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Description

Manticore was more than happy to just sit on the sidelines as others had fun. They were a little too...loud for his taste. And they tried to talk to him too often.

Case in point, as an excited kit bounded over to him.

"Hiya!" They shouted, finishing tying a cape around their neck. "Having fun?"

Manticore gave them a quick once over. They were quite colorful, and practically vibrating in place. The had face paint, bandannas, bracelets, bows, and now a cape covering most everything that they could.

"Yea." Manticore said simply, smoothing down the ruffles on his dress and brushing dirt and lint from the bottom.

"I'm Gobber! Whats your name? Pronouns? Wanna dance with me??"

Manticore blinked a few times. Boy this kit was a lot to take in at once.

"I'm Manticore, and uh, whatever you want? And no thank you." He responded simply. "I like sitting here."

Gobber hesitated a moment, tilting his head. "By yourself?"

Manticore nodded.

"But its a party!" Gobber plopped down on his backside now, trying to look Manticore in the face. "Why be alone over here when you can have fun with the others? Are you scared?"

Manticore thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm not scared of them." He said simply, leaning back as Gobber got closer. "Please don't stare at me."

"Oh, sorry." Gobber smiled, leaning back. "But if you aren't scared, then why not join in?"

"I just like being over here watching." Manticore said simply, looking back at the crowd. "It helps me piece together what this whole even is about."

"Huh??"

Gobber tilted his head and looked back to the crowd. "What is there to get? Its to celebrate all of us! The celebrate love, and the lives we live!" He squealed, wagging his tail.

Manticore glanced at him a moment, then shrugged. "I've never really thought about others, so I don't really understand all of this." He said simply.

"What do you mean you've never thought about others?"

"I don't really think about others in my life."

"Thats...kinda mean.."

"Is it?" Manticore tilted his head in confusion. "It doesn't feel mean..."

Gobber shifted so he was more comfy. "How so?"

Manticore shrugged and fixed his dress more. "I don't really think about others or their lives. Honestly, I kinda have a hard time even remembering that they have their own lives sometimes." He scratched at his arm. "I'll hear kits and folks talk about things that happened before I was born and its like, Wow they really existed before I was even here. You know what I mean?"

Gobber stared at them a moment. "Not a clue."

But the blue kit just shrugged. "Well, I don't think about others very often. So I don't really think about love." He hesitated, then looked to his claws. "I'm not even really sure what love feels like. Is it just when a kit or folk likes being around another? Or is it more?"

Gobber hummed, then snapped his fingers. "I think love is when you see someone and it just makes your heart feel all warm."

"But, the heart is always warm." Manticore said plainly.

"Well, yea but, in that special way~" Gobber swooned. "You wanna be with them all the time~ Have babies with them~ Snuggle them and always want them happy~"

Manticore blinked. "So if you don't feel those things, its not love?"

"Well... Not exactly." Gobber rubbed his head. "I mean, we don't feel that for Mama Nana, but we still love her."

"You love her?"

"You don't?"

"I don't know. I never thought to label what I felt about her. Or, even think about it for long."

Gobber hummed in thought as Manticore studied his claws.

Then, he suddenly got up. "Wait here!" He smiled, then raced off before Manticore could speak.

Minuets later, Gobber was back and holding something.

"Here!" He smiled, taking Manticore's arm.

The blue kit scrunched up his nose and tried to take his arm back.

"Hold still now~" Gobber giggled. "I've almost got it tied."

He grumbled, but kept still.

"And, there!"

Manticore looked to his wrist, which now had a small bracelet tied to it.

"And I got you another one for your tail!" Gobber smiled, then got to work tying it in place.

But Manticore stared in confusion at the little bracelet. It looked similar to the flag ones he had see others wear. But this color pallet was new to him. The Teal he liked, since it was like his gem and eyes. And the green looked a little like his wings and horns. But the black and white he guessed were kinda nice too.

But what was this supposed mean?"

"There!"

Hearing Gobber finish, he glanced to the article now on his tail. Its colored were similar to the one on his wrist, just missing the white.

"The folk at the table said this is for kits questioning their identity." He said, pointing to the tail band before moving to the wrist one. "And this one refer to someone who feels confusion about their own feelings of attraction and orientation."

"Huh." Manticore said, looking back at the bands. That sounded like him alright.

"Feel better now?" Gobber smiled widely. "There are others just like you!"

Manticore hesitated.

".....I...feel no different honestly."

Gobber blinked, then lowered his ears. "Really?"

Manticore nodded, petting the band on his arm. The fabric felt nice. "I didn't feel bad about how I feel. And I don't now. It's just how I feel, and I still don't really get the need to show others how I feel I guess."

Gobber lowered his ears and bent his head. "Oh."

Manticore glanced at him, then raised an eyebrow. "Are you sad now?" He asked simply.

"A little?" Gobber said quietly. "I wanted to help you feel better."

Manticore blinked. "But, I wasn't feeling bad." He said, voicing his confusion.

"You weren't? But, you were sitting to the side looking all distant and frowning."

The blue kit blinked again, then giggled. "Oh. I don't really show my emotions like others do sometimes." He said with a small smile. "Nana noticed it too and asked me about it."

"Oh." Gobber perked up. "So, you're not sad?"

"No?" Manticore pet the band on his arm again. "I like watching others without getting too close. They are too loud, and try too often to talk to me."

"Like, me?" Gobber blushed slightly.

"Yea." Manticore said, then watched as he winced. "But uh, I'm glad you came over. I like the feel of this fabric." He said, petting the band to prove the point.

"Oh, uh, no prob!" Gobber smiled, getting to his paws.

Manticore watched him a moment, then just looked back to the band. After a few moments, he heard Gobber leave.

'feels confusion about their own feelings huh?' Manticore thought, tilting his head. 'Guess it is nice to know there are others like me.'

Then he lowered his ears and looked up in surprise.

He had completely forgotten to thank the pink kit for the bracelet.

Word count: 1'183

Acorn counter

8/602

Description

Manticore was more than happy to just sit on the sidelines as others had fun. They were a little too...loud for his taste. And they tried to talk to him too often.

Case in point, as an excited kit bounded over to him.

"Hiya!" They shouted, finishing tying a cape around their neck. "Having fun?"

Manticore gave them a quick once over. They were quite colorful, and practically vibrating in place. The had face paint, bandannas, bracelets, bows, and now a cape covering most everything that they could.

"Yea." Manticore said simply, smoothing down the ruffles on his dress and brushing dirt and lint from the bottom.

"I'm Gobber! Whats your name? Pronouns? Wanna dance with me??"

Manticore blinked a few times. Boy this kit was a lot to take in at once.

"I'm Manticore, and uh, whatever you want? And no thank you." He responded simply. "I like sitting here."

Gobber hesitated a moment, tilting his head. "By yourself?"

Manticore nodded.

"But its a party!" Gobber plopped down on his backside now, trying to look Manticore in the face. "Why be alone over here when you can have fun with the others? Are you scared?"

Manticore thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm not scared of them." He said simply, leaning back as Gobber got closer. "Please don't stare at me."

"Oh, sorry." Gobber smiled, leaning back. "But if you aren't scared, then why not join in?"

"I just like being over here watching." Manticore said simply, looking back at the crowd. "It helps me piece together what this whole even is about."

"Huh??"

Gobber tilted his head and looked back to the crowd. "What is there to get? Its to celebrate all of us! The celebrate love, and the lives we live!" He squealed, wagging his tail.

Manticore glanced at him a moment, then shrugged. "I've never really thought about others, so I don't really understand all of this." He said simply.

"What do you mean you've never thought about others?"

"I don't really think about others in my life."

"Thats...kinda mean.."

"Is it?" Manticore tilted his head in confusion. "It doesn't feel mean..."

Gobber shifted so he was more comfy. "How so?"

Manticore shrugged and fixed his dress more. "I don't really think about others or their lives. Honestly, I kinda have a hard time even remembering that they have their own lives sometimes." He scratched at his arm. "I'll hear kits and folks talk about things that happened before I was born and its like, Wow they really existed before I was even here. You know what I mean?"

Gobber stared at them a moment. "Not a clue."

But the blue kit just shrugged. "Well, I don't think about others very often. So I don't really think about love." He hesitated, then looked to his claws. "I'm not even really sure what love feels like. Is it just when a kit or folk likes being around another? Or is it more?"

Gobber hummed, then snapped his fingers. "I think love is when you see someone and it just makes your heart feel all warm."

"But, the heart is always warm." Manticore said plainly.

"Well, yea but, in that special way~" Gobber swooned. "You wanna be with them all the time~ Have babies with them~ Snuggle them and always want them happy~"

Manticore blinked. "So if you don't feel those things, its not love?"

"Well... Not exactly." Gobber rubbed his head. "I mean, we don't feel that for Mama Nana, but we still love her."

"You love her?"

"You don't?"

"I don't know. I never thought to label what I felt about her. Or, even think about it for long."

Gobber hummed in thought as Manticore studied his claws.

Then, he suddenly got up. "Wait here!" He smiled, then raced off before Manticore could speak.

Minuets later, Gobber was back and holding something.

"Here!" He smiled, taking Manticore's arm.

The blue kit scrunched up his nose and tried to take his arm back.

"Hold still now~" Gobber giggled. "I've almost got it tied."

He grumbled, but kept still.

"And, there!"

Manticore looked to his wrist, which now had a small bracelet tied to it.

"And I got you another one for your tail!" Gobber smiled, then got to work tying it in place.

But Manticore stared in confusion at the little bracelet. It looked similar to the flag ones he had see others wear. But this color pallet was new to him. The Teal he liked, since it was like his gem and eyes. And the green looked a little like his wings and horns. But the black and white he guessed were kinda nice too.

But what was this supposed mean?"

"There!"

Hearing Gobber finish, he glanced to the article now on his tail. Its colored were similar to the one on his wrist, just missing the white.

"The folk at the table said this is for kits questioning their identity." He said, pointing to the tail band before moving to the wrist one. "And this one refer to someone who feels confusion about their own feelings of attraction and orientation."

"Huh." Manticore said, looking back at the bands. That sounded like him alright.

"Feel better now?" Gobber smiled widely. "There are others just like you!"

Manticore hesitated.

".....I...feel no different honestly."

Gobber blinked, then lowered his ears. "Really?"

Manticore nodded, petting the band on his arm. The fabric felt nice. "I didn't feel bad about how I feel. And I don't now. It's just how I feel, and I still don't really get the need to show others how I feel I guess."

Gobber lowered his ears and bent his head. "Oh."

Manticore glanced at him, then raised an eyebrow. "Are you sad now?" He asked simply.

"A little?" Gobber said quietly. "I wanted to help you feel better."

Manticore blinked. "But, I wasn't feeling bad." He said, voicing his confusion.

"You weren't? But, you were sitting to the side looking all distant and frowning."

The blue kit blinked again, then giggled. "Oh. I don't really show my emotions like others do sometimes." He said with a small smile. "Nana noticed it too and asked me about it."

"Oh." Gobber perked up. "So, you're not sad?"

"No?" Manticore pet the band on his arm again. "I like watching others without getting too close. They are too loud, and try too often to talk to me."

"Like, me?" Gobber blushed slightly.

"Yea." Manticore said, then watched as he winced. "But uh, I'm glad you came over. I like the feel of this fabric." He said, petting the band to prove the point.

"Oh, uh, no prob!" Gobber smiled, getting to his paws.

Manticore watched him a moment, then just looked back to the band. After a few moments, he heard Gobber leave.

'feels confusion about their own feelings huh?' Manticore thought, tilting his head. 'Guess it is nice to know there are others like me.'

Then he lowered his ears and looked up in surprise.

He had completely forgotten to thank the pink kit for the bracelet.

Word count: 1'183

Acorn counter

8/602