Huh? Oh. Really? Oh no.

[Sora looks very puzzled for a moment before he laughs sheepishly. If he wasn't carrying the bit garden pot with both hands, he would have rubbed the back of his head.]

I guess I kind of indirectly killed that cactus then... Now I feel really, really bad.

[He feels terrible??? But also this is partly Riku's fault! For real!]

Well, now you know for next time, right? Or, maybe it's better if you bring the plant to the gardening club, heheh....

( He teases just a bit. It wouldn't take them too much longer before they'd reach their destination, at least. )

Do you have a flower that you like...?

Wow! Would you be able to help me with a plant if I brought it here?

[Sora actually seems pretty excited for that. His blinkers might be blinking to join yet another- club.]

Ummm... Flowers that I like? I've never thought about that much before. I guess I would have to say sunflowers. Or maybe something yellow and orange?

W-Well... I'm not an expert or anything, but I could try...

( It does make him happy to see things grow and flourish, and if he can help someone else feel the same way, then... he thinks that'd be really great, too. )

Ah, I really like sunflowers, too... Did you know that they're always facing the sun? It's... a little like they're always seeing the bright side of things.

Edited 2024-10-26 12:43 am (UTC)

[Sora smiles brightly.]

That's awesome?! They always face the sun... That's how I always want to see life, you know? The bright side of things.

[He chuckles warmly and then tilts his head to look at Basil.]

Even if you're not an expert, you sure sound like you know a lot. That's amazing.

( Basil feels how his heart skips a beat at those words, silent for a moment. He feels like his throat's in a knot, and it's difficult to speak at first. )

T... That's how I wanted to be, too. It's a nice goal.

( He's not so sure anymore, though. So much has happened since he said those same words. )

Ah, well... I really like being able to see them grow. Even though flowers are resilient, then can be really fragile, too -- so, I read what I could to keep them alive.

[Sora continues to give Basil a warm smile, although he wonders if Basil sounded just a little bit sad for a moment there.]

It must feel really great when you get to see the flowers grow, too! I wouldn't mind learning more if you don't mind me being dumb sometimes! How about it?

[He's a little dumb but he's got spirit! He'd love to learn more about keeping care of fragile flowers!]

( Basil listens to what Sora has to say next, and he quickly pushes his own feelings away. He offers a smile of his own, albeit more uncertain. )

Ah, well... Everyone's starts off doing something new without knowing a lot about it... ( It doesn't make them dumb! )

I can teach you what I know, even if it isn't very much. I-It is really is worth it to see them blossom, and even the little sprouts are really cute, too.

[Just wait until Basil witnesses Sora's very specific brand of dumb.]

Yeah! Awesome, I can't wait to try learning! Heh, the sprouts must be really cute!

[Basil is kind of cute, too.]

Thanks for taking me under your wing, Basil!

( Basil looks to Sora then, offering a smile -- a bit more certain, a bit brighter than the ones before. )

You're welcome... I'll do my best to touch you what I can, heheh.

( He reaches for the door leading outside then, holding it open for Sora. )

Here we are. Thank you for helping me.

Yeah, you got it!

[Sora follows through the door and carefully puts down his garden pot. He's being so careful. Super careful. He cannot mess this up! ... He sets it down and ... done!!]

Phew, that's a lot of hard work, too. I'm glad we did it! Do you need help with anything else?

[He's here!]

Uhm -- thank you, but... y-you've already done a lot...

( He still needed to make sure that the plants that were taken outside were taken care of, but he's sure that Sora needs to start getting home. )

School's already been out for a while.

[Sora smiles warmly and rubs the back of his head.]

Yeah, that's true. But it's not like I have anything better to do.

[Today was going to be a pretty boring day anyway. This has been way better.]

If I'm gonna join the club I better keep helping. Right?

[Now Sora's going to join the club, no cap?]

( Sora smiles warmly, and Basil feels the way his cheeks heat up a bit before he looks back to the flowers. It hard to really say no to him when he's smiling like that...

He offers his own smile, albeit a bit shy. )

That's true... T-Then, I can start teaching you now, huh? Are there any flowers here you want to know about in particular?

[And just like that, Sora perks up even more.]

Yeah! Hm. How about...

[Now he has to make a really important decision. What to ask Basil about...]

How about you tell me how to care for your favourite kinds of flowers? Are you growing them here?

( Besides a sunflower? Basil pauses to think about it for a moment. )

Ah, I have a few favorites... The ones that are growing right now that I really like are white tulips. They take a while to bloom, but they're flowers that aren't too flashy. They have a feeling that's comfortable and modest.

( It's a little sad when he thinks about why he likes them so much now, but they've always reminded him of someone so important to him. )

It'll take a few months for them to fully grow, m-maybe you can see them when they do.

I wonder if there's one that we could find that you'd really like, too.

Edited 2024-11-24 03:38 am (UTC)

Oh! Tulips! I think I know a little about tulips! Don't they grow back every year? What are those called, again?

[Perennials! Not that Sora would ever remember a big word like that but he's trying to show off that he knows a little about flowers too. If only to make Basil smile (and maybe impress him just a little).]

I'd love to see them pop up and bloom, even if it takes a few months! Tulips seem really super nice.

[Sora smiles gently.]

Oh, you mean prennials? After what you told me, that's pretty impressive that you know that...

( He offers his own smile then, though his cheeks feel a bit hot when he speaks again as he looks away from Sora. )

Then... I can show you how to care for them, and then when the time comes -- we'll both see them bloom together.

I only remember that because I think Kairi mentioned that she likes tulips once before, too.

[He can remember the most random things sometimes. But in this case, it helped! He's clueless about the rest. He really likes Basil's smile, though. He's pretty.]

Heh, okay. I'd really like that! It's a promise! We'll see them bloom together.

... That sounds really nice. Uhm...

( He hesitates, turning his gaze towards the flowers again. )

It's... been a really long time since I had something to look forward to.

[Sora's expression softens a little because Basil just said something so cute. But it also sounds a little sad.

He reaches out to toy with a flower's petals gently. But he's careful not to break them off.]

I'm looking forward to it too! It'll be fun, right? [He smiles at the other boy.] Maybe we can hang out a lot even after the flowers are done blooming.

[Friends?? Friends????]

( He wants to agree, but then he makes the suggestion to spend more time together, and Basil feels taken aback.

He's so used to be avoided, pushed around by his other peers. It's a bit difficult for him to believe that someone he only just met would want to spend time with him. In the past, it would've been easier for him to accept.

His eyes dart away shyly. )

You... want to spend more time together than this? R-Really?

[Sora nods gently.]

Yeah, for sure! I'd really like that a lot, Basil.

[He never deeply noticed that people had avoided Basil before. But now that he's had a chance to talk with the other boy, he would never understand why anyone would avoid him.

Luckily, Sora will now die for Basil.]

Let's be really good friends, okay?

( Really good friends...

The idea of it makes his heart stop for a moment, stomach sinking in both dread and anticipation at the idea. Basil isn't someone who deserves friends. He misses the idea of it, but after what he's done...

He looks to the flowers for a moment, and he hopes that his anxiety isn't showing up on his face. )

Y... Yeah- uhm...

Are you ready to go...?

[Sora is usually an air-headed, oblivious boy. He's not often he picks up on the serious stuff. But Sora does have a knack for picking up on emotions rather than oblivious things. So, he might notice the slight hesitation in Basil's voice.]

Yeah, let's pack up and head out!

[...]

But, are you okay, Basil?