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Penacony looked beautiful through the clear glass of the Astral Express' windows, and Argenti was quite sure of that. It was clear that time and effort was put into both the Express—and the cleanliness of its windows—and Penacony as a whole, so that no matter where you looked—you were sure to be mesmerized. Putting everything into consideration, the Astral Express and Penacony had their own types of beauty—with the Astral Express highlighting the beauty of the trails you could blaze, while Penacony's beauty was in the unique experiences it offered to those who dreamt. Yes, Argenti was sure that they both offered their own unique charms and wonderful cast of characters.
However, there was one thing the Astral Express didn't have; Boothill. Argenti had been on the Astral Express on and off these past weeks, corresponding with those on the Express—and while not on the Express, he was in Penacony; which was the only place he saw Boothill.
Despite their few interactions, Argenti found the galaxy ranger quite beautiful, as expected—and as with everyone, there was a certain type of beauty that only Boothill had. However, Boothill was so radiant and alluring, even from their first admittedly brief meeting—that Argenti swore he found another reason to be a knight of beauty. Idrilla had guided Boothill towards such unmistaken beauty, that Argenti felt worshiping Boothill would be a necessary part of worshiping Idrilla and the very beauty They wished for.
And so Argenti once again found himself in the Penaconian streets, surrounded by the saccharine dream in its entirety. The lights were colourful, enticing, and almost blinding. Argenti wandered, passing by floating ice cream cones, sentient billboards, origami birds, and many different experiences. He felt that even if he stayed in the dream for a long while, he still wouldn't experience everything there was.
However, honestly speaking, Argenti wasn't up for any of the local Penaconian experiences at the moment. He walked through the streets, glancing over at an intellitron talking with a pepeshi, Caelus trying to dig through a trash can with Stelle, Welt Yang and Acheron sharing a discussion near some graves, Gallagher and Siobhan crafting cocktails for their regulars, amongst many other unique Penaconian sights. A light sigh left Argenti as he stood on the Radiant Feldspar—he was unable to find Boothill. He had searched everywhere, and while looking out at the sky on the Feldspar, he acknowledged that no amount of searching was likely to find Boothill. The ranger was elusive, fitting of his job—he never truly stayed in one place or committed to anything, except a bounty that he'd complete quickly and earnestly.
The sky surrounding the Radiant Feldspar was a dark, deep blue, as always. If you peered over the edge of the floating ship just enough, you could see the hazy, lighter silhouettes of various buildings, and Argenti found it to be a beautiful sight; but not nearly as beautiful as—
"Argenti?"
Argenti's eyes widened, and he turned around, seeing the man who was calling him. It was the man he was looking for, the cowboy that Argenti had grown to love. Argenti smiled, true joy painting his face, and he grabbed Boothill's hand and lightly kissed it, as all knights do.
"Fudge, Argenti, there's really no need for that y'know? You're actin' all knightly but it's also quite a homosexual way 'a actin'." Argenti chuckled, amused at his friend's words, but stopped when Boothill gave him an annoyed look. "What ever is the problem, my beautiful friend?" Argenti tilted his head, inquisitive as to what he had done to annoy Boothill. Boothill groaned exasperatedly and Argenti frowned. "You're too fudgin' much, Argenti!" Argenti hesitated despite himself, pursing his lips and letting his brows furrow ever so slightly, "My dearest apologies, may I ask that you elaborate so I can be fudging less?"
Argenti attempted to regain his knightly aura of beauty, but when Boothill sighed and started walking off, Argenti threw caution to the wind. "Wait! Boothill—" Argenti was cut off by Boothill turning on his heels suddenly, causing them to almost run into each other. Argenti felt a familiar heat spread through his face from the proximity, it was the same warm and fuzzy feeling he always felt around Boothill, laced with anxiety. Argenti wanted to say something, anything, but he was far too mesmerized by Boothill. The man was so beautiful, and even more so up close.
Boothill narrowed his eyes, and Argenti stiffened, preparing for the worst. Boothill grabbed Argenti's chin and tilted it to the side, whispering in his ear, "You're starin' an awful lot partner, and considerin' that blush on your face," Boothill chuckled lowly, "I doubt you're any straighter than I am.'' Argenti gulped, his face heating up and his stomach fluttering. He tried his hardest to say something, anything, but his words escaped him. Boothill smirked, left the faintest kiss on Argenti's lips, and then walked off. Argenti simply stood there, blushing madly and processing everything.
—
Boothill: Hey, darlin'. Are you free right now? I finished up a bounty n' I figured we could grab some drinks n’ stare at each other. Or, whatever you wanna do, I'm down, darlin'.
Argenti: I'd love to, but that sounds an awful lot like a date, Boothill.
Boothill: Darlin', I kissed ya on the cheek n’ said that I'm not straight. I'm pretty fudgin' sure I made my intentions clear.
Argenti: Ah, right, of course. My apologies, I simply didn't want to misinterpret anything.
Boothill: Uh huh, sure, darlin'. Look, rose, you choose where we're goin', I don't know Penacony all that well.
Argenti: Alright, I'll ask around for good establishments. I'll text you the name and address once I find a good place, love.
Boothill: Sounds wonderful, loverboy. See ya soon.