"U-uhm, Ves ...," came an uneven tenor of a boy just as so on his feet, wobbling onto one with a short hop necessitated before he could catch himself. Right, in an attempt. He waves his arms - this is the wrong call. His typical flailing only adds to the way the dirt spins under him and the world slips away with it. He blinks, sluggish, and his words feel sweet and heavy as if candy coated on his tongue. Thick? "V-Ves ...,"

His drawl is almost a slur, bringing his hands in to squish at the sides of his cheeks and knead them in. He tries to stir his mouth to legibility; get it together, Bri, old boy. What's gotten into you? Then comes the hiccup, sending him skirting back in an involuntary skip that leads him to plopping back against a tree. Well, thank the gods, something solid. "Ves, I think ... u-uweeeh ... was there somethin' wrong with that water bottle...?" Is what he manages with his eyes shut, angled up to the stars that guide them on this trail, and his hands move to gently grip on a branch of bark near his head. A slow breath, unsteady, but it melts into a giggle as warm as the liquid in his tummy. "Golly!" He hiccups, tapping his face with his other paw one more time. "Okay! O-okay!"

"Guess we, uhm, just walk it off?" Uncertain, but almost pleased with himself. Playful, even now. Nothing he said came without a tone of whimsy. It helped to be with his new friend. "Maybe we spent longer in the hot springs th-then I thought, hn?" He'd trail slightly dazed purple, glittering still, to the other boy, and his eyes were both sympathetic and quirked - silly. "Eheh?"

[ 334 ]

A helping hand outstretched that never finds purchase as the small creature blurs into two shooting stars and slips into the earth. "Oh goodness..." Words that slip with an uneven inclination, a murmur that falls as quickly as the boy who utter those words in his failed attempt to rescue the rabbit. "Mm.. I think.." His thought gets caught in his throat and he tilts his head and cranes his neck. Was everything always this dizzy? He scurries to rise to his feet, but it's no use. The entire world feels upside down - like he's stuck in a snow globe being violently shook in the palm of another.

"Brii~" His voice raises an entire pitch, all formality he's had before washed away. Ves breaks into a giggle, shuffling over now to paw at the boy wrapping around branches like a vine to desperate for sunlight. "Whoa!" His body betrays him and he stumbles again. "I don't think that was water!" He tries so desperately to contain his laughter, the friction of his lips making a garbled sound in the dead air between each snort. He just stares with glazed ruby eyes reflecting lunar light with inhibitions laid bare as he finally shambles to a standing position. "Heheheh~ I dun- I feel kind of woozy, Brii.." Giddy with little wiggles as his hand entwines and tugs the boy into his embrace for escort - an arm to cling to for sturdier footing. "Mhm~ Hang on to me, okay? Don't wanna see you tumble again. Heheh.."

A deep sigh with flushed cheeks, both from inebriation and the warmth of another as they tread along the trail. "So, Ves.. No, I'm Ves.." He snorts again, hand raised to his lips as he slopes against the smaller boy. "Hehe~ Sorry, sorry. Brii, d-d'ya know any hiking games?" He turns, with a quizzical look, bordering on perplexed given his half-lidded eyes fixated so deeply his companion - gazing indistinguishably from their prior engagement in the hot springs.

[330]

Dizzy was right. Briar wasn't sure he'd ever felt this unsure of his own footing - and for a creature of habit, who stumbled over himself in most interactions and on his best days, it felt like that was saying something. He was no stranger to his own clumsiness and further didn't hold much of it against himself; his parents had always said he got it from his dad, who often had to be made up for in his gracelessness by his mother and her mysterious, Elven ways. Balance couldn't possibly come that easily!

Still, this was different. This was ... odd. He didn't feel uncomfortable. Was he injured anywhere? Was Vesper? He'd look the other boy over, no inhibition to the way he'd prod at his shirt and lift it up at his chest to check for any strange bites or rashes. He clung off Vesper's arm with his unattended one, humming to himself with a look far too serious for such a small, doey face. His eyebrows furrowed like a teddy bear's. His mouth set in such a stony, plush line. "I don't ... y-yeah, Ves, m'be ... m'be that wasn't water. Oopsie. Daisy? Aaah, we really should've ... asked ... hic! You said it'd be okay, you did! Aaawhh, the rune knights are gonna get us now, Ves. Awh geez. Gosh."

Even then his words dripped with mirth and the unsteady tenor of a giggle beneath each note, singing his song of cheer for the taller boy. Looked up at him, caught his eyes, Briar's far too wide and swimming with multi-colored lights in its violet. He hiccuped again. "Well, we're not poisoned," he determined, pawing about for his staff again and dragging Ves on the short adventure to retrieve it. He held himself up with its weight, using it to help keep them both steady in a moment of lucidity - or perhaps just his inherent instinct to help himself help others. "So, uhm -- a game? A game! Wow!" He'd do a little hop, immediately face the consequences of almost tumbling over, and instead sway with Vesper as they set off. "Y-yeah! A game! We just hafta ... all we gotta do is ... uhm ... go, forth!" Triumphant, pointing his staff forward. "Okay! ... I spy, with my liddle eye ... somethin' ... chartreuse."

[ 396 ]

The world was spinning, revolving ever so slightly around the carousel, but Vesper was not alone on this merry-go-round. The slope of his body resting against his companion with little giggles, as he feels tiny paws tug at his shirt and the chilly night air caress his stomach. He slips, both hands clasping down on Briar's narrow, bird-like shoulders for stability and the brush of the boy's hair against his nose. He giggles and breaks into a hiccup of his own - a common occurrence layering every minute action. He nuzzles in, bereft of any shame as each laugh - each exhalation sweeps Briar's hair up to tickle his nose again. "Heheh~ I'm soooory~ It looked like water to meee! Ho' was I s'posed to know? I guess we jus' gotta make a run for it then, Brii. Never take us alive! Y'know?" The way he spoke became more improper by the second and he found this sensation oddly refreshing. Walking alongside the picture of purity until he breaks out into a giddy laugh again. "Pfffft Heheh.. I made you... heheheheh... a criminal, Brii!"

Even in this silly situation, perhaps even sillier than the last, Ves was grateful for this chance encounter. He liked this boy. It felt like even if this night was nothing but a blur, the bond they shared would be strong enough to withstand it. There was comfort in that feeling, that Ves couldn't quite describe. He trails along, two boys supporting one another as they walk off their inebriation with spontaneous revelry. Vesper's face lit up at the bunny's excited hop, arms ready to catch and hold him. Was it already instinct?

Still, he wasn't prepared for what Briar would propose for their game. Waddling along in the direction he points with his staff, and with a rather large delay he finally turns, eyes furrowed in complete befuddlement. Even on a good day Vesper wasn't sure he'd understand what the hell Briar meant. "Huuuuuh? What the heck is dat? Chatree-ruse? Briii~" He says his name with a giggle and whine, head dipping down to nose into him with a snort. He raises a hand, pointing at the tree standing directly in front of the duo. "Heh... Tree... Hic!"

[388]

The outlook was not good if Briar was the one being relied upon for direction.

He had a bonus in this instance - Vesper seemed completely unraveled from whatever influence exerted itself over him, but Briar merely sunk deeper in his already consistent ... peculiarities. That is to say, Briar couldn't get much sillier.  He'd stumble more, have more breaks in his speech - as if his nervous tics weren't routine - and hang off the other boy, absolutely, as though it's something he'd be doing anyway if it weren't for his inherent sense of shyness & shame. This effect was freeing him, but not fixing him. He could still see the path ahead of them as they trailed forward. More or less.

"Veeees," he whined, his brow reflecting his distress and his mouth a wobbly little curve that couldn't seem to fit itself straight outside of the obvious smile. "This is no good! No sirree, 's no good at all! Uwehhh. I-I'm gonna -- I'll tell 'em, uhm, hic! yyyou put me up to it, Ves, I will, with those big strong arms o' yours," his attempt at teasing came in pitiful mewls, pawing at the boy's shoulder as they stumbled to and fro together. All they had to do was push onward. If they walked far enough, they'd escape whatever fog settled over their heads. "They'd understand, hic! They'd understand once they see ya', 'cuz you're all big and stuff. Lookit you! Golly!" As if he was noticing Vesper's height over him for the first time, wrinkling his nose and squinting to stare right through him with dizzied violet.

The boy gave an incorrect answer, and Briar tapped him with the end of his big oak staff - meaning it was no longer their support in the dirt, nearly toppling both boys over with Briar's sudden shift in weight. He'd stabilize with help, but the fault laid wholly on Vesper's head. "Wha! N-no, goofy. You ... goofy, golly boy guy, yoooouuu. Ves! You're sooooo silly. A chartreuse is -- it's -- snrk. Pfffhhttt. Hahahaha. A tree ... chartree??? Haaaa ... ehhhe ... hee.. hehehe," alas, Briar could not withstand this environment alone. He collapsed into giggles against Vesper, burying his face, walking slow with him through the hiking path.

[ 415 ]

This should be problematic for the strictly raised, entirely too sheltered pup. The influence of whatever swirled in those water bottles unshackled his collar and he was relishing that feeling. Stripped of all inhibitions and polite tongue he usually wagged with such usual delight. A manner of speaking and behavior adapted to avoid scorn - to fit in with others. Don't make too much of a fuss - cause too much trouble and a stray is likely to be kicked to the curb. With Briar it felt safe to be unrestrained, albeit with a helping hand. He was entirely too giddy, surrendering himself to the chaos and anarchy as if it were destiny. Ves was happy. Fulfilled in this moment after indulging a passing whim - letting himself be lured by the siren's song and even now that whim lingers, evolves. A wish to stay so free. By his side.

Ves giggles, playing into the other boy's obvious teasing, raising his arms to flex while the little bunny clings to and hangs - an advantage of his towering height. "Hehehe~ Don't worry, Brii. I'd never let those stinkin' cops getcha... I'm too big and tough, right? They'd have to get past these guns." He snorts into explosive cackling. He was attempting to be charming in his own silly way given their intoxicated nature, but he simply cracks as he puts a deep rumble into his slurring tenor. He collects himself and clears his throat. "Or we'd go down fighting together, maybe?" Genuine glee in these consorted hypotheticals, even if it made them partners in crime.

Briar at this point might have noticed that Vesper was not the brightest dog in the kennel, nor would he proclaim himself as such, but he felt it prudent to preserve the illusion. "Listen listen listen! I've never heard that word before in my life! Don't tease!!" A quick step from the bunny, and a nudge of his staff leaves the pair faltering under their combined wobbliness. Vesper catches the boy, his face burrowing in with little giggles that saturate the older boy with pinkish cheeks. Their adventure continues like this for a while, slow steps through the forest, surrounded only by the beauty of nature and shimmering stars, until something stirs within the dog. Ves' eyes widen, afflicted with a particularly pervasive warmth that leaves him breathless - paralyzed, and then everything crumbles entirely - uneven footing, far too wobbly now. "Whooa!" Even so, he wraps around the tiny boy giggling so innocently, taking him in to shield their inevitable fall.

"There, there... I got you, Brii. Are you alright? I musta got a little too dizzy or something? Hic!..." A question to himself more than anything, but even still he couldn't let go. Briar was still being clung to so tightly with those big strong arms he teased about before, strewn atop the bigger boy. For the second time this night, Vesper would have his breath taken, gazing on the night sky with the fleeting trail of shooting stars leaving momentary brushes upon the opaque canvas. Vesper raises his hand and points toward the sky with a little hum and giggle. "The night sky is really pretty, Brii~ Lookit the shooting stars."

[544]

His fingers played along Vesper, half to remind him the other boy was still there and half to cling for the support he needed not to stumble over and fall again ... and again. His staff trailed weakly through the dirt, turning weeds and rocks to the side displaced along his path, while his other hand gripped over the boy's shoulder. He took it further as a rush of heat hit his head to a dizzying degree, sucking in a breath with a little whine and scrunch of his eyes, just to dip his fingers under Vesper's collared shirt and take refuge in the chill of his skin beneath it. "Uwaaa ... your guns're cold, Ves. Bweehh... hehehe ... ueehee. Issum - uhm - cold steel. Like'a ... like'a katana! Snrk. Ffffhheeee. Ahe... hahaha." His fingers curled in, manicured nails rolling without pressure down the back of Ves's neck and earning a pleased hum from Briar. 

He glanced over: bright, watery purple sparking with a certain instinct - one for conspiracy to commit crime, at Vesper's behest. "Well, o'course! I-I mean, you got us into all this trouble, you ... you fiendish ... vabagabond, but uhm --" His smile broke his puzzled expression as he fought his words for greater graces, laughing bellsong against the side of Vesper's face. He bumped his cheek with his head, grinning. "I'll always fight with ya', I will. No one's taken my best friend forever away, no sirree! Even if'n he's a little ... rascal!"

"You're so funny, Ves," and he exhaled soft, slow, his laughter dimming to a pleasant tone and his words slurring in the comforting buzz of the night. Hic! It started him laughing again, pulling at the other boy with his staff banging awkwardly around their legs and ankles only to notch his head atop Vesper's shoulder and sigh out loud. "Mm .. mm-!"

They went for a final fall and the optics were not good for them getting up any time soon. His mage's staff forgotten in a roll a few feet away from weak fingers, his body lain haphazardly atop his fellow friend, and his breath caught by a daze rivaled only in the light in Vesper's eyes as he traced the curtain of night above. Briar let himself give in - slope down, cuddling in at Vesper's side with a need for his cold / his warmth, his salvation in a world so big and so far away he realized he had no reason to chase after it. Not when he was already held so securely, fastened with comfort and a solace entwined. He rubbed his head sheepishly into Vesper's arm, mumbling with a tired blink up where the other was pointing. He drunk it in with every breath, tinged with smell of sweets, and his wobbling line of a mouth parted for a twinkle of amazement. "They're really goin' .. make a wish, Ves. Mm?"

[ 537 ]

His skin flared with the flit of every unsteady touch that grazed his skin, melting away like snow with the first breath of spring. He could feel the heat rising, a dash of intoxication surely, but not entirely. Ves was relishing this closeness. Why else would his hand bind him so tightly in the prelude to their untimely fall from grace? It was impossible to restrain keen ruby from the luster of his amethyst, especially when his companion would look at him with such a... What was this expression that colored his lines? Cute. A nod to himself. Briar was, at this moment, undeniably cute. "How did... How come... How'd ya get like this? You're so adorable, Briii.. Hic.. 'Course we'll be best friends for-eber" His head lowers to nudge down, tufts of hair blending together with little rubs with an arch at his back that probably did little to help the upcoming predicament.

---

The crash was sudden but not unwelcome, nor did Vesper find it prudent to escape from beneath the boy. It felt nice. Ves would hold him, an arm lifted to keep the smaller boy tucked within his frame. A sultriness stirring within the little embers sparking like comets themselves with each brush of skin against skin. His face would reflect this tepidness, burning red hot as the wildfire in his heart rages on against the swooning influence of the alcohol. A deep inhalation of night air as his outstretched hand slopes down to stead the boy snuggling in so uninhibited.

"Umu... a wish?" He has no desire for one. A quick moment to muse on recent events in his life and the many gifts he's been blessed with. Vesper wasn't raised to be greedy, despite his gluttony, a twinge of shame needling his heart as he really begins to wonder. Face settles in to nuzzle against the floof of Briar's hair, an exhale to sweep stray strands to his whim. He's quiet besides the steady pace of his breathing and the echo of his heart beating within his chest. A gentle pitter-patter yet so heavy with something. Yearning, but for what? The haze in his mind is thick with jumbled thoughts that always seem to lead to the same conclusion. Was it okay to be so greedy?

The fluttering flap of a cocoon, stirring - throbbing to emerge into a wish never given words. But, he understands it. The yearning for a feeling called love. He howls it out, silently, to the moon and stars above - and his body mirrors his craving. Fluffy ears sprout from his head along with a tail trailing down to rest between his legs with quick little wags. "Brii, I know what I want to wish for~" He giggles and hiccups, a wave of his body displacing the body strewn atop as well with his gaze only drifting to fulfill Briar's wish for a wish.

"Mm.. Did you make a wish, too, Brii~?" A smile twinkling incandescent, fangs bared, but gentle still in their warmth with a nose that pushes gentler against the boy, almost begging to be pet. "Mm... this is nice, huh? Watching the stars together... like this."

[528]