Knothole Kitchen - Late Night Snack

[Lans]

(Continues directly from Hey Roomie)

The quiet night over the small village was slightly broken as two boys, a brown two tailed fox dragging a yellow squirrel, rushed out of one of the huts and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"Aw don't worry, there's nothing that can get us here," Tails told Ray, "Even Robuttnik can't find us!"

[Leda]

Whimpering anxiously and practically crushing Tails' hand as he was pulled along, Ray eyed his dark and, to him anyway, eerie surroundings with wide, unblinking eyes. He probably would've felt sick to his stomach had he not been so hungry instead. "T-Tails," he squeaked, "I NEED AN ADULT! H-How much farther??"

[Lans]

"Not far," Tails said, leading them to the large building near the meeting area in the center of the village.

[Jamie Lee]

Inside the wood and straw cottage that made Knothole's kitchen was already another village resident. Bunnie was just topping off a ham sandwich with some lettuce and tomato when she heard the two approaching from outside and turned her head toward the door to investigate.

[Lans]

"See told ya," Tails said as he pushed open the door. "Now lets see what's in the fridge, you'll sure be a lot easier to feed than Baby T..." He stopped suddenly as he turned around and saw Bunnie standing there. "...Uh, hi Aunt Bunnie."

[Leda]

And just when all seemed to be safe. Ray had just begun to let out a relieved exhale when he also noted the rabbot in the room, causing the breath to catch in his throat. The squirrel's hands immediately locked onto Tails' arm as he dove behind him. "T-T-Tails!!" the boy squeaked, attempting to pull the fox back out the door they'd just entered. "Wegottagetouttaherebeforewegetturnedintorobots!!" Tears began spilling along his cheeks as he sobbed, "IDON'TWANNABEAROBOOOOT!!!"

[Jamie Lee]

At first Bunnie's brow furrowed in good-natured stern, preparing to ask the boys what they were doing up so late at night for. However, before she'd managed to get the words from her mouth she gave a startled blink and recoiled slightly from Ray's outburst.

She took a moment to dissect what the terrified boy had shrieked, and her mouth spread into a sympathetic smile.

"Oh, now honey..." she said softly, turning to kneel down on one leg while resting an arm on her knee to make her seem less intimidating. "Ah know Ah ain't got the purdiest lookin' bod in the world, but Ah promise yer cute 'lil nose Ah won't be turning ya'll into no robot."

[Lans]

"Yeah, it's all right, Ray," Tails said, wincing at the squirrel's grip as he tried to push him forward, "Aunt Bunnie's not gonna hurt you."

[Leda]

Ray let out a shrill whimper, which grew higher and higher in pitch as the kit pushed him closer. The squirrel's blonde body trembled violently as he stared at Bunnie -- specifically, at her roboticized limbs. He'd never actually seen a robot before; not a robian one, anyway. His family had been chased by Swatbots many times that he could remember, and each time was just as terrifying (if not moreso) than the last. But a robian? They'd never been close enough to active cities for him to witness one.

So to find himself face-to-face with what was undoubtedly his greatest fear next to losing his parents? Ray could barely breathe.

Actually, he couldn't breathe. His entire body, including his chest, had completely frozen with fright.

[Jamie Lee]

The rabbit's ears drooped slightly, the sounds of his whining hurting her sensitive ears. Accompanied was a constrictive feeling in her chest of sympathy for the poor child. She could only imagine what he must have been through to be left in such a fragile condition. Noting where his attention seemed to be she dipped her head slightly.

"That's right, honeybunch... There's no need for ya'll to be scared, Ah won't hurt ya. This ol' arm and these here legs are just... they're from an old accident. Ah ain't much different from you... Just a kind southun lady iffin ya look in the right place..." She extended her organic hand out, hoping for him to examine it. "See?"

[Leda]

At last Ray inhaled, but in the form of a frightened gasp as Bunnie reached out at him. The squirrel ducked his head into the protection of his arms, cowering backwards against Tails, and shakily awaited his fate.

But it never came.

Letting out a pair of anxious hiccups, Ray slowly unburied his face and peered Bunnie's extended hand. She'd never even touched him, he realized. The boy turned around and looked to Tails for guidance, but the kit was as calm and comfortable as ever. Ray's ears remained flat against his head; these last couple of days (or what felt to him like a couple of days) had been so confusing. He'd had to go against the only rules he'd ever lived by for the whole of his life, and even though it tore him apart to break them, he couldn't deny that the results had benefited him.

But still, a robot. Could he really go against that rule?

Ray turned back to Bunnie. His face reflected the queasy, churning feeling overwhelming his stomach. His blue eyes carefully scrutinized her metallic limbs; it was disturbing to see metal abruptly end and flesh suddenly begin. How did she even move like that? He wondered at length if she could feel anything, and if it made things difficult. More than anything, however, he wondered if the mechanical parts of her body were spreading like a disease -- and if so whether or not he could catch it.

She... seems nice... And Tails said she won't hurt me... But I just met Tails. Ray's eyes dropped to the floor as his mind quickly ran away with itself. Is it really okay to trust him? Is it really safe here? What if I catch what's happening to the lady?

...What if Mommy and Daddy find me after I turn into a robot? Would they still love me??

If minds made a noise when they shut down, Ray's would've rang out loud and clear. Too many questions, and furthermore questions far too mature for him to manage, completely saturated the little squirrel's psyche. At the thought of possibly losing the love of his mother and father, Ray's face twisted with grief plummeted into his hands as he burst into tears. "Mommy and Daddy won't love me...!"

[Lans]

While Tails had only found Ray's initial reaction to Bunnie slightly surprising, he had no idea what to make of this, and just looked confusedly from Ray to Bunnie.

[Jamie Lee]

"Oh sweetie..." Bunnie said softly, wanting to just scoop him up into her arms and give him a great big hug. "Yer Mama and Papa ain't nevah gonna stop lovin' you. No matter what. Ah'll bet ya'll're just the world to them. Now come on, Ah'll bet ya'll're hungry... Ah'm sure that's what you two're up this late for," she gave a knowing smirk at Tails.

[Leda]

As they say, the way to a paranoid squirrel's heart is his stomach. As Bunnie got up and set about whipping up some delectible delights, Ray gradually settled back down from his little fit. Her words had definitely been comforting... sort of... A particular thought had been haunting him for a while now, but the boy pushed that problem to the back of his mind for now; he was hungry.

Bunnie had already set to work on something at the counter. He couldn't quite tell what it was; Ray's eye-level was just too short to see over the edge. Gulping nervously, the squirrel quietly crept after her, albeit continuing to keep his distance once he got there. Ray grabbed hold of the counter and attempted to pull himself up high enough to see the preparation, but his thin arms couldn't support his admittedly minimal weight, and in the end he couldn't get higher than his tippy toes. Having failed that, his attention drifted back to Bunnie's robotic limbs...

As he stood to her left, he had a direct view of two of them. The sight of her mechanical arm working harmoniously with her organic one was something so new to him that the boy almost couldn't comprehend it at all. It was like a real arm, but, it wasn't real. But it had to be kind of real, or she couldn't use it...

She said she had a bad accident... Ray recalled, his ears flattening once more to his head. Maybe something bad happened and made her start changing.... The squirrel turned his troubled eyes up to Bunnie's face. "...Does it hurt?"

[Lans]

"Does what hurt?" Tails asked as he came up beside Ray.

[Leda]

The squirrel looked at his peer, then back at Bunnie. "The lady's...... u-um...." Ray stumbled in his attempt to think of a non-offensive way to refer to the rabbot's roboticized limbs. Finally he simply pointed to Bunnie's arm and said, "...that."

[Jamie Lee]

She glanced at where the squirrel had pointed, and for a moment she stared at the gleaming appendage, her mind inadvertently beginning to wander. Back to the recesses of her mind where certain thoughts and memories and feelings were normally kept tucked away...

She blinked suddenly, snapping out of it when she realized she'd taken longer than she should have to answer and smiled weakly.

"Ya get used to it."

[Leda]

Ray let out a quiet whimper and backed off. He'd just broken a rule he hadn't been forced to break: he'd stepped on someone else's feelings. Visibly shrinking a bit, the squirrel looked around for somewhere to retreat to, as he still wasn't willing to go outside alone.

[Lans]

Tails shifted uncomfortably during the slightly tense moment, unsure if he should say anything, so he just aked, "What'cha makin, Aunt Bunnie?"

[Jamie Lee]

Thankful for the change of subject, her demeanor quickly shifted back to normal as she went back to food properation.

"Well Sugah, Ah hope ya'll ain't minding a ham sandwich since Ah already had the stuff out."

[Leda]

Ray didn't answer. He just sat under the table hugging his knees.

[Lans]

"Sounds great to me, Aunt Bunnie!" Tails said with a tail wag that made him sorta look like he had a giant pair of fluffy scissors attached to him. "Do you like-" he started to to ask Ray as he turned to look at him, only to find him not there. He glanced around the kitchen and spotted the squirrel under the table, then hopped over. "Hey, what'cha doing under there?"

[Leda]

The squirrel recoiled slight at Tails' vivacious approach; he still wasn't quite used to so much enthusiasm. "N-Nothing..." Ray squeaked.

[Lans]

"Well you can't eat under there," he said, crawling under the table as well to pull him out.

[Jamie Lee]

Bunnie, having finished with the boys' food, wandered over with a couple of trays and set them on top of the table. She knelt down to peek under it at the two boys and chuckled.

"It's alright, honeybunch... ya'll shouldn't feel like ya need to hide," she smiled warmly and extended her organic hand to him. "'Sides, Tails is right, ya'll can't eat off the floor, now can ya?"

[Leda]

Ray blinked. This was certainly news to him. Having lived his life as a nomad, he'd been raised with the idea of eating off the ground to be perfectly acceptable. Glancing between Tails and Bunnie with sincere confusion, he asked, "Why can't I?"

[Lans]

"Well you don't wanna get dirt in your food for one thing," Tails said, then made a 'BLEH' face.

[Jamie Lee]

The rabbit chuckled, "Besides, that's what the table's for." she patted the top of it in emphasis.

[Leda]

The squirrel wilted slightly. "I eat dirt in my food..." Had he done something wrong all this time? But his parents had done it too, and they were the ones that knew the rules...

He didn't get to ponder it for long; his stomach interrupted with another insistant growl, and Ray held it longingly.

[Lans]

Tails couldn't help but look digusted for real that time. "Really? Ugh."