Comet, Peggy, Sun- all of the kids had told James to take a break. And Pride had, too. So of course, Tahi, who was nearly as stressed as he was, had to come too. Yes, maybe there was a mind-controlling fungus, and maybe the masters were kind of dicks, and maybe there was a lot of other things going on, but right now was focused on relaxation and bonding.

So here he was, laying on his back in the sand, staring at the ceiling, watching seabirds fly past.

"... I don't feel very relaxed," he admitted after a moment, rolling onto his side and lifting his head, "Comet said we're supposed to just... sit here? Or lay here, I suppose, and nap or doze or something."

But James had never been good at sitting still. He needed to do something.

"There's no one around," he noted, peering over the water, his tail swishing in the sand.

An idea popped up and his eyes lit up, ears perking forward. He stood and stretched, spreading his wings and shaking sand out of his feathers.

"No one is here," he repeated, "So! Let's do something. We could race, we could build something out of sand. Anything! Relaxing is just relieving stress, right?"

Under his feet sprouted mushrooms as he walked, tiny little things that glowed a soft cyan. They had barely any stalk, looking like hoof-shaped dots in the sand. He was getting more and more comfortable with the magic, and had practically mastered the spell by now, able to make any mushroom he could think of.

James was oblivious to Tahi's blindness so far. Maybe he'd figure it out, maybe he wouldn't, but he looked back at Tahi, ears perked forward, and smiled.

"We could do that," he agreed, "I hear long walks on the beach are romantic too."

He stretched and spread his wings, flapping them once before trotting forward a few steps, "But you've never fallen asleep in a meadow before? With the breeze all around, the birds singing, soft grass beneath you."

He could admit he did so often. Pegasus wasn't safe (thanks Draconua) but at least his section of it was. Mostly.

"Come on, let's see what we can find," he said, bending his neck to nuzzle Tahi's shoulder before trotting forward, the sand softer than he was used to.

James tossed his head as the waves splashed against his hooves, taking off for a few strides at a gallop before jumping up and bucking, giggling like a total idiot. What could he say? He was enjoying himself! He had Tahi here all to himself, a long, beautiful beach to relax on, and no Mother or Vargas or anyone to ruin their day.

Knock on wood, though.

As James ran forward he missed the divot in the sand, his foot catching. For a moment everything slowed, his eyes widening before he totally ate shit, skidding a few feet on his head and neck, his body plopping down as he lost momentum.

"... Ow," he said, spitting sand out of his mouth, shaking himself off before getting up and sheepishly turning to look at Tahi, face hot with embarrassment, "Um... careful, there's a uh... a hole. Here."

Man, way to impress your boyfriend, James.

James watched Tahi tumble head over heels and winced, face pulled scrunched up in a grimace.

"Oh dear- um... sorry," he mumbled, using a wings to brush sand out of his fur, before shaking himself out and just covering Tahi in sand again.

He sneezed and tried again, before trying to suck it up and keep going. His bruises didn't seem so bad as he stepped forward, and nudged Tahi's neck gently.

"You okay?", he asked, "That was a hard fall. We can uh... take it slow until we know the beach."

He watched a crab scuttle by and trotted after it, sniffing at it curiously before getting pincers snapped at him. Touchy crab...

"Everything's so weird," he said, "Look at this thing, Tahi! It has armor and claws and sharp legs. It's so... weird. Like a bug."

James blinked and winced, "They are a little similar, you're right. You know, he actually chased me through Orion as a colt. I was barely a month old and he chased me until Pride came and managed to talk him down."

He shook his head, not exactly fond of the Overseer. Not after that.

"Bye," he mumbled to the critter, watching it disappear into the water.

He looked up as Tahi shifted away, ears perked forward. As he was called, he trotted forward, hooves sinking into the sand and making it a bit harder to walk, but not much.

"A stone?", he said, "Oh my- I wonder what's in it."

He peered at it curiously, ears forward, "It sure is pretty, at least."

James nudged Tahi gently at the failed spellcast, "I know that feeling... You can try again."

He stared at Tahi throughout the entirety of his speech, ears forward, only reacting to laugh at his comment about Aran, shrugging. Once he was done, though, he was silent.

Tears welled up and he rubbed his eyes with his wings, throat clogging up, "... I um... You're right about Aran, he's um... Aran. But I just- no one ever offered me a choice."

He stepped forward and nosed Tahi's cheek gently, his breath warm on the other's fur. He wiped his eyes again and nuzzled into his side, pressing their flanks flush against one another.

"Thank you," he said softly, "But... yes. I don't want children right now. Honestly? I don't know if I'll be ready even when Peggy's off on his own, but I suppose we'll see when the time comes, right?"

Aristotle's children would be on their own too, and he wouldn't need to care for them out of obligation anymore. Which would be such a relief. He could have time to himself and could just do nothing for once, and wouldn't that be fantastic?

"... We'll have to see," he said softly, "But I think I'd be comfortable with it. It also depends whether or not the Ursa expedition goes well."

James' eyes grew sorrowful for a moment before he shook his head, "Nevermind that, we're on vacation to get away from it, so... thank you. For giving me a choice. And if the time comes that I wish to have a child but you don't, then we won't. It's a mutual agreement."