You gotta be someone, you gotta be strong, when you got the goods y'know you can't do anything wrong

[gobetween]

There'd been a few days since his visit to Bridge after his illness, following dropping by Perdita, and now here he was racing through the tunnels doing it all over again. This time involved a quick vault through the T. Matthew Fraggle Room, one moment spent to get his bearings, and then off he went again.

The world on the other side would require just a bit more caution, but hopefully Louie would be rather close to the Fraggle hole and he wouldn't have to spend time looking for him.

Comments

[talkyourwayout]

"Woah."

Even Louie felt some awe, looking at that cavern, but it was covered up by nerves when he heard one of Clef's buddies speak up. He shrank down a bit where he sat in the wagon, and then further as Clef walked over with a growly grunt.

"What do you want, weirdo?"

[gobetween]

"I want to apologize." He sighed, lightly rubbing the back of his bandaged hand; careful eyes would note a little smudge here and there at the knuckles, and he avoided these spots. "Even if what was said made me angry, I was wrong in lashing out. So, I wanted to bring this," he turned to gesture at the radish behind him. "And..."

Gobo paused, uncertain. Then he sighed and dove into it anyway, looking back. "Ask if you were all from Fraggle Cave."

What happened next was rather rapid, but as soon as he said that one of the others lunged forward and snatched him by the front of his shirt, giving him a little shake.

"Listen here, Fraggpole-!"

[talkyourwayout]

Louie flinched, moving to cover his eyes, but-

"Lay off, Gray," Clef sighed, glancing from his friend to the radish, then to Gobo. Then he headed over to the radish, from the opposite side of where Louie was seated, and prodded it idly with one finger.

"You figured that out, and you still want to apologize?"

[gobetween]

Gray glanced toward Clef, then at Gobo and let him down rather roughly. He stumbled back a half step, then brushed the front of his shirt down.

"Yeah, 'course I do. That makes what I did even worse. Fraggles don't fight Fraggles, that was the whole point of that day, wasn't it?" Gobo looked at the three of them in turn, then walked closer to Clef, hands out.

"I... wasn't there at the time, but Mokey was the one the others had captured, and she and Red told me everything later. I can get why you must've left the Cave, and come here, I really can. And- that's why you're in Singing Cavern too, right? You don't have places like this down there..! Going someplace new is what you felt like you needed, really needed. And... I can get that, too."

He placed a hand on the radish too, the other gestured toward Clef. "So, please. Nobody has to know you're from the Cave, if you don't want them to. I know that we Rock Fraggles are kinda seen as natural enemies to you guys, and- and maybe that was why you were mean earlier! But it's okay, okay? I want to move past that, and help you guys get what you want. What you need."

A small half-smile, a faint chuckle with it. "It's what I do. When I'm not rocking things up, anyway. I promise."

[talkyourwayout]

Louie was peering over the top of the radish, and he saw Clef's eyes go wide.

"It... Yeah," Clef mumbled. "It was the whole point, I guess, huh? We all, y'know, really wanted to come out here - needed to, like you said - but it's still hard to adjust. That's really why we..." He trailed off with a sigh, lowering his head. "You're alright, Gobo. Uh... You, too," he added, looking up at Louie - who was quick to dart back down, more because he was embarrassed at being caught than anything else, by that point.

Clef just chuckled, softly. "This is a real nice radish. Thanks."

[gobetween]

Gobo listened to that, nodding a little in understanding. Then he smiled, dipping his head some.

"You're welcome. Louie?"

It looked like they might be ready to go, but then- "H-hey, wait!" One of the other Fraggles, Gray, stepped forward, though when Gobo turned to look they seemed suddenly sheepish. "W-we, uh... We need names. Rock names. Clef came up with a good one! Something we heard on our way here. But we don't really know enough about fun stuff to think of any others..."

Gobo, surprised a moment, then smiled. "Rock Fraggle names, huh? Yeah, I can help with that."

[talkyourwayout]

Louie climbed out of the wagon, then, smiling a little as he tapped the tip of his bill.

"Yeah, I can help, too. I may not be a Fraggle - or well, just an honorary one, anyway..." He snickered before continuing, "but I'm pretty good at coming up with ideas."

[gobetween]

"There, y'see? We can do it together! The real Fraggle way." Gobo glanced at them with a smile, then held his hand out to Clef to shake.

[talkyourwayout]

"Heh, well... Thanks," Clef said, reaching out for Gobo's hand. As he shook it, though, he frowned - and glancing down revealed the bandages. "...I did that?"

"No, you didn't," Louie mumbled, shaking his head. He clapped a hand on Gobo's shoulder with a cheeky smile. "But hey, names, right?"