Changing the Norm
Everyone gathered around the center of the Square for the egg hunt, though mainly to spectate. The participants, Vincent, Jas, Abigail, Maru, Sam, and Violet all gathered in a half-circle on the side opposite the Mayor. "It's time for the highlight of today's festivities... The Annual Spring Egg Hunt!"
The children jumped with excitement now that their waiting was coming to an end. "Calm down now, kiddos. You're going to need all your energy if you hope to find the most eggs and take home the exclusive prize," he instructed the youngest of the crowd. Lewis stroked his mustache as everyone settled into their positions, "The rules are simple," he stated loud and clearly for all to hear. "I will announce when it is time to start. You all have half an hour to find as many eggs as possible. Once the whistle blows, you are not to collect any more eggs and you must report back here at the center of Town Square. The one with the most eggs in their basket, wins." Lewis looked around. "Is everyone ready?"
Violet made eye contact with Jas and winked, which the little girl returned with a giggle. The Mayor raised his hand dramatically, then dropped it as if he held a flag. "Let the egg hunt begin!" Abigail and Vincent immediately went sprinting off in different directions while Maru and Sam half-heartedly sauntered around. The farmer dropped into a crouching position and shouted, "Let's go, Captain!" and Jas hopped onto Violet's back with a gleeful smile.
Luckily for the farmer, Jas was still relatively light so she did not think this was going to be an issue. Meanwhile, the unexpected piggy back ride received a laugh from several spectators, several of whom were quite surprised by the tactic.
"Giddy up!" the child shouted, pointing toward the fence line around Jodi, Sam, and Vincent's house. "I see an egg!" It was a bright pink, polka-dotted, and straight ahead.
"Target in sight, Captain Jas," Violet reported, running over to the egg to retrieve it. Violet bent over to grab the egg and handed up to Jas, who placed it in her basket. "Now go that way!" Jas ordered, pointing westward into the yard beyond. Violet did as instructed and the duo found several eggs surrounding the two houses. They were up to four!
"Where to now, Jas?" Violet inquired, looking for some direction from her pilot. "Let's check near the water!" she ordered and the farmer trotted east toward the river. They found one egg near the sewer entrance, one nestled in the tall grasses near a tree, and one on the bridge toward the beach. Seven was a pretty good number, but Violet could tell they were running out of time.
"Oh, Violet!" Jas shouted excitedly, practically hopping off of the woman's back, "I see one! Go!" The farmer did not yet see the target Jas had in mind, but she followed the tiny finger in her peripheral vision and sure enough, there was one by a tombstone in the grave yard and another just beyond that.
Violet's strength was flagging. Sure Jas did not weigh much, but after nearly half an hour of running around with another person on her back was exhausting. But she could not disappoint Jas. When the child spoke up about another egg hiding on the other side of the hedge, the floral-haired woman grit her teeth and pushed herself on. Their final egg was just where Jas said, next to the tree that Penny often read beneath when the weather was pleasant.
The whistle blew and Violet dropped to her knees. "I'm afraid I'm outta gas, Jas," she confessed, panting heavily. "Request to rest right here, Capt'n."
"Okay!" Jas beamed and the little girl obliged, thanking Violet for being a great "mega shoot" as she admired her colorful collection of eggs. The pig-tailed child skipped off toward town, seemingly unencumbered by the basket. For a moment the farmer let herself flop to the ground and lie in the grass, enjoying the leaves rustling in the tree above her. The young woman shut her eyes and inhaled slowly and deeply as she placed her grandfather's straw hat on the ground beside her. I could get used to this, she decided. Maybe not giving half-hour piggy back rides to local children, but certainly all that life in Pelican Town had to offer. The warm sun filtered gently down through the broad leaves, creating beautiful patterns on light on her eye lids. The breeze softly tousled her hair and caressed her skin and the grass beneath her body felt soft... Violet felt herself drifting off from exhaustion, but she did not care. She felt so at peace.
The contestants for the egg hunt had all returned to the center of town for the official count. Well, all but one contestant, but from the way the hunt started it was clear that Violet herself was not participating in the traditional manner. The farmer had left her basket here in the Square, after all. So the Mayor did not feel the need to wait for Violet's return. "Wow, look at all those eggs!" he said, feigning surprise. "Now if only I could get your kids to pick up litter this efficiently, we'd have the cleanest town this side of the Gem Sea!" he and a few of the older generation laughed at his joke, but no one under the age of forty seemed to think it was funny. "And now, the winner of this year's egg hunt..."
Abigail, who had not witnessed the teamwork from the farmer-child duo, fully expected her name to be called and stepped forward to accept her prize.
However, Lewis smirked and wagged a finger at the eager young woman, "I'm afraid not this year, Abigail." He paused for dramatic effect, or perhaps to watch the amethyst-haired woman's jaw drop in surprise. "Jas!"
The tiny girl squealed with delight and bounced up and down as if she were a Pogo stick. "Jas is this year's winner with ten eggs. Congratulations!"
The self-proclaimed treasure hunter was fuming, but she wisely decided not to direct her frustration on the little girl who somehow defeated her. Abigail stomped off to rejoin her friends. "I can't believe I lost!" she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. "To a little kid, no less!"
Sam chuckled, "Oh, I can believe it, but I think that's because Jas had a winning strategy this year," he informed his female friend. He winked at Sebastian who smirked slightly off to the side, well away from Abigail in case she decided to flail about at all, as she often did when she was frustrated.
Abigail paused, clearly confused. "What did she do?" the woman asked curiously. Now she had to know. Maybe she could incorporate some of the elements into her own strategy for next year.
"She hitched a ride with Violet," the blond said, imitating the crouching position Violet took to accommodate Jas.
"That's cheating!" she complained, her sleeveless vest flapping furiously as she moved about in agitation.
The skater smirked, "The spectators agreed that it was fine since Violet and Jas were moving as one unit. If they had separated and then combined their eggs into one basket, Lewis would have disqualified them." He paused, "Though really, there was nothing in the rules the Mayor reviewed beforehand that would have disallowed either strategy, but now I think he's going to make sure to be more specific come next year's hunt."
While Sam was right, Abigail still felt cheated. As childish as it seemed to others, the young woman felt a sense of pride at her previously undefeated winning streak in the egg hunt. She sighed, still annoyed, but resigned to the reality of the situation. Abigail turned to Sam, "So next year, you're mine!" she declared, pointing her finger to his face. Her pale face flushed when she saw the wolfish grin on Sam's face.
"Oh, yeah?" he replied. "How so?"
Though Abigail's cheeks were already a bit colored from all the running she did, Sam could see her turn a shade or two darker. "We - we're a team next year, got it?" she clarified. "I have to reclaim my title." Her light blue eyes darts around, wondering how Sebastian had taken this sudden declaration after his recent rejection, but he was no where to be found. Abigail was half relieved and half confused. "Where-?"
"I suspect he went to go find the missing half of Jas' winning team," he told his friend with a wink. "Shall we get you something to eat or drink, oh runner-up queen?" Abigail shot him a deadly look, to which Sam could not help but laugh. "Hey, don't slay the messenger. I'm just trying to make sure you keep up your strength to win back that title!"
Bashfully, Abigail did not reply, but instead tugged at his demin jacket sleeve. "Fine," she finally said, heading toward the table. "But I get first dibs on chocolate."
Sam smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Abi."
Violet was half-asleep when a shadow blocked the sunlight from reaching her eyes completely. For a moment, she thought it was a passing cloud until she heard the rustling of shoes on grass. "Please, Jas," the farmer begged with a moan. "Ultra Violet Epyon needs to recharge her batteries. Five more minutes..."
"Gundum, huh?" Sebastian's laughter rang out into the calm stillness like birdsong. "Wow, you are a nerd." Violet's dark blue eyes flew open, and his inky-black eyes reflected in hers. He was slightly crouched over her, his head tilted to the same side he parted his bangs, which drifted along with the current of the wind.
Violet propped her upper body up on her elbows, so she was not completely prone. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.
"You were missing from the award ceremony," Sebastian informed her, sitting down next to her in the shade of the tree. "Jas won, I'll have you know."
The farmer relaxed slightly, lying back down on the soft lawn. "That's good," she said, closing her eyes again and exhaling to soothe her nerves. "At least I'm not exhausted for nothing."
Sebastian chuckled, "Maybe not, but I'm pretty sure Abigail swore vengeance for next year's egg hunt." He leaned up against the bark of the tree trunk, letting his legs stretch out before him.
Without opening her eyes, Violet simply said, "That's alright. Jas won like she wanted and Abigail got the challenge she wanted." The farmer grinned like she got away with something. "And hell, I got to stir things up around here. I have no complaints."
The corners of Sebastian's mouth curved upward slightly, thought Violet could not see. "Do you think Abigail will still want to be your partner next weekend?"
Violet's eyes fluttered open for a moment at the realization that Abigail may indeed break up their undefeated duo in retaliation. While Violet would not actually be offended, it was funny to think it might happen. She rolled over in the grass to lie on her side, facing him. "You think Abigail might do that?" she queried her friend. "Well, if so, I'll have to test my luck with either you or Sam."
If Sebastian responded, Violet did not hear. It was so difficult to keep her eyes open. Between the general watering of her field, the crop harvest, and the fact that she literally carried Jas throughout the entire egg hunt, Violet felt that all she could do was lie there any enjoy the soft pulse of the life around her. From her spot under the tree she could barely hear the low hum of the festivities in the square. She was not sure how much time had passed before she broke the silence. "Do you ever just... lie down in the grass just to recover?" she asked her companion.
The young man sounded puzzled, "Recover?" Sebastian repeated quizzically.
The woman nodded, her eye lids still shuttered. "Like... you've spent so much time trying to be what everyone else wants that you don't know how to find your center - the real neutral 'you' - again. The 'you' before you started worrying about all the stuff that doesn't matter in life..." Violet buried her fingertips in the soft earth and she sighed, "The shade of a big tree on a warm, sunny day is the perfect medium. I just feel like... I'm slowly becoming 'me' again. And I think it's from living here in this valley, in this town with all these great people, and letting myself get close..." she trailed off for a moment, as if she suddenly forgot how to speak.
Sebastian considered her words and let his head rest against the rough bark of the tree. He supposed there was some merit to the idea that the life of the valley might help someone reset and refocus. Though, for him personally, there was more to it than that. Why had Violet stopped when she mentioned letting herself get close? Close to what? He glanced over at the farmer. Or... maybe to whom? Was she just as scared as he was?
The pastel-haired woman propped herself up on her elbow, so that she could better see her companion. When their eyes met, Violet finally said. "I wanna apologize for last night." She lowered her head, "The way I shut down wasn't fair to you, especially because I didn't explain myself. You've been a great new friend and I -"
Sebastian held up a hand and cut her off, "Forget about it," he told her. "Abigail gave me the gist. You've lost some people you love, right? Because of their... life choices?" he continued, reluctantly.
Violet nodded solemnly. "Yeah... Both my paternal grandparents. They weren't really even old yet. Just barely in their fifties." Her dark blue eyes glanced up at Sebastian sheepishly, "I don't know if it's an allergy or just a psychological reaction, but I get these terrible headaches whenever I smell a strong whiff of tobacco smoke." Her gaze shifted to a grasshopper nibbling on a blade of grass in front of her. She tried to coax it closer to hold it. "I should have told you what was going on with me, rather than completely ignoring you all evening and then darting out of there as quickly as possible."
"Well, you're not the only one who's bothered by it," he stated in resignation. "My whole family, Sam and Abigail, Dr. Harvey... They all tried to convince me to stop completely over the years and I just didn't care enough." He pulled one knee closer to his body to rest his head upon, "I guess I've always used it as an out and I was - Uh, I don't know - afraid to get rid of the crutch." Sebastian tugged at his bangs as he spoke. "Non-smokers typically don't want to be around me when I take out a cigarette, so I guess it was a way to drive people away when I wanted - or needed - space to be alone. And on the other side of that same coin, I could try to convince myself it was the tobacco and not me that the people around me were avoiding."
He paused, realizing that Violet's eyes were on him. Oh, shit. He had gotten more personal than he intended. Did she think he was being weird and oversharing? "I mean, the nicotine sure as hell doesn't hurt either," he said, trying to backtrack into a less emotional reason. "It helps calm me down and focus when I'm stressed. But things have changed so... I guess I'll give it a shot."
The farmer sat up, her eyes still fixated on Sebastian. "Give what a shot?" she wondered aloud.
The raven-haired man sighed, and rolled up his left sleeve all the way up. When he reached behind himself as if going to scratch his back, he pointed to a small, shiny patch of skin on the back of his upper arm. "I hear these things help," he said, avoiding Violet's gaze.
"Is that... a nicotine patch?" The young woman could not help but notice the rest of his bare arm, but Violet did her best to keep those thoughts at bay. Violet tried to restrain the relief in her voice. "You're trying to quit?"
Sebastian pursed his lips, obviously feeling self-conscious. "Y-yeah..." he answered the newcomer, rolling his sleeve back down. "I figured if someone as cool as you wanted nothing to do with me last night, maybe it was time to try to kick the habit for good."
Violet did not know what to say and for a moment the two sat in awkward silence. She could hardly believe that her actions had so much influence over another person. Did her opinion of him matter that much to Sebastian. The farmer was relieved that her new friend was trying to quit, but at the same time she was both terrified and flattered at the potential implications. "I..." Violet began.
The patch-wearer exhaled audibly and began to stand up. "Don't worry," he assured her, offering a hand to help her up, though still avoiding her gaze. "It's... been a long time coming. A lot of things happened yesterday, so I had some introspective shower thoughts this morning before I made the decision." He muttered under his breath about something else that Violet could not quite hear.
The female farmer grabbed her grandfather's straw hat with one hand, placing it on her head, and took the offered hand in the other. Both Violet and Sebastian must have underestimated how much force was necessary to pull her up, because the pastel-haired woman was now practically inches from Sebastian's face. He looked tired, more so than she had ever seen him look. But, at the same time, there was a light in his ink-black orbs that was not there before. Violet trembled slightly at the way his eyes drew her in. Neither of them could seem to look away. The female farmer felt a twinge of panic when she realized she was beginning to cross into territory for which she had not yet prepared herself. She cleared her throat, "Like what?" Violet asked, trying to back-track to the conversation portion of their interaction.
Sebastian tucked his hands into the pocket of his hoodie as he explained the surprise of new windows in his room when he got home, his conversations with his family members, and the general consensus that they seemed to at least be trying. He was not sure how long the efforts would last, he disclosed, but it was something. Of course, the man left out certain details, especially when it came to his sister. The man could see the excitement practically spilling out of Violet. "I'm so happy for you!" she said in a congratulatory manner. "I hope this is just the start for you and your family getting closer."
The raven-haired male shrugged, "We'll see," he responded with the non-committal gesture, kicking a bit of dirt on the ground with the toe of his boot. "It's only been a day. I'm not going to hold my breath just yet."
Violet nodded, but he could tell from the way her eyes lit up she was going to continue the aspiration on his behalf. Well, the new girl could probably cover hoping for the both of them. For now he was going to stay pessimistic. If he were wrong, at least he would be pleasantly surprised, rather than disappointed.
The rest of the festival-goers had not seemed to notice the pair's absence. However, when Jas caught sight of Violet she ran over to her. "I won!" the little girl proclaimed, twirling around to show off her new straw hat. "Emily even gave me a ribbon to decorate it!" A bright pink ribbon now banded the crown of the straw hat, with a long tail cascading off the edge of the brim. "Do you like it?"
The farmer knelt down to Jas' level. "Of course, it suits you so well!" she said to the little girl. Jas gave her a hug and another "thank you" before heading off to play again.
Sebastian was intrigued by the gentle, vulnerable side of Violet exhibited in her behavior today. The way she dozed in the green of the grass under the tree, she looked so serene. Then Violet trusted him enough to remain so at ease in his presence afterward and offered an apology for her shunning him the night before. Perhaps that's why he shared more of his thoughts than he originally planned when he considered the possibility of this discussion early that day. Why was it so easy to talk to her?
Then there was the other problem. He had accidentally pulled his arm in too close to his body when he helped Violet up off the ground. Their bodies had been almost touching and her eyes... They had both gotten lost for a moment. How long had that moment lasted? Seconds? Minutes? His heart still palpitated in his chest, but then again, that was a potential side effect of his nicotine patch, right? Sebastian had never noticed how long her eye lashes were, or how cute it was that she had to look up at him slightly. It made her sapphire eyes catch the light filtering in from the leaves of the tree above them, despite the hat she wore.
The black-clad man exhaled sharply, trying to rid himself of these thoughts. Not now, he told himself. It's too soon after Abigail's rejection. Not to mention you've only known her for barely more than a week...
For the rest of the party, Sebastian busied himself by talking to other people, including his mom and Demetrius. He promised himself he was going to make an effort, even if just a small one. Every once and a while, he would try to catch a glimpse of the farmer across the Square and sometimes - though he was sure it was his imagination - he thought he caught her stealing glances at him, too. It must have been a coincidence.
The party was coming to an end when Violet remembered her bag she left at one of the tables when she first arrived. I need to give Robin back her axe! she thought, realizing that people were beginning to disburse and she did not want to force Robin to wait until they saw each other next. "Hey Robin!" she called out, as the ginger and Demetrius were heading toward the mountain trail toward home. "Wait up! I have your missing axe."
The carpenter smiled thankfully, "Oh, that's great news. I hoped it would turn up," she said, taking the tool from the farmer. "I didn't expect to get it back during the festival, but I promise to pay you the reward next time I see you, okay?"
Violet shook her head, "It's fine. It's your axe," the young woman replied.
Robin tsk'd. "Hey, don't devalue your work. Finder's fees are legitimate," she advised the shorter woman. "And as a professional, you can't sell yourself short, no matter what that silly company you used to work for says, got it?"
Word must have gotten around that Violet was a former Joja Corp. employee. "Yes, ma'am," Violet relented politely. Her dark blue eyes scanned the area for Robin's daughter. "Is Maru still around?" she asked the red-head.
"I think Maru snuck away to work on a project a while ago," Robin informed the farmer, "but I think she handed off the shirt she borrowed to Sebastian, if that's what you're after."
Violet thanked the carpenter and went back to find Sebastian, who was unsurprisingly standing with Sam and Abigail. Then paused the conversation when she greeted the trio, "Hey, Sebastian," she added afterward. "Your mom said Maru gave you something for me?"
"Yeah, uh..." Sebastian pulled a neatly rolled shirt out out of his back pocket. "I think this is yours, right?" He immediately slid his hands back into the pouch of his hoodie. "I guess Maru got what she needed."
"That's great!" the farmer nodded and pulled out the folded black fabric of Sebastian's shirt, though Violet still did not know it was his. "And this is for Maru," she stated, holding it out for him to take. The man paused and shifted his stance, as if he wanted to run, but decided against it.
"Didn't Maru tell you?" the programmer questioned Violet. When she shook her head "no," Sebastian bit his lower lip, and rocked back on his heels. "It's yours now. Keep it."
The farmer could not believe Maru wanted to part with it, but she smiled graciously. "Really?"
Sebastian rolled his dark eyes, "No, I'm lying to you," he shot back sarcastically, though he could not help but notice the excitement in her voice. "It's like you said, it was at the bottom of her drawer and she never wears it. So just keep it, okay?"
Violet thought that her friend sounded bashful for some reason, but could not discern why. Gleefully, she tucked both shirts into her bag. "Tell her I really appreciate it!" she instructed the man with tapered bangs.
"Uh... yeah. Sure thing," Sebastian replied. The farmer noticed that he still was not looking at her. Was Sebastian embarrassed about what he said to her earlier. There was nothing to be ashamed about, after all. Everyone had ineffective or unhealthy coping mechanisms, after all. Not to mention that Sebastian recognized the problem on his own. That was impressively insightful.
Sam and Abigail, who the other two had not paid much attention, stood off slightly to the side with their hands over their mouths, trying to contain their laughter. They both recognized that the shirt was Sebastian's and that he was giving it to a clueless Violet. From his reaction to her joy at the gift, he had it bad for the newcomer. The two exchanged a knowing look.
"Hey, Violet!" a voice called from across the Square. It was Leah, supporting what appeared to be a heavily intoxicated and sulky Elliott on her shoulder. "Could I get a hand, please? I need to get Elliott home."
The farmer turned to the trio apologetically. "Uh, sorry guys. Duty calls," she said, dismissing herself. The pastel-haired woman was not sure if she would see any of them when she came back into town, so she shouted over her shoulder as she left. "I'll see you all again Friday at latest!"
As soon as Violet was out of earshot, Sam and Abigail turned to their mutual friend. "You're coming with us," Abigail demanded, as the two of them each linked an arm with one of Sebastian's and dragged him toward Sam's house.