Author's notes: My regard for Bazz-B just increased a lot more than I thought it was ever going to and mini!Haschwalth is too precious for words and needs a hug (or fifty), so I decided to write a very short conversational thing as a reaction to chapter 631. Their interaction is so genuine, I didn't realise I was going to love this friendship so much. *Cries*

This fic is rated T for implied abuse and other depressing inferences.

"Bazz?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me about the sun."

Bazz-B stared up at the sky, the dry grass behind his neck tickling the skin along the edge of his helmet, before casting a glance at his friend beside him who was staring unblinkingly up at the sky as though he couldn't work out what was stopping the heavens from crashing down in the field around them. He was alarmed to note that Jugram appeared to be looking directly at the sun, so he stretched out his hand and cast a shadow over the boy's face.

"I do know it's dangerous to look directly at," Bazz-B berated. Jugram blinked, a touch of wariness crossing his eyes at the tone of Bazz-B's raised voice. Bazz-B sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you."

Jugram didn't respond.

"What makes you think I'd know anything about the sun, anyway?"

"You knew not to look at it."

Well, that was true. Bazz-B lowered his hand and gently nudged his friend in the ribs, provoking Jugram to take an audible breath.

"Everybody knows that, Jugo. Looking at the sun hurts, therefore, it must bad."

Jugram turned his head and regarded Bazz-B unblinkingly. "Does it hurt?" He sounded confused.

It was probably best to change the subject and approach this from a different angle entirely, Bazz-B reasoned.

"I do know that the sun isn't actually made of fire. Lots of people think it's a big ball of flames, but it's not."

Jugram's eyes widened. "How do you know that? It's not like you've been to the sun, right?"

Bazz-B shrugged, his shoulders grazing the grass as he probably got grass stains all over them. Oh well. "I don't know. I just know it's not fire. It's something very very hot, but there's no air there for there to be fire. I can just tell."

He watched as his friend returned his gaze to the sky and stared at the sun. "Perhaps one day we'll visit it and see if you're correct."

"It's not possible, we wouldn't survive."

"I would like to see, anyway."

Welp. Time to steer the subject away.

"Hey, Jugo, why don't you come and live with me and my parents?" Bazz-B suggested, propping himself up on his elbows and regarding his friend decisively. "They'd be happy to have you, and you could be my brother, and we could play games together, and I could teach you all day. You'd be shooting rabbits for fun yourself before you knew it!"

Jugram didn't even look at him, opting instead to close his arms over his chest and clutch his own upper-arms, where Bazz-B knew the shadows of many bruises existed. "My uncle wouldn't let me."

"Who cares? Grown-ups are useless. I mean aside from my parents, they're pretty cool..."

"I mean it," Jugram said in a monotone. "He would not let me."

Looking sideways, Bazz-B took in the sight of his friend's guarded expression, his practiced blankness betrayed only by a slight moistening of his eyes, although that could easily have been attributed to the idiot refusing to tear his eyes away from the sun.

"Well, the offer to live with me is always open, Jugo. You know, if you ever find yourself losing your uncle in the woods or down a ravine or whatever."

Jugram nodded, his damp eyes still fixed on the skies. "I'll bear that in mind."