.

"Come on."

Cam gripped Lillian's hand tightly, steering her away from the café at a rapid pace. His legs were much longer than hers and she had to take extra steps to keep up with him.

Flowerbeds, signs and benches were passed without the notice or consideration of the travelers as they were nearly at the towering white church before Lillian dug her feet in and pulled back. Having met no resistance up to now, Cam nearly tripped backwards as she stalled out, and she had to pull his arm in the other direction to steady him again.

He looked down to her and shook his head, face tense.

Now is not the time for this.

The message was clear for some reason although he used no words to convey it. She untucked her hand from his, raised her eyebrows and shook her head right back, taking a step back. He watched her as she took a few mores steps, and finally when she turned on her heal to leave him there he spoke.

"Wait."

She shrugged. "At least I know you're a good friend to my brother- you didn't want me wrapped up in this. But I don't have a choice, you know?"

Cam's mouth became a thin line. "There's always a choice. An opportunity like this might not come along again. You can't just go as you please."

"I can't leave Kana here alone."

Green eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Oh." He shoved his hands in his pockets and scanned the area, as if they would be discovered here at any moment. "I doubt you can do anything for him."

"Can't you do something?" She closed the distance and peered at him somehow, even though she was a head shorter than he was. "I'm going to try at least. You- you're going to watch or even help them do something horrible to him. I thought there was a truce on."

Again with the random accusations. "It's not that there's not a truce on… it's more like the war had been put on hold." He said slowly.

Her eye twitched, and he got the distinct expression that she was getting ready to reform her argument as if he were a small child, only able to absorb a bite at a time. He scratched the back of his head and frowned, slightly. "Let me try again, I'm not so great with words. It's more like… nothing serious has happened since the treaty was made a few years ago. It's been pretty peaceful. We don't want to ruin it."

Lillian stood in thought, watching him try to explain. He really isn't used to having to explain the obvious, she thought. Instead she pointed out, "You're going to ruin it if you act like it's fragile, you know."

"It is fragile." He corrected, an edge creeping up in his voice.

She smiled. "No it isn't. I mean- It doesn't have to be." It was her turn to talk fast at the expression he was making. "Peace will happen if you set your will to it. You run a flower shop here, right Cam?"

He narrowed his eyes and nodded. What are you getting at?

"Why don't you hand out a few free flowers and announce that it's a day of amnesty for Konohana to the people in town? That way, even if your Mayor or the other elders decide to punish Kana for what I can assure you is a misunderstanding, you've already helped the people decide for themselves. Then you can pin a rose to Kana's jacket and send him back home, where he can tell everybody about how the peace is real now?"

He looked at her as if she'd grown a few extra heads. "That will never work."

She ignored him. "Sure it will. You just have to decide that it's going to work, and it will."

"Rutger might go for something like that," He admitted quietly, "But there's no way that Howard and Eileen will ever-"

"Then just convince them. I can help you do it. I'm staying after all." She gave a little mockery of his usual smile and watched him carefully, waiting for him to fold, but he just took a deep breath and began to shake his head.

"And flowers for free, I pay for them, gather them from other places… the amount of time I put into that…"

Lillian sighed. "Do you want me to pay for them? I have a little bit on me now, then I can just owe you for it. If my brother is right I'll be making a lot of money here."

Cam opened his mouth again when he thought of another reason her idea was stupid-

"But I can only pay you back if the peace continues and my crops don't get messed up by your fake war. So help me out, okay?"

She turned on her heal before he could stop her and marched herself back into town, hoping he didn't hear the panic in her voice on those last few words. She knew she couldn't get Kana out on her own. If she couldn't get help, she would just have to try and stay here in Bluebell in exchange for his freedom. There were no other good ideas!

Cam stood stock still for a few minutes, wondering what had just happened. Before he realized it he was musing aloud, "…Could have finished him off yesterday if I was here, then I wouldn't be in this mess today." He kept muttered under his breath, and followed a ways behind, trying not to look as irritated as he felt.

He knew his mask was slipping.

…

So how was it, a half hour later, that he found himself back at his flower stand not trying to sell anything, but rather, to just give things away for free?

He stood stiffly at his shop feeling like a wall decoration.

"Flowers for amnesty! Peace with Bluebell is achieved!" Lillian called loudly, her voice echoing throughout the center of town. She had added a few flowers she had picked the previous day to the gorgeous blooms he had carefully tended, and the wilted flowers were not having any of her enthusiasm.

He hid his embarrassment under his hat, trying to come up with ways to get rid of her, but so far nothing had worked.

A few people had stopped by, curious, and thankfully nobody Cam knew too well. Lillian had given a flower away to the woman who lived far on the outskirts of town who only came once a week to buy milk, and another to a young mother and her son, who'd been delighted at the phony news about the war ending entirely.

A few others stopped by and heard her story, but were less convinced and didn't take a flower, and eventually Grady wandered by, smiled a wide smile and told Lillian he was pleased to meet her. He took a bud and pinned it to his sweater, before stopping into Howard;s Café for a bite to eat. He insisted on paying for it, and Lillian accepted the money, showing it to Cam.

"If the war is still on then that was my sale and I'm keeping it."

"If the war is still on then you're the enemy and you won't be able to leave with it." He replied easily, wondering why he was bothering to respond at all.

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law." She said offhandedly and pocketed the coins.

Cam mentally tallied up the amount of missing merchandise so he could collect on it later, adding the coins she showed him in his head. She wouldn't be able to keep up her fake news game for very long. How far could it possibly go?

He smirked at the thought and then his face froze- Laney was marching out towards the flower booth, much in the same mood she had stomped down the stairs this morning.

Her unsure demeanor gone, she placed her white fists on the table and her eyes bored into his. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

He shrugged, flipping a hand out of his pocket to indicate Lillian who was already prepared with a delicate carnation. "Will you help us celebrate the end of the war?" She asked. "It's a day of amnesty- we're giving out flowers to celebrate peace!"

Laney looked at the flower in surprise. "They announced… peace?" She asked the other girl.

Lillian nodded enthusiastically. "Any minute now they will! Help us celebrate when the Mayor comes out to announce it."

Laney's hazel eyes shifted to Cam, who raised his eyebrows innocently. When she reached out and took the flower, a familiar smile spread out on his lips and she knew there was a joke she was missing out on. But he wasn't disagreeing, so a glimmer of hope began to spread in her even though she didn't know why it would.

Maybe it was true this time? But then… what was the joke? Oh well, free flower. She held it carefully and thought to yell again- Lillian should be downstairs if nothing was decided- but the girl was beaming at her with a genuine smile and she gave up, meekly returning to the café. Howard was still out and she was running it by herself after all.

Phillip opened the front door to meet her. "Oh-hey Laney. I hope you don't mind, but Grady wanted some tea too, so I got it for him. He still needs to be charged though."

She placed the flower in a vase on the counter and eyed it suspiciously before answering. "Okay… thanks Phillip. You didn't have to."

"Yeah I know that. But I heard the door slam and knew you'd gone out. Is everything alright? What's going on outside?"

"I don't know." She responded, walking past him to the register to ring up Grady, who was smiling.

Back outside, Cam's amusement didn't last very long.

Rutger had heard the noise of the people that had started to gather around the stand and was ambling over towards them.

The young florist's mind started swimming with explanations, apologies and preparing for admonishment but Rutger came over, used the end of his cane to sneak his tall hat up higher on his head and took a flower from Lillian's hand. "I don't believe I made the lady's acquaintance." He said to Cam.

Cam cleared his throat. "Uh.. this is you know, from Ka-kono-"

"I'm Lillian." The girl interrupted him. Again. Then she raised her voice loud enough for the small crowd in the square to hear and held the mayor's hand while it was clasped around the bloom. "And may I say how proud I am to meet you, the man WHO JUST ANNOUNCED A DAY OF AMNESTY FOR KONOHANA IN THE NAME OF PEACE!"

Surprise was evident on the Mayor's face as he accepted the flower, and applause broke out behind him. He turned to look, and half the town had come out to hear what she announced.

Cam's casual smile was frozen more perfectly than ever.

ActNaturalActNaturalActNatural… He chanted, internally panicking now.

Phillip and Grady emerged from the café and clapped too, adding to the effect, and Rutger smiled, slowly as he caught on, raising the red bud in the air. "In hopes that peace will be long-lasting and remembered by even our youth, today we grant amnesty!"

A few cheers were peppered with some muttering- not everyone wanted amnesty, even though peace sounded nice- as Rutger took Lillian's hand and lead her around to the front of the flower stand. "I'd also like to announce that this young girl, Lillian, and her brother Phillip (who I'm sure you have met by now) are granted free passage into and out of our town-regardless of the contest boundaries!"

By this time people were clapping merely out of habit, and once the clapping died down Rutger let go of her hand and gestured towards the City hall building. "My dear I do believe a few words are required."

Lillian looked over to where Cam stood staring at her blankly, as if for permission to leave.

He was honestly bemused. Did she think he was going to demand that she stay and create more mischief? Go already.

Phillip walked over too, as the mayor and his sister went inside.

Cam's eyes still followed Lillian. "And where have you been all morning?" He asked.

Phillip shrugged. "Not doing anything like that. I was talking to everybody, but-" He started to laugh. "Leave it to Lil to fix in fifteen minutes what I spend a day on. Well I'd better go find out what Rutger says. Do you need help with anything, first?"

Cam shook his head negatively. "Just tell her that she owes me 2,800 gold."

.

.

Author's Note; Pay up, Lillian

Just wanted to thank everyone for their kind notes in the feedback section, and encourage any honest opinions. I'll take them seriously, I swear I will!

But for today's specific question, do you guys want more fighting? I'm not planning on having there be no conflict after this and I can easily keep the towns at war- but I don't want to write a stalemate.

More opinions are appreciated. *nodsnods*

~The Frog