Change {Howdy×Reader}

Part 2: Sleepy (Prologue..?)

The next day was rather soggy and wet. The previous day's earlier drizzle had successfully softened the tough exterior of exposed earth, now leaving behind a muddy mess.

Yn was at home, as usual. They were still unpacking and adding the finishing touches to their lovely home. No one was scheduled to visit, except for perhaps Howdy...

Whilst Yn unpacked, Howdy rested in his shop. He had finished stocking up all of his merchandise the night before after his delightful chat with his newest neighbor. He had yet to prepare himself for his visit today, however.

Howdy was a busy man. He liked to keep himself busy, as he had nothing to do when he was relaxed. Being busy meant getting stuff done, and Howdy wanted to be an accomplished puppet. Still, he knew better than to waste his life doing nothing but working. Today, he would visit Yn, a neighbor whom he was becoming rather fond of.

Howdy sighed and looked through the multitude of aisles in his shop. He wanted to find an appropriate greeting gift, as he had forgotten one yesterday.

He was startled by the bell of his shop door jingling, alerting him that a customer had walked in. Howdy turned to greet the neighbor.

"Welc-- Wally?" Howdy interrupted himself. He had only spotted the distinctly blue hair of the little yellow menace, but he knew Wally was lurking and searching for apples.

"Wally!" Howdy exclaimed, startling Wally from behind. Wally looked up at the gigantic caterpillar man with a rather guilty expression as he tightly hugged many apples.

"Hello, Howdy. It is a nice day today."

"Wally! What are you doing? Actually, don't answer that, you'll just break my heart."

Wally laughed awkwardly. "Ha ha ha. Howdy, I am not.. stealing. I'll pay with a really good joke."

Howdy crossed his arms and squinted at Wally disapprovingly. "Go on."

Wally looked around before speeding out the door with quite a few apples in his arms.

"WALLY. Go greet Yn, and I'll forgive you for the thieving!" Howdy called out after Wally. Wally nodded. Howdy wanted to cry.

He sighed and went back to meticulously looking through his merchandise for the perfect gift. Howdy was not going to allow himself to be embarrassed by a mediocre gift, but what would the new neighbor like? A button? Yarn? Waterproof matches? The options were endless. Luckily for him, Julie had just arrived.

"Hoooowwwddddyyyyyy!" Julie sang. "Haha! Get it? I'm greeting you, but it's also your name!" the colorful puppet laughed. Howdy laughed slightly.

"Greetings, Julie!" he greeted back. "How can I help ya?"

"I'm here to impress Yn with the best. Gift. EVER!"

Howdy felt his antennas twitch with amusement. How silly of Julie. Didn't she know he was going to find the best gift ever? Howdy tried not to let his amusement show too much, though. She was a good friend.

"That so? I just unpacked quite a few pallets, so there are new items," Howdy explained with a grin. He motioned towards his well-kept aisles, proudly showing off his knack for keeping things tidy and pleasant. Julie didn't really pick up on his flamboyancy, but that didn't matter. She was just happy to see the usually reserved shopkeeper being a bit more talkative than usual.

"Yippee!" Julie squealed before diving into the sticker aisle. Julie had a natural bias toward stickers, and she was definitely going to try and convert the newest neighbor into a sticker-loving companion. She happily judged the sticker sheets, occasionally picking out a few for herself.