[open]

[the_marli_tharn]

Who: Hyzenthlay (the_marli_tharn) and YOU!
What: Welcoming a rabbit to a castle (or 'This place is too big and smells like man')
When: Easter Sunday!
Where: in and around the Lobby, under couches and behind chairs
Rating: G.

It had been a harrowing escape, and there was more the one instance where Hyzenthlay doubted they were going to make it. Not all of them did.

But of all the things she had expected to happen next, as they sat damp and bedraggled on the bank the next day, was to blink and suddenly find herself in a man's house. It reeked of man, and it was filled with all manner of strange and frightening things.

She froze, pressed tight against the floor of the lobby, ears flat against her back and nose working furiously. She couldn't smell any of them - Thlayli, Thethuthinnang, or even Kehaar - and she couldn't tell if it was just an absence of them or the overpowering stench of Man.

The moment she gets her wits about her enough to move, she darts under the nearest cover (a couch) and spends the morning trying to evade detection and explore, trying to find any clue where the rest could have gotten off to.

Comments

[originalcopy]

"Said the what to the what now?"

She wasn't making any sense... and then realized he was saying this about a rabbit. What kind of sense could he really expect?

"I'm going to take off my helmet. Uh, that this thing on my head. Is that ok?"

[the_marli_tharn]

She looks at him, her expression blank. What's a helmet? She couldn't see anything on his strange head at all. She gives a small nod, because maybe she'd figure out that mystery if she agreed.

But she's still keeping her distance, because hrududu-man was a frightening combination.

[originalcopy]

Church carefully reaches up and undoes the latches, hoping that if she can see his face maybe it would help. Person has to be less frightening than the expressionless mirrored visor. He slowly lifts the helmet away.

"There. See, nothing to be scared of."

[the_marli_tharn]

He's taking his head off.hyzenthlay hops backwards, preparig to run, beforebshe realizes it's just a covering he's removing. The face underneath wasn't much of a comfort, though, wince he looked human.

"You are the strangest man I've ever seen!" Still a man, and still to be feared at this point.

[originalcopy]

"Heh, I can imagine. There's probably going to be a lot of strange things here for you."

This rabbit must be a new resident. If it was someone on a loss, he figures they wouldn't act so much like a wild rabbit. All nervous energy and wide eyed terror. It's that terror, as much as anything, that makes Church feel like he should do something to help.

"Can I help you get outside?"

[the_marli_tharn]

"You would help me?" She sits up, open surprise. She's not entirely trusting him - it coulde still be a trick - but it was a surprising offer nonetheless.

[originalcopy]

"Why wouldn't I?"

He gives a slight shrug. He knew what it was like to be stuck someplace you hated. He can't imagine anyplace worse for a wild rabbit than the middle of a busy lobby. (Ok, so maybe he could, but that was beside the point.)

The point was the rabbit didn't ask for this sort of thing. Adults could cope or go screw, they were fair game... kids and animals just seemed like a cheap shot by the castle.

"I was on my way outside anyway."

[the_marli_tharn]

"You're a man. The men in my experience have no good things in mind for rabbits." She cowers a little at the thought, not from any personal experiences of her own, but certainly General Woundwort had instilled the fear of humans in them all.

She pauses a moment before glancing back up at him. "I would like to be outside."

[originalcopy]

"Yeah, people can be real assholes. I wouldn't blame you if you don't trust me."

He points to the exit. Not far for Church, but he's not thinking of the trip from the perspective of a lost Efrafan rabbit.

"That, is the closest way out of here. I'll hold the door open for you."

[the_marli_tharn]

"Thank you." She hops towards the exit, pausing ever few steps to glance back at him. She was still keeping a mindful distance, but at least the urge to bolt was less prevalent.

He was still a frightening sight to behold.

[originalcopy]

Church will let her set the pace and choose how far they should be away from one another. Just getting this far is probably asking a lot of her.

He isn't going to bother her with explanations for what's going on, how do you explain "magic kidnapping castle" to a rabbit? He doesn't think he can. He wouldn't know where to begin.

But he can help her get some sense of freedom. Get her someplace she can feel safer and then worry about the rest.

Church opens the door carefully and stands behind it, so she doesn't have to actually walk past him to go outside.

"As promised."

[the_marli_tharn]

She pauses at the threshold, as if part of her is still expecting the surprise where the rabbit ends up in the man's bag, so to speak. But when nothing is forthcoming, she gives Church a little nod, and then bolts onto the grounds.

[originalcopy]

Church nods back and makes sure she's well clear before he shuts the door.

Well, his good deed for the month is taken care of.