Bartholomieu may have been helping his adoptive parents pick cranberries earlier in the day, but the water was deep and the morning was cold, so it was no wonder that the little centaur had found a warm place to sun.
Qui Yue had spent most of her morning resting in the open fields and making crowns out of wildflowers, and as she wandered away from the fields, she came upon a bright patch of sun and a rather young centaur warming himself in the light. With wide eyes, she cautiously approached the young one with flowers in her hands.
As usual, Bartholomieu wasn't able to stay still for long, and the moment his coat was more dry than wet, he was back up on his feet, oblivious to the approaching stranger. Glancing toward the cranberry bog that he'd left his family in, he made sure to not wander to far, eyes to the ground as he searched for scraps of wood.
Unaware of both the child's family nearby in the bog and the child's deafness, Qui Yue carefully made her way a bit closer to him, curious as to whether or not he was out on his own. "U-u-uhm... Ex- escu... 'Scuse me? Are y-you 'kay," she asked him timidly, hoping that she would not startle him.
The dark-coloured colt knelt down to grab a thick log, turning it over cautiously and wrinkling his nose. Underneath, the log was rotten and stinking, with pale-coloured nightcrawlers wriggling through its earthy body. Shuddering, he released the knob, letting it fall back into the ground and stepping back, jumping suddenly when he noticed the other 'taur, gold eyes growing wide.
Yue stumbled quickly backwards as the younger centaur jumped away from a log and finally noticed her. She kept a fair distance away from him, hands fidgeting with her flowers as she took a small step towards him. "Y-you, u-uh... y... you 'kay," she asked again.
The boy's ears twitched when the girl spoke at him, but not toward the sound of her. In his shyness, the centaur's black ears pressed back against his head, tongue flicking out to wet his lips. He pointed to his chest and made a slight humming noise, as though he was trying to figure out some kind of reply himself, ears slowly perking up, straining for the sound of his speech.
"A... aaaahm..." he mumbled, eyes pressed shut in concentration. He stomped his hoof, but even that thud didn't reach his ears, leaving him looking dejected and awkward as he looked back up at the female and waved nervously.
The boy's hesitance to respond concerned Qui- she had no idea if he was well or not, or if he was in need of assistance. She wasn't terribly sure if he could tell her so. Frowning a little, she cleared her throat and tried her best to enunciate her words. "U-uhm... Are... Are y-you oh-.. 'kay?" On a whim, she held out one of the wildflower crowns to the young colt as a peace offering.
