A/N: Hoozah, at last a chapter that did not take me 4 months to write! Glorious is this day! All right well…not really but at the very least I got the chapter out earlier. A fairly short chapter I must admit, though more amusing then anything. I thought that after the last few chapters that something more jovial was in order. So read and enjoy and if you have the time please do review!
Bright lights were on throughout the Moonlit bar, changing the romantic atmosphere to one resembling a classroom or meeting room of sorts. Tables were pushed up against the bar, tankards of soda scattered over its surface as two large groups of people sat on stools along the edges. Over the counter however, stood two individuals, eyes looking out sternly into those of the observers. The rest of the room was empty, the door locked and bolted, keeping the heat of the bar tightly inside.
With a slight scrapping of a stool, one of the figures at the far edge of the massive table stood, his blue cap easily discernable despite the strong lights.
"Ok…so we're holding this meeting to discuss a "rumor" started by one of your group," He threw his hand outward in the general direction of the other side of the table. "About two of our friends who, except for not having anything in common, have every reason to get together." Crossing his arms indignantly, he rolled his eyes with a frustrated huff. "So why the hell are we trying to stop it?"
"Blue, we're not against it! I mean I have no problem with a little lovin' between people every once in awhile…" Spoke one of the voices behind the counter, a smirk almost audible in his voice. "It just depends on which people…"
A woman with bright ruby eyes sprung up from the middle of the table, glaring into the eyes of the man across the counter, "Maria needs someone who'll support her, who knows how to act like a real man. Ray, as funny a sugah as he may be, just doesn't suit Maria," The tone of disapproval in her voice was easily audible and her tense stance simply added to fact that she seemed extremely bothered by the situation. "To be in love is a beautiful thing, sure, but this kind of love can only go downhill and I don't want to have to pick up the pieces. Things like a 'dedicated and true love' don't exist for guys like Ray and Dan and no matter what we say, never will!" A defiant hey went unnoticed by the group as they waited for the ruby-eyed girl to continue her argument. "I mean, if I could go see Ray, right now, I would tell him: "Ray, I don't want you to be with Maria because she isn't your kind of girl. She needs someone who can understand her and give her the things she deserves; that any true lover would give her, not someone who would dump her for the next pretty girl that comes along,' he has to understand that playing with one of my girlfriends hearts isn't a game!"
"But Ray isn't that kind of guy! You can't go and judge him like that, you barely know him!" exclaimed a young, brown haired boy; his fishing equipment and starry bandana clearing stating whose side he was on. "I know her as well as you do and I think the two could work out! I mean we all do things that others don't expect like…me fishing or Kurt writing poetry." The blatant disregard of his older brother's secrets made the other boy's ears a bright red, renewing his focus on the assembled tables. "You don't have to be made to suit another person perfectly to be by their side right?"
As if the heated discussion had been the timid beginnings of a grand aria, the notes began to rise in scale, then the volume, becoming a crescendo before being firmly interrupted by the two who were supposed to be the singers.
"We didn't come here to have an argument about why they should or shouldn't be together," came the booming voice of Katie, whose hands had slammed down on the counter, the sound echoing off the walls of the moonlight bar as everyone turned to give her an accusatory look. "Ok…so maybe we did, but still we shouldn't be doing it like this!"
Feeling like he should back up his fellow host, Dan leaned back tentatively and addressed the mixed group, "When people are in love, all those involved in their lives are affected by it, whether they wish to be or not…in this case, the onlookers happen to be us and we need to decide how we're going to deal with the situation."
"Something's in this world are not meant to be tampered with; they are meant to succumb to the vices and pleasures of a true life, as the clock ticks and the ball continues to roll in a never-ending circle. Eternity is in the form of cycles that never seem to cease, always beginning as they end and end as they begin." Muttered a voice just barely heard by the huddled audience; having snuck in without having been detected by any in the well lit room, Dia had managed to seat herself in an area where only the slightest amount of light touched, shining but a small ray onto the left side of her face, leaving the rest of her body shrouded in shadow.
"The new girl? Now that's a turn of events," Dan whispered to Katie, his playful tone enough for Katie to assume that he a smirk was marring his features.
Rolling her eyes, Katie quickly pushed Dan off to the side, hoping that the abrupt action would wipe away the impish look that had taken over his smirk. Giving the taller girl a glance over, her form seemed to straighten, as if she was almost threatened by the new arrival.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?"
"There are some things in life that are beyond our control; the weather, time and love being prime examples," A playful aura seemed to pervade her as she took her own stance. "Maybe it is time that people stop trying to control things that are beyond them and settle down to the mystery of reality."
"Sorry but we aren't here to throw a party for them," In a rare moment of seriousness, Dan leaned forward, placing his hands on the table so as to imply the importance of what he was saying. "We need a battle strategy and we need it before the two decide to fall apart at the seams and take us with them. Ray will eventually see what a mistake he's making…"
A quick glare from the female populace sent Dan down another track.
"Er…see how this could affect us and decide to break things off with Maria. With the bonds we have, there is no way we could come out with good results, so we need to do something now before something likethat happens."
Green dress brushing against the floor and light reflecting off the silver and gold seams, Dia crossed the floor of the restaurant, only stopping in back of the only vacant seat surrounding the table. "If that is what you wish…though I warn you that gossip and an ill-conception of certain situations can only end badly; otherwise…" Swiftly seating herself, the black-haired girl placed her hands in her lap complacently. "Do carry on."
Looking up with a mild look of surprise at Dia, now seated beside Joe, Kurt wondered how exactly she had managed to find out about the meeting and sneak in without his notice. A smile coming over his features at the amusing thought, Kurt decided to refocus his attentions on the present.
"Alright guys, maybe we aren't focusing on the right thing here…" Gwen stood then; readying herself for whatever commentary was to follow by flicking her ponytail and taking on the firm stance of a rider. "Shouldn't we focus on how we can keep this quiet and keep us, as groups, together."
"We need to worry about how our friendships will hold out if anything happens and what we can do about them right now," stated Ann, her hands fidgeting with the ends of her ponytail, giving her nervousness away.
"That's what we've been trying to do Ann, and Gwen…we can't keep this quiet anymore then we have, it's just way to big to keep amongst ourselves," Katie replied, her eyes turning to scan the onlookers. "I think we need to take the next logical course of action…we can't contain this for much longer, but we need to find a way to manage the flow of it as much as possible, at least until Ray and Maria find out and then we can react."
"React by telling them how wrong this all is, I mean there are so many other women out there! Plus Maria is just going to be Ray's ball and chain and Ray doesn't know the first thing about a lady's needs, so we need to find a way to fix all this before it blows up in our faces…"
"So are you guys all ok with going behind our friends backs and talking about this, even if ultimately it is for the greater good?"
Nods from each individual left the two leaders of the group satisfied enough to pull up two stools to the counter, feeling that the real decision making was ready to begin.
"So…what should we do?"
***
A delicate frapping echoed down the purple entrance hall of the small house, passing through the thin door and being easily audible in the complete silence of the small living room. Rising lazily, the male dropped his book onto the table, the worn leather cover falling open, leaving the cover page exposed to the air. Glancing down at the text, he read it for what seemed to be the thousandth time. The Melody of time, no matter how many times he went over the words, it still perplexed him how exactly it had anything to do with the rest of the legend. Running a hand over his disheveled poncho, the purple haired boy turned to walk towards the kitchen, when another knock rang out, a little harder and more persistent then the first.
Hoping to just ignore it, he walked over to the bookshelf on the other side of the room, going over the various religious titles.
"Consolidation of Spirituality, The Goddess Dilemma, The Pond of Mineral Town, Goddess Springs, The Life of Father Nathan…is there nothing here that is remotely interesting?"
Taking a book from the shelf, he began to skim through its contents when the frapping returned once more, with much more of a presence and resonance then before. Sighing and annoyed with the interruptions, the boy moved to replace his hat to its rightful place as he walked into the small entryway. Making the final touches, he put on the most menacing face he could muster, as he unlocked the door and flung the door open, readily prepared to yell at whoever was on the other side.
"What do you w-" A look of shock crossed his face, cutting his tirade short, as a person who he had not spoken to for many years, came into view. Quickly regaining his composure however, Jamie fiddled with the edge of his hat. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, long time no see."
***
The current of the river was slow, sluggish and choppy as the sub-zero temperature attempted to freeze it's ever moving depths. In more turbulent areas fish gathered and looked for sustenance, braving the speed of the water and doing their best to survive the harsh season. The sun was at its zenith, signaling that the noon hour was upon the residents of Flowerbud village and with it a brief period of rest. However, to those deeply immersed in the Woodman's Forest and standing by the tall cliff edifice, the noon hour took not precedence. Concentration on this environment was key, as the men who considered themselves 'hunters' waiting by the waters edge, their breath baited and waiting for one of the freshwater fish, enjoying the thrill that came along with it.
Silence reigned over the two, as snow covered trees heaved under their weight and wisps of light snow rose from the ground and the town just beyond the woods seemed to come alive with midday activity. Brown hair rustled in the a slight breeze, the back it lay on taut and ready to spring to action at the slightest movement of the rod before it.
"Boy, are you sure you used the right bait, we've been waiting awhile."
"Sir, I know fishing and with these particular river dwellers you need a lot of patience…the timing and waiting is key if we're going to actually get a valuable one."
Audible scoffing and huffing came from the direction of the older gentlemen, his brown and red hunters' hat tipped back as he rocked forward on his heels.
"Feels like a waste of time to me, spending all this time waiting."
A pair of hands grasped the pole of the fishing rod, aware of the large rainbow trout that seemed to be making its way toward the straggling piece of meat.
"Sometimes waiting is all we can do, until everything is right where you want it to be…"
The trailed off words were met by a quick and gruff response, "Boy, this is no time to be philosophical, 'caused your father enough trouble as it is."
"Maybe life should be simple enough that we don't need to wait, that everything is already made for us; can be easily explained and we don't have to wait for things to happen," The young man's thumb traced circles on the light colored, pine hilt of his rod. "Everything would be much less confusing if it was."
"If life were carefree, there were no problems and nothing to hide, then we wouldn't be in the situation we are now, kind of stuck in the middle, waiting for something to happen and someone to initiate it. If we lived in a different place, if the people were different and if we weren't who we were, then we could do this, we could go for it without any problems…but what does what if do for you right?"
Snow crunching could be heard as the speaker took a step back, pulling with him the fishing rod, who's line had finally caught and was waiting to be reeled in. A few minutes passed as the struggle between the fisherman and his prey ensued, the man's plumb prize using all its willpower and strength to get away from the rapidly approaching surface. With a final tug the fish was pulled out of the water, its fins flapping in the cold winter air. Silence returned as the hunter did away with his gain, preserving and storing it quickly before turning to his mustached friend.
"Do you ever think about things like that?"
"What the hell are you talking about boy?"
***
The ringing sound that accompanied Ronald's entrance echoed throughout the Spring Farm, catching the attention of Liz and Martha who immediately toned down their conversation.
"Ronald, how nice to see you dear, how is the extraction coming along?" Called out Liz to the tanned man, a smile present in both her tone and on her face. "Back for more breadfruit already?"
" 'ctually I wanted cocoa, so I could make Grand Marnier Hot Chocolat'" Walking toward the back of the shop, the Hispanic man began to remove some of his winter apparel. " 'So cold up here during winter, it's really not good for the trees."
"Maaaaaa goodness I have to agree, this bitter winter air has left us all cooped up inside our houses and the beautiful mountain landscape to suffer; I mean, ma poor plants never seem to survive the wintah and with this snow I can't imagine our poor tree's doing much better! Ma goodness, ma goodness…" replied the older, graying blue-haired nurse, who's hair had begun to fall out of its bun.
"I do hope they survive the winter Ronald, it would be shame if the orchard had to replant a whole area."
"We'll see, maybe this cold won't damage anything," putting his mittens into his coat pocket, Ronald turned to look at the two women, a serious air surrounding him. "Have you heard the latest?"
A puzzled, yet curious look seemed to come over Liz's features. "No…has something happened?"
"Yo' must tell us Ronald!"
"Well…supposedly Ann saw Maria kissing Ray by the library about a week or so ago and told Michael, who told Hank, who told me that they've apparently been seeing on another for quite some time now."
"No it can't be…You don't mean to tell me that Theo's Maria, the mayah's daughter, was snagged by Clint's son!" cried Martha, scandalized beyond belief that a fisherman would actually have the pomp to ask out someone of such importance.
"I-I had never imagined those two starting anything together but if Ann saw them then it must be true, that child has always been as honest a plumb-colored fiddle," Placing her hand on her cheek, the pink-haired woman seemed to sigh dreamily. "It's funny how things turn out though, I know back in high school Maria would not have wanted to be seen beside someone like Ray. But things change, I can see them having a happy life together"
"Good for one anothah? Liz, this can only end in tragedy, think of what Theodore will say! He would never stand for such a-such a ruffian taking care of his daughtah!"
"Now ladies, it is just some harmless teenage fun, nothing longstanding; who knows, maybe by the time the snow melts their fling will have melted along with it."
"Oh Theodore will be sure to see to that, he definitely won't stand for it once he hears who's going out with his precious Maria!" With a fervent huff, Martha strode with quick, jittery steps, towards the door, back straight and head turned towards the other two. "I'm sorry Liz, but I have to go, Doug and Duke must hear about this!"
A worried glance from the two remaining occupants of the store followed the nurse as she left the building, a tense atmosphere beginning to take form.
"I just hope everyone let's those two decide things for themselves; after all, love shouldn't be controlled by those not involved in it," Said Liz quietly, more to herself then anyone else, Ronald nodding his consent not too long afterwards as the two contemplated on young love, the two lovebirds and the power of Flowerbud's word of mouth.
***
Silvery-gray hands light touched the pages of the worn book, caressing the inked, crisp pages as their reader marveled at the emotions splayed on the pages. Turning to the latest edition, he willed himself, despite his weary and exhausted state, to read the glistening text once more.
I have never been so confused,
Though I hope I haven't be refused,
A man of words has a soul to write,
But all I seem to have is rickety flight.
Days end and the numbness prevails,
And all that I wished for in a day,
Has been lost in it's own tales.
So I'll wait,
Hope, dream and believe in fate.
Hopefully that day will come soon
Where the one I wait for,
Comes by the light of the moon.
The man smiled at the clichéd ending, silently laughing at the young lover's naivety in the matters of love. His silver hair billowing around him, he gently picked up the book and looked up toward the sky, now setting to a place far below the horizon. Knowing that sometimes fate could be a fickle thing and the moon a thing much beyond that of something that shed light, the man of many years sighed in sympathy with the love struck boy. Then, with unheard and unseen steps, the Harvest Lord turned and walked back into the thick darkness of the wood, heading for the single shaft of light that had brought him there. For he knew that the Goddess that he loved would never come by the form of light that he wanted her to come, nor would she ever be touched again by the light he could touch her with, moonlight.