Chapter Text
“Okay Leif, promise me right now, even though the factory said ‘all you can eat honey buffet for tourists’, that you are not actually going to eat that much.” Vi said firmly, looking the taller moth in the eye as she fluttered ahead in front of him and stood in his way on the bridge.
“We promise that we’ll… listen to them if they tell us to stop.” Leif smirked. “If we aren’t told to our face that we’re making a dent in the honey production of the factory, which we know we won’t be because we’ve seen how they use honey as security, then we’ll stop. We can promise that much.”
Vi stared at him, and he stared back, the both of them in an epic psychic battle! Well, not really, just a silent battle of will. Who would give in first, Leif’s eternal hunger or Vi’s stubbornness?
But, before a victor could be decided…!
“Hey!” A familiar green beetle called with a smile to his voice. “Sorry I took so long.” Kabbu called, running onto the bridge where his friends stood. “There was a little bee who asked about our adventures, and I wasn’t going to just stand by and let such a curious mind go unanswered!” He laughed, then paused. “So, what did I miss?”
“Leif said he wants to eat the whole factory’s supply of honey!” Vi threw her arms in the air to make her point.
“Did not. We want to eat what they’ll let us eat.” Leif snickered. “Which, if they let us eat the whole factory, so be it.”
“It won’t do us any good if we go into the tour with stress on our shoulders, team. Plus, it’s going to be another ten minutes or so until the tour begins, so… how about we all just wait here in the fresh air until everyone’s ready to learn about honey production up close? Err- without fighting the produced honey, I mean.” Kabbu tried to calm his best friends a little.
“You remind us of our aunt. She was actually a type of… what was it, Saturniidae? So, we aren’t strictly a Geometer moth technically.” Leif commented absently.
Kabbu looked over to him, thinking for a moment, then seemed excited. “Oh! Yeah, I’m part arboreal stag beetle myself! It’s… why I don’t have as shiny a shell as other rainbow scarabs.” He looked back at his still shiny, but purely green shell. “My mother had gold and red all over her, it was quite a sight to see.”
Leif nodded, looking down off the bridge, then decided to just sit down on the edge, dangling his legs over it as he felt the breeze on his tarsi. “What about you, Vi? Any other species in you?” Leif looked to the smaller bee, who, having been distracted from the original goal of overpowering the will of Leif, had calmed down easily.
“Mmm… nope, just honeybee. But, there are a few carpenter bees, like Crisbee, who came out of the Hive, so it isn’t just honeybees there. Plus, plenty of bumblebees move in too. But since we all have the same mother, and drones all have to be honeybees too, we’re all just plain ol honeybees.” Vi went to sit down next to Leif.
“It’s really interesting how the Awakening let bugs have children regardless of different species, like how Tod is… half Hawkmoth, half Geometridae? And apparently has a little Saturniidae from Leif’s side.” Kabbu moved to join his friends, then paused.
He wasn’t sure what happened, really. Just… a strange urge came over him. The height of being up in a tree, a place that no rainbow scarab would usually find themself in, the talk of old instincts and the reminders of what little remnant of stag helped to let an… instinct, show itself. He approached Leif from behind, and before he could stop himself…
…flip!
“KABBU-?!” Vi jolted as Leif tumbled from the bridge, the breeze catching on his long since useless wings and helping slow his unexpected descent down. Kabbu stared, dumbfounded. “Oh Venus- why did I do that- LEIF!” He called out, reaching out helplessly like he could will his friend back up to him, as he fell into the grass below and out of sight. “I- he could be hurt! I’m going to search for him!” Kabbu called to Vi, already rushing back inside to get to the elevator.
“Hey, hold on!” Vi shouted, following after him and grabbing him by the cape, pulling him back and even into the air as she started beating her wings to stop him.
Kabbu struggled, distressed for his friend’s safety. “He could have gotten knocked out by the fall! Being downed in the wilderness is a death sentence, and it’s all my fault!” He cried. “Or what if he broke his leg and can’t move?!”
“Look!” Vi grumbled, dragging the hysterical and guilt-ridden beetle back onto the bridge.
“What Vi?! What could be more important than-” Kabbu paused as he looked down, spotting a familiar blue dot, floating back up at a slow but steady pace atop an ice spell. Leif looked up, then waved as he approached the bridge.
Kabbu watched, then sighed deeply in relief, collapsing over from stress. “Leif…! I thought I’d lost you!” He called as the moth climbed to the edge of the bridge, stepping off and letting the spell dissipate into little droplets of water.
“Well, we’re going to have a bruise on our back for a while. You have a very strong horn, Kabbu.” He commented. “But, to be honest, we found the experience quite fun. It gave us the thrill of wind under our wings, and we knew the grass would catch us anyway.” Leif seemed incredibly calm about the situation, a sharp difference from Kabbu’s slowly settling panic.
“You said you had some arboreal stag beetle, right? We guess we know where that shows itself, then.” Leif teased lightly, sitting down next to him.
“Hrrrng… I’m so sorry, Leif. I… really didn’t mean to do that, I don’t know what came over me.”
“Well, we’re high up, so we get it. Instincts are hard to control.” Leif assured, patting his back. “Also, the tour should be starting soon anyway. That’ll be a nice distraction.” Leif gently helped him up. “Here, c’mon, let’s go.” He assured gently. “We’re fine, don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“Still, if you’re bruised, we should at least see Venus after this.” Kabbu muttered softly.
“Only after the honey buffet.”