“Yes, Hig-Hig to you too and all Higglebug.” It would seem Kogitsunemaru has bestowed upon the minor annoyance a most cherished nickname. Indeed during the course of their brief companionship he has grown rather fond of his Higglebug and chances are if he does not find it’s master anytime soon he may very well adopt it as his own.
That is, until a small voice beckons his attention and he’s forced to drop his head. Looking down at the tiny one who appears to be speaking to him, only, Higglebug responds in kind with another yank to his hair. “Ohhh.” Mildly miffed and highly amused, there’s a small chuff in his throat and a short chuckle later he stands to his full height. Towering over the small one.
“Ahahaha, so this little creature is yours huh? It’s not very well behaved now is it! Using my hair as if it were reins. Pulling on it. How dastardly! You’re very lucky I was the one it ran into otherwise I doubt Higglebug would have lasted long in this city. Considering there’s sketchy individuals around whom I wager aren’t very nice in the least.” As if it were even possible to stand taller than he was, Kogitsunemaru does by straightening his spine. “Oh oh oh! Just a little more. Put some effort into it and I’m sure you’ll be able to reach!” Toying with those vertically challenged is not very nice. “Why don’t you try jumping instead?”
“I’m truly sorry!” Evan apologized for the third time, but it still didn’t feel like enough. The others often did a good job of keeping Motley from getting into too much trouble, but the new environment must’ve gotten to him. At least he seemed to find a nice man to follow. A nice man, but very tall. At this rate, Evan would never be able to reach to grab Motley from atop his head. And the Higgledy knew as much, judging by the way he perfectly mimicked the man’s pose, down to a ‘hig’ of a laugh. “He doesn’t mean any harm, I assure you. He’s just a bit of a troublemaker.” Okay, a lot of a troublemaker.
“Wait, sketchy individuals? I’m so glad it was you who found him, and not one of them... Higgledies are very special, you see.I don’t know if there are many in this city, so the ones I have need to be protected. Some of them are even worshiped as Gods.” At that, Motley stomped his foot, though it probably only felt like a drop of rain fell on the man’s head.
And try as Evan might, he just... couldn’t reach. “Motley, please... won’t you come down here? What if you fall and hurt yourself?” But the Higgledy shook his head and clung to the man’s hair. It seemed he’d grown attached. The young king settled back down with a soft sigh, arms returning to his sides under his cape. “I think he’s grown more attached to you than me... You must be very special, sir. Higgledies are only drawn to people who are pure of heart and Higgledy Heroes like Motley only help great heroes as great as themselves.” Or so he’d read in the stories, anyway. For all Evan knew, Motley may have just been up to another trick. “It seems like he wants to spend more time with you in any case... would you be willing to look after him for a while?”
