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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Las Lindas and other products set in the same universe are all owned by Chalo/Chalosan and SoulKat.

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Chapter 26: Setting up the Stage

Despite the minor uneasiness born from what could have happened at the meeting that both Alejandra and Mora decided to finally bury their feud once and for all, the situation itself proved to be simplified by the presence of someone that acted as the best mediator on the matter. Randal might usually keep away from handling the brunt of the messes at the farm, mostly because he was no tough guy until the circumstance called him to be really rough on the matter, but he was still someone that knew how to talk with family members. Not only Alejandra didn't have any issue with him considering how pleasant their interactions had been before Diana's death, he also had a good bond with Mora.

The diplomatic reunion was still tense. Rightfully so as it was decided to leave the living room to the trio while the rest of the farm's occupants merely waited outside as the matter was being handled. Tootsie was quite alone for a while due to how little people knew about her, and I kept her some company.

"You don't have to do it, Dec," She huffed tiredly, the blonde trying to keep up a tough attitude on the predicament she was stuck with. "I can keep quiet."

"None of that, Toots. You know better than many I'm not leaving you to brood and ponder on world domination just yet."

The soft slap on my shoulder had me chuckling and, while the trio got their differences sorted out regarding past issues, I ended up facing quite the interesting issue that was the people's curiosity about 'old Declan'. At first it was Sarah, with the Cat Prime interested to know more about my past since I've always been so 'curt' in some parts. And much to my chagrin, Tootsie took it as a good way to semi-roast me with the others. One moment it was just Sarah, and then even Taffy and Minos were asking questions.

"So you weren't a womanizer from the beginning," Miles mirthfully teased. "To think you used to wear glasses."

"There is nothing wrong with that," Taffy chided with a hint of steel in her tone, actually getting a flinch out of the young man before shifting to another topic. "Still, you actually had… multiple relationships at once?"

I was about to reply to that question, but Tootsie jumped in. "Oh, he sure did. Nothing really serious and the girls knew that it wasn't anything but what he offered. Really polite and behaving like a gentleman despite what he really did with them. I think that's why he got so many girls' hearts at once."

It was that and the fact I was also careful to not mention anything when they ended up in a relationship. Only good friends, nothing of the crazy bed fun we would end up having. It was what served to keep issues from coming forth but… now this very excuse seemed to draw quite the reactions from two girls. Rachael was staring more subtly in my direction, while Sandy didn't hide the annoyance at learning that at a certain point in my life I did enjoy that kind of predicament more than frequently. The grimace almost shared by the two coming close to get a chuckle out of me at how amusing it looked. But then I realized they weren't deterred from it, more like growing hopeful at the chance it could happen again.

And it did happen again, if I have to be honest.

Taffy did her best to try and appear clueless of what line she was grazing with her words, possibly hoping to appear more surprised than else and… it worked well enough from the lack of suspicious looks aimed at her.

"So wait, he really went all about it?" Sander asked with a surprised look. "And he would tell you all of that? I mean, I know you two are friends but-"

"We shared a lot of movie nights, so he would have to tell me that he was busy," The Mouse Prime explained. "In fact, I would… ask him to go in detail when he was done with those."

"It's the basis of our friendship. You were a pervert," I finally got that shoot in and she groaned while hiding her face away with her hands.

"Yes, I was. And you're still a jerk."

"Only because you're being that first."

Her pout was legendary, yet I knew she wasn't mad at being the butt of the joke for once as she kept on with her 'assault'. But while I felt a mix of relief and nervousness at the teasing that Tootsie was rightfully calibrating to just poke fun at me, one sentence struck me weird and it came right from Minos.

"In a certain sense, I wouldn't be surprised if you somehow took Ambar as an example about it. I reckon she still handles relationships like that."

The comment from the Bull Prime got me frowning as I actually knew little of the High Prime's own sentimental or sexual life. Sure, it was known how much 'open-minded' the woman was, but it would be wrong to assume that all rumors about her were true.

"About what in particular?" I asked with a hint of confusion.

"While she has a daughter, Ambar is still someone that decided against settling down. When I last asked, she mentioned she just did want to burden anyone with the kind of strain her job takes regularly on her."

"I can see that being troublesome," I admitted quietly. "But it's this about being the High Prime or her Crest?"

"I think both," Minos replied half-clueless. "It's not easy to understand some of her more serious answers. I believe she tries to explain, but… something prevents her from being blunt about it."

Which added an extra layer of sadness to the role she was dealing with. Ambar was always… someone I had trouble to really understand. Not because I was confused or baffled by her ways to speak with others, the behavior she took despite the seriousness of the matter, but because she looked so fake and sad in some of those instances. It wasn't even like I was trying to sound insulting of her personality but… it felt so clear after having been 'there' once that she was holding a good part of her real self away for some reason. A good reason, I could tell after interacting with her.

After what felt like the official roast of Declan Stone, Randal spearheaded his two 'siblings' up to the hill where Diana's grave was. There was silence as we watched the scene from afar. With the situation ending for good when Alejandra looked at Mora, the fellow Cow Prime offered her a hug and the two women put a conclusion to any hate with that embrace. Randal joined in and… soon a bright blue light came from Alejandra's bag. I was quite familiar with that sight, and soon a giddy Digit was taking a moment off from us to give a quick tour to her newest friend.

Phi was quite the opposite when it came to Digit's emotional pattern. While the 'older' Nanozell Spirit was crafty, cheeky, and incredibly extroverted, the other girl was actually really sweet, shy and fairly introverted. There was also an interesting appearance-wise detail that caught people's attention, but nobody mentioned this out of respect and how awkward it was compared to Digit. Digit's feelings weren't going to hold well at that hit at her self-esteem.

Alejandra's spirit had… a focus on her chest. A big focus at that too. Which seemed to also made Phi a lot self-conscious of glances and being looked at. While the two were busy exploring the farms, the rest of the work seemed to mostly resume as another matter was brought to the table, and I had to be there to discuss it with Alejandra, Mora and Tootsie.

"A full-fledged partnership would be out of discussion. Alexandria might not have a negative look of Las Lindas, but it would crush our current reputation if we just started to form complete partnerships with rising groups, a small group at that," The businesswoman expertly highlighted. "Which is why I wish to open a subsidiary that has me and Mora as the leading force where I will focus on the industrial situation and she will focus on procuring the prime resources needed to get advanced products out in the market."

"While keeping part of the resources aside to be sold as normal products," I argued calmly, gaining a nod from the rest of the table.

"It's logical since we would be investing just enough for machinery able to withstand roughly half of your production at maximum safe speed. That doesn't mean half would be sent to us, but that we would be able to sustain a number close to that if there was an interest to shift mostly the focus on that," Tootsie added with a hum, scribbling something on her notes.

"Not gonna lie… it seems much."

"For your current workforce, it is. Which is why I think you mentioned expanding that," Alejandra brought up, getting a nod from Mora.

"We will be getting something started in less than a week. The wait was mostly tied to getting the other services restored to handle new people in there."

"It would make a good figure with the quality, I see your point," Alej nodded in agreement. "So, any particular way you wish to tackle the recruitment campaign?"

"Spreading the voice with the local population is the best we have considering how many young men and women here prefer to work on simple places like the farm," I explained with a serious tone. "The twins' uncle has quite the reputation, and we will use that to spread the voice nearby while also using places like Gossamer Spirits to expand over the overall region."

"That will definitely work considering the demographics," Tootsie confirmed while smiling. "You both really took your time to get this perfect."

Mora sighed in relief at hearing that, but Alejandra took a moment to consider something about the affirmation.

"Speaking of relationships… there is something I wished to ask you, Declan. During that dinner at the restaurant..." The Cow Prime started to ask with a tense tone. "Did I… kiss you or anyone?"

"You didn't kiss me if that makes you more relieved," I replied slowly, trying to hold back a laugh at the shocked look coming from Toots. The Mouse Prime just stopped working properly as her eyes widened and she watched the entire scene unfold. I told Mora what happened between the two, so the brunette knew that there was going to be a fat laugh at the end of this little game. "But you did kiss someone, yes."

"A-A stranger?"

"I would say the kiss was consensual and you greeted someone with it."

…

"What?" She asked in confusion. "Okay, I know we had our differences, but this isn't a joke."

"It isn't, but I have to ask you a serious question then. Did you feel it was right?"

Alejandra's mouth opened in confusion, then she frowned and… tilted her head slowly on the side. "What?"

"I'm serious. How was it?"

"W-Well, good-"

"Do you regret it?"

"...No."

"I can tell you right now the one you kissed doesn't regret that either."

More confusion, but this time a certain blonde jumped in at this matter.

"Fine, it was me. You kissed me, boss."

The confession drew the businesswoman's attention right at Tootsie, shock and tension lifting within her. "R-Really?"

"Yes and… I liked it. Because I like you."

…

"Really?"

"Alej, I'm being honest here when I'm saying you should stop doing that whole 'what' and 'really' thing," Mora quipped with an annoyed tone. "It's painfully clear you're into Tootsie, Tootsie is into you- how about you two just stop being so dense about it?"

I groaned at Mora's bluntness, but still nodded in agreement. There was no way these two could keep playing the 'dense game' so blatantly. Tootsie was more afraid than anything, but Alejandra was just playing silly about it. So much that it was clear from her reaction to the fellow Cow Prime's response that she actually knew it was true. The blush was there, but the realization on the matter flashed strongly through her blue eyes.

"I would have worded it less directly but yes, it's quite clear you two like each other and, while I wouldn't ask you two to do something about it now, I suggest doing at least something to get through on this matter."

"A hang out?" Tootsie offered, and… Alej nodded slowly at the idea.

"We could discuss it in private-"

"It should be private," I confirmed without hesitation. "Or you could test your luck with Mora's teasing."

Instead of rebuking the comment, the brunette smiled smugly and knowingly of her current teasing power. The rest of the conversation proceeded smoothly and soon we agreed on all the main points for the next work-related reunion. With this visit coming to a pleasant end, the rest of the day resumed as normally and calmly as possible. But before the recruitment drama could really kick up and start gaining our attention, another unique development unfolded just a few days before the first fresh workers started to line up at the entrance of the farm.

This development was tied to the Gossamer Harvest Festival… and Miles.

A yawn left my lips as I focused back on the shift I was stuck with. Sandy was taking a brief break considering how intense things had been in recent days, while her brother had paused to drink from his water bottle before returning back to work. These days were going to be the last ones as a small farm and the prelude to a bigger establishment compared to the one we had worked on until now.

It wasn't going to be a really big change, but everyone was excited for it as it meant more people to talk, enjoy the shifts and bring up some fun games during breaks. I was wary of what kind of chaos that was going to cause, but I was willing to put my will at test if it meant handling this kind of mess for the sake of improving the farm itself. Mora was doubling her efforts with the paperwork as she had to update some of the permits to allow the sudden increase of workers, but those were more tedious in the form of quantity than complexity to complete, so she technically didn't need my help in that regard. Minos was doing just fine with his normal job, same for Rachael, Miles and Idward. Sarah and Randy had surprisingly picked up their normal pace, perhaps to try and get a proper setting of work going. The Collie Prime had to have said something to the blonde to get her this diligent in her shift compared to previous occasions, perhaps promising her his part of the sweets that Taffy tended to prepare for us from time to time.

Things were just going great for everyone here at the farm… except for a single matter that Sandy noticed while looking around.

"Boss?"

I paused, looking at her and hoping it wasn't anything tied to her antics. "Yes?"

"Did we expect any guests for today? Any new workers?"

The questions caught me off-guard, but I turned my gaze right at what the Tiger Prime was looking at and… I blinked in surprise at what I ended up seeing. Two individuals, both girls, were walking the path leading up the house. They had passed the entrance, seemingly recording their arrival with the cameras in their phones and I was confused by what was happening over there. I took a stop and asked Sander to do the same as I personally went to check on what was going on.

One of the girls, the tallest of the two, was a Tiger Prime that had blue hair combed in a twin-tailed style through two red ribbons and green eyes. She was wearing light clothes, with just a gray tank top and mini-jeans. The other one was… familiar. I had seen her before at… at the harvest. My eyes widened as I got close enough, realizing that I was dealing with quite the awkward situation in the making. Still, I went through with it.

"Hello, may I ask what you two are doing here?"

Both women stopped at my words, clearly surprised by my approach but only one spoke up calmly while the other one grimaced.

"Oh, hello there," The tall Prime greeted calmly, waving at me. "Sorry for barging in uninvited, but… we're here to talk with the boss since-"

"He knows, Tiggs," The other girl replied with a hint of nervousness. "He was the one I was charging next."

"Oh," 'Tiggs' commented with a surprised tone. "Well… I guess that would extend this to you too… still, we're here to discuss with your boss."

"She is currently busy, but I can go and check… still, can I ask you why are you two taking videos or- wait, are you two streaming?"

"...Yes?" The Tiger Prime answered with a tense look. "We're vloggers and reviewers. We visit interesting places all over the Queendom and then bring more to the show through cuisine bits and culture lessons."

"That sounds interesting but… Without asking for permission?" I pressed on with a frustrated voice at what this could end up turning into because of it.

"What about it?" The Fox Prime argued. "It's just a stream-"

"It's not about making the stream or not, but making it clear that now this doesn't mean everyone has permission to come here in private property and start recording because you two might have visited," I interjected flatly, granting the girl a stern look considering she wasn't exactly appearing guilty for what she did back at the Festival. "How about a disclaimer to prevent that?"

"He isn't wrong, Vix. Mom had trouble due to how many people went to check there when we delivered that amazing review of her place," Tiggs agreed with some awkwardness before turning her attention to her phone's screen. "But yeah, guys? Don't harass the people there. The place looks lovely already, but no reason to overwhelm it just because you're impatient. People work here after all."

Thankfully nodding at this matter, I proceeded to take them back to the house where I left them with Taffy for a while as I went to look for Mora. The brunette looked up from her work with a curious look when I knocked at her door and entered her office.

"We've guests… I think they want to apologize for something that happened at the Harvest Festival."

At first the Cow Prime didn't realize what I was referring to, but soon she had an annoyed look on her face when I told her what it was all about. We went back to the kitchen to find out that both girls got a cup of coffee each from the Bunny Prime. They had their phones down and seemingly not recording or streaming, a good thing considering the discussion that would soon ensue was basing itself on some awkward matters which tied to one of the 'hosts'.

"First, I'm Vixy and she is Traci. I don't think we had the time to introduce ourselves and-"

"I'm Mora Linda, this is my boyfriend Declan Stone."

"Oh, you're dating your boss?" The Tiger Prime asked in surprise, stopping from being too inquisitive from the look she was receiving from her friend. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong about it."

"No offense taken," I muttered. "Still, how about we stick by the topic that brought you two here."

"Miles is a jerk, but not one that deserved that kind of attack," Tiggs started to say without hesitation, looking back at Vixy and providing quite the stern look back at the nervous-looking Fox Prime. "You're better than this, girl."

"I… know. I just snapped at the fact he left like that and just after he got you in bed."

"If it makes things any better, Miles didn't sugarcoat the fact he left as a jerk and had been honest about his version of the story."

"How do you know that?" The Fox Prime argued.

"We got one of Miles' former classmates to vouch for that. Hope-"

"Oh yes… by the way, did she say something about us coming? I think she didn't."

"Nope," Mora remarked. "Was she meant to tell us anything about it?"

"Not really, we tried to keep quiet about it but she has a thing to know when strange stuff is happening with the rest of the group," Tiggs elaborated with a tired sigh. "College really shaped us oddly tight to one another despite being apart from the others."

"More like she has a thing to drive her nose into everything that sounds fun to meddle about."

I couldn't help but nod in agreement at that point, but as this topic was shifted back to the original one, Vixy turned back at us with a frown.

"So… has Miles caused any trouble."

"A few… negligible ones," I slowly replied, getting a tentative nod from Mora.

"Nothing really damaging for his current job."

"That sounds so awfully unnatural," Traci pointed out.

"He is more focused on competing with another worker for that. Something about proving to be a good one instead of a bad one."

"Competition brings the best out of him I guess, just like it happened back when he discovered Toby was dating Sammy," Vixy hummed distractedly before shaking her head and offering a sheepish look. "Sorry, thinking back to when he was still in college."

"Less of a jerk, more of a troubled student," The Tiger Prime added with a chuckle.

"Now he is a jerk, and an average worker," I argued, fueling the chuckling, this time dragging the rest of the table and Taffy onto it. The Bunny Prime was listening, but focusing on the kitchen while we discussed this matter.

"Still… Look, I'm sorry for snapping like that and trying to attack you. I didn't mean no harm and… I was pissed."

"No harms done?"

"It's not like that. Even trying is bad and I should have known better. I just can't be calm when I know that prick hurt my girlfriend and never apologized."

Actually pausing at this point, I found myself asking the big question to confirm my current suspicions.

"You two are dating?"

"Yeah! Been for a few years now!"

"Big girls are the best," Vixy added and I grinned at that statement.

"Damn right they are," I added in agreement, getting an amused snort from Mora because of it.

"Cheeky~," She replied, making me shake my head in amusement at her lovely reaction. As we were done with this, I decided to go back to the main line of the topic.

"Still, I understand. You were reacting like that because you felt you had a commitment to protect the one you love and I can understand it. I really do."

The Fox Prime nodded slowly. "Thank you. And I mean it when I say I'm glad that we're putting this behind us."

This concluded this minor mess for good but as this conversation took a different turn now that the apologies were over, something else was brought up that caught me off-guard in some aspects.

"Now that I think about it, there is this thing I wanted to ask you… Declan. Can I call you Declan?"

I shrugged, focusing more on what questions Tiggs was planning to ask me. There was an odd look on her face, a pensive one that I couldn't understand where it came from and I tried to make sense of it but… nothing. I just waited and listened to what she had to say.

"While checking on what is known about you, I discovered you were quite popular in college, right?"

I blinked. "Yes?"

"And you don't much like one of your parents."

"My dad but-"

"And you took a path different than what they set you for your future."

"Well, that's true yet-"

"And now you got yourself a big girl as your girlfriend! This means something!"

...What?

Noticing my baffled look and Mora's own confused glance, Vixy groaned, facepalming briefly before explaining what had just happened right in that moment.

"Traci has been arguing about the fact we both have a similar background in most regards. And so she thinks we are like possible best friends or that kind of stuff."

"A bit odd but… wait, you have that much too?"

"Leader of the cheerleader during the college years, I hate my mother and I decided to do this for a living instead of working with mom at her gym."

That sounded like a lot, I thought with a hint of surprise. And a lot of familiar things too. It was unusual for me to find someone dealing with that kind of madness themselves, and it felt like I was staring at a very weird mirror at that moment. Of course, those experiences didn't shape us both to be the same… but something else came up while discussing it.

"That's rough."

"Plus incredibly intense at times, but I handle it out by just ignoring the worst-"

"And taking in the best from those experiences."

"Damn right," Vixy said while nodding, a vibrant smile on her face. "Like, you are doing well. I can tell you are happy."

"Likewise, I see you're having fun with the whole vlogger you two have running."

…

There was an awful amount of silence in the kitchen during this exchange and I realized that the girls were staring at us in shock. In the end, it was Taffy that spoke up after recovering from this unusual scene.

"Did you just… bond… like that?"

"I mean, I wouldn't call it bonding," I said with a frown. "Maybe understanding?"

"Yeah, that sounds more appropriate," Vixy accepted with a sigh. "And seriously, there is other stuff needed to make friends like that."

"Like hang outs-"

"More visits."

"And more more," I concluded that strange chain-reaction we triggered so smoothly. Once again, the rest of the living room's occupants were baffled by what they were listening to.

"What are they doing?" Mora questioned and Tiggs hummed.

"I think the little spoons are bonding."

The comment stole a snort out of me and… Vixy. We both paused, but we didn't add more to the current fire unfolding there. It didn't take long for simpler topics to be brought up and for the rest of the conversation to ultimately conclude pleasantly. By the end of that day, I still couldn't help but wonder how unusual of a discovery that ended up to be. While I tried to hold any major reaction to what Tiggs brought up at the end of their visit, I ended up noticing that what she said was technically true. I did match with Vixy in some aspects but the whole situation with the similarities was absurd.

We had their numbers and they could call if they wanted to check again, which I had the impression they were planning to consider from Traci's perspective 'little spoons would want to bond some more'. There was something awfully funny about that entire idea that left me amused, confused and unable to generally process what it was all about.

And as the last days of 'simplicity' came to an end, the new week opened to a very tough challenge ahead. One pushed forth by new arrivals and… Life itself.

AN

So, Vixy and Declan share a lot in terms of personality and backstory?

Mostly backstory, not much with personality. Still, Declan's dad is an absolute Jerk.

While Carmesi is just an utter prick with a heart. Somehow.

Ouch.