[PRP] Reminiscence (Reiko & Brise)

[manga_artist303]

Reiko smiled as she gazed into a field of flowers, still mostly brown from the winter. Little shoots of green were peeking from the soil, ready to return it to its summer glory. "Time flies," she said softly to herself. She and her first friend--her best friend--Brise, had spent quite a lot of time here. But when winter came, he wasn't able to visit... How was he doing? He was probably grown as well; he'd shot up in height the last time she saw him, and he'd still been a colt.... Her gaze lifted from the field, freezing when it fell on a moving figure on the horizon. It couldn't be... could it?  

[RAWR_Bexados]

Brise trotted towards the well known field of his colt days. The winter had been long and harder than most, but no amount of time seemed short when he was unable to meet his dear friend. He'd hit a growth spurt, just before winter, and throughout the long season, he'd grown even more. He was big, thick, and strong. He may not have the horns of his siblings, but he was buff, and sturdy, with all the physical characteristics of his father. He was a proud stallion, but even the proudest have their faults and flaws, and his attachment to Reiko was it.

So, as soon as the first shoots of spring erupted, he set off, hoping to find her where they used to play. He desperately missed her, the ache in his heart growing stronger as the season declined. How was she? Had she grown as he had? What if something had happened to her over the winter? What if she'd been hurt?

His brow creased with the frustration of his thoughts as he finally made it to where he could see the field and a pretty purple thing on the horizon. As he drew closer, details stood out to him, and his breath caught in his throat.

My goodness, she was beautiful. This couldn't be his lovely, tomboyish Reiko, could it? She was far to stunning for his memory to serve correct. As much as he wished to, he could not deny that this was her when his gaze fell on her familiar 'X' marking on her shoulder.

"Reiko?" He said softly, wonderment lining his voice as he couldn't seem to breath properly.

 

[manga_artist303]

Well, the approaching Azrien definitely had the coloring of her best friend. But the stallion in front of her was so... well, buff! The Brise he remembered had been such a skinny colt... She would've concluded it to be his brother, but Brise had said that all his siblings had horns...

As her name escaped his lips, those thoughts vanished. Her face lit up. It was him! "Brise!" She danced around him once before stopping in front of him. "It's so great to see you! How have you been?"  

[RAWR_Bexados]

Brise, still in shock, was only able to stare at her in amazement. It really was her. This beautiful, stunning, most gorgeous creature in front of him was his friend Reiko. She was so.. she even rivaled his mother for her beauty. A blush lightly colored his cheeks at the thought, luckily his coloring prevented it from being seen very well.

Shaking his head he struggled to snap out of it. "Uh.. I've been well." He stammered, still staring at her gape-jawed. "Wow, Reiko.. You... you really grew up." He said, his hoarse voice sounding the same, if not just more mature than it had been as a foal.  

[manga_artist303]

She had to admit, the familiar voice was relieving. Reiko blinked, tilting at his comment. "Of course I grew up," she replied, her own voice a maturer, richer version of her voice as a filly. She still thought it was a little too deep, but it was obviously feminine all the same. "You did some more growing up yourself." Her eyes danced. "I almost didn't recognize you with all that extra muscle on that skinny hide of yours," she added teasingly, flicking her tail so that it lightly hit his side. He looked good. She wouldn't be surprised in the least if he had a pretty mare waiting at home for him.  

[RAWR_Bexados]

Brise grinned and flicked his tail, rolling his shoulders carelessly, pride evident in his stance and actions. "Well.. Yeah... I had to find a way to compete with my brother some how." He said offhandedly, wondering in the back of his mind if she liked how he had turned out, cause he definitely liked how she grew up.

After a moment he turned back to his friend. "Wow.. so uh... How are things back home? Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked casually, trying to not blush at his forwardness.  

[manga_artist303]

"Had trouble dodging?" Reiko countered teasingly. Brise had tried to practice a few times with her, but they had quickly found that she was a worse attacker and better dodger than he was.

She smiled. "Not much has changed. My siblings have more-or-less figured out their alignments. But besides Epitome, they're all still... high-maintenance." They still had so much spunk that sometimes it was just exhausting to talk to them. His second question took her a little by surprise, but as usual, it stayed off her face. A slight blush, however, broke out on her face as she glanced away. "No, I don't." She looked at Brise again with that calculating gaze she got when trying to search for an answer. "... What about you? Find someone special?"  

[RAWR_Bexados]

Brise shrugged. "Well, I learned to fight in my own way. I don't need to dodge as much now." He grinned devilishly, which brightened even more at her saying she didn't have anyone waiting for her back home. "And what alignment have you chosen?" He asked curiously, himself choosing to be neutral for the time being, which would only change if someone he loved was threatened. However, he preferred the free-roaming ability of being neutral, and dreamed one day of traveling to where his father, Ka, had come from. "And no, I don't have anyone... though..." He smiled shyly and glanced up at her. I've kinda been smitten with this one girl since we were little..." He admitted softly.  

[manga_artist303]

Reiko smiled in amusement. "Glad to know you're not being flattened anymore." The amusement faded into her usual, composed expression as she explained her alignment. "I'm neutral. I thought about going with one of my sisters, but I like being able to travel wherever I like." That way she could visit both of her sisters with few problems. It wouldn't have mattered to her family which alignment she chose, but supporters of the Six and the King were often hostile to members of the other side. At his last answer, she glanced away. "Oh? And why haven't you mentioned this girl before?" she asked curiously as she met his gaze again. It couldn't be her... could it?  

[RAWR_Bexados]

Brise grinned. So she was a neutral like himself? That could prove to be very interesting and fun if she would ever consent to traveling with him. He flexed his back muscles in a sort of stretch. It really had been quite a while since he had last took a good run, and the run here seemed to have caused him a knot just between the shoulder blades. All well, that tiny bit of discomfort was easy to dismiss as he replied to her question. "Well... I've known her for awhile, and when we were younger, it didn't seem to matter... However... Now.. She's absolutely stunning. I could never imagine a prettier mare to ever catch my attention, or my heart the way she has." He said softly, watching her for any signs of distress or upset.  

[manga_artist303]

Reiko smiled again. "I take it from the grin that my neutrality is a good thing?" The smile slowly shrank as he spoke of the source of his infatuation, glancing away to hide her startling disappointment that swiftly growing inside her. "... Oh. I see." Brise didn't love her. He probably got to spend time with some pretty little mare up north and was swept off his hooves when she matured. But like everything else, Reiko forced those emotions back into their dark corners, hiding them from view. Smiling, she turned back to him. "You're beating around the bush, Brise," she complained teasingly. "C'mon, what's her name? What's she like?" she inquired. Then another question hit her, noticing something strange about the conversation. "If you like her so much, why haven't you told her?" Brise was far from being a coward. Yes, some things scared him, but confessing to a girl? How hard could it be?  

[RAWR_Bexados]

Brise's smile had almost disappeared when he saw her disappointment, but then it quickly returned, perhaps even brighter than before. Her disappointment... could it mean what he hoped? He tilted his head playfully and rolled his shoulders. "Well.. She's amazing, Reiko.. Absolutely. I'm always happy around her, and she makes my day brighter. This winter when I couldn't see her... man it almost destroyed me. Dad commented on my moping more than once, and Vindr got the best of me in several fights cause I was so distracted." He eyed her softly before looking away, almost in embarrassment. "And I haven't told her because.... what if she doesn't feel the same? What if you don't like me the way I like you?" He asked, realizing, only after the whole thought had slipped from his mouth that he had forgotten and just told her that it was her he liked.  

[manga_artist303]

The gears in Reiko's head couldn't help but turn when he said he couldn't see his crush. Although she didn't want to get her hopes up, her mind automatically threw her out as an option again. She sighed irritably and was about to tell him that he was still beating around the bush when he began saying 'you' instead of 'she.' It was as if the world froze and then slapped her with reality. Brise loved her. She sighed again, circling him. "Well," she said simply. "For future reference, speaking in third person about the one you like to the one you like is generally a bad idea." The mare stopped by his side, looking up at him with a slight smile. "Because if your feelings are returned, she thinks you're in love with someone else," she explained softly. A light blush adorned her cheeks as she glanced down and tried to gather her courage. "... I hope you weren't just fumbling over your words." Steeling herself, she lifted her head to meet Brise's gaze. "Because I love you."  

[RAWR_Bexados]

Brise's eyes widened and he stumbled, feeling as if he had just been struck by lightning. Slowly a large grin made its way onto his face, one that was even more brilliant than the one he had on to begin with, "You do?" He asked breathlessly, his tail flicking back and forth like a dog. Was it possible? This wasn't a dream? It was really happening.

He was ecstatic. "Run away with me." He said softly, though it was more of a request than a question. They were both neutral with no ties, other than family, to where they were now. He wanted adventure and knew she did to from their talks when they were younger.  

[manga_artist303]

Reiko giggled when he stumbled and stared like a deer in the headlights. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't." She lightly ran her head across his shoulders, then withdrew to look at him when he spoke again. "Of course," she replied. "But I think we should get that knot out first." She lightly nudged said knot between his shoulder blades. "Otherwise we won't be running very far," she teased.