Winter

Sam sat on the edge of his bed shirtless. Penny knelt behind him, massaging his back and neck gently and just being there. She'd come to check on his family every day. Mostly on him. He'd been kind to her in high school. No one else had been. She'd just been… invisible. To everyone except him and Maru… And a bully or two, but she tried not to think about that. It was high time she repaid that kindness. She stayed quiet. She never spoke to him when he was in these funks, except for when he initiated.

"I keep seeing him in my dreams," Sam finally said. Penny paused and closed her eyes tightly, swallowing over a painful lump in her throat. "I miss him… So much…"

She opened her eyes, staring at his back quietly, then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. "I know," she said softly. "I miss him too…" So did Jas. Jas was really, really broken up about it. Or had been. But she'd seemed happier, as of late, which made Penny suspect that the elf king had begun to let the children play together again. Probably after obtaining Jas's vow of silence. She'd tried to press once, but Jas had just gotten very quiet and solemn and just left. No amount of prodding from anyone could get the girl to speak. Kent had reacted, err, badly. Very, very badly… It came to full on blows between him and Shane. Marnie had fled with Jas in fear, shouting for help and hiding with the child in Emily and Haley's house. It had taken Elliott, Harvey, Alex, Sam, and Sebastian all to pry the two men apart and keep them apart… The war had started there...

Elliott had made it very clear he had sympathy for the elf king, argument broke out, sides were taken, and suddenly a miniature civil war broke out among the townsfolk. The sides? Those who were perceived to be sympathetic to the elf king, and those who weren't. The sympathetic consisted of her, Elliott, Willie, Rasmodius, Linus, Evelyn, Harvey, Maru, Caroline, Leah, Sebastian, Abigail, Marlon, Gunther, Emily, and Marnie. The unsympathetic consisted of Sam, Alex, Haley, Demetrius, Robin, Kent, Jodi, Lewis, the farm hand, Mr. Mullner, Pierre, Gil, Clint, Gus, and Pam. Then there was Shane. Shane was a bit of a wild card. He had no sympathy for the thing whatsoever so was technically on the side of the unsympathetic? However, Jas was on the side of the sympathetic and so in his efforts to protect her, Shane tended to often fall on that side as well but not really. If Jas wasn't around he was about as vehement in his distaste for the elf king as Kent was, and he and Kent were friends. When Jas was around, him and Kent weren't friends. Needless to say, there was a lot of strife and distrust these days. Every time Penny set foot in Sam's house, she was stepping into hostile territory and knew it. She was spared retribution because of her good nature and because of her friendship with Sam that had somehow thus far weathered all of this. He knew she was sympathetic towards the elf, but he knew also how deeply she cared about his family and about Vince… And about him…

Sam sniffed, looking up and covering her hand with his, holding it. "I should have been able to protect him. That's what big brother's do," he said.

"Stop," Penny said softly. If he felt like this, how much worse did Jodi and Kent as parents feel? Probably the same only even more intense.

"How can I stop?" Sam asked, massaging the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "He's gone, and there's not a damn thing anyone's been able to do about it…"

Penny was quiet, looking down. "I wish I had the answers, Sam," she finally replied. "I'm here for you. And for your family. Whenever you need me, just-just call, okay? I'll be here."

Sam nodded, turning his head and nuzzling Penny's forehead with his own gently. "I love you, Pen," he said.

She smiled softly. "I love you too," she replied, nuzzling back. She wondered, though, if he meant platonically or as more. He'd never said anything that implied one over the other. It drove her a bit crazy to not know, because… because she kind of wouldn't mind it being more… She suddenly noticed how close he was getting to her lips, though he was hesitating a little. Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed, moving nearer too. Just then the doorknob turned and the two quickly pulled apart, heads whipping over to it and eyes wide. It opened, and Jodi came in. She paused on seeing her son shirtless and Penny kneeling behind him on the bed. Sam looked like a kid who'd just been caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

Jodi raised an eyebrow at them. "Am I missing something here?" she asked a bit coldly. Penny awkwardly cleared her throat, glancing away and folding her hands in her lap.

"Uh… N-No! No, it's-it's not… She just was giving me a massage! Because my back hurt and not for any other reason at all," Sam quickly said. Ugh, what was he even doing defending himself like this? He was a grown man and could make his own decisions for goodness sakes!

"Honey, you know you don't have to hide the truth from me, right?" Jodi said.

"Mom, I'm serious. Nothing was happening," Sam said seriously. He would have liked it to have been, though, so thanks for nothing mom, he inwardly added. So much for that moment.

"Alright, but if you want to start… trying new things, you should talk to your father about…" Jodi began.

"Mom!" Sam exclaimed in dismay. "Finish that sentence and I'm moving out! What am I, ten? I've known how that whole deal works since I was in my preteens! It's called sex ed. Get with it already," he continued, standing up and throwing on his shirt in obvious annoyance.

"Oh sweetie, you don't need to stop on account of me," Jodi said, smirking in increasing amusement. Sam was bright red by now and swearing to himself that the minute he had the money for it, and a steady job, he was totally moving out and getting himself into one of those units in the old Joja Mart. Or an apartment in the city. Penny was covering her mouth to stifle giggles. Sam inwardly groaned. Just his luck, he wryly figured.

Stardew

As the weeks went by, tension only rose higher and higher to the point it felt like the whole town was isolating itself from one another. It was stifling, and it was painful, and it was hard. It had gotten so bad at home, in fact, that Maru had moved into one of the housing units at the old Joja Mart, where Sebastian and Abigail had gotten a place. They really needed to figure out a name for the complex. Lewis had set up a suggestion box a while back, but then all this had happened, and things were… kind of too tense right now to really worry about it. Anyway, Maru was enjoying the freedom and enjoying being near her brother and his wife. She could come and go as she pleased, she didn't have to explain everything to her parents, and she got a whole lot less grief from her father about her relationship with Harvey, who Demetrius still didn't approve of or wholly trust for whatever reason. Kent's distrust of Harvey kind of had fed Demetrius's distrust, so things had become awkward and rough.

Currently, Maru was making her way to the clinic to meet up with Harvey so that they could go out for some drinks in the city. She entered the clinic and went up the stairs. She slowed down a bit, hearing Harvey speaking with someone in hushed tones. She frowned curiously and opened the door. She had an open invitation to enter as she pleased if the door was unlocked. Harvey nearly leapt out of his seat as he spun, startled. "Maru!" he exclaimed in surprise. He pulled off his headphones. "You scared me," he said, covering his chest.

"Sorry," she said, immediately embarrassed. "It's just the door was unlocked, and you said…"

"Right! Right, that's right. I know," he said. "Just… I wasn't expecting you early. It isn't a big deal. I'm glad you're here."

She smiled, relaxing a bit and feeling a little more at ease. He blinked at her and couldn't help but smile affectionately back. "Who are you talking to?" she asked.

He grimaced and turned to the headphones, looking at them. "A… friend. Another pilot I contacted a while back who got to talking with me."

"Can I try it?" she asked. "Will he mind if I say hi?" Harvey was still for a moment. She frowned a bit, curious. "Harvey?" she asked.

He turned back to the radio and picked it up, frowning and listening in. "Hi. Yeah, it's me D... Oh, my girlfriend is here. She just startled me when she came in… No, no, everything's fine. She'd like to try the radio. Mind indulging her for a bit? …No, trust me, it's not a problem… Okay, yeah, great." He took off the headphones and smiled at her, gesturing for her to come. She approached and sat on his lap, which pleasantly surprised him. He smirked wickedly at her and began to neck her.

Maru let out a little gasp of surprise before grinning, feeling her heart flutter a bit. Playfully she slapped at him before melting into the attention. "Mmm… where has this game been?" she asked in a murmur. He just hummed against her skin, continuing. She giggled and put on the headphones before uncovering the microphone. "Hello?" she said.

"So you're the one H keeps talking about. The one he gets careless around. You must be something special to distract him so easy and catch him off guard."

"Well, I don't think I'm anything particularly special but thank you," she replied, blushing a bit at the remark.

"He's a jumpy little thing, so he's usually pretty in tuned to what's going on. Just so he can avoid getting spooked," the man on the other end said.

"You make him sound like a rabbit," Maru teased. Harvey frowned a bit at that and punished her by ceasing to neck her with a huff. "Oh come on, it's just a little tease," she said to him, smirking.

"More like a… Uh, yeah. Yeah, let's go with rabbit," the voice replied.

"How far in the air are you?" Maru asked. "Passengers or cargo?"

"Cargo," he answered, not replying to the height question.

"Oh great. Height?" Maru pushed.

"Thirty thousand feet, thereabouts," the man answered.

"Well, I should probably let you be then. Have a safe flight, mister. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to steal my man away for a while. We have plans and no offence, but you're interfering with them. Bye." She hung up without waiting for a reply.

Harvey winced then smirked in amusement. "That was direct," he said.

"Yes. Yes it was. But he's cut into enough of my time with you," she replied, turning around in his lap, taking his collar, pulling him close, and kissing his lips. He placed a hand behind her head, holding her near. She let a contented sound escape into his mouth. After a moment, she drew back looking a bit wistful. "I'm starting to wonder, you know," she said.

"About what?" he asked, amused by her.

"About… Well just… Never mind, it's dumb," she said.

"Maru, if it's important to you it's important to me," he replied.

"Easier said than proven," she replied, glancing away from him a bit shyly. "I don't know. Just… We've been dating over a year now. I mean I guess maybe that's not all that long of a time, just you know. Media and unrealistic expectations and pressure and all that."

He hummed. She knew he understood, then. After a moment he kissed her again. "Soon enough. I promise," he said, nuzzling her lightly.

She smiled a little ruefully, but nodded nonetheless. She kissed him once more then slid off his lap, standing up. "Come on. Let's go get those drinks you promised. It'll be really nice to get away from all the tension in this place." He nodded, rising to join her.

Stardew

Harvey drove in silence, glancing now and again at the passing landscape. Maru gazed out the window at it. "It's beautiful here," she said after a while.

"I agree," he replied. "The Ferngill Republic is beautiful."

"Stardew Valley was beautiful too," she remarked.

"Was?" he asked.

"It's kind of hard to enjoy the beauty of a place when things like, well, this, are happening. This thing with Vincent and the whole, you know… elf king fiasco," Maru said. Harvey was quiet. "Do you think he wanted this all along?" she asked after a moment.

Harvey was quiet. "No," he finally answered. "Why would he want this? All he wanted was a haven. A place of peace and nature where he could be left alone to just be… I don't know what happened, to make it all go so wrong… I know it wasn't his plan, though. Or his desire. If it was, why would he have bothered helping the valley or its people at all? He didn't have to. Generally his sort are indifferent to our sort, but he helped us anyway. For our sakes or for his own is hard to say."

"First the war between the Gotoro Empire and the Ferngill Republic, now a mini war in Stardew Valley of all places," Maru said with a sigh. She shook her head ruefully, drawing a hand through her hair. "I don't know anymore." Harvey was quiet. The lights of the city were coming into view. "Hey, how about you pick a topic that's less depressing than any of mine?" she teased, watching the city come into view.

"Hmm… How about your dress?" he replied. "It's beautiful, Maru. You're not generally the sort to dress up, I know. I'm flattered you went through the effort for me."

"Well I can't go into the city looking like a country bumpkin, can I?" she joked. "I mean I could, but I'd probably get some pretty weird looks. Stereotypes and first impressions and all that."

He chuckled. "One you bought online or something you commissioned from Emily?" he asked.

"Emily, of course. Supporting local businesses, you know," she said. "Stardew Valley doesn't have a lot of them, but it has enough. Pierre's store, Emily's fashion, Willie's fish, Gus' saloon… The sooner Emily can be self-sufficient with designing, the sooner she can quit at the saloon. The sooner she can quit at the saloon, the sooner someone without a job, or who lost it when Joja shut down, can get a position to support themselves."

"A very practical woman," Harvey said, nudging her lightly and sparing her a glance before turning back to the road.

Stardew

The two sat together at a secluded table in a dimly lit restaurant, talking and laughing and sharing a cheese platter while sipping at strawberry wine, which Harvey had insisted she try. She was happy to say she didn't regret trying it at all. In fact, she really, really liked it. A glass clinked somewhere, and they looked over. A young man was calling for attention. When he had it, he declared out loud the great news. He'd proposed to the woman he was with. She'd said yes. The restaurant clapped. Maru smiled ruefully at the scene, clapping dutifully. Harvey didn't, watching her carefully and reading her expression and the wistful look in her eyes. He winced and sighed, glancing ruefully at his glass and twirling it a little. He put on his smile again when she turned back to him, but she could see something had changed in it. She frowned a bit worriedly but didn't press, giving him a sweet smile and going back to her wine and cheese.

They'd stayed out late. The drive back was quiet, her almost falling asleep in the passenger seat. She hadn't had too much wine, necessarily, but certainly enough to make her drowsy. He glanced at her quietly before turning to the road again, shifting slightly. "Maru?" he finally said.

"Hmm?" she tiredly replied.

"I… there is a reason I haven't… asked you yet. To marry me," he finally said.

She looked up curiously, frowning a bit in concern. That was more direct than she was used to. Usually he avoided saying the 'M' word at all costs. "Harvey, what is it?" she asked in concern, looking a bit worried. There were a thousand different possible scenarios going through her head. Among the most prominent, one where he'd been married before but she'd died. She doubted that, she'd never seen a picture of another woman in his place and he'd never mentioned one before, but still. Grief hit different people different ways.

"I just… I don't want a marriage built on secrets…" he finally, and vaguely, said.

She sat up a bit straighter. "Secrets? Harvey, what are you talking about? I haven't hidden anything from you."

"Not you, love… Me…" he replied.

She was quiet. "So tell me them, then," she finally said. He had shared a large one with her already, after all. The first thing he'd told her, after the Kent incident, was that he was Gotoran. She hadn't cared then, so why would she care what else he might be hiding regarding that place? At least she assumed that was probably what his secrets were centered around. Gotoro. Why was he afraid? Didn't… didn't he trust her…?

He was quiet, looking a bit torn. "I can't," he finally replied. "I'm not… ready to." She looked concerned and seemed like she was about to press, but just then a broadcast cut out the music station they were listening to. Both their attention went to the radio in confusion. That was odd.

"Attention all listeners, this is an emergency broadcast. We've received word the Gotoro Empire is planning an airstrike within the next few hours. Please be advised to lock your doors, shut off your lights, and retreat into any shelters or safe places you may have in case of bombing," the newscaster said. Maru gasped, covering her mouth. Harvey was pale, staring at the radio. He quickly pulled over, attention now on this. He wouldn't have been able to focus on the road if his life depended on it. "Intelligence has confirmed that Zuzu City will be among the planned targets. We ask all citizens to be prepared for the worst. Residents in the surrounding areas and towns should also lock up and hunker down. May Yoba be with us." The radio began to sound an emergency siren. Harvey clicked it off, sitting back and looking pale and shaken.

"Harvey?" Maru fearfully said, looking at him. "Are we in the blast radius do you think?" If a bomb is dropped there?"

"I was going to ask you the same," he replied.

"I'd have to know what kind of bombs they're using," Maru admitted. Which made her asking Harvey to take a guess kind of pointless. How could he know what bombs they were using, after all? "Why are they doing this?" she asked after a moment, voice wavering slightly.

Harvey rubbed his face. "Because Ferngill is bombing the hell out of them?" he replied, resting his head on the steering wheel and shaking it. He sat up again and pulled out a cellphone, quickly dialling a number looking stressed. After a moment, he sat up. "Mom?" he said. Maru caught her breath, paling. Immediately Harvey began to speak in the Gotoran language like it was second nature. She gaped at him in shock and concern. He sounded worried and frantic. "No, no, mom," he said, switching to Ferngill's local language and sounding like he was trying to soothe someone. "Just-just lock your doors, okay? And-and get into the basement with dad… I'm fine, mom," he said. He listened then said something in Gotoran again that she recognized as 'I love you'. He'd used the term on her more than once. He hung up and leaned back, pushing the heels of his palms against his forehead.

Maru was quiet, looking worried. "That another secret?" she asked softly. He stayed quiet. "You have family still in the Gotoro Empire… How many…?" she asked.

He let out a shaking breath, dropping his hands and shrugging. "My parents, my brother depending on his work schedule. Lately it's been predominantly in Gotoro. A sister too, but… but she's not in the Empire right now. She's in Ferngill." In the Valley, he inwardly added, but that would be far too easy for her to piece together.

Maru was quiet. "They'll be okay?" she asked.

"I don't know," he answered, shaking his head. He started the car and began driving again, deeply upset. Maru didn't speak. "When you get home, call everyone you know and tell them to lock the doors and turn out the lights, though what locking the doors might do I'm not clear on."

"So… so Ferngill's bombing them too, then…?" Maru asked.

"Yes," Harvey replied. "Yes…"

Maru was quiet. "How did you know that?" she finally questioned. He stayed quiet.

Stardew

Kent watched grimly out the window as all the lights in Stardew Valley began to go dim. The news had spread fast. Maru and Harvey had brought it back and taken to warning everyone they could. Those who'd heard the broadcast on the radio were already hunkered down. Grief reflected in the man's eyes. Jodi held tightly to him, teeth clenched as she wept. "Kent, Vincent…" she said, voice breaking. "I want out baby back."

He swallowed, closing his eyes painfully and clinging to her, burying his face in her hair. He understood her fear… Vincent would be alone through this… "We need to get to the basement," he murmured to her. "Just in case. Get Sam. I'll grab some things and join you in a minute." She shuddered at the words but nodded in agreement, then went to get Sam. Quickly the two retreated into the bunker that Kent had ended up building when he first got back. Kent grabbed up some supplies just in case. He looked out the window one last time and stiffened, paling. He could see into the clinic. Harvey was there, talking on a radio with a grim and set expression on his face. The words he was mouthing… They weren't the local language… The veteran bristled at the sight, eyes widening in outrage and shock. Harvey… What the hell was that man up to…? He scowled darkly and retreated away from the window so as not to be spotted. He went quickly to join his wife and son.

Stardew

The Elf King stood on the summit, staring up at the sky. He could hear the sound of airplanes flying. He watched them in silence, expression dark and unimpressed. He closed his eyes, inhaling a deep breath and focusing all his power, all his attention, into something powerful... He let out the breath and stared up at the sky. The planes had veered away from Zuzu City as if suddenly they were seeing it in a completely different location... The Elf King's illusion... They dropped the bombs they carried on where they perceived their target to be. He saw the explosion and watched on darkly… Another plane approached from the direction of the ocean. He turned, watching it. He lifted a hand ever so slightly, and as if on cue a bomb was dropped and struck the water off the coast. The wave it produced stretched upwards into the sky, barrelling down on the shoreline along with the shockwave. The elf king shouted out a word in the elfin tongue, and the water fell short, collapsing into the sea…

The shockwave still struck, the buildings shaken as if by an earthquake as the plane soared overhead low. The king watched warily, bitterly. He heard the alarmed and fearful screams. He looked towards the secret woods, watching it protectively. It stayed peaceful and serene. The work of his subjects. He turned again to the village, checking on it once more, then looked to the ocean a final time. No further threat was detected, and the elf turned, moving down the summit towards his glade once more, cape billowing behind him.

Stardew

"It was like they thought Zuzu City was somewhere else."

"The bombs fell on the outskirts and totally missed us except for the shockwave!"

"It was like a miracle!"

Those were some of the statements played on the news the next day. And in the village itself?

"I saw that wave barrelling down from my fishing shack. I thought we were all in for one hell of a disaster." Willie.

"It's true. I saw it from my cabin too! I was prepared to draw my last breath for how large it was!" Elliott.

"Too bad it didn't stop the shockwave, but at least the damage is a lot less devastating than it could have been." Lewis.

"How could it have just… just stopped like that?" Penny.

Harvey listened quietly as the townsfolk gossiped in the town square about what had happened the other day, all of them together in that spot. The first thing the doctor had done, when the shockwave passed, was call his family to try and get a report on their status. The travelling merchant approached him, dropping a hand on his arm. He looked over at her. "Thank you," she said in Gotoran. "For letting me stay with you."

"I would never turn you away, little sister," he murmured to her softly in the same language, squeezing her hand. She smiled worriedly at him, squeezing his own back. Her smile fell. "Were you able to contact our brother? And our parents?" she asked.

"They're fine," he assured. She nodded, visibly relieved, then left to return to her cart. He watched after her in concern before looking once more towards the citizens of the valley worriedly. A few had shown up to be treated for minor injuries, but nothing overly serious thank goodness. They'd been lucky… Probably due to the mystical presence that lingered here…

"You!" a furious voice shouted suddenly. Harvey turned quickly, eyes wide. Kent, he saw immediately. He tensed, a prickle running down his spine. Oh no… The travelling merchant, still not out of hearing range, stopped and turned quickly in concern. Harvey glanced at her and shook his head, warning her to keep going. She didn't, instead watching in concern and clasping her hands together nervously. Harvey turned back to Kent. He gritted his teeth and grunted as he was slammed up against the wall of the clinic. "You did this!" Kent shouted. All eyes went to them immediately, a hush falling over everyone there.

Harvey was quiet and still. "Let go of me, Kent," he warned after a moment.

"You Gotoran traitor!" Kent shouted. "I saw you, last night! I saw you on the radio with them!" Harvey tensed, but said nothing. He felt eyes on him. "What's your excuse, huh?!" Kent roared.

"If I was on the radio with them last night, wouldn't it be reasonable to come to the conclusion I directed them away from the city, given what happened?" Harvey asked. "But I wasn't on the radio with them, and I didn't direct them away from Zuzu City. I was in contact with my brother. I was worried about where he was. I thought he might be there. I wanted to make sure he was alright."

Kent was quiet, glaring. "You're a goddamn spy!" he finally shouted, slamming Harvey against the wall again. "You and your goddamn radio and your goddamn codename and your goddamn Gotoran heritage!"

A gasp went through the villagers and Harvey visibly winced. Dammit… Kent froze, seeming to realize what he'd just said, and turned to look at the faces of the shocked people. "H-Harvey, is-is that true? That you're… you're Gotoran?" Lewis tentatively asked.

"My being Gotoran doesn't mean I'm a spy, goddammit!" Harvey shouted, loosing his cool as his temper flared one of the rare times. "Yes, I was born in the Gotoro Empire to a Gotoran father and a part-Gotoran mother! I was one of three children they had together, two boys and a girl! I am not ashamed of what I am, and I will not be shamed for it! And I certainly won't stand by and be blamed for this damned bombing!" he yelled, roughly shoving Kent's hands off him with a scowl, looking ready to fight. Like a cornered animal. It was a state none of them had ever seen him in before… It was unnerving… They hadn't even thought he had that courage in him… Kent looked at him in disbelief. "My brother could have died in that firestorm! My parents could have died! Yes, that's was right there with the Gotoro Empire, bombing the crap out of the city near my home village! The Empire is not the only agitator in this conflict! For the love of Yoba, you're fighting on their mother fu…" He bit off the word before he said it. "You're the ones fighting on their land anyway… So don't you make me into the villain when Ferngill's no better than they are… I'm half tempted to argue Ferngill's even worse!" There was silence. Harvey huffed and turned on his heel, storming inside the clinic. He turned. "Unless someone's dying or going to die, don't bother me. Don't even think about it." With that he slammed the door shut behind him, locking it tightly.

The doctor scowled darkly and punched it with both hands, letting out an angry cry. He expected his sister would come to him soon. She could enter, but no one else. She knew of another way inside that wouldn't be conspicuous. In the meantime, he went straight to the wine rack and pulled out a bottle almost considering downing the whole thing before reminding himself over and over that getting drunk wasn't the way to deal with pain. It wasn't long before his sister was there. She didn't speak, just pulled her brother into a tight hug and held him close, tears threatening her eyes like they threatened his…

Stardew

To say it was awkward and strained was an understatement. In a little town like this where everyone knew everyone, or thought they did, secrets could be devastating, and conflict too. Now not only was there the business with the stolen child and the elf king, there was the business of Harvey and the Gotoran war suddenly hitting much, much closer to home than they were happy with. If Zuzu City was now a target, Stardew Valley suddenly wasn't so insulated anymore… That thought was terrifying…

The change in the demeanor towards Harvey was immediate. Suddenly everyone was handling him with kid gloves. Not an eye that fell on him, now, lacked suspicion. Not one except for Maru, whose eyes reflected concern and grief for him that hurt more than the suspicion, and Elliott, who was more fascinated with him now than anything. For which he was so very grateful… Not that he'd ever let the writer know as much. Not that he really had to. Elliott tended to sense these things. The wizard and Linus also seemed to be sympathetic ears, both men used to being outcasts regarded with suspicion and uncertainty. Willie was indifferent it seemed, which again Harvey was glad for… But it was still so hard…

No one who came, anymore, engaged in small talk. They sat quietly, watching him warily like they thought he'd poison them. He hated it. He was almost tempted to turn those ones out, but they needed him, he knew. They couldn't… they couldn't help their mistrust… At least that was what he told himself. He was frankly surprised George still let him into his house to treat him, but George and Evelyn, after the initial shock wore off, seemed to be putting a foot forward to get things back on track with the doctor.

Demetrius had begun to try and deter Maru from seeing him so much. 'Until we can figure him out' was the man's claim. He didn't fault her father that. The man just wanted to protect her, and if there was in fact a chance he was an enemy spy, Maru would be the one who needed to be protected, given the genius she had locked up in her pretty head. Maru had been enraged. Argument had broken out. It hadn't helped that for the first time in goodness knew how long, Sebastian had seemed to take his step-father's side. They'd both begun to try and keep her busy too busy to see the doctor on the sly, subtly herding her away from him. She'd caught on in not too long and had been furious with them both before storming off to find him…

It had hurt her horribly when he'd seemed to side with her father and brother as well

It had killed him inside to do so, but it needed to be said. She kept coming back, though. Always. She sat with him now, holding his hands in hers. "It's not fair," she said to him, voice breaking a bit.

He was quiet, squeezing her hands and thumbing them softly. "Don't make me innocent, Maru," he said quietly.

"But you are," she said.

"Every suspicion has a base in fact," he answered vaguely, looking into her eyes.

"Enough," she pled softly. "Stop talking like this."

He reached up, gently brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear and giving her a gentle smile that made her heart flutter. "You should go home," he said. "It's late." She was quiet, looking down. She'd rather stay, she inwardly replied. Even if only downstairs… She looked back at him. He leaned forward, softly kissing her. "Goodnight, Maru," he murmured. She let out a shaking breath and rose in frustration, taking her things and walking out without a word. He sat still, staring at where she'd been, then balled his hands and rested them on his forehead, tightly closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Come the morning, Jas had disappeared…

Stardew

Marnie was a blubbering and inconsolable mess, and Shane… It was hard to tell with Shane. It always was. Suffice it to say it was dark and disturbing and not good. His fists clenched and unclenched, and there was low-key murder shining in his eyes that practically screamed whoever was responsible for this was going to die horribly and painfully the second he got his hands on them. It was obvious, who the blame fell on. The Elfin King… Harvey watched the townsfolk all carefully, but where almost everyone there seemed to be consenting that it had been the erl-king, Harvey's had serious doubt. It just… it didn't make sense… He was no Elliott or Penny, but he read. He'd certainly read enough to know this didn't fit the MO of a faery abduction. To start, Jas had packed up her things in a little suitcase and left instead of disappearing without a trace.

Now that alone wasn't enough to clear the erl-king, as evidenced by the fact that even those who trusted and vouched for it most now showed the first seeds of doubt Harvey ever had known them to have; but on top of that the doctor had noticed a figure among the townsfolk, lingering in the back out of sight, obviously visible to only a choice few. He knew what it was, and its expression wasn't amused. It didn't look mischievous or smug or expressionless. It looked angry. Wholly and completely angry… It turned and left like a ghost. Harvey watched after it in silence before glancing towards Elliott. Elliott was watching too. Elliott glanced over at Harvey and subtly nodded. Harvey nodded back and moved to follow on the sly along with the author, subtly slipping out without being seen. They wanted answers. This time, if the erl-king allowed it, they would get them.

It let them catch him, before it even became a challenge. "Ask your question," it directed simply.

"Did she go to you?" Elliott asked.

"Given she left as she did, packing her things, she planned to; and it is little wonder why. She never arrived. Not to me," he answered. "Something else has taken her. And I know who."

"Who? Tell us so we can help you," Harvey said.

"I need not the help of warring mortals," it replied, turning on them sharply.

"Will you let us tell them at least that it wasn't you? Give us a name and we'll put them on the right track!" Harvey insisted.

"They can hate me no more than they do now," it answered. "The mortal thoughts surrounding me and my nature are not my concern."

"Is the child alright? The little boy?" Elliott asked, unexpectedly changing the topic.

The elf king was quiet. "You well know the answer, writer of stories. You know it is not my desire to wound an innocent child," it finally replied.

"You wound him, erl-king, by keeping him from those who love him most," Elliott replied.

"End your war, end the strife between that soldier and his wife, and then, only then, will you have the right to ask me to return him," the elf darkly warned. "Deal with your own matters. I will deal with mine. Rest assured, the girl will be found. And when she is, their suspicion will come true. Their belief it was me that took her. She will join her friend in my company until the day this chaos is ended."

"Then help us end it! Please!" Harvey begged. "What if… what if we can't do it alone…?"

The elf stared at them coldly. "Then you do not deserve to have your children back," it finally replied. With that it turned, taking on the form of a white stag, and bounded away too quickly for them to hope to catch, leaving the duo at the edge of the Cindersnap forest watching helplessly after it. They exchanged uncertain glances… They were afraid… Afraid of where all of this would lead…