forum Pheasant Brook (O/O with Icarus!)

Started December 12, 2019 by @GoblinKing

tune

"Hmm. Th' only one o' my paintin's tha' yeh've seen was th' one o' you, Wil." Connor pointed out with a soft laugh as they walked.

“True, but that’s all the evidence I need to see.” Wilhelm countered, ducking from a low-hanging branch. “Look out for rabbits. They’re shy, but you might be able to see one, cute things. It might be a little late in the day for them, but you never really know.”

He nodded a little, looking around curiously. He sort of hoped they saw rabbits; that would be cute.

“There’s a fair bit of wildlife here- it’s surprising to me, actually? because what animal in their right mind would want to live around a school with so many teenage boys?” Wilhelm laughed, slipping his hands into his pockets for warmth. “But they don’t leave, so I imagine nothing too awful has happened yet.”

He laughed a little. "Ah mean…ah would rather be here than home, bu' ah've never been accused of bein' in m' right mind, so." He shrugged.

“Well, you’re not exactly a rabbit, though.” Wilhelm suddenly realized how close he was standing to Connor, even hunching over just a bit to make their height difference less. “I understand what you’re saying, though.”

"Well no, ah'm no', but ah'm rather close in size ta one." Connor joked with a laugh, looking up at Wilhelm.

“Oh, well, fair point! I think if I put you and a rabbit up next to each other, you might be fairly difficult to tell apart.” He teased, still smiling.

Connor wrinkled his nose, laughing. "Right. Because ah'm definitely covered in fur."

“Just size-wise, you know!” Plus you’re both adorable. He wanted to add, though it was both tacky and definitely not the right thing to say.

He rolled his eyes. "Ahhah." He said, laughing. "O' course."

“Hey, you said it yourself.” Wilhelm finally stopped at a fairly large clearing, his eyes lighting up. “There she is, Connor. Pond.” His eyes swept the place- it was wild, honestly, but not unkempt. Chances were that it would’ve looked better in the warmer months, but even winter did it justice.

Connor nodded. His eyes traveled over the pond, smiling. "Ah've got ta paint this." He said with satisfaction.

“I’d like to see what you do with it.” Wilhelm dropped to a crouch near the pond’s edge. He waved Connor over, holding a plant gingerly in his fingers.

Connor came over, crouching and taking a deep breath. "Yeah. It'd be pretty, 'f ah can capture th' colors right."

“Mhm- so this is horsetail reed. Right now it’s a little dull from the winter weather, but it’s the most gorgeous green when it’s hot! They’re called prehistoric plants, you know, the things have been around for ages.” Wilhelm let go of the reed, swinging his head towards the pond’s water. “It’s a bit murky, but you can just see the hornwort under there.. these are also incredibly old. It’s funny to me how when you look at some of the oldest plants, a fair number of them are actually water-dwelling, isn’t that interesting?” Wilhelm gushed, looking at Connor with sparkling eyes.

Connor blinked at the sudden influx of information, and smiled. "Huh. That's…that's actually pretty cool." he looked closer at the reed. "This would be interestin' ta draw, too."

“It’s fascinating!” Wilhelm looked around, seemingly trying to remember something. “Over here.. it’s a little further away, but I want to show you this.” He stood, taking a few steps away from the pond and stopping by a tall herb. “This is commonly known as “raspberries and cream”, if I remember correctly, but this beast here is the hemp-agrimony! Beautiful pink when it flowers, you know.”

He nodded a little, standing to follow Wilhelm and examine the plant. "Ah bet it does." he replied with a faint smile.

“I have a couple pressed clippings from this in a journal somewhere, I think. Leaves and flowers.” Wilhelm honestly seemed to be in heaven, without a doubt.

He nodded again, watching Wilhelm with a faint smile curving on his lips. "Show me when we get back to th' dorm?"

“Of course! Most of the clippings are from the spring of.. year 11, I think. A few years old now, but they still look amazing.” Wilhelm nodded. “I’ve got other clippings in there that I can show you as well, if you’d like.”

He hummed softly. "Sounds great." he replied with a smile. "As long 's they're pretty, ah'll see as many as yer willin' ta show me."

“Pretty? Connor, I don’t know that I’ve seen anything more beautiful in my entire life.” Wilhelm sighed softly, sitting cross-legged on the grass.

Connor chuckled a little. "Mm. Alright."

He rolled a piece of grass in his fingers. “I mean it, and I’ve seen some pretty things and some pretty people.” Wilhelm laughed.

He laughed at Wilhelm's words. "Mm. Me too." he replied, glancing at Wilhelm for a moment, then away again.

Wilhelm’s attention was snagged by a small rustle in the grass. He jolted, looking towards the noise and cocking his head. “If you were wanting to see a rabbit, I think you’re going to get your chance.” He said quietly, voice hushed as to not startle away the animal.

Connor looked at the noise, movements slow and careful and smooth.

A brown rabbit dashed out of the overgrowth, pausing in a small bit of clearing for a moment. It scampered swag within a few seconds, darting back into the bushy flora.