🎆Train to Nowhere! At least you're there...~🎆

Looey’s phone was crooked in between his shoulder and neck, with Blot’s voice coming through the end of it. “Come on, why does it have to be a surprise?” The mime asked. The two had been talking for a little bit, mostly about when Blot and Yatta would get here, and also about the mysterious pet that Looey refused to reveal. For most Toons, it was difficult for them to understand Looey’s friend, but after so long of hanging out with him, Looey was able to automatically translate his Ink-Blobspeak. “Becauseee, it’ll be better if it is! Promise I’ll tell you both when you get here; best way to tell is to show.” Looey responded as he pulled into a parking lot. He had initially been on his way to the apartment in his car around the outskirts of town, but a cozy looking library had caught his eye. What had happened yesterday, it plagued his mind; if anywhere had information about what on earth he had found and also about what he’d done, it just might be here.

“Alright, well, I’ll have to let you go now. Can’t wait to see ya! And Yatta too, miss you guys. Buh-bye.” Looey would say, pulling his phone out of the crook, and holding it up for a moment for clearer audio as his thumb hovered over the hang-up button. “Alrighttt, hehe, buh-bye, Looey.” Blot would say just before the balloon dog hung up the phone. Looey would take a short breath, put away his phone, and get out of the car, surveying the library.

The building was nicely built, with two decorative pillars on either side of the entrance. Flowers and foliage grew all around the foundation and under the windows. It seemed like a quaint place to do some reading. It’d for sure be a nice place to relax with Blot; with Yatta? Not so much. Looey chuckled slightly at the thought as he approached the entrance. Shelves and shelves of books lined the halls within the building, with a librarian’s desk smack-dab in the center of it all. To the right of the entrance were some tables for studying purposes; A Magnifying Glass toon sat at one of them, poring over one book with a stack of many just off to his side. To Looey’s left, there were a few computers for community usage. That was good, could be used if the books failed him. He’d thought of using his phone to try and do some research, but Blot was always telling him it was better to get an actual book when possible.

Looey reached the librarian’s desk, and rang a service bell that was shaped a bit like a lamp shade. “Just a moment! I’ll be right with you.” A voice came from behind the desk out of view; Looey peered over the desk a bit, and saw the owner of the voice on their knees organizing some stuff on a shelf under the desk. They would emerge only seconds after acknowledging Looey’s presence, and be back to standing with only the brushing of their hand against their dress indicating that they were on the ground just now. “Alright! How can I help you?” She had a pleasant energy about her, not crazy hyper like Yatta was, and her tone was quieter, softer. She was a Lamp-Themed Toon from the seems of it, light came through her vibrant shade to illuminate the nearby area; it wasn’t noticeable due to the light of day and the lights in the room, but if it were dark Looey imagined it’d be very visible. “Ah, well you see Miss…” Looey’s eyes briefly scanned the desk for a name… thing, he couldn’t remember what it was called, plate? A nameplate? That seemed right. The desk was sparsely decorated; other than the bell, there was a computer, a flower-themed mousepad, a small stack of books about dinosaurs, an old lightbulb, and a nameplate that read ‘Brightney Lightney’ which must be what Looey was looking for. “Miss Lightney, do you know where I could find any books on… pests?” He asked, both hands on the desk as he leaned in a bit, just a little bit tense. “Pests?” She asked, tilting her head a bit curiously. “Y’know- rats, mice, or… anything that’s small enough to get into your walls. Oh-! And also books on fantastical creatures of er- small stature?” He asked, not being the least bit subtle but there was no way Miss Lightney knew what kind of creature he was trying to find. He didn’t exactly want her to think he was crazy.

Unfortunately for Looey, it would appear his attempts were in vain as Brightney squinted at him a bit. “Well… more mythological books for that second thing you’re looking for would be near the back corner just aboutttt, that way- aisle 18,” She started, pointing to her left. “Andddd for rodents of that kind, you’re gonna wanna see aisle 7 to the right- your left.” She finished, pointing the other way. Before Looey could respond, she’d softly face palm. “Oh, silly me- before you go, would you like to open a library card? So you can check anything you want out!” She briefly explained with a polite smile. Looey had already been about to head toward the more mythological books, but stopped midstep. “Uhhh, no thanks, I’ll just stay in here- thank you though! Maybe if I come back, Miss Lightney-” He tried to end off, but she’d interject. “-You can just call me Brightney, most who come here do.” She assured him. “Oh, alright! Brightney then, thank you for the help.” He finally finished off, ushering himself out of her view, just missing her sighing and leaning against the desk before tossing the old lightbulb into a wastebin.

While Looey began to pick out a few books that caught his eye, the Magnifying Glass would sideeye him with a singular eye, looking away from his book. “Hmm…”

—---------------------------------------

It took a bit, but eventually Looey was able to take a seat with a small pile of books in his arms that he’d set down right in front of him. It was quite a big table, it might've been a bit too big for him but it wasn’t like there were any parties coming in here. Heh, that’d be silly. Wayyyy too quiet for one of Yatta’s parties. He was currently flipping through a book about halfway through his stack that he’d just been skimming… lots of cool creatures, but nothing that really screamed “Tiny Reindeer in your walls? Here’s what you need to know.” He sighed as he eventually closed the book on a page about Twisteds. Terrifying creatures if you thought about it, Thank goodness they’re not real… He thought to himself absentmindedly, mind trailing off thinking about that cheesy movie Yatta had dug out of her parents attic a few years back. He didn’t get very far with his thoughts before someone cleared their throat from behind him. That gave him a startle. “Oh, yes?” He asked as he turned to see the Detective-Looking Toon. “Excuse me, sir. You appear to be a bit… troubled about something.” They said, before taking a seat next to Looey. “You haven’t found anything about what you’re looking for?” He began, striking up conversation rather suddenly. Looey looked back and forth nervously. “Well… yes? I dunno, kind of feels like I’m going crazy.” At that comment, the other Toon’s eyes narrowed slightly in an attentive way. “Hmm… wanna tell me about it? My name is Glassly, Rodger Glassly. I’m a detective, private investigator, a regular Sherlock Magnifies if you will. If you need to learn about something, I can help.” Rodger introduced himself, a hand over his heart in a gesture to himself as he spoke. Looey tilted his head, but listened intently until he was done. “Oh… well, I’m sure I don’t need that hehe, Iiiiii think I’d rather do this on my own, Mr. uh… Glassly.” Looey affirmed as he closed the book and began to pore through another one while still listening. “Hmm… are you quite sure? Y’never know what you might find if I help.” Rodger tried to convince, sitting with his hands in his lap now. “I’m sure, but- thanks, my name’s Looey by the way.” The clown dog finished off, really hoping the magnifying glass didn’t pry any further.

“Alright, well, if you change your mind: Take this.” Rodger would say, getting up and dusting himself off before placing a business card in the book Looey was reading. “If you need to know something about your… diminutive ‘pest’, you know where to find me.” Rodger would walk away, exchange a brief chat with Brightney while returning the books he’d been poring over, and then headed out. Looey watched him go all the while, but by the time he got out of view the Balloon Dog went back to poring over the books.

Before he properly zoned back in though, he took his phone out and whispered something. “Hey Trophii, what does ‘dimunitive’ mean?”

—-----------------------------------

In another part of town, the Troupe’s apartment lay silent, save for the nearly quiet thud of antlers on cardboard. Rudie grunted as he shook his head, and charged the wall of his box again. The cardboard was surprisingly sturdy, and the poor borrower couldn’t hope to make little more than a dent! After his next dash, he would sit back and tenderly rub his antlers. “Urg… I’m going to hurt my head if I keep doing this!” He grumbled in slight frustration as he looked up to the dimly lit holes in the roof of his box. This was… not a good situation, to say the least. He had no idea when Looey would be back, or for how long he was going to be in this box. He did NOT want to be some Bean’s pet, he needed to get out! All he wanted was to see his friends again, and wait patiently for Christmas. He scooted over to a wall to lean against as he sat. Christmas… that last one was so good. He thought with a smile, desperate for positive thought as he closed his eyes and pictured the scene.

Last year was the third Christmas the lot of them had celebrated. It had been a beautiful day inside of a Farmhouse’s attic! Bobette had borrowed many chunks of fresh fruit, and even had a chunk of something called Fruitcake; Ginger hadn’t much liked it, but Rudie found enjoyment in it. They decorated a fern with ‘ornaments’ they’d made out of fabric and string, and the evening after they opened presents they’d given each other and received from the Borrower Santa (He gave presents to them now that they were celebrating), and Bobette even had Coal take the three of them out to a clearing where they enjoyed the sight of fireflies waking up and dancing across the sky. Gosh… he yearned for that home now. It was a shame the life of a borrower was so active, maybe one day they could go back! So long as another Bean moved in. He almost wished on it, but he had to use his wishes widely! So, he wished internally to just get to talk to Bobette.

Thankfully, his wish came true much sooner than anyone would have anticipated. “Pst… Rudie! Rudie!!” A quiet whisper shout came from somewhere outside of the box. Rudie would quickly get up and run to lean his head against the wall to listen. “Oh! Oh my garland!! Bobette, you found me!” He began with a smile, and tears pricking his eyes. “Of course I did, your nose’s light led me here through the airholes; are… oh gosh, are you okay?? Are you hurt?” She began, voice mildly frantic but trying to keep calm. “Um… yes- physically I’m fine! But- please please pleaseeee get me out of here!” Rudie would plead, trying to hold back the shake in his voice. Now that his lifeline was here it was a bit easier to let himself go. “Don’t worry, we will! Is the Bean closeby?” Bobette asked after a second where she took a breath, her voice steady now. “N-no, they left a while ago, but I don’t know when they’re coming back!” Rudie exclaimed at the end, hoof over his chest as he tried to calm himself with a few breaths. His normally scrambled mind was only focusing on two words: “Get Out.” repeated over and over again as he tried to clear his mind. “Hey, shhh… it’s okay, it’s okay; we’ll get out of this, we always do. Ginger!! Come help me!” Bobette called, waving Ginger over from a mousehole hidden underneath the bed that they’d just carved out.

Once Ginger came, the three would hatch a plan. “Okay, can’t we carve a hole into the box like we just did? This cardboard has to be weaker than the wall…” Ginger suggested softly, but Bobette was already shaking her head. “That would be easy, but it would also be far too revealing; they know what Rudie looks like, if he manages to carve a hole out with tools they’d know- we can’t risk that.” All Rudie could do was stare at the cardboard that separated them. This is so dumb… I can’t believe I let this happen!! Urggg… He thought internally, beating himself up a bit too much. “I… know there’s like, a book or something on top of the box, maybe you two can push it off?” Rudie suggested, more than a bit downtrodden in his tone. “I’m sorry for getting into this mess… promise though, I didn’t say a word!” He spoke, clutching his arm somewhat with his other one. “No, it’s okay, it happens sometimes! And…” Her voice faltered for a moment. “If you’re talking about the Code, it’s… already broken by having been seen, but it’s okay!! We understand, er- Here- Ginger get on my shoulders.” She assured Rudie rather nervously before asking Ginger, and the reindeer would hear some struggle outside of the box as presumably Ginger and Bobette clambered their way atop the box. Rudie just sunk to the floor, ears down as he smiled sadly. Bobette was sweet, but this was his fault; that’s what he thought anyway, especially when it came to the Code. Shortly after Bobette’s last response, an arm would poke through one of the airholes, and wave at Rudie all friendly-like. “Ah! You guys made it!” Rudie exclaimed, nose brightening up a bit more. “Yeah! Just hang in there!” The ornament called, retracting her arm and getting to pushing the book off of the box with considerable effort; the best comparison for weight would be if a Bean tried to push two fallen over fridges at the same time.

About five seconds after Bobette said that, however, a jingling could be heard, followed closely by a click that was all processed by Rudie’s ears flicking a bit. His eyes widened, his nose dimming considerably as he jumped up and stuck an arm through the airhole, getting a grip by bending it. He waved frantically at Bobette and Ginger, wherever they were up there. “Wait!! Hide!! NOW!” His hearing was much better than theirs, so for subtle noises like this it was up to him. All three of them however would be able to hear the front door opening, and the subtle, almost squeaky footsteps of the Bean who lived here. “Oh!” Bobette exclaimed and quickly pulled Ginger away from the book and pushed her off of the box. “Drop and roll!” She commanded hushedly, before pressing her face against one of the airholes… her face was a sight for sore eyes. “We’ll come back, just… stay safe, please?” She asked, but of course there was no way for Rudie to assure her of that truly. The reindeer would nod his head, smile weakly, and wave goodbye as the Ornament bit her lip and disappeared. Rudie’s smile would fade into a frown from here, but after a moment he shook his head, and furrowed his brows. “Come on Rudie… be, brave!!” He commanded himself, hunching his shoulders and trying to make himself look intimidating… it didn’t work but no one was there to tell him otherwise. Faintly in his mind however, an idea was forming. If he already broke the code… maybe he should try something different?

—---------------------------

Looey closed the door behind him and sighed. No new information; Not even the internet was able to tell him much about what his little thief might be. How was that possible?? He didn’t know, but he couldn’t care much right now. Soon, his troupe would be here and they could give their thoughts. That would be nice. He headed into the bedroom, and sat down next to the box where the tiny reindeer was kept. A dim light glowed from the airholes as he side-eyed the box. That detail was especially mysterious; he had noticed it last night before falling asleep, and when opening the box that night he could see it came from its nose. It was neat, quite cute, but made him so so confused. He only knew of things like fireflies or light-based toons like Brightney being able to do that, and this thing seemed like neither insect nor… He couldn’t finish the thought. He hadn’t really put much thought into it, but the little thief didn’t exactly look not like a Toon. If Looey didn’t know any better, then he’d almost say that they were a shrunken Toon or something; That couldn’t be, because… why hadn’t they spoken to him? Yes, that had to be wrong. Looey affirmed this thought in his mind with a slight nod. Unfortunately, with that conclusion came a different set of thoughts, one that had been nagging on him since last night.

He closed his eyes, visualizing it in his head. He had blacked out, just before swallowing Rudie whole; but now, he could recall more and more of what had transpired. Looey was different. He had been… animalistic, but in a controlled way guided only on instinct. He could remember the feeling of the little reindeer against his tongue, the precision of how he’d kept him away from the teeth, the tender care of the swallow and the feeling that he was keeping him safe, somehow. It was all on instinct, but even now he could feel the muscles in his stomach, easy to bend to his will. He remembered their smell; heck, he could smell the little thief from inside the box even now. Part of him almost wanted to… he shook his head. His breathing got a bit unsteady as he felt that familiar feeling again. He could tap into that side of him. He could smell, and hear so much. A dog down the street, the rustling of a bush just outside the stairwell, tiny footfalls, and the sound of his friends arriving in a car while someone typed away at a computer somewhere on the first floor, and so much more. He gasped, and clutched his head. As suddenly as it was all there, it disappeared in a snap. For all this time, he had been trying to research what his potential new pet was… but he hadn’t been looking at all into what He was. Maybe he should call that detective. His phone buzzed with a notification, breaking up his thoughts. A quick perusal over it told him that Yatta and Blot were finally here; seems his hearing was correct. He would stand up, and look at the box again. The book that he’d set atop it seemed to have been adjusted slightly; maybe it had tried to push against the roof? Ah well. Looey grabbed another book off of his personal stack that he had and set it on top of the first one after adjusting it back to normal. That should keep it from getting out… he didn’t know much, but he did know he probably didn’t want it running around free.

Looey would then head for the door, and offer a slight wave to the box even though it was pointless. “Be right back, little thief… we’ll come up with a name for you later, promise.” He assured, before heading on out the door and down the stairs. It would only be a moment after he reached the ground before he was tackled nearly to the ground by a vibrating, yellow, paper-mâché creature of excitement personified. “Looey, my best buddy ever, LOOEY!!” She’d shout right in front of him as she’d hug him close, arms entirely wrapped around him. “Yeah Yatta?” Looey responded, stifling a chuckle as he hugged her right back. She was shorter than him by a bit, but her personality made her seem larger than life; She was easily injured despite that, unfortunately. Blot would walk up from behind Yatta, hands full dragging two suitcases behind him. “Pfft- what about me then, huh?” He teased playfully, standing the suitcases up on either side of him. “You BOTH are!! Bestest friends, the circus troupe! This is going to be great!” She’d reach out and drag Blot over to sidehug him, and sidehug Looey at the same time while she spoke. Looey smiled, leaning into the hug with Blot doing the same. The three would stay like this for a second, before Looey would clear his throat. “Blot, hold yourself together.” He’d whisper discreetly in gentle reminder. “Oh- right!” Whenever Blot got unfocused, he tended to start leaving small puddles of ink which were a part of him. If he left too much behind he’d get a lot shorter, which he can’t exactly afford as the shortest in the group. Right now, there were a few small puddles behind him from when he’d been dragged; all it took was a slight suction before the ink would rejoin with him. “Alright we’re good to go!” He’d declare, pulling away from the hug. “Now how’s about you show us to our new home?” Blot would say with a smile in his eyes, and one hand already grabbing one of the suitcases behind him. “Of course, of course, here I’ll help you with that.” Looey would say, taking the other suit case and looking past him. “Anything else?”

“Not really, just trash.” The ink blob would assure, following Looey when he began to go up the stairs. When neither of them were looking, Yatta had rushed up the stairs and was already waiting for the two at the top. “Hurryyyy, I can’t wait to see it!” She exclaimed, swinging her arms a little while Looey and Blot made the trek up. “There isn’t that much up there, I’ve hardly decorated.” Looey pointed out with a nervous smile. It certainly was a nice place, but he was mostly worried about the reception of his little creature. Once all three of them reached the threshold, Looey would open the door and welcome them inside to the sparsely decorated apartment. Shelves to the left with balloon animal versions of the three of them on them, a tv at the back wall with a couch facing it pushed to the front wall, a small kitchen to the right with a dining table tucked into a crevice, and of course a door to the bed and bathrooms… and inside that bedroom was where Looey was keeping the tiny reindeer’s box. He bit his lip as Yatta dived onto the couch and stretched out a bit, while Blot rolled the suitcase to the bedroom. Part of him wanted to stop him, but instead Looey pushed past Blot, opened the door for him, and then quickly pushed Rudie’s box under the bed; one of the books on top fell from this, but it’d be fine. “You okay, Looey? You seem… off.” Blot commented, singular inky eyebrow furrowed. “Yeah, I’m fine! Just going to let you two settle in first.” He assured, patting Blot’s shoulder.

The ink blob would be somewhat satisfied by this, and the two friends would unpack their suitcases in the bedroom. Yatta had posters, candy, craft supplies, more candy, a stuffed animal, and a few different clothing options, alongside another few pieces of chocolate stuffed into a pocket. Blot’s suitcase had trace amounts of ink, paper, clothing, some paint, and what felt like an invisible piece of wood… wait, no that’s an invisible chess board. Looey thought with a roll of his eyes when he took it out. Chess was okay, but he always struggled with being unable to see the pieces. He’d gotten used to it at this point, but it always felt cheap. “We should play a game next chance we get, good way to settle in!” Looey side-eyed Blot when he suggested it, but chuckled softly. “Sure, but only if you mark where the pieces are with your ink! Too tired to memorize allat.” Looey teased with a gentle poke to Blot’s side.

After about thirty minutes of unpacking, with Yatta rambling about how she hoped that they could paint the walls and really make the place pop (and Blot reminding her that there was a limit to how much they could do.), Looey would sit with the three on the bed. “Okayyy, which of us should get the bed?” Yatta asked, sitting criss-crossed on the edge, with the other two sitting in a triangular formation in proportion to her. Looey and Blot looked at each other; that was certainly a loaded question, and they both knew that it would lead to a war of self-sacrifice. Looey could hear the conflict already, a thousand insistences, wrestling to give up the bed for the other, it would be a massacre. “Uhhh, hehe, okay, how about we talk about something else? There is something I’d like to talk to you two about…” Looey changed the subject, they’d deal with that ordeal later. He looked down and bit his lip a bit as attention turned to him. “Oh! Yes!! Ooo does this have to do with that mysterious pet you were telling us about??” Yatta questioned, both hands on her knees as she grinned excitedly. “Well- yeah, but heHA… it's a bit more mysterious than you’d think.” He explained, much to both of their confusion as he shifted around, and reached for the box from under the bed. He would pull it up, and set it on his lap as he took the book off and set it to the side. “It’s uh… quite unusual, actually.” Looey explained as he began to open the box. “Unusual how?”

—---------------------------------

Rudie yelped a bit as the box was pushed suddenly, and rubbed his head after having fallen over. This situation had turned from bad to worse. When Looey was breathing strangely earlier, Rudie had debated and nearly decided on trying to speak to him. He had already broken the borrower code after all, so what would the harm be really? Unfortunately, he didn’t build up the courage fast enough, but now he was really glad to have not done so. As he waited under the bed, he could hear two more Beans in the apartment! He wasn’t sure if he could handle revealing himself to three Beans at once. He listened intensely to the high energy voice and the strange noises that sounded almost like words but lower energy and just distorted. Everything felt like it happened so fast, because almost as suddenly as they arrived (though in reality it had been half an hour or so), he’d be pulled back out from under the bed, and brought up.

He could hear the higher energy one. “Oh! Yes!! Ooo does this have to do with that mysterious pet you were telling us about??” They questioned, which made Rudie’s face pale a bit, and his nose to grow dimmer. Oh no. He was about to be seen by two more Beans. His head was filled with a bit more panic, but he had to relax. He needed to relax. “Well- yeah, but heHA… it's a bit more mysterious than you’d think.” His ears flicked as he listened intently, and was then lifted up to the bed and set somewhere uneven. He looked up through the airholes, and could see a bit of Looey’s head, and a hand grabbing the flaps of the box. “?woh lausunU” The unusual sounding person asked, what was the deal with that? The curious nature of the voice was almost enough to distract Rudie from the panic. Please please pleaseeee just- set my box back down and just, I dunno- don’t open please don’t open please- He pleaded internally, but there was only so much he could do. The box would open, and he’d have three sets of Bean eyes on him for the first time. I hope you’re on the naughty list this year. He thought bitterly, and rather naughtily, he thought in the back of his mind.

Could you blame him though? It was a high stress situation. He sat, legs splayed out and front hooves on the ground holding himself up a bit so he wouldn’t lay down and curl up. One of the Beans with horns and a pointed smile would lean in and get a good look at him. “Ooo, it’s really cute!! But… what is it?” She asked, thankfully averting her gaze to look at Looey, wait no, she turned right back to looking at him. “Well… that’s the thing, Yatta, I have no idea! I found him stealing grapes from me a few days ago.” Looey explained, scratching the back of his head. It’s called Borrowing, stealing is naughty! Rudie thought incredulously before yelping a bit as suddenly the ground left him. The high energy Bean who was apparently named Yatta had scooped him up and was now holding him up with a cupped hand to her face. Rudie bit his lip nervously as the other hand gently poked at his peppermint colored antlers. “Hehe, sounds cute too!” She added on, voice a smidge too loud for his ears but that couldn’t be helped. “?rewsna na dah gnihtemos ro elgooG ylerus -tub …si ti tahw wonk t’nod ouy oS” The ink blob asked while Rudie tried to push Yatta away, but of course it just made her chuckle a bit… oblivious to his feelings.

“No, not even the library had any answers. There was just this strange private investigator type that- sort of implied he knew what I was looking for? It was weird.” Looey explained, seemingly unsettled as his eyes watched Rudie being held by Yatta. “But uh, it appears to be a little reindeerrrr, it has a glowing nose sometimes, and- I dunno. I’ve never seen anything like it so I thought we could keep it.” He finished, shrugging a bit. “.elbatrofmoc oot mees t’nseod …tI ?maor ot ti rof erehwemos pu tes dluohs ew ebyam ,hU .trats ot ecalp doog a eb d’eh ebyam ,lleW” The inky monster vocalized. Before Rudie knew it, he’d be set back down and carried, box and all, to the living room where the Beans would set up some kind of enclosure. They used empty suitcases to block the way to the kitchen, sat in front of the couch, and used spare clothing to stop him from hiding under the tv stand. The three Beans would sit in a triangular formation once again, Looey sat with one leg straight out, and one bent at the knee with his tail resting on the ground to his left, Blot would be criss cross, and Yatta would actually be laying on her side instead watching Rudie very closely. Unsettling.

Rudie himself would be set down in the middle of it all, free to roam as he pleased. As much as the ink monster terrified him, he was grateful for the minor autonomy that… might have come from him? Rudie wasn’t sure. The Beans would begin to discuss with each other about what plans they had for the coming days, but Rudie wasn’t tuned in to that. He would go and try to find any space between the suitcases to squeeze through. “Okay, now that that’s set up! Whereeee are we performing again?” Rudie grunted softly as he tried to push his head through a little crack between two of the suitcases, no success. The ink creature said something, and Looey responded while Rudie tried to clamber atop the suitcase. “Ooo, okay! An outdoor theatre sounds like a good place. You sure we’ll get enough concession sales though?” Discussion kept going on, Rudie only being able to half listen as he nearly reached the top of the suitcase. Yatta would reach over and nudge him back down to the floor, unfortunately enough. “Awww, nimble like me! Hmm… you’re a reindeerrr, maybe something Christmas themed! Dasher could be a cute name!” Yatta spoke ‘quietly’ to herself, Rudie whining softly out of frustration when she finally set him back down. She was watching him way too closely for him to do much of anything! He really wanted to give her a good headbutt, but… he couldn’t make them mad or anything! This is what they were doing because they liked him; he didn’t want to think about what they’d do if they were upset. He tried to keep the thoughts at bay of what he’d seen of how other Beans could treat bad pets by moving all around the space provided to him. He traced the wall opposite the suitcases, tried to sneak under the couch to no avail, and even tried to access an old mousehole under the tv stand! That time it was Looey that pulled him back with a demeaning chuckle and pat on the head. After that last time, Rudie would grumpily cross his arms, and sit criss cross next to Looey. He’d look to his left, and bite his tongue nervously as he saw Yatta on hands and knees creeping up next to him.

“Hmmm…” She hummed in thought, Rudie looking all around just to not look at her being in such close proximity to him. “You think those antlers of his actually taste like candy canes? Do they still sell candy canes outside of Christmas?? I really want some now!” She exclaimed, interrupting Looey going on about what they should try to include close to the end of their act tomorrow. Looey would turn to look at the two before responding. “Eh, not sure about the candy canes but he tastes like peppermint chocolate primarily, but that does remind me, who should take him to… Rodger?” Looey kind of trailed off there as both Blot and Yatta kind of just stared at him. “?ekil setsat eh tahw wonk …ouY” The ink monster asked as Rudie shifted back around to primarily watch Looey. This definitely caught his attention a bit more than the other topics. I have… a taste?? Oh gosh- He didn’t know what he would’ve expected himself to taste like, but that casual description made his skin crawl a little. His mind flashed back to when he’d been in that… place. The wetness of it all, and that muscle prodding at him and pushing at him. It made him shudder all over again to think about what it must have been like for Looey. Strangely enough… Looey seemed nervous. “Uhhh, well- you know! I meant that that’s probably what he would taste like- cuz- it’s what he smells like!” Looey spoke, pulling at the collar of his shirt slightly as he tried to recover from what must have been a blunder. Guess Beans aren’t normally carnivorous, or something? Rudie questioned with a tilt of his head. He hated this. He had nothing to distract himself with and he couldn’t stop paying attention to the giants around him; He was convinced the Pinata beside him was debating on licking him; he needed to use the bathroom; no fun thoughts. Rudie just really wanted to head back to the crook of a tree his friends and he had been staying in before Rudie decided to go out borrowing on his own. He just wanted to be home with his friends.

The Inky Toon would raise a singular eyebrow and Yatta would sniff Rudie after a brief nuzzle that nearly knocked Rudie over with how unexpected it was. “Uhhh, best buddy Looey? I don’t smelllll anything like that.” She said, in the most normal tone Rudie had heard from her so far. “O-oh… well, I don’t knowww, might have been a guess hehe. Um, okay so- Blot are you good to take it to Mr. Glassly?” Blot and Yatta would give each other a wordless look, but it wouldn’t lead to anything seemingly as Blot nodded and got up. So that was the monster’s name. Rudie would be cataloguing that in the back of his mind before he’d realize that he was coming Straight For Him. Rudie would yelp, and do a high leap over Looey’s tail and cower behind it just out of their view. Could you blame him, honestly? In Rudie’s mind, the dripping ink blot’s hand might just absolutely encase him! Spooky stuff. Blot would hesitate, and look at Looey with a shrug. “Uh… well, I suppose that I could take him then! Let you two settle in more hehe…” He seemed almost glad to get away.

It wouldn’t be long at all past this point that Rudie would be snatched back up, placed into his box, and taken somewhere out of the apartment. Okay… this was new territory for him, but he’d need to be brave. Surely it would all be fine, right? After all, tonight Bobette and Ginger would come back and try to rescue him! But… What if they got caught? What if that candy loving pinata ate Ginger?? Or… he tried to calm his mind with some breathing techniques. It’s just that there now being three Beans in the apartment made things so much more complicated. Rudie would grunt as the box was abruptly set down in the passenger’s seat of a car, and Looey would begin taking him to the address on the business card. Of course, Rudie was mostly unaware of what was going on, just that he was being taken somewhere. As Looey drove, Rudie would lean against the wall of the box closest to Looey, and listen to the words that he’d hear Looey mumble as they moved.

—-----------------------------------------

Looey would drive on with his hands clutching the wheel as he tapped his free foot against the ground. “Gosh… What is wrong with me?!” He questioned, switching to only using one hand on the wheel as he ran a hand between his ears. His mind rushed through that moment. As much as he hated blacking out and waking up to having a living thing in his gut, he now wished that that memory of what had happened had stayed gone. He hated the more he remembered it. The thing is though, he didn’t hate it because it disgusted him. He hated it because of how much he loved it. He didn’t know what it was as he took a right down a more residential street. It just felt so… right. He had the tiny reindeer so close, so… safe. But why was it safe? Why was it perfectly fine afterwards? It was so weird and… unnatural. Yet that didn’t change a thing. Looey side-eyed the box, and clutched the wheel a little tighter. “I have absolutely no idea what you are, little thief… or why what happened that night happened, but… I intend to find out. If you’re gonna be mine, I don’t want you harmed, okay?” He said, unknowingly staring directly at the spot where Rudie was leaning against the wall of the box listening intently. It was about here when he’d pull into an empty driveway of an ordinary house with a closed garage. Looey sighed, and stopped the car. “God, what am I doing? You can’t respond back,” He spoke with a weak smile as he opened the door, and stepped out, “suppose that makes you a good listener though, haha…”

After he picked the box up, and went to knock on the door of the home, he became a bit nervous about an entirely different thing. What if it was too late in the day to talk to Rodger? The sun was just going down, but… maybe he should have called? Looey wasn’t sure now. Thankfully before he could overthink himself to popping, the door would open with Rodger in much less formal attire being present. “Ah! Mr. Looey, what a pleasure!” The Magnifying Glass would say with a twinkle in his eye as he held the door open wider and gestured for him to come inside. “I presume you come here to talk about… what may be in that box.” Rodger inquired, pointing at the box slightly as Looey stepped over the threshold and followed the Toon as he began to walk toward the garage door. “Yes… I am.” Looey assured with a nervous nod as he followed Rodger. The door would open to present the two-car garage, a simple pickup truck on the end opposite the door, with the side closest to the door being occupied by a few curiosities. It appeared to be a Detective’s office, decorated with a desk, bulletin board, white board, and various tools and books. “Do try to be quiet, I just put the little one to sleep.” Rodger asked, pulling out a chair for Looey from in front of a more professional desk seemingly for meeting with clients. “Oh- okay.” Looey would sit and place the box on the desk. “Alright, well to begin, why don’t you tell me about your issue?” Rodger asked, opening a desk and pulling out a notepad and pencil.

Looey would tilt his head a bit. “Don’t I… need to pay you?” He asked, tail resting idly with the tip just barely grazing the floor. “Ah… not for your first time I’d say! Call it a favor.” Rodger explained briefly while Looey tilted his head upward and sniffed. Something about the room smelled strangely sweet, somewhat like vanilla and strawberries. “Uh huh… well, okay. First off I think that I should show you…” Looey trailed off as he set both hands on the box, and opened the flaps before Rodger could respond, and there he was. Rudie sat in the center of the box perfectly, and smiled nervously as he sat under observation. Rodger’s face did something strange. A face of concern shifting to curiosity. “Ahem… well, now that certainly is an interesting specimen! How did you come across such a curiosity?” He inquired, sketching something down onto the pad. “Well… I was in my apartment the other day, and I noticed my food was going missing!” Rudie bit his lip. “So I set up a simple glue trap, and shortly afterward I found it in the trap as strange as could be! I know I’m not exactly a… normal Toon,” Looey gestured toward his colorful body, “but I had never seen anything like him before and-” He cut himself off a bit and looked around. “Uh… we have client-patient-confidentiality, right?” The balloon dog asked, shifting in his seat a bit. “Oh- yes of course.” Rodger assured, listening intently to Looey’s story and occasionally shifting his gaze to Rudie. “By the way… you do know that glue traps aren’t safe right? Not even for regular… inconveniences.” Rudie nodded intently, before remembering that he wasn’t supposed to do that and went back to just milling about the box a little. “Oh… I did not know that- thanks hehe… um- anyway; something weird happened to me shortly after I picked it up.”

Rodger squinted a bit, and adjusted his grip on the notepad and pencil. “Go on…” Looey would hold one of his arms nervously before he’d sigh and proceed. “I felt strangely protective; I saw fear in its eyes and I sort of blacked out. I woke up a little while later, only to have the little reindeer in my… stomach.” He finally spoke it aloud, looking down at the ground a little as Rudie shuddered at the mention, though no one but Rodger noticed. “I-I don’t know what happened but, somehow he was perfectly fine! I was able to let him out with a weird ease, and since then I’ve been able to smell him, in a way that my friends haven’t been able to-” “Friends? Toons other than you have seen him?” Rodger asked for clarification, interrupting Looey. “Oh- yes, my friends- Yatta the Pinata and Blot the Mime, they live with me now, moved in yesterday. But… uhm, anyhow, since then I’ve been having these… flashes, back to that moment.” One came just as he was saying that. The feeling of the little thief squirming weakly, the way his stomach had moved around the small creature, and the feeling of disappointment when he let it out, all these thoughts plagued him and more. “Eventually, I woke back up and let him out… but it didn’t feel right to let him out; I just don’t understand these feelings-” “Hey, slow down,” Rodger comforted, reaching over the desk and holding Looey’s shoulder to ground him. Looey hadn’t even noticed his own hands running through his ears and squishing them down to a painful degree. “It’ll be alright, I’ll help you figure this out. I’m not exactly a therapist but I think I can help.” Rodger assured with a sympathetic look.

“I don’t exactly know what may be ailing you, but I think I may know what he is at least.” Rodger spoke, gesturing towards the reindeer in the box. “If it pleases you, while I research into your own predicament, I’ll keep him under observation for the night and look into him too.” Rodger asserted; he had a parental air about him for sure. “Um… yeah, I think that could be okay. Gosh- thank you so much, Mr. Glassly.” Looey thanked, grabbing Rodger’s hand with one and smiling softly yet nervously at the detective. Rodger simply blinked, but accepted Looey’s hand and shook it gently up and down. “Of course- Oh-” While neither of them had been paying attention, Rudie had leaped upwards, and climbed out of the box, now clinging to Looey’s elbow a little bit and trying to tug for him. “Oh! Huh… guess it doesn’t want me to leave him here hehe… sorry.” Looey apologized, scooping Rudie up with two hands after letting go of Rodger’s hand, and holding the reindeer up to gently press against his cheek. “Didn’t think it’d imprint- think that’s what happened?” Rodger wouldn’t answer immediately, and took a little note down as he watched Rudie intently. “Hm… well- instead of you leaving, maybe it would be better if you stayed in a different room for a little? Only a little bit of time to observe should suffice.” Rodger compromised, tilting his head as he put out the offer. “Sure, um- would you mind if I got something to eat though?” He asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as he set the reindeer back into the box. “Of course you can, Looey. I’ll call you back once I’m done; there should be some leftover pizza in the back of the fridge.” Rodger suggested as Looey turned to leave. “Um,” Looey waited at the threshold of the garage door, turning to look back over his shoulder, “thank you again Rodger, I hope your uh, observations go well!” He’d say, smiling at the detective as Rodger presumably smiled back with his eye, before closing the door and going to text his friends.

—------------------

The door clicked, and Rudie nervously turned to look at Rodger. He had no idea what was about to happen, but all he knew was he was not about to say anything to this Bean about himself- “Would you like help to get out of that box, sir?” Rodger asked, surprisingly respectfully as he brought his face closer to Rudie’s level. Rudie didn’t answer, and just stared back unblinking. Rodger sighed, and stroked his chin a bit. “Hmm… but of course, you won’t trust me. Suppose it’d be useless to ask for your name, then. Hold on, it’ll be okay, little Borrower. Just give me one moment.” Rudie would freeze up a bit at the name of his species. He… he did know. Oh gosh, this wasn’t good! How did he- Ooo was that a christmas decoration on a shelf? It resembled a candy cane but was wrapped up in festive lights. That was cool. Stay focused! What’s happening around you? Rudie scolded, in a voice much like Bobette’s as he shook his head and looked back up to Rodger who had disappeared. Huh? Rudie hopped back up, and clung to the top of the wall of the box to peek over the side and see Rodger opening a tiny hidden door, and ringing a little bell. “What…?” Rudie whispered under his breath, as shockingly another borrower came through the door quickly.

“Alllllright, Rodger, I heard everything. Where are they?” Asked the new Borrower, a golden looking mirror with a light pink bow tied around their body, rather fancy and well-groomed. Rudie’s eyes widened, and he ducked back into the box once the other Borrower’s gaze landed on him. “What in the Garland is going on?” Rudie asked himself, both hooves on either side of his head as he tried to relax himself. These last few days had been way too eventful for him. “Ah… goodness darling; please take me to him, Rodger.” It wouldn’t be long before the new Borrower would be set inside the box gently by Rodger. “Alright, you got this,” They’d say under their breath, clasping their hands together as they offered a bright smile to the reindeer who was now slumped against the opposite wall. “Helloooo! My name is Glisten, and, well, you can probably guess from my stature but- I’m a Borrower like you! Or, I used to be.” Glisten would walk right on over to Rudie, and sit next to him, patting down the particular spot he’d be sitting to make sure it wasn’t too dirty. “Hoo boy, where do I even begin.” Glisten said, providing a casual energy that did make Rudie feel weirdly normal for a moment. “Well, it wassss, I wanna say two years ago?” “One and a half years ago.” Rodger corrected from above. “Ah, yes one and a half! Do try to stay quiet, dear Rodger, we don’t want our fluffy guest scared!” The mirror teased, jokingly shooing away the larger Toon as they rolled their eyes in an exasperated yet affectionate way. “Now back to my story!”

“I was an ordinary Borrower, roughing my way through life and scavenging in the trash like any old pest. But I always knew I was meant for much more than that drab lifestyle, no offense of course. You must admit though, being in peril so often isn’t… pleasant. Anywho- after so long of roughing it, I found my way to this lovely home!” Glisten told, gesturing around to the general house around them. “And Rodger found me in a state of great disarray due to the immense difficulty of borrowing from him and his daughter. Oh she’s the sweetest little thing, you ought to meet her! In any case, he took care of me. He got me food, water, a place to use the bathroom eventually that wasn’t horrid, and… of course the two of them got me this lovely lovely bow!” He explained, smoothing out the creases in it that came with sitting on the ground. “I know, the ‘Code’ says we shouldn’t hang out with Beans but- they’re not all horrible! So far in my experience with these two, it’s all been amazing! So, I promise that you’re safe telling my good friend here-” Glisten winked up at Rodger who couldn’t help but gaze off thoughtfully about the time the two had had together. “-absolutely anything! Including your name and about what happened from your perspective! So um… if you’re okay with it, could you tell us your name?” He added to the end with a slight look of sympathy.

“Oh- well, golly- it’s been so long since I’ve introduced myself! My name is Rudie!! And wow… it does sound like you’ve had an eventful life here hehe… ooo ooo, did you get to celebrate Christmas with them??” Rudie asked excitedly. As much as he wasn’t the biggest fan of Glisten harping on the Borrower Lifestyle, Rudie had to admit he was infinitely curious about this… and it only encouraged him further into his previous thought: that maybe he could talk to Looey. “Oh- Christmas? Well, I suppose it makes sense you’d ask that with those adorable horns of yours!” Glisten would reason, chuckling a little. “They’re antlers, but thanks?” Rudie responded with a positive smile in kind. “Ah, but of course. Anyway, yeah! I’ve celebrated one Christmas with them so far! It was a magical time but hehe… I think there’s something more pressing we should discuss with the Detective himself. If you’re okay with it, I’ll be there with you.” Glisten assured, holding Rudie’s arm reassuringly. The reindeer tensed up a little, but after a breath was able to stand up and brush himself off. “Well… I suppose I could! Politeness is a Nice List thing after all!” Rudie would say, offering a hoof to Glisten and helping him up. “Excellent! Follow, follow!” Glisten asked, walking right up the wall closest to Rodger and waving up at the Magnifying Glass. A hand would be lowered down and held palm up on the floor of the box. Glisten would clamber atop it with ease, but Rudie would look at it nervously. The Mirror would reach out one hand, and offer the most assuring look he could. Luckily enough for all parties involved, the mere presence of a fellow Borrower put Rudie at enough ease to clamber onto the hand and hug Glisten for support as just one palm for two Borrowers was kind of cramped. Rodger would lift both up, and switch to holding with two palms as slowly as he could.

“Okay, Mister Rudie, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” Rodger spoke softly, every movement slow so as to not startle the tiny reindeer. “My name is Rodger Glassly, and… I think I may know what’s up with the Bean who caught you.” Rodger began to explain, slowly lowering his hand to the desk so Rudie and Glisten could have their own autonomy outside of the box. “But first… let me spruce this space up a bit!” The two Borrowers would step off, and watch as Rodger opened a side drawer, and pulled out all kinds of specially carved furniture just for Borrowers! He took out a small table, two chairs, and a teensy tea set. Rudie was delighted to see that the chairs even had small cushions, talk about comfort! “I do apologize, I cannot brew a new cup of tea for us as the supplies for that are in the kitchen; you don’t mind older tea?” Rodger asked, using a pipette to transfer a small amount into the mini-teapot. “Um…” Rudie looked side-to-side, unsure of how to answer. “Oh, Rodger, he’s never had tea before, I’m sure he won’t mind.” Glisten reminded; Rodger’s experience with Borrowers past him was limited, despite efforts to help out any others he may find. Before Rudie knew it he’d be seated at this Borrower Table on one side with Glisten on the other, taking an experimental sip of the tea. It tasted quite herbal, with a faint sweetness to it. Rodger and Glisten would both take a sip as well, which left Rudie staring up at the larger Toon. “Um… how exactly do you drink?” Rodger raised him a questioning look. “I mean- I’ve seen Toons like you before without a mouth but- well-” “Ah,” Rodger cut him off and nodded with a closed eye. “Yes, it is true I don’t have a traditional mouth but if you watch closely,” He took another sip of tea, the cup placed just below his eye, and the glass seemed to shift and move as the tea met it, like a ripple on a lake caused by pebbles as the liquid disappeared into the ether. “It’s instead like a portal, there. It’s really a fascinating phenomenon, and no one’s entirely sure how it works. I propose that it may be some kind of-” Rodger cleared his throat, receiving the look that Glisten gave him well. “But of course, I doubt you want to hear a whole monologue from me, Rudie.” Rudie chuckled softly, and just brushed back some of his fur with a soft smile. “It would be interesting, but… I’m more interested in learning more about what Looey’s deal is.”

“Of course, of course! Here,” Rodger pulled out a book from the short stack titled ‘Myths of the BD Era’ and would flip to a page as if out of habit, “this section of the book has all sorts of information regarding Borrowers… including legends about a time where Toons and Borrowers lived side-by-side! I do wish it was a bit less cryptic about what happened to separate the two species… as clearly Borrowers are real, so this legend isn’t entirely false.” Rodger began, tracing the wording of the page with one finger as Rudie watched. In the book, there were paragraphs of text describing Borrower behaviors, their agility, stature, and craftsmanship, alongside a few pictures that depicted them as similar to Toons. “But in any case!” Rodger flipped to the very next page simply headed as ‘Preds.’ “Now this is the page that I’m more interested in. I’ve done a lot of looking into this particular section, but I’ve yet to find any evidence of this part of the legend being true at all… until today.” He spoke, somewhat ominously as he gazed at Rudie for a moment, before looking to the door that Looey had left through. “Preds were a special type of Toon, unassuming on most occasions except for when Borrowers are threatened. These Toons were dedicated to the protection of the Borrowers, but have since become recessive in society due to the absence of their wards. When any Borrower companions were threatened or scared, they became quite feral beasts with sharper teeth, claws, and a most unique form of protection. And that’s it! There isn’t much here past this but speculation!” Rodger exclaimed, closing the book slowly. Rudie looked down at the ground as Rodger described some of the speculations that were mostly just pointless theorizing.

“A most unique form of protection.” Now that’s… interesting. Rudie mulled over the description in his head. He had been perfectly fine physically after being let out by Looey that night; maybe Rodger was thinking the same thing he was. The memories of that day came back again, but this time it was different. Rudie remembered being scared, and the care that Looey took to ensure he wasn’t injured throughout the ordeal. Had he truly just been trying to protect him? Because of the fear that Rudie displayed? Darn… if I’d just been jolly it probably wouldn’t have happened. Rudie thought, somewhat upset at himself. It was perfectly justified for him to be as scared as he was at that moment, but to Rudie, he wanted to believe in the best of people and he’d let himself be scared of someone who… now definitely seemed like they could be a friend. He felt a bit bad for it, to say the least. “Rodger?” Rudie asked, interrupting the Toon. “-really, it almost reads like the author’s projecting fantasies- oh- yes Rudie?” He finished politely, taking another drink from his teacup as Rudie went on. “So you think, Looey may be one of those, Preds?” He asked, wincing a bit. The name wasn’t the most nice thing to call someone, but it was written in the book. “Yes, I do believe it is likely that he was a dormant Pred. Judging by some of the Author’s theories, it would appear that the Balloon Animal underwent a sort of metamorphosis if that makes sense. His Pred genes awakened from witnessing your distress from that night… and I think they’re prone to re-emerge at any moment if he doesn’t know the truth about not just himself, but you as well…” He’d lean in closer, both hands on the desk before he’d practically rest his head on the desk. “You’re not obligated to do anything, of course. There is another option. If you wish, Glisten and I can help you escape. You can ‘accidentally’ get loose, hide in the walls, and once Looey’s gone either you can live here or I can relocate you to another home.” Rodger assured, straightening himself back up and fixing his collar. “I understand that this situation is probably a lot for you, but I'll help however I can.” He asserted, but Rudie just looked away. The little reindeer would stand up, and walk to the edge of the desk, gazing at the door that Looey may be waiting behind. Rudie sighed, “Heh, guess I’ll need to talk to him after all. It’s okay, Mr. Glassly; it’s… certainly a stressful thought but I think I can talk to Mr. Looey about this… all of this.” He assured, gesturing down at himself.

Rodger simply nodded, and the look in his eye seemed like he was smiling. “Very well.” He’d say, while Glisten just clapped softly yet quickly. “Eee!! Yes! That is ‘very well!’” Glisten would get up from his chair, and move forward to pull Rudie into a hug. “So excited for you my hooved friend, I think it’ll go just great!” He assured, pulling away for a moment to look at Rudie. “Hehe, well! I’ll need to help you to your exit, Glisten, and I’ll take care of Rudie.” Rodger explained, gently scooping up Glisten once the mirror let go of Rudie, and cupped him to his chest. Once Glisten was set back to the miniature doorway, and gave Rodger’s hand a little pat, Rudie would watch on and wave him goodbye. “Hope you have a Merry Christmas when it comes back around!!” He’d call, which was definitely an unusual feeling. In Borrower life you never spoke that loudly, it was cool. Glisten would wave back, and chuckle a bit. “You too, Rudolph.” It would be with that final goodbye that Glisten would disappear into the tunnels to who knows where. Not what I’m called, but okay! Glisten was an interesting character, but Rudie was glad to have met him. It wouldn’t be long at all before the Borrower furniture would be put away, and Rudie would make his way back into the box. “Alright, Mister Rudie,” Rodger began, repositioning the box just so, “here’s the plan! I’m going to welcome Looey back into the garage, explain to him a bit that Borrowers are mythical creatures, but not tell him they’re sentient, then I’ll tell him about the theoretical nature of Preds, and finally tell him that a special informant of mine, that’ll be you, will get back to him on ‘Borrower-Care,’ is all of that okay?”

Rudie would nod and smile gratefully up at Rodger despite the size difference. “Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be all okay!”

—-------------------

“Mr. Looey, you may come back in.” Rodger would call out into the house quietly, Looey sitting up with a start and quickly getting up from the dining table that he’d been sitting at. “Oh- great! You learn anything?” He’d ask, following Rodger into the unchanged garage-office hybrid. He’d had some rather good tasting pizza, and had mostly just been relaxing and trying to distract himself from the tiny reindeer. Now of course, he was back to his thoughts in relation to that reindeer as he sat in his chair and peered into the box to see the little reindeer looking right back up at him. Those eyes were such a pretty red and green color, despite what it had brought him, Looey felt glad to have it as a little companion. Rodger would sit on the other side of the desk, and interlace his hands with his elbows on the table. “Alright, when looking through some old books of mine I’ve discovered some things…”

Rodger would then go on to explain the mythical status of Borrowers and the nature of Preds in a much more abridged way then he did with Rudie; Looey listened intently with one raised eyebrow as Rodger told him about how Borrowers were smaller creatures that coexisted peacefully with Toons once upon a time, and that there was apparently a special type of Toon that allegedly fit Looey’s description perfectly. “Your traits that you’ve exhibited seem to match perfectly! The protectiveness, the animalistic nature; Mr. Looey, I do believe it to be true that you may be one of these dormant Preds. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact for you it is completely normal really. The sooner you know of your nature, the sooner you will be able to control it for both you and… your pet.” Rodger hesitated at the end there, straightening out his suit idly. “In any case, all I require from you is for you to keep this Borrower a secret from as many people as you can. It shall remain a private matter between us, your friends, and an informant of mine for as long as necessary to learn everything there is to know about them! That informant will help teach you how to care for it, will that be okay?” Looey had a dazed look on his face as he took the box. It was a lot of information, and Looey wasn’t entirely sure if Rodger was in his right mind. Maybe he’d gotten too into a fantasy book?? It all sounded quite absurd, but Looey couldn’t help but think about how it really did seem like he matched a ‘Pred’ description. “Um… yeah, sure; could be useful heHA!” He spoke nervously, smiling softly at Rodger as he got up. “Well, Mr. Glassly, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your nightttt, I’ll get out of your work now.” Looey finished, already halfway out the garage door and to the front door. “Please, Looey, call me Rodger! Have a good night-” Rodger called out, before the front door would be shut, and the Clown would be gone.

He’d start his car, and the two would be off. Rudie in his box set back on the seat, and Looey gripped the wheel again as his mind lay blissfully blank momentarily, but only momentarily. What a joke… and they call me the clown. No, don’t think that- he’s a nice Toon. Fantastical creatures… I’m not some creature. I’m just an ordinary toon. That’s all. Borrowers… He side-eyed the box, thinking about the reindeer inside and how it felt to hold him. Maybe it is a ‘Borrower,’ but if that’s true then… He didn’t want to think about that other thing. What would his friends say, after all? If they were told that he was some kind of fantastical guardian of this mythical creature? It sounded absurd the more he thought about it. He couldn’t deny that something had happened that day, but he could try to deny the thought about what it meant. “Haha… happy, Looey, happy!” He whispered to himself, trying to cheer himself up a bit. His friends would probably be supportive in truth, but it didn’t change how ridiculous he thought it was.

Once he pulled into the parking area for his apartment, he would turn off the car, take the box upstairs, and walk in on Blot and Yatta playing Jenga on the coffee table. Blot sitting on his knees as he examined the haphazardly stacked tower carefully for the perfect piece to pull, and Yatta currently balancing one of the many scattered jenga blocks on the space between her mouth and her eyes. Looey chuckled a bit, “Are you two not ready for bed yet?? It’s like- 10 PM!” he exclaimed, shaking his head as the block fell from Yatta’s head as she turned to look at him with a big smile. “LOOEY!!” She’d exclaim, immediately popping back up, nearly knocking the tower over with her tails with Blot tensing up. She’d almost instantly be by his side as she’d hug him real tightly. “So good to see you again! We’reeee, almost ready, just winding down!” She assured, side-eying the tower. “How are you doing?” She asked, swaying from side-to-side a bit; she never could sit still; Looey didn’t think that in the years of their friendship that he had ever seen her genuinely not at least fidget in her seat. He smiled softly, and tried to put on a classic happy face. “Welllll, doing pretty good I’d say! I’ll explain what happened tomorrow though, so so tired.” He explained, feigning a yawn as he stretched out a little. The exaggerated movements did elicit a few noises from the reindeer in the box he was holding to which Looey whispered an apology.

The jenga game would end with Blot knocking over the tower on one of his turns. You’d think that Yatta would not be very good at that sort of precise game, but given her role in the troupe she knew a thing or two about balance! After a short debate over who would get the bed, Yatta would be the one to sleep in the bed while Looey and Blot would get the couch. This impossible task was done by telling Yatta that if she went first for tonight, then if they took turns, she would get to give them both the bed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in a couple months or so. She’d do just about anything for her best friends, so much so that they really had to figure out a way to make sure she wouldn’t self-sacrifice herself to the moon. Looey would be sitting on the floor, back against the couch and the box at his side. The balloon dog’s arm rested on the top of it while Blot already snored on his side of the couch. Yatta could be heard bouncing on the bed in the other room, seemingly trying to expend the rest of her energy so she could rest peacefully. Looey smiled as he thought about all of the sleepovers they’d had when they were younger; Yatta was usually out like a light very unexpectedly. Once she expended all of her energy, she’d be down and impossible to wake up until the morning. Blot was much calmer, usually the first one to bed if he wasn’t tidying up after Yatta. He was always either the first one out or the last one out. Looey liked reminiscing like this, his friends were so great; greater than him by a mile. Now, it felt like that was truer than ever. It was simply how he thought.

He opened the box suddenly, and scooped up the reindeer inside, smiling softly at his little friend. “Oh little reindeer… you know, despite the issues I’ve been having lately. I know it’s not your fault.” He mumbled softly, cradling the Borrower in his hands to his chest. “Whatever’s wrong with me… the only thing that feels right is being with my friends, and keeping you.” He just thought aloud, occasionally stroking the little thing’s head with a thumb.

—-------------------

Rudie stayed silent, and enjoyed the gentle affections. The smooth feeling of Looey’s thumb was calming, somehow. His small tail wagged a smidge; he felt a kind of stillness that was only ever found when every Bean in a home was asleep, and Bobette and Ginger were out cold with Coal curled around the three protectively. Looey’s words to him added an additional warmth to it all. Sure, the Balloon Dog purely thought of him as a pet right now but… the strange bond that Looey had formed with him did make him feel more confident in telling him about himself. Rudie opened his mouth hesitantly, the words hanging on the tip of his tongue. Gosh… this was hard! He didn’t wanna startle Looey, since that would wake up Blot and then Rudie would need to deal with double the nerves. What would he even say? “I appreciate that, Looey; you’re a great friend!” gosh now THAT would be startling. Rudie thought, holding back a giggle before looking back up at Looey. The hands would pull Rudie away, and hold him up to the Clown Dog’s face. “Maybe there is a chance that I’m… a ‘Pred’ like Rodger said.” Looey breathed a little bit heavier. “Suppose the best way would be to test again… it worked once, surely it’ll work again?” He speculated out loud, which caused Rudie to freeze up a bit as he held Rudie close to those lips. The sense of calm was gone faster than Coal was in the mornings. Rudie tensed, and began to get unsteady in his breaths. Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay! You’re safe… Christmas, Christmas, Christmas… beautiful snow. He imagined the snowfall of Christmas time, the sweet treats that Bobette snuck him, and he also focused on how Rodger told him that what Looey was about to do seemed to be safe. Rudie unfortunately, did not have enough time to properly calm himself, so his mind kind of had to go blank as the next moments unfolded.

—------------------

Looey opened his mouth. His movements were a little awkward, less masterful than last time. I mean… if it’s just like eating, not even I can mess this up. He thought to himself as he tenderly slid the tiny reindeer inside onto his slightly extended tongue. The movement was so casual that it even startled him. Almost instantaneously, even before the lips sealed behind the Borrower’s head, a strong shudder went through him and his vision went dark. He could feel himself slipping into that protective drive that overcame him the first time. If he wasn’t careful he’d black out again! He tried to take a few breaths, and just stay still, letting himself get used to the feeling of his Borrower inside. “His,” the usage of that word felt so possessive in his mind. It felt strangely good. His tongue gently swished the little reindeer around his maw, the teeth within getting noticeably sharper, but once Looey got into the groove of it he was able to easily ensure that it didn't harm his ward. He purred softly, and the feeling surprised him. He hadn’t purred before, maybe it was a Pred thing? He recalled what Rodger had said, even though little was known about those mythical creatures, them being strong protectors of Borrowers was all that was clear. It certainly felt quite protective, and he couldn’t help but admit that it was good. Looey stretched out idly as he let his mouth handle the reindeer; this allowed him to examine his hands, which were even more pawlike than usual, and had claws extending from them. Looey didn’t even know he had those. The taste of the Borrower was powerful too; he tasted like chocolate mixed with festive peppermints, almost like peppermint hot cocoa, just as he described if not better. He felt them struggle, and push against the tongue seemingly on instinct, but it only made it all the better somehow. He went slow about it, ensuring that the journey would be smooth for his little reindeer.

Once he was generously slickened with saliva, Looey would tilt his head up a little bit, and swallow strongly. This feeling was especially exhilarating. The purrs that emanated from his throat intensified, and he could feel the muscles working gently yet powerfully to ensure that the Reindeer would be comfy. The wet fur felt strange, but smooth due to the slickness, and his antlers were surprisingly manageable. Looey gently pressed a finger to his neck, rarely seen by anyone. It was the only part of his body that wasn’t colorful, vaguely resembling a thick black string for a balloon. He was able to trace their descent through it, the little Borrower making the most subtle bulge before disappearing into his chest. Looey relaxed a bit more, letting his legs splay out as he sat comfortably as he focused on the feelings and trying not to lose consciousness. His Borrower would enter his stomach as a gentle weight, and a low groan would emanate from there as Looey tenderly rubbed where he could feel them shifting around. He let out a satisfied sigh, and purred loudly. He could feel the walls of his gut contract and shift, occasionally squeezing the small one; it felt absolutely amazing. It really felt like he was doing a good thing and keeping them safe… and judging by the lack of panic from them, it seemed like they really were safe. Kind of like a Kangaroo’s pouch, they were safe with Looey.

“Looey… pleaseee be quiet; I’m trying to sleep.” Blot mumbled unexpectedly, which caused Looey to blush intensely out of pure embarrassment and nervousness before he turned and realized with a great sigh of relief that Blot was just mumbling in his sleep, the back of his inky hand over his eyes. The purrs would die down from there, and Looey would just sit there in silence. He’d poke at his stomach, and feel the way the reindeer reacted, and how his stomach moved and almost seemed to growl affectionately instinctively. “Wow… hm… maybe Rodger was right, but- why me? This is all so strange.” Looey mumbled to himself, hand over his stomach protectively as he gazed down at where the Borrower was inside. “I should really come up with a name for you- Christmassy perhaps, but not too obvious.” He said, smiling softly in thought. “Maybe… Peppermint? No, Cocoa? Nah… how about: Cane? Like Candy Cane! Yeah, that’s a nice name.” Looey concluded, unsure if the little reindeer could hear him, not that it mattered. “Lil Cane… I think we’ll be great.”

—---------------

The rest of the night for Looey would involve him mostly just scrolling on his phone to pass the time as he held Rudie in place. The Borrower struggled here and there, but after a few minutes of there being no danger it was semi-easy to relax. It took a lot of breathing exercises and christmas fantasies before he’d be curled up in a cozy position. This coziness wouldn’t last long though, as eventually Looey would let him out with the same strange controlled muscle contractions from last time, and set him inside of the box again with the same books on top after drying him off of course. He mumbled something about not wanting to lose control of his stomach while he slept, shortly before passing out on the couch somewhere above Rudie’s position on the floor. The reindeer sat in the box, sorely missing the comfort of Rodger’s miniature furniture; it was almost as comfy as Coal’s fur was. He missed that dog. He looked up to the airholes of the box and tried to enjoy the stillness of the night while his thoughts drifted to that dog. When Looey had named him, it definitely felt weird. Did he really look like a Cane? He didn’t know, but the unsettling feeling it gave him made him shudder. Shuddering. He hated shuddering. He didn’t hate much, but that was definitely something!

Enough, enough… Positive! You can do that Rudie… can’t wait for Christmas. He thought idly, trying to keep his train of thought on that dog. Coal… Bobette had raised her back when she was just a puppy, longer than she’d known Rudie. He never liked to think about the life he had before meeting his friends, the only time he did was when he thought about the time they first met. Gosh, that had been an interesting day! Rudie had been struggling to borrow in one of his first homes that he’d borrowed inside on his own, after he… Rudie ended that train of thought. She’d just appeared that day, offered him food and even offered to show him some strategies for quiet stepping. She was always making a clinking noise when she walked if she wasn’t careful, but she’d managed to learn how to mask that, and tried to teach him too! He wasn’t the best student, but without her he didn’t know where he’d be; when they inevitably had to leave that house, Coal was introduced to him! She was an intimidating presence, and didn’t exactly warm up to him instantly, but they were connected by Bobette so eventually Rudie dashed his way into her heart. Then Ginger, oh Ginger. With how they all were, someone may think Ginger and Bobette knew each other before they knew Rudie, but that definitely wasn’t true. Rudie was investigating a bakery as a potential place to borrow from, as crumbs were everywhere! Then he happened across another borrower, a really angry one! Gosh he hopes he doesn’t meet that guy again… he remembered how they tried to pick a fight, but then like one of those superheroes that Bean’s watched movies about, Ginger came out of nowhere and fought off the foe! It was magical; ever since then, Ginger had been another sort of older sister figure almost, alongside Bobette of course. She had reasoned afterward that she didn’t see any reason to gatekeep Bean homes unless there were just genuinely too many borrowers, and she offered shelter to Bobette and Rudie! She seemed quite glad to be rid of that shrimp now that she could replace him with them. Rudie and Bobette both stuck around the bakery for a while, and nearly left without Ginger because she was so skeptical of leaving. Rudie was so so glad that she ended up going with them… she was the best.

Ah… that worked. Rudie smiled softly as his nose glowed equally soft. The thoughts cheered him up well, but… he didn’t know what would happen to the three of them after he revealed himself to Looey. Would they want to stay here with him? If he could convince Looey to provide them with this place to live, then maybe their lives would be better!! Like how Glisten’s was with Rodger. He didn’t know, but he’d need to figure something out for certain.

Unfortunately, it looked like he’d need to figure that out sooner. He heard a soft knock against the cardboard of his box, and he’d quickly scoot over to it, still sitting. “H-hello?” He asked softly. “Rudie…! Thank goodness, you’re still there. Okay, Ginger and I, we've come back to help, Coal’s waiting outside, we should be able to get you out of there!” Bobette assured through the wall, but she wouldn’t get to say much more before Rudie would stop her. “Wait- don’t get me out of here… there's… something I need to tell ya, friend!” Rudie spoke, trying to be cheerful despite how tense this was about to be. “What? Rudie-” “Y-you see… um, golly this is nerve wracking hehe…” Rudie trailed off, but Bobette remained silent, seemingly waiting for when he was ready. “The Bean, he took me somewhere out of the house… and we met someone. A Bean that knew about Borrowers and when he and I were alone, the new Bean named Rodger introduced me to another Borrower! But… they weren’t like a pet to Rodger. They were friends, equals! The two of them suggested to me to try and talk to Looey-""Talk to him??”“Let me finish; they explained why Looey had done what he did… and he doesn’t seem like a bad Bean. I think he’d understand… and would keep our secret! He and his friends…!” Rudie explained, talking really fast with his nose glowing both from excitement and worry from how things would go from here. “Rudie,” Bobette began, but she’d be cut off by Ginger’s voice, “Rudie are you out of your mind?? They’re Beans, and he literally ate you! I…” The balloon dog slumbering somewhere above them stirred slightly, and her voice broke; she couldn’t sound angry at him for more than one reason. “I know you want to trust them, and people in general, Rudie, but… it’s too dangerous.” She finished, and Rudie’s ears would be pressed against his head. “I-I know, but… look at me! Well, I mean you can’t right now but- I’m fine! It was a good thing that he did, there was a whole story and- ""You’re putting your faith in a story!?”“A logically sound story!” Rudie interjected before she could get started. “Look… guys… I just need you two to trust me. I know what I’m doing. Nothing bad is going to happen, please, just give me this chance.” He tried to plead, but no response came.

—--------------------------

Ginger took a step back from the box, and pressed a hand up to her head, tracing where her right eye had been as she looked to Bobette with the left eye. She couldn’t let him do this. She couldn’t let him get hurt. But… What could she do? She did want to trust him, but this was insane. She’d never told him what had happened to her, heck he probably thought she was born with this mark. Ginger leaned into the ornament, and sighed shakily. “I… I don’t know… you tell him whatever your verdict is; I… I need to go.” She looked away, and stepped back towards the hole in the wall over on the other end of the room. “And…” Her brow furrowed, as she tried to feel anything that wasn’t sad. “I swear if a single hair on his head is harmed I will pop that balloon myself.” She finished with a growl before rushing off before Bobette could respond.

—------------------------

“Guys…?” Rudie asked, not hearing any of this thankfully. “I-I’m here, Rudie.” Bobette responded, alone. “Okay, um…” She spoke unsteadily, and Rudie would lean his head against the box; it was as close as he could get to her. “I trust you, Rudie, but are you really sure you want to do this? We won’t be able to help you if ya do hehe...” She spoke sadly. In truth, there wasn’t anything they could do to change his mind. He was trusting, too trusting. “I’m sure. It’ll… It'll be an adventure!! I promise, Bobette, this’ll make all of our lives better. Our next Christmas will be perfect!” Looey stirred again, grumbling something about juggling. Rudie tensed up again, but pressed a hoof against the wall. “Go… you two will need some sleep, come see me in a little, I’ll wait for you, promise.” He’d say. No matter how confident he seemed, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bitttt terrified. It was a tall order, after all, trying to communicate with someone of the same species that he’d been avoiding all his life. Rudie had to try. Once Bobette finally left, wishing him luck with a wistful gaze that caught no eyes, Rudie would make his way over to the pile of fabric in the corner of the box, and would get comfy. Tomorrow was either going to be the best or worst day of his life, but for now all he could do was sleep.

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And here we are! Almost ended this story on a cliffhanger but decided to end it in a way that's more peaceful x] From here, Part Three will be in the works which'll conclude this story arc.

Please send asks in relation to this au if you enjoyed this story, I'd love to answer any x]