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Prompt 2: The downside to an army of little bunnies is that they burrow. There are holes peppering Destiny City, and with the fresh fallen snow it can be impossible to tell where they are hiding. The holes range from small holes to several feet deep, so can be a minor inconvenience to a potential hazard. On the bright side, sometimes you wind up covered in bunnies looking for warmth from their sudden guest. On the other hand, there are a rising number of trips to the hospital for twists and sprains.
Orias's fluffy fur ruffled in the forceful hot breeze directed at him by his robotic butler, who was holding a large hair dryer while his master worked. Above on the display screen, ever more pings were highlighting that the invasion of snow bunnies was growing larger by the second. The Mauvian stood on a stool before his workbench, paws snatching at various bits and bobs amongst the chaotic mess that denoted half-finished inventions. A utility belt had been added to his gadget bandolier, making him look more and more like a kitty Rambo than anything.
The past few days had been a wintry hell, with Reggie having fallen in snow bunny burrows and Namielle being sent out to fill them. Orias himself hadn't been asked as he'd been holed up down in his lab for the entirety of that time, only sending B.U.T.L.E.R. upstairs for food runs. He had no doubt his fellow Mauvian had failed, this wasn't a video game. There was no "hold E to fill holes and report back to Reggie for a reward." This was an invasion on their home, pure and simple, and the bunnies wouldn't be defeated so easily. He could feel it in his soul.
"Those damn rime-ridden beasts have the nerve to make MY fur wet? I'll show them. Destiny City doesn't win this holiday season. This'll just be my warm-up for the Christmas Eve showdown. Fat boy beware, your little minions are going to be puddles when I'm done."
Orias's AI companions knew better than to comment, as E.L.A.I.N.E. has filled B.U.T.L.E.R. in on the details that made their maker so ornery this time of year. So they sat in silence, listening to him rant.
"There, all set. They won't know what hit 'em. You two go on high alert. Anything tries to burrow in here, activate the shock barrier. If they somehow get in, aim the forge at them or something. Pretty sure they can't withstand the power of the Earth's core! If they can, Cosmos help us all."
Without another word, Orias tied his favorite drinking bandana 'round his forehead and made for the lift. As the door shut and the device sped him upward, he strapped a long cylinder securely to his foreleg and lit a match from his supply pouch. A quick tweak of a nozzle started the flow of fuel, and the strike of the match lit the miniaturized flamethrower that the Mauvian wielded. The tiny flame seemed to dance in anticipation at the prospect of the hunt.
The lift slid open in the house proper and the grandfather clock swung aside, allowing Orias to prowl through the room and into the hallway toward the front door. He ignored everything else, he knew the bunnies were still out there. Slapping his little button at the door to automatically open it, he stepped outside and dove mightily into the piled snow.
"Have at you!" he shouted, squeezing the trigger for his weapon to send out a gout of flame at the nearest drift. The white flakes hissed and popped as they melted, revealing no snow monsters but a pair of deep burrows.
"Aha, I knew it," Orias roared in victory, waddling over through waist-high snow to aim his flamethrower directly into one of the holes.
A squeeze sent a stream of blinding fire into the hole... but there were no answering squeals. Looking befuddled, Orias cut the onslaught and leaned forward to more closely inspect the now-torched darkness.
"Where are you hiding, you little-GAH!"
Taking advantage of his distraction, his targeted quarries had sprung from every inch of the snow surrounding Orias. Droves of snow bunnies globbed onto the cat, leeching what heat they could from him.
"You want warm?! HERE'S WARM SATAN'S LITTLE HELPERS!" he howled, triggering his flamethrower and waving it wildly through the air.
There wasn't much sound when the flames made contact with a bunny, merely a sizzle as it melted out of existence. From the window next door, Regula's kindly wizened old neighbor watched the night sky flicker with streamers of light at random.
"Orias, be careful with that fire dear!" she called. "And come on over for a hot cocoa once you're done playing in the snow, I've got a nice bowl ready for you."
"I will, Granny May!" the cat called back, torching a trio of snow bunnies that thought to sneak up behind him. "I'll bring you one of these monsters in a teacup!"
"Such a nice kitty," May murmured, shutting her window against the cold and heading further into her house.
Not long later, there came a knock at the front door. She opened it to reveal a dripping wet Orias and a sputtering flamethrower, which he promptly unshackled and blew out before setting it against the umbrella holder.
"Here you go Granny," he said, holding up a teacup of crystal-clear water with a shaking paw. "Bet that'll make a magical spot of tea."
