Quill was terribly independent, so when he woke and no one was around, the injured brute gingerly tipped himself out of his cot and left the infirmary. His shoulder was stiff and he could feel the pull of the stitches with each step. But a man had to piss and he wasn't going to try to aim into a little pot or anything like that. It was beneath him. So he was up and out the front doors of the castle before anyone could see or stop him.

After relieving himself on one of the many pieces of greenery, Quill limped his way to the courtyard to settle himself down in a patch of warm sunlight. The grass was good enough padding for his uninjured side. Being the big, sleepy guy that he was, Quill flopped down flat on the ground and closed his eyes against the bright light. He'd made it all the way out here, but he wasn't quite ready to make it all the way back in. Not just yet. Maybe a little nap first.

"Quill Klein"

Bramble was only going to the infirmary to check up on Quill to ensure he was healing well. There definitely was no underlying motive to her seeking out the rugged piebald. No reason other than checking on his stitches and pain levels.

At least, that's what she told herself as she made her way down the stairs until she peered within the quiet room full of... empty cots. Her brow furrows in confusion. Where could he have gone? The doomed red sun had barely risen so he couldn't have gotten far. Concerned that he had consumed too many drugs and wandered off, Bramble quickly turns and heads down the hallway. Checking each room to take note that they too were empty. The kitchens, the dungeon, she hadn't seen him on her way down, or in the Great Hall. Perhaps he wandered outside.

Slipping through the front doors and into the garden, Bramble began to make her way through the blooming rose and violet blossoms. The scent in the air was floral, soft and delicate, but a tinge of urine and musk that made her nose twinge for a moment began leading her in the right direction. Thankfully it wouldn't take long and she was only slightly tired by the time she quietly approached the slumbering giant. Pausing to look, she smiles, almost wondering if she could go lay down beside him and nap as well. No, no. She can't do that with her sister's boyfriend. Distance. Keep your distance!

Approaching as quiet as she can, cat-like claws aiding her in subtle steps, Bramble nears unnoticed. Reaching down, she grasps Quill's tail and gives it a playful tug before jumping back out of the way. One never knew how others reacted when getting woken up! Stifling a giggle behind a lifted paw, she sits down and allows her tail to wrap around her legs. "Wakey wakey. I came to check on you," Bramble smiles at Quill, her turquoise eyes lingering on his handsome face.

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Though the sun was strange and red, it still radiated warmth. That warmth had lulled Quill to sleep quickly and the brute was very comfortable as he rested. Laying on his side, injured shoulder up towards the sky, there were no dreams in Quill's mind. His body needed rest to heal and his sleep would be very restful indeed. That was, until something... or someone... jerked lightly on his tail.

Blush and cyan eyes shot open as a soft giggle drifted towards the marbled brute. Sweet tones followed as he curled his neck to fix his gaze upon Bramble. A low rumble pulled from the giant man and she shot her a smile. "Good morning," he purred at the teal marked fae. "I was tired of sitting around inside. I figured you or someone would find me if there was enough curiosity." He was glad that Bramble had found him for there was something that he needed to say to the Carpathian woman.

Quill rolled until he was laying on his belly, his movements slow and careful so as not to pull too much on his wounded neck and shoulder. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday," he began. "I was more than a little inebriated when I took on that bear." Quill's tail flicked once and he sighed. "Drinking away my sorrows."

"Quill Klein"

Watching Quill swiftly move to look at her, she's instantly glad that tugging on his tail didn't have a poor reaction. Her smile doesn't falter as he purrs a good morning, but her heart does pick up its pace. Just the way he looked at her made her stomach all fluttery on the inside. Swallowing through the lump in her throat, she nods in agreement at his words. "Only enough curiosity to ensure your well-being," Bramble teases back, her nose scrunching playfully. He was a ward of the infirmary for now so it was her duty to ensure he healed properly. Especially because it was her fault that he even ended up there!

When he rolled over onto his belly, she shifted her own body to a more relaxed position. Rolling onto her hip so that her legs are pushed out to the side. If they were going to have a relaxing morning in the gardens, she might as well get comfortable.

What she wasn't expecting was his admitting the need to apologize to her. Looking at him with a furrowed brow, she listens, unable to keep her smile up on her face anymore. Instead, her lips turn downward, creasing at the ends as he admits to drinking away his sorrows. Why would he be doing that? Was it because of her sister? He had mentioned that she had been so caught up in her studies that she barely took notice of him. Bramble feels sad for Quill, he didn't deserve such treatment.

"I am disappointed that you believe drinking your sorrows away is a good solution," Bramble chastises, a gentle shake of her head showing her disapproval. "Not that I'm a prude. I enjoy a good wine from time to time, but there are better ways to dissolve sadness." Determination sparks in her eyes as she watches for his reaction. Would he take her challenge? "Do not apologize either. You made a mistake and so did I. We're even, but if I may ask. Why were you drinking away your sorrows?" Honest concern smooths over her expression for the time being. Bramble was always and would always be concerned for anyone and everyone that lived or passed through Hearthstone.

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Bramble looked upon him with an expression of disdain and disapproval, leaving Quill feeling a little sheepish beneath her blue gaze. One brow arched and the brute smirked in response, the edge of a canine flashing. He was handsome and charming and he tried to use that in his favor. 'Look at me, I'm cute. Don't be mad at me.'

After admitting that she enjoyed a drink as well from time to time, Bramble moved on to asking him just why he'd been drinking. Quill inhaled deeply, turned his head to the side so that their gazes were no longer meeting. It wasn't something that he had planned on talking about, but his lowered inhibitions had made him act... inappropriately with her.

"Talyssa and I had decided to part ways. I could see the hurt in her eyes and it bothered me, so... I drank." Probably not the best solution to a problem, but what else could he do? Talyssa left. He didn't really know anyone else in The Hallows, save Ellara, and she was missing. A drink had seemed like a good idea until there was a bear chewing on his neck.

"So, again... I apologize." He apologized, but it was for several different things. Getting hurt, dropping a kiss upon her and hurting her sister. Bramble had every right to be furious with him, but Quill had a strange feeling that she wouldn't be. Or at least not too furious.

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The truth that Quill speaks has her heart thundering in her chest. So, they weren't together? That kiss had not been a break of trust between sisters. Their shared moment was not on distasteful terms. In a way, Bramble feels better about it, but then, she wonders if he perhaps thought she was Talyssa in that drug- and alcohol-induced moment. Her thundering heart slows to a crestfallen beat as an indescribable emotion flickers across her eyes before it disappears. Quill would not know the emotions that roiled in her in those seconds after he spoke.

Instead, she nods, that gentle smile still plastered on her darkened lips. "A mistake is a mistake and it's not as if you attempted to take advantage of me," Bramble speaks in tender notes, still contemplating what to do next. Did she need to pursue Quill? See where this went? She couldn't deny the way her heart fluttered and her stomach twisted when she looked at him and that rugged smile.

"Alright, now no more feeling sorry for yourself!" Bramble declares after a pause of silence where all she could do was peer at his heterochromatic gaze as if she were trying to read his mind. She licks her lips to ease the tension within herself. Standing to her paws, she gives her coat a shake to smooth out her fur, but also disperse that anxious feeling. Uncertainty never settled well with Bramble, but she was learning to live with the ups and downs and how to take them in stride.

"You need to exercise that shoulder of yours so c'mon." She reaches a paw out to playfully nudge at his hind paw, her smile finally reaching up to her eyes. "I'll show you around as if you've never been here before," there's a teasing hint in her tone as she gives him a wink and turns to start down the path leading deeper into the gardens.

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Quill thought that he may have seen a flicker of something ghost through the woman's aqua gaze, but he paid it no mind. He didn't know her well enough to discern any real difference in her emotions, so no second thought was spared. Perhaps he would like to know her well enough to pick such things out, however.

Bramble commented on his mistake, remarking on how he hadn't been trying to take advantage of her. A low, genuine chuckle rumbled from the grey and white giant and he grinned, pearly whites flashing. "Are you so sure?" Quill was a cad. He loved the ladies and the ladies seemed to love him in turn. Besides... Bramble was beautiful. What red blooded male wouldn't want to take advantage just a little bit?

It seemed as though their time of rest was over. The earth and sea fae bounced to her paws, shaking out her coat. Quill could smell the crisp, clean scent of her and a little rumble was forcefully stifled. She declared that his time of self pity was over and that she was going to take him on a tour. The touch that she delivered to one hind paw was... electric. It was interesting. "A tour? Surely it will be better than the first one that I never received," he teased lightly before gingerly pushing himself to his paws. The wound in his neck and shoulder ached, but other than a little grimace as he gently stretched, Quill hid his pain.

"Lead the way," he purred, though he came to walk beside her rather than behind her. She could lead, but he wouldn't follow. He would be right there beside her as they moved across the courtyard. What wonders would she show him?

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