Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before? (Caleb)

[Briar]

Briar enjoyed the stables because he was surrounded by animals, and it also meant that he got to pay a visit to Midnight, who was doing a lot better since his conversation with James and who was actually slightly less grumpy around the other horses. Briar felt a lot like the horse's progress was somewhat mirroring his own, as he now had a few people who, he dearly hoped, counted him amongst their friends, or at least liked him better than just about anyone at home.

It was also a fairly easy place to keep an eye on Caleb and still blend into the background. It was almost out of habit that he'd started following the young prince around again, perhaps slightly more often than he'd done back at home, but only because he had more opportunity here. At home he'd only been able to keep a protective (and unnoticed) watch over Caleb when the prince escaped the castle and went off on one of his jaunts, but here he saw Caleb almost constantly, and trailing around after him for safety's sake (not that there was any real danger) had become second nature the last few months since he'd realised the prince was here.

It wasn't that he tried particularly hard to keep Caleb from seeing him, he just relied upon the fact that the prince was popular enough to not notice him lingering in the background and he definitely didn't go out of his way to put himself in Caleb's line of sight (in fact, if he was honest, oftentimes he actively avoided it, arranging to be behind the prince or just out of sight), and so far it had always worked - which was why it was particularly surprising on this occasion when he looked up from taking a moment to check on Midnight (the latest in a long line of idle glances to check on the other boy) and met the prince's eyes.

[Caleb LaBelle]

Today, Caleb had surprisingly found himself without an after school plan. Being as popular as he was this was certainly a rare occurrence. Apparently a majority of his companions had received copious amounts of homework from one of their instructors. Fortunately, Caleb was not enrolled in said course and found himself free of the work. So, Caleb did what he always did when he found free time at the academy. He went down to the stables to spend some quality time with his horse. It’d been three days since Caleb had last taken a visit to the stables. His horse, Nellie, was a particularly clingy mare who often required ample amounts of attention from her owner. Luckily enough, Caleb was more than happy to oblige.

Ever since the prince had been a small child, he’d found himself sharing a strong connection with various animals of all shapes and sizes. So, at the age of nine when Caleb and Nellie had first met, it was clear their relationship would be a lasting one. Over the years, the two had spent countless hours going on adventures and escaping the palace walls. Nellie was not only his partner in crime, but his access to the outside world. On a typical day the duo would ride around until they found a suitable glen hidden within the woods and then perhaps take a short nap or enjoy a small snack. It wasn’t much, but it was an adventure all within it’s own.

The stables allowed Caleb the chance to reconnect with his beloved friend and more often than not he was granted a small spell away from his fellow students. Not that Caleb minded his friends, no that was certainly not it, the stables were just typically void of other students. But not today. It appeared as if there was a fellow student not too far off from where he stood at Nellie’s stable. Squinting his eyes slightly, the extroverted prince peered at the muscular and hulking figure of the student. Moments later Caleb found the other boy’s eyes to be connected with his own.

Caleb blinked, slightly taken aback by the matching of his gaze, but he hastily dropped the intense peer in favor of his signature charming grin. Happy to have some company, Caleb exuberantly raised his hand in the air attempting to wave over the other boy. “Hey there!” Caleb’s voice sang out across the stable, beckoning for him to join him.

[Briar]

Briar felt somewhat like a deer in headlights with Caleb flashing that grin his way, he just wasn't used to it happening, and with the two of them being the only people in the stables, there wasn't exactly any way of him escaping the situation.

He lifted an awkward hand to wave back, taking a moment to say goodbye to Midnight before moving closer to the prince. It at least meant he didn't have to call across the stables, even with nobody else here he wasn't quite confident enough to do that, not like Caleb was. Caleb was more confident about everything, at least that was how it seemed to Briar anyway.

"...hello." he said, coming to a stop in front of the prince, feeling strange to speak after the long gap, but knowing he ought to say something.