Post by Beets The Beetle (Feenix) on Mar 26, 2023 22:34:17 GMT
Set the day after 'It's Time To Talk (Beets' History Part II)' Co written with the adorable as ever Lolli (Jennifur Cottontail)
After their last mission, Lolli tells Beets to meet her the next day at Paradise Frost.
Lolli arrives early, goes up to the counter and asks for 30 of their best pastries for the table. The server looks taken aback at first but nods. Lolli pays the person and they get to work plating up all the pastries. Lolli sits down at the table and waits for Beets to arrive.
About ten minutes later the bell on the door chimes and in walks a considerably cleaner yet still rather peculiar than normal looking Beets. Her trademark beetle horn is still missing from her head, and she appears to be wearing an outfit of a loose fitting top and shorts, both a couple sizes too large for her but held in place by familiar looking red and silver scarf tied around her waist. As she turns to pull the door closed behind her Lolli can see her previously thickly matted black hair now spills over her shoulders and down her back silkily.
As she makes her way in the plump server stops, a tonged pastry in hand and gives a broad smile after a moment of recognition. “Well bless me if it isn’t Beets! Where’ve you been to hiding? We thought you’d flown off and found some other bakery to be a best customer at!”
“Oh! H-hello Jorious. Um-No! I’ve been..Uh-Camping!” Beets responds with a wide nervous grin. “J-just fancied some fresh air is all. Sorry I haven’t been around to do deliveries with the others.”
"Well you’re in luck there’s a big one you could do for me right now if you don’t mind.” Jorious remarks as he places a final iced muffin atop a heavily laden cake stand. “There’s a sweet little harengon miss over there by the window that I think seems to know you, and makes her request for a particularly large order suddenly all the clearer!" he adds with a wink and nod to a seemingly enthusiastically waving Lolli.
Beets flits onto to the counter and hefts up the thickly laden cake stand before fluttering her way over to Lolli, placing it down so that dominates the small round table before she takes a place next to Lolli in the cosy window seat.
“Hello Lolli! Uh-what’s all this for? She remarks with a stunned look towards the impressive tiered mountain of iced confectionary before them.
Lolli gives a smile and a wave back to Jorious.
Then she turns to the piles of food on the table. “Well Beets, I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I’d treat my friend to the tastiest lunch she’s ever had. And also look they have your favourite”. Lolli nudges one pastry over to in front of Beets with a slight smile.
Beets eyes lock onto the large pastry before her, "Chocolate fudge eclair with a caramel filling ooh how I've buggin missed-" The pastry stops its rapid ascent mouthwards before, a puzzled expression falls across Beet's face, replacing her eager look of gusto.
"Wait..You asked me to meet me here Lolli.” An eyebrow raises with a expression of slight surprise as she looks towards Lolli, the pastry still held suspended in mid air. "Lolli Cottontail, did you just tell..a fib?"
Lolli’s ear twitches “No”. Then she quickly sighs “Ok… maybe”. Then she gives a small grin “Well I really wanted to bring you here because I can’t believe you haven’t been here in AGES. So I wanted to treat you to your favourite things and maybe talk… you know about how things have been going. Yesterday was a lot”. Lolli looks over and tries to judge if Beets is open to talk about everything or if she looks like she wants to run away like before.
Beets gives a small frown, her eagerness of eating her favourite treat seeping out of her. "Yes..thats one way of putting it." She lays the eclair on the plate again before looking up at Lolli ashamedly. "Look Lolli, I-I'm sorry I didn't tell I was going to leave. I-I wasn't thinking straight. I was so confused and mixed up inside and just...I didn't know what to do. I wanted to run away from it all and yet..something kept me from going."
Lolli put out her hand and reaches for Beet’s. “Beets. I am so sorry you’re having a tough time. Learning about all the secrets about your past… I can imagine would want to make you run… I’m glad you didn’t though. Just up and leave, I would have been really sad. You’re one of my favourite people here. You can’t… just… go”. Lolli pauses for a moment “Would you want to talk more about it? What made you stop?”
Beets grip back on Lolli's hand, smaller by no means less stronger than her own.
"It was you all..." She admitted.
"You, and Marto and Derthad, and Gerthad and Kavel, and Pippa, and the Rooftop Beetles and-and all our friends...I..I didn't want to lose you..I-I didn't want to be...Alone..again..." Her eyes fall ashamedly to the polished wood floor.
“It was selfish of me, really really stupidly selfish!” She tries to keep her voice down and steady in the bakery as patrons enjoy their care-except calorie-free pastries and tea.
“Even if what Bogar says is t-true, that, that this swarm aren’t focused on hurting anyone, they just ‘want-me’, am I being selfish in not wanting to go? In leading some..monstrous force..here?” She looked up at Lolli, her head still swimming with so much information from the last two days, but the echoes and screams and cries of the villagers and drone of Insect wings resurfacing in her mind so clearly.
“Beets don’t forget, you mean a lot to me too. Whatever you want to do I will be by your side. Always. I want to help you. I feel like you keep pushing people away because you’re scared how people will react to the truth… but I’m still here. Marto, Kavel, Pippa, Derthaad… Your friends are still here. Don’t forget that. You’re not alone, you can chose to be alone but you Beets are not ‘alone’. You’re never alone. You understand? You’re like my sister”. Lolli smiles over to Beets warmly.
“Now, if you don’t want to go you don’t go. It’s your life Beets. You’re here now. In this day. Not lost in the past. Honestly I think it’s a big decision to make right now. So why don’t you help yourself to some more pastries and we can think”. Lolli will stare over at Beets to check if he’s ok.
As Lolli speaks the noises of the past begin to fade out, as if storm breaking and revealing the warm of the sun beneath and filling her up on the inside. 'You're not alone.'
Her face crumples with a happy tearful smile as she claps Lolli's hand gently in hers. "Thank you Lolli..Sniff I think of you like my sister too..My funny, furry, lovely little sister..." She laughs.."Y-yeah..lets eat some cake...Though it may take us all day.." With a nod to the epic patisserie feast on the table before them.
Lolli smiles happily and laughs “Yes! Well Im sure we can manage. And anything leftover you can give to your rooftop friends”.
"Well I'm sure they'll be no complaints from any of them!" Beets responds with a laugh. "Though Jeremy will probably complain I'm trying to ruin his figure."
Lolli laughs “Well Jeremy doesn’t have to eat any… oh maybe we could add some fruit for him! But yeah I’m sure you’ll have volunteers to help eat anything leftover… if there is anything!”. Lolli laughs jokingly.
Beets just smiles and sits holding her friend's hand across the table.
After their last mission, Lolli tells Beets to meet her the next day at Paradise Frost.
Lolli arrives early, goes up to the counter and asks for 30 of their best pastries for the table. The server looks taken aback at first but nods. Lolli pays the person and they get to work plating up all the pastries. Lolli sits down at the table and waits for Beets to arrive.
About ten minutes later the bell on the door chimes and in walks a considerably cleaner yet still rather peculiar than normal looking Beets. Her trademark beetle horn is still missing from her head, and she appears to be wearing an outfit of a loose fitting top and shorts, both a couple sizes too large for her but held in place by familiar looking red and silver scarf tied around her waist. As she turns to pull the door closed behind her Lolli can see her previously thickly matted black hair now spills over her shoulders and down her back silkily.
As she makes her way in the plump server stops, a tonged pastry in hand and gives a broad smile after a moment of recognition. “Well bless me if it isn’t Beets! Where’ve you been to hiding? We thought you’d flown off and found some other bakery to be a best customer at!”
“Oh! H-hello Jorious. Um-No! I’ve been..Uh-Camping!” Beets responds with a wide nervous grin. “J-just fancied some fresh air is all. Sorry I haven’t been around to do deliveries with the others.”
"Well you’re in luck there’s a big one you could do for me right now if you don’t mind.” Jorious remarks as he places a final iced muffin atop a heavily laden cake stand. “There’s a sweet little harengon miss over there by the window that I think seems to know you, and makes her request for a particularly large order suddenly all the clearer!" he adds with a wink and nod to a seemingly enthusiastically waving Lolli.
Beets flits onto to the counter and hefts up the thickly laden cake stand before fluttering her way over to Lolli, placing it down so that dominates the small round table before she takes a place next to Lolli in the cosy window seat.
“Hello Lolli! Uh-what’s all this for? She remarks with a stunned look towards the impressive tiered mountain of iced confectionary before them.
Lolli gives a smile and a wave back to Jorious.
Then she turns to the piles of food on the table. “Well Beets, I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I’d treat my friend to the tastiest lunch she’s ever had. And also look they have your favourite”. Lolli nudges one pastry over to in front of Beets with a slight smile.
Beets eyes lock onto the large pastry before her, "Chocolate fudge eclair with a caramel filling ooh how I've buggin missed-" The pastry stops its rapid ascent mouthwards before, a puzzled expression falls across Beet's face, replacing her eager look of gusto.
"Wait..You asked me to meet me here Lolli.” An eyebrow raises with a expression of slight surprise as she looks towards Lolli, the pastry still held suspended in mid air. "Lolli Cottontail, did you just tell..a fib?"
Lolli’s ear twitches “No”. Then she quickly sighs “Ok… maybe”. Then she gives a small grin “Well I really wanted to bring you here because I can’t believe you haven’t been here in AGES. So I wanted to treat you to your favourite things and maybe talk… you know about how things have been going. Yesterday was a lot”. Lolli looks over and tries to judge if Beets is open to talk about everything or if she looks like she wants to run away like before.
Beets gives a small frown, her eagerness of eating her favourite treat seeping out of her. "Yes..thats one way of putting it." She lays the eclair on the plate again before looking up at Lolli ashamedly. "Look Lolli, I-I'm sorry I didn't tell I was going to leave. I-I wasn't thinking straight. I was so confused and mixed up inside and just...I didn't know what to do. I wanted to run away from it all and yet..something kept me from going."
Lolli put out her hand and reaches for Beet’s. “Beets. I am so sorry you’re having a tough time. Learning about all the secrets about your past… I can imagine would want to make you run… I’m glad you didn’t though. Just up and leave, I would have been really sad. You’re one of my favourite people here. You can’t… just… go”. Lolli pauses for a moment “Would you want to talk more about it? What made you stop?”
Beets grip back on Lolli's hand, smaller by no means less stronger than her own.
"It was you all..." She admitted.
"You, and Marto and Derthad, and Gerthad and Kavel, and Pippa, and the Rooftop Beetles and-and all our friends...I..I didn't want to lose you..I-I didn't want to be...Alone..again..." Her eyes fall ashamedly to the polished wood floor.
“It was selfish of me, really really stupidly selfish!” She tries to keep her voice down and steady in the bakery as patrons enjoy their care-except calorie-free pastries and tea.
“Even if what Bogar says is t-true, that, that this swarm aren’t focused on hurting anyone, they just ‘want-me’, am I being selfish in not wanting to go? In leading some..monstrous force..here?” She looked up at Lolli, her head still swimming with so much information from the last two days, but the echoes and screams and cries of the villagers and drone of Insect wings resurfacing in her mind so clearly.
“Beets don’t forget, you mean a lot to me too. Whatever you want to do I will be by your side. Always. I want to help you. I feel like you keep pushing people away because you’re scared how people will react to the truth… but I’m still here. Marto, Kavel, Pippa, Derthaad… Your friends are still here. Don’t forget that. You’re not alone, you can chose to be alone but you Beets are not ‘alone’. You’re never alone. You understand? You’re like my sister”. Lolli smiles over to Beets warmly.
“Now, if you don’t want to go you don’t go. It’s your life Beets. You’re here now. In this day. Not lost in the past. Honestly I think it’s a big decision to make right now. So why don’t you help yourself to some more pastries and we can think”. Lolli will stare over at Beets to check if he’s ok.
As Lolli speaks the noises of the past begin to fade out, as if storm breaking and revealing the warm of the sun beneath and filling her up on the inside. 'You're not alone.'
Her face crumples with a happy tearful smile as she claps Lolli's hand gently in hers. "Thank you Lolli..Sniff I think of you like my sister too..My funny, furry, lovely little sister..." She laughs.."Y-yeah..lets eat some cake...Though it may take us all day.." With a nod to the epic patisserie feast on the table before them.
Lolli smiles happily and laughs “Yes! Well Im sure we can manage. And anything leftover you can give to your rooftop friends”.
"Well I'm sure they'll be no complaints from any of them!" Beets responds with a laugh. "Though Jeremy will probably complain I'm trying to ruin his figure."
Lolli laughs “Well Jeremy doesn’t have to eat any… oh maybe we could add some fruit for him! But yeah I’m sure you’ll have volunteers to help eat anything leftover… if there is anything!”. Lolli laughs jokingly.
Beets just smiles and sits holding her friend's hand across the table.