Hey guys! Back again for another week! We're slowing things down again this chapter, spending some time with Maya and the other members of Ludus's family. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Musings and Memories

"Are you sure you left it here?"

"I'm positive. It's on the right desk, underneath the blue folder."

Maya shuffled through the stack of papers on Ludus's work bench, pinning her cell phone between her shoulder and her ear. She located the blue folder with no difficulty, but the list that she was looking for wasn't there.

"I don't see it." Maya spread the papers around again, just in case she missed something. She heard Ludus mutter something on the other end of the line, trying to remind himself where he left it.

"Maybe under the yellow folder?"

The only yellow folder Maya could see was on the other desk, but she checked it anyway. Ludus's list wasn't there either.

"I think you're sending me on a wild goose chase," she teased, pulling out each drawer and giving it a quick scan. Ludus was away for the day, shopping for materials in the city. He'd made a list for himself of what he wanted to pick up, but he'd left it at his shop.

Maya was out running some errands when she got his text, asking her if she wouldn't mind sending him a picture of the list. The twins wouldn't be of any help, and his Nana had enough trouble finding her own paperwork, so he'd turned to Maya instead. She, of course, didn't mind at all.

"You figured me out," Ludus drawled sarcastically, "this was all part of my elaborate plan to get you to my shop."

"I knew it," Maya giggled, looking inside the yellow folder on a whim. To her delight, Ludus's list fell out. "Found it!"

"Oh, thank Goddess," Ludus released the valve on his breath, his relief tangible even over the phone. "Can you send me a picture?"

"Okay, but you owe me," Maya grinned to herself, smoothing the paper on the flat surface of his work bench. "I'll send it right away."

"You're the best, My."

"I know."

She heard Ludus chuckling as they hung up, and Maya opened the camera on her phone.

It had been… a strange couple of days. After her nightmare the other night, Maya felt an odd mixture of exhaustion, vulnerability, and sensitivity. It was like she was emotionally raw, her nerves exposed and flinching at the slightest touch.

What she'd said to Ludus was true. Maya had never told anyone about her nightmares before. She was very secretive about that, not wanting to cause a fuss. Her parents had enough to worry about when she was growing up, she didn't need to make anything harder on them. Before she moved to the farm, she didn't have any close friends to turn to either, so Maya was left to deal with her terrors alone.

Ludus was different though. Maya leaned heavily on him without even realising what she was doing. It wasn't just that she had a crush on him, not entirely anyway. Maya felt recharged, comforted, and safe whenever Ludus was around, and it was a feeling she was slowly getting addicted to.

She took the picture of the list and sent it to Ludus in a text, typing You're welcome! with a teasing wink. Maya barely had time to put the list away when she got a return text, another picture, with the words A little 'thank you' attached. In the picture, Ludus was holding a tiny plush cow in the palm of his hand. It looked scarily like Josie, and Maya couldn't supress her squeal.

Stop spending money on me!

She typed furiously, furrowing her brow in exasperation. Ludus sent her back a smiley face, telling Maya that the purchase wasn't up for discussion. Before her blush got any darker, she dropped her phone into the pocket of her apron.

Maya wasn't used to people getting gifts for her, but she supposed she better adapt quickly if she was going to stay friends with Ludus. In the relatively short few months they'd known each other, he'd given her three thoughtful, unique gifts. Absently, her fingers drifted to the pumpkin necklace hanging from her throat.

With a sigh, she plopped into the chair that Ludus kept tucked behind his sales counter, letting her chin rest in her hands.

The gifts were perfect. Maya wore the necklace every single day, and the quilt was swiftly becoming the only blanket she used. It even helped her sleep, just like Ludus hoped it would. Knowing he put so much time and care into it, just for her, was enough to calm her when she went to bed. It even still smelled like him, for now anyway, and that always brought a smile to her face.

The problem was twofold. One, Ludus was spending more money and effort on her than Maya ever thought she deserved. Ludus would surely scold her if he knew she still felt that way, especially after their disagreement about it the other night, but she couldn't help it. Two, Maya had no way to return the favor.

As much as she would love to, Maya couldn't afford to buy Ludus anything more than a stick of gum. She was already fighting to make ends meet; her clothes were practically falling apart, her bills were always late, and her meal skipping was getting increasingly worse. Lunch was becoming a rarity, and breakfast was practically non-existent; if Ludus- or anyone, for that matter- knew how little she was eating, she'd never hear the end of it.

Maya did what she could, but it was never enough. She was even starting to worry about herself, something she never thought possible. When had things gotten this bad?

"Hey, Maya!"

Her head shot up with a start, not recognizing the voice at first. After her surprise cleared, Maya noticed Komari and Hinata strolling up to Relacion's front counter.

"Oh, hey guys!" Maya grinned, shifting her weight onto her elbows and plopping her chin in her palms. She did her best to push her worries to the back of her mind, schooling her features into what she hoped was a normal expression. "What're you doing on this side of town?"

Komari was clearly off today, wearing something other than her work clothes for the first time since Maya had met her. She had on a delicate yellow dress, trimmed with white, and a wide brimmed straw hat. Maya hadn't seen a hat like it before, so she guessed it was local.

"We were looking to talk to Ludus," Hinata explained, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I guess he's not here?"

Maya and Hinata had only met a couple of times, but he seemed like a wonderfully nice person, if a little rough around the edges. Unlike Komari, he was wearing his usual attire today and his brown hair was wind-tousled and in complete disarray. Somehow, he always had the appearance of having just run a marathon, with his billowing green robe hanging off of his shoulder and his wrapped pants askew on his hips.

"He's in the city running some errands," Maya explained, nodding at the list that she'd just found for him. "I think he'll be back sometime this afternoon."

"Oh, rats," Komari frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was so sure he was open this morning."

"We can just come back tomorrow, Ri," Hinata laughed, elbowing her. "It's not the end of the world."

"Are you guys building something?" Maya asked, not bothering to hide her curiosity. "Or is it a secret?"

Komari shook her head, pulling up one of the stools Ludus set out for his clients.

"No secret," she explained, fixing her dress as she got comfortable. It was odd, seeing her in anything but her apron, but the pale-yellow dress suited her. "Dad wants to build a greenhouse to experiment with some of his own vegetables. Hinata is helping him with it."

"That's such a great idea!" Maya could definitely picture Ginjiro with a garden- she was kind of shocked that he didn't have one already, thinking about it. "Ludus can for sure help you with it."

"Are you working for him?" Hinata asked, coming to stand next to Komari. He gestured to Maya, sitting behind Ludus's work bench. She blushed, shaking her head in denial.

"No, no, he just asked me to send him a picture of something." She pointed at the list again. Hinata nodded in understanding, reaching up to fix his low ponytail. "I can text him and tell him you stopped by if you want. Then he can call you when he's back?"

"That's okay," Komari dismissed, leaning her forearms on the bench. "Hinata's right; I'm off tomorrow too. Dad gave me a couple of days since I've been working so hard."

"You deserve it," Hinata cut in quickly, his voice firm. "I better not see you in the restaurant tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," Komari rolled her eyes, sharing a secretive look with Maya. "He complains about me working too hard."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry about it," Komari returned her attention to Maya. "Do you have any plans for today? We were going to go to the beach for a quick swim, if you wanted to join us!"

Maya's stomach clenched, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"Thank you, but I really can't." She smiled apologetically, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "I still have to clean out Josie's barn. Maybe next time?"

"Sure thing!" Komari bounced up out of her chair, brushing her dress back down into place. She looped her arm through Hinata's, a move that didn't go unnoticed by Maya, and started to steer him back towards the beach. "We'll catch you later, Maya!"

"Have fun!" she called out, waving them off. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could see a faint blush colouring Hinata's cheeks as he was dragged along. Were they dating? Maya made a mental note to ask Lisette later.

A smile sprang to her face as she remembered Lisette and Wayne's news from the other day. They were dating, finally, so Maya didn't have to keep their secrets anymore.

She was so happy for them. Lisette had had a crush on Wayne for as long as Maya had known her, and according to Ludus, Wayne had a crush on Lisette for twice as long, if not more. It was sweet, seeing them together now, but it made Maya's chest ache.

Her mind drifted to Ludus again, remembering their almost-confession from that same day.

Maya wanted to tell him. She almost did, later that night after everyone went home. They were texting, and she'd typed out a message detailing her feelings, but she deleted it before she had a chance to send it. She didn't want to tell him over text, that wouldn't be fair to either of them. Besides, what if she was wrong?

She remembered the way Ludus held her hand under the table, secretly, tightly, and he hadn't let go until they stood up to go outside. That had to mean something, didn't it?

Alas, Maya couldn't be sure. She could never be sure, unless she asked. Which she knew that someday she would have to do.

She could start though, with repaying some of his kindness to her. Her thoughts all circled back to her original problem- she needed to find a gift for Ludus.

Making something for him would be the only feasible thing for her to do, but with all her farm work, Maya barely had time to sleep, let alone start working on a project. Besides, she wasn't particularly handy like Ludus was.

Although, her woodworking was coming along nicely. She'd already gotten through 4 blocks of wood, still practising lines and shapes. Maybe she could…

"Aloha, Maya!"

Maya was pulled from her reverie once again- Ludus was missing a busy day at the shop it seemed. Looking over to the Inn, she noticed Tototara making her way down the steps, Iluka and Siluka in tow. She smiled, sitting up in the chair to greet them.

"Hi everyone!"

The girls changed their course so they were heading directly towards Relacion. The twins were dressed in their usual skirts but they were also sporting thin shawls. Tototara has on a long, flowing jacket that drifted over the ground. It looked like they were headed out of town.

"What brings you over this way today?" Tototara smiled politely, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "Ludus is away until this evening."

"Oh, I know," Maya tucked her hair behind her ear for the second time, feeling her cheeks darken, "he forgot his list so he asked me to send him a picture of it."

"He's not usually forgetful," Tototara mused, pursing her lips. Maya caught the twins exchanging a glance. "Especially with the shop. I wonder what happened."

"Probably did it on purpose," Iluka snorted, ignoring the way Siluka elbowed her secretively. "Looking for an excuse to talk to Maya again."

Now Maya was definitely blushing, chewing the inside of her cheek to stop from protesting. If she'd learned anything from Ludus, sometimes it was best to just let the twins get their teasing out. Although now she was thinking she should've left after Komari and Hinata.

"He doesn't need an excuse anymore," Siluka pointed out, frowning. "They're close enough that he can just message her when he feels like it."

"Well then he's got something on his mind," Tototara interrupted suddenly, shaking her head. "Honestly. You two don't even give him a break when he's not here to defend himself."

"He never defends himself anyway, why should we stop now?"

"And how are you doing Maya?" Tototara gave Iluka a soft bat on the arm for her pestering, then turned to the young farmer. Maya quickly tried to banish the red from her cheeks. "Ludus told us you had a pretty nasty fall a couple of weeks ago. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better," Maya nodded, standing to demonstrate. She stuck her leg out, rolling her ankle gently. "It still hurts a little if I run, or if I'm standing all day, but I can get around just fine!"

"I'm so happy to hear it," Tototara smiled, but her eyes still twinkled with curiosity. Maya had seen that look before, and she didn't usually like what followed. Immediately, her stomach tightened. "I get the feeling that there's something else on your mind though, if I may be so bold?"

"Don't bother trying to hide it from her," Iluka offered, rolling her eyes. "She'll get it out of you eventually. Might as well save yourself a half hour of your day."

"I guess I am feeling a little down." Maya shrugged, a sheepish smile playing at her lips. "It's nothing serious. I'm just… stuck."

"Stuck on what?"

Despite Iluka's words, Maya did consider trying to hide it. But the chances that Tototara would drop the matter were so low that ultimately it would be best to get it over with. Besides, maybe they could help.

"It's just… Ludus is so generous." She sighed, trying to ignore the glee in Tototara's face. "He's given me some really thoughtful, meaningful gifts, and I can't figure out how to reciprocate. I don't… have a lot of money, exactly, so I can't buy him anything. I'd like to make him something, but I have no idea what."

"Ludus would love it, whatever you choose," Tototara assured her.

"You could pretty much give him a rock." Iluka added, rather unhelpfully. "As long as it's from you, it'll be his most treasured possession."

"You guys are totally convinced that he likes me, huh?"

"Isn't everyone?"

They stopped to giggle at the truth of the situation. Everyone knew that most of the villagers thought she and Ludus were dating, everyone except for Ludus anyway.

Tototara paused, pursing her lips in thought.

"Have I ever told you girls about the time Ludus found a manta ray?" Tototara's eyes sparkled with something that Maya couldn't place, but it was eerily similar to a look Maya had seen Lisette sport when she was about to make a point.

"A million times," Iluka groaned, puffing out her cheeks. "And that's ignoring the fact that we were there."

"I haven't heard it," Maya answered honestly, much to the twins' chagrin. Tototara hummed knowingly, as if she expected that answer.

"When Ludus was a little boy," she began, leaning back on her heels, "he used to go fishing with Haulani so he could learn how to do it himself. He was only about… oh, six or seven? Just a tiny little thing, but he was a determined student."

"Nerd," Iluka taunted, making Siluka and Maya laugh.

"One weekend, we had a horrible storm." Tototara continued undeterred, ignoring her granddaughter's commentary, "The lobster traps were all pushed into the pier, one on top of the other, so Haulani brought the boat around to fix them. Ludus wasn't strong enough to pull them up yet, so he waited in the bow while Haulani worked.

"While he was sitting there, Ludus saw a great, big, dark shape pass beneath the boat. He didn't know what it was, and Haulani didn't see it, but he was so excited that he nearly toppled them!

"When Haulani was finally able to calm him down, Ludus described what he'd seen. To Haulani, it sounded like a manta ray.

"Well," Tototara clapped, throwing her hands up animatedly, "you wouldn't know but the boy discovered the loch ness monster. He became obsessed with rays, totally infatuated with them. He had books, and toys, and drawings-"

"He even made us record those dumb nature shows," Iluka chimed in, shuddering at the memory. "He taped over my copy of Swan Princess once. I was so pissed."

"He taped over my copy of Once Upon a Forest, too," Siluka nodded sagely.

"He had everything," Tototara agreed. "Anything and everything he could find that had rays on it. But what he really wanted, more than anything, was to touch one."

"There was this commercial for a marine conservation park," Siluka explained, "I don't remember what it was called… but in the commercial, you could see a bunch of kids touching the rays. Ludus wanted to do that."

"I remember those commercials," Maya bobbed her head excitedly, "they had beluga whales too, didn't they?"

"That's the one."

"Whenever he went down to the beach, Ludus would hang out on the pier. He thought if it swam by once, it was going to do it again." Tototara chuckled, her eyes crinkling as she remembered. "But I think the poor thing washed up in the storm. I've never seen a manta ray come this close to shore, they're just too big.

"But he still checked, every single day. Like clockwork, he'd come home from school, throw his things in his room, and take the girls to the beach."

"Did he ever see another one?" Maya asked, curious. Tototara looked at the twins, a sad smile crossing her face.

"Not exactly," she began, choosing her words carefully. "He did see another ray, and I think this is the part of the story the twins were talking about."

"He saw a sting ray," Iluka sighed, accepting that she was getting roped into this retelling whether she liked it or not. "We don't get many of them around here either, but this one came right up on the beach. Ludus got really excited and tried to touch it, but of course the idiot didn't realise it could kill him."

"Haulani caught him before he could hurt himself," Siluka continued, playing with the hem of her shawl lazily, "but it was pretty scary. I don't think I've ever seen Haulani angry before or since."

"He wasn't really mad," Tototara clarified, "he just got a fright is all. Sting rays aren't usually vicious, but if they strike you the wrong way, you can be badly hurt. And Ludus was so young, Haulani thought he was going to lose him.

"Ludus stopped going to the pier after that," Tototara let her shoulders droop, like the memory exhausted her. "He threw out all of his books, his pictures, whatever he had. All of it went in the trash."

"But why?" Maya frowned, saddened by the thought of Ludus giving up something he was so passionate about.

"He wouldn't say," Tototara shrugged, but Maya suspected that wasn't the end of the tale. It turns out she was right, as the old woman continued without prompting. "But I think I know what he was thinking.

"Ludus has always been the responsible big brother," she tapped the side of her nose knowingly, "even when he was just a lad. I think it scared him, that he'd put himself in danger like that with the girls so close by. He realised they could've gotten hurt just as easily, and he didn't want to risk that."

"He still loves rays," Siluka pointed out, "even though he threw out his stuff. I know he kept some, I've seen some of the books in his closet."

"What were you doing in his closet?" Tototara glared disapprovingly.

"He took my favourite hair tie. I wanted it back."

Maya snickered, even as Tototara gave them all a withering look.

"The point is," she trudged on, returning to the matter at hand. "Ludus isn't the best at expressing his feelings sometimes, but he has a good heart."

Ah, Maya fought back a smile, there's the lesson. She was waiting for it to come back to her somehow, and Tototara hadn't disappointed.

"He has a bad habit of putting himself last and trying to handle everything on his own," Siluka supplied, grinning. She, like Maya, knew that her Nana had a point in there somewhere. "Not only that, but he doesn't take hints well,"

"That's an understatement," Iluka snorted, "pretty sure you could hit him over his stupid head with a big sign that says 'I WANT TO DATE YOU' and he'd still think he was misinterpreting."

"I think Maya's got a chance though," Siluka hummed thoughtfully, "his aura is so bright when she's around. I think his own feelings will overcome his naivety. Eventually."

"In a hundred years or so, maybe."

Tototara hushed Iluka again, while Siluka addressed Maya directly.

"Why don't you ask him out again?" she prodded, "Or do you not want to?"

"It's not that," Maya bit her lip, "I just… Ludus is important to me. And I don't want to risk making things weird between us. If I lost his friendship… I honestly don't know what I'd do."

"He'd never abandon you like that, sweetheart." Tototara promised, placing her wrinkled hand over Maya's. She squeezed comfortingly, the gesture scarily reminiscent of the way Ludus reassured her sometimes. Maya began to suspect he learned it from his Nana. "Even if he didn't feel the same way, Ludus wouldn't punish you for your feelings by stepping out of your life."

"My brain knows that," Maya conceded, "but my heart is being a little more difficult."

"Well, it's up to you in the end. But just between the four of us," Tototara leaned in conspiratorially, lowering her voice to a whisper, "I think you're a shoe-in. And I'm very much looking forward to having you as a granddaughter-in-law."

"Nana," Iluka groaned, giving Maya an apologetic look, "you're so embarrassing. Come on, let's go finish our errands before you say anything else weird."

Iluka stomped away with Tototara cackling after her, drawing the attention of a nearby Shalk and Alma. Siluka passed by a little more slowly, pausing to offer her two cents on the matter.

"Nana wasn't joking, you know," she smiled sleepily, picking her skirts up as she walked. She always had a floating quality to her steps that reminded Maya of her skill as a dancer. "I'm looking forward to having a sister-in-law too."

Maya stared as Siluka trailed away after her sister and grandmother, blinking as she tried to process everything that had just transpired.

It was strange for Maya, having so many people welcome her so openly, but it was a wonderful feeling. She was glad that the twins and Tototara were part of her life, and as much as she wanted to avoid convincing herself that Ludus had feelings for her, she liked the idea of becoming an official part of their family some day.

If she ever wanted to work towards that though… she'd at least have to ask him out, wouldn't she? Maybe so, but for now she had another problem to fix.

Maya had finally figured out what she was going to make for Ludus.

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