fandomtownies | In and Around the Woods, Sunday Afternoon

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In and Around the Woods, Sunday Afternoon

The shadows didn't want to budge. They liked it here, and they liked their toys, and maybe they would like to reach out, sometime, and bring in more...

Because the island would let them do that, wouldn't it?

It would be oh-so-cosy.

[[ FINALE POST! ocd up. ]]

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Yeah, no, Rufus was not getting hit head on by that--though it did get on his pants, which he surveyed with disgust.

"Why what?" Rufus demanded irritably, since that... that sounded less like a song lyric and more like a real question.

The fish... paused.

It had been a song lyric.

It had also been a very deliberately chosen song lyric.

"I ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴛᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ," Billy spat. There was a loud clicking noise, like a tape reversing. "ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ." Click. "ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ." Click. "sʜᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ."

Click. Whirring.

Huh. That was definitely a direct attempt at communicating.

"Yes," Rufus said dryly, "we noticed."

At least, he had. He wasn't sure anyone else had accepted that fact yet.

"What do you want?"

Click. Click. Click.

"ᴡᴀ ɴ ᴛ." Briefly, Billy fell into his telepathic voice. Sᴏ ʀ ʏ.

Click. Click. Click.

"ᴡᴀ ɴ ᴛ. Yᴏᴜ." sɪ ɢ ɴ ɪɴɢ. "ᴍʏ."

Ugh.

Telepathy.

The one saving grace was that the fish wasn't likely to be able to understand most of Rufus' thoughts.

"You want an apology?"

This may be the first time anyone had ever watched a massive fish trophy nod solemnly.

"I ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴅɪsɢʀᴀᴄᴇ," Billy added. "I ɢᴏᴛ ᴛʜɪs ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴ' ᴛʜᴏʀɴ ɪɴ ᴍʏ sɪᴅᴇ." Click. "sᴡɪᴛᴄʜ."

The fish tilted his side to Rufus. It just read 'BILLY THE BASS'.

"You--"

Rufus had no words, really. He just didn't. This was going down on his list of most surreal experiences.

"I see. Stay still a moment, then, and I'll... fix... that."

"I ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴛᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ," Billy sighed - in as much as one could sigh through a pre-recorded snippet of music.

As he dug around for a sharpie--luckily Rufus was prepared in all sorts of ways that people would never expect of him--he thought about what he should change the inscription to.

Rufus was... not the sort of person who regularly gave out rewards or acknowledgements, see. He expected people to do their best as a matter of course and, within the company's framework, the people that did so were rewarded with raises, not recognition.

And the fish was a part of this world. The recognition should come in some form that was related to this world, not his. Though that did give him an idea.

"All right," Rufus said, approaching Billy with his sharpie. This was ridiculous but he was going to carry it off with as much dignity as he could. "Hold still."

It didn't take long for Rufus to write, the letting precise, sharp, and obnoxiously tidy given what he was writing on. (Rufus was one of those disgusting people who had perfect whiteboard writing too.)

In short order, the inscription now read: 'BILLY THE BASS, OFFICIAL MEMBER OF SANTA'S NICE LIST' and in smaller letters under that it said 'in recognition of good behavior all year long'.

What? That was the most... Earth-y reward he'd been able to think of.

A deep sigh passed through Billy's body.

Yes. That was it. He had been through so much. And all this time... he'd just wanted people to recognize that he was trying. There was only so much you could do, being a fish trophy, but he had tried it all and what had he gotten for it?

Maiming.

But now... This...

At least someone on this island cared.

"Yᴏᴜ." Click. "sᴇᴛ ɪᴛ sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ, ᴛʜɪs Wᴀᴛᴇʀɢᴀᴛᴇ." Did it sound pleased? Maybe. "Yᴏ, I'ᴍ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ I'ᴍ ɢᴏɴᴇ."

It flapped its side-fin. Once. Twice. And then... four times, fluttering faster and faster and faster.

Billy the Bass looked to the heavens. And Billy the Bass flew.

He hit the air so hard it caused a minor sonic boom, yanking the shadows with it. Across the forest, random objects fell to the ground, now once again without any force animating it.

And Rufus was just... going to put his sharpie away.

"I guess he liked it," he said, to no one in particular. "Well, that's done then."

Honestly, it hadn't even been hard.

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In and Around the Woods, Sunday Afternoon

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