Nexus. Denpup's House and the Hedge. Neighbors

[dens_extra_pups]

Daniel: *comes in, bringing Natalie home from school, then watches as the little girl goes to hug her mom and baby sister*

Nika: *says something she learned from Daddy*

Denpup: *face palm*

Natalie: *gentle hand over baby sister's mouth, and then puts a candy in the mouth*

Nika: *nomphin' candy*

Daniel: *looks around* Is bittyDB napping? *doesn't see the cuddle pony either, he thinks*

Denpup: Yeah... Snuggling Fluffy. *soft chuckle*

Daniel: *uncertainly* He won't be up at night if he naps now?

Natalie: *opening up her pretty notebook and showing Nika what she learned in Miss McGuffin's class today*

Nika: Ooo? *Sister has interesting stuffs!*

Denpup: We're going spook hunting later. *meaning everyone will be up to watch her threaten spooks with her baseball bat and yelling*

Natalie: Mary Anne's mama is coming after dark to get the chili recipe from you, Mom. *looks over toward her mother while still showing baby sister her lesson*

Daniel: *helpfully* Mary Anne's the little tentacle monster in her class. She says her mother's a grey hag.

Natalie: *nod nod!*

Denpup: *blink* I need to see if I have it written down.

Daniel: *blinks in his turn and looks slightly gobsmacked, then goes and gets an illustrated cookbook off the shelf and opens it to a spot*

Denpup: ... Oh. Right.

Daniel: *points to the little machine whirring happily beside the shredder* And there's your photocopier.

Drill Boy: *cracking up, don't mind him*

Denpup: *thrrpts significant other* *goes to make the photocopies*

Daniel: *turns to head for the stairs that will lead to the front door, but then stops as Natalie calls to him* Oh, right. *looks at Den again* You have new neighbours.

Denpup: *look over* Bhuh?

Daniel: *blushes because he thinks he wasn't speaking clearly enough* New neighbours. Someone's moved into the back hedge. Natty and I heard them arguing about where the hammock should go when we walked by in the alley.

Denpup: Do they need blankets or noms?

Daniel: *blushes more* We didn't ask. You said to hurry and bring Natty home.

Denpup: ... Well, let's get a welcome basket sorted out for 'em, then.

Drill Boy: Haaai! *scoots to get a basket*

Natalie: *after giving Nika a pencil so that she could make Xs on a page of the notebook* Mom, they're in the hedge. They're small.

Daniel: *quiet "good night" and then slips away*

Denpup: ... *button on watch pushed* DB, small basket.

Natalie: *looks at her book* Nika, that's the page I need to do my homework on, see where Teacher wrote the questions?

Nika: Thrrpt.

Drill Boy: *back with a tiny basket, which Denpup is soon working on filling with goodies*

Natalie: *patiently teaches her baby sister to erase Xs as the basket is packed*

basket: *soon all ready! Kind of spilling over, actually*

Denpup: *gets Nika bundled up in a carrier*

Nika: *grumbles about this*

Natalie: *helps Mom, then gives Nika one of the tot's dolls and goes to sit at the kitchen table and do her homework*

Denpup: Back hedge, right?

Natalie: *looks up and nods* Yes, but I don't know if it's closer to the front or the back. The hedge is really thick.

Denpup: *nod* 'Kay. *will take the basket out to the back hedge*

voices: *coming from near the place where her Frisbee vanished last spring*

female: *quiet and calm* Wreck-Gar, I don't think that branch is strong enough to hold you up.

male: Me Tarzan! You Jane! Ooof! Owww.

Denpup: *blink blink* Er... Hello?

voices: *go silent*

rustling: *happens a moment later, and then a little teal blue head peeks out of an opening in the tightly laced branches about three foot above the ground*

head: *belongs to a teal blue yarn doll with long hair and a tiny orange fairy dress on* Meep!

Wreck-Gar: *trying to see who's out there, is clearly TFAn-style, but tiny*

Denpup: *grin* Hi. Welcome to the neighborhood.

blue doll: *sheepish, despite her lack of visible face* Thanks, Mom. *moves out of the entrance so her husband can come out*

Denpup: *silent boggling, then* Lucille?!

Wreck-Gar: *climbs up to the top of the hedge*

Lucille: *nods as she clings to the hedge with one little knot hand* Yeah, it's me. *pauses* You're not going to make us come back in your house are you?

Denpup: No... but if you do want to come in sometime, you're more than welcome to.

Wreck-Gar: I am Wreck-Gar! I am welcome to come in sometime! :D

Lucille: *tilts her head* You aren't mad? *uncertainly* We were afraid you'd want to keep us, and we really wanted to have a home and everything, like you and Dad have.

Denpup: I'm not mad. What're you using for a floor for your house?

Lucille: Oh, there are a lot of old leaves in there, and they're not wet at all. It makes a nice carpet. The house is lower than the door, we have to go down the tunnel to it. *glances up, her long hair swinging* Wreck-Gar, don't throw berries at Mom.

Wreck-Gar: *meeps*

Denpup: *slight frown* Are you guys living in the hedge itself or below it? *trying to picture the house*

Lucille: *surprised look as she turns back to Den* We're on the ground floor, with a Frisbee for a roof and some branches across inside that we can hang our hammock on. We don't really sleep, but it's nice to have a place to lay down and think at night when it's dark. And we're planning on finding some other furniture and things. There are places in the walls that are just like shelves.

Denpup: ... Okay then. *doesn't get it, but if it works for them, then alright* Oh! Guess most of the stuff in here's not gonna be of any use to you, but... *offers basket*

Lucille: *hops down to the ground, gets back onto her feet, and then looks up at the basket*

basket: *is small in comparison to Denpup, fitting into the palm of the woman's hand. It's nearly overflowing with noms and carefully knitted blankets, as well as tiny 'Guide to the Nexus' pamphlets*

Lucille: *as she takes it* Awww. Do you know about the hedgehogs under the back corner of your house?

Denpup: *blink blink* I do now.

Lucille: *hopefully, as snow starts to sift down gently from the sky* Can we give this to them? I think the basket's the right size for their baby.

Denpup: Go ahead. *nodnod*

Wreck-Gar: I am Wreck-Gar! I am being a good neighbor! *awks as he tumbles back down into the hedge*

Lucille: *looks up and calls* Are you stuck?

Wreck-Gar: I am Wreck-Gar! I am stuck!

Denpup: ... Need some help getting him un-stuck?

Lucille: *ruefully* We asked Aunty Mirden for something to help us with this. Hold on, I'll go get it. *sets down the basket, and then turns and climbs up toward the opening of the tunnel in the hedge*

Denpup: Mirden's awesome. *nods*

Lucille: Yup! She gave us this piece of ribbed vacuum cleaner hose to line our tunnel with, too! *crawls into the tunnel, which goes straight into the hedge at first before going down. Can be faintly heard saying, "Wee" as she slides down* *soon returns, pushing Wreck-Gar ahead of her*

Denpup: *snerk* That's awesome.

Lucille: *puts her hand to her face as though to cover a smile as she hangs from the hedge by the door. Then looks curiously at something behind Denpup*

Drill Boy: *gently taps his wife on the arm with a little plastic box with compartments* They can store things in this, and the little lamp can light the house up so they can look at stuff at night.

Denpup: *grins* *looks to Lucille* Is there room for it in your place?

Lucille: *scrambles down the hedge and then holds up her hands. Wants to see the box up close!*

Denpup: *will move to grab the box from Drill Boy so she can show it to Lucille*

Lucille: *studies the little mini tackle box of translucent whitish plastic and gives a happy little squeal* My dress that Aunty Tam made will fit in that big compartment on the end, and the other compartments are just the right size for lots of shinies!

Denpup: *grins* So where should it go?

Lucille: *thoughtfully looking up at the tunnel* Now I know why Aunty Mirden made that so wide. *opens the little catch and takes the tiny battery powered keyring lantern out of the big compartment that she thinks her good dress should go in, then looks at her husband* Wreck-Gar, can you carry this up to the door and into the house? *surprised squeak. The lantern is heavy for her! Sets it down*

Wreck-Gar: *climbing down to see what has Lucille squeaking*

Lucille: *shows him the little toy camping lantern, then presses the button on top of it to make it light up* Our house will have electricity!

Wreck-Gar: Oooo!

Drill Boy: I told you it'd be useful when I bought it from Blue Eyes' basket, Den. *happy grin*

Denpup: *snerk* Yeah.*blink* Wait... Which thing? You got a big handful of everything and bought it, remember, DB?

Drill Boy: *grin widens* But a lot of them have been useful.

Nika: Thrrpt.

Denpup: *fond amusement* You are such a doof.

Drill Boy: But I'm your doof!

Lucille: Ewww. Mush.

Wreck-Gar: *GRIN* I am Wreck-Gar! I am the king of mush! *will pounce on Lucille and cuddle her*

Lucille: Eeeek! *giggle* No! You're supposed to be putting our box and light in the house! Eeeek!

Nika: *please don't quote the baby*

Denpup: *laughs* Ewww, mush!

Drill Boy: *laughing* Ewwwww!

Wreck-Gar: *happy cuddles* I am Wreck-Gar! I have the prettiest wife in the multiverse! :D

Denpup: *D'awws and moves to stick the box in the tunnel*

Lucille: *stops squirming, squealing, and giggling. Hugs her husband* *softly* I love you too, Wreck-Gar.

box: *finally moves past the straight part of the tunnel, and then may be heard bumping all the way down till a last little thump marks its landing inside the house*

Drill Boy: *holds up a two inch tall teddy bear in a tiny yellow crochet dress after a little digging in his pockets* Would they like this too?

Denpup: *looks up from where she's crouched* Ask 'em.

Drill Boy: *leans down and holds the bear near the couple* *Wreck-Gar is facing it, but Lucille has her back to it*

Wreck-Gar: *will headtilt and gently poke his wife's side*

Lucille: *looks and gasps softly* A baby for us?

Drill Boy: Huh? It's a teddy bear.

Denpup: Aww, but it's the right size to be a kid for 'em! :D

Lucille: Even Mom's dolls that haven't come to life are her kids, Dad.

Drill Boy: *looks at Den as he hands the tiny bear to the doll* Really?

Denpup: *small nod, will rub one arm with the opposite hand, expression going a bit sheepish* Y-yeah.

Lucille: *busy showing the bear to Wreck-Gar, including the fact that her dress has boonies attached*

Wreck-Gar: *happily chattering about names for their daughter now*

Drill Boy: *quiet chuckle* Let's go give this basket of stuff to the little guys under the doorstep.

Denpup: *nods, a small grin on her face as she checks over the basket's contents one more time*

Drill Boy: They have clothes on. I went to say hi.

Denpup: *snerk* You're a nutbar, DB.

Drill Boy: Huh? Yeah? So?

Denpup: If you ever change, I'm verbally disowning you. *leans against the mech's leg*

Drill Boy: *scratches his head* Yeah. I know. Let's bring the basket to the hedgies.

Denpup: *nods and moves to lead the way*

little hedgehog lady: *peeking quizzically out from under the front doorstep. A tiny mailbox has been stuck to the foundation of the house near the hole*

Denpup: *will crouch down far enough away to not be intruding, but close enough to not be rude* Hi.

hedgehog lady: *shy little squeak, but then replies softly* Hello.

Denpup: Welcome to the neighborhood. *small smile*

hedgehog lady: Oh, thank you, ma'am. *comes out and bobs a little old fashioned curtsy*

Denpup: *will reach for the basket so she can give it to the lady* My name is Den. I'm the crazy lady who chases spooks at three in the morning with a baseball bat.

hedgehog lady: *tiny chirp of laughter* I'm Maddy. Ohhh. This basket is just the right size for my baby! *little quills shiver with excitement*

Denpup: *small smile* Shiny. *looks over her shoulder for a moment* DB, aren't you gonna come over and say "hi"?

Drill Boy: I did. *hunkered down with his face on his knees as he watches his wife interact with their neighbour*

Maddy: *peeks and nods* Oh yes, ma'am. He did.

Denpup: *blink. Blink* Oh. Okay. *will stretch once Maddy has the basket, and make a slight face as her back pops* *to Maddy* Have you and your family been to the Black Dog yet?

Maddy: No, ma'am. We've been too busy getting settled in. But the nice pixie delivery boy that works for the place for people our size came and introduced himself when we moved in so that we knew how to order something if we needed it.

Denpup: *nod* That's good.

Nika: *bops her mom on the head with her doll baby*

Drill Boy: *is looking toward the bedroom window now* Bitty's awake.

Denpup: *awks and politely excuses herself so she can go get the bitty* *snuzzles the little guy and gets him laughing again, then gives him to his dad while she checks the contents of the slow cooker. Satisfied with what she sees, she settles down to feeding her family before a night of mayhem against monsters*

((written with random_xtras))