, declaring his intent to partake in violence in a similar way as him. The wolf fixes his posture, perches upright to meet Briar's resolved gaze, and returns it with an equivalent exchange of earnestness. He'd huff, He'd puff and he'd do his best to pivot into a powerful burst to blow away all his worries. The soft whimper, brimming with desires to soar even higher than before. It's one of the qualities Vesper loves about him.

Vesper bounds from his seat and brushes the boy's unkempt hair behind his ear, a gentle smile that realizes just how much Briar puts on himself for others. There's a relief in his eyes bordering on the threshold of concern, but it only lingers for a fleeting moment before Vesper wipes away the pooling dewdrops spilling from his best friend's eye. "You know..." He'd reach across the table to grab his bottle, clinking it against Briar's with a slight nudge to push it closer to the edge. "That wasn't half bad, Brii~" Vesper takes a sip and turns to face the boy. "I think you're very cute and very manly already. Here, a better look."

Vesper takes a little step back, fist clenched and tightly pressed against his chest. His body contorts, leg stamping into the ground as he splits his form and launches a punch. "Seriously though- What's got you thinking about all this, hmm, Brii?" A paw raises to tap at his cheek, lost in thought with puppy dog eyes that peer at the bunny.

Briar knew that he supported his friends in the way that he could; he had already learned his proper role in a team and the importance of what he was able to do for them, both making them shine and protecting that luster with every ounce of heart in his garden. He cultivated. He preserved. He genuinely loved that aspect of his magic, and suffered self-doubt only as your average teenage boy might; is that really enough, could he be doing more, et cetera. Sure, this is what he offered to the people he cared about - but if there was more he could offer, if there was something else he could be doing, if this wasn't the best of him ... shouldn't he explore every avenue? He only wanted to be the strongest version of himself.

He was thinking back to the recent Void Dungeon they had done with Mr. Saturn. The desperate act of his staff against a simulacrum and the victory they had sealed together. He hadn't been able to do more than keep his allies healthy in a bubble, owing no action of his own until that last hit. He had watched the two in their vivid arcs and the energy they excelled with. He watched Vesper with it, still, even now, and his eyes softened from their current set. His cheeks had a reddening tint, her nose crinkling up and casting his eyes to the side in a shy response. "Awh gee, Ves, Iunno about all that. C-c'mon now, pally. I jus' mean ...,"

Vesper was always so eager to offer praise to him: did he even know how much Briar thought of him, in kind? How much he looked up to him? He didn't mind serving a different purpose. He didn't mind this position over his shoulder, watching him showcase how to exhibit that sought-after power in a practiced swing. He didn't need more of a spotlight ... he just didn't want to be falling behind. He'd breathe in Vesper, unconsciously, sighing the taste of his scent back out and down his arm. "You're so strong, Ves. You're so ... gosh, you're so cool in fights. You feel like a real man, y'know? I don't really care ab't ... nnn ... I don't need'ta be as tall as Mr. Saturn and as strong as you, I jus' - I've been thinkin' - it's all jus', like -- Golly!" He'd blow out over his lips, his air pushed off his eyes with the heavy exhalation.

"Am I doin' enough? If I could fight a little more, proper-like, m'self, wouldn't that help y'all out a lidl more?" He waved his arms, supposedly struggling to find the words. He furrowed his soft little brow. "I don't really know how ta' do damage an' the like. It's not my nature, I reckon. And if that's true ... don't I have, like, a responsibility to grow outta my nature? I like plants, but I'm not one. I can be more than I was born ta' be. Right?" Expectant, searching eyes, set in a considerate pout and staring into Vesper.

Vesper slumps over to lean against the boy, thumbing away the lingering moisture that spilled from his eyes after his careful display of a strike, a memory of their training camp and the puppet promptly executed after the bunny blew it away fueling that winding punch. Briar was cleverer, more adept in the variety of magics he could employ and the warmth of his sunflower was still radiating from the dog's collar. He admired that more than words could ever express, but he understands the prevailing sentiment too well.

It's odd. The way his hand seems to caress Briar's cheek, A gentle brush of the back of his hand with a desperate yearning to liberate his best friend from all the troubles of the world - to protect him from any feelings of doubt because, to him, Briar is the world. And a hero fights to protect the world no matter what, does he not? Vesper peers into those shimmering violets that always seem to blossom in the smoldering of scarlet roses, tilting to face him with the tender furrow of his brow and a smile just as tranquil as he listens.

Now the wolf is pouting, a soft whine and softer still in the way his head deflates to rest against the unkempt pastel ocean, the planting of affection upon the umber soil that is cascaded and intertwined. His breath sweeps through the billowing union of sea and land, a wave crashing against the cliffside. Vesper peeks wraps his arm around Briar's slender frame and nudges him back and forth softly. "Brii~ You know you don't gotta figure out all this by yourself, yeah? I think- you're perfect exactly as you are. I don't exactly feel manly... It's more akin to a rabid beast... I- I think you're just..." The feeling maturing within his heart resonated stronger than the bond they currently share, but the name eluded him nonetheless. He was prettier than any flower in his enchanted forest and it was only natural, was it not? How else could such beauty exist in the world if not under the divine guidance of a being that transcended beauty?

Vesper would offer a little smile, let slip a breathless, hushed mumble, angling down within earshot: "You're so pretty." He straightens his posture, a brisk tug at his tie to loosen the tightness at his throat. His face was ruddy, a soft pink hue coloring the canvas as he clears his throat. "We can figure it out together! Not all of your flowers have to be so pretty. Remember that nature has thorns and predatory plants that can lash out and strike, too! Like the Rafflesia~ You can grow and grow, endlessly- forever! You're not stuck, and there's nothing wrong with how you are! That's what I truly believe. And, well... I want to help, okay? 'Cause we're partners." He'd hop back, a swift kick in his step as his arms folded to cross in front of him, a half-empty bottle dangling from his grip. "I think you can bloom into something even more beautiful than you already are." A smile overflows in his feverish elation, a jitter of his fingers tapping at the lacquered glass as he springs forward to capture the little bunny in a delicate hug.

"That's not true," and his tone came sterner than expected, his brow set in a similar line to his lips - resolute - under Vesper's hand and nudging his way into the light to stand a little taller. A little more sure. There was a lot of strength he was still trying to find within himself; the entire point of this conversation and his efforts so far were to better frame and search for that, even if it meant it had to come from his very limbs. He curled his hands in at his sides, balled, then released it with a wuthering sigh and a flap of both arms at either side of his chest. Sure, he still had to find that confidence in himself. The confidence that he was doing enough, as best as he could be - a journey that didn't really have an end, but that he was happy to take any steps to realize.

But he wasn't going to suffer that for a friend. Vesper didn't need to worry. He didn't want him to worry. He didn't like when he worried, needling his foot into the ground almost petulantly even as his face softened. "You're not rabid, Ves. N-nothin' like that. C'mon, now ...," he repeated, opting to instead mirror what Vesper had done for him by reaching up a hand and moving back a stand of his friend's hair. He tucked it behind his ear, tousling a little, and his face scrunched up from its set to a dorky smile. "Maybe I was puttin' too much on you. I'm sorry about all that, pally. I just think you're so cool. I wanna be like you, I do. I don't think you need to change at all. I-If'n you think I'm so perfect, well, golly gee, you should really take a look at yourself!"

So the rise and fall of his shoulders dispels that, laughing soft at Vesper's compliments and beaming cheekily at his red face. "You're right, you know, so don't you worry too much either about whatever abouts you've got goin' on! We're together, you know that. Me 'n you. The fearsome duo ... Briar 'n Vesper, of Blue Pegasus! The ... the Blue Pegasi, themselves! Awrooo!" He exclaims, throwing wide his arms and shaking his head up at the sky until his hair displaced down the nape of his neck. He devolved into sheepish giggles, one big playful huff and that hand returned to rub the back of his head as well. "Th... that's not quite right, is it? Awh boy. Hahaha. Ehe. Hee. You make good points, though, you do. I know I'm bein' plum silly, it's just ...,"

He popped his lips, letting his body fall back into his chair and search out his drink again. "I wanna be like everythin', I think. You know? I wanna be scary, I wanna be strong, I wanna be nice, I wanna be pretty. Is that too goofy? I just wanna do everythin' I can for like ... y'know, everyone. Bweh. I don't wanna be just one silly little Briar plant ... I'd like ... Well, by george, I'd like to be the whole garden. One that people like you and our friends ...," and he'd lean onto one hand, knuckles pressing into his cheek, and swirling the other around. "Can be safe in. Happy and safe. Does that make any sense? Goodness gracious, maybe this root beer hit harder than I thought. Uwehh."

Vesper's eyes widen, a broadening thump of his heart echoing within his ribcage in response to the gentle severity of Briar's words. His cheek twitches, and blossoms into a phantom smile with every jittery tap of his fingers clinging to the fabric of his slacks. They seize with mirroring abundance; an attempt rather, to match the flutter of wings, flourishing to soar higher still. The young wolf had been forewarned his entire life of the inherent rabidity of the wolf that dwelled within him. Cursed twofold with lycanthropy and the shame that was instilled by his parents, whether it was for his safety or not - the scars remained. He's never told a soul about what he is, and for a moment his lips quiver, slightly agape. Awestruck. The sun was captured in ruby-hued lanterns, yet he would never dare to avert his gaze. It's always been a mere thought concealed away in the periphery; the possibility of acceptance. The guilt, too presides over this procession - the cacophony of swirling thoughts that leave him paralyzed for this fleeting moment.

It was true. Vesper understands that he is a ferocious beast, but he feels almost domesticated in Briar's presence. Safe in the light of the warm sun, soaking up its rays, never fearing the full moon's gaze. His cheeks burn a vivid pink as his tiny paw rises to sweep the stray strand of hair and sweep away the roiling of complicated thoughts. Like a calm sea, adrift in the glowing effervescence of that gleaming smile. Dulled fangs drag to ensnare the inside of his lips, petulant and pouty. It's not fair. Vesper wanted to be the one to cheer him up and yet, here he was, gorging himself on the kindness of his best friend. Fine. Petulant again. He leans into the touch, a slight wag of his hips for an illusory tail, whipping in tandem with the pitter-patter resounding in his little chest. "Fine, I'm willing to accept that~!" 'Cause it's you that's saying it.A passive utterance left confined in his sentiments. "If I'm perfect, then so are you~" He giggles, hands releasing from the desperate grasp of his clothing to raise and conceal the wry smirk creasing the corners of his mouth.

Struck again by the energetic bravado and awe-inspiring display of a meager creature howling at the moon as if he were a beast himself. A werebunny? Another giggle escapes his lips at this notion, and his hands droop to clap against the front of his legs, sloping down to meet Briar at eye level. Everything he said was true. As long as they were together; they were truly unbeatable. Vesper believed this with all his heart. "That's right! There's nothing we can't beat as long as we're together! So- I guess, what I'm trying to say with everything is- Whatever you want to do, we'll make it happen. Together~!" The childishness in a vow that meant entirely too much to a boy so young, so eager to help the boy that helps him in so many countless ways. "I don't think it's silly at all, either. To want to be more. To grow into something stronger, something more beautiful. To grow so big that everyone would have to notice you, recognize you for who you really are- Like how I can recognize all the amazing things you are."

Vesper settles in at the table, staring across attentively at the ranting, but never raving boy. A hand reaches across, and envelops the the entirety of a tiny paw within his own, squeezing gently to not startle a wary woodland critter. It was instinctual, affectionate, and encouraging, hanging on to every word with the edge of his thumb gracing the softness of his skin. "Don't forget cute!" His eyes set and then rise again more vividly than the second before, sparkling in wonder. "I think you have most of those things covered already, Brii~ Strong? Check~ Nice? You're selling yourself short, but check~ Pretty? Obviously~ It's just that 'scary' part we can work on then, yeah?" Vesper would exclaim with a devoutly serious expression, his free arm flitting to prop his chin as he leans in across the table. "I already feel so safe when I'm with you. Happy, too. Hmm...  I think a little garden of Briars sounds lovely. Would you mind teaching me how to tend the plants, like you do? And I can teach you to cook~"

"I understand how you feel completely. You're never alone on that front." A soft teeter of his head at his plea for mutual understanding, always gleaming in his direction with a smile befitting his stature. Emboldened far more in the comfort he exudes, the dog barks freely. He understood inherently that he was forever safe in this garden. He takes a swig of his root beer, saccharine syrup soaking his taste buds as it stains his docile fangs. "Mhm~ This root beer really hits the spot. Though... I worry about you if you're getting drunk off this stuff, Brii. Golly, I can only imagine how adorable you would be on the real stuff~"

"Well, gee," the boy mumbles dozily into the side of his palm, his hand pushing up his cheek over the peak of his bone with every knead of his knuckles. His lips come half-cocked, singing sweet and soft into their shared space and the slump of frame. He toys with the bottle in his other hand, ringing it atop the table in a perilous swivel that has it resting on a round end, tilted up. It'd spill everywhere if he let it go. Guess he shouldn't. "Then we're both perfect, Ves. That so bad?" Even now his voice comes as a tease, meeting ruby eyes with glittering amethyst and the clear mirth that lines each. He quirks an eyebrow, catching himself in a little giggle that devolves his sheepish expression and has the drink set upright.

He settled in for the long haul of one of Vesper's impassioned dialogues, not that he could chastise the other much - they both had a penchant for their hearts on their sleeves and babbled over the tabletop. He simply watched the other boy with that precocious little countenance, a smile brightening the ends of his lips and saving - cherishing - that light in his eyes, sparkling back, enraptured. It held Vesper preciously in their center, reflecting the image of this boy, as strong and fair and kind as he was, as if center stage in another of their matinees. "You know," the boy speaks in the space of silence offered, reaching the hand he wasn't resting on idly to brush back a lock of Vesper's hair that had come undone over his eyes in his rant. "You see me how I see you. Isn't that funny?" He smiles so quiet, so gentle, in that moment divvied for the two of them in their eye's meeting true.

He rolls back his head and laughs just as downy, slight shoulders shaking and bobbing the ponytail that lays down them until it's freed and wagging behind his head like a cottontail. Both sets of paws come in and pat at the hand Vesper had extended for his dropped one, wiggling his friend's fist back and forth with a bashful, wizened, exasperated and adoring look that has him linger on the other boy. His eyes look like they might roll and his grin frees itself so honest. "Fine, fine. I get it. I geeeeet it. You're such a dork sometimes, Ves, you are. I 'ppreciate it, though. Just another day you're danged amazin' to me. I couldn't ask for a better friend."

He nudges him under the table with a foot at his ankle, tapping. "A best friend, o'course." He beams toothily, his words giving way to happy giggles. "It's a promise, then! I'll teach you what I think I'm good at - and you can teach me what you think you're good at, and then maybe, y'know, just maybe 'n all, we'll both be good at everythin'."

Deja vu when the blanket of stars above greets them, shaking Vesper's arm languidly over the table, and he rolls it off. "Now that'd be a sight. Pfft. Yeah right, pally. I'm not gettin' in trouble with my mum. Not to mention the Guildmaster! C'mon, now. Let's head back. Yeah?"

"Yeah?" Ardor.