When it's nice and bright, and it brings delight, let your heart choose right

[moneymatters]

Scrooge huffed as he wandered through the garden, picking up another scattered leaf. This went into a basket he was carrying, which was already full of torn and chewed stems, roots divorced from their vegetables, and other torn leaves left behind. Spotting something in the soil, he bent to examine a clear print left among the other, more smudged ones he had been seeing.

"Ah-hah. I had a feeling." Standing back up with some effort, he resumed his cleaning. "Goin' to have to set some bigger traps..." And other such mutterings under his breath, most not repeatable in this post made for the reading of mixed company.

Comments

[gobetween]

He snickered a bit, nodding once. "Yeah, I guess there's that, eh?"

Then, after a moment, his expression softened as he remembered just what they'd been talking about that got to that bit of understanding. He sighed gently, looking up.

"What I was saying though, I do love exploring. My Uncle Matt, he may've made the decision for me, but I would've found it on my own anyway. It's what my great uncle did, and what my dad did. It's in my blood.

"But it's alright to be questioning what you're looking for. That's how you eventually find it in the end."

[getrichquick]

Lexi smiled and nodded.

"I guess it can work that way." Adventure was sure in her blood, and she knew that wasn't her calling, but it wasn't important right now. "Anyway, thanks Gobo, really. For, you know, caring."

About her troubles, and just about her. She was no longer the child who sometimes felt dull and always felt misunderstood, but it was still a pleasant reassurance when someone took an interest.

[gobetween]

He seemed a little flush with pleasure at that, smiling at her. "Aww, well. Yeah, of course. That's what I do."

"Anyway, you told me about yourself, so I guess fair's fair, right?"

[getrichquick]

"You guess right," Lexi confirmed, smiling. As curious as she was about Fraggles as a whole, she was becoming steadily more interested in this specific one. Something about him was just plain likable. She sat down, there on the sidewalk - still kinda gross, but better than basically lying on it - so she could be close to his level.

[gobetween]

He looked at her a moment as if surprised, then smiled some.

"Well, the question now is, what to say?" He snickered some, rubbing his snout. "You already know I'm an explorer. I have been for a few years now, mostly mapping out unexplored caverns of Fraggle Rock- that's the place I'm from. Only recently have I started coming out into Outer Space, which is what we call... well, this!" He held his arms out and gestured around them, then turned back.

"My uncle has explored Outer Space before me, but there's plenty even he hasn't seen. And after I met my first Silly Creature- what we Fraggles call you guys who live in Outer Space -I really got into coming out here, though I'd done it a couple times beforehand. Other than that, I hang out down at the Rock with my friends Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red, just doing what Fraggles do: make music, play games, and generally have the times of our lives."

[getrichquick]

"Outer Space and Silly Creatures, huh?" Lexi chuckled, grinning. "Sounds like Fraggles have a pretty good life at that Rock of yours, but how are you liking it up here?"

[gobetween]

"To tell ya the truth? It's kind of intimidating." A weak laugh, amused and overwhelmed all in one. "How do you deal with everything being so big?"

[getrichquick]

"Yeah, I bet - but hey, I'll let you in on something." Lexi leaned in a bit, whispering in mock-secrecy, "It can still be intimidating when things are to-scale for you."

With a snicker, she got to her feet. "Don't worry, though, man. You've found a good guide, at least for Duckburg."

[gobetween]

"Oh believe me, I know. Despite the way I might've made it sound a second ago, things aren't always fun and games down at the Rock."

A bit of a snort, though her next statement got a bright smile out of him, as he watched her rise.

"Yeah? That's great!"

[getrichquick]

"Sure, why not?" Lexi said, starting back on the path to the diner. "Hey, showing you the ropes around here might help me figure out what I'm going to do, anyway."

[gobetween]

He hopped a bit to catch up with her, tail waving like a flag behind him.

"You wouldn't be the first friend I've helped fiknd a job! Who knows what'll happen from here on out?"

[getrichquick]

That got a more private, personal kind of smile out of Lexi, because usually... She really preferred to know what would happen moving forward. But there was something exciting about the potential here.

And then the first part of what he'd said really hit her, and she gave a small laugh. Friend, huh? Simple as that? She was okay with that... Why couldn't it always be so easy?

"Well, something I know will happen is we're gonna eat," she joked. "Or... Hmm. Are you okay with going in a building full of things and people my size?"

After all, he'd just said the big was intimidating.

[gobetween]

He thought about that a minute, then looked up at her somewhat uneasily.

"Maybe... a little at a time?" Really, he was just fine with new experiences! But the idea of full of them was a little too intimidating at this precise moment.

[getrichquick]

Lexi nodded. "I understand, don't worry about it... In fact, I think I know a place that might work - you like vegetables, right? There's this open-air farmer's market not too far past the diner. Open all week, but most people only visit on the weekends."

[gobetween]

He had to snicker a bit, nodding. "Yeah, different vegetables are about all Fraggles eat. That and Doozer sticks. So, that sounds pretty alright to me."

[getrichquick]

It sounded a bit boring to her, but that thought went right to the wayside real fast.

"I'm sorry, and a Doozer stick is...?"

Even as she waited for his response, she pointed and then headed off in the proper direction.

[gobetween]

He dutifully followed her, and as he did he went for a breast pocket of his vest.

"This!" He handed up a cuboid, pencil-like clear stick of... material. "Doozers are these little guys, knee-high to a Fraggle, who build all sorts of constructions all around the Rock that are also edible for Fraggles. And they don't mind us eating them either, because that just gives them room to keep constructing more!"

[getrichquick]

"Huh, that's... Really weird, dude. I mean, the way you guys help each other out is cool, but- What does that even taste like?"

[gobetween]

"Radishes. A Fraggle's favorite food."

[getrichquick]

She nodded, tucking that piece of information about Fraggles' food preferences away. It could come in handy - anything could, after all.

"So, Gobo, you mentioned a bunch of friends - are they all up out here now, too?"

[gobetween]

"Nahh. Uncle Matt and me are the only Fraggles who've gone to Outer Space, at least for any significant length of time. Both Red and Wembley have been out, but only briefly."

He shook his head and you know, so long as he was talking about them, he's going to chew on that Doozer stick.

"They're still all back at the Rock. I kinda alternate between going back, and staying out a while to send postcards back. There's a few different ways from Outer Space to Fraggle Rock, so I'm never really that far from home."

[getrichquick]

"Oh," Lexi said softly. That... Sounded pretty lonely. At least when she'd come here, she'd already had a pretty big social network to build off of. Still, Gobo seemed okay with it, so why bring him down? She decided to focus on something else, then.

"Its good that it's easy to get back. Same's true for me, I can get back to where I'm from pretty much whenever."