Chapter Text
“You sure you boys don’t want some help?” You call out to the various puppets that are helping to bring in the furniture from the moving truck on their 2-wheel hand dollys.
One of the puppets, an older maned male lion, laughs, “Thank you for the generous offer, but we have it under control!”
You nod, “Well alright, then at the very least let me give all of you a drink of water! I have to reward you all somehow for a job well done!” You exclaim just before heading back inside your house before coming back once more. This time, you’re seen holding several stacked plastic cups in one hand and a jug of water in the other.
The seven puppets, all of various sizes and ‘species’ approach you for a cup of ice cold water.
You’re peppered with a cacophony of ‘thank yous’ and ‘you shouldn’t have’;
“Nonsense, you boys deserve it- after hauling all that heavy furniture? The least you could do is take a brief rest before going back to work!”
You watch as two of the younger seven puppets seem to relish in your motherly nature, smiling wide before nodding and finishing their drinks.
“Alright-“ speaks the Lion, “I think we should be heading out, thank you kindly for everything-“ there’s a brief pause, “Miss? Mister?” He asks, unsure of what they should call you.
“Y/N- Y/N L/N, please call me L/N.” You introduce yourself, extending a hand out for them to shake, to which they do and you’re surprised by the strength behind the friendly shake.
“Well then, thank you for everything Mx.L/N, truly! You’re far too kind to me and my boys.”
You laugh, a smile forms on your lips, “Of course! Now, you lot, take care out there and don’t strain yourselves, you hear?”
You watch on as they all wave goodbye to you as they make their way towards the hauling truck, moving the last pieces of gear inside before eventually heading out, their truck is seen driving out of the neighborhood and in the direction of the city.
You give a satisfied hum and just as you are about to turn around and head inside to get started with unpacking you’re stopped by a voice;
“W-Wait a second!” Calls out the voice of a young girl, you turn around and find a beautiful puppet girl with candy corn like horns protruding from her head amidst her ocean of golden hair. She wears a bright red dress that is complemented by the matching white collar, belt and shoes, as well as ombré green-blue socks that add a pop of color to her.
“Oh!” You exclaim, “Hello! I’m Y/N L/N, the new neighbor- I just moved in…” you explain, “And you are?”
“Julie Joyful!” She cheers, smiling wide at you as she extends a hand for you to shake, you take it and return the smile.
“And I’m here with Barnaby B. Beagle-“ the motions to the large nearly towering seven foot tall blue dog with matching rainbow polka dots and vest.
“-Poppy Partridge-“ you look over to the large bird, she looks to be roughly one foot shy of Barnaby’s heigh, yet she still towers over you. Her multicolored feathers excitedly puff up as she waves hello to you.
“-Sally Starlet.” The sunniest of the bunch, quite literally, greets you with a wide and warm smile, she is seen holding a container of something in her hands, you wonder if it’s likely food related.
“-And lastly, Wally Darling!” Your ears perk up at his last name, for a moment a part of you seemed confused as to wether or not Julie had just called the young man by a pet name but quickly deduced that it might just be his last name. His overall appearance reminded you of Elvis Presley, which going by his immaculate pompadour and stylish outfit, one could quickly see the correlation between the two. You watched as a small blush rushed to his cheek, his eyes momentarily widening in surprise before giving you an almost shy wave of hello.
You say your hellos to your new neighbors, happily taking in the warm welcome to the neighborhood.
“Huh, never thought I’d be greeted by the welcome committee-“ you teased, thanking Sally as she handed you the container she was holding earlier;
“-They’re raisin cookies! I hope you like them!” She chimes
“Ooh! Thank you!” You take the gift, excited to hopefully get to eat some later.
You hear Julie giggle, “Yeah well, it’s always been like that here in our little neighborhood, we’ve always greeted everyone who moves here!”
“Everyone?” You raise an eyebrow, “So there’s more people?”
“Mhm!” Poppy chimes in, “Frank Frankly, Eddie Dear and Howdy Pillar are the only three not here at the moment. Frank’s likely at home, Eddie and Howdy are likely working, but don’t worry! We’ve let them know to come see you later, so you’ll likely get to meet them!”
You nod, “Thank you for letting me know, Poppy”
“Well!” Julie says, happily clasping her hands together, “We hope you enjoy living here!”
“Yes, welcome to the neighborhood, neighbor” You hear Wally speak up, it’s the first time he’s talked since being introduced to you, you don’t mention it, thinking that he’s just likely shy.
You offer a kind smile and nod, “Thank you everyone, it was a pleasure meeting all of you!”
And with that everyone soon enough departs, with you heading back inside and the puppets slowly dispersing towards their respective homes, with Wally being the last one.
Along the way however, Wally stops in his tracks and turns his head back towards your house, his eyes resting nowhere in particular as he thinks about the strange pull he felt towards you. Shaking his head of that thought, Wally makes the last few needed steps to get home.
“I’m probably just tired…” he quietly mumbles to himself.