A/N at the end. For now, back to our regularly scheduled program:


It didn't take long for tea to brew, but it was pretty awkward and tense already in Evie's tiny yet open kitchen. Finn was keeping close to her, cuddled under her chin and chiming faintly with worry. Whenever the chiming went on too long, Evie would nuzzle the top of his head against her cheek. The Witch-Princess was sitting at the table, her legs crossed at the knee and one hand lying on the table with fingernails tapping quietly. Her odd-colored eyes were staring through the window facing the road to Garmon and her lips were pursed slightly. She looked… tired. Or maybe just uncomfortable. Evie wished she had carved out more time for getting to know Vivi, but she was also really glad that such bright people like Kathy and Renee had taken her under their wing, and that Phoebe had joined the group with her no-nonsense and easy friendship.

She poured the boiling water over the leaves in a pot, then carried everything over to the table. Unlike Candace, who was the best hostess this side of the Pacific, Evie had no tray, so she had to precariously balance mugs and the too-hot teapot. Vivi merely watched with still-pursed lips and slowly rising eyebrow while Evie struggled her way through it all. Finally, she sat across from Vivi and Finn perched on the table beside her hand.

"Okay, so… I'm not really surprised about the word 'curse'… but no one else seems to think anything like that. Or at least, no one's saying anything like that," Evie said at last.

Vivi huffed. "If you asked Sephia, I'm sure she would admit there is one, but she's too… too good to tell you without prompting. And Gale is a piece of work, so he wouldn't tell you unless the 'stars' told him to," she replied with an eyeroll that Evie could almost hear.

"Sephia?" Evie repeated in confusion. Vivi waved it away.

"Not important. Ask the real question, Evelyn Tallesin," Vivi said with burning pumpkin-orange eyes. "Or should I say, Guadalupe Evelyn Nimue Tallesin? It's quite the name."

"Tallesin-Fuentes, technically," Evie blurted past a numb tongue and suddenly dry mouth. There was something about her entire name said aloud by a person like Vivi— a witch with eyes that reminded her of the Harvest Goddess— that had her body freezing all over. "Why…" She paused, wet her lips, and tried again. "How come your magic doesn't work? It has to do with the curse, right?"

For a moment, Vivi's eyes closed and a confusing mix of emotions flitted over her face. When she opened her eyes, that perfect scornful mask was back on. Evie couldn't help but shift uncomfortably at having seen even a peek past that mask. "It's a bit of a long story and… I don't think you'll like me very much at the end."

"I don't have room to judge people. I've made a lot of mistakes that wouldn't put me in such a good light, either," Evie said while rubbing the back of her neck. She forced a small, sheepish smile. Vivi's nose scrunched, and then she looked away, back to the window and at the sunny summer's day outside.

"I'm not like other people… Simply put, my great-grandmother was a fairy. Not like this little guy here," she clarified poking at Finn's round tummy. "But a bit more than that."

"Hey, I'm not for poking!" Finn squeaked in outrage and rubbed his stomach.

"You mean… like…" Evie said slowly, eyes narrowing. Vivi gave her a satisfied smirk and leaned back in her chair.

"Yup," she agreed, popping the 'p' obnoxiously. "The Harvest Goddess isn't a… a goddess really, or she wasn't in the beginning. She's a fairy, fae, faerie, Seelie, Sidhe, whatever you wanna call it. The sprites aren't quite the same thing. Like pixies versus fairies."

"You're like Mother?" Finn asked, bewildered. "But you haven't got any wings."

"Neither does this one," Vivi retorted with a wave at Evie, who gaped. "Any drop of human blood means no wings."

"Ah," Finn said with a wise little nod. He turned to give Evie a look of deepest pity. "Sorry, Evie. You don't even get wings."

"I never said I wanted wings! And I'm not a fairy! Oh… so, out loud that sounds sorta homophobic, I mean, I'm not, like, a magic fairy," Evie babbled, rubbing her hands over her face and almost knocking her glasses right off her nose. She scrambled to grab them and set them right. With her vision cleared, she could see Finn pouting and Vivi smirking.

"Do you want to hear about the curse or not?" Vivi asked.

"Y-yeah…"

Despite her agreement, Vivi didn't start right away. Rather, she blew pensively over her tea. In the silence, they both sat back with their mugs, one thinking and one waiting. Evie lifted her mug too soon to her chapped lips and winced. After burning her lip, Evie held her mug slightly away and reached over to stroke her thumb up and over Finn's pointy ear until his lingering annoyance was soothed.

"So… what's a curse?" Finn finally blurted, much too young to be patient. Not that Evie was much better with her constant, barely concealed jitters.

"A bad magic spell," Evie said, a little too over-simplifying if Finn's frown was anything to go by.

"Or just magic gone wrong," Vivi said with a sigh. She set her tea down and tapped her perfectly cut and polished nails against the porcelain. "It starts a couple hundred years ago, when my great-grandmother fell in love with a human, gave up her wings to live with him, and they had an amazing and powerful and beautiful witch for a daughter," Vivi said in a single breath before releasing a loud sigh. Evie rocked back in surprise and Finn almost flew off the table before his wings caught him. "This place was full of legends of her, my grandmother I mean, and she was very close to the Sprites. She was the daughter of the first Castanet to found this town, which meant she… sort of became the bridge between this town and the Fair Folk that watched over it."

"Castanets… so that means… Gill is like your cousin! Or something. He's family," Evie said with wide eyes. Vivi grimaced.

"In so many words, yes. We do share blood… and a name. I'm Vivian Castanet."

"Holy he-Bells," Evie stammered. "So Gill seeing fairies, and his family being generations of Mayors…"

"This isn't his story, though, I suppose now that I'm no longer a frog, I should reacquaint him with some family history," Vivi said thoughtfully. She shrugged. "Anyway, my grandmother— "

"The daughter of the first Castanet and a fairy," Evie clarified. She cast her eyes around for paper and rushed over for her journal by the bed.

"Yes. She… she was a powerful witch. When she was just a girl, her father died and her mother, the once-fairy, began to die from heartbreak. It was my grandmother's idea to plant the Tree at the Spring and connect her mother's soul to it, to tie her here and keep her alive. She needed the help of another fey to return her mother's immortality, and, during the creation of the Tree, she captured the eye and the… well, I wouldn't say heart, I doubt he has one," Vivi said with a bitterness that had Evie baffled. "Look, when the Harvest Goddess came here and blessed this town, she didn't come alone. She came with… to regular humans the closest thing is a brother. A fey king whose power was over fire and earth. He decided my grandmother was the perfect bride for him."

Evie frowned. "A King— " Like a drum in her brain, in her chest, in her stomach, all at once they thudded. She vibrated almost out of her skin, tea sloshing over her hands, but she didn't feel the burn. She couldn't feel her lungs expanding, or her blood pumping. All she could see and feel and hear were the words on the walls in the Mine, on the Bells, scribbled in perfect handwriting in a pocketbook. "King on the Mount," she choked out as her vision began to spot and blacken.

"Evie! Breathe!" Finn cried, flying up to her face and patting desperately at her cheeks and nose. The first breath whistled, then the second one wheezed, and finally she was breathing again in huge gulping gasps. She just barely managed to set her mug aside before leaning over her knees and sucking in air as Finn hovered anxiously next to her. "What happened? What'd you do!" he shouted at Vivi accusingly.

"It's the curse. That's why anything to do with him affects you so badly. You have to free the Harvest King from where he's been sent," Vivi said, her face pale and her own mug set aside.

Evie squinted up at her through watery eyes. "W-wha? I thought… the Bells… the Tree?" she panted. There was something about the story, about the mother and the Tree…

"If you'd let me finish…" Vivi said waspishly.

"I'll try not to choke on air again," Evie said in a raspy and wry voice.

Vivi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then continued, "When my grandmother and the King planted that Tree, he had to use a considerable amount of power," she said, twisting her hands together and apart. "As in, he tied his own life-force to the spell to save his kin, with my grandmother's spell to anchor it in the Tree. After that, my great-grandmother was fine, but she lost all of her humanity and… the King was supposed to return to his own… realm, wherever that is, but he stayed. He made it known to everyone that my grandmother was the reason why, that he wanted her," Vivi said, hoarse and shaking. "But she turned him down again and again and… finally, she met another human man and fell in love like her own mother did. They were… they were the kind of love that was… epic. Some fey on his high horse couldn't compare." The Witch had to stop and take a slow breath.

"I doubt a fairy king would be okay with that," Evie surmised with a wince. She pressed a hand to her forehead. A headache was coming on quick, those words flashing like strobe lights in her eyeballs every time she so much as blinked. She couldn't think, couldn't connect those obvious dots, what was she missing here?

"You could say that," the Witch replied blithely, her hand sweeping through the air elegantly. She reached for her mug and sipped at it, holding it in two trembling hands. "But they remained friends and Castanet flourished with the Tree. There were some other… events," Vivi's gaze fell and her body went still. "The creation of the Bells the first time the Tree was threatened… my grandmother's death, but… those don't matter here."

I'm not so sure about it not mattering, Evie thought to herself. She looked over to Finn whom looked rather bemused at the mention of the Bells. She wondered, wisely only in her own mind, why The Legend of the Bells hadn't spoken of their creation. Would that book that Perry had…?

"My mother, and all her siblings, didn't practice magic, or they did just little things like fortunes and charms. And then I came along." That bitterness returned. "I loved magic. I thought that I had a legacy to live up to, and if my mother wouldn't, then I would. I would do something great…" Vivi shuddered to a stop. "I just wanted to find my Wish…"

Without thinking, Evie reached out and curled her hand over Vivi's.

"I know how that feels. I really really do," Evie said softly.

"I know you do."

Their eyes met and neither could smile, but Vivi's slender hand wrapped around Evie's and gripped it tight. Slowly, they pulled their hands away. Evie rubbed the back of her neck and Vivi's fair skin was slightly pink as she cleared her throat delicately.

"I decided to search out the Harvest King," Vivi said, breaking the awkward silence. "I had no idea about him and my grandmother, I only knew he was powerful and he could help me be great, too. And he did. He helped me create amazing spells, spells from my wildest dreams! I was amazing and powerful and he encouraged all of it. I was absolutely crazy about him," Vivi laughed sharply. "He called me his Princess."

"So… Witch Princess?" Evie prompted with eyebrows high.

"Something the villagers picked up from him, yes. I might've helped it along, too," Vivi said with a sly smirk and a flick of her hair over her shoulder. "We were going to get married and have a happily ever after. Until my mother decided to tell me about my grandmother. She was worried that the King was confusing me for the woman who had scorned him."

Evie frowned and Vivi smirked a little wider. "That was my reaction, too. Told her not to be ridiculous, my grandmother was long dead, and I was young and alive. Of course he preferred me over some memory. Then, just once, he slipped up and I realized immediately she was right."

"What do you mean?" Evie whispered. She felt the ending of the story coming as that perfect, scornful mask took over more and more control of Vivi's expression and tone.

"He said I was my grandmother come again, that I had been made for him all along… like… like a replacement." Vivi's face pinched tightly in remembered anger. "I slapped him across the face and told him to never speak to me again. That effectively ended our engagement."

Evie wheezed and pressed both hands to her mouth as horrified laughter threatened to burst out of her. "You- what!? Slapped the- You slapped a fey king!?" she barely managed to blurt between high-pitched squeaks. Finn tumbled off her shoulder in shock.

"You can't just slap the Harvest King!" Finn cried, fluttering around their heads in agitation. "How could you?"

"He deserved it," Vivi retorted fiercely. Then, she flinched and pressed her hand over her mouth. "He probably didn't deserve what came next though… no one did."

"… you're the one," Evie murmured. Vivi's eyes closed briefly before she slowly nodded.

"Yes, I cursed him."

"WHAT!" Finn shrieked. "Mother never told us that!"

"Of course she didn't! She's too good and wise for all that!" Vivi jumped to her feet and paced away. As she spoke, her hands cut through the air and her whole body shook. "When I realized what I'd done, what I'd done to this town, I tried to reverse it. I went to her, and even that damned Gale, for help as soon as I could, but even together, we couldn't change anything! I told you I was powerful back then, and I was angry and heartbroken. Of course, my curse would stick," Vivi said bitterly.

Evie pushed her glasses up with both hands and pressed her fingers to her temples. "What exactly was it?"

Vivi pressed her lips together tightly and then spun around to face Evie. "I cursed him to never set foot in Castanet again. That as long as this land needed no hero, it had no need of him. Only a hero whose heart was the very opposite of his would be enough to Ring the Five Bells to call him back. And that curse took my power with him. It was the price, and I had no idea." She began to pace again, heels clacking on the wooden floor and hands rubbing up and down her arms. "I had no idea what separating him from the Tree would do. With my grandmother long dead and the King gone… the Tree began to fade and the Goddess with it. She told me it'd work out. That a hero would come, but I wouldn't give up."

"And when you turned yourself into a frog, that was you still trying to fix the mistake, wasn't it?" Evie asked in realization.

"It had been decades, Evelyn! I thought if I tried hard enough I could fix it. I even sucked it up and begged that stuck-up Wizard to help me again. He refused and said I had to wait for the hero, for you, but I didn't believe anymore, and all I could see was this town dying, because of me! Almost eighty years later and the place my grandmother died for was falling into nothing."

Evie got up, chair screeching over the floorboards. Vivi flinched and froze like a deer trapped by headlights. Instead of the front door slamming, however, Evie wrapped her arms around Vivi and hugged her tightly.

"It's okay. I'm here now, right? I'll help you make it right, I promise," she whispered. Vivi laughed incredulously, her breath hitched and sharp as if she were holding back tears.

"I'm... I'm sorry! I was so stupid and proud and angry, how could you say it's okay?" Vivi panted out on rattling breaths.

"He was a jerk. I probably woulda cursed him, too. How were you supposed to know what would happen?" Evie said with a smile and another squeeze. Vivi oofed and sniffled wetly.

The small sound of a trilling bell proceeded Finn hovering just in front of them. Vivi looked up, orange eyes red-rimmed, and looked away with a sullen pout.

"I think you sound really sad," Finn said quietly. They looked at him again and watched as he wrung his hands. "I… I don't actually know the Harvest King, not like my siblings and Mother do, but I know you. If you hadn't gotten angry… maybe I'd never be born? And I'd've never met Evie or gone on adventures or Rung the Bells. I… I think I'm alive because of you, so… I think it's okay, too. Even if you did slap him, I still… thank you," Finn said fervently.

Vivi hiccupped in shock. Evie held out her hand with a sniffle. "Get in here and cuddle, twinkletoes."

He didn't need much more prompting than that.

It was some time later when they'd all gotten ahold of themselves again, and Vivi sat at the table once more, sunlight limning her outline. Finn sat on the table in front of her, nibbling at a straight-up spoonful of cherry jam, no cookies or toast needed. Evie scrubbed gently at the mug in her hands. She knew Vivi hadn't told her everything, she hadn't missed that slip about Vivi's grandmother dying, about how the grandmother must have had something to do with the Bells, too. But her brain was still spinning around the things Vivi had said, and those logical leaps she still couldn't make. Every time she tried, it was like a vise was gripping her chest, her heart beat would stumble and her lungs wouldn't drag in the air she needed.

And mostly, over and over again, the words rang in her head on the mount on the mount king on the mount.

The mug slipped through her sudsy fingers and she grasped the edge of the sink with a low, annoyed hiss through her teeth.

"M'vie?" Finn mumbled around his too-large spoon and sticky, jammy lips.

"M'fine. Just… that headache," Evie said with a rough shake of her head. She laughed and groaned. That movement had not helped.

Vivi got up from the table and picked up the little bag of herbs Evie had collected that morning. She sifted through the leaves and small flowers, and frowned. "No willowbark?"

Evie stared at her. "Do I look like the sorta person who can find the right tree in a forest and scrape the right kinda bark off it? I mean… I guess I know what a willow looks like…" she trailed off with a frown and then pinched the bridge of her nose. Those strobe lights went off in her eyeballs again.

"I could try…"

Knocking at the door interrupted Vivi and she froze, hand hovering over Evie's forehead. Evie's eyes crossed looking upwards at Vivi's fingertips. The knock happened again, followed by,

"Evelyn? Are you all right?"

"Why are you knocking, you weirdo," Casey told Toby. The door swung open right afterwards, with Casey and Toby glaring at each other, the older man's mouth opening.

"It's poli—"

"Both of you shut up," Cristina interrupted, shoving past them and into the house. "Good morning, V. You're the one holding her up?"

"You did talk a long time, Vivi," Finn pointed out. He was licking at his face like a puppy, face and jaw contorting as he reached for every smear. Evie covered her face with a hand and chuckled into her palm. Vivi's offended expression hadn't helped to keep back the mirth.

"We had some personal business to discuss and now she's not feeling well," Vivi admitted without a trace of shame or guilt. If Evie hadn't seen it herself, she never would've believed just moments ago the woman had been red-eyed and sniffling.

"What? What's wrong?" Cristina asked, instantly worried.

"Did you hurt yourself in the mines again?" Toby asked, teasing more than concerned.

Evie rolled her eyes at him, just to wince and hiss. Moving eyeballs with a splitting migraine equals bad. Toby's teasing look was quickly replaced by true concern.

"Hey, hermanita, if you wanna rest today, we don't mind going to Toucan alone. Selena and Kathy already said they were coming with us-" Casey said quickly.

"No… no, I wanna come. I just need, like, a midol or heavy-duty aspirin or something."

"What you need is willowbark. Those silly pills won't work on someone like you," Vivi said with her fists on her hips. Evie blinked in surprise. While she had taken pills in the past, it was true that it was something of gambit. More than half the time, it took hours of wallowing or gritting through it for her to finally feel better. Casey had been the same. She still took aspirin and similar occasionally, probably subconsciously hoping for a placebo effect, or just going with the status quo.

"What the hell does that mean?" Casey snapped as Cristina said, "Oh, you're one of those people?"

Evie laughed helplessly and sunk back against the sink. Toby came up quietly behind her, his hand cupping the back of her neck, thumb and index finger rubbing circles at the bottom of her skull. She sighed in relief and leaned against his side.

"I have some generic stuff back home," he murmured helpfully.

Just in front of them, the other three were still arguing. Casey still demanding to know what Vivi had meant, and Cristina snarking about it being the 21st century, who drank willowbark?, while Vivi snarled at both of them for being muddle-brained morons. Evie turned to press her face into Toby's sea-scented clothes and closed her eyes to breathe it in deep. Brine and sunshine and the weird tang of fresh-caught fish.

"Lupe, whaddya- augh! What are you doing?" Casey yelped. Evie felt more than heard Toby's soft chuckle at Casey's outrage.

"Coping," Evie mumbled into blue cotton.

"I'm sorry, did you say cuddling?" Cristina asked wryly. Evie flapped a hand at them even as the blush burned up her neck to her cheeks.

"Fudge off. This is working."

"Don't look so smug, jagweed," Casey muttered.

"No idea what you're talkin' about," Toby replied dryly. But also, pretty smug. Evie could hear it. She shook with more helpless chuckles.

"I'll head back to Garmon. I don't feel like playing nice anymore today." Vivi's heels clipped over the floor and the soft chime of bells followed.

"Was she playing nice now?" Cristina asked.

"I'll go up with her to the Spring. I wanna ask Mother about… everything," Finn said decisively.

"Mother?" Casey repeated.

There was an awkward silence and Evie turned just enough to peer over at Casey in exasperation and none too little amusement. Cristina was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind and Vivi looked even more exasperated than Evie felt. Evie would give anything to see Toby's face, but moving away sounded terrible. Casey grinned awkwardly at Cristina, rubbing the back of his neck as his brows contracted.

"What? Didn't you hear her say mother? I coulda sworn I heard her say mother."

"Nobody said anything close to mother," Cristina said incredulously.

"And with that, I'm leaving. If you still feel badly, come up for some willowbark. I'll have it ready for you just in case," Vivi told Evie in a remarkable moment of kindness. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and added, "Don't expect it to be free."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Evie muttered with a grin. She winked at Finn and the two of them left. With a sigh, she pulled away from Toby and gave him a lopsided smile.

"Did you want bark or pills?" he asked simply, an eyebrow rising. Her smile became a wider grin and she shook her head, gingerly and carefully.

"I think I'll be all right." She turned to Cristina and Casey. "I'm ready to go, guys. Sorry about all that." She shrugged awkwardly.

"Evie, you don't need to force yourself. Watching you suffer from a headache all afternoon is not my idea of fun," Cristina said, still concerned and frowning. "All that bright sunshine might make it worse."

"No, really, I'll be fine. It's already fading. I'll buy a hat or something."

"Sonata does sell nice hats," Toby agreed.

Casey's arm wrapped around Evie's neck and he dragged her towards the door. Toby let her be dragged away without a protest, merely shrugging at Cristina's look, which made her shake her head and snicker. "You'll probably be more fine when you're enjoying all the sunshine, not out of it. I know you, hermanita."

"Mostly I'll be enjoying watching you whine about all the harsh, coarse sand, Anakin."

"Shuddup."

By the time they made it to Harmonica, Evie actually did feel a lot better. Listening to everyone talking, focusing on the feeling of sunlight on her skin, of the ocean's scent on the breeze (which had begun with the smell of sun-warmed cotton and sea salt), it all together helped blow away what was left of the cobwebs in her head. Scattered the words behind her eyes into nothing.

For now.

Kathy, Selena, and Renee were all waiting outside the Fishery. Renee had her ever present picnic basket, and Kathy had a few rolls of towels under her arms. For the first time ever, Evie saw Renee in a pair of pants, well, capris, so often washed they were almost shapeless and held up only by the drawn-tight drawstrings.

Oddly, Toby slowed and almost stumbled before continuing forward. Evie glanced towards him from under the brim of her straw hat (Candace and Luna both said they couldn't join them. Actually, Candace had barely even looked Evie in the eye… weirdly). Toby caught her questioning glance and did that half-smirk he did, lifting a hand to flick at her hat.

"Red ribbon. It's very you."

"Nah, it's more your kinda style than mine. I like it, though," Evie said with a shrug.

"I like it, too."

Evie grinned and ignored how hot her face felt. With the hat's shade and her summer's tan, it wouldn't be too noticeable today.

"How're you feeling about heading back home?" Casey was asking Selena as they walked up. Evie stared at him, wondering when in the world Casey got that backstory.

"Nervous… but I almost miss it. And… I definitely need to talk to my mom and dad," Selena said with a sigh.

Kathy clapped a hand on Selena's shoulder. "Hey, girl, we're with ya."

"I dunno, I think I'm done being a busybody. I'mma bow out," Evie said, both hands rising in surrender. Almost everyone looked at her, and then burst into laughter. "Rude! You're all ash-holes."

"You! Not a busybody!" Cristina laughed.

"When have you ever not been a nosey know-it-all?" Casey agreed, snorting ridiculously.

Evie took off her hat to flap it at them all, making them laugh and dart away or swat at her hat. It wasn't until she had slapped her hat back on her head, Kathy and Casey hanging over her shoulders, that she noticed Renee and Toby off to the side, talking quietly. Both of them looked serious and had Evie's eyebrows rising, until Captain Pascal walked up to the group and called out for tickets. Toby turned with Renee, and met Evie's eyes through the small huddle of people.

That half-cast smirk was back and Evie grinned and let herself be swept away. She was sure he'd be right behind her.

...

Just a few days later, tears were stinging Evie's lashes despite how heavy and gritty they were from sleep. Next to her, on the back of Cain's wagon, Cristina was yawning. She turned, saw Evie's face, and nudged her shoulder. Even though there was so much on Evie's plate, and technically Cristina sticking around meant it was harder to get things done (and to hide her conversations with Finn), Evie still felt that Cristina leaving today was much too soon. How was it already coming onto the end of summer?

"Don't get all weepy on me, Evie. You could be on that bus with me, you know. Casey would follow with your crap," Cristina said. Her voice sounded a little shaky, anyway.

With a groan, Evie leaned over and lightly thumped her head onto Cristina's shoulder. They sat like that for a long minute. Behind them, they could hear Owen and Cain speaking softly. Owen had come down to meet Cain's wagon, surprising the two of them. He was only going to the next city over rather than all the way to Evie's university town, and he hadn't explained why, but Evie had been too tired and already too sad to be more nosey. Cain hadn't seemed surprised, either.

"I want to," Evie whispered softly. Cristina made a quiet, inquiring noise. All too aware of Cain just a few feet away, she kept her voice low and said, "I want to get on that bus and never turn around."

"Do you really?" Cristina asked, just as quietly, "because the person I've seen these past two weeks… She seems pretty happy to me. Even with the brother drama."

Evie snickered and then sighed. "Yes, really. And no, not really."

"Classic, Evie." Cristina's arm wrapped around her waist and gave her a squeeze. "You'll figure it out, Evie, which one you really want."

"Sometimes… all the time, I think I never will. It's driving me crazy. Why is it so easy for everyone else to look at themselves and just know?"

"You're nuts. Everyone's running around trying to figure it out, and no one really knows. Not until they do, I guess."

"... is this a fake it until you make it speech?" Evie asked with a wry smirk.

"Well, if it's what you need to hear," Cristina said. The sound of a too-loud engine came from down the road and they turned to see the oncoming bus. "I should've taken the ferry."

"C'mon, you know the bus station is actually closer to campus than the ferry. It's just a few hours longer."

Cristina rolled her eyes and let her arm drop.

"Y'all need help?" Cain asked, half-turned on his bench.

"Nah, we got it! Thanks, Cain."

"I've already offered," Owen explained, grabbing Cristina's biggest bag.

After a few moments, where Evie and Owen did most the heavy lifting, they made it to the side of the road as the bus bumped and rolled towards them. Cristina turned again to Evie and wrapped her in a hug hard enough to make her squeak, which Evie quickly returned. Owen coughed and discreetly faced away.

"If you'd just stop doubting yourself for five minutes, you'd figure it out, Evie. I know you've got it in you," Cristina whispered, fierce and certain. Evie squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip.

"Yeah… thanks, Cris. I'm really glad you came."

"Ugh, that's not my name, but I'm glad I came, too," Cristina pulled away and shoved at Evie's shoulder. The bus stopped and the driver's assistant hopped out to help put Cristina's bags in the under-compartments, Owen already hefting one of them. She dug through her carry-on bag for her ticket while her bags were loaded up.

"I'll miss you, Cris. Though, I'd miss you more if you were taking my stupid brother with you," Evie said with a weak laugh.

"Yeah, well, someone in your family needs to approve of your boyfriend, so he's gotta stay a bit longer."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"And yet, the whole town says diff'rent," Owen said with a wink before swinging onto the bus.

"I'll get you when you get back, Gravel!" Evie shouted while brandishing her fist.

Cristina laughed. "I'll see you next time, Evie. Remember, do it for the bees!"

"Oh my gosh, will you ever drop that?!"

Cristina got on the bus laughing and teary-eyed. Evie kept waving until it was completely out of sight. She hopped onto Cain's wagon and smiled weakly at him before he urged the horses forward. She was heartily glad he didn't seem to expect conversation this time around.

When Evie left her barn later that morning, she was yawning and rubbing at her eyes. She'd gotten up so early to see Cristina off, and the long, exhausting week, and that day with Vivi (witches, curses, and beaches, oh my) was still taking its toll on her. Luckily, the migraine hadn't come back, but her sleep hadn't exactly been easy with weird tolling bells and a voice she didn't recognize telling her to get on the mount… which somehow turned into her riding a horse in a race while wearing only her underwear. Of course. She blearily watched Clotho gambol after Hera, her assorted chickens and ducks waddle energetically around the yard, and the tall bare cornstalks wave in the summer breeze.

Just barely, that minty tang of Dara's magic trailed over her bare arms and legs as the breeze blew past her. She could feel the minute difference between the Sprites' magics now… Would her stay here change her for the rest of her life? Or would leaving tamp all these feelings back down to wherever they'd been her whole life before Castanet?

"Evie! It's Toby!" Finn called as he darted up to her. She startled in place and then grinned as he nuzzled under her chin.

"Toby?" Evie repeated while nuzzling back. She looked up to see him cresting the low hill at the bottom of her plot. He waved when he saw her looking, and she couldn't help the pleased swoop in her stomach at the sight of him. When he came even with her by the well, Finn darted away. The last days of Cristina's visit had been messy and erratic, with picnics and movie parties and the visit to the Circus, then different groups of people dropping in for this or that thing until the good-bye karaoke party the night before, and while Toby had been there on the peripheral for most of it… "Been a while since I've had you all to myself," Evie noted aloud with a lopsided smile.

The answering smile was slow and sleepy and had that swoop returning in her stomach.

"I like seeing you enjoy your friends and family," Toby said easily. He reached out to ineffectively tuck back some wayward curls. "But I like this, too."

Evie ducked her head and rubbed the back of her neck. The soft chuckle at her expense had her cheeks heating a moment later.

"Is he gonna make breakfast? I'm hungry," Finn shouted from the nearest cherry tree. Evie huffed and rolled her eyes, glancing his way.

"What?" Toby asked, looking in the same the direction.

"N-nothing. Just… thinking about how… uh… few apples I got today. Still not enough to try that apple jam Maya's been begging for," Evie said quickly. She grasped his hands in hers and recaptured his gaze. "Do you like cherry jam? I was about to have breakfast."

"I've already ate, but I'll have some tea with you," Toby said with a quizzical little smile. He glanced towards the trees again. "I was hopin' to go to Horn Ranch today. Pretty sure the new kids are grown enough to be adopted."

"Really? You think?" Evie exclaimed, hopping up and down on her toes. "I can't wait! Clotho and Hera are great, but a goat. I just really want a goat!"

"Are you planning to teach it yoga? Start a lawn mowing service?" Toby asked with a slight smirk.

"And there's that dad humor again. Paolo's right, you're such an old man," Evie said with a laugh. As they got to the door, she suddenly remembered that weird moment on the docks. Maybe it was all this talking about goats reminding her of Renee. "I… I actually have a question?"

"I'm listenin'," Toby said agreeably while opening her door for her. She tossed him an unimpressed look, which he returned. Finn zipped past her ear before Toby could follow and shut the door.

Evie gnawed on her bottom lip. "It's just… you and Renee looked really serious the other day. Well, at the beginning. When we were all on the boat and at Toucan, you both seemed fine, but I meant when we were at the docks."

She frowned over at him, and saw him frowning as well. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "I hadn't seen Rey in a while, we had a… not a fight. But we had an… awkward talk a few weeks back."

"Weeks? How did I not notice?" She ran it through her head, but couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the two of them together at the same time. She knew— or at least thought— they went fishing together a lot, and she'd kept up seeing both of them… albeit never together. Not since…

"The stormy day. When the lights went out. That's the last time I saw you two at the same time."

"That was the last time we talked, yeah," Toby said, slumping into a seat. Finn looked between them both.

"Evie, what's so important about this? He said it wasn't a fight. Can't we eat now?"

"Huh, oh, right, breakfast." Evie rushed over to the fridge and began to pull out what she needed. Cristina had brought packs of instant oatmeal and she had a feeling her sugar-glutton of fairy would like the fruit-n-creamy ones.

"Is there something wrong? I thought you and Rey were tight? Like me and Cris?" Evie asked still a little concerned. She turned to see something complicated work its way over Toby's face.

"Yeah… kinda like that," he muttered.

If Evie didn't know any better, she would've thought he looked… guilty? Her hands kept moving through the makings of breakfast as she asked, "Tobes… what happened? Did I—"

"No, it has nothing to do with you," he interrupted. She jerked back at the vehemence of that, eyebrows flying upwards before anger kicked in.

"Well, now I think it has everything to do with me."

Toby groaned and facepalmed. "It's between me n' Rey. You did nothing wrong."

Evie carefully set the bread knife she's been holding aside as her heart thumped painfully. "Toby, that sounds like you did something wrong. Like… you and Renee…"

"We weren't, Evvy." Toby got to his feet and crossed the room. Anger warred with apprehension when his eyes met hers and she couldn't keep from scowling. "No one was cheating, no one was lyin'. There's some awkwardness with me and Rey, but we are friends, just like you n' Cristina. You didn't get in the middle of somethin'."

Evie's eyes darted over Toby's face, but… he'd never been one to lie. And Renee— or someone would've said something… right? She struggled to think over everything that had happened between her and Renee, her and Toby, but nothing stood out, nothing felt wrong. Had she been too wrapped up in her own insecurities and bull-crap to notice Renee and Toby's… something?

"Hey." Hands cupped Evie's face and she swiftly re-focused on Toby. "I promise, me n' Rey didn' fall out and we weren't even talking 'bout that day." He paused for a moment and chuckled, shaking his head. "Rey said she saw somethin' that had her confused and wanted to make sure I knew about it, that's all."

Slowly, relief poured over her and Evie's shoulders slumped. She hadn't noticed just how fast her heart had been beating until she pressed her palm to it and laughed weakly. "You jerk, why are you being so cryptic!" She lightly smacked the back of her hand to his stomach and he cringed away, chuckling. "Jeez, you're gonna give me a heart attack, thinking I came in and swooped you away from my friend. I ain't anybody's sidechick."

"Did you just say sidechick?"

"Mistress? Other woman? Shawty on the side?"

"Please, by the Tree, stop that," Toby burst out, actually red-faced and laughing, one arm around his stomach and shoulders shaking.

"Oh, this one's classic, concubine," Evie said with a flourish of both hands and a wide grin. "I like that one."

Toby's hands fell to her hips and he pulled her a little closer so that his forehead could rest on hers. His laughs were puffs of air against her mouth and chin and it had her giggling like a dorky little kid.

"I definitely don't need a concubine. Isn't it usually a lotta work to keep them around? Kinda expensive, too?" he said, voice still hitching on chuckles.

"Well, darn, I guess I better get me a younger, richer man. You think Luke's got more money than you?"

"He's definitely got the energy for it."

Both of them burst into peals laughter. Evie clutched at Toby's sleeves, holding herself up, but mainly just wanting to hold on to... something. When they managed to catch their breath, Evie brushed her lips over his in a quick, soft kiss and grinned. "Lucky for you, I like being the energetic one."

Despite not meaning to double-entendre that (yes, she used that like a verb sometimes), a second later she heard it, but not before Toby did. His eyebrow did that thing that always had her stomach swooping even as the blush on his cheeks burned hotter.

"Hm, I think I remember that part."

"T-toby!"

"Evie!"

Toby and Evie jerked away at the same time, wide-eyed, as Finn darted around their heads with a loud whine.

"The water stopped boiling hours ago!"

"It wasn-" She barely managed to stop her retort, glancing at Toby who was already almost the entire counter away.

"I'll just make some juice. Too hot out there for tea," he said, his face redder than she'd ever seen it. She frowned, ignoring her own embarrassment, and glanced at Finn, then Toby, then back. Finn just scowled fiercely.

"Breakfast! I'm starving."

"If your Mother spanked you, I'd send you right to her right now," Evie hissed. Finn stuck out his tongue at her.

"Of course she doesn't!"

She added a bit more water to the still steaming kettle, and set it boiling again, then hurriedly dumped two packets into a bowl for her and Finn to share. He hovered over the powder-and-oat-filled bowl and sniffed with curious intent. She popped the bread slices in the toaster and went for the jam as the blender went full throttle to her left.

"Speaking of younger and richer… that's kinda what Rey was sayin'," Toby said after a long moment filled with the terrible grinding noise. Evie looked at him with brows contracting in bemusement. He tipped the bright red raspberry juice into a two glasses and smirked to himself. "She said she saw you at Goldstein's, and it looked… strange, and it was early enough that you might've spent the night. Knowing how… energetic you are," he stopped and met her eyes as she scowled and blushed at him, "I figgured you just had farm business to take care of."

"It was about Serenity, or actually, my ranking titles. Didja know about those titles at the end of the season? Like, you can get Ultimate or Super or Hero, or whatever? We were looking over my profits for the summer and how high I'd manage it."

"Summer's only half-done, Evvy."

"More than half," she corrected with a haughty lift of her chin and nose. She frowned pensively a second later while pouring in the newly boiled water and stirring the oats. As they began to set for the required few minutes, she huffed. "I should tell Renee not to worry. I don't have time for one boyfriend, let alone two."

She picked up the bowl of oatmeal and plate of cherry-jam toast and took it over to the table where Finn was waiting eagerly. The moment she set it down Finn took a giant bite and hummed happily. She looked over her shoulder with an absent-minded smile. It slowly fell away when she caught sight of Toby's profile at the sink while rinsing out the blender's pitcher. Something about the angle of his mouth and shoulders looked sharper… tauter… than he normally seemed. She replayed her words and quickly hid her grimace under a curtain of curls. Sometimes, slightly longer hair came in handy.

"Why don't you take your time eating and I'll meet you at Horn Ranch? Hanna won't mind wastin' words with me. It's been a while since I've been by," Toby said. He sounded as droll and languid as always, and when she looked over at him, his face had the inscrutable little fox-smirk he always had.

"Wh- but we're going the same place-" Evie tried to point out, stammering and graceless.

He grabbed the cups and brought them to the table. Then, he slowly reached up to brush the stray curls from her face as his smirk softened. "I saw your field, Evelyn. You've got other errands to run 'fore coming by for your goat. I'll be there, don't worry."

Evie had a brief moment of deja vu, as her heart thumped painfully and her eyes searched over his face for whatever he wasn't saying. Again. His roughened hand cupped her jaw and leaned down to mirror the soft brush of a kiss she'd given him earlier.

"I'll see you at the Horns', Evvy."

"Okay…" she whispered, mollified by the nickname for some silly reason. When he walked through the door, with a brief wave farewell, she gnawed on her bottom lip hard enough to wince.

"He made two cups! I get this cup all to myself, right?" Finn asked with a delighted trill of wings. Evie shook her head and turned to the sprite.

"How about you eat your meal first, then juice. You won't be able to fit all of it in that tiny tummy."

"I'll make it fit," Finn declared stoutly.

Evie chuckled and went for the teacup she used for Finn's bowl when there wasn't any company to see it. She paused and looked back to see the second cup on the table. The cup Finn was currently sipping from was only half-full. Hers was full, almost to the brim.

Hn.

Finn buzzed along happily, either darting around her shoulders or bouncing lazily along the path behind her as she jogged towards Flute Fields. She still couldn't get the awkwardness of that morning out of her head, and she was feeling sleepier than ever. Casey had fortunately agreed to wait till lunch to meet up since she'd had ranching errands to run. Maya had ominously promised to keep him occupied in that saccharinely hyper way she had. As much as she enjoyed stopping to pick blackberries and raspberries and chatting with Finn freely, the picture of Toby's tense shoulders and tautly pulled mouth had her stomach knotting. Every now and then, she had to press the heel of her hand to her chest and push down to feel the warm beating of the Wishes still held safely beneath her sternum.

All this drama and worry had her even more worried that she'd kick the Wishes right out of herself. Perhaps she'd need to knock "meeting with Casey" further down the list, and instead see the Shrine first… which would also take away any spare time for a nap. Sighing softly, Evie picked up the pace as she came upon the crossroads sign. She really needed a bike!

"Remember, Evie, we gotta ask about autumn plants! We gotta figure out what makes the most money so we can get that Hero title from Gill!"

"It's not exactly from Gill, Finn," Evie said with a small, and only a little forced, smile at Finn's ball of light. "But yeah, no worries, I'll remember, twinkletoes."

"We gotta get five more Wishes, too. Maybe you can get one from Marimba?" Finn said, popping into corporeal form in front of Evie's nose. She wheeled back with a sputter and laugh before scooping him right out the air. He giggled behind his tiny hands as she held him awkwardly in front of her and started jogging again.

"I dunno about getting Miss Anissa's. I like her a lot, but we're not that close. Her parents aren't exactly the open and friendly type, either," Evie pointed out. "Maybe Renee…" she trailed off as Finn enthusiastically agreed, veering off into how much he missed Renee's visits and wished she could see him so he could ask for her pancakes whenever he wanted. She let Finn prattle on, half-listening and half-smiling at his rambles, but mostly wondering again about whatever Toby hadn't said that morning. And what he had, too. Why did Renee think she and Gill had some strange moment the other day, and why would she talk to Toby about it? Why hadn't she and Toby really spoken since that awful first day of the typhoon? Why had he been so awkward about it this morning?

Okay, so most of that really wasn't any of her business… but the stuff about Gill definitely was. Evie groaned under her breath and thankfully Finn had flown off so she could muss her hair wildly with both hands in annoyance. She knew Renee wasn't the sort of person to go spying and telling tales, she must have seen Gill and her speaking and honestly got the wrong idea. That's all. She had so many other important things to think of, anyway, like Hero titles and Wishes and jerk-off kings on mountains she had to summon to break a curse. Why should she care about a misunderstanding that was easily hand-waved away?

"What even is my life?" Evie muttered, eyes rising towards the bright blue summer's sky.

Finn flopped onto her head and leaned over, keeping himself from overbalancing with fluttering wings. "Arencha happy?"

After a slight exhale through her nose, Evie dredged up a much better and more genuine smile. "When I'm looking at you, kiddo."

The bright beaming grin on his face got her through the door of Marimba.

"Miss Evie! It's so lovely to see you," Anissa called from the private dining area when Evie stomped inside. She hustled around the corner before Ruth had even put her magazine aside. "You've been so busy with your visitors, I wasn't sure when I'd see you here again!"

"Yeah, it's been a pretty wild couple of weeks. But Cris left today and Casey's being entertained by Maya. I forced enough time in my schedule to come get more seeds. And… maybe a new tree seedling? I know it won't grow too big, but there are some fall trees, right? Like... chestnuts?"

"Yes, chestnuts and coffee and, olives, too!" Anissa said.

"Well, dang," Evie gnawed at her bottom lip. "I kinda want 'em all. How about just a... coffee tree for now? Tea's nice, but I miss coffee."

"I'll start bagging up a seedling," Ruth said from the counter while Anissa giggled.

"Thanks! And, uh, I know it's a bit early, but could I see a list of what else you'll offer in the fall?" Finn cheered from the bushel of apples he was buzzing around.

"It's never too early to plan your crops. I'll dig out an updated list," Ruth said, sounding like she actually approved.

"While she's doing that, why don't I help with everything else?" Anissa said eagerly. She looped her arm through Evie's and walked her across the shop. Evie couldn't help but grin. First, Ruth's approval, and now, Anissa's easy affection? Her morning was getting bright all over again.

"You sure you wanna help, or are you trying to see if I have any of those blue herbs before I take it all to the Clinic?"

Anissa smiled and swatted lightly at Evie's arm, then she pulled away to get around the counter as she shook her head. "Do you always think people have ulterior motives? This is why city girls need to visit the country more." Evie handed over her shopping list, laughing, and Anissa scanned it quickly. She looked up as her lips curved to one side. "However… if you do have some of those herbs…"

Evie laughed even harder and swung her bag around. "You betcha."

"Fantastic! They really do make the best tea, and such a lovely dye, too. Mother just bought wool the other day to make a new sweater for Dad, wouldn't blue be so nice?" Anissa asked, turning towards Ruth.

"The man wouldn't know a blue shirt from a red shirt, but… I guess it'll be easier on my eyes, so why not," Ruth replied with a shrug and a blink-and-you-miss-it smirk.

Evie's lips actually burned from pressing too tightly together to keep in the snickers. The mother and daughter team had Evie's list gathered together in no time, and Anissa came around to help tuck the seedling safely in the rucksack among the bags and other random objects Evie kept on her at all times.

"If you'd like, I'll take all the herbs you've gathered to the Clinic myself? I'll be over there after lunch," Anissa offered as she put her bundle of blues in her apron pocket. "One less errand for you today."

"I don't think it'd really be outta my way to go myself… but, sure, since you'll already be there," Evie agreed. She glanced up at Anissa and caught sight of the slightest pink hue on her cheeks. Evie's head tilted in question. "Are you all right? Do you have a fever? Is that why you're going today?"

"Wh-what? No! I'm fine! I'm just…" Anissa's cheeks burned into an actual red that somehow looked lovely on her, whereas it'd looked like a bad sunburn on Evie. Anissa's slender but work-roughened hands pressed against her cheeks and Evie realized what was going on just before his name left Anissa's mouth. "It's just Ji- Dr. Wang, he hadn't felt so well the other day, and I might've… forced him to accept my care. It's a little embarrassing." She hissed out the last of it, eyes darting to where her mother was carefully trying not to look like she was listening in, but was leaning suspiciously over the counter while staring too determinedly at her magazine.

"I'm walking to Horn Ranch, wanna walk with me? I'm probably gonna forage up a few more herbs on the way," Evie offered quickly. Anissa smiled beatifically and nodded.

"I'll be right back, Mother!"

Evie blinked in surprise when Anissa all but dragged her out of the shop. The door barely closed on their butts, Finn letting out a startled shout when the door almost caught him, and Anissa leaned in close.

"Do you think… I mean… I met Dr. Wang when I was seventeen, and I was wondering… do you think we… he and I… Do you think it would be a good idea?" Anissa whispered in a rush, hands on Evie's arm in a tight hold.

Fish-mouthing uselessly, Evie only stared at her. She's never seen Anissa look anything other than cool and collected and gorgeous. Right now, Anissa looked like a worried yet giddy teenager.

"I, uh, I dunno if I'm the right person… maybe Renee? You've known her longer-"

"That's the problem, though," Anissa interrupted quickly. She glanced away and bit her bottom lip— but only for a second, unlike Evie who gnawed like a dog on her lips when stressed. "Everyone knows us, me and Jin. Dr. Wang."

"You can call him by his name. He isn't Voldemort," Evie assured her, laughing slightly. Anissa exhaled roughly and gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"Yes, right. Sorry, I'm trying to figure out what's appropriate, but I suppose that's silly when asking for love advice."

"A little, but I get it. I still don't see why I'd be a good person to ask…" Farthest from it, Evie thought wryly.

"Oh, yes, as I was saying, everyone knows us. Jin grew up here when he was a boy, and he came back when I was seventeen, just about to finish my high school correspondence courses, and it was such a shock, you know, to see this boy I barely remembered come back as an adult. I thought he was just so… so…" Anissa stopped, in motion and in words, as she struggled for the right descriptor and blushed brightly. Evie patted her arm, feeling her own skin start to heat up in sympathetic embarrassment.

"I get that part, too. No need for details."

"You would, wouldn't you," Anissa agreed absently. The blush Evie had been fighting won out, just as those snake-like knots returned to squirm in her stomach.

"But since Jin is so well-loved and respected, and everyone's just so… hometown about it… I know everyone's been talking about us, thinking about us one day being together, I'm not deaf. I never thought it would happen, because Jin… I always thought he thought I was just a girl, that teenaged girl he really met know nine years ago. I never thought he'd look at me like I looked at him," Anissa finally confessed.

The small, wondering, amazed smile that appeared on Anissa's face with the confession had Evie thinking of Catullus, of poems about stars and kisses and sands in the desert. Snakes in her stomach, stars in her head— she didn't know if she wanted to coo or vomit. She leaned into the softness, focused all her attention on Anissa, and pulled up a smile of her own.

"Are you happy?"

Anissa looked at her, rather taken aback, then slowly smiled. "Yes."

"Does he listen to what you have to say and care about your friends and family?"

This time, Anissa blinked in her confusion. "Yes?"

"I'm no therapist, and I'm no expert, either, but if you're happy, and an adult, and he doesn't treat you like a little girl, or have any other red flags you can think of, then why not just enjoy being happy?" Evie said. She grinned crookedly. "That's the sensible me. Wanna hear the girly romcom advice now?"

"I think so?" Anissa said, wary but smiling.

"He's the prettiest guy in the whole county and a doctor, lock that down, girl."

Anissa burst into laughter. She wrapped an arm around her stomach and leaned into Evie's side as she actually guffawed.

"Evelyn Tallesin!" Anissa gasped between bouts of laughter.

"Hey, I'm not really romantic, not really, The best advice I can give you is from my favorite poet, vivamus, mea Anissa, atque amemus!" Evie thrust an arm in the air as she all but declared the quote.

"I'm s-sorry, I think I was laughing too hard and your words turned into a different language. Was that… that wasn't Spanish, was it?" Anissa asked, still giggling and bewildered.

"Nah, I'm actually better at Latin than Spanish. Since I've been studying it constantly for around five or six years, since high school," Evie grinned and rubbed the back of her neck. "Every Valentine's Day we read these two same poems, though some teachers mixed it up with some classic Ovid. But… I always loved Catullus," Evie said with a shrug. "Basically, it's 'let us live, and let us love'. Sounds like pretty good advice to me."

Anissa nodded and smiled, squeezing Evie's arm in something like a hug. "Yeah, I like that. What was it? Wee-wa-moose… aqua ah-may-moose?"

"Yeah, close enough. Vivamus atque amemus! Let's live and love, my Anissa! Enjoy being happy with a guy that makes you happy. I'm with the nosey matchmakers on this one, you two kinda seem made for each other… not that I see you two together a lot, but yeah." Evie blushed and ducked her head, rubbing even harder at her reddening neck.

"Thanks for listening, Miss Evie."

"Hey, you asked me for love advice and learned Latin. You can call me just Evie, now."

"Evie. Thank you," Anissa said earnestly. They shared a long smile, until Anissa seemed to remember herself and gave Evie's arm another friendly squeeze. "I should be getting back now. Plenty of chores to do before volunteering today. Take care of yourself, Evie!"

"I will!" Evie waved as she watched Anissa rush back the way she came. Finn fell to a shoulder silently.

"So…" Finn broke the silence. "Do you think you're close enough for the Wish now?"

"Finn!" Evie exclaimed, bursting into laughter so abruptly Finn almost fell off her shoulder.

"What! The Wishes are more important than love poems! Also, why haven't you taught me any Latin? I wanna know some Latin!"

"Okay, squirt, I'll get right on that."

Finn darted around her with squinty eyes when she began jogging. "That's sarcasm, isn't it? Maybe I'd like Latin."

"I think it's the studying grammar for hours that you won't like, but… we can give it a try. We'll invite Ben and Paolo. They're always willing to learn new things," Evie gave in with a headshake and indulgent smile.

"Yes!"

The walk from Marimba was already half done by the time Anissa had turned back, so it wasn't long until Evie was skidding down the hill into the Ranch. Just past the Windmill, Evie could see Cain leading a horse into the back pasture. Renee wasn't in view, but she was probably in the barn doing her own chores, or inside talking with Hanna and Toby. She hesitated a moment on the steps, wondering if now was a good time to go talk to Renee… but really, what was the point? Renee had already talked to Toby, who had already (or would soon enough) told Renee it was nothing. There was nothing to even talk about. If Renee was really worried, she would've found Evie directly.

Mostly in thought, Evie didn't enter the shop with her usual stomping. With the door open for the summer's nice weather to be let in, the bell didn't even jangle. She stopped in confusion halfway through the large room and looked around. Sure enough, it was empty, hence the lack of greeting. There was a vague mumble of voices coming from the dining/kitchen area, so Evie headed over there, keeping quiet just in case it was a private conversation. She'd just head out to the barn for those goats if so. She looked over her shoulder to see Finn darting over the grass outside and the voices from the kitchen took form as words as she moved closer.

"—worryin' over nothun, Fisher."

"More like being a coward. I'm glad what happen didn't upset you or Cain."

Evie blinked at Toby's unusually contrite-sounding voice. Definitely sounded private. She stepped back, but heard:

"Upset, no, just disappointed a bit. Cain n' me were lookin' forward to wedding plannin'." There was a loud sputter and Hanna's loud, exuberant laughter and Evie froze dead in her tracks. "I'm jokin', jokin' only, Toby. Yes, we were hopin' you two would become somethun, and Rey was a bit moony over you. But she's just so happy and moonier'n ever over that Brass-girl, so all's well that ends well."

"I won't stay away then," Toby said with a small chuckle of his own.

Evie backed up quickly, eyes wide. She didn't even remember rushing out the front door and flopping to the porch. She just suddenly was, with her head in her hands and her eyes on her boots.

Not only had Toby mostly lied barely an hour ago, she had done something awful. She'd jumped right in the middle of an almost couple, didn't even see a single clue of it, and proceeded ruined it. Absolutely smashed it. How could Toby have let her do that? Renee was kind and sweet and was moony about him, or had been, and he'd… he'd given that up for her? For some newcomer who flipflopped on whether she'd stay or go? Who lashed out when people tried to help her and couldn't even figure out what she wanted? Evie broke into a mirthless laugh. Her best love advice was a quote from a stupid Latin poem, that she only remembered because her entire (unfinished) thesis was about the author.

And Toby ended something that could've been special, with a wonderful person, for her? The trainwreck who wouldn't even— couldn't even call him her boyfriend even though they slept together?

And he lied, just so she wouldn't feel guilty about it.

I'll be here.

Evie buried her face against her knees, ignoring the burn in her stomach and thighs that crumpling into that small of ball created. She had to release her legs and just press her face against the aged-smooth wood of the porch railing a moment later. She may have lost some weight, but she was still a bit too stocky and thick to get away with curling up that small, unfortunately. She felt too exposed, just sitting there on the porch in the bright morning sunlight.

I want to say it back. I want to promise it back, Evie thought desperately, pressing her face hard against the wood as he glasses slipped up over her forehead. Her stomach tried to heave and her heart began to thump painfully. In a panicked reflex, her hand pressed to her chest, holding the Wishes down, as if stopping her heart from throwing them out with the force of its pounding.

"Evie? Evie, what's wrong?" Finn whispered, curling against the curve of her throat, the grass and butterflies long forgotten apparently.

"Nothing, Finn. Just… dizzy a bit. Got up too early today," Evie whispered, guilt stabbing into her at the lie. Another well-intentioned lie, two in one morning.

"Let's just go home and take a nap. It's early enough for a nap, right?" Finn said, nuzzling like a cat.

"Just need a minute, I'll be fine."

"Is there someone lurkin' on my porch?" called out Hanna's cheery, loud voice. Evie winced and Finn squeaked.

"Uh oh, she found you," Finn said, followed by a giggle. Evie echoed him and slowly got to her feet, reaching up to pat his stocking-capped head.

"Yup, just me, Mrs. Horn! Needed a rest, so I sat a moment," she called. She inhaled slowly, pasted on a grin, and turned to hop up the stairs. Hanna was standing near the egg shelf, a bucket full of water and soap in her hands.

"I heard your friend took off early t'day. Come sit in the shade for a mo'. That sun'll get ya. Fisher, get off your lazy bum and bring Ms. Rancher Girl some water," Hanna ordered, half-turning towards the doorway. Toby walked into sight then, a pastry of some kind in his hand and lazy smile on his face.

"I can do that. You caught up, then, Evelyn."

"Long time no see," Evie replied with a wink and an even wider grin. Toby's eyes seem to stop at her neck, then his smile twitched and an eyebrow rose. Evie spun on her heel to face Hanna again. "Please tell me there's goats on your for sale list. I've already got the perfect name."

"There just may be. The shelves can wait, I s'ppose," Hanna said with a grateful sigh when she put the heavy bucket down. "What else you need 'fore you run off and pick your favorite and break my daughter's heart?"

Evie tripped as she followed Hanna to the counter, luckily regaining her footing and grin before Hanna turned and gestured at a stool for Evie to sit. Evie listed off everything she needed, keeping her smile wide and her energy high. The constant warmth and buzz of Finn at her throat kept her steady and her tone light and breezy.

And those writhing snakes churned low in her gut. If they kept making an appearance, she'd end up naming them.


A/N: Firstly, I'm sorry that I didn't manage to update before now! I live in China, and that probably explains a lot. Luckily, I live in a province that wasn't hit too terribly and our quarantine has been mostly lifted. I'm a teacher and this week I'll finally be in a classroom with students again! (oh goodness, wish me luck.)

Secondly, yes, AO3 is definitely blocked here, and ffnet is NOT much better. My home's wifi is VERY VERY BAD so I couldn't get ffnet to load at all, so I tried with a VPN but it was even slower, ofc, so I couldn't do it then, either! I can get it to work on my phone using mobile data, but... I can't upload on my phone *sobs* In fact, using ffnet with a mobile is a nightmare no matter what you wanna do! With quarantine and online classes and VPN issues all put together, plus some personal life/work issues, it led to me taking FOREVER to update. (I'm at a mostly empty Starbucks right now using THEIR wifi lol)

Lastly, I have the last ten/eleven chapters planned! There's some timestamps I still need to plan. Wish me luck on actually getting everything written and updated!

btdubs, I'm not Chinese or Taiwanese, or anything of the sort. I'm your usual American white girl. I graduated with a Linguistics degree, so... yeah, now I'm here teaching the kiddos English in the modern-day Imperialistic style. *jazz hands*