We Aren't Thieves!

A collaborative story from higgins-bros and izzyeast13

[alexs-moon-garden]

@determined-borrowers

[determined-borrowers]

Aww, looks cute! We appreciate the effort. ^^

[determined-borrowers]

Determined Borrowers Chapter 6

“What do you mean you don’t wanna leave!?” Shag exclaimed in frustration. Paa cowered behind Prep, afraid of her friend’s outburst. Prep stood her ground, however. “I’m saying, maybe we should give Izzy a chance. She seems genuine in wanting to help us.”

“Yeah- if you don’t remember how she grabbed us and threw us in a rat cage,” Hobo grumbled. “We were almost crushed to death! It felt like we were trapped in there for a year!” Shag nodded. “Hobo’s right- if we don’t leave now, who knows what she’s gonna do. Hell, she could be a cannibal for all we know! And we’d be the perfect size for snacking.”

Paa shook her head. “Izzy isn’t like that. She’s nice. She even let me ride on her ducky!” Prep nodded with a smile. “It was nice to have some girl time for once. No offense, guys.” Shag growled. “So you’re serious about staying here? Then I guess this is where we part ways. Alex, Paa, it’s been nice knowing you. Come on, Hobo.” Prep’s heart sank- Shag had never referred to her by her actual name ever since they had first met. This was a sign that their time together had come to an end. Hobo gave them an apologetic look, but headed out into the path towards the window they entered by. Prep kneeled down and hugged Paa- it looked like they were on their own now.

Well, until they heard a pair of screams.

———

“What do you mean your plan failed?”

Izzy sighed as she talked into the phone. “It looks like at least the girls want to stay with me. And I can’t just throw them out to the curb- they’re kids. Here’s hoping the boys talk some sense into them...” A pair of screams interrupted the conversation. “Wh-what was that?” the person on the other end asked. “...I don’t know. I’d better check it out. Talk with you later.” Izzy hung up and went over to the wall. She opened the false outlet and peeked in. “...Paa? Prep? Is that you?” she asked quietly. There was no response, but as she was about to close the outlet, a voice called out- “DON’T CLOSE IT DON’T CLOSE IT!!!” Izzy watched in confusion as Shag and Hobo ran out onto the desk and pushed the outlet closed. The two tiny boys caught their breath before trying to regain their composure.

“...what was that all about? And where are Prep and Paa?” Izzy asked, raising her eyebrows. Shag was the first to talk: “...huge roach... about as big as me... wanted to mate...” Izzy had to hold back a laugh at the last part. “That isn’t funny!” Hobo interjected. “I’m too young to be pregnant!” Izzy couldn’t hold her laugh back any longer. She doubled over in hysterics, as the boys scowled at her. The sound of the outlet opening made all three turn their attention to it. Prep and Paa stepped out, looking confused.

“What happened? Are you two okay?” Prep asked. “You two sounded like little girls!” Paa giggled, causing both boys to blush. “W-well, Hobo was the higher pitched scream,” Shag insisted. Hobo gawked at the accusation- “No way! You were totally shriller than me!” Izzy put a hand between them, in an attempt to stop the potential argument. “Relax, you two- it’s not that serious. Anyway, looks like I might need to call an exterminator-“

“NO!!!!” all four borrowers cried out. Izzy paused as she surveyed their expressions- Shag and Hobo looked hostile, while Prep and Paa were obviously scared. “...is that a bad topic?” Shag gave a growl. “No shit.” Prep covered Paa’s ears. “Language!” Hobo looked up at Izzy. “Relax, Shag, she doesn’t know. An exterminator call was actually what brought us four together. Since, you know, we’re considered pests. You ever wonder why four kids are out on their own?” Izzy paused at this- then it clicked. Oh god, she had made a stupid mistake. “...well, if I can’t call an exterminator, I’d have to spray for it myself. But you guys can’t leave until your pathways are poison-free. We’ll need to find a place for you to stay...”

“We can stay with Billie!” Paa suggested, causing Shag and Hobo to viciously shake their heads no. “Heheh, I don’t think everyone’s in agreement there. Though that does give me an idea. Hold on.” Izzy walked over to her dresser and pulled out a drawer. She dumped the contents onto her bed and placed the drawer beside the four kids. “There- here’s a temporary base of operations for you. Once everything’s done, I’m sure you guys will be able to efficiently leave.” Hobo looked up at the drawer and asked, “Well, this is nice and all- but how are we supposed to get in and out?” Crap, forgot about that. Izzy looked around before finding two rulers and placing them up as ramps. “This work?” she asked. Shag grunted, but gave a nod.

Izzy gave a small smile, but inside her head she was hitting herself- she had given them a place to stay? Now they’d never want to leave...

[determined-borrowers]

I honestly really love this. You guys are great! ❤❤

Thanks. ^^ We’re hoping to put out a lot more in the future.

[determined-borrowers]

It wasn't everyone's first plan to become roommates,

But there are a few little scraps who are a little less begrudging about the new situation than others...

[determined-borrowers]

//Yooooo I just read the chapters for your story and I think it's really cute! :0

Aww, thanks. ^^ We really appreciate the feedback.

[theminiartblog]

Not Lender but Borrowers Be!

A big, fun commission for @oyatekapi who wanted their @determined-borrowers Shag, Hobo, Paa, and Prep interacting with a few characters of my own! I thank you so much for commissioning me, and good luck with your story!

[determined-borrowers]

A little something I commissioned in my free time. This was fun to do, and feel free to commission Mini; she’s an excellent artist. ^^

[determined-borrowers]

Determined Borrowers Chapter 5

“Wait, seriously? You’ve got a Borrower infestation?”

Izzy nodded as she downed the last of her drink. She was currently telling her coworkers about the morning’s escapades with her little squatters. “Yep. Real young ones too- oldest had to be around 12. The smallest one was kinda cute though. Said I was the biggest borrower she had ever seen.” The table erupted with laughter at this. “Iz, that’s too priceless!” one of her coworkers said, wiping tears from his eyes. Izzy beamed a bit- she was the new girl on the team, so she had worried about not fitting in.

“So, what do you plan on doing with them?” another coworker asked. Izzy thought for a bit before answering: “I dunno- guess I should call Animal Control to take them away- and hopefully put them in a shelter of some kind.” The table went silent. “You know that Animal Control doesn’t just take borrowers to shelters, right? More likely than not they’ll be euthanized- and that’s if they’re lucky. I know they steal stuff, but I wouldn’t wish that on anyone...”

“...really?” Izzy pictured the looks of betrayal on the borrowers’ faces- even if they were considered vermin, they were still kids. “What do you suggest I do with them, then?” The coworker shrugged. “I guess either sell them off as pets or put up with them. Best case scenario is that they move out because you’ve seen them.” Izzy nodded at this. She was beginning to formulate a plan to get rid of her minute squatters...

———

The second Izzy got home, she made a beeline for her room. She opened the door to find the cage still closed. Paa was currently stroking Billie’s stomach, with Prep assisting her. Shag and Hobo, however, were still trying to reach the lock on the cage. Their attention was turned to the human bean entering the room. Shag and Hobo grabbed the bars and rattled them. “Hey, are you gonna let us out now?” Shag growled. Izzy put her bag on the bed and sighed. “Might as well.”

“Listen here, you humongous bi- wait, what?” Shag asked, confused. Izzy walked over and lifted the latch on the cage, opening it. Shag and Hobo leapt out and ran towards the outlet, trying to pry it open. Prep took Paa’s hand and led her out of the cage. She paused before looking up at Izzy. “...you didn’t grab us,” she noted. Izzy shrugged. “Guess I didn’t feel like it. If you need help over there, boys, just ask,” she added, turning to Shag and Hobo, who were now out of breath.

“Bite me... Godzilla...” Shag panted. Izzy rolled her eyes before pulling open the false outlet. However, she placed a hand in front of it. “Before you all head down to your nest or whatever you have, I wanted to apologize for this morning. I shouldn’t have treated you so roughly. So, for penance, how about I get you all cleaned up before you hopefully head out of here?” The four borrowers looked at her quizzically. “Like... a bath?” Hobo asked, obviously not into the idea. Izzy nodded. “It’s obvious you all haven’t washed yourselves in a while, so I figured you’d like the idea of leaving without so much grime on you.” Shag shook his head. “Yeah, no. I wouldn’t want myself at your mercy in any context- especially exposed.” The bean gave a huff- “Come on, I wouldn’t lay a finger on you besides putting you in and taking you out of the sink. Besides, I still have a bit of bubble bath I need to use-“ Paa’s eyes widened at the mention of bubble bath. “You’ve got bubble bath!?” the small borrower exclaimed. “Well, yeah. It’s actually my sister’s, though- it got taken with me in the move. Why, you want to see it?” The tiny girl nodded before breaking out of Prep’s grip and padding towards Izzy. “Paa!” Prep cried out, terrified that her friend might get hurt. Izzy held out a hand, which Paa climbed up onto. “Alright, that’s one of you. Anyone else?” The other three kept silent. Izzy nodded at their silence. “I understand. I’ll have your friend back with you soon, so don’t worry.” Izzy lifted the hand with Paa on it up and made her way to the bathroom, leaving the other three borrowers alone.

“Come on, let’s just get everything packed, then we can leave tomorrow morning,” Shag instructed, making his way into the hidden passage. Hobo followed close behind, but turned to Prep, who was still looking over at the doorway. “Prep, Paa’s gonna be fine. Just come help us with packing.” Prep turned to her friend with a smile on her face. “I’ll just be a minute, don’t worry.” Hobo nodded before going further down the passage. Prep waited a few seconds before she made her way to the edge of the desk and started climbing down. As much as she didn’t want to rock the boat, she was curious about the bubble bath as well.

[determined-borrowers]

To tide you all over until Chapter 5 is complete, here’s a new icon made by the ever incredible Izzy. Don’t look too deeply into the eyes- it’s how they get you. XD Joking aside, she did a great job, and we hope you’ll be excited for the next chapter!

[determined-borrowers]

When are you all coming back? I’ve been waiting in anticipation for a while!

Short answer: really soon! I’m working on Chapter 5 now!

Long answer: I actually forgot about this blog for a while. It didn’t help that Izzy (my artist) became busy with a ton of high school stuff. However, I’ve recently decided to revitalize the blog, so it’s going to continue from where we left off. We even have a few surprises for you all. So be patient, and we’ll get to it in a little bit. Thank you all for your time. :3

[determined-borrowers]

The process of removing the Billie.

[determined-borrowers]

Determined Borrowers Chapter 4

The group was dead quiet as Izzy stared them down. Shag was the one to break the silence. “Who are you calling a ‘pest’? You beans are the ones leaving your refuse everywhere! If anything, you people are the pests!” This didn’t go over well with the bean girl, since she slammed her hands onto the desk, causing the group to fall over. “Don’t try and play mind games with me. Your kind plays itself off as innocent- 'borrowing things that won’t be missed’ and all that crap. But for someone like me, who doesn’t have much to their name, you’re just plain thieves.” “W-wait,” Prep stuttered quickly, sitting up, “you know what we are?” Izzy smirked. “Well, what other kind of pint-sized people would exist? Plus, your little friend here spilled the beans when she called me a, and I quote, 'big borrower’.” Paa averted her gaze from the others, ashamed of her mistake. “Anyway, since you’re invading on my property, you’re under my jurisdiction-” Izzy was interrupted by a buzzing in her pocket. She took her phone out and groaned. “Shit- I have to be at work in ten minutes.” She looked back over to the borrowers on her desk. “This conversation isn’t over.” “Sorry, but I have to say that it is,” Shag said with a smirk. “Now, if you’ll kindly open the outlet, we’ll get out of what little hair you have.” Izzy’s eyes twitched a bit. “Not a chance, shrimps; you aren’t getting off that easy. When I get home, I’m gonna decide what to do with you.” “And in the meantime? Are you gonna give us free reign of the room?” Hobo asked, hoping they could find another opening. Izzy’s face changed from a scowl to a smirk. “Actually, I have a better idea.” Before the group could react, the bean snatched them all up in one hand. Looking down at the squirming kids in her grip, she walked over to a cage and threw them in. The shaved paper lining the bottom cushioned their fall, and before they could get up, Izzy locked the cage door. “You guys can stay in here with Billie. There’s food, water, exercise, and no chance of escaping. Oh, and if he decides to pee on you, that means he likes you.” Shag ran up to the wall of the cage and grabbed the bars. “This is inhumane! Let us out right now!” Izzy ignored him as she got her stuff ready for work. Before she left the room, she looked back over at the cage. “Have a fun day in captivity- hopefully it’ll be the first of many.” With that, she left the room, leaving the four kids trapped inside the metal box. Hobo tried reaching through the bars to unlock the door, but his arms were too short to reach fully. Prep was comforting Paa, while trembling a bit herself- she had never been held before, much less grabbed. Shag was pacing, trying to figure out what to do next. “…I thought Izzy was going to be nice…” Paa whimpered. Shag stopped in his tracks and turned towards her. “Of course she wasn’t going to be nice! She’s a bean- our natural enemy!” he hissed. “What in the world went through your mind to think that someone that big would be nice to us?” Paa went quiet, looking down at her feet. “Lay off, Shag, she didn’t know,” Prep chided. “Anyway, it looks like we’re stuck here for the time being. Let’s just hope that Izzy has a change of heart…” Hobo looked back and sighed. “You really believe that her kind would change their mind about us?” “Doubtful,” Shag growled, leaning back against a black and white lump. He was about to continue, until he felt something wrap around his ankle. He looked down to see a pink worm-like appendage looped over his foot. He quickly shook it off and dashed away from the lump. The lump lifted its head, exposing a pointed face with beady black eyes. “Th-that’s a rat…” Shag whispered breathlessly. “She put us in a cage with a rat…” Prep hugged Paa closer, but the youngest borrower broke away and approached the rodent. It sniffed at her, before rubbing up against her. Paa smiled and stroked the rat’s head. “It’s friendly!” she cheered, much to the surprise of the others. Prep stood up and made her way towards her friend. “I didn’t know beans kept rats as pets. I figured they considered them pests like us.” “…think it could be a trap?” Hobo asked. “Like, some sort of attack rat?” Prep shook her head. “I think this is how it genuinely acts.” Paa was scratching behind the rat’s ears. “Who’s a good Billie?” she cooed. “You are!” Shag rolled his eyes. “Paa, stop petting the rodent. It probably has some sort of disease.” Paa pouted, but obeyed. Shag massaged his temples, trying to think of a plan to get them out of the cage that didn’t involve waiting on the bean. “…Hobo, I need your help. This cage is on a dresser, correct?” Hobo looked out and nodded. “Good. Come over here and help me push the rat onto the side near the edge.” “Oh, so we can tip the cage over and get to the latch easier!” Hobo exclaimed. Shag nodded with a smirk. “Alright, let’s do this!” Hobo ran over to Shag’s side and began pushing Billie towards the edge of the cage. Billie didn’t seem to mind; actually, he seemed comfortable rolling along the ground. Finally, the two reached the far wall. They stopped pushing and tried catching their breath. “Why… isn’t the cage… tipping?” Hobo huffed. “I thought… you said… the rat was… heavy enough…” Shag panted a bit before answering: “I never… said that. I thought that… but didn’t… say it…” Prep and Paa watched as the two regained their composure- just as Billie rolled off his back and onto them. Both boys cried out in surprise, but they were muffled by the rat’s belly. Only their flailing legs stuck out from beneath the rodent. Prep stifled a laugh as Paa ran over and climbed onto Billie’s back, petting the rat’s head. Shag and Hobo groaned beneath their furry captor- it was going to be a long day…

[determined-borrowers]

“…what the hell are you pests doing in my house?”

-Izzy, Determined Borrowers, Chapter 3

[determined-borrowers]

Determined Borrowers Chapter 3

The girl’s eyes widened as she took a step back, “Holy moley! H-how the hell did you get in here?!” She took another step back, before realizing what she was dealing with and approaching the desk. “Hold it- are you the ones taking my ramen!?” she scowled. “Those cost five bucks a pack!” “What’s a ramen?” Paa asked, tilting her head. The girl blinked, confused by the small child’s question. “Oh! And my name’s Paa! What’s yours?” The girl hesitated a bit before answering. “…Izzy.” Paa smiled at this. “Wow, what a cool name!” she replied. “So, miss Izzy, mind helping me find my friends?” Izzy blinked once again. “So, you’re saying there’s more of you in here?” Paa started to nod, but caught herself- didn’t Shag tell the group rules in case they were seen by a bean? But this couldn’t be a bean- Izzy looked way too much like a borrower. “Well, yeah. There’s Shag, Hobo, and Prep. Shag’s like our big brother- but he doesn’t like being called that.” Izzy nodded, looking over the tiny kid. Curly hair, dark skin, thicker body type- wait, was that a handkerchief she was using as a poncho? And how come she was barefoot? Izzy opened her mouth to ask these questions, but she was interrupted by small sounds coming from where the wall outlet was supposed to be. Quickly, she looked around before hiding on the far side of her desk. She peered over the edge, a bit curious about what was unfolding. The first person to emerge was a slim boy in green, a bit taller than Paa. His sun bleached strawberry hair seemed to be in a perpetual bed head, making Izzy feel that this was Shag. Paa shouted his name, ran over and hugged him, though he pushed her away. “What were you doing out here? You were supposed to be staying in the basement with Prep. It’s too dangerous to wander around.” Paa pouted. “But it’s so boring down there!” she moaned. “At least try and bring home something for us to play with…” “Paa! Thank goodness!” another voice called out. A feminine figure with mahogany hair emerged from the opening, followed by another boy- this one with curly brown hair. The girl picked Paa up in both arms and hugged her. “We were all worried sick about you. Don’t ever leave without letting one of us know.” “Prep’s right,” the boy- who, by process of elimination, must have been Hobo- added. “You’re lucky we found you when we did- otherwise you might have been seen.” Izzy thought back to Paa’s hesitation- was she supposed to stay in hiding? “Anyway,” she heard Hobo continue, “we got some food back in the basement.” “Aww, but I wanted to talk to Izzy more!” Paa pouted. The three gave them a confused look. “Paa,” Prep asked slowly, “who’s Izzy?” Paa smiled and pointed over at the side of the desk where Izzy was hiding. “Izzy’s over there! You never told me that there were big borrowers!” The older three slowly turned their heads towards the end of the desk. Izzy could see the fear in their eyes as they met hers. Quickly, they ran towards the opening- though Izzy proved faster by closing it. Shag and Hobo attempted to pull it open, but their efforts were in vain. Izzy looked down on the small intruders- Shag looking up in anger, Hobo with his fear seeping through, and Prep holding onto Paa for dear life. “Okay, now that I have your attention, I have one question for you-” Izzy’s eyes narrowed- “what the hell are you pests doing in my house?”

[determined-borrowers]

determined-borrowers

Written by @ask-to-frisk

Drawn by @izzyeast13

[determined-borrowers]

Determined Borrowers Chapter 2

Paa woke up to Shag and Hobo’s bickering in the other “room”. It had been three days since the group had moved into the basement, and they were still getting organized. On the bright side, Hobo and Shag had confirmed there was a steady supply of food to consume. Paa looked over to Prep, with whom she shared a hammock. The other borrower was still asleep, so Paa decided to not disturb her. She crawled her way onto the ground, then padded quickly to the dividing curtain. She could make out what the other two were saying more clearly. “…you remember to get extra thread?” Shag asked. “You know you have a short track mind.” “Yes, I got the thread,” Hobo retorted. “Though I wasn’t the one who left a whole sleeve of open crackers out on the counter…” “You were supposed to help me carry it!” Shag griped. “Thankfully the bean thought she had left it out…” Paa thought for a moment- Shag and Hobo, and occasionally even Prep, used the word “bean” a lot. She had never heard of a bean doing anything, but apparently one lived in the house they were staying in. Paa wondered if she could somehow befriend the bean. Her train of thought was interrupted by Hobo’s voice. “Alright, that should be everything. We’re ready to head out.” Shag nodded, before motioning towards the opening. “Ladies first.” Hobo groaned. “Really? We’re doing this?” After a brief standoff between the two, the younger sighed and went through the opening- though he grabbed Shag’s hair and half-dragged him behind. Paa quickly dashed over to her poncho and pulled it over her head before following the two borrower boys down the path. — Okay, maybe she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Paa could no longer hear her friend’s’ arguing, and it was very dark. “H-hello?” she called out quietly. “Hobo? Shag?” She heard a skittering behind her, and wished she had brought a match to light the way. However, she decided to keep moving forward, in case there was a wraparound somewhere. Suddenly, Paa saw a small pair of lights- roughly the size of her fist. She ran towards the light and realized that it was a false outlet- probably something one of the previous borrowers made. She pushed against it and it swung open, causing her to topple onto a wooden surface. Paa looked up and realized that she was in the house proper- in a bedroom, from the looks of it. A noise from the right caused her to look over, as a massive door opened and a figure stepped into the room. She was surprised to see that the figure looked like a borrower- just huge. Regaining her confidence, Paa took a deep breath and said, “Hey! Over here!” The figure looked around before looking down at Paa’s minute form. Her- Paa was pretty sure it was a girl- eyes widened as she took in what she was seeing. Paa gave a small wave before asking, “I lost my friends. Would you mind helping me look for them?”

[determined-borrowers]

Determined Borrowers Chapter 1

“…you did say east, right?” Shag sighed before turning to Hobo. “Yes, for the fifth time, I said we were going east. Away from the sunset, right of the tree moss. You don’t have to ask me every half hour.” “Well, sorry. Not my fault we’re following our guts. You could have given that cartographer from earlier some of our rations in exchange for a map…” “We need those rations. There’s no telling if wherever we end up will have non-perishable food.” Prep quickened her pace, carrying Paa on her back, who was resting. “Guys, quit arguing. We need to find somewhere to stay before the sun sets.” Shag nodded. “We’d better move quickly, then. We don’t have much sunlight left.” Prep and Hobo nodded as they followed Shag, soil sticking to the bottoms of their bare feet. After another fifteen minutes, they reached a row of wooden monoliths that were at least twenty times their size. Shag looked around, before leading the group to a gap between two of the monoliths. They squeezed through and found themselves looking up at a massive house- the place where they’d hopefully be staying. The group made their way across the plain of grass that came up to their shoulders towards a window that led to the basement of the home. Shag made it there first. He waited for the others to arrive before pushing the window open. Prep nudged Paa’s face, and the youngest stirred. “…are we there yet?” she asked her friend, who replied with a smile and a nod. Prep set Paa down onto the ground and led her inside the basement. Hobo followed suit, and Shag was the last one in, looking around to see if they were followed before closing the window. Of course, the group wouldn’t have been noticed even if someone had been present- that was one of the gifts of being a Borrower: tiny people who take what won’t be missed.

[determined-borrowers]

The little rascals

Meet Shag, Prep, Paa, and Hobo. (All in order)