<dd1 - esper>

“You always seem so hesitant in new areas,” Wolfrem was, as usual, pointing out something Esper did that the other Coursers didn’t do nearly as often. Sure, a little reservation was standard and encouraged - you never knew what might be lurking about - but he was right. Esper was particularly more cautious than any other Courser he’d met, often completely refusing to enter a new cavern or room, even though he'd been exploring it completely unscathed.

“I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you - you know that, right?” 

She could tell how hard he often tried to mask his piss-poor, I-don’t-need-anyone attitude around her, and she did appreciate it. He was better at it than he gave himself credit for, and perhaps she needed to express that. Maybe he’d start believing it himself.

“I know, it’s just a hurdle. Being more cautious than others is a big part of how I haven’t died yet,” she gave a small laugh, trying her best to keep the mood light. She’d decided once more to start checking areas she’d never been to, hoping to find new plants to bring home and study with Lethia. Her luck hadn’t been the greatest - she was pretty sure she’d already found everything the caverns had to offer, but one could never be too sure.

“Then can you trust me a little extra, just this once?” He’d definitely spotted something he wanted to check out - his tone always changed, more excited than usual, but not as excited as if he’d found something shiny. She let out a sigh, stopping as she heard his steps stop as well.

“What’s up ahead, then?” she asked, unsure of what to expect. Everything they’d found so far had either made her uneasy or worse, and she still didn’t fully trust how carelessly he’d check out anything new he found.

“There’s some markings on this wall up ahead - I just want to see what they are.” He replied, starting to walk off towards them. With another sigh, and not wanting to be left standing alone, she sauntered off after him, her ears focused on the familiar heaviness of his steps. But when she approached, he was silent, only for a moment.

“Well - what is it?” 

“Horses. Just like us,” he began, his voice quiet as he studied over the crude paintings. “A whole herd of them, just running. It’s wonderful, really… they look… perfect.”

And with that, a sadness began growing. Something he found so beautiful to see, was something she would never see nor even be able to do herself. She had been encouraged to learn about the world mostly on her own - her parents didn’t want to totally shelter her, of course. But there were some things a blind filly simply couldn’t do. Having fun without considering the safety risks was one of those things.

She thought of what it might be like, running free in fully open space, surrounded by her friends. She was unaware of the silence that had grown, or the tears brimming in her eyes until Wolfrem pointed them out.

“I-I’m sorry… are you okay?” His voice was still low, but closer as he leaned near to try to offer some comfort. She sniffled, doing her best to try not to seem as upset as she was.

“I’m fine, sorry. It does sound really beautiful. Can we head back?” She’d turned before he could even respond, slowly making her way back towards the way they’d come. She sighed softly, almost defeatedly to herself as she finally heard the sound of his hooves as he began following her.