Something happened last night. It had never happened before. But something in my mind changed, and last night I relived the dream that had been plaguing me. It wasn't like the other times I'd dreamed. This time, the whole nightmare changed.

"Rose Red, I'm sorry. Forgive me..." I opened my eyes to see the stars, once again in the pattern of the first dream's. It was dark, but the moon and stars fed enough light into the grassy area for me to see basic figures. I sat up, turning to see five people standing around me: Yuri, Felicity, Weiss, Soseki, and Grimm. Why were they there now? Was this thing going to give me some answers, or retreat into cold silence? I stood, facing Weiss to ask, "What's going on?" The group looked at each other, but no one answered my question. Felicity gave a smile, and Soseki put a hand on my shoulder. "You're not meant to know just yet," he said, leaving the rest to Felicity, who added, "The circumstances are changing. If it continues this way, the original dream can be prevented..." As she trailed off, the stars faded, descending us into darkness. Silence followed moments behind, as every presence disappeared.

When I woke up, I was lying on my back on the floor, wrapped in the comforter. My pillow was hanging halfway off the bed, and my neck felt stiff from the sleeping position. With a sigh I stood, fixing the bed and taking a pen from my bedside table to scrawl the events of the new dream down. I wanted to keep track of the way it morphed itself, in case it truly could be changed for the better. It had been a few days since I'd woken up in such a neutral mood, and I let myself enjoy that for a moment before digging in my dresser for clean clothes.

Most of my wardrobe consisted of different colored overalls that my father and I had made, various shirts, tanktops, vests, scarves, and pants. Shoe-wise I had three pairs of boots: steel-toed work boots and my silver and black combat boots. There was also a pair of sandals that went with my komon, but I didn't count that pair, since I'd never wear it to anything normal. I took a cyan pair of overalls from my dresser, pairing it with a white shirt and green scarf. I also grabbed the silver boots. When I was dressed, I wrapped the scarf around my neck until it reached my chin. I really didn't feel like going out in the chilly weather, but I needed to meet those two for lunch later.

Since I'd be hanging out with Weiss, I decided to wear one of the hair ornaments he'd made me back in Orchard Town. I decided on a blue clip with a snowflake on it, and after failing several attempts to clip it to the right side of my bangs, I gave a frustrated growl. Here I was trying to pay attention to what I looked like for once. I was making an effort, and so far I wasn't seeing any results.

After another five tries I managed to sweep aside a part of my too-long bangs and clip it there without it looking silly. My light aqua eyes could actually be seen as I glanced in the mirror mounted above the dresser, and I frowned. It was odd, feeling kind of open... With a shrug I headed out, figuring if I was early I could visit Weiss' animals. According to the silver pocket watch I hooked to the right pocket of my overalls, it was just after ten o'clock. Two hours was plenty of time to see the livestock and let Weiss finish his chores. As I crossed onto the property, a disturbing thought crossed my mind: Weiss had invited us for the lunch. That meant... he was cooking? In all the years I've spent with Weiss, he's only succeeded in making an edible meal three times. One of those was the stack of pancake crepes from the last time I'd visited.

I managed to steal all of Weiss' chores, using the spare tools he kept by the supply shed to water and fertilize the crops, harvest three fields of fodder, and brush the animals. I was exhausted by the time I finished working the 10 fields of crops he'd planted despite the chilly weather, but it felt great to do some physical work after so long holed up on the last bit of barren farmland.

As I gave Bean a third treat, she took on her concerned look. I patted her head and smiled, mumbling, "Cover your bets on whether we get food poisoning, Bean." The alpaca gave me a nudge and headed back to the fodder she'd been munching on. The other animals were intent on their brunch, and didn't pay me much notice. Taking the hint, I slipped them some treats and headed to the coop, where I was greeted by the sight of my cousin hopping on one foot and grumbling to himself. His frost-white hair flopped against his forehead with every jump, and he looked like he was having a lot of trouble balancing on one leg. "What'd ya do this time, Weiss?" He looked up with a grimace, admitting, "I dropped my backpack on my foot with all my tools in it..." With hardly a chuckle at his clumsiness, I tossed a couple of treats to the chickens and took Weiss' arm, dragging him over to his house.

After forcing him to sit I tossed him an ace bandage from my bag, sighing, "Take care of it, Snowy." It took him about ten minutes to ease the sock and shoe off of his swollen foot and gingerly wrap the bandage over the bruised skin. I took the opportunity to investigate Weiss' kitchen, trying to deduce whether lunch would be edible. But nothing had been cooked as far as I could tell... "Uh, are you making lunch, or do you want me to do it since you hurt your foot?" Please don't let him cook, Harvest Goddess... Wiess shook his head, replying, "Neither. I've ordered food from Chez Clement. Apparently they've started a delivery service, so I asked Clement to prepare the meal. It should be here around Soseki's arrival."

"Okay, what did you order?" I asked, hoping it was something decent. With a shrug, he checked the notepad he kept by his phone. "I think it was mushroom spaghetti." Great. Mushroom... I'd never liked the texture of mushrooms, and I'm pretty sure Weiss knew that. Either he was messing with me or he'd forgotten what I liked. "So why did you pick that?" I gave him my unamused frown, and he scratched his head, once again embarrassed. "Well, I bought the blueprints I need for the town renovation, and... I'm almost broke now. So I bought the cheapest thing I saw on the menu," he explained. I sighed at the sight of his sheepish smile, grumbling, "You should've asked me to cook. I've got eel and everything. And some cash now, if you needed help paying for the food."

Weiss shrugged, arguing, "It's fine. Next time I'll let you make it. I was just thinking maybe Felicity would deliver the food and I could talk to her..." With another sigh I shook my head. "You're hopeless, lover boy." I remembered the conversation I'd had with the other girls last night and frowned at Weiss. "Actually, I don't think Felicity is interested in going to the festival with you. Maybe you should invite Yuri," I suggested, not feeling at all tactful in my blurted explanation. My cousin smiled, giving another shrug and replying, "I know. She's always seemed to be a little distant." Sure, he says that about the girl who speaks in full sentences... His cheeks once again turned pink as he added, "I was going to ask her how to invite Yuri without seeming pushy or creepy, since they're friends and she'd probably know."

I raised an eyebrow at my cousin. "That's actually a logical solution," I mentioned, messing up his hair. I tended to do that to anyone whose hair looked overly neat for their personality, but it had been more fun to mess with his when it was longer. "Why don't you grow your hair back out?" He frowned at me, replying, "Why don't you grow yours?" Okay, let me get this out there: I have never liked the feeling of long hair. If it touches my shoulders it's way too long. I don't even like it on my neck. I think it looks good on guys, and most other girls, but it just doesn't fit me. Not to mention the maintenance. Weiss knew all this as well. "You know I'd never do that," I grumbled, now subconsciously fiddling with my hair.

"Anybody home?" There was a knock at the door, and I turned to glance at it before looking at Weiss. "Want me to get it?" He nodded, trying to get his wrapped up foot back into the shoe that was not cooperating. With a smile at my cousin's inept behavior, I swung the door open, greeting Soseki. He appeared more at ease than he'd been the night before, and gave a grin before saying, "What's the occasion, Rose Bud?" I let him in and closed the door again. "Whattaya mean, occasion?" I wasn't wearing the kimono again, and the house wasn't decorated. Soseki smiled, sitting down at the dining table. He almost waved to Weiss, but noticed his right shoes struggle and put his hand down. "Well, you're wearing a clip that lets me see your cute face. So I thought maybe there was a special occasion."

"Uh huh..." I frowned at him, grumbling, "Stop calling me that, Old Man..." His smile widened, and he gave a helpless shrug. "Well, you said not to act like an old man, so I didn't call you young. I didn't even complain about my back pain," he whined with a hurt expression. I gaped at him, sighing, "I don't understand you..." He gave a wink. "That's the point, Rose Bud. I know I only moved here recently, but these surroundings are relatively peaceful. I haven't been bothered with trusting others, so I haven't revealed anything about myself. Tell you what. If you prove that you trust me, I'll tell you what happened before I came to this town."

My face must have conveyed my confusion well, because he laughed, "Not right now. You'll figure out how that works later on. So, are we here to talk about me, or are we going to eat something?" Having given up on his shoe, Weiss finally spoke up with, "The food should be here any minute." Apparently satisfied with the answer, Soseki yawned and leaned back in his chair. For a few minutes the three of us sat in silence, Weiss taking off his other shoe and Soseki possibly falling asleep while I fidgeted with my necklace, tying the knot lower so the cord wouldn't slip off. I watched Weiss take his seat at the table, waiting for the delivery. I'd just sit when I'd gotten the door and set the food out... I looked again at my cousin. He'd taken the seat directly across from Soseki. That meant I had to sit between them, and if they argued I'd be in the line of fire. Great...

There was a rap at the door, and I sighed, opening it with a welcoming smile. But Felicity wasn't the one holding the tray. Instead, a man with a black ponytail and dark green eyes was standing there, grinning. "Grimm? Why're you-?" Smiling, he handed me the tray, answering, "Clement decided to hire me for the delivery work last night. Felicity suggested it so she could maintain her post in the restaurant." Grimm pointed at the plates, which each had plastic wrap over the top and a doodle on the wrap. "The one with the apple is Weiss', extra mushroom. The cat doodle is Soseki's, fish added." Why's Soseki's a cat? I tried not to laugh, letting him continue. "The flower is yours, crab added." I gave Grimm a nod and a thank you, and he bowed before turning to go. "I'll see you later, Rose Red."

"You too, Grimm, I guess." With a shrug I headed inside, closing the door and setting the tray on the kitchen counter. I put the others' plates down in front of them, then took my own and joined them at the table. When we uncovered the pasta, Soseki frowned and poked at a piece of mushroom with his chopsticks. "Mushroom spaghetti? Not my favorite..." Mine either, but at least Weiss seemed to like it. He'd already eaten a quarter of his by the time I'd mustered the courage to eat a piece of mushroom. It wasn't horrible, but definitely on the top 10 of my least favorite dishes. The crab was a definite improvement, and I noticed Soseki picking out the fish to eat a piece with every bite.

Minimal conversation took place, and mostly consisted of Weiss and Soseki arguing over whether the spaghetti was good and their flinging bits of mushroom at each other. It honestly felt like eating with a pair of six year olds. Despite my disdain for the meal, I finished first, and ended up sitting there while the others quibbled over the food. As they launched another miniature food fight, a piece of mushroom flew from Weiss' side of the table and splattered against my cheek, sliding down my jaw and onto my clean scarf. I gritted my teeth and growled, "You two need to-"

I ignored the food stuck to the scarf and held the cloth against my mouth, feeling suddenly sick to my stomach. That's what happens when you eat Weiss' cooking or mushrooms... I glared at Weiss and Soseki, who stopped quarreling after exchanging a frown. I really felt like crap. Maybe I was finally catching a cold after that midnight 'swim,' or maybe it was the food. Whatever the cause, I now had a splitting headache in the place of my energy, and my stomach was rebelling against its contents. I laid my chin on the table drowsily, mumbling through the scarf, "Could ya turn down the heater?" It's really warm in here. Too many people.

Soseki and Weiss were staring at me, and I frowned, adding, "Eat your food and stop staring." If they think it's cool enough, I'll just go outside and check. I stood on wobbily legs and walked out, not noticing the others' confused stares. "Are you alright?" Weiss asked, putting a hand on my shoulder as I started walking through the snow to cool down. The world spun and tilted, and the snow cushioned my fall as I tumbled onto the ground, waving off Weiss' help. "I'm fine," I mumbled through the scarf as I closed my eyes to rest for a moment.

((Notes:

I've been getting ready for Shadocon, and my next chapter may be late (Saturday.)

I'm actually performing on Friday, so I have to make sure I've got the song down, and my cosplay together. Expect chapter eleven on saturday evening.

Also, the links in chapter 9 wouldn't post the complete html, so I corrected it by just posting the names of the songs. Hope you don't mind. If you've any requests/votes, get 'em in now, as I'm finalizing pairings and plot~ That's all ;) Hope you enjoy. ))