Hat Kid spent the next few days in a depressed haze. After seeing the rapids, she had accepted she would probably never see her family again. And that fact depressed her deeply.
The Beans in the house did their very best to lift the tiny girl's spirits. Cookie had been teaching her how to cook, Conductor allowed her to sit on his shoulders or on his hat (something that brought her great joy), Grooves had shown her all his props and makeup and they had a lot of fun with the latter, and Snatcher had told her stories and was generally just there for her.
But nothing seemed to work.
She still sulked around the house, trying to busy herself with small tasks. And her housemates were running out of ideas.
Snatcher paced in the kitchen. "Nothing is working, and I can't work with how miserable she is!" he glanced at the others. "B-Because it's annoying."
Cookie smirked. "You're not fooling anyone. You like her just as much as we do. If not more."
"No way! She's just a roommate now." he scoffed. But he was lying.
Conductor sighed, reaching into a cupboard for his whiskey. "Listen, the only thing that'll help the lass, is time."
"Can't we speed that up?" the young man asked, not happy with that answer.
"Ye can't speed up the grieving process! It's a process !" the old man growled, then took a shot of his whiskey.
Now, Hat Kid could still hear them as she was currently wrapped up in a blanket burrito that Grooves had made for her. Just because she was small didn't mean she couldn't hear them from a couple rooms away.
She knew she was sad, and she felt rather justified in that regard. But she couldn't be sad forever, and she knew what would help. Getting out of this house and going for an adventure!
But after the run in with the cat, she didn't feel like adventuring in the garden. But, it's not like she could travel far on her own-
"Listen, me and DJ Peck Neck over here-"
"Hey!"
"Ye know I'm right! Anyways, me and Grooves have to go into work tomorrow."
That was it! That was how she'd get out of this stuffy house, and get her mind off her old family. To spend some time with her new one.
By sneaking off to wherever they went. Already her Borrowing mind went to work. She could hide in one of the Conductor's jacket pockets. He had admitted before he barely used them, and forgot half of them were even there.
It was the perfect plan.
The next morning, Hat Kid crept out of her dollhouse earlier than usual. She paid extra close attention to Snatcher as he loudly snored in his bed. He was a light sleeper, often catching her trying to go for midnight snacks.
Crawling through the walls, she popped into Conductor's apartment. She hadn't been in here since when she spilled the rat poison in the sink. She just needed to find his jacket.
Pacing around his apartment was Conductor - sans jacket - loudly talking on the phone. Good start. His jacket was lying on the couch; no challenge for a Borrower!
Scaling down the counter, she scampered over to the couch. He hadn't seen her yet, gotta keep moving. She just had to get to his coat pocket!
Hat Kid had only been Snatcher's pocket once. She enjoyed the experience greatly; but the idea made others uncomfortable. A tiny, frail child in a place they can't even see? They weren't a fan. They didn't even like it when she sat on their shoulder.
She crawled into a nearby pocket in his jacket. It was silky, not quite soft but not uncomfortable. Squirming deeper into the pocket, she let out a small sigh.
Suddenly, the jacket was picked up. Stifling a yelp, she heard Conductor shout, "OI! DJ PECK NECK! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" he put the jacket on, and stormed out of his apartment.
Hat Kid couldn't hear his heartbeat like when she was in Snatcher's pocket, but his warmth did make her sleepy. A little nap wouldn't hurt, right?
As the child drifted off, Conductor left the house completely unaware that there was a tiny child in his pocket.
Cookie hummed, working on making her, Snatcher, and the tiny girl who was currently not in the house. But no one knew that.
Snatcher came downstairs, grabbing a cup of coffee. "Morning, Cookie. Morning kid."
"She hasn't come down yet." she explained, a little confused. "I thought she was still asleep…"
He paused. "No...she wasn't in her dollhouse…" the two were quiet, and still. Snatcher quickly checked the bottom of his shoes, as Cookie called out her name through the house.
As moments turned to minutes, the two got increasingly more frantic. They had checked the entire house top to bottom, attic and basement included.
"Oh oh god, oh god she ran away." he whimpered. "The kid was so sad she ran away and it's all our fault - mostly Conductor's - and a cat is gonna eat her."
"She didn't run away! Her stuff is still here!" Cookie sighed.
The young man pulled his phone from how pocket. "I'm calling Grooves."
Grooves and Conductor had a peaceful transit to their temporary filming set. They were filming here for their movies, then heading back home. That was the plan anyway.
"God I hate this rain." Conductor grumbled. He and Grooves were standing under a tent roof to shield paperwork and props from the rain.
"Where you see dreary, I see opportunity, darling!" Grooves sang, doing a small spin. "I'm not letting a little weather ruin my parade. In fact, it will improve it! The melodramatic scenes will be shot when it rains, and the happy scenes will be during clear skies."
"Good fer ye. Would ye like a trophy? OH WAIT!" the old director cackled, laughing at his rival's previous losses.
"I would, actually. And that's why I'm going to win this-" Grooves paused, pulling his phone out if his pocket. "Hello?...yes...What?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE?!"
Conductor tried to snatch the phone away. "Who's gone?! The little lass?! GROOVES!?"
The DJ leaned away from the phone. "Cookie and Snatcher can't find the little diva. They want to know if we've seen her."
Now, the loud shouting had awoken the small borrower hidden away in Conductor's pocket. She yawned quietly, but made sure not to move so much as to not be caught. Seems as though Snatcher and Cookie had already discovered her absence…
Conductor sighed. "...do ye think she planned this?"
"Darling, what on earth are you talking about?!"
"Ye know! Maybe she planned this from the start. Wiggle her way in, gain our trust, then vanish once she got what she wanted!"
Hat Kid felt her cheeks go hot, and tears sting her eyes. She would never say that! She would never do that! How could he even think about that?!
"Conductor. How dare you imply that little girl would deceive us in that manner." Grooves hissed. He turned back to the phone. "No, no Snatcher I don't think she's here. Check our shoes? Our pockets?"
"I'm just sayin, some people would do that! What makes her so different?!" he growled, absentmindedly placing his hands in his pockets. His eyes went wide, as his fingers slowly curled around her.
Slowly, silently, he lifted the crying girl out of his pocket, and in view of Grooves.
DJ Grooves' jaw dropped, glancing at the girl with tears streaming down her face, then back at Conductor, who was growing paler by the second.
"...Snatcher? We found her. She had...crawled into a pocket, yeah. We'll be home soon." he hung up, then turned to the other director. "Oh darling...you are so dead."
Conductor silently paced around the table under the tent, with Grooves making a phone call about having to go home for a couple hours.
Hat Kid sat at the table, back turned to Conductor. She was ignoring him, and she knew the silence was killing him.
"Good." she thought to herself. "I'll show him."
Hat Kid's adventure wasn't over yet. There was a tent a few feet away, loaded with snacks and sweets. She had missed breakfast, and she could feel her stomach start to grumble.
Quick pit stop. Quick snack stop.
Making sure that Conductor and Grooves weren't looking, she dashed to the edge of the table and started climbing down.
It was hard to run in the rain and wet grass, seeming like a thick jungle to her. Behind her she could hear Conductor and Grooves question where she had gone, but she shrugged it off. Besides, she was just using them apparently. Stupid Conductor.
She reached the other table, and paused to catch her breath before climbing up.
So many snack options! Grapes and candy and sugar cubes, and other foods she had only heard of in stories. Like donuts!
Her eyes were drawn to a cup full of candy. Hat Kid huffed, trying to maneuver a wrapped lollipop from a cup. But living with beans had made her brave, and she had forgotten to check her surroundings.
"Hello...er, tiny child." came a voice above her. Low, and soft. She froze in fear, slowly looking up at the bean.
He was tall and gangly, with wide eyes, greasy hair and a thin face. He had a grey trench coat and hat that looked too big for him. He had the smallest of smiles on his face. "Do you require assistance?"
Hat Kid used her greatest defense weapon. She started crying.
The young man seemed concerned by her crying; reaching into the cup, unwrapping a lollipop, and handing it to her. "Do not cry, tiny child." he said, voice low and soft. "You wanted this?"
Hat Kid sniffled, her cries softening. Hesitating, she took the candy and asked, "Why are you being so nice to me?"
He gave her a small smile. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you? You are someone who needed assistance. And I was there to help. Besides, I would never hurt anyone! It's not in my nature."
"Oh. Thank you." she said, wiping the tears from her face. All her life she had been told that Human Beans would cause nothing but hardships...but was that true? "I'm Hat Kid."
"You may refer to me as...Crowley."
Out of nowhere, a fold up chair flew through the air, hitting her newfound friend squarely in the nose. He yelped in pain, landing on the ground and groaning. Hat Kid gasped, peeking over the edge to see the man curled up in a ball, covering his face.
Conductor stomped forward. "There ye are! Gave me and Grooves heart attacks!"
Breaking her silent treatment, she glared at the older bean. "You hurt him!" she squeaked angrily, pointing to Crowley.
"Ooh, what?! I was doing it to protect ye!" Conductor was secretly very happy she was talking to him again, and hoped his little…'accusation' wouldn't be brought up again. He reached out to pick her up, but she hopped out of the way.
"Not until you help him!" she demanded, crossing her arms and turning away from him with an angry huff.
The angry bean snarled, clearly not happy with the situation. He just wanted to take -his granddaughter- the small being back home. But now he had an injured actor to deal with, and a very irritated little girl.
Sighing, he turned to the man on the wet grass. "Alright, laddie, get up." he grabbed Crowley's hand, hoisting him up. "It's not that bad!"
Crowley sniffled, trying to stop the nasty nose bleed he had gotten from having a metal chair thrown at him. He wiped his nose, and his eyes. "Y-Yes boss."
"Are...are you crying?! Cut it out!" Conductor scolded. "Yer not five!"
The young man sniffled again, whimpering as tears rolling down his cheeks. It made the young girl's heart ache. "CONDUCTOR!" she squealed. "YOU'RE...YOU'RE A BUTTHEAD!"
"Lass! Keep quiet!" he hissed, trying to shush her. "We don't need anyone else to know about ye!"
"Fix him! His nose!" she demanded.
Throwing his hands up in the air, Conductor stomped away to get medical supplies. Crowley sniffled, sitting on the table and trying not to cry. "That...was very painful."
She looked around, looking for something to cheer up her friend. Her eyes fell on the candy in her hands. "Would you like a lollipop?"
Crowley looked at her, blood dripping off his chin and tears running down his cheeks. But he couldn't help but smile softly. "...thank you, small girl." he took it from her hands, placing it in his mouth. "It has been a while since I have eaten candy. Thank you."
"No problem! I'm really sorry about Conductor...he's a poopface." she crossed her arms angrily.
"I am aware of his irritability. He is my boss. I...do not like my job very much." he sighed.
Conductor returned, mumbling angrily to himself. "Here, I got ye some bandages. Lemme see." Crowley whined slightly as his boss looked at his nose. "Ah! Just a broken nose. Don't worry, laddie. I'll fix this right up-" with a quick flick of his wrist, Conductor twisted the man's nose back into place.
Crowley screamed in pain, pulling away. "I don't think that was medically accurate!"
"Oh pipe down." the old man growled, wrapping the younger man's nose in wrappings. "Yer fine! Here, take this for the blood." Crowley took the handkerchief, placing it under his nose.
"There! Happy now, lass?" Conductor sighed. "Grooves is waiting for us with a car to take ye home-"
"No. Not unless he comes too." Hat Kid pointed at Crowley. "He needs to see Cookie for medical help. Not you!"
"Who, me?" Crowley asked quietly, glancing between the two.
"Lassie." Conductor snarled through gritted teeth. "Ye are being unreasonable-"
"Then leave me here!" she snapped, feeling tears well in her eyes again. "Clearly you don't trust me! So just leave me here, then! Leave me here to wiggle into someone else's life!"
The old man's shoulder slumped in a defeated manner. "...fine."
"I-I still have no idea what is happening here." Crowley said quietly, then squawked as Conductor grabbed his arm.
"The lass wants to take ye to get yer nose fixed." he explained, scooping up the furious young child against her will.
The old man dragged/carried the two over to where Grooves was waiting. "Who is he?" the DJ asked.
"I'll explain in the car. I got the lass." Conductor wheezed. Today was unexpectedly emotionally exhausting, and he was tempted to call off filming today.
Grooves turned to Crowley. "Pleasure to meet you, darling! I'm guessing you've met our little diva."
"Why yes, I have. She's certainly...interesting-" he was cut off as Conductor shoved him into the back, handing him Hat Kid to hold.
Slamming the door, Grooves asked, "What did you do in the ten minutes she was gone?!" he hissed.
"I maaaay have broken the Lad's nose. And the lass is attached to him, and he needs medical attention , apparently." he said the last sentence in a mocking tone. "Because I don't know how to set a broken nose, I guess."
"So we're taking him to a hospital?"
"No, no. We're taking him to the apartment with the lass. It was the only way I could get her to come back. Besides, Cookie studied as a nurse, didn't she?"
Before his rival could object, he said quickly. "Look, I know this is crazy. But the lass already hates me. I don't want her to loathe me entirely. I like her! She - she makes me happy...I don't want to lose her like me wife."
Grooves was silent, an unhappy expression on his face. "...you're driving then."
The car ride was much longer than it seemed. Conductor was sitting stiffly in the driver's seat, Grooves in the passenger seat; the two were silent. Crowley and Hat Kid were talking quietly in the backseat, being the only source of noise.
The young man was trying to explain a joke to her, about blueprints and owls. She didn't quite get it, and the silence from the front seat showed they didn't understand either.
Pulling up to the house, Crowley marveled at the structure. "It's impressive!" he turned to the small girl in his lap. "Still don't quite understand why I'm here-"
"Because you need help for your nose!" she squeaked. "And I want my new friend to meet my other friends!"
His face lit up. "We're friends?"
"Sure are!"
"Alright. Everyone out!" Conductor announced, opening the doors. Crowley stepped out, cradling the small girl in his hands.
Cookie rushed out to greet them, tackling Conductor in a hug. "We were so worried!" she squealed, giving the old man a kiss on the cheek. He blushed, stuttering quietly to himself. Cookie then turned to Grooves, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek as well.
She turned to Crowley. "Oh! Who's this!"
"Conductor broke his nose! Because he's a BIG BUTTHEAD!" Hat Kid indignantly shouted from Crowley's hands.
"He WHAT!?" the woman grabbed Crowley's arm, gently dragging him inside. "You poor baby! We're gonna need some pain medicine, and bandages, and and and-" she rambled on, leading the young man to sit on the couch.
His eyes were wide, confused. But Hat Kid assured him that Cookie was one of the nicest, sweetest people she knew. Cookie returned shortly, with the medicine bag. "Now, tell me everything."
"Well, I went to the craft table for a drink of water." he said quietly as she gently inspected his nose. "And there was this tiny girl! And she started crying, so I assisted her with retrieving her candy...and then Conductor threw a chair at me."
"HE DID WHAT?!" she shouted, angrily throwing an empty pill bottle at him. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
"I thought he'd hurt her!" he shouted back. "I was just protecting the lassie! I'm going ta bed." he stormed away, hearing his apartment door slam shut.
"And...I was in Conductor's pocket. He said.." Hat Kid felt tears well in her eyes. "He said I was using you! I was gaining your trust, and then I'd leave!"
"No..No!" she scolded, reapplying bandages to Crowley's nose. "He wouldn't!-"
"He did, darling." Grooves interrupted. "I was there. I was mortified by what he was saying."
Cookie was silent for a moment. "I'm gonna kill him."
Once Crowley had been properly patched up, Cookie had given him all the candy in the house and told him to visit any time in case he needed a warm meal and bed. He practically burst into tears, hugging her tight.
He bid farewell to his small friend, and Grooves offered to drive him home. Once he was gone, Snatcher burst from the attic. "WHERE IS CONDUCTOR?! WHERE IS HE I'LL KILL HIM!
"He's asleep, darling." Grooves sighed.
"That's a shitty excuse." the young man snarled. "I can pick locks, I can go in there in a snap." he snapped his fingers for emphasis.
"As much as I want to strangle him… " Cookie hissed, stirring the thick stew she was making. "It's not the best way to go about this."
"He already feels incredibly guilty." the DJ explained. "I'm sure he'll apologize...soon. And in the end, it's about what we want." he glanced upwards. "It's what the little diva wants."
"Poor kid." Snatcher sighed, sitting down at the table. "She came upstairs and practically passed out in her bed. Hey Cookie, how much longer? I'm starved."
"...Hi starved! I'm Cookie! Nice to meet you!" she giggled. He groaned loudly in response, laying his head on the table.
"Everyone's a comedian."