#raziliweek2024

Raz grabbed Lili's hand as Truman and Augustus were deep in conversation. "You two feel free to talk as long as you want!"

As he tugged on Lili's hand, she added: "Take your time! We'll be fine!"

Augustus smiled, "ah, young love."

Truman chuckled, "they think they're being subtle."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You still have those on?" Lili asked as Raz walked around only in his acrobatics outfit. The boots seemed fine when Raz did his acrobatic tricks, but stomping about the grounds seemed uncomfortable, given that they went up to his knees.

"You never know what's on the ground at a circus. Besides, stopping at my trailer might mean that we'll miss what I want to show you."

"And what's that?"

"It's a surprise." Raz squeezed Lili's hand as the two made their way over to what seemed to be a stall that horses would be in, but it was... very tall.

"Some secret horse? Like your sister's 'World's Smallest Pony'?"

"Uh. No. I'm still not allowed around Sugarcube." Raz shook his head. "Actually, this fine lady here is the opposite of a World's Smallest Pony." Raz then opened the door to the pen.

As Lili's eyes went up, her jaw dropped lower and lower. A large elephant, wearing purple jhul on her head and back raised her trunk.

The elephant was polite as she waved her trunk. Oh, Razputin has told me so much about you!

"Yup! Lili Zanotto, meet Naomi: The Crown Jewel of the Fildes Circus."

"Fildes? But I thought you were in the Aquato Family Circus."

"Yeah! Multiple small circuses usually work together to make these shows run." Raz waved his hand. "Anyways, I'm glad you two get to meet one another."

"Wait, so you just... talk about me to random animals?"

"Not random. Naomi was the first animal I ever really learned to talk to. Well, understand the emotions, if you're including proper Zoolepathy with Harold."

"... I thought you were just lying about having the elephant to have a badass line in front of Agent Nein."

"Nope! I uh... my family agreed to have me assist with Naomi after..."

"... after what?"

He pulled my tail. He used to be awfully rude.

"Raz? Rude?"

"I mean... I think I'm pretty rude."

"The rudest you got with me was staring at me. And the worst you called Bobby was 'hair boy.' You're not rude."

Naomi lifted her trunk with a laugh. Oh, the stories I could tell you about this young man.

Raz groaned, "please, my mom is enough." He looked back up at Naomi. "Does this mean we still can't try what I wanted to?"

Oh no. I'm still fine with it. Naomi turned around, showing she was still wearing the howdah that she had been wearing for the show.

Raz then got onto his Lev-bubble, and looked down to Lili, expecting her to do the same.

Lili understood, but then smirked. "What, not even going to help me up?"

Raz raised an eyebrow, then mirrored the smirk. He put on his best theatrical voice. "Oh, my apologies, princess. Let your knight assist you onto this glorious creature so that way we may galavant around the town."

Lili laughed, joyful that he would reciprocate, and took his hand. Up, they climbed onto the back of Naomi. Lili smiled, but gulped as well.

"Nervous?"

"Never been on an elephant before."

Don't worry. I'm perfectly calm.

Raz patted Lili on the shoulder, smoothly putting his arm around her after she realized which shoulder he patted. "We won't go too far on this. Just a quick little ride."

"Wait, we're going outside?"

"It would be more fun!"

"Do you have permission?"

"Well, I often like to think of asking for forgiveness is better than asking for permission."

Oh, he begged for permission.

Raz frowned, feeling less cool, but Lili smiled.

"Glad to know you're at least somewhat responsible now."

Both Lili and Raz were laying on the ground in her garden. The windy day that made the leaves and branches shutter also were great at making the clouds move.

Lili pointed up to one. "That's a dragon."

"How do you see that?"

"Well, its horns are up there, and there's the shape of its head."

"Looks more like a lion to me." Raz then took his turn to point. "That one's a kiwi bird."

"A what?"

"A kiwi bird. Those big birds with the long beak."

"Reminds me more of a crocodile."

"How do you get crocodile from that?!"

"Like a cartoon crocodile. Cereal mascot crocodile."

"That's a stretch."

Lili snorted. "Oh, what about that one?"

"I see... a hand."

"Mm. I was gonna say claw. Cause it seems sharper."

"You're very violent."

"And yet, here you still are."

"Is that a threat or a jab?"

"Can't it be both?"

Raz sighed, scooching over to be closer. Lili leaned her head on his. "You know, I've been learning about different cloud types in school."

"Really? What kind are these?"

"I think the only ones that can make cloud animals are cumulus."

"Cumulus... what other types are there?"

"There's Cumulus, but there's also Stratus, Cirrus, and Nimbus."

"Wow, you know those off the top of your head?"

"We had to do a pop quiz at school for them."

"Oh." Raz let the silence sit for a few seconds. "Which one makes storms?"

"Nimbus."

"Huh. Here I thought it was just a bunch of clouds mixing together to make rain."

"I mean, it's either nimbus or cumulonimbus."

"Cululonius?"

"That is not at all what I just said."

"It's a hard word!"

A sound of rolling wheels filled the sky for a moment, but as Raz and Lili both sat up, they saw no one on the jet's landing pad.

Lili huffed. "Cumulonimbus."

"Cumilonus."

"Now you're not even trying!"

"It's a hard word! How do you even know how to say it!"

"It's just two different clouds smooshed together."

"Wait, two now?!"

"I mean the clouds can combine and make other types but the teacher wanted us to only know that for extra credit."

"I didn't take you as the extra credit sorta gal."

Lili lifted her hand that was still holding Raz's, and he grinned and held tighter. "You're a jerk sometimes."

"And you're a hothead."

"... but you think I'm hot."

"Uh... I mean... uh..."

Lili laughed, falling back down.

Raz followed after, turning to his side to look at her. Lili was smiling... because of him... he liked it when she smiled because of him.

She still smiled as she said: "I'm still mad at you for insinuating I'm not smart."

"I wasn't saying that. You just don't put in effort where you don't need to. You're efficient."

"That sounds like something your brother said to you when he was avoiding chores."

"Ugh, don't compare me to Dion."

"How do you know I wasn't talking about your other brother?"

"Cause Queepie wouldn't have needs for excuses when he's the baby of the family."

Lili huffs as another low grumble fills the sky. "Okay you got me."

"You can't get past my defenses, but I can definitely get past yours."

"You better not be using clairvoyance on me."

"I would never." Raz says with thick sarcasm.

"Ugh, you're insufferable."

"And you still stay."

"You make it hard to, sometimes."

Raz stuck his tongue out. He was interrupted by another one of the rumbles. He looked back up to the sky. "Do any of those look like cumolulus clouds?"

"It's cumulonimbus."

"Well, do any of them look like that?"

"None of them are dark. Or ginormous."

"So culolomus clouds are big?"

"Are you even trying?"

"It's a hard word!"

"Repeat after me."

"After me."

"Cume."

"Cume."

"U."

"U."

"Lo."

"Lo."

"Nim."

"Nim."

"Bus."

"Bus."

"Cumulonimbus."

"Cu-ulonimbus."

"It's not a double-u!"

"I'm not saying W!"

"No! It- Cum-u-lo-nim-bus."

"Cum-u-lo-nim-bus."

"Finally!"

A flash filled the sky this time. Raz squeezed Lili's hand.

"Raz?"

"...thousand four... thousand five... thousand six... thousand seven..."

"Counting?"

"Just... checking how far that lightning might be."

"It's just supposed to be windy today."

"Yeah, but if the weather changes, that's Mother Nature's decision."

"... let's go in. We can Monopoly."

"DIBS ON THE DOG PIECE!"

"Not if I beat you inside!"