@Temperance !

The rabbit snuffles in the clover, nibbling, then suddenly stops and raises her head. Dark eyes sway tall like a snail's, and the whorls of her fur give off a gentle glow, liquid blue in the softening light of evening to come. The day is approaching that hour where all the world looks something like a dream, painted in watercolors, and she is a marvel in it, a living little miracle.

Tobias watches at a distance, smushing himself flat in the grass. The young boy lies utterly still — but with effort, though, a lot of it, and if you look closely, you'll see that he's shivering with ill-suppressed delight. It's getting late for him; normally he'd be yawning by now, soon to be nestled asleep with his brothers and his Pop-pop, then awake bright and early for the promise of tomorrow. But rabbits aren't a common sight in the garden. This one is an exception. Maybe she hasn't learned to stay away yet; she's big-eyed, still slender, barely bigger than a mouse — could be around his age, even, in her type of time. And sparse as Orion is, all this greenery must look awfully tempting to a hungry bunny. Even so, though, Tobie would like to think he has something to do with it, too. He's the smallest of his family by far, not the greatest athlete, all leftover baby fat and then a little more — but beyond that, he is trying very, very hard to look like a friend, and so far, he's succeeding. He blinks slowly, then waits for a response, sky-blue eyes shining bright with eagerness. Come on, come on ... A moment passes. Finally, she returns the gesture, ears swiveling, and hops a step closer. Yes!

"Hello," Tobie whispers. She stares him down, expectant, and his attention falls to the ground. Maybe he could ... ? Magic's not his best subject — which is just fine; he's an aspiring adventurer, not an aspiring wizard! — but he can try. He lifts a forepaw, sets it down just in front of him, furrows his brows in concentration ... "Oh!" he yelps softly. A sprout does come, but not the way he'd like it to. The budding shoot grows teeth beneath his paw, and he pulls it away as quick as he can — it's not the first time this has happened. Like I said, magic: not his best subject. He winces at the momentary pulse of a headache. "Mnh ..." Meanwhile, the spell has given him a weed for his trouble, sticky and spiny. The rabbit looks quizzically at it. They do still like the not-as-nice sorts of plants too, right? Maybe she'll go for it anyway? Or he could try again? Tobie relaxes into a smile, dropping his voice again. "S-Sorry. Here —"

And then: Snap! A twig, somewhere —

The rabbit freezes, and Tobie's on high alert in an instant. Abruptly he's reminded of why she's such a rarity here in the first place. He's ushering her away, doing that thing where you're shouting but also you're whispering — "C'monnnnn, bunny, run — !" And at that, she comes to and springs into flight, bolting for the cover of the bushes. She's fast, but it's a little ways off, and maybe it's nothing, maybe it's another small friend, or maybe if it is somebody, they didn't see her or they did see him. But maybe, maybe ... "Wait!" he gasps, bouncing up to his feet. Look this way, look that way — oh, the mystery is too much!

Temperance paused mid-step, one hind and one front leg held in the air as they watched a small rabbit scuttle off (too small and young for eating) and their brother bounce to his feet. They stared at the scene for a moment before gently setting their paws down, ears pricked forward.

"Um... hi," they say softly, swallowing, "Is now a bad time?"

They could always come back later when Tobi wasn't busy- if Tobi was busy. Maybe he wasn't but that was also bad because the thought of trying to socialize with their sibling very much frightened them. What if Tobi picked up bad habits? What if Tobi didn't like Temperance? They wouldn't blame him, honestly...

Temperance shook their head to get rid of those thoughts, instead turning to Tobi and eyeing the weed, smiling gently, "Hey, that's nice. Better than I could ever do, that's for sure."

They'd tried once. For their efforts they got a nice explosion and a massive headache, so Tobi was a definite step up.

@Tobias

@Temperance !

Over his left shoulder, over his right — mnh-mnh, nothing there, or — no, hold on a second — double take again on the left, where the shadows are moving, taking shape. A tall silhouette stands cranelike in the twilight, utterly still. Tobias jumps and spins around. "Huh?" The figure's lifted feet drop slowly to the ground. Those pale, piercing eyes are staring him down, and he feels his heart pick up, his breathing beginning to shake in his chest. All right. All right. He is an adventurer, he's not scared of nothin' —

"Um, hi."

... Oh!     ... Oh!       Okay!!

All at once, the apprehension in his face falls away. Tobie knows that voice, and — squint, blink, blink — he knows the rest of them, too. (Yeah, he's got Feline NightVision SuperPowers, but that fur of theirs is really dark, okay? It took him a minute! That's all.) "Hi, Temperance!" His reply is high, sweet, and immediate, bursting with eagerness — because, you see, they share a father together (that's his Poppa Pride!), but despite the relation, he hasn't seen very much of them. Temperance almost reminds him of Casimir, quiet, sort of aloof, only there's ... something else about them, something beyond his brother's trademark grumpiness. Something sad. And maybe it just didn't stick in his memory, goodness knows a lot of things don't, but ... can he remember them ever talking to him on their own? He doesn't think he can.

... Which makes this a first! Something special! And now they're asking him if it's a "bad time"? It's a question so silly that it actually takes him off guard. Now he's second-guessing everything. Why ever would it be a bad time? What are they talking about? Is it because it's getting dark? No problem, Temperance! Tobie always has time to stay up a little late for a friend. Especially family. "I don't think so," he says, pleasantly confused. "I w-was just —" A reflexive peek behind him stops him dead in his tracks. Softly: "Oh!" Emergency, emergency! He didn't say goodbye! His manners!! "Farewell, friend!" he calls out to the bushes — where, I assure you, his lagomorph companion is all safe and sound. A beat, and then he happily returns to his company. "All yours!"

"Hey, that's nice. Better than I could ever do, that's for sure."

... Huh?!? Tobie traces and retraces the dotted line of Temperance's attention, then quickly glances down at the spiny little weed. Gasp! "Really?!" Wow! And here he was thinking he messed it up! He looks back and forth between his sibling and his creation, swelling up with a tentative sense of pride. Unthinking, his forepaw reaches over to fiddle with the plant — ... only, naturally, for it to ... sting him again. It's worse this time. A tiny squeak pops out of his mouth. "Ow!" Tobie recoils, shaking his paw once or twice in the air before gingerly setting it down. It tingles in the grass, and he shifts his weight back and forth, confidence flagging. "I don't know. Doesn't it sss-s-seem a little ... angry?"

Wait. If Temperance thinks they couldn't do anything better than that ... hold on, there's something wrong here. All of a sudden, every budding hint of his hesitance and dejection is forgotten.

"Hmmm." A certain scrunch develops in his tone — soft, but with excitement and mischief hiding underneath. He's a warm sun peeking in through the clouds, a conspiratorial smile drawn on its face. "I th-think you could do waaaaay better."

Tobias shimmies back to make some space, and his voice rises and relaxes, a gentle shove of encouragement.

"C'mon, try something! Anything!"

"Hi Tobi," they replied to the other's greeting, just to say something, anything that didn't sound dumb.

They peered over Tobi where they'd been looking, wondering if he was talking about that rabbit. They of course wouldn't say anything about it, they weren't the type of person to put down another's strange interests because they found it a little strange. And talking to what they considered food as a friend was rather strange. But anyway...

"Maybe it's grumpy," Temperance offered, "I'm grumpy when I'm first woken up."

They shrugged gently and suddenly froze at the suggestion, mind reeling. Bad idea. Bad idea. No, awful idea!! They couldn't control their magic at all! What if they hurt Tobi! What if-

Seeing Tobi's little face and hearing his gentle encouragements halted their doubts in their tracks. They doubted their doubts instead, wondering if maybe they could cast something. Anything.

Here goes nothing.

Temperance squeezed his eyes shut, wishing so desperately to do something right, that for once they could just be someone else and force that ugly part of themselves aside for just a few minutes. After a moment they opened them, gasping.

There was another them. It stood still, staring, head tilting to one side as they own did.

"... I did it," they said, his breath leaving him, "I did it!!"

Happiness flared up, bringing tears to his eyes as his throat tightened.

@Tobias

@Temperance !

For a moment, there's a very real, very apparent possibility that Tobias will not be getting his wish. The way they've frozen, that look on their face — oh, for that moment, Temperance looks just miserable, and Tobie can't for the life of him understand why. He cocks his head and blinks up at them, slowly, like he did with the rabbit. Curiosity and confusion shine in equal measure in his eyes, catching the light. Magic is supposed to be fun, right? All he wants is to see one little trick, to see his big sibling prove themself wrong — because, listen, I know it, you know it, even he knows it: Temperance is definitely not worse at this than Tobie is, and there must be something awfully strange afoot for them to think that they are. I mean, just look at the angry weed! Is that the work of a master magician? No! It doesn't get a whole lot less impressive than that. But even then, it's still life.

Tobias lowers his attention to his thorny little creation. The grass flattens under his tummy as he settles into sort of a crouch. What was it Temperance said? "Maybe it's grumpy ... I'm grumpy when I'm first woken up." ... Oh! Oh, goodness, of course ... Tobie didn't think of that, and it makes an awful lot of sense, doesn't it? A whisper of a breeze nudges the weed from side to side. "Th-Th-That's okay, friend," he tells it, hushed, leaning close on his toes. The plant falls still. He reaches out and gives it a flick — but this time, it's with just the tip of his claw, and this time, there isn't any sting. It bobbles lightly at the touch, and he smiles, does it again. Flick, flick. He peeks up at Temperance, whose eyes are screwed shut. Tobie's tail whisks back and forth as he finishes, softly: "Take your time."

And then — !!     And then — !!

Another Temperance forms before him: completely alike, all the way down to the cant of their head. The original is exclaiming, teary-eyed, seemingly almost as overjoyed and surprised as Tobie is — but note that I did say almost.

Tobias sucks in an audible gasp, eyes rounding and fluttering with wonder and astonishment. He springs up and rocks back onto his bottom, almost falling over as he scrambles to point up at the still, staring figure overhead. "Wow!" — (half a beat) — "Wow!" — (half of another) — "Yow-wow-zow!!" The corners of his lips spread into a broad, open-mouthed smile, and his eyes dart back and forth between the two Temperances, totally lost as to which one he should be talking to. To Temperance #1: "That's amazing! Um —" He drops unevenly back to the ground and licks hastily at his chest, as if he could possibly make his tousled little self presentable in the span of a few seconds. Ahem! And to Temperance #2, the one that's still just sort of staring at him: "He-Hello, Temperance #2! It is very, very nice to meet you! I'm Tobias, that's Tobie f-f-for sh-sh-sh-short —"

Needless to say, he is a bundle of nerves and excitement, switching his weight from forepaw to forepaw, scrambling to relax and get his trembling words back under control. He stops himself, swallowing. Another blink, hard and forcible; a sudden spark of focus and energy — and just like magic, a wonderful yellow banana materializes in front of him with a cartoony pop!, tumbling from midair immediately to earth. Blink, blink, blink — he hasn't known the spell himself for long, see, and he's shocked it just came out like that. For a moment, he can only stare at it, dreamy and dumbfounded. It's small, yes, but otherwise? To his eyes, it's perfect. He swipes his tongue around his muzzle, briefly and visibly overcome with longing, but ... this is meant as a gift, from the heart — that must be why it happened so easily. And, besides — he's already had three of them today.

"You can share." The pain of letting go tightens Tobie's smile as he pushes the banana towards the Temperances. Once again, with feeling, to Temperance #2: "It is v-v-very, very nice to meet you." And to the original: "How did you get s-so good? That's, that's —" Again: "That's amazing!"

Temperance #2 was blank-faced and only mimicked Temperance #1's movements. They were simply a projection.

"I don't think it's real, it's like a reflection I think," Temperance said, wiping their tears furiously as they flopped down and covered their eyes.

They couldn't look at it. Their spells either exploded or they did nothing at all, there was no in-between. They couldn't look at the fake Temperance, unable to process that they'd done the one thing they'd been trying to do since they learned to cast spells.

"I'm not good," they insisted, "I-I'm garbage! I can't cast spells, they always fail! I don't know why this one worked- it was a complete accident."

It was a stroke of luck that wouldn't happen again, they thought. Though as they looked down at the banana, having carefully lifted their paws, suddenly their magic flared once again. A banana appeared in the air above their head, suspended for just long enough that Temperance could look up, only for it to hit them directly in the face.

They yowled and slapped their paws on their head, scared of the impending banana-rain that had to be coming. After a moment they opened their eyes, their apparition having disappeared into a cloud of weird sparkly dust.

"... Tobie we made bananas," they said in awe, grabbing the banana between their paws and pushing it towards their sibling, "Here, you have it! Um, just check if its poisoned or something first."

They really hoped not. Pride wouldn't be happy if Temperance accidentally killed Tobie via poisoned fabulous banana.

@Tobias

@Temperance !

For a moment, Tobie's only halfway listening, too overcome by it all — magic and friends and a banana, oh, my! — to fully grasp or believe what Temperance #1 is saying. "Like a reflection", huh? Hmm ... nope! Temperance #2 looks pretty real to him. Even if they are super, super good at playing copycat. (And probably poker, too, if you can figure out a way to get them in front of a table. And also invent the game.) The original and the duplicate move in perfect sync, and he struggles to follow the show and find a mistake, profoundly impressed — so impressed, in fact, that he sort of misses the forest for the trees, the forest being the fact that Temperance is, um ... throwing themself to the ground, in ... total despair. I mean, for all he knows, it's part of the act. He hasn't really ... seen anybody this way before. In his defense.

But it's just for that moment, because: "I'm not good ... I-I'm garbage!"

And there's an immediate shift. Tobias blinks, lifts his forepaw, scrubs at his eyes, making sure they're working right. As Temperance continues, he tilts his head further and further to the right, slowly arriving at what's gotta be a full ninety degrees. They finish, and his head snaps over to the left, ears flopping. He pushes his brows into a quizzical, asymmetrical half-a-hill of a curve.

Tobie doesn't see "garbage"; he sees his sibling, his family, his friend, big and strong and kind and good, like he said, like he meant. There's been a mistake here. For once — for once! — he's not sure what to say.

Then, a second(!!!) banana appears directly over Temperance's head, and Tobie springs into action, pointing just as quick as his reflexes allow. "W-Wa-Watch out — !" ... Too late. One of his eyes pinches in a cringe as the banana plunks his sibling in the face before bouncing to the ground, leaving them a yowling puddle of terror. Tobie's attention snaps over to Temperance #2, but he only gets a glimpse before they're gone, the shape of them already beginning to evaporate — "Hey! Wait-wait-wait — !" But all that's left is a shimmering cloud of stardust. He goes up on two legs to bat at it, then drops back to earth. "Aw." Too late for that, too. He returns to his remaining sibling, slipping closer, hovering, mouth half-open. They're okay, right — ? They are! He hops a step back, beaming with relief —

"Tobie, we made bananas ... Here, you have it!"

... and then with dawning excitement. He settles above this proffered banana, eyes shining down on it. Temperance, they're saying something about poison — but at this point, Tobie is onto something about some of the things that Temperance says. It's just a hunch, but he's getting more and more suspicious. All this business with the "poison," the "garbage," the "better-than-I-could-ever-do-that's-for-sure" — here's what he's thinkin' about it. Are you listening? All right, I'll tell you.

He's thinkin' that it's total nonsense.

One paw here, one paw there, pull out his claws, slice-slice-slice and peeeeel ... a few surgical seconds, and there it is, the treasure inside glowing like gold. It's surprisingly skillful, for Tobie's done this many, many times; bananas are one of his most favorite foods, and he's practically shivering with happiness. He leans in for a nibble, just a little one, chewing slowly, trying his very best to savor it. It is divine, and he takes another bite, a bigger one. "Oh, I dunno," he says, fumbling his words around a mouthful of banana. He swallows, helps himself to more, continues: "Mm, mm! Tafes gate to me — !" ... Wait! Tobias! Your manners, you animal!! He gulps and clears his throat, letting out a self-conscious little chuckle as he raises his eyes from his snack to his sibling. The boy loves his bananas, okay? He swipes his tongue around his lips and stuffs down his yearning for more — he'll finish in a moment. Gotta leave some for the metaphor, now.

"See? No poison!" he declares, head held high. A sunny, squinty smile, and his voice swings in and out of singsong, eyes closing and opening in time with the flow. "It's wonderful and beautiful with nothin' wrong at all!"

The sparkles are beginning to set in, twinkling like the stars overhead along his fur in the dark. He leans closer, stretching out on his toes, and reaches over to tap his big sibling ever-so-gently on the nose. Bop. "Just like you-oouu," he croons — soft, rumpled up, sung like a secret he can't bear to keep.

And just like that, he rocks back into his center of gravity and returns to the banana. Oh, dear. There's less of it left than he remembers. Faintly anxious, he licks his lips and glances at the other one — the one that he made, the one that's for Temperance. He pushes it their way ... pauses ... and pushes it again, practically on top of their paws. Your time to shine, friend.

(Because believe me, if you don't, Tobie's absolutely gonna eat that one, too.)

Temperance watched as Tobie dug into the banana, half-terrified something awful was going to happen. They stared in horror as the other dug in, ears pinned, blinking as the small kitten looked up, completely fine.

"... Okay," he said softly, something about Tobie's little song dislodging something within them, "Um... can you do that again? The thing you did with your voice. I-I liked that."

They pulled their banana closer and sniffed it, peeling it open like they'd seen their sibling do. They took a bite and immediately their ears flicked up, enjoying the sweet taste. There was nothing like it! Meat and plants just didn't compare!

"Wow...", they said in awe, their eyes sparkling at the same time their fur started to, "This is so... so good! I love bananas!"

Temperance shyly scooted forward to rest right next to Tobie, wanting all of a sudden to be close, to be able to feel what their sibling's fur felt like, to stop distancing themselves so much that they didn't know what color the other's eyes were because they'd just never gotten close enough! It was time to stop! To stop being scared!

"I like your voice," they said softly, looking away and shifting nervously, "How did you um... how did you make it do that thing? Could you teach me?"

@Tobie

@Temperance !

"... Okay."

There it is. That's what he was looking for. Maybe not as enthusiastic as he might've hoped, but by golly, he'll take it. Tobie smiles quietly, more to himself than to Temperance. Mission: accomplished, and you know what that means? Banana time. He's gonna take it slow, now, and finish his special gift like a good little gentleman. (Even though he very much isn't one, nor does he want to be, thank you very much.) Again he crouches down to nibble.

"Um ..." Munch, munch, swallow. He pricks his ears, glances up, and meets his sibling's eyes. "Can you do that again? The thing you did with your voice. I-I liked that."

"W-W-With my —" Tobie starts a little. "Oh!" His voice — (said voice — now you've got him all self-conscious) — tumbles away into a half-stifled chuckle. "You mean like this?" He shuffles his forepaws eagerly underneath him, parts his lips, starts to take a breath ... then stops himself and clamps his mouth shut, narrowing an eye, waggling a claw. You almost got him, Temperance, but there's unfinished business here. He points at the banana sitting at their feet. "This first, please."

At long, long last, Temperance accepts their gift, and Tobie's nodding up and down with enthusiasm, cheering them on as they repeat the peeling ritual that he's so finely perfected. Wait for it, wait for it ... Yes! They like it!! No, they — they love it! And you're telling him it's their first one ever?! Jeepers, no wonder they're so sad! Or, rather — were sad, past tense, because all of a sudden, they look a whole lot better. Tobie's face eases into a tender smile as Temperance scoots up beside him. Without missing so much as a beat, he shimmies over and closes the distance, pouring his weight (note that there's more of it than you might expect) into their shoulder. His fur is fluffy and tousled and about as soft as you could possibly imagine. Meanwhile, theirs is short, yet thick, a little different from all the sorts he's felt before. The warmth feels just like his fathers' and his brothers', and he sighs, yawns, shifts back and forth. Most nights, he'd be asleep by now, but he rubs his eyes, shakes his head, and quirks it to the side, gazing up at his sibling as they softly continue.

"I like your voice ... How did you make it do that thing? Could you teach me?"

... Okay. So, here's — here's the thing. This isn't something Tobias really ... thinks about. Even just now, it was almost instinctive, just a thing his voice did. It's like asking him how he walks, how he breathes. He's got music in him the same way he's got love and spirit and adventure, and when you go that deep down, those are all things you can share, but they're not things you can teach. He hesitates and lets his eyes wander — hums a few notes, mumbles under his breath ... "Whatever you ask, whatever you like ..." Aha! Something snaps into place. He brings his voice back into the flow, smooth and singsong, lifting it up to the ceiling — "Whatever you ask, whatever you like // Your pleasure's my pleasure and I'm yours for the night."

Without warning, he gets up and bounces ahead, then spins around to meet his sibling face-to-face once again. "It's easy!" Tobie insists, and his eyes are sparkling even brighter than his fur, the way light dances on a rippling lake. "The-the-the, mmm — the words don't have to matter, you just ..." He raises his forepaw and swirls it helpfully around in the air. "You feel it!" He puffs out his chest, opens his diaphragm — and he sorta picks it up here, goes higher and catchier (the boy's got range!) — "See, 'cause you see, there's nothin' tough to it! // You open your mouth and you let your heart do it!"

And there you have it, folks! MasterClass with Tobias! That's all you gotta know. Another squinty grin, confident as anything, and he settles to the floor — but then he catches sight of his banana, or rather what remains of it, and he hurries to pull it close for inspection. Oh, no. It's ... it's gone. All that's left is a sad, empty peel. When did that happen? His features fall ... and relax. That's okay. Gently, with love, he sweeps it to the side and folds his paws underneath him. Tobie hums a little more, then goes silent, eyes sliding shut. He's lying very, very still, and for a second, you'd maybe think he was falling asleep — but it's too deliberate, like he's trying to breathe as little as he can. No, he's listening, ears trained forward — and all of this happens in the space of thirty seconds.

"As sooooon as you're ready." Tobie's voice is soft and low, with just the slightest hint of music in it. His whiskers twitch, followed by the tip of his tail. It's not easy holding so still like this, but he's really, really trying. A serene little smile plays on his face, and he whispers: "Take me away, friend."

Temperance's mood was kind of like a ladder. Tobie managed to get it to climb up higher and higher, and rung by rung Temperance was feeling better and better. Normally it felt like sliding down one and smacking your chin on every single step on the way down, so this was definitely a step up.

Temperance liked the feeling of Tobie so close, their fur pressed up together. He was so soft! Like rabbit fur but longer and somehow more comforting and nice to touch.

"It's that easy?", they asked, listening to their sibling rhyme so easily, like it was second nature, "Hm..."

As Tobie bounced ahead, Temperance thought long and hard, face scrunched up from how hard they were thinking.

"Spin... um... spin and sway, take me away," they said, slowly standing up to join their sibling, barely even a tune to their voice as they stumbled through a clumsy verse of words thrown together to create something resembling music, "Take me away to a place I know // lead me ahead to see the show..."

A step forward, then a short trot, "Dancing and prancing, twirl me around // skip and sway till we fall to the ground~"

It wasn't good. Temperance could carry a tune but he was no Broadway vocalist. They were the type to sing lullabies or play the guitar at family gathering's rather than sing for a crowd. It could have just been their confidence, though.

They faltered for a moment and looked to Tobie, looking to him for guidance, wondering if they were doing okay, if they sounded better than they thought they did.

"Was that good?", they asked, tail flicking behind them as they hunched again, somehow looking smaller than they did before. However, they seemed more sheepish or bashful, though anxiety and nervousness still plagued their body language.

@Tobias