sometimes at night i let it get to me

Not much is lost on Bramble. Her mind is hyper-aware of all things around her. Maybe it is the anxiety that eats at her brain. Or the insistence that she try to always do the right thing. No matter what it is, her ears hear the hushed whisper of the foreign language. Her eyes catch him rolling the fish over to near perfection. Even though he is doing other things, she can tell he is listening to her words. This doesn't cause her bravery to diminish. Instead, she bolsters and pushes away feelings of doubt and uncertainty. She would be bold. She would be brave. She was a Carpathius and she would be the best that there ever was! Whatever that really meant, she believed it.

Bramble does hesitate though when he asks her what the council was. Typically, she would have blabbered on about it by now, but a recent lesson from her father caused her to pause. Assess, determine, decide. Maybe she wouldn't tell him all of the details. No, she had to withhold some things. Not everything needed to be known. "The council is an important role in my pack," her voice lowers in volume as the fire crackles before her. Though she is bold, she can be quiet and reserved. It had to be a part of her new almost-adult self. She had to be adaptable and refined.

That was until he slid closer to her. She noticed it wasn't too close, but close enough that her breath caught for a moment. While she had had other boys near her, they had always been family. A strange boy, a strange cute boy, this close to her? Offering her... drugs? She could feel the warmth spreading over her cheeks as he showed her how to use the pipe. Maybe it was just the fire being stoked... Yeah, yeah, that would explain the warmth pooling on her fur. "Ohh seems simple enough," she says softly as he offers the pipe once more to her. There is a split second of hesitation. Once more questioning if it would be rude to turn down his peace offering... Bramble decides to take it. One time wouldn't hurt, right?

Bringing the pipe to her lips, she does as he instructs. Everything would have gone smoothly if what she inhaled had been anything close to smooth. Without even wanting to, she suddenly bursts out coughing. Eyes squeezed shut and paws pushing the pipe back in his direction. Her lungs are on fire as her head swims in circles. Attempting to calm her coughing fit, Bramble shows him a toothy grin. "D-does that always happen the first time?" She asks, her voice going back to a sheepish tone as she squints at him. Unsure if it was the pipe making her eyes water or the fire.

"I'm Bramble. Nice to meet you, Tate," she says through the end of her coughing fit. Her head was still swimming as her belly grumbled. Though the fire in her throat wasn't the best feeling in the world, she couldn't say she hated the feeling that swam inside of her.

B R A M B L E