VERSAILLES // Ranboo X Reader

6

"We should give the horses a break and walk for a while."

You turned to look at Brigand - he had taken the back of the line, letting you and Arlow ride side by side, as the path was only wide enough for two horses. It had been pretty quiet so far - you hadn't expected Ranboo to talk much anyway, and you were content to just enjoy the nice weather and listen to Arlow hum under their breath as you rode. Every now and again you would stop and throw one of the eyes up, watching carefully to see which way the pupil pointed, but other than that you had been riding uninterrupted for a while now. 

"Ah, good idea captain." Arlow said, sliding from their horse with graceful ease. "We wouldn't want our legs locking up too much either."

You stopped your horse, letting Ranboo climb down first before you stepped off as well, holding the reins in one hand and letting the cuff dangle from the wrist on the other. Brigand slid off from his horse as well, and once you were all settled you started back up on foot, feet crunching in the gravel and dirt.

You walked in silence for a few more moments before Arlow spoke. 

"I didn't think an adventure would be this quiet." They said, ruffling a hand through their hair. "In all the stories, the members of the parties are the best of friends."

"I'm sure we'll become close over the course of the trip." Brigand said. "It's only inevitable if we're spending our days together and we're expected to be fighting together - we'll have to work as a team."

"Well, lets start now." Arlow said with a grin. "What's your favorite flower?"

Brigand snorted. "What a childish question."

Arlow rolled their eyes, and turned to you instead. "Y/N?"

You rolled it over in your head for a moment, thinking of the flowers that were scattered around the fields back home. "Oxeye daisies." You said. 

Arlow hummed sagely. "Good choice... you probably have a lot of those in Templeswift." 

"I keep them in pots on my windowsils." You said. "What about you? I can't imagine you have too many flowers in Audunbast, what with it being in the mesa and all."

"No, I can't say we do." Arlow said. "But in my many travels I've found that I'm quite fond of sunflowers."

You smiled - for some reason, it was fitting. 

Arlow's eyes darted back to Brigand again. "Well, captain?"

Brigand cleared his throat. "Um, I like the color of cornflowers."

Arlow smiled - victorious. "Blue seems to be your color." They said. 

The chain dangling from your wrist caught your attention, and you turned to Ranboo, posing the question to him. "What about you Ranboo?" You said. 

Ranboo looked caught of guard for a moment, like he didn't expect to be included even though he was standing right next to you. "Oh, well... I don't really know. We don't have a lot of flowers where I'm from."

"And where exactly would that be?" Brigand asked. 

"The End, right?" Arlow asked, gesturing to the enderman half of him. "If you don't mind me asking by the way, what's the other half"

Ranboo looked down at his white hand - the one with the cuff on it.  "I don't actually know."

Arlow raised an eyebrow, and Brigand glanced at him, obviously puzzled. "You don't know your own anatomy?" Brigand asked, his eyes landing on Ranboo.

Ranboo seemed to shrink back on on himself from the eye contact, muttering out a quiet 'no'. It was obvious that he didn't like all the attention on him, so you cleared your throat, turning to Arlow. "Tell me about Audunbast, Arlow. I've always wanted to go see it, but I've never had the chance."

Arlow's eyes lit up at the mention of their hometown. "It's the best place in the world." They said. "Full of color - you can really see the stripes in the hills, where the different layers of clay peek through. The marketplace in the center of town is always bustling, traders come from all over. My favorite part is the buildings though - they're made to look like the spires of the mesa, and the architecture is simply beautiful..."

You nodded along, half listening at Arlow waxed poetic about their village, but most of your attention was focused on Ranboo. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye, looking to see him vastly relieved that everyone's attention had now shifted to Arlow. As if sensing your gaze on him, his eyes snapped yours, and you smiled gently - a peace offering. 

You were mildly surprised when Ranboo smiled back. 

"...great gold export, and we even get traders from the Nether for it." Arlow was still talking, swinging the reins in their hand as they walked, a nostalgic sort of smile on their face. "When I get all the adventuring out of my system, I want to settle down there one day." They finished. 

"Will you be a writer when you settle down?" Brigand asked. When Arlow cocked their head in question, he elaborated. "You speak very, eh... poetically? Passionately?"

Arlow grinned. "You think so?" They preened at the compliment. "What about you Brig, what about Stormheld?"

Brigand paused for a moment, thinking before he spoke. "Well, it's in the mountains, so it's very cold. There's always snow on the ground, since it never really melts all the way. We don't farm much up there."

You smiled as Brigand talked about his home - there was a sense of growing comfort in the air the more you talked. You could already see a sort of comradery forming - Brigand, cold and stoic, but offset by Arlow's warmth and whimsy, and you somewhere in between, creating a varied stock of travelers. And Ranboo - quiet, but observing from where he walked along behind you. You could feel the way his eyes darted curiously from person to person as they spoke, cataloging everything.

You smiled to yourself - you were sure he would carve out a place for himself in the dynamic as well.