#frigidflora

"A fantastic one, I'd say, eheheh... When their backs are turned, Herda will fix them up just right..."

"Mhm, mhm."

"...It doesn't matter if you spill. It doesn't really matter if we spill, either. Nobody is going to listen to tall tales about talking flowers, especially not from talking bees."

"Hmph. Well, when Herda digs you all up, don't come crying back to me!"

"I'm such a bad liar, haha... All those questions... Well, we're all just so excited about your friends."

"YOU CAN DO IT, HERDA!"

Herda rushes forward.

She doesn't make it very far.

Bubby grabs Herda's leg and tries to drag her down with him.

"GET OFF!"

She slashes wildly at his arm. Bubby screams. Her attention is elsewhere for only a moment, but that's all Coomer needs.

"Is something the matter, bees? I heard an awful lot of shouting!

Coomer steps out into the garden, shutting the door behind him.

"We haven't eaten anyone in a long time."

"We never really know who they are... The people we eat, I mean. They're, you know... Already dead."

"Every once in a while, Herda leaves our little home to meet the Snow Queen himself. In exchange for her wonderful concealing spell, he gives us his kingdom's dead!"

"But Shiverhaven is running out of its dead, apparently. So few dying people, even fewer living people... What is he even trying to protect with her spell, anyway? If I were in charge I'd throw in the towel, already."

"We just ate animals before, you see - but there aren't any animals left to eat!"

"Herda said you might report this to the Queen! Why, if he knew there were people out here, two of them even, he'd want them all for himself! That's probably what happened to your Gordon! He'd be ever so cross with her, knowing she killed potential new subjects. If we told you, you might tell him! That's what she told us, anyway."

"Yep. You can report us to the Queen if you feel like, by the way, it won't do anyone any good."

"Well, I don't think it's that bad... Plants and animals eat other plants and animals all the time, right? Humans are animals, I think!"

"Oh, Herda sustains herself just fine! She has her garden, after all!"

"It's us she's concerned about..."

"Isn't she just lovely? She can't even speak flower, and still she cared for us so!"

"Oh, but you, uh, you kinda told on us, didn't you? Hehe, when everyone else was asleep, she came out here and started talking to us. Couldn't hear a word we said, but she wondered all the same if you bees were telling the truth: that you could hear us! She wondered if we were... What's that word she used? Sapient? And that meant it was more important than ever that we got fed. Thanks for that, uh, that little boost of motivation, hehe..."

"She said, "better safe than sorry," or something like that."

"That's just what I wanted to hear!"