Trivvy's mismatched eyes blinked open slowly, squinting as light shone into them. They yawned before rolling over, snuggling into whatever it was they were laying on, and pulled their blanket closer around them, intending to go back to sleep, enjoying the warmth.
Wait... They didn't own a blanket, let alone anything comfortable to lay on.
Trivvy shot up, eyes wide as they looked around the room. ...Oh. They forgot that Amy and Roy let them stay last night. They weren't quite sure what they had expected, but they couldn't remember when the last time they were comfortable and warm during the colder months was, and thus were extremely confused until they remembered what happened.
"Oh, good morning! Ready for breakfast? It's almost ready!" They heard Roy's voice from the other side of the room, and looked over the back of the couch at him curiously. The living room and kitchen were just one big room, separated only by a counter with cabinets above it.
"Hey, wait, no! Jamy no! Come here!" Trivvy heard Amy's voice from somewhere in the hall, along with the sound of paws running across the bare hardwood floors. It took them a moment to figure out what the sound was, and by then, it was too late.
"Woof! Woof woof!" A small brown dog ran into the room, barking upon discovering the purple haired child on the couch. Why was it barking? Was it angry?! Would it bite them?!
Trivvy shrieked as the dog jumped onto the couch, and started sniffing at them, making tiny woofing noises while doing so.
"No no no no no! Get away!" Trivvy wailed. They were terrified, and didn't notice the dog's obvious curiosity, the only thing on their mind being the overwhelming feeling of danger. Last time a dog barked at them and ran at them, they got bit. This one not only was barking, and ran at the couch before jumping on it, but was trying to sniff at Trivvy's face, despite their desperate attempts to shove it away.
"Jamy, NO! Bad! Down!" Amy quickly ran in and grabbed the dog, Jamy, after hearing how distressed Trivvy sounded. By then, they were already on the arm of the couch, ready to jump off and run, blanket kicked onto the floor.
"Sorry, kiddo. I was trying to take Jamy here out for a walk, but he ran out of mine and Roy's bedroom before I could get the leash on him. Are you okay?" Amy asked, sounding worried. Trivvy sniffled.
"No! That was terrifying! I thought he was gonna bite me!" Trivvy cried.
"Hey, now, don't cry, it's alright. Jamy isn't going to hurt you. He tends to bark at people he doesn't know when they are in our house, but he's never bitten anyone. He was just curious and excited, and he's still pretty young, so he doesn't know much better." Amy explained in hopes of calming them down. Jamy let out a tiny bark, prompting Amy to flick his ear, making him huff before going limp in her arms.
"It was still scary! He was so quick and jumped right on me and he was in my face... The last dog that ran at me like that bit me, and it hurt really bad, my arm hurt for a week!" They spoke quietly, still sniffling. Roy came over at some point and began patting Trivvy's head, trying to comfort them, food abandoned, while Amy went to put Jamy back in her and Roy's room.
"It's alright, little Trivvy. Jamy won't hurt you, and neither will Joy if she happens to get out. If we thought they were actually going to hurt you, we wouldn't be being so calm right now." Roy spoke, hoping he'd succeed in calming the poor child down. Unfortunately, Trivvy continued to sniffle, not looking convinced at all. Suddenly he had an idea.
"Hmm... Quail, I wouldn't be kitten if I said you handled that better than what most kids scared of animals would've! You were probably bear-ly awake, yet ya still handled it better than other kids would've! I'd be lion if I said I wasn't the least little bit impressed!" Roy joked, and smiled upon hearing Trivvy let out a giggle, looking as though they were beginning to calm down a bit. Roy started to speak again, only to stop and sniff at the air, smelling something burning. His eyes widened, realizing he completely forgot about cooking breakfast.
"Uh oh, owl be right back!" With that, Roy ran back to the kitchen. Trivvy settled back down on the couch, instead of sitting on the arm. They still felt a bit jumpy, but at least they had begun to calm down. Amy came back a few moments later, and sat next to them.
"Sorry again for that, Trivvy. I tried to grab him, but the little fur ball managed to wiggle out of my hands, and off he went. I didn't mean for you to get scared." Amy apologized.
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault. I probably overreacted a little..."
"Eh, if you've had a bad experience with a dog in the past, your reaction was understandable."
"I guess so... I've been attacked by animals a few times though, so it's not just dogs that scare me... I've been scratched by cats, pecked at by birds for accidentally knocking their nest out of a tree when I was trying to climb and get an apple, nearly kicked by a horse, and kicked in the chest by a bunny 'cause I wanted to hold it..."
"Hey guys, breakfast is ready! Pancakes are a bit burnt, but I guess that's just how the cookie crumbled, can't do much 'bout it." Roy called for them, waving his spatula.
---
"So, what are you going to do today, Trivvy?" Amy asked after they had all finished eating. Trivvy thought the food was the best thing they had ever tasted, and longed for more despite having already eaten so much that their stomach hurt.
"Since you don't go to school, you probably have a bunch of free time. I would say you could spend the day here, but we don't have a proper fence up, and Joy and Jamy are already restless from being in our bedroom so long, so we need to let them out to run and play for awhile in the house..."
"I'm not sure. I guess I'm just gonna wander around town? A friend I met not long ago is gonna meet me in the park to tutor me, but that won't be until this afternoon..."
"Hey, I know! Me and Amy are going to a party at the other side of town today to do a show! You looked like you enjoyed yesterday's show pretty well, how about you tag along?" Roy suggested.
"Really? I can go with you?!" Trivvy asked excitedly. They were amazed at Amy and Roy's last two shows, they would love to see another one! Maybe they could even pester them into teaching them some tricks, so they could start working on becoming a clown themself!
"Sure, why not? Who knows, we might even need a helper again! But no guarantees we'll need one, kiddo!"
"Yay!"
"But we should probably get you cleaned up first. Your hair is a mess, and it's supposed to be colder today than yesterday, so we should really find you some more clothes. The ones you have now look worn out anyways." Amy said, eyeing the rips and tears in Trivvy's shirt and shorts, wondering how they managed to keep from freezing to death.
"But... I don't have anymore clothes..."
"We can get your hair brushed out and get you a bath, and while we do that, Roy can run to the store and find clothes for you. Shouldn't take too long."
"I don't have a way to repay you for the clothes though..."
"It's fine, Trivvy! Really! Me and Roy were both in a spot similar to yours at one point in time, so we don't like seeing others have to go through the same struggles, like going hungry, not having a place to sleep, or not having clothes. You don't have to pay us back, we just want to help you!" Trivvy supposed that was a decent reason. Unlike Unigma's reason for offering to tutor them for free, Amy and Roy's reason for wanting to help them made sense to them, somehow. They knew that sounded silly, but it was just how they felt about it.
---
Trivvy stared into the mirror that stood in the bathroom, hair washed and brushed, and old clothes swapped for a purple long sleeved shirt that was just a little bit too big for them, and blue jeans that didn't have a single rip or tear in them, along with pink sneakers. ...Who was this child in the mirror? They moved at the same time Trivvy did, but they looked so different!
"Look at you, kiddo! You look adorable!" Amy cheered as Trivvy entered the living room a few moments later. They rubbed at their arm, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"We can't trim up your hair unfortunately, since me and Roy have literally no idea how to cut hair, but maybe we can find someone to cut it for you later and make it neater. If you want, anyways. It's your hair so it's your decision!" Amy offered. Trivvy pulled at a strand of hair that was falling right in front of their eye. Their hair was a bit past shoulder length, and although they liked it, they'd like it a little more if it didn't make them look like a girl as much.
"...It might be nice if it was just barely touching my shoulders..." Trivvy said quietly. Amy nodded.
"Alrighty, then! We'll see what we can do. Erm, by the way, I have a question..." Amy spoke a bit nervously. Trivvy tilted their head to the side slightly, curious why Amy suddenly seemed so nervous.
"Well, uh... I'm *really* sorry if this comes off as rude, it absolutely isn't intended to be, but, uhh... Are you a girl or a boy....? I've been trying to figure it out for awhile now, and I'd rather not just assume..." Amy asked awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. They blinked in confusion. Usually people just assumed their gender. But it made them happy that Amy asked instead.
"This might sound weird, but I don't really like the idea of being called either one, I like girlish things and boyish things but I just don't really like being called a girl, or a boy. I've never really felt like either." Trivvy attempted to explain. In all honesty, they really weren't sure how to explain. They had tried to explain to people before, but they'd never listen to them.
"Ah, so you're non binary, then?"
"...Non binary? What's that?" They asked in confusion. They couldn't remember ever hearing that term before.
"Non binary is when someone doesn't identify as a boy or girl, and usually doesn't like going by gendered pronouns, they usually go by they and them pronouns, though some are fine with it. Like how you would refer to me with she and her, since I'm a girl, you'd refer to a non binary person with they and them." Amy explained. Trivvy thought for a moment. That did seem to suit them, and they already thought of themself with they and them pronouns...
"I think that might be what I am...? I mean, it sounds like it suits me, and it sounds kinda cool."
"Cool, then! Now you know what to tell people if they ask whether you are a boy or girl, or if they assume your gender. And if they tell you that you are weird, or they don't respect your preferred pronouns, tell 'em to go cluck themselves." Trivvy stared at her for a moment, then began laughing once they realized the joke, making Amy smile.
"Alright, people! I have all the stuff for the performance together, and everything took care of for Jamy and Joy! We ready to go?" Roy walked in and asked cheerfully.
"Wait, who's this? Tiny like Trivvy, but looks like an entirely different person! Did we already decide to replace the kiddo?" Roy joked upon seeing Trivvy in their new clothes, with recently washed and brushed hair, making them huff in annoyance.
"I'm NOT tiny!" Trivvy argued, making Roy laugh, and Amy struggle to avoid giggling.
"I dunno, you look pretty tiny to me!" Roy laughed.
"I'm not!"
"Alright you two, that's enough. If we don't leave now, we'll be late for our show!" Amy interrupted, once she managed to stop giggling at the two.
---
Wait... They didn't own a blanket, let alone anything comfortable to lay on.
Trivvy shot up, eyes wide as they looked around the room. ...Oh. They forgot that Amy and Roy let them stay last night. They weren't quite sure what they had expected, but they couldn't remember when the last time they were comfortable and warm during the colder months was, and thus were extremely confused until they remembered what happened.
"Oh, good morning! Ready for breakfast? It's almost ready!" They heard Roy's voice from the other side of the room, and looked over the back of the couch at him curiously. The living room and kitchen were just one big room, separated only by a counter with cabinets above it.
"Hey, wait, no! Jamy no! Come here!" Trivvy heard Amy's voice from somewhere in the hall, along with the sound of paws running across the bare hardwood floors. It took them a moment to figure out what the sound was, and by then, it was too late.
"Woof! Woof woof!" A small brown dog ran into the room, barking upon discovering the purple haired child on the couch. Why was it barking? Was it angry?! Would it bite them?!
Trivvy shrieked as the dog jumped onto the couch, and started sniffing at them, making tiny woofing noises while doing so.
"No no no no no! Get away!" Trivvy wailed. They were terrified, and didn't notice the dog's obvious curiosity, the only thing on their mind being the overwhelming feeling of danger. Last time a dog barked at them and ran at them, they got bit. This one not only was barking, and ran at the couch before jumping on it, but was trying to sniff at Trivvy's face, despite their desperate attempts to shove it away.
"Jamy, NO! Bad! Down!" Amy quickly ran in and grabbed the dog, Jamy, after hearing how distressed Trivvy sounded. By then, they were already on the arm of the couch, ready to jump off and run, blanket kicked onto the floor.
"Sorry, kiddo. I was trying to take Jamy here out for a walk, but he ran out of mine and Roy's bedroom before I could get the leash on him. Are you okay?" Amy asked, sounding worried. Trivvy sniffled.
"No! That was terrifying! I thought he was gonna bite me!" Trivvy cried.
"Hey, now, don't cry, it's alright. Jamy isn't going to hurt you. He tends to bark at people he doesn't know when they are in our house, but he's never bitten anyone. He was just curious and excited, and he's still pretty young, so he doesn't know much better." Amy explained in hopes of calming them down. Jamy let out a tiny bark, prompting Amy to flick his ear, making him huff before going limp in her arms.
"It was still scary! He was so quick and jumped right on me and he was in my face... The last dog that ran at me like that bit me, and it hurt really bad, my arm hurt for a week!" They spoke quietly, still sniffling. Roy came over at some point and began patting Trivvy's head, trying to comfort them, food abandoned, while Amy went to put Jamy back in her and Roy's room.
"It's alright, little Trivvy. Jamy won't hurt you, and neither will Joy if she happens to get out. If we thought they were actually going to hurt you, we wouldn't be being so calm right now." Roy spoke, hoping he'd succeed in calming the poor child down. Unfortunately, Trivvy continued to sniffle, not looking convinced at all. Suddenly he had an idea.
"Hmm... Quail, I wouldn't be kitten if I said you handled that better than what most kids scared of animals would've! You were probably bear-ly awake, yet ya still handled it better than other kids would've! I'd be lion if I said I wasn't the least little bit impressed!" Roy joked, and smiled upon hearing Trivvy let out a giggle, looking as though they were beginning to calm down a bit. Roy started to speak again, only to stop and sniff at the air, smelling something burning. His eyes widened, realizing he completely forgot about cooking breakfast.
"Uh oh, owl be right back!" With that, Roy ran back to the kitchen. Trivvy settled back down on the couch, instead of sitting on the arm. They still felt a bit jumpy, but at least they had begun to calm down. Amy came back a few moments later, and sat next to them.
"Sorry again for that, Trivvy. I tried to grab him, but the little fur ball managed to wiggle out of my hands, and off he went. I didn't mean for you to get scared." Amy apologized.
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault. I probably overreacted a little..."
"Eh, if you've had a bad experience with a dog in the past, your reaction was understandable."
"I guess so... I've been attacked by animals a few times though, so it's not just dogs that scare me... I've been scratched by cats, pecked at by birds for accidentally knocking their nest out of a tree when I was trying to climb and get an apple, nearly kicked by a horse, and kicked in the chest by a bunny 'cause I wanted to hold it..."
"Hey guys, breakfast is ready! Pancakes are a bit burnt, but I guess that's just how the cookie crumbled, can't do much 'bout it." Roy called for them, waving his spatula.
---
"So, what are you going to do today, Trivvy?" Amy asked after they had all finished eating. Trivvy thought the food was the best thing they had ever tasted, and longed for more despite having already eaten so much that their stomach hurt.
"Since you don't go to school, you probably have a bunch of free time. I would say you could spend the day here, but we don't have a proper fence up, and Joy and Jamy are already restless from being in our bedroom so long, so we need to let them out to run and play for awhile in the house..."
"I'm not sure. I guess I'm just gonna wander around town? A friend I met not long ago is gonna meet me in the park to tutor me, but that won't be until this afternoon..."
"Hey, I know! Me and Amy are going to a party at the other side of town today to do a show! You looked like you enjoyed yesterday's show pretty well, how about you tag along?" Roy suggested.
"Really? I can go with you?!" Trivvy asked excitedly. They were amazed at Amy and Roy's last two shows, they would love to see another one! Maybe they could even pester them into teaching them some tricks, so they could start working on becoming a clown themself!
"Sure, why not? Who knows, we might even need a helper again! But no guarantees we'll need one, kiddo!"
"Yay!"
"But we should probably get you cleaned up first. Your hair is a mess, and it's supposed to be colder today than yesterday, so we should really find you some more clothes. The ones you have now look worn out anyways." Amy said, eyeing the rips and tears in Trivvy's shirt and shorts, wondering how they managed to keep from freezing to death.
"But... I don't have anymore clothes..."
"We can get your hair brushed out and get you a bath, and while we do that, Roy can run to the store and find clothes for you. Shouldn't take too long."
"I don't have a way to repay you for the clothes though..."
"It's fine, Trivvy! Really! Me and Roy were both in a spot similar to yours at one point in time, so we don't like seeing others have to go through the same struggles, like going hungry, not having a place to sleep, or not having clothes. You don't have to pay us back, we just want to help you!" Trivvy supposed that was a decent reason. Unlike Unigma's reason for offering to tutor them for free, Amy and Roy's reason for wanting to help them made sense to them, somehow. They knew that sounded silly, but it was just how they felt about it.
---
Trivvy stared into the mirror that stood in the bathroom, hair washed and brushed, and old clothes swapped for a purple long sleeved shirt that was just a little bit too big for them, and blue jeans that didn't have a single rip or tear in them, along with pink sneakers. ...Who was this child in the mirror? They moved at the same time Trivvy did, but they looked so different!
"Look at you, kiddo! You look adorable!" Amy cheered as Trivvy entered the living room a few moments later. They rubbed at their arm, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"We can't trim up your hair unfortunately, since me and Roy have literally no idea how to cut hair, but maybe we can find someone to cut it for you later and make it neater. If you want, anyways. It's your hair so it's your decision!" Amy offered. Trivvy pulled at a strand of hair that was falling right in front of their eye. Their hair was a bit past shoulder length, and although they liked it, they'd like it a little more if it didn't make them look like a girl as much.
"...It might be nice if it was just barely touching my shoulders..." Trivvy said quietly. Amy nodded.
"Alrighty, then! We'll see what we can do. Erm, by the way, I have a question..." Amy spoke a bit nervously. Trivvy tilted their head to the side slightly, curious why Amy suddenly seemed so nervous.
"Well, uh... I'm *really* sorry if this comes off as rude, it absolutely isn't intended to be, but, uhh... Are you a girl or a boy....? I've been trying to figure it out for awhile now, and I'd rather not just assume..." Amy asked awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. They blinked in confusion. Usually people just assumed their gender. But it made them happy that Amy asked instead.
"This might sound weird, but I don't really like the idea of being called either one, I like girlish things and boyish things but I just don't really like being called a girl, or a boy. I've never really felt like either." Trivvy attempted to explain. In all honesty, they really weren't sure how to explain. They had tried to explain to people before, but they'd never listen to them.
"Ah, so you're non binary, then?"
"...Non binary? What's that?" They asked in confusion. They couldn't remember ever hearing that term before.
"Non binary is when someone doesn't identify as a boy or girl, and usually doesn't like going by gendered pronouns, they usually go by they and them pronouns, though some are fine with it. Like how you would refer to me with she and her, since I'm a girl, you'd refer to a non binary person with they and them." Amy explained. Trivvy thought for a moment. That did seem to suit them, and they already thought of themself with they and them pronouns...
"I think that might be what I am...? I mean, it sounds like it suits me, and it sounds kinda cool."
"Cool, then! Now you know what to tell people if they ask whether you are a boy or girl, or if they assume your gender. And if they tell you that you are weird, or they don't respect your preferred pronouns, tell 'em to go cluck themselves." Trivvy stared at her for a moment, then began laughing once they realized the joke, making Amy smile.
"Alright, people! I have all the stuff for the performance together, and everything took care of for Jamy and Joy! We ready to go?" Roy walked in and asked cheerfully.
"Wait, who's this? Tiny like Trivvy, but looks like an entirely different person! Did we already decide to replace the kiddo?" Roy joked upon seeing Trivvy in their new clothes, with recently washed and brushed hair, making them huff in annoyance.
"I'm NOT tiny!" Trivvy argued, making Roy laugh, and Amy struggle to avoid giggling.
"I dunno, you look pretty tiny to me!" Roy laughed.
"I'm not!"
"Alright you two, that's enough. If we don't leave now, we'll be late for our show!" Amy interrupted, once she managed to stop giggling at the two.
---
