A few notes - If you haven't read Blurry Please go read that first. Secondly. This story is mostly fluff. The reason for the M rating is because there ARE NSFW chapters later on, all of which will be labeled with a ~ after the chapter title. (Ex: Chapter 700~) So if that's not your thing you can skip those chapters. If there's anything plot relevant that happens in those chapters I will put a summary paragraph as a note like this at the top of the following chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Summer came for the fifth time since Phineas arrived in Pixie Hollow. He mostly stayed in Tinker's Nook according to Fairy Mary's wishes. She would escort him to the Pixie Dust Tree whenever he needed more Dust, and he never once complained. Every once in a while he got to go to the Nature Fairies for a delivery, but in the past five years he'd only gone on about fifteen deliveries. There were other occasions where Fairy Mary was alright with him leaving the Nook, but he was always with someone to help guide him.
He'd made a new seeing device. It was a hand held lens which he could draw a small water drop from his large lens, or fill it with a dropper he'd crafted when he wasn't near the larger one. He mainly used it for smaller work and for going between his home and other places like the workshop and the Tree.
Three new fairies has arrived in Pixie Hollow since he'd been there. A scout Fairy named Nyx came first, but he hadn't seen much of her since she arrived four years ago. Two years ago a Dust Keeper named Yvette arrived. Phineas saw her from time to time when he got his Dust refilled, but otherwise didn't interact with her. Near the end of last Autumn an Animal Fairy arrived. Her name was Fawn. Phineas saw her plenty. She would often would show up in Tinker's Nook to care for the mice and pigeons, and while she was there she would tell Phineas about all the amazing creatures she worked with. He very much enjoyed her company, and much to his pleasure, she had become fast friends with Silvermist and Rosetta.
Phineas was tying the harness to a carrier pigeon, his hand lens held tight in his teeth, when he heard it. In the distance there was a distinct giggle. His eyes widened and he quickly finished tying the harness and landed, removing the lens from his teeth.
"New arrival!" he shouted, running past a few Tinkers. "Go check on the empty house!" he said as he passed. He wanted to be sure the house was set up in case the new arrival was a Tinker.
He found Fairy Mary in the workshop. She was checking off the supplies and organizing what was out of place.
"Did you hear it, Fairy Mary?" Phineas asked, out of breath.
"New arrival I suppose?" she said, not looking up from her work.
"Aye" Phineas nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Are you coming to the Tree with me?"
Fairy Mary shoved a heavy shell aside with a grunt. "I don't think I can this time, Phineas." She said "Far too much work to be done. Can you handle going on your own this time?"
Phineas gasped. "You mean it?" he smiled wide.
"Only if you think you can handle it." She said as she grabbed an armful of kettles.
"Aye! I can handle it!" he assured her.
"Good! Then you'd better go before you miss it." She laughed.
"Thank you Fairy Mary!" he cheered, flying off with an extra lift in his wings. He loved new arrivals. He always looked forward to meeting one since Queen Clarion requested his presence at every one.
Using his lens to guide him, he found Ro, Sil, and Fawn on his way to the Tree. "Hello ladies!" he greeted.
"Hey Phin!" Fawn waved, looking as excited as he felt.
"Isn't this exciting?" he asked, not at all hiding his eagerness. "Oh I wonder what their talent will be! I hope it's another Tinker!"
Fawn laughed "Are you always this excited about new fairies?"
"He hasn't missed one since he got to Pixie Hollow." Rosetta said.
"Well there's only been three so far." Sil chimed in.
"Four counting this one." Phineas said.
"Why so few?" Fawn asked "Babies are born all the time aren't they? Why don't we get newcomers every day?"
"Well they don't all come to Pixie Hollow." Silvermist said. "I hear they stay on the mainland and make humans' wishes come true."
"That and some go to Winter." Phineas added. "We can't exactly go to those arrivals."
They arrived at the Tree and nestled into their respective spots among their Talent Guilds. Phineas was the only Tinker who showed up, so he sat in the back alone. He watched through his lens as the Fast Flier, Zig, guided the new arrival to the platform.
It gently touched down, and Fairy Gary flew over with the cup of Dust. As he sprinkled the Dust, the new arrival woke up and breathed his first breath. He had a thick body and long black hair. People started to mumble about what his talent might be. Some thought he would be a Dust Keeper like Fairy Gary. Others thought maybe he'd be an Animal Fairy, though fewer thought that since Fawn was the last arrival. Phineas hoped like every other time that the new arrival would be a Tinker.
The new fairy opened his eyes and looked around. A grin spread across his face in wonder. "Hello." A few fairies waved. "Hello!" he happily waved back. Everyone then hushed as Queen Clarion arrived.
"Sprung from joy," she started, "The winds have brought you to us. Welcome to Pixie Hollow, young Sparrowman."
"Thank you." He said, standing.
The Queen nodded to him and flew to his back. "Let's take care of your wings, shall we?" Her hands glided over his wings, waking them up. They were small for his body, but it didn't hinder his flight in the slightest. He touched back down on the platform without any problem at all.
The mushroom pedestals sprouted, startling the young sparrowman, and the fairies of different talents began placing their gifts. Phineas took the hammer from his belt and placed it on the Tinker's pedestal.
"What's all this then?" The new arrival asked the queen.
"These will show you your talent." She explained. "Now go and find yours."
The young sparrowman turned to the talent choices and stepped forward. He walked around, looking at each one from a distance, but wasn't going for any one right away like the other new arrivals would. He circled the talent choices, and the watching fairies were growing anxious. He circled a third time and finally stopped to reach for a talent: The Hammer Phineas had placed. Phineas held his breath. This new comer had to be a Tinker. He just had to be.
The hammer glowed and floated into his hand, and when it reached him, it shined bright. It was brighter than any arrival Phineas had seen. He held up his hand to shade his eyes as a grin spread across his face. A new Tinker. Phineas was so excited. This new comer must have been incredibly gifted too based on the glow.
Queen Clarion placed her hand on the newcomer's shoulder. "Come forward Tinker Fairies, and meet the newest member of your Talent guild: Clank."
Phineas jumped up and pushed past the other fairies. "Excuse me!" he said excitedly "coming through!" He could hear Rosetta giggle, but he didn't mind. The girls all knew he really wanted to show a newcomer around. He flew out of the crowd and landed in front of Clank.
"Hello Clank!" he said, short of breath. "I'm Phineas. Phineas T. Kettletree Esquire, at your service." He gave a slight bow.
Clank looked surprised, but overall pleased by the greeting. "Nice to meet you Mr. Esquire." He said.
Phineas laughed "Just call me Phineas. I'm so glad you've arrived!" he took Clank's hand. "Come on, then. There's so much to show you!"
Clank smiled as Phineas guided him above the Tree. The other fairies below going on their way. Phineas thought he heard the Queen give a small chuckle, but thought nothing of it. He started to show Clank around the Hollow, checking through his hand lens every so often to make sure he was still going in the right direction.
"You've come just in time to celebrate the Autumn Revelry with us." Phineas said as they flew through the Autumn forest. "Before we change the seasons we have this celebration, but this year is special."
"Why's that?" Clank asked, watching Phineas more than the forest.
"This is the year of the Blue Harvest Moon. One fairy from one of the Talent Guilds will make a special scepter for the celebration." Phineas explained. "I've never seen this myself. It only happens every eight years."
"I can't wait!" Clank said with a grin. "Who's making the scepter?" he asked as they flew to the edge of the Autumn forest.
"I think I heard that it was the Fast Fliers' turn." Phineas said as they reached the border between Autumn and Winter. "Be careful not to cross into Winter." Phineas warned. "It's too cold for us warm fairies over there."
"If it's too cold then how do fairies prepare for Winter?" Clank asked.
Phineas smiled at Clank. "Excellent question. The Winter Woods is full of Frost and Snowflake Talent fairies. Their wings and bodies are built for the cold." His smile faded slightly. "Unfortunately they can't come over to the warm seasons. They can't handle the heat, so they have to stay over there."
"That's a shame." Clank said as they flew towards Spring. "But it's better to stay safe, right?"
"That's right, Clank." Phineas said. They arrived over Springtime Square "This is my favorite season." He said. "Everything comes to life in Spring. It's so colorful and so…" he trailed off, not able to find the words of how he felt about it. He wasn't sure Clank could understand how he saw it. "I just love it." He said finally.
"I can see why." Clank said, now looking at the colorful flowers "It's very pretty here."
"Aye, it is." Phineas nodded. He took Clank's hand again "C'mon. Let me show you Tinker's Nook." He pulled Clank along and they soon were floating over the Nook. "Here we are" he said, gesturing to the ground.
"Oh wow!" Clank said with amazement. "They're all so busy!" Everyone was flying about, working on autumn preparations.
"Indeed they are." Phineas agreed. "And this isn't even our busiest time." He stared through the lens, then turned to Clank who seemed to be astounded by all the work below. Phineas felt warm inside. He was ecstatic that his new friend was so captivated by the work of Tinkers.
"Com on, then. I'll show you around." Phineas said, floating down to Tinker's Nook. They landed in the main area, and Clank marveled at everything that went on around him. Carts were being made, pulley systems moved supplies from one end of the nook to the other, so many fairies were hard at work they seemed like a well oiled machine.
"You all do this every day?" Clank asked in awe.
"Indeed we do. A Tinker's job is never a bore." Phineas replied with a grin. " Come on, your house is this way."
"My house?" Clank gasped. "I have a house?"
"Well of course! What, did you think you were going to sleep on the ground?" Phineas laughed.
"I hadn't really thought about it." Clank admitted. He followed Phineas to a little house on the top of a hill. Phineas showed him inside and checked to make sure the other Tinkers had gotten everything set up while he was gone. It was a little cluttered, but Clank didn't seem to mind as he explored the little house.
"I had a feeling the new arrival would be a Tinker." Phineas explained. "So I asked the other workers to make sure it was ready for you. Sorry if it's a little messy though."
"It's perfect." Clank said, pulling open the closet. He pulled out one of the sets of clothes and held it up to his chest.
"I hope those fit." Phineas said "Go ahead and get dressed. Come and find me in the workshop when you're ready and I'll show you what you'll be working on."
"Rightio" Clank said, and with that Phineas left.
He went down to the workshop to find Fairy Mary. While on his way, however, he was stopped by Dozer, and his good mood faltered slightly.
"So where'd the new fairy end up this time, Bobble?" Dozer sneered, not having seen Clank when he showed.
"I've asked you not to call me that." Phineas said bitterly.
"Oh, don't be sad, Bobble." Dozer cooed sarcastically. "I'm sure you'll get a new Tinker to order around eventually. And you just know they'll be a screw up too, learning from you."
Phineas clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. "It's 'Phineas' first of all. And just because I make mistakes doesn't mean I'm a screw up. And furthermore, Dozer, I wouldn't be ordering anyone around. I'd be working alongside the new Tinker and you know that, so stop trying to make me sound like I want to boss someone around." He crossed his arms and glared at Dozer. "And just so you know. The new arrival is a Tinker. He's in his house now getting dressed."
Dozer hesitated, then grinned slyly. "Oh really? Well then I look forward to meeting him."
"Don't you dare torment him." Phineas growled. "He's more talented than you could ever hope to be."
"Wouldn't dream of it, Bobble." Dozer jeered, nearly making Phineas snarl in anger. "If he's as talented as you claim, then he has nothing to worry about." He pat Phineas on the cheek before flying off.
Phineas huffed, and tried to shake off the encounter. Dozer had been more and more sour towards him as the years passed, never giving him a reason as to why. But Dozer knew how to get under his skin and that drove Phineas mad.
He let out a sigh and was about to continue his search for Fairy Mary when another Tinker called him over to check under one of the carriages they'd been working on. His thin body made it easier for him to do this job, so he slid under the carriage and began checking the framework, making adjustments where he saw fit.
"Excuse me." He heard above him.
"Oh hi," said the fairy who'd called him over. "You must be new. Do you need something?"
"I'm looking for someone. I can't remember his name, but he was a real skinny fellow, and had a little bubble device he kept looking through."
"Is that you, Clank?" Phineas called from under the carriage.
Clank knelt down and peeked under the carriage. "Oh! There you are!" he said, then looked back at the fairy he'd been talking to. "I found him."
The fairy laughed. "Can you handle it from here?" she said under the carriage.
"Aye Tweak, I've got it." Phineas replied, and she moved on to another carriage.
Clank continued watching Phineas. "What are you doing down there?"
"I'm just making sure this frame is secure. I think it's good to go. Can you pull me out, Clank?" Phineas held his hand out to Clank who grabbed it and pulled him out a little too fast. Phineas's foot caught on the back wheel as he slid out and the carriage shifted slightly.
"Oops." Clank said as he set Phineas down.
"It's alright Clank" Phineas assured him.
"Well, let me at least check if I broke it." Clank said, kneeling by the wheel. Phineas felt a grin spread on his face watching Clank's natural Tinker instinct kick in. Phineas knelt beside him and watched him.
"What do you think, Clank? Is it alright?" Phineas asked.
"I think the wheel's loose." He said, rolling the carriage forward and back a few times. The wheel wobbled as it rolled, and Phineas grinned patting Clank on the shoulder.
"Aye, Clank, you're right. Let's fix that, shall we?" Phineas said, reaching over to help Clank. Just then Fairy Mary spotted them.
"Phineas!" She called. "How's the carriage?"
"Almost ready to go." Phineas said. "Just need to fix a loose wheel."
Clank tightened the wheel on the axel, "I think I've got it." He said.
"Ah! Well done!" Phineas cheered him.
"Who's this?" Fairy Mary asked.
"Oh, that's is Clank. He's just arrived today." Phineas said. "Clank, this is Fairy Mary."
"Oh wonderful!" Fairy Mary exclaimed as Clank stood up and faced her. "A new charge! Come on, then let's have a look at you." Clank seemed very confused as Mary checked him over. "Ah, a good strong sparrowman." She said, looking at his hands. "I'd imagine you'll do well here, Clank. You'll be working with Phineas for now. Is that alright?"
"Yeah, that's fine with me." Clank nodded.
"Come on then, we'd best get to work." Phineas said.
They kept busy all day. Phineas showed Clank everything they'd be working on for Autumn preparation, and Clank tried his hand at making each new thing he was shown. He proved to be rather clumsy, but would work through any mistakes he made to make a good product.
Phineas felt proud of Clank for catching on so quickly and wanted to be sure to give Clank more Tinkering options than what he'd had when he'd arrived five years ago. This would probably be easy, seeing as how Clank didn't have anything wrong with him.
When the work day drew to a close, Phineas was exhausted. They'd gotten a lot of work done, and Fair Mary was impressed.
"Nice work, you two." She said "Why don't you both go find some supper and pick up from here tomorrow?"
Right on cue, Clank's stomach growled. Both he and Phineas laughed. "Come on, Clank. I want you to meet some friends of mine."
A couple years ago, Rosetta had suggested that she, Silvermist and Phineas join each other for dinner every so often. So they would meet at the Baker Fairies' café that was located where Spring touched Summer. After Fawn arrived, she joined their group as well, so Phineas figured it would be alright if Clank came along too. Fawn spotted Clank and Phineas as soon as they walked in.
"Hey guys! Over here!" she called.
The boys made their way over and sat with the girls. Silvermist immediately greeted Clank cheerfully. "Hi Clank! I'm Silvermist. We're so glad Phin invited you. We were all so eager to meet you."
"I, uh, am glad to meet you too." Clank said, a little surprised by her energy. "who are you two then?" he asked pointing to Fawn and Ro.
"I'm Rosetta, and if you ever need any plant supplies, just gimme a holler."
"I'm Fawn, I was the new girl until you showed up." She smiled.
"So then, I guess I'm the new girl now?" Clank said with the slightest grin. His four companions all laughed and he smiled wider.
"So how was your first day, sugar plum?" Rosetta asked once they had ordered and received their food.
"It was amazing!" Clank said, clasping Phineas on the shoulder. "He's teaching me so much. I can't wait for tomorrow!"
Phineas laughed "Me either! Tomorrow we'll be working on decorations for the revalry. Not only that but we'll get to create some new items for the celebration."
"Like what?" Clank asked excitedly.
"I don't know yet. We'll figure that out in the morning."
"Goodness!" Rosetta exclaimed. "You'd think you two'd known each other for years!"
"You guys are so cute." Sil smiled. "And Phin, I can't remember the last time I've seen you this happy."
Phineas blushed slightly. "Well, it's nice to work with such a capable Tinker." He said nudging Clank.
They all chatted and laughed with each other for hours until one of the Baking Fairies informed them how late it was and that they should head home soon. Phineas led the way back to Tinker's Nook, using his hand lens to guide him. Clank stared at the lens, wondering why he kept using it.
