A Gourd-geous Tale

Linking in

(WaokeVale thank you for making me fanarts)

Some pig's rooster crowed twice when Wormwood blearily opened his eyes and noticed how he wrapped his vines around his companion in his sleep.

He grimaced, it was a leftover habit from when he was little, something his mother found adorable, but considering his friend's uh... hard nature they probably wouldn't be too keen on having him touch them, nonetheless cuddle them.
He slowly started to retract his vines back into as close as a pig's arm it could be.

After messing around with his vines for a minute he put on the rest of his outfit that he had put aside when sleeping, trying to make sure none of his leaves were sticking out. He had to get a job today, and he couldn't do that with leaves sticking out... his botanical appearance already scared people and he had made a fool of himself last night, so he can't be going out unkempt...

Speaking about unkempt, his shirt was all wrinkly, he didn't want to take his shirt off when sleeping and in front of his guest but he also didn't have an iron! And the dust and grime from a week or so of traveling had built up on his clothes and he would have to wash them sometime soon but that would mean taking it off and he didn't wanna be caught like that...

He can avoid washing his stuff for a while longer.
Wormwood turned his attention towards WX, who was still in a powered down state. He wondered if he should wake them up and tell them he's leaving or not.

Luckily (or unluckily) he didn't have to make that decision, because WX decided to get up on their own.

"WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME?" They said, sitting up in the bed."

"Oh! uh... going to leave to find some work right now. Just needed to make sure you would stay here. Don't need you getting more hurt out there"

"I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE SQUEALING PIGLETS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BABY ME"

"Yes I understand that, but you also have a uh... a record, and I don't need ya getting more banged up than you already are!"

"YEAH, LIKE YOU'RE ANY BETTER. DON'TCHA REMEMBER LAST NIGHT?"

"...Just please don't do anything stupid, kay?" Wormwood said, before leaving the room. Leaving WX to themself...

"PFT YOU'RE JUST BELLYACHING ABOUT NOTHING!" They shouted but Wormwood had already left

...they laid back down and powered off.
Wormwood walked out unto the street and started walking around the town, looking and asking for work.

He looked over at a shop with a sign saying 'cashier for hire'

"...Howdy sir, sorry to bother you," he said to a shopkeep "But I am in desperate need of a job..."
The shopkeeper looked at him like he had choked on something "You!? Work here? Please sonny and take a look at yerself! You're a...a...a FREAK! You'll scare business away!" He said exasperatedly shaking his fist. "Go! Cut your timbers before you cause more trouble!"

The words hit Wormwood like stones, hitting against him, leaving mental bruises that would last weeks. He hadn't even really done anything dangerous yet of course, he was punished just for his form...

'Stupid body...' he thought as he walked out, mumbling to himself...

He did this for a couple hours, hopping from business to business, just trying to get a way to get some oincs, with each owner shooing him away... some were polite... many weren't, calling him out for his unpig nature and sometimes making sure to use physical force to get him out. Any pleas for work falling on deaf ears.

It was nearing the end of the day when he, disheartened, stepped unto the porch of a farmhouse, they had a crudely made sign asking for a farmhand. One more couldn't hurt...

He rapped on the door. It swung open to reveal quite the older pig.

"What can I do for you-" there was a sputtering coughing sound that erupted from his throat as he finished his statement at the notice of Wormwood's appearance.

More bad medicine... same as before...

Wormwood took a deep breath and said tiredly "Sir... I am in need of a job...would you mind if I helped around your farm for a bit? I know a good many things about farming, quite a natural at it! And I am good with steer and I don't take too much! Just please sir... may I work here?"

Wormwood braced for another disappointment...
The pig paused for a moment, pondering it over before saying "Sure kid, you're hired."

Wormwood was about to apologize for wasting his time before realising what he just said.

"Wait... I'm hired?"

"Sure sonny, how's a ten-piece per day?"

"Oh! Absolutely! Thank you sir!" Wormwood was beaming "Should I start tomorrow or now or-"

"Tomorrow is fine" the Pig said with a nod "no point starting when the day's nearly over"

"Alright then! I'll see you then Mr..."

"Major... Charles Major."

"Well I'll see you then Mr. Major!" Wormwood called as he started walking back to the hotel, all but skipping his way there.

((|)) ((^^)) ((|))

Wormwood swung open the door to the hotel room. The positivity radiated from his eye holes in a quiet literal sense... the glow from them was that to rival a decently built fire.
"I got a job!" Wormwood said, nearly vibrating from excitement.

"OH, GREAT." Wx said with an amount of deadpan that could be taken as sarcastic but also kinda wasn't because dissing someone for getting a job to help them for some reason they still haven't exactly figured out is too wrong even by WX standards. Wormwood was being a good subordinate to them. He can go without pure mockery for his good behavior.

It's not like their sarcasm effected them anyways. He still continued to beam at the idea of his new job, doing little ramblings as he got ready for bed.
He crawled in next to them before snuffing out the lamp. The sleeping arrangement was still awkward but it was easier than the last time. They didn't go to sleep mode automatically...

They had been looking at the window, scheming... they had saw a nice little bank with tons of shiny oincs they would love to get their paws on. They just needed to get to a state that these glitches weren't AS terrible and they could take the horse and run. They wouldn't even need to spend an oinc, plus they'd get rid of some dead weight. They looked at Wormwood.

He was fast asleep, the glow of their eyes creeping out from under their eyelids as something in his chest pulsed with an eerie glow. It was...hypnotic in a way, hard for them to take their attention off off of.

Maybe they wouldn't leave him behind. Maybe they'll put him on the horse with them, like how he rode with them. He's a farmhand, so with the proper training he could probably do a good amount of damage with those hands. Plus it's hard to find loyal minions nowadays and while he may have his flaws, he isn't even half as bad compared to the rest of the pigs...

Ok now is probably a good time to go into sleep mode.