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"You're still here...?"

Lorelei turned her head, blinking as that familiar orange hide trotted toward where she was nestled in the grass right outside the Nook. She shrugged at him indifferently, and sighed when he plopped himself down next to her.

Truth be told, Lorelei should have gone home hours ago. She really didn't feel like walking through the door to be greeted by Them once again. She wondered if they even noticed she hadn't come home, maybe thinking she was taken away by a spite. Or joined them, knowing how they acted with her.

The pink wyngling realized she'd tuned out the majority of what Zuzi was saying, "...And I told them they're just making excuses to be bullies and walked away!" Lorelei stared at him blankly, and turned her head away when he met her eyes. She looked up to the stars.

Zuzi squirmed a bit in the grass, "I...I know there's a curfew and everything. But it should be okay if we sit right outside, right?" Lorelei shrugged at him. He fidgeted with a long blade of grass under his claw, "I used to sneak out at night, before..." he looked grimly down the road, and Lorelei knew he was referring to the attack, "I was too scared to come out of here much then..."

"Why are you here, then?" Lorelei muttered. Zuzi was quiet for a moment, and he picked out the grass blade he'd been playing with,

"I don't know. Maybe because you're out here." he mumbled, "I haven't found anyone who wanted to get out of bed and go with me, so I'd go alone."

The pink wyngling scoffed, "Why would they? What do you even do out here?"

Zuzi sniffed and looked up at the sky, the silvery moonlight reflecting in his pink-ish eyes, "I just like seeing how things look at nighttime," he said, "It's a little creepy. All these busy places all empty and quiet at night..."

Lorelei hummed quietly in response and the two fell silent. Her ear twitched as Zuzi coughed slightly, "What do you do out here?" he asked her.

The pink wyngling was tempted to not answer, but the words came out, as if guided, "Nothing really, just like the peace and quiet. The stars are cool too, I guess." she murmured, tipping her head back to look at them. Despite the destruction and sickly atmosphere the little town had plunged into, the stars still shone with usual radiance. The whole world could be burned down and they'd still shine like this, Lorelei supposed, the stars don't care what happens as they will continue to be just stars.

"Those ones look like they form a boat." Zuzi chirped, breaking Lorelei out of her thoughts. She tried to follow his gaze but couldn't see what he was talking about. He turned his head toward her slightly, "You see it?"

"Yes." She lied. She wasn't sure why she just lied.

"Pretty cool. I've thought about doing some astromony. With a telescope and everything!" Zuzi giggled, making a gesture as if he were holding one to his eye.

Lorelei raised a brow at him, "You mean astronomy?"

"Sure."

The two sat in silence again. Zuzi coughed and nudged her shoulder, "What do you wanna do when you get bigger?" he asked. Lorelei again was tempted to not answer, but it came out anyways, as if she were no longer in control of her own mouth,

"I'd like to ride on a ship." she said, "don't know what else. I'd just like to ride on a big ship."

"Ooh, like a pirate?"

Lorelei rolled her eyes, "Yeah sure, whatever."

A lull was creeping over them once again, before Zuzi's small cough broke it.

"This is fun." he said.

"Whatever." Lorelei scoffed.

They sat for a quiet moment and Lorelei saw Zuzi lay his head down. His eyelids drooped, and he yawned, "I'm sorry...I'm kind of tired for some reason..."

"It's late." Lorelei said flatly. Zuzi shook his head,

"Nah...I'm used to staying up late." He pushed himself to his feet, shaking stray grass off his body. He rubbed his eyes again, something was coming off on his claws, "I think I should go to bed." he looked at her, "Do you want to stay in the Nook tonight? I'd feel bad if you had to walk home in the dark like this..."

No.

"I guess." Lorelei mumbled.

I can walk by myself.

"Are there any extra beds or something?" she asked. Zuzi nodded.

I'm not scared of some stupid flicking sprites.

"Sounds good, I guess." she shrugged. Zuzi paced around her toward the door,

"Want me to walk you to one?" he offered.

No, I don't need your help.

"Sure."

As they paced through the darkened hallways of the Nook, Zuzi nodded at a door near the end of a corridor, "Think that one's empty. No one'll notice if you stay there for tonight."

Lorelei blinked expressionlessly at him. He pushed the door open for her, and she followed him to the doorway.

"Well...I guess I'll go back to my room." Zuzi sighed, rubbing his eyes again. Lorelei grimaced. It looked like someone had smeared ink under his eyes for some reason.

Lorelei's eyes bored into him as he paced away. He suddenly paused, and half-turned toward her, "Say...I still don't know your name, pink girl."

"Yeah."

Zuzi paused, "Are...are you gonna tell me?"

Lorelei felt the L-O-R-E part forming on her tongue. She cleared her throat, swallowing the word,

"Maybe tomorrow."

Zuzi grinned, "Tomorrow!"

"Yeah, I guess." Lorelei mumbled.

"Okay...! I'll try and get up early tomorrow. So...see you tomorrow!" he chirped, pacing down the corridor.

"See you."

She didn't mean to reply.

///

Previous: Evil

Next: Good Morning, Zuzi

MAX WYNS

Description

"You're still here...?"

Lorelei turned her head, blinking as that familiar orange hide trotted toward where she was nestled in the grass right outside the Nook. She shrugged at him indifferently, and sighed when he plopped himself down next to her.

Truth be told, Lorelei should have gone home hours ago. She really didn't feel like walking through the door to be greeted by Them once again. She wondered if they even noticed she hadn't come home, maybe thinking she was taken away by a spite. Or joined them, knowing how they acted with her.

The pink wyngling realized she'd tuned out the majority of what Zuzi was saying, "...And I told them they're just making excuses to be bullies and walked away!" Lorelei stared at him blankly, and turned her head away when he met her eyes. She looked up to the stars.

Zuzi squirmed a bit in the grass, "I...I know there's a curfew and everything. But it should be okay if we sit right outside, right?" Lorelei shrugged at him. He fidgeted with a long blade of grass under his claw, "I used to sneak out at night, before..." he looked grimly down the road, and Lorelei knew he was referring to the attack, "I was too scared to come out of here much then..."

"Why are you here, then?" Lorelei muttered. Zuzi was quiet for a moment, and he picked out the grass blade he'd been playing with,

"I don't know. Maybe because you're out here." he mumbled, "I haven't found anyone who wanted to get out of bed and go with me, so I'd go alone."

The pink wyngling scoffed, "Why would they? What do you even do out here?"

Zuzi sniffed and looked up at the sky, the silvery moonlight reflecting in his pink-ish eyes, "I just like seeing how things look at nighttime," he said, "It's a little creepy. All these busy places all empty and quiet at night..."

Lorelei hummed quietly in response and the two fell silent. Her ear twitched as Zuzi coughed slightly, "What do you do out here?" he asked her.

The pink wyngling was tempted to not answer, but the words came out, as if guided, "Nothing really, just like the peace and quiet. The stars are cool too, I guess." she murmured, tipping her head back to look at them. Despite the destruction and sickly atmosphere the little town had plunged into, the stars still shone with usual radiance. The whole world could be burned down and they'd still shine like this, Lorelei supposed, the stars don't care what happens as they will continue to be just stars.

"Those ones look like they form a boat." Zuzi chirped, breaking Lorelei out of her thoughts. She tried to follow his gaze but couldn't see what he was talking about. He turned his head toward her slightly, "You see it?"

"Yes." She lied. She wasn't sure why she just lied.

"Pretty cool. I've thought about doing some astromony. With a telescope and everything!" Zuzi giggled, making a gesture as if he were holding one to his eye.

Lorelei raised a brow at him, "You mean astronomy?"

"Sure."

The two sat in silence again. Zuzi coughed and nudged her shoulder, "What do you wanna do when you get bigger?" he asked. Lorelei again was tempted to not answer, but it came out anyways, as if she were no longer in control of her own mouth,

"I'd like to ride on a ship." she said, "don't know what else. I'd just like to ride on a big ship."

"Ooh, like a pirate?"

Lorelei rolled her eyes, "Yeah sure, whatever."

A lull was creeping over them once again, before Zuzi's small cough broke it.

"This is fun." he said.

"Whatever." Lorelei scoffed.

They sat for a quiet moment and Lorelei saw Zuzi lay his head down. His eyelids drooped, and he yawned, "I'm sorry...I'm kind of tired for some reason..."

"It's late." Lorelei said flatly. Zuzi shook his head,

"Nah...I'm used to staying up late." He pushed himself to his feet, shaking stray grass off his body. He rubbed his eyes again, something was coming off on his claws, "I think I should go to bed." he looked at her, "Do you want to stay in the Nook tonight? I'd feel bad if you had to walk home in the dark like this..."

No.

"I guess." Lorelei mumbled.

I can walk by myself.

"Are there any extra beds or something?" she asked. Zuzi nodded.

I'm not scared of some stupid flicking sprites.

"Sounds good, I guess." she shrugged. Zuzi paced around her toward the door,

"Want me to walk you to one?" he offered.

No, I don't need your help.

"Sure."

As they paced through the darkened hallways of the Nook, Zuzi nodded at a door near the end of a corridor, "Think that one's empty. No one'll notice if you stay there for tonight."

Lorelei blinked expressionlessly at him. He pushed the door open for her, and she followed him to the doorway.

"Well...I guess I'll go back to my room." Zuzi sighed, rubbing his eyes again. Lorelei grimaced. It looked like someone had smeared ink under his eyes for some reason.

Lorelei's eyes bored into him as he paced away. He suddenly paused, and half-turned toward her, "Say...I still don't know your name, pink girl."

"Yeah."

Zuzi paused, "Are...are you gonna tell me?"

Lorelei felt the L-O-R-E part forming on her tongue. She cleared her throat, swallowing the word,

"Maybe tomorrow."

Zuzi grinned, "Tomorrow!"

"Yeah, I guess." Lorelei mumbled.

"Okay...! I'll try and get up early tomorrow. So...see you tomorrow!" he chirped, pacing down the corridor.

"See you."

She didn't mean to reply.

///

Previous: Evil

Next: Good Morning, Zuzi

MAX WYNS