theroleplaybin | Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat, tell you all about when I've got the time!

Some people may look forward to the end of their work day, but a certain rat always hated closing time. It had been another successful day at La Ratatouille restaurant. Remy had been completely in the culinary zone - as always - to the point that he hadn't even thought given thought to if he'd spend the night back with the colony, or at Linguini's home.

Hmm, did it seem Linguini had been eating well at home, or did he need Remy to make sure he got some quality meals? That might be the deciding factor. He glanced out the window at his friend, who was not above still taking out the garbage after the restaurant closed, trying to gauge- Wait a second, something was out there. Oh, Linguini hadn't seen the bright and furry creature, but Remy had - if only for a second - and he was instantly torn for a reaction.

On the one hand, pests! At his restaurant! But then, there'd been a time when Remy himself had been just seconds away from stealing bread, desperate and nearly starving... Maybe he'd have to see this thief to make a judgement call. After telling Colette that he'd be there a bit longer tonight, and asking she pass that on to Linguini as well, Remy got down to the ground and ran out the door (on just two legs, of course) as Linguini came back in.

"Hey!" he called, darting around and through the trash - ew ew ew ew, it smelled so bad he could almost taste it. "Hey, get back here!"

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"Pretty far, yeah." Ooh, that looked and smelled so good. He picked it up, savoring it a moment before starting to dig in, continuing to talk- thankfully between mouthfuls.

"My uncle explores the world, something other Fraggles have never really done. Except me. I explored everywhere down at the Rock so now I'm out here too, trying to make a name for myself." A bit of a chuckle. "I haven't left France yet but... I'll get there, someday."

He smiled to watch Gobo enjoying his food, but his smile faded into a more awed, thoughtful sort of expression as Gobo started to tell his story. Wanting to make a name for oneself. He knew what how that felt - and the challenges that came with it. He, personally, had come to accept that he wasn't in the spotlight or even well-known. That's how he'd started, after all, just wanting to do what he loved. To cook. But there'd been a while, when Linguini was first climbing to fame, where he'd felt overlooked. It had stung.

"Impressive," he said, smile returning. "That's really impressive, although I can't say I understand wanting to leave France. Are you planning on stealing your meals all around the world?"

"To tell you the truth," he paused to hand back the dish- man he WAS hungry, wasn't he??, "I hadn't thought about it... We Fraggles always just take from the edges anyway. Outside of Fraggle Rock there's a garden that's owned by a friend of mine, and whatever we'd need, we'd go get it. Sure he wasn't always a friend but- oh he is now, eh? That's how it goes."

Yeah, definitely the "simple life" interpretation, Remy decided. But, before he could get into warning Gobo about what theft could bring about, he wanted to know just one thing, one crucial piece of information.

"How was the gratin?"

"It was amazing!" He curled his tail up behind him, giving Remy a bright smile. "One of the best things I'd ever eaten. And believe me, Fraggles know vegetables."

Remy wasn't exactly surprised to hear that, between how Gobo had wolfed that down, and - well, he knew he was a great chef. But he was still beaming with pride when Gobo said it.

"Vegetables, huh? I wish I'd made my ratatouille. That's the house specialty; I bet you'd love it. That and my pot-au-feu, unless of course Fraggles only eat vegetables and the like." He shrugged a bit, seeming to remember his humility only then.

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked the dish."

"Well.. yes, we do. The Gorgs only grew vegetables, and down inside the Rock there's all kinds of natural plants and mushrooms and stuff to eat. Fruits and vegetables are all I know."

He glanced around them, then snickered a little and looked back. "If those words you said are as good as what you made though, then I think I'd eat almost anything."

"Oh, man, have you been missing out! I mean, fruits and vegetables are crucial to balanced dishes, not to mention highly useful and delicious, but the proteins tend to be the backbone of a meal."

He paused to rub his chin thoughtfully. "You know, if you're going to leave France and see the whole world, you might want to be familiar with a wider array of food. You can minimize the culture shock that way, for one thing." For another, Remy couldn't think of anything better than culinary exploration. "There's not just animal proteins, there's all sorts of ingredients out there. Even the really artificial stuff is worth knowing about."

"Well, I dunno, Remy..." He waved his hands a bit. "We'll see? Maybe a little at a time.

"I definitely like the idea of more food, though." Gobo snickered softly, then gave him a smile. "And you're right, about wanting to really get to know other parts of the world. That's why I'm out here really, learning about Outer Space, how it differs from life down at the Rock."

Remy shrugged. "Well, sure, you don't want to introduce too much that's new in your diet at once. And I mean, you don't have to try any of it, but I figure, if you're going to see the whole world, you might as well taste it, too."

Wait a second-

"Outer Space? Is that what Fraggles call it up here? Because that's what I'd like to know - what's different between here and where you're from." After all, Remy's curiosity wasn't limited just to the culinary arts.

"Yeah! It is. And there's a lot different between Fraggle Rock and up here. We don't have anything even remotely like the streets out there, for one thing. We have tunnels and pathways, but definitely not rock roads like those. And the... big rollie things that run on them."

He looked up, considering- which reminded him of something else too. "And our lights don't do that," a point upward, "it's just fire, or glowing mushrooms, or the Ditzies even. We can't see 'em, but all together their bodies light our caves. Any motors and things we run ourselves or with flowing water, and the caves keep their own temperature. And everyone up here is always... rushing places. It's loud, but a totally different kind of sound than down at Fraggle Rock. There it's mostly music, up here it's just... Noise."

He paused, waving his hands. "Oh but it's fascinating too! It glows up here at night like nowhere in the Rock! Sometimes if I get out in the country I can see way, way more stars too. And every now and then it gets boring down there, and pretty routine. Out here there's something new every day, even when it's something scary."

Dépaysement - that feeling that wasn't necessarily homesickness, but certainly some out-of-place newness, some bewilderment at how different things were in a foreign place. Remy had felt it that first night in Paris, running through the walls and on the rooftops. Until he'd realized where he was, he'd been so overwhelmed...

"You know, it is really different here in Paris compared to Fraggle Rock, I'm sure. It's really different from the countryside, too, elsewhere in France. I mean... I'm a rat. We don't usually leave our nests, as my dad used to love pointing out. We live in sewers or abandoned attics or wherever we can get by." A pause, then, and he smiled, looking off past Gobo at nothing in particular. "But I decided I wanted that to change. The point is, though, that I know how hard change can be - how amazing what you're doing is." His smile grew. "Like I said before, it's impressive."

Gobo listened quietly, nodding a little as Remy went on. Not leaving the nest... He could understand that. Every Fraggle that ever lived seemed to still be down at the Rock, or that Cave place, or any number of tunnels underground. Then Outer Space was found and, well... He felt like a Gorg trying to fit into a Doozer dome, now.

"I don't know that I'd call it impressive..." A bit of humility of his own. "I'm just following what I really wanna do."

Remy's grin remained in place with Gobo's modesty. "Well, sure, but that's what I did too, and what I've found is that- Not everyone wants that kind of thing. Wants more. And sure, that's fine for them, I guess... But some people will get in the way of things they don't understand."

He shrugged. "That's the reason I have my other forms, for one thing. People don't think rats, especially rats like me, belong in a kitchen."

Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat, tell you all about when I've got the time!

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