starlightcafe | I see before me a new horizon

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I see before me a new horizon

Since Daniel had decided to spare him, Wembley's life had changed. Sometimes, he was a bit of a pet to the young man, in all honesty - or at least a very loyal sidekick. And he was more careful when getting his food - and actually conscientious of the whole "property" and "ownership" things.

Sort of.

Most of all, though, Wembley was less afraid to be around silly creatures - humans. Though he knew he still had to be careful, he now knew there were good, honest people among them. He spent more time in the heart of Valentine, usually out of sight but able to take them all in. They were interesting, especially to someone who had spent almost his entire life around a family and very small social group of only Fraggles.

Still, there was something to be said for species familiarity; for having companionship from someone who understood your culture and where you came from... It was just that life for the Fraggles he already knew was so different, now, from his own. They weren't out here like he was.

So when a bit of unusually vivid and bright colors caught his eyes one day as he scurried behind storefronts looking for discarded scraps... Well, he certainly didn't assume it was another Fraggle. But the color was also different than the drab colors and occasional jewel tones that silly creatures seemed to prefer. Also, that flash he'd just spotted out of the corner of his eye? It had been moving.

"Hey, wait!" Wembley called as he did a doubletake and then took chase.

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That flash of color had indeed been a Fraggle. Gobo was skirting the undersides of buildings, crouched but moving at a good clip. Valentine was always a good place to find interesting things, he just had to be careful of not being seen. He paused in an alley between buildings, waited for a couple of horses to pass through the street, then he took off, scrambling through the mud and then under a porch. There he crouched, glancing around a bit, and he started to head off again when he heard a voice calling. That didn't quite sound like a Silly Creature-

He settled back a bit and looked around him, spotting the flash of color in the duller shades of the town.

"A Fraggle-?"

Wembley gasped when he got close enough to get a better view of the other creature - it was the tail he'd mostly seen, apparently... That was definitely a Fraggle, now that they'd stilled. Now what? He wasn't sure how to proceed, to be honest, it had been so long since he'd met a new Fraggle...

Standing back a bit still, he raised one hand in a slow wave.

He leaned up a little, looking the other over. Yep, that was a Fraggle alright. He returned the wave after a moment, standing up a bit straighter.

"Uh. Hi there."

"Hi there," Wembley echoed, as much because he was stunned as it was out of habit. He couldn't get a good look at the other Fraggle, really, under the hood. Still, this was exciting! After a moment, Wembley's face broke into a grin and he scrambled to get closer. "I'm Wembley!"

Seeing the other Fraggle come over, Gobo stepped to meet him part of the way, lowering the hood of his wrap. His hand scruffed through his hair a bit, though as it settled it was hard to tell he did anything at all.

"Hi, Wembley. I'm Gobo."

Wembley's eyes widened a bit, seeing Gobo more properly, his hood down and his face now partially illuminated by the light that came through the wood panels in the porch above them.

Wow.

His grin faded, but not unhappily. "Hi, Gobo..."

Gobo smiled some, then blinked and glanced off. Going down some, he crept to the edge of their cover. Looking out, he watched someone unloading crates into the general store, his tail waving behind him as he considered.

"Hang out here. I'm gonna get something real quick!"

Without time for argument he took off, running the outskirts.

Wembley blinked, startled - what just happened; where was he going? He'd been told to wait. He should just do that, then, right? But something could happen to Gobo, to this new other Fraggle, and he didn't want that...

"Oh boy," Wembley sighed, still uncertain even as he picked a course of action, and started to trail well behind Gobo.

Gobo went from the underhang to between the wheels of a wagon, creeping through the axles and around to where he could see. He watched the human pick up a crate and start up the wooden steps. As soon as their back was turned, Gobo grabbed part of the side of the wagon and hauled himself up and into it. He knelt down and then hid behind a barrel when someone else came for another crate. Once they were gone, he leaned over and started going through a nearby burlap sack.

Wembley stayed beneath the wagon once he caught up some, listening to Gobo's footsteps above to try and get a placement on him.

"What are you doing?" he half-whispered.

Gobo glanced down, leaning a bit to whisper through the slats.

"Looking for potatoes! I can smell 'em, and they'll never miss them!"

Well. This was a dilemma.

Personally, Wembley agreed with Gobo, entirely. But from what Daniel had told him, even if the Silly Creatures wouldn't really need the couple of potatoes Gobo took... They'd be upset they were gone.

"Wait, wait!" Wembley hissed up. "I got in a lot of trouble for that not long ago! A Silly Creature almost got me!"

"It'll be fine, Wembley!" Finding what he wanted, he pulled a couple potatoes from the bag and put them in an inner pocket he'd sewed into his wrap. Waiting for a free moment, he vaulted over the cart and landed heavily in the dirt. He glanced back at Wembley, gesturing for him to follow as he ducked back into hiding.

Wembley rushed after Gobo, unable to help the nervous looks over his shoulder back at the cart. But once the two were back to safety, he had to admit... He was impressed.

"They didn't see you at all! They didn't even hear you!"

"That's because I've done that before!" He pulled a potato out and passed it over to Wembley.

"I collect all sorts of odds and ends Silly Creatures don't want, and that practice comes in handy when I need to grab something to eat."

Wembley took the potato with a grin, and he meant to offer his thanks, but what he blurted out instead was, "You're amazing!"

A sheepish little chuckle, but he pushed past the moment. "Have you been around here for a long time? I've never seen you out here before!"

He grinned at Wembley, then turned and glanced around. He bit into his potato, crouching a little as he walked through the undergap of the shop, heading towards a pathway out of town.

"Nope! Only been here a couple of days. I tend to ramble as the wind takes me."

Wembley nodded as he gnawed on his potato. "That sounds pretty fun," he said. "Maybe scary, though... And how do you make friends if you're always moving around?"

"Well..." He hesitated, then glanced back a bit. "I don't, really. I can't even tell you the last time I talked to a Fraggle."

"Oh. Gosh, well, I'm sorry about that." Wembley set his potato aside for the moment. "You could always stay here in Valentine...?"

Gobo thought about that a moment, then shook his head.

"No, outside's a lot more exciting. There's so much to see and do!"

"Oh, sure, yeah! A lot more exciting!" Wembley agreed, automatically, before he even had a chance to think about what Gobo said. But once he did- Well, truth be told, things were interesting just being beyond the farmlands in Valentine. He could only imagine the fun to be had further out.

He could also only imagine the dangers, though.

He watched as a small one-horse cart rolled up nearby and came to a stop, so someone could hop off and talk to another. At an idea, Gobo half-turned to Wembley and smiled.

"Hey, why don't you come with me?"

"What, me? You want- I mean, gee, it sounds fun, but leaving-! Oh boy. I don't know. I don't know how to decide." With a sigh, he slumped down to a seated position. He quickly looked back up to Gobo. "Can you decide for me?"

"Decide for you?" He looked at him with a blink, then grinned. The potato was shoved into his mouth and held there with his teeth, and he ducked back enough to grab Wembley's wrist. Holding tight, Gobo dashed out into the open and across to the cart, hopping up into the undercarriage where they could ride without being seen.

Woah- Well, that was that, then, wasn't it? Many, many thoughts raced through Wembley's mind. He should tell Daniel, but was Daniel even in Valentine right now? When would they be back here? Would they ever?

But... For all his confusion and doubt, he was excited. Not just to be with another Fraggle; with this other Fraggle - although that was exciting in and of itself - but to be going new places, seeing new things, and meeting new people. It would be an adventure, and he sure wouldn't feel limited anymore.

As the cart lurched into motion, Wembley momentarily lost his balance, falling against Gobo a bit before he righted himself with a chuckle.

"Thanks."

Gobo grinned lightly, helping prop Wembley up with a gentle nudge of his elbow.

"You're welcome." Settling in for the ride, he returned to his snack. "You're gonna love the open road, Wembs. It'll be great! There's so much to do and pick up and see."

Wembs? A nickname? This was a real friendship, huh?

Wembley grinned, nodding. "It sounds fun! What kind of stuff do you usually look for to pick up?"

"A little bit of everything! Mostly stuff people don't want or leave behind. I've got some old horseshoes, a few neat rocks and carvings, some cards, stuff like that. I'll show you my collection next time we stop somewhere."

"Wow! It sounds like a great collection!" Wembley enthused, his tone earnest and genuine. "Maybe I'll start one of my own!"

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I see before me a new horizon

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