Much later that night, Evelyn lay on her back, hands linked behind her head and eyes on the ceiling. Next to her ear, Finn snuffled and twitched in uneasy sleep. She wasn't that surprised when he jerked awake, sniffling and grumbling and nuzzling her cheek. She closed her eyes and nuzzled back, cheek rubbing against his before he finally pulled away and fluttered up to sit on her chest.

"I can't sleep," he announced unnecessarily, groggy and droopy-eyed.

"Mm," Evelyn agreed, reaching over to rub his sleep-mussed hair.

"I'm… scared," he admitted, shamefaced and quiet.

"Of?" Evelyn prompted, though she had a good idea of what he was going to say next.

"Of messing up. The other Sprites, they're older and bigger'n me, and have so much more magic than me. If they couldn't even Ring their Bells, how am I supposed to help them? I'm just… me…" Finn whispered, his tiny hands wringing and twisting together.

"You know what just you did?" His big glossy eyes met hers imploringly and she smiled softly before bopping his tiny nose. "You found me. You flew all over the country, all by yourself, teeny tiny you, and you found me in the middle of a giant city, with thousands of people all around you. You did something amazing and brave and huge. Have the other Sprites ever left Castanet?"

"Nnnoooo," Finn drawled slowly, his pointed ears perking up and his chest puffing out.

"That's right. Just you. You had a grand, gigantic adventure all by yourself. You're just as much a hero as you think I'm going to be. Don't sell yourself short, Tiny," she giggled as she poked his tummy and he squealed like the Pillsbury Doughboy. "We should get some sleep," she said through a jaw-cracking yawn.

"Yeah, I'm sleepy. Thank you for making me feel better!" Finn said as he curled up on their pillow. Evelyn turned over onto her side towards him and cupped her hand gently around his tiny body.

"Thank you for finding me," she whispered back. He snored in reply, making her smile. It was big, momentous, huge. Most people wouldn't even know she did it, but she was going to become a hero for this little guy, for the Harvest Goddess, and it was terrifying. "I hope I won't let you two down."

Evelyn had already watered her field, gushing and cheering over how quickly her crops were growing, and fed her calf. Now she was standing out in the sunlight brushing Hera down and humming happily along with Finn, when she heard someone whistling. She looked up, shading her eyes, and burst into a grin.

"Toby!" she exclaimed as she waved ecstatically. Hera jerked her head up and lowed in protest, making Evelyn laugh. She patted the calf's head, then jogged to where Toby was waiting and grinning back at her.

"Good mornin'. I hear you've been gettin' around our town. Most everyone's met you already," Toby drawled. Evelyn shrugged.

"I don't like just sitting around. I haven't met everyone up in Garmon Mines yet. I got across the bridge a little late."

"Hm, right. I heard the bridge needed some repairs. I don't go up there, myself. The fishing is better in Flute Fields or on the docks," Toby told her with a small, self-deprecating smirk.

"Maybe I'll fish with you soon. I was gonna go buy a chick today, I've got enough auree for it, finally. And I promised Dale I'd go into Fugue Forest to find… uh… Logan? Louie? Lu…"

"Luke."

"Luke!" Evelyn grinned and smacked one fist into the opposing palm. Toby chortled. "Dale even gave me an axe to get into the Forest. He let me borrow his hammer, too."

"Luke does like to forget to leave the Forest sometimes. He refuses to admit he gets lost, and I think Dale is tired of dragging the prodigal son home," Toby joked, getting Evelyn to laugh with him. "I'm heading down to the beach that's on the way to Flute Fields. It's not a bad place to fish. I could wait for you now and we could go together," he suggested. It looked as though his cheeks were a little pinker than usual, but it was probably just the early spring sun. Evelyn grinned eagerly.

"Sounds like a plan! I love the beach. I've been so busy trying to meet everyone and figure out all the places on the map, I haven't actually had time to go back down and enjoy it yet," Evelyn sighed softly. "Alright, do I need anything- no, I think I've got all I need… I guess..." she shrugged and hefted her rucksack a bit more securely. "Let's just head out. Lead the way!"

Toby chuckled and turned towards the road. Evelyn chattered away about who she'd met so far, asking about empty houses she'd seen and what Toby did when he wasn't fishing- 'Maybe I'm just used to the city too much, but sometimes I just wanna do something after running around all day. Like go to the movies, a coffee shop, a library, something.' 'The school house has a library in the basement. It sounds worse than it is. We don't have a lot of books, but there are some good choices. Brass Bar tends to be the meet up place, though.' All in all, Evelyn enjoyed the meandering walk towards the beach. She wasn't running around doing this or that for whoever wanted whatever. Just her and a friend that seemed to enjoy her company. Headed to Flute Fields as she was, she might even see Renee. Great start to a beautiful day, she thought to herself, hands clasped behind her back as she hummed contentedly.

The beach was the same as she remembered; just a short stretch of land with clear blue water lapping at the white sands. It was pretty and private and a few shells were scattered over the cove's beach once more.

"I'm going to get a better look around. I'll come say bye before I go, though," Evelyn promised even as Toby set down his tackle box and began to ready his fishing pole.

"Mhm, if you see any of those pink shells, make sure to snag 'em. Julius likes to buy them for jewelry, and lots of people like them. You'll make a lot of friends for cheap," he suggested with a teasing little wink. Evelyn laughed and wandered off, glad that the shells she'd collected before were worth something. She'd have to remember to put them in the sale box.

"I finally get to talk! I hate it that you can't talk to me when other people are around! Just tell them I'm here so you don't ignore me all morning!" Finn burst out as he fluttered and flailed around her. Evelyn stifled a laugh.

"I can't do that. They'll think I'm more crazy, not be convinced I'm not crazy," Evelyn retorted. She let out a soft, pleased noise and picked up a bright pink shell that felt slightly ribbed under her questing fingertips. "I wonder what kinda jewelry they make…"

"EVIE!" Finn shrieked, flying right into her chest hard enough to have the breath whooshed out of her.

"What the snapple was that for?!" Evelyn exclaimed, clutching Finn to her breastbone and gasping.

"Evelyn?" Toby called out faintly.

"Nothing! I'm fine!"

"LOOK LOOK!" Finn all but screamed, his tiny arms waving in the direction in front of them. In the sand, something glimmered faintly. Something very not-shell-like and… yellow?

"Is that a… no way!" Evelyn took off across the beach, sand spraying up behind her. In seconds, she was falling to her knees, wincing slightly at the thud, and began to tug and dig around the strangely curved object. It pulled free from the damp layer of sand abruptly, causing her to fall back on her butt with a loud 'oomph'. "It is a bell! Is it–"

"It's definitely a Bell! It's Collin's!" Even as Finn spoke, it began to shine faintly and vibrate in her hands. With a loud, startled squawk, she dropped it and scuttled backwards. It flashed so brightly, she was blinking away spots and barely managed to make sense of the small body forming in front of her. For a long moment, it was actually translucent, like a blurry holograph in a cheap scifi movie. The yellow-clad being, who looked very much like a larger Finn, wobbled and blinked as it solidified.

"Huh- whu-?" the little fairy mumbled in confusion, large head woozily searching around itself. It blinked wildly when it made eye contact with her with a loud gasp. "You can see me?"

"Yes, I'm Evelyn," Evelyn blurted rather dumbly.

"And I'm Finn! You're Collin! We just found you!" Finn exclaimed, hanging off Evelyn's shoulder.

"Yup, that's me! Whadd'm I doin' here?" the confirmed Collin muttered, looking around the beach again.

"You were trying to Ring the Bell... a long while ago now, but… " Evelyn prompted meaningfully.

"Oh, that's right! The Bell! I tried to Ring it, but I didn't have enough strength. I thought I'd take my Bell myself to rejuvenate it, but I must've gotten too weak. Hey, hey, how does the ocean say hello?" Collin asked eagerly, eyes bright. Evelyn and Finn gaped at him, exchanging confused glances. "With a hi-tide!" he laughed wildly before breaking off into a gasp, his body flickering like a holograph again. "Oohhh, I think I'm still too weak. Even my jokes aren't as good…"

"But the Bell? How can you Ring the Bell like this?" Finn asked anxiously.

"Can we help you somehow?" Evelyn offered barely keeping herself from lunging forward to help him right then, as if cuddling him close would keep him from flickering away.

"Yes, I need the… moon… light…" Collin mumbled as the Bell glowed faintly once more and he faded completely away.

"Oh no! How can we Ring the Bell if he can't even stay awake long enough to get it where it belongs?!" Finn sobbed, big tears streaming down his face.

"I'm sure we can figure it out," Evelyn soothed. She let out a short scream as a hand descended on her shoulder.

"Evvy, it's just me! Are you alright? I didn't… did I scare you?" Toby's voice broke through the panic, soothing and bewildered at once.

Evelyn gasped, palm pressed to her chest and feeling her heartbeat rapidly thumping against her breastbone. She glanced up to Toby's concerned face and slowly felt a flush creep over her face while her breathing slowed.

"I'm so sorry, I totally forgot you were there. Oh my gosh, you were there the whole time?" Evelyn wheezed, her pulse ratcheting up again.

"The whole time? It's just been a second since you fell. I ran right over here. Did you hit your head?" Toby's concern increased the more she spoke. He even knelt beside her, the hand not on her shoulder hovering next to her temple as if barely containing the urge to check for bumps himself.

"No, no, just startled myself, that's all! Look what I found!" she almost shrieked as she shoved the Bell between them, face redder with desperation to change the subject.

"Hu– what– oh. I've seen one of these before," Toby exhaled bemusedly, his eyes widening only for a moment in surprise, pretty pale green a flash and gone. His tanned fingers travelled over the symbols and decorations along the Bell's edges, and Finn and Evie gaped at him in wonder. "It was blue, but it looked just like this. Did you just find this now? Here on this beach?" Toby clarified, pale brows contracting into a frown as he looked over to the hole in the sand in front of them.

"Uh, yeah, you said you saw a blue one?" Evie exclaimed.

"I'm sure I have… it's funny, though. I've come to this beach a thousand times and never saw this. You must be something special, Evelyn," Toby mused when he returned his gaze to her under heavy-lidded eyes, his smile slow and warm. Evie's heart thudded hard as her mouth snapped shut.

"No, just lucky. The tide and stuff…" Evie mumbled senselessly while Toby chuckled softly.

"The Blue Bell, Evie!" Finn hollered. Evie jumped in shock, which made Toby flinch in surprise. Evie laughed and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly– a poor cover-up. She grimaced as sand slid down the neckline of her blouse at the action.

"You were saying something about a blue bell?" Evie prompted again. Toby squinted a little at her.

"Yeah, I think… in the Watery Cave? Hamilton closed it up a couple years back, after Chloe and Paolo and Taylor went missing for almost a whole day and we found them down there. My uncle Ozzie, though, he has the key and I've gone in there a few times. There's this arch and a big bell, it looks just like this one but bright blue, is hanging in there," Toby explained, not quite succinctly. Evie glanced towards Finn, who looked like he was barely keeping from bursting into pieces. Toby frowned again, quickly smoothing it away when she turned back to him.

"I can't today, but do you think you can take me there? Like, really soon?" Evelyn asked, eyes bright with elation. Toby had to look away, cheeks pinkening, as he covered his mouth with his fist and cleared his throat. Evelyn cocked her head to the side in confusion. "You okay there? Sand in your throat?"

"Y-yeah, something like that. Sure, I'll take you to the cave. Come find me any day and we'll get the key from my uncle and go," Toby offered when he collected himself and met her gaze again. Evelyn smiled so wide and brightly, her face was in in danger of cracking in two. She gripped Toby's arms a shade too tightly in her enthusiasm.

"Thank you! That'll help so much! I better go find me a wayward woodsman, but I'll see you soon!" she promised. She scrambled to her feet the moment she released him and he followed her lead just a beat behind.

"I'll be here," Toby replied a little strangely. He looked a little… railroaded and befuddled, but he was smiling, so Evelyn supposed he was going to forgive her weirdness… for now.

She took off, waving, before he could think too much about it. She didn't look back, too busy shoving the Bell into her pack and squealing with Finn over how easily everything was coming together. Which also meant she didn't notice him staring after her, even long after she was out of sight.

As Evelyn and Finn left the Ranch and went up the hill, one striding swiftly and the other darting around and chiming, they discussed their plans for the rest of the Bells. A baby chick named Aphrodite had been bought with a promise from Cain that he would take her to Serenity before dinner time, which gave her a few hours since it wasn't quite noon yet.

"We have the Yellow one, and the Blue one we should be able to get to really soon. That leaves the Green, the Red, and the… the…"

"Purple! Edge! He's barely any older than me, but he's… kinda a crybaby," Finn recounted with a complicated little frown on his face- as if conflicted to talk ill of his older sibling but unable to say it any other way. Evelyn snorted under her breath.

"Right, the problem is, we can't ring this Yellow one until we figure how to recharge Collin's… batteries, so to speak," Evelyn asked. Finn nodded so hard she was worried his neck might snap.

"Right! And we need to place it in its arch! It's the Bell of Earth, so its Arch should be somewhere where the soil is the richest and strongest," Finn explained.

"Rich, strong soil? Well, Craig and Ruth run Marimba. They would know where the richest, strongest soil is. It might even be their farm," Evelyn pointed out pensively.

They came up to the entrance of the Fugue Forest then. The gate was whitewashed, the paint eerily bright in the sudden gloom of the trees. With the dimmed light, the sounds of nature seemed hushed and echoing. With the air heavy and humid under the dark canopy, it was as though they'd stepped underwater. Finn gulped loudly and darted to her neck to hide under her hair.

"It's kinda… creepy," Finn whispered.

"It's an old forest, according to Dale. Some of the trees are older than even the Goddess Tree. But yeah, it might be a little creepy," Evelyn agreed, patting Finn's back comfortingly. She fished out the key to the gate that Dale had given her, barely glancing at the sign that warned not to enter without both hammer and axe.

On the other side of the gate, the eerie silence seemed to get even heavier. It was like a living, breathing thing that hovered just out of sight. She took a deep steadying breath, straightened her spine, and walked forward, chin held high. Sunlight occasionally worked its way through the thick canopy ahead, but it was mostly just dim. The sound of birds and other invisible forest creatures were muffled and distant. It felt surreal; the twists and turns of the path were often difficult to find. Twice she went back the way she came before she started scratching marks into rocks at the entrance and exits of each little clearing. She only stopped to pick up mushrooms and toadstools (the easiest things to sell while her crops grew) and soon became aware of a sound distinctly non-natural. A steady thud-thud-thuck of an axe had the anxious nerves in her limbs settling and her pace hastening in eagerness. She stumbled into a clearing moments after hearing the thudding, a small clearing with only a single stump- a single stump being eyed up by a young man about her own age. His bright clothes and fiery bandana were so blindingly out of place in this gloomy-lit place, it almost took her breath away. He hefted an axe so shiny and sharp it glinted like a sword in a samurai-flick, braced his long legs, and let out a very Goku-esque cry. She and Finn flinched back, too shocked to laugh, as his axe neatly busted through the stump and leaving it in two large pieces.

"Awesome!" the man exclaimed, fist-pumping to himself.

"Whoaaaa," Finn and Evelyn gasped together.

The guy turned around and Evelyn met pretty cat-like gold eyes under wild blue hair. He was some combination of boyish, wild, and pretty and she was instantly charmed by the wide, trusting, and welcoming grin he flashed at her.

"Hey! You're new! I'm Luke!" he announced brash and loud. She was surprised birds didn't fly from the trees, but maybe they were used to this man-boy who seemed to have forgotten he'd been there for more than three days. The dirt and sweat stains on his mussed up clothes gave away that he really hadn't left in all that time.

Evelyn was laughing as she approached, hand held out to shake. "I'm Evelyn," she greeted with a voice still full of amusement. He didn't seem the least put out or confused by her reaction. Just gripped her hand almost too-tightly and gave it a vigorous shake.

"Nice ta meetcha. You the new rancher Hamilton couldn't shut up about?" Luke asked good-naturedly as he rocked back on his heels, axe still propped up on one shoulder.

"That'd be me, yup. I moved into that house in Clarinet district."

"Awesomesauce, dude! That's super close to me. Have you been up to Garmon Mines?" At her nod, he swung his fist across his body and then gave her a thumbs-up. "I shoulda known. I'd recognize my Pa's old tools anywhere any time," he said as he pointed to the axe and hammer strapped to her rucksack.

"Yes, he gave me the axe, but I have to return the hammer. Actually, I'm supposed to return you," Evelyn explained with a mischievous twinkle in her auburn eyes.

Luke blinked at her, dumbfounded. "Huh? Return me?"

"You've been here for about four days, Luke. Your father is worried about you," she replied. Her voice filled with laughter again, lips twitching up in the corners. His pretty gold eyes widened in shock before he burst into guffaws.

"I didn't even notice! I always pack myself a lot of food. I noticed it was pretty low, but didn't think it'd been that long! But, jeesh, he doesn't need to send a pretty new girl after me. What kinda reputation am I gonna have now?" he grumbled, arms crossing his chest even as his mouth twitched up to match hers.

"Probably the exact reputation you deserve," she retorted. They both laughed together, and he clapped her shoulder.

"I think we're gonna be good friends. That house you moved into is a shack, and you're gonna need lumber to get it, and the rest of the buildings, in ship-shop-shape," Evelyn mouthed ship-shop-shape to herself in amusement, "and I can help you with that. I'm the awesomest wood-cutter around. I'm even better than my Pops!"

"I saw what you did. I'm not surprised at all. I am your willing pupil."

"Pupil?" Luke repeated with a befuddled frown. Evelyn smiled.

"Student. I am your willing student."

"Oh! Awesome!"

"Awesome!" Evelyn agreed. She held out her fist and he eagerly bumped it. They made an explosion sound as their fists opened, which made them laugh again. "Why don't we save the lessons for another day? It's getting to lunchtime and I'm ready to go eat."

"Hey, yeah! I'm starving! Wanna share some of what's left of my food? I had bananas, but I always eat them first. So, um, I got some bit of boiled spinach left, and– oh! A whole vegetable sandwich to split! That'll tide us over till we get home."

"We can eat at my farm before you head up the rest of the way, but..." she trailed off with an amused, crooked smile. "We get home?" Evelyn queried pointedly.

"Heck yeah, dude! I gotta wash up, but after that, you're gonna come up and have dinner with my Pops and me, and Bo, of course, and then we'll pick up Owen and go down to Brass Bar for drinks. I haven't seen anyone in days! I bet we could convince Kathy to hook up Hayden's old karaoke machine, too!" Luke rambled on, one sweaty arm already wrapped around her shoulders as he led her out of the clearing.

"Karaoke? That's sounds awesome! I mean, fun!" she laughed as she caught herself overusing what seemed to be Luke's favorite word. "I'm glad washing up is first on your list though. You smell disgusting, dude," Evelyn mocked, digging her bony elbow into his ribs. He squawked out a laugh and pinned her up close to his body, rubbing his fist into her hair. She squirmed and shrieked and laughed, barely even noticing how easily and quickly he led them out of the Forest.

As they left the Forest behind and rough-housed their way towards the bridge, a thought bubbled up into her mind. A Bell, plans to find another, a brand-new friend she immediately had a connection with, and plans for amazing fun night ahead– It really is a fantastic day.


A/N: EDIT 2/11/18