[ORP/OTP] Gifts In Case of Trouble [Peeper, Open]

[xelhaspixiestix]

Peeper is still on a quest. Having once been admitted to Nettle's clearing and allowed to stay if he's quiet, he wants to make sure that next time the present he brings won't be trampled to goo between the stone and Nettle's hooves. And while so far he's found some really nice things, nothing he's found is quite right for Nettle. Not the yellow flowers, not the pretty ones that Poison and Hue had found with him, not any are just right. Not the long feathers that Bleeding Heart found or smoothed rocks or anything.

It means that when the strange tingling and the stretching sense of anticipation and strangeness come, he takes it as a sign that he's going in the right direction and keeps going, hunting for he's not sure what.

It might be something like the shiny pebble that Twilight dropped, or it might be something else entirely. Peeper doesn't know. But he is sure that he'll know it when he sees it.

It'll be perfect, whenever he can finally find it.  

[phoenix kiss]

He had finally lost everyone. Even his sister, and it was a welcome relief to move through the rain-soaked marshes and mangroves with only Seethe at his side. He moved in utter silence; there wasn't anything to say, and beyond that, silence was natural and it made it so much easier to sneak up on the frogs and snakes that were his favorite foods.

Not to mention the odd feeling that's been creeping up on him in the last few hours. It apparently affected his snake, as well; Seethe crawled up one of his legs to curl gently around his neck, and the snake rides with his head between Lizardskin's shoulderblades. He doesn't seem to mind the sudden reptilian swerves or dives into the sawgrass in pursuit of frogs; he's never said anything about Lizardskin eating snakes or frogs, but nor has Lizardskin asked.

The odd feeling, misinterpreted as something he's doing, or something transmitted to him through his snake, pulls him farther north. And, not watching where he's going, he continues north, stopping here and there to make a quick dart into the grass, but finding the reptiles growing thinner and thinner, less and less, until there are none.  

[xelhaspixiestix]

There's a rustle in the bushes, and something moves in a way that is familiarly reptilian, except that when Peeper notices it, it gives him an idea. Maybe Nettle would like a snake? He didn't see a pet or familiar or anything with him-- and that would be something special. Right?

So Peeper crouches, carefully waiting until the rustle is just where he wants it before he pounces. Of course, there is a lot of speed and force behind the pounce, so that if he hits Lizardskin, he might well bowl him over entirely.  

[phoenix kiss]

Peeper will hear someone hiss out "What are you--" in an odd, sibilant voice before he collides with someone heavy and green. It sends Lizardskin himself bowling over in a tangle of hooves and horns, and poor Seethe is flung willy-nilly into a tangle of sawgrass. Lizardskin lunges to his feet and stares down at the pink buck with little expression on his face beyond vague irritation. "What is the problem?"  

[xelhaspixiestix]

It takes him a minute, shaking his head, to catch himself up. Then he studies the greenish buck thoughtfully. "Hi." And, of course, bounces up to his feet to grin, tail lashing cheerfully. "I thought you were a snake. I was trying to catch one for my friend because he needs something nice to cheer him up, but you're definitely not a snake, even if you are an awesome green color. I'm Peeper. What's your name?"  

[phoenix kiss]

Somehow Peeper's monologue does the exact opposite of what it might have provoked in any other easily-annoyed kimeti; Scale stares at him for a moment, ears perked up, and then shakes his head with only a vague sense of irritation. It's as if Peeper is too fascinating to grow upset with. Lashing his long striped tail behind him, Lizardskin takes a step forward in the slow, sinuous way he has, and then looks around. "Lizardskin. And there are none here -- no reptiles. You have gone too far."  

[xelhaspixiestix]

Peeper considers this statement, and the way Lizardskin moves. "That's cool. Did you always move like that? How'd you learn? I have a friend who does that too, but can't decide which of you is more graceful." He bounces once on his hooves, and investigates the sawgrass carefully where Seethe has been flung. "You're very green."  

[phoenix kiss]

Another kimeti who moves like he does? It's only because Lizardskin has spent most of his life in the company of reptiles -- preferring their silent company to all of the chatty, busybody kimeti he's encountered. The fact that Peeper, who seems like he should be annoying ... isn't ... unnerves Lizardskin to the point that he finds himself becoming more and more polite.

"I have spent much of my life around reptiles," he says, and actually looks relieved when Seethe begins to crawl up one leg again. "Seethe here has been with me since I was a foal. I prefer their company to others'." Especially since meeting that odd doe with the sharp teeth -- he shakes his head and then noses into the grass, looking for -- what? Something. "Do you feel a strange pulling?"  

[xelhaspixiestix]

"His name is Seethe? That's very nice." Peeper must feel the pulling as a kind of hyperactivity-- which is alarming, considering his normal demeanor. "I don't know about a pulling. I'm looking for something for my friend--- something really really nice and flowers won't work because they're kind of blah. My friend thinks so, anyway." He investigates the grass, hunting for something-- Something. "So I need something amazing, because I really want a great reaction, you know? Because I like my friend a lot."  

[phoenix kiss]

This torrent of speech hauls Lizardskin up short; it means that Peeper gets to watch the green buck stare at him for a moment, ears perked forward and mouth slightly open. He's just left Lizardskin in the dust, and Scale himself isn't quite sure if it's safe to start talking yet. Peeper might just run him over again.

"Something amazing?" He tilts his head, speech noticibly slower (and more controlled) than Peeper's own. His first choice for something amazing would be some sort of reptile. "What foods does he like? How far is your friend?" He uses 'he' just because, well, Lizardskin would; he's male, and self-important. And it makes sense. "You wouldn't want food to spoil."
 

[xelhaspixiestix]

Peeper sits. And he thinks about it -- but only for about a microsecond. "Well, I've never seen him eat. And he's very far away, so it's a long way so maybe food isn't the best idea anyway but I think he's got a snake because there was one where he lives, but I'm not a hundred percent sure but still maybe not a snake." He shifts his front hooves, like he wants to bounce around. "And I already decided that a Songbird and a foxbun are both out of the question because they are very much not him, you know?"

He pauses. "Actually, he reminds me of you, just that he's crankier. Because you both move about the same way, actually, except maybe you're more awkward than he is. So, since you have a snake, what cool thing would wow you?"  

[phoenix kiss]

This leaves Lizardskin blinking -- because Peeper sits on the ground like a foxbun, for one, and he's never seen that before... but also because every time Peeper opens his mouth, words begin to come out in a rush. It's like he can't help the literal waterfall of words. But eventually he begins to think about it, to try and help this ... ridiculous kimeti out.

He turns in a slow circle, measuring his steps by how quickly Seethe can slither around his feet. "If not a snake... then perhaps another reptile." He blinks up at Peeper, head still lowered to regard his own companion. "Perhaps not an alligator. But you get my idea, I assume?"  

[xelhaspixiestix]

Peeper would argue. He is not ridiculous-- he's just inventively colored. "Hm." Actually, an alligator would probably suit Nettle's most cranky moods, but it would also be trouble for anyone coming to visit.

Like Peeper.

Then again, he isn't sure anyone else would visit Nettle but him anyway. But still, maybe not an alligator. "Reptiles like water, right?" He's not sure, and Scale seems like the one to ask. In the meantime, though, in his eagerness to be off and hunting for something special, his hindquarters just about vibrate in place, as if he is bouncing too quickly to be seen.