[PRP] Forever A Hermit [Alette/Lutz]

[kuropeco]

Alette toed her shoe in the ground, looking somewhat guilty.

"Maybe," she sniffed, and bent to close the lid on the box in case the other hares got any bad ideas. She tapped it to make sure they were all secure, and then clasped her fingers together, turning to look at the boil with a wide smile that was probably a little too sparkly and bright.

"Let's start over there!" Alette said, pointing in a random direction.

"Afterwards, I'll buy you spookies as thanks!"

kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

"I don't want spookies," he replied grumpily, his mouth curved into a giant, deep-set frown, "All I want is for you to keep your promise after we find your mini. That's it."

Lutz head in the direction that she had indicated, falsely assuming that she had had some reasoning for picking this place to start with. He came to a stop beside a bush and got down low, the side of his face practically pressing against the ground.

"Here Quincy. Or Quinnie. Or whatever it was that your name was..." he called out unenthusiastically, his tone completely flat.

kuuropii

 

[kuropeco]

"SPOOKIES IT IS!" Alette yelled, darting along and completely missing what Lutz had actually said about not wanting them. She bounded over to another bush that was not currently occupied and ducked into it, looking around with her eyes wide.

"Queeeenieeee," she cooed, pushing aside branches and leaves. "Queenie, sweetie, come outttttt - "

There was no answering coo. Alette pulled back, hair full of twigs, and got to her feet again.

"Let's try over there!" She pointed left this time.

kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Lutz didn't understand; did Alette just not listen? Or was she purposely ignoring the things that he said? He chalked it up to her just being distracted and worried over her missing hare and that she wasn't usually this airy, but he had a feeling that that might have been a bit of wishful thinking on his part.

Straightening up when his search turned up nothing, he turned to Alette and raised his brows. "Uh okay."

He wasn't sure how to feel about abandoning this area so quickly when he felt there was more to check out, but he supposed that Alette knew best when it came to her own minis.

kuuropii

 

[kuropeco]

She reached for his wrist and dragged him forward impatiently.

"Maybe she went into the woods," said Alette in a hushed voice, gesturing towards them with an expression that indicated an ominous feeling. "We might have to go in there and, like, do things."

There was absolutely zero explanation as to what those things were.

kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Surprisingly enough, Lutz didn't immediately wrench his arm from out of Alette's grasp. That being said, he didn't look very happy as he grudgingly let himself get dragged along by the girl. Slouching, he deliberately took slow steps so as to lag as far back as he possibly could with her pulling him.

"One, what things do you mean, and two...do you actually know your way around these woods? Before, you know, we delve in and become impossibly lost?"

He was going to guess no, but for all knew, maybe she was familiar with this place. He could be hopeful! ...He had no choice but to be hopeful!

kuuropii

 

[kuropeco]

Alette was secretly pleased that the boil had not pulled away, even if she was dragging him towards the forest and he was dragging his feet in return. She flipped one of her ponytails off of her shoulder and turned her head to beam at him, eyes still dancing with stars.

"I totally do," she said brightly, which was a blatant lie, not that he would know.

"Are you gonna tell me your name now?" Alette whined, as they stepped into the forest. "If you don't tell me, I'm just gonna call you Peanut."

kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

He really should have known better, but he didn't. As soon as Alette assured him that she knew the way, he visibly relaxed, though he still plodded along at a frustratingly slow pace nevertheless. He hadn't even realized that he had failed to give Alette his name until she asked, and the look he gave her at her suggested nickname earned a look devoid of all amusement which matched the fact that he was a spoil-sport and didn't have a fun bone in his body.

"Peanut?" he echoed, staring at the back of her head in disbelief, "Peanut? What kind of stupid name is that?"

For such an innocuous little "threat", it sure worked well. "My name is--well." Giving her his actual name didn't seem like a great idea for a number of reasons, not including the fact that detested it. "I'm Lutz."

kuuropii

 

[kuropeco]

Alette stopped abruptly, turned around, and gave Lutz a very serious look. She stepped closer, lowered her voice, and took a small breath.

"Did you know," said Alette quietly, glancing around at their surroundings, as though fearful someone was watching them. She turned her face to the boil, expression surprisingly calm. "Did you know that, if you put Lutz and peanut together, you get Plutz?"

She gave a sage nod, turned, and then bounded down a path, half dragging him with her.

"This way, this way, I think she went this way!"

kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

What. "Uh, yes, very good. That being said, don't call me Plutz," he responded automatically, face scrunching up in distaste, "Otherwise I'm going to smash up...cashew and Alette and call you...Cashette."

The name was ridiculous enough that immediately after he said it, Lutz snickered. Ahh, Cashette. Terrible, truly terrible.

Letting his head loll back as he obediently trotted along, the boil let out a long-suffering sigh. "Oh really. And makes you think that she went this way?"

kuuropii

 

[kuropeco]

"Why not?" Alette asked plaintively, twisting her head around to look at him, eyes wide. "Plutz sounds like a really good name, and oh my Jack - "

She cut off abruptly, turning and staring at Lutz with a sparkling gaze.

"You gave me a nickname." She positively beamed at him, hands clasped together. "Does that mean, we're like, the bestest friends ever?"

Alette did not, of course, wait for an answer, and instead just continued dragging the poor boil along with her.

"I think she went this way!"

kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

Oh Jack.

Oh Jack this is not what he intended to happen.

"Wh--I--no!" he sputtered, finding that he was saying that word a lot today,
"Alette--hold on! Not just listen to me one for just one second! I want to make it clear that we are not, under any circumstances, 'the bestest friends ever'!"

Despite his volume, he didn't think that she was actually listening. She seemed more keen on dragging him deeper into these woods than anything else.

kuuropii

 

[kuropeco]

It was true, Alette was not actually listening. She towed Lutz further into the forest, still humming happily, and then slowed her steps as they got closer to the lake, one finger pressed against her lips as she turned to look back at her new friend.

"I think I heard something," Alette whispered, gesturing in front of her. "In that bush over there..."

She crept closer, carefully trying to be silent.

kaiyumi

 

[Kaiyumi]

He opened his mouth to protest further, only to grumpily clamp it shut when Alette indicated for him to be quiet. A part of him wanted to ignore her and be as loud as he wanted, but the rational part of him argued that acting childishly wouldn't do anything and the last thing he wanted was to scare away the mini if she had found it. After all, it was only after she found that damn hare that he'd be allowed to leave without guilt.

Wordlessly, he glanced at the bush she had indicated and moved in to surround it from the other side, keeping his steps light and silent. He looked up at the ghoul expectantly for some sign to act.

kuuropii

 

[kuropeco]

Alette tugged at Lutz's sleeve and moved to one side while he moved to the other. She crouched down, taking a little breath, and crept carefully closer, eyes fixated on the bush.

"NOW!" she squealed, and flung herself forward, throwing her entire body on the bush. There was a rustling sound, a squeak, and small purple ears perked up as the mini tried to scramble away.

kaiyumi