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Description

Three months adrift in space, and the Resisty's members had all but gone nuts from being cramped up in a ship.
Sure, they'd stopped at rest places for showers a couple times, but it wasn't enough.
They missed nature, peace, and space to run.
At long last, Lard Nar had the ship guided to a small life planet, one without a dominant species.
It was mid-morning, the planet's sunlight having peered up over the grassy field and woodland that the ship had landed a small ways away from.
As the ship's engine slowed to a stop, everyone on board the vessel began to cheer and jump about, ready to bust out and get some sunlight.
Everyone, but a certain purple Vortian.
He stood near the exit, listening as locks were undone in the system to allow the board door to lower.
Lard Nar stood next to Pepps, holding his arms up and twisting himself back from side to side lightly, bracing for the fresh air.

     "Ahhh, I'm so ready for this, it's been far too long.
Are you excited?" He asked Pepps happily.

Pepps held his breath for a moment, looking more uncertain than anything.
Eventually, he nodded and smiled weakly, his tone equaling his appearance.

"Yeah, heh...
It's been a really long time."

Lard Nar's eyes softened while he studied Pepps.

     "Indeed."

At long last, the sharp wisp of air squeezing through the seal of the door greeted the ears of all the crew, all eyes filling with light as the sun greeted them.
When the board finally touched the unscathed "earth," a hoard of screaming-happy pirate monkeys leaped off into the light, flailing and cheering.
Lard Nar leaped with them, thin hocks launching him out of his big metal creation and into the grass.

     "HAH hahahahah!
Look at this, it's beautiful!"

Exhedra, a taller, slim black alien woman with a straight blue hoodie covering her long head waited out the crowd, emerging slowly with a smile, and a hand raised to block the full force of the sun's stabbing light from her sensitive, nocturnal eyes.
As her pupils shrank, the rings around them condensed closer, moving with the light balance as she blinked it in.
Lard Nar watched her, and couldn't help but to chuckle as he reached out a hand to help her down.

     "Hmhmhm!
My apologies, it's rather bright out.
I often forget you're nocturnal."

Lard Nar may not have known it, but Exhedra's heart fluttered when she laid the far end of her long fingers in his tiny hand.
She'd had a crush on them since their team had first come together, but kept it well hidden.

   "Ahah, I knew what I was getting into.
Regardless, a little sun is good for everyone."

     "That it is.
Will you be awake with us?"

He smiled when the Schawnee woman let go of his hand, finally off the board.

   "I think I will stay awake for a while, then maybe rest until nighttime.
Please, if I am not awake before the sun sets, will someone let me know?
I can't promise I'll know when to wake..."

     "Of course!
It's no trouble."

They smiled to each other as Exhedra finally removed her hand from above her eyes, the magnificent blue orbs having adjusted.
She stepped off after thanking him, her giggles faintly heard as Ixane and a friend dragged her off to frolic.
Lard Nar stepped another few feet and stretched, inhaling deeply.
He'd forgotten how beautiful nature was.
For a brief moment he felt guilty over it, but also knew it wasn't entirely his fault.
Suddenly he missed Vort and its grass and sky, but now was not the time to focus on what he didn't have.
Rather, he put on a big smile, and reminded himself to enjoy what he had now.
His friends, a new family, a ship of his own, and his very best friend in all the universe, Pepps.
But as her surveyed the open field and watched everyone run around and enjoy their freedom, he realized he could not spot Pepps.
He walked around for a minute, quietly studying and wondering if he'd missed something.
For all he knew, Pepps could have run off into the woods, but he knew that wasn't the case; he would have heard him hollering in joy.
That was the other thing -- Pepps was very vocal when he was happy, but Lard Nar heard nothing.

     "Hmm..."

With a mild look of suspicion and curiosity, Lard Nar calmly walked back towards the ship, staying to the side of the door.
When he finally got up to the door, the small captain leaned to the side and peered in.
Sure enough, Pepps sat at the top of the flat, knees pulled up as he stared off at the ground a couple feet below.
Lard Nar sighed softly, shoulders hunching as he gazed upon his friend.
He stepped up until he was beside him, and sat to his left.
Pepps seemed to coil in a little more, an expression of sadness and uncertainty hanging on his face.
But Lard Nar remained patient, and smiled tenderly.

     "Hey..."

"H...Hey..."

They sat quietly for a moment.

     "Why aren't you outside with us?
Are you okay?"

Pepps sat up, hugging his knees and looking at Lard Nar more alertly.

"Well -- I want to go out there, but...
It's just been so long.
I kind of don't know what to do with myself..."

Lard Nar nodded calmly.

     "I understand."

"I think...
I think I just need a minute...
Is that okay?
I -- I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful or something..."

     "Uh -- no!
No, you take your time," Lard Nar assured him with a smile.

     "We'll all be out here when you're ready.
There's no rush."

Pepps nodded, staring off quickly after.
He looked tired, worn, and almost like he was scared of stepping outside.
What did he think could go wrong?
Some sort of punishment, maybe?
Or rather, was he truly just having that much trouble processing freedom and warmth?
Lard Nar watched him for a moment, then finally stepped off the board and back outside.
He looked back at Pepps one last time before joining the others, patient on the outside, but so eager on the inside to see Pepps accept this new level of brief freedom.
       An hour passed.
At that point, Exhedra was sitting in the shade of a tree, watching with sleepy content as her friends did everything from snack, roll in the grass, play games and just enjoyed the nice weather.
Wildlife was present, too, with small insects crawling about and birds flying overhead.
Their songs were unique to birds of other planets, of course, but were fascinating and pleasant all the same.
And as happy as everyone seemed, Lard Nar found it hard to enjoy himself when he knew his closest friend was having an internal struggle.
In that whole hour he would wander around, but continuously looked back at the ship in the hopes that he would see something.
Finally he sat down beside Exhedra, looking tired.
She watched him with the same content as usual.

   "No movement, I see," she said softly.

Lard Nar shook his head, staring off.

     "No...
I don't want to bother him, but I also don't want this to slip through his fingers.
We can't stay here forever, he needs to come outside and just breathe a little."

Exhedra sat up, making it clear she was engaged in the conversation.

   "I sense it is the same struggle with acceptance as it was when we broke him out of prison.
When he is ready, he will accept this freedom, and come forward."

Lard Nar groaned, sitting forward himself and looking at her now.

     "I understand that, but again, we don't have -- if this last case tells us anything, several weeks for him to accept being outside.
I hate to sound pushy..."

   "It is only because you worry.
Suffice it to say if you did not care, you would not be pushy."

     "Hm, thanks...

I just want him to be happy.

Sometimes...sometimes I wonder if--"

   "Lard Nar..."

Cut off, he looked up to see Exhedra was pointing at something.

He looked in the direction she was pointing, and what he saw made his heart start to pound, his body sitting taller and eyes wider without him even realizing it.

One thick, purple hock started to peek out from the side of the ship, out of the entryway and toward the ground.

       Pepps looked on in a near trance, surrealism swallowing his tattered mind as his feet gingerly stretched out towards the earth.

After all this time, after so long of being trapped behind concrete and metal, after years of being separated from nature in its entirety, prisoner 777, Pepps, was allowed to step out into nature, and touch it.

He held his breath again as the tips of his hocks came to plant in the soft dirt, his body outstretched as he held himself to the ship by his hands.
He trembled, letting a small, somewhat pathetic and throaty sound escape him when the coolness greeted his skin.

It was as if he felt that letting go would mean he would fall down, and it was possible that that was a fear he had.

But through it all, he chose to move on, and finally let go of the board.

For the first time in our equivalent of perhaps decades, Pepps was standing freely in a grassy, open field, outside, in the sunlight.

He blinked in the direct contact with the light, holding a hand up for just a few seconds before adjusting.
A soft "oh," escaped him as the notion of where he was and that it was real swallowed his insecurity bit by bit.
He saw water, he saw people, he saw trees and blue sky, clouds and a sun giving a planet warmth and life, and when he looked at himself he saw him, free, and in nature.
After a moment, a butterfly caught his attention.

It startled him as it fluttered by, but as soon as it had surprised him it had captivated him.

He'd forgotten butterflies even existed, sadly.

Everything was so green, so full of color, and then there were the sounds.

Birds, laughter, and the smell of dirt and life.

Starstruck, Pepps watched the others interact joyously before looking down at the ground beneath him.

...When was the last time he had seen grass?

While on his way to work the day Miyuki died?

Maybe.

He'd never really paid attention to grass before now, considering it was something he'd always had.

But now, here, suddenly the millions and billions of ever moving, ever present blades of green had his full attention, and his full appreciation.
God, and the wind, oh when had he last felt wind?
A cool, comforting breeze rolled past, moving the grass and stirring small bugs on the ground.
Pepps' expression of awe turned to a relaxed smile, and then a smile of sheer glee.

And then, the moment Lard Nar was waiting for.

Pepps finally began to laugh, throwing himself down into the dirt and earth and just rolling in it, vocalizing his joy with no shame.

This surprised no one, as a few people looked over and giggled at him.

He didn't care, and even if he'd noticed he would have known it was harmless.
He clutched the soil and rolled his palms over the green, making aphids leap away.
His hocks kicked out, his body stretching as he writhed in pure happiness in the full glow of the sun.
Its warmth felt so good, melting through his flesh and into his bones, giving him strength and the childlike lust to play he forgot he had.

"Oh my God, I'm FREE!"

Lard Nar sprang up, shouting "YES!" and throwing a fist in the air as Exhedra chuckled happily at the sight.

It warmed her heart, watching as Lard Nar practically flew over to his friend and fell on his knees before him.

     "Does it feel good?"

"YES!

Hell yes, Lard Nar--"

Pepps rolled over onto his own knees and, somewhat unexpectedly, hugged him.

The smaller man froze, then smiled and hugged back with thin arms.

"Thank you..."

     "Heh, don't mention it...

Was it everything you could remember?"

Pepps pulled away, smiling with misty eyes.

"No, it's more..."

He blinked the impending tears away, too ecstatic to cry right now.

"GYAH!

I'm excited about GRASS, like WOW!

Look at how green everything is, Lardie!!!"

Pepps sprang up and began to leap around.

"WOO-HOO!

WOO!

HAHA!

Look at -- Lard I can jump!

I can run now!"

The energy and excitement was contagious.

As comprised as Lard Nar often tried to be, he couldn't resist jumping with Pepps and living in the moment.
He ran around him as Pepps spun in circles, throwing leaps in between each spin.
It was a silly sight, though a most fulfilling one.

     "Yes!

Yes!

Ah Pepps, you needed this.
We all needed this.

Now that you're out here, what do you wanna do?"

Pepps stopped in front of him, taking a moment to pant.

He was already a bit worn out from the leaping around, but that was to be expected.

He calmed down while contemplating his answer.

What would he do?

More importantly, now that he was outside, what couldn't he do?"

"I think...

I think I'm..."

He looked at Lard Nar, smiling once again.

"I think I'm gonna run...!"

     "Uh...run?"

"Yeah!

Hah!

I can't remember the last time I ran just because I could!

I'm gonna RUN!"

Before Lard Nar could even respond, Pepps darted off toward the risen sun like a bullet, fleeing into the light with his arms in the air.

The others paid this little mind, as they fully understood what he was doing and why.

Lard Nar just laughed, not willing enough to chase after him, but perfectly happy to watch.

About a minute later, Pepps circled back to his buddy, breathing much harder while fighting to catch his breath.

     "Hahahah!

You okay?"

"Yeah -- I just -- it's been...

Ah...

Eugh -- it's been -- a long -- time...

Woo...!"

He placed a hand on Lard Nar's shoulder, prompting a chuckle out of him as Lard Nar placed his own hand on one of Pepps' shoulders in an attempt to help stabilize him.

     "Okay, I know you're happy but maybe running yourself to the brink of exhaustion isn't the best idea," he finished with a smile.

Pepps nodded, but would certainly not heed this in its entirety.

"Agreed, whoa..."

He stood and exhaled, gaining his composure after a minute more.

He glowed, the happiness beaming off of him.

"I missed this, God I missed sunlight...

OH MY-- look at that!"

He startled Lard Nar, pointing as a few birds zipped over them.

To most people, a bird was just a bird, but to these two, it was a wondrous sight after so long of not seeing nature.

     "They're lovely..."

Pepps watched them until they were out of sight, awestruck.

"Can you imagine being like them?

With no limitations, nothing to fear?

Being able to just fly away and be free forever?"

This comment, as hopeful as it was, still managed to sink Lard Nar's heart a little.

Pepps was a caged bird, more than anything, with more than a heart light enough to fly, but with so much holding him back.

Once again, Lard Nar found himself wondering if Pepps would ever be the same.

Incredibly, through all of this, Lard Nar managed to not notice how troubled he himself was, too.

It was a selflessness he would never know he carried.

     "I...can't.

But it's definitely fun to think about, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

Pepps looked back down at him and smiled.

"Thanks to you, someday everyone is gonna be free.

At least that's what I believe."

Lard Nar appeared to shrink, retreating in shyness.

     "Oh...

Maybe, I...

I'm trying."

Pepps suddenly became more sympathetic, realizing his words may have added a ton of weight to the situation.

"Oh, geeze, that sounded kind of...
Hey, I know that's a lot of pressure, but you're not alone, ya know.
It's not just you doing all this, and I know a lot of other people out there are for this and trying to help.
Sorry about that..."

Lard Nar nodded, smiling with an obvious forgiveness.

     "I know, and it's fine."

They began to walk together, absentmindedly watching everyone else as they chatted.

"I really, just...can't believe what you're doing."

     "What do you mean?"

"You escaped Vort, lived, and now you've started your own resistance.

And to be able to say you took on the Massive, and the Tallest?

Psh!

Buddy, that's straight balls right there."

Lard Nar made a face of mixed emotion, somewhere between humble, surprised and confused.

     "N-No, no it's not that great, really, eh -- but I appreciate that, thank you."

Pepps looked at him in shock.

"Not that great?

Lard Nar, you stood up to the entire Irken Empire by doing that, you got your name out there."

     "Yes, and failed to do what I had intended to accomplish..."

"Oh...

Hey, I mean, snacks are pretty important, but..."

     "No it's not just that, I mean...

I was hoping at the least, we could manage to intimidate them.

Scare them a little, make them worry or squirm, but as far as I know they aren't even phased.

More than anything, that whole encounter was just embarrassing, we were a mess..."

He rubbed his face tiredly with one of his hands.

"Well, yeah, but who wouldn't be a mess?

That was some messy stuff, but at least you and everyone had the guts to try.

I can't say I would have done that."

At this, Lard Nar just looked up at him.

Pepps was still smiling, and it was in that moment that Lard Nar remembered he truly did do a good thing that day, and was doing so now.

He finally smiled back once more, and with more feeling.

It was a weak smile, but it counted.

"You're inspiring...

Now take my damn compliment and let's do something FUN!"

     "HAahah!

Fine, all right!

I did a good thing, happy?"

"Hmmm...."

Pepps held his chin thoughtfully, then grinned and stopped their walk.

"I will be...

Once we find a hill to roll down!

WOO!"

And again, he took off running.

Lard Nar shook his head, and happily chased after him.

     "Wait!

I think they're the other way!"

They laughed all the way to the hillsides, their silhouettes dancing against the eyes of those who watched them run off.

---to be continued---

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I love typing these, but somehow it always comes from Lard Nar's perspective.

Which i truly don't mind, and in fact i enjoy it because i still strongly feel i don't give him enough attention, but it makes the moments of getting into Pepps' head rather difficult sometimes :L

Hopefully i'll learn to fix that, i was really tired while typing this so maybe the second part will be a little better

Part two DEFINITELY will require more of getting in both of their heads, so let's see if i can't divide that up ~v~

Meanwhile, i just love these two so much

To this day, Lard and Pepps remain my fav best guy friends ever

And i hope the point i'm making with Pepps while he was first trying to come to grips with reality is coming across well, trauma does change people and it can be hard to reacquaint with someone who's been deeply scarred, no matter how close you are to them.

Lard Nar has a lot to learn about Pepps now, but thankfully the loving, warm and passionate, naturally happy man that Pepps is never dies, even after imprisonment and torture.

Lard Nar has some serious issues and mental scars of his own, but he's put so much responsibility on his own shoulders and tries so hard to take care of everyone and remain in control that he doesn't really see that.

He thinks he's fine, but eventually he will start to see that he needs help and love, too.
I don't give him enough credit for being surprisingly selfless in mine and Kit's head cannon, i think we've panned him out to be a very wonderful man with great intentions, even if he is a hot mess and can be demanding at times X3
I love him to BITS, man!
He's too good!!! *squishes him*

IZ brings so much tragedy to the table if you're an uberly feely person like me

BUT this bitter sweetness is something i honestly love, the piercing cooling warmth of hope and stinging sadness hurts so good ,~0~,

Enjoy!

---DO NOT STEAL MY CONCEPTS, ART OR IDEAS!!! I DO NOT OWN IZ BUT I DO OWN THIS ART!!!---

Description

Three months adrift in space, and the Resisty's members had all but gone nuts from being cramped up in a ship.
Sure, they'd stopped at rest places for showers a couple times, but it wasn't enough.
They missed nature, peace, and space to run.
At long last, Lard Nar had the ship guided to a small life planet, one without a dominant species.
It was mid-morning, the planet's sunlight having peered up over the grassy field and woodland that the ship had landed a small ways away from.
As the ship's engine slowed to a stop, everyone on board the vessel began to cheer and jump about, ready to bust out and get some sunlight.
Everyone, but a certain purple Vortian.
He stood near the exit, listening as locks were undone in the system to allow the board door to lower.
Lard Nar stood next to Pepps, holding his arms up and twisting himself back from side to side lightly, bracing for the fresh air.

     "Ahhh, I'm so ready for this, it's been far too long.
Are you excited?" He asked Pepps happily.

Pepps held his breath for a moment, looking more uncertain than anything.
Eventually, he nodded and smiled weakly, his tone equaling his appearance.

"Yeah, heh...
It's been a really long time."

Lard Nar's eyes softened while he studied Pepps.

     "Indeed."

At long last, the sharp wisp of air squeezing through the seal of the door greeted the ears of all the crew, all eyes filling with light as the sun greeted them.
When the board finally touched the unscathed "earth," a hoard of screaming-happy pirate monkeys leaped off into the light, flailing and cheering.
Lard Nar leaped with them, thin hocks launching him out of his big metal creation and into the grass.

     "HAH hahahahah!
Look at this, it's beautiful!"

Exhedra, a taller, slim black alien woman with a straight blue hoodie covering her long head waited out the crowd, emerging slowly with a smile, and a hand raised to block the full force of the sun's stabbing light from her sensitive, nocturnal eyes.
As her pupils shrank, the rings around them condensed closer, moving with the light balance as she blinked it in.
Lard Nar watched her, and couldn't help but to chuckle as he reached out a hand to help her down.

     "Hmhmhm!
My apologies, it's rather bright out.
I often forget you're nocturnal."

Lard Nar may not have known it, but Exhedra's heart fluttered when she laid the far end of her long fingers in his tiny hand.
She'd had a crush on them since their team had first come together, but kept it well hidden.

   "Ahah, I knew what I was getting into.
Regardless, a little sun is good for everyone."

     "That it is.
Will you be awake with us?"

He smiled when the Schawnee woman let go of his hand, finally off the board.

   "I think I will stay awake for a while, then maybe rest until nighttime.
Please, if I am not awake before the sun sets, will someone let me know?
I can't promise I'll know when to wake..."

     "Of course!
It's no trouble."

They smiled to each other as Exhedra finally removed her hand from above her eyes, the magnificent blue orbs having adjusted.
She stepped off after thanking him, her giggles faintly heard as Ixane and a friend dragged her off to frolic.
Lard Nar stepped another few feet and stretched, inhaling deeply.
He'd forgotten how beautiful nature was.
For a brief moment he felt guilty over it, but also knew it wasn't entirely his fault.
Suddenly he missed Vort and its grass and sky, but now was not the time to focus on what he didn't have.
Rather, he put on a big smile, and reminded himself to enjoy what he had now.
His friends, a new family, a ship of his own, and his very best friend in all the universe, Pepps.
But as her surveyed the open field and watched everyone run around and enjoy their freedom, he realized he could not spot Pepps.
He walked around for a minute, quietly studying and wondering if he'd missed something.
For all he knew, Pepps could have run off into the woods, but he knew that wasn't the case; he would have heard him hollering in joy.
That was the other thing -- Pepps was very vocal when he was happy, but Lard Nar heard nothing.

     "Hmm..."

With a mild look of suspicion and curiosity, Lard Nar calmly walked back towards the ship, staying to the side of the door.
When he finally got up to the door, the small captain leaned to the side and peered in.
Sure enough, Pepps sat at the top of the flat, knees pulled up as he stared off at the ground a couple feet below.
Lard Nar sighed softly, shoulders hunching as he gazed upon his friend.
He stepped up until he was beside him, and sat to his left.
Pepps seemed to coil in a little more, an expression of sadness and uncertainty hanging on his face.
But Lard Nar remained patient, and smiled tenderly.

     "Hey..."

"H...Hey..."

They sat quietly for a moment.

     "Why aren't you outside with us?
Are you okay?"

Pepps sat up, hugging his knees and looking at Lard Nar more alertly.

"Well -- I want to go out there, but...
It's just been so long.
I kind of don't know what to do with myself..."

Lard Nar nodded calmly.

     "I understand."

"I think...
I think I just need a minute...
Is that okay?
I -- I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful or something..."

     "Uh -- no!
No, you take your time," Lard Nar assured him with a smile.

     "We'll all be out here when you're ready.
There's no rush."

Pepps nodded, staring off quickly after.
He looked tired, worn, and almost like he was scared of stepping outside.
What did he think could go wrong?
Some sort of punishment, maybe?
Or rather, was he truly just having that much trouble processing freedom and warmth?
Lard Nar watched him for a moment, then finally stepped off the board and back outside.
He looked back at Pepps one last time before joining the others, patient on the outside, but so eager on the inside to see Pepps accept this new level of brief freedom.
       An hour passed.
At that point, Exhedra was sitting in the shade of a tree, watching with sleepy content as her friends did everything from snack, roll in the grass, play games and just enjoyed the nice weather.
Wildlife was present, too, with small insects crawling about and birds flying overhead.
Their songs were unique to birds of other planets, of course, but were fascinating and pleasant all the same.
And as happy as everyone seemed, Lard Nar found it hard to enjoy himself when he knew his closest friend was having an internal struggle.
In that whole hour he would wander around, but continuously looked back at the ship in the hopes that he would see something.
Finally he sat down beside Exhedra, looking tired.
She watched him with the same content as usual.

   "No movement, I see," she said softly.

Lard Nar shook his head, staring off.

     "No...
I don't want to bother him, but I also don't want this to slip through his fingers.
We can't stay here forever, he needs to come outside and just breathe a little."

Exhedra sat up, making it clear she was engaged in the conversation.

   "I sense it is the same struggle with acceptance as it was when we broke him out of prison.
When he is ready, he will accept this freedom, and come forward."

Lard Nar groaned, sitting forward himself and looking at her now.

     "I understand that, but again, we don't have -- if this last case tells us anything, several weeks for him to accept being outside.
I hate to sound pushy..."

   "It is only because you worry.
Suffice it to say if you did not care, you would not be pushy."

     "Hm, thanks...

I just want him to be happy.

Sometimes...sometimes I wonder if--"

   "Lard Nar..."

Cut off, he looked up to see Exhedra was pointing at something.

He looked in the direction she was pointing, and what he saw made his heart start to pound, his body sitting taller and eyes wider without him even realizing it.

One thick, purple hock started to peek out from the side of the ship, out of the entryway and toward the ground.

       Pepps looked on in a near trance, surrealism swallowing his tattered mind as his feet gingerly stretched out towards the earth.

After all this time, after so long of being trapped behind concrete and metal, after years of being separated from nature in its entirety, prisoner 777, Pepps, was allowed to step out into nature, and touch it.

He held his breath again as the tips of his hocks came to plant in the soft dirt, his body outstretched as he held himself to the ship by his hands.
He trembled, letting a small, somewhat pathetic and throaty sound escape him when the coolness greeted his skin.

It was as if he felt that letting go would mean he would fall down, and it was possible that that was a fear he had.

But through it all, he chose to move on, and finally let go of the board.

For the first time in our equivalent of perhaps decades, Pepps was standing freely in a grassy, open field, outside, in the sunlight.

He blinked in the direct contact with the light, holding a hand up for just a few seconds before adjusting.
A soft "oh," escaped him as the notion of where he was and that it was real swallowed his insecurity bit by bit.
He saw water, he saw people, he saw trees and blue sky, clouds and a sun giving a planet warmth and life, and when he looked at himself he saw him, free, and in nature.
After a moment, a butterfly caught his attention.

It startled him as it fluttered by, but as soon as it had surprised him it had captivated him.

He'd forgotten butterflies even existed, sadly.

Everything was so green, so full of color, and then there were the sounds.

Birds, laughter, and the smell of dirt and life.

Starstruck, Pepps watched the others interact joyously before looking down at the ground beneath him.

...When was the last time he had seen grass?

While on his way to work the day Miyuki died?

Maybe.

He'd never really paid attention to grass before now, considering it was something he'd always had.

But now, here, suddenly the millions and billions of ever moving, ever present blades of green had his full attention, and his full appreciation.
God, and the wind, oh when had he last felt wind?
A cool, comforting breeze rolled past, moving the grass and stirring small bugs on the ground.
Pepps' expression of awe turned to a relaxed smile, and then a smile of sheer glee.

And then, the moment Lard Nar was waiting for.

Pepps finally began to laugh, throwing himself down into the dirt and earth and just rolling in it, vocalizing his joy with no shame.

This surprised no one, as a few people looked over and giggled at him.

He didn't care, and even if he'd noticed he would have known it was harmless.
He clutched the soil and rolled his palms over the green, making aphids leap away.
His hocks kicked out, his body stretching as he writhed in pure happiness in the full glow of the sun.
Its warmth felt so good, melting through his flesh and into his bones, giving him strength and the childlike lust to play he forgot he had.

"Oh my God, I'm FREE!"

Lard Nar sprang up, shouting "YES!" and throwing a fist in the air as Exhedra chuckled happily at the sight.

It warmed her heart, watching as Lard Nar practically flew over to his friend and fell on his knees before him.

     "Does it feel good?"

"YES!

Hell yes, Lard Nar--"

Pepps rolled over onto his own knees and, somewhat unexpectedly, hugged him.

The smaller man froze, then smiled and hugged back with thin arms.

"Thank you..."

     "Heh, don't mention it...

Was it everything you could remember?"

Pepps pulled away, smiling with misty eyes.

"No, it's more..."

He blinked the impending tears away, too ecstatic to cry right now.

"GYAH!

I'm excited about GRASS, like WOW!

Look at how green everything is, Lardie!!!"

Pepps sprang up and began to leap around.

"WOO-HOO!

WOO!

HAHA!

Look at -- Lard I can jump!

I can run now!"

The energy and excitement was contagious.

As comprised as Lard Nar often tried to be, he couldn't resist jumping with Pepps and living in the moment.
He ran around him as Pepps spun in circles, throwing leaps in between each spin.
It was a silly sight, though a most fulfilling one.

     "Yes!

Yes!

Ah Pepps, you needed this.
We all needed this.

Now that you're out here, what do you wanna do?"

Pepps stopped in front of him, taking a moment to pant.

He was already a bit worn out from the leaping around, but that was to be expected.

He calmed down while contemplating his answer.

What would he do?

More importantly, now that he was outside, what couldn't he do?"

"I think...

I think I'm..."

He looked at Lard Nar, smiling once again.

"I think I'm gonna run...!"

     "Uh...run?"

"Yeah!

Hah!

I can't remember the last time I ran just because I could!

I'm gonna RUN!"

Before Lard Nar could even respond, Pepps darted off toward the risen sun like a bullet, fleeing into the light with his arms in the air.

The others paid this little mind, as they fully understood what he was doing and why.

Lard Nar just laughed, not willing enough to chase after him, but perfectly happy to watch.

About a minute later, Pepps circled back to his buddy, breathing much harder while fighting to catch his breath.

     "Hahahah!

You okay?"

"Yeah -- I just -- it's been...

Ah...

Eugh -- it's been -- a long -- time...

Woo...!"

He placed a hand on Lard Nar's shoulder, prompting a chuckle out of him as Lard Nar placed his own hand on one of Pepps' shoulders in an attempt to help stabilize him.

     "Okay, I know you're happy but maybe running yourself to the brink of exhaustion isn't the best idea," he finished with a smile.

Pepps nodded, but would certainly not heed this in its entirety.

"Agreed, whoa..."

He stood and exhaled, gaining his composure after a minute more.

He glowed, the happiness beaming off of him.

"I missed this, God I missed sunlight...

OH MY-- look at that!"

He startled Lard Nar, pointing as a few birds zipped over them.

To most people, a bird was just a bird, but to these two, it was a wondrous sight after so long of not seeing nature.

     "They're lovely..."

Pepps watched them until they were out of sight, awestruck.

"Can you imagine being like them?

With no limitations, nothing to fear?

Being able to just fly away and be free forever?"

This comment, as hopeful as it was, still managed to sink Lard Nar's heart a little.

Pepps was a caged bird, more than anything, with more than a heart light enough to fly, but with so much holding him back.

Once again, Lard Nar found himself wondering if Pepps would ever be the same.

Incredibly, through all of this, Lard Nar managed to not notice how troubled he himself was, too.

It was a selflessness he would never know he carried.

     "I...can't.

But it's definitely fun to think about, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

Pepps looked back down at him and smiled.

"Thanks to you, someday everyone is gonna be free.

At least that's what I believe."

Lard Nar appeared to shrink, retreating in shyness.

     "Oh...

Maybe, I...

I'm trying."

Pepps suddenly became more sympathetic, realizing his words may have added a ton of weight to the situation.

"Oh, geeze, that sounded kind of...
Hey, I know that's a lot of pressure, but you're not alone, ya know.
It's not just you doing all this, and I know a lot of other people out there are for this and trying to help.
Sorry about that..."

Lard Nar nodded, smiling with an obvious forgiveness.

     "I know, and it's fine."

They began to walk together, absentmindedly watching everyone else as they chatted.

"I really, just...can't believe what you're doing."

     "What do you mean?"

"You escaped Vort, lived, and now you've started your own resistance.

And to be able to say you took on the Massive, and the Tallest?

Psh!

Buddy, that's straight balls right there."

Lard Nar made a face of mixed emotion, somewhere between humble, surprised and confused.

     "N-No, no it's not that great, really, eh -- but I appreciate that, thank you."

Pepps looked at him in shock.

"Not that great?

Lard Nar, you stood up to the entire Irken Empire by doing that, you got your name out there."

     "Yes, and failed to do what I had intended to accomplish..."

"Oh...

Hey, I mean, snacks are pretty important, but..."

     "No it's not just that, I mean...

I was hoping at the least, we could manage to intimidate them.

Scare them a little, make them worry or squirm, but as far as I know they aren't even phased.

More than anything, that whole encounter was just embarrassing, we were a mess..."

He rubbed his face tiredly with one of his hands.

"Well, yeah, but who wouldn't be a mess?

That was some messy stuff, but at least you and everyone had the guts to try.

I can't say I would have done that."

At this, Lard Nar just looked up at him.

Pepps was still smiling, and it was in that moment that Lard Nar remembered he truly did do a good thing that day, and was doing so now.

He finally smiled back once more, and with more feeling.

It was a weak smile, but it counted.

"You're inspiring...

Now take my damn compliment and let's do something FUN!"

     "HAahah!

Fine, all right!

I did a good thing, happy?"

"Hmmm...."

Pepps held his chin thoughtfully, then grinned and stopped their walk.

"I will be...

Once we find a hill to roll down!

WOO!"

And again, he took off running.

Lard Nar shook his head, and happily chased after him.

     "Wait!

I think they're the other way!"

They laughed all the way to the hillsides, their silhouettes dancing against the eyes of those who watched them run off.

---to be continued---

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I love typing these, but somehow it always comes from Lard Nar's perspective.

Which i truly don't mind, and in fact i enjoy it because i still strongly feel i don't give him enough attention, but it makes the moments of getting into Pepps' head rather difficult sometimes :L

Hopefully i'll learn to fix that, i was really tired while typing this so maybe the second part will be a little better

Part two DEFINITELY will require more of getting in both of their heads, so let's see if i can't divide that up ~v~

Meanwhile, i just love these two so much

To this day, Lard and Pepps remain my fav best guy friends ever

And i hope the point i'm making with Pepps while he was first trying to come to grips with reality is coming across well, trauma does change people and it can be hard to reacquaint with someone who's been deeply scarred, no matter how close you are to them.

Lard Nar has a lot to learn about Pepps now, but thankfully the loving, warm and passionate, naturally happy man that Pepps is never dies, even after imprisonment and torture.

Lard Nar has some serious issues and mental scars of his own, but he's put so much responsibility on his own shoulders and tries so hard to take care of everyone and remain in control that he doesn't really see that.

He thinks he's fine, but eventually he will start to see that he needs help and love, too.
I don't give him enough credit for being surprisingly selfless in mine and Kit's head cannon, i think we've panned him out to be a very wonderful man with great intentions, even if he is a hot mess and can be demanding at times X3
I love him to BITS, man!
He's too good!!! *squishes him*

IZ brings so much tragedy to the table if you're an uberly feely person like me

BUT this bitter sweetness is something i honestly love, the piercing cooling warmth of hope and stinging sadness hurts so good ,~0~,

Enjoy!

---DO NOT STEAL MY CONCEPTS, ART OR IDEAS!!! I DO NOT OWN IZ BUT I DO OWN THIS ART!!!---