Turning the paper over in her hand, Jo searched for a time listed - but she couldn't find one. All Emily wrote was for Jo to join them for "supper" and that she wouldn't take no for an answer. However, the girl had not clued her in on what time to actually show up.

Hopefully Jo would run into her at some point and be able to ask. After all, she would normally see Emily passing by her fence a few times during her work day either when watering her crops, collecting weeds, or just heading into town. Today was not the time for any exceptions.

After receiving the note, Jo figured it was only right for her to pick up something to give her new neighbors as a "thank you." Showing up to a dinner party empty handed just screamed rude.

Knowing she didn't have any time to actually cook or bake a single thing, Jo settled for some flowers as her gift. Plus, it gave her a great excuse to snoop around Alice's stand once more.

With the bouquet of flowers in hand, Jo made her way up towards Peach Plaza, saying hi to Pinky as she passed. When reaching the Plaza itself, Jo smiled at the sun shining across the stone paths and building sides. Sunshine was on top of the list of things that made Jo exceptionally happy - anyone who could see her now would have no choice but to agree.

She gazed around, the sound of the fountain filling her ears as she slowed her pace. There were commissions for her to start or finish back at her workshop, but she figured the break wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Arlo would be proud.

She wasn't sure why her mind had instantly jumped to the man. Well, she partially did. It was him who had told her to slow down and rest only days before - though she had decided to ignore his efforts. Still, she wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that her thoughts had conjured him up so quickly.

And maybe even quite literally conjured him up - because now he was suddenly there. She could see him farther up the hill by the empty cafe. Although, he didn't see her.

Instead, his focus was on a young woman next to him. She wore an ensemble made up of mainly yellow while her brown hair ran in a braid. Their conversation seemed light and Jo watched as Arlo kindly smiled at the girl, but kept his body shifted away. Meanwhile, the girl's body language was different. She completely faced him, her eyes glued to him as they passed words back and forth.

Jo hadn't even realized she had come to a complete stop as she was staring at them.

Creeper.

She walked on, tearing her eyes away. Had she met that girl before? She had met so many people that first day in Portia that it was really hard for her to remember.

Oh, wait - yes!

Jo's memory served her well as she recalled the long trip she had to take up the side of, what she had complained to be, a mountain. After passing rocky wooden structures and uneven stone steps, Jo had come across a building - the Church of Light.

The girl had told Jo that she was serving a mission in Portia. She seemed like a nice girl… but now Jo was forgetting her name.

Naomi...Nova…

Nora!

Jo let out a big "ha!" in her head as she remembered, feeling even more foolish. Her entire collection of thoughts from the last three minutes could actually all be considered an embarrassment. Why did she care so much about seeing Nora and Arlo together?

Well, maybe she didn't.

If anything, she just felt that there was something interesting in the way that Nora looked at him.

It was so specific.

It was as if… she believed he put the stars in the sky.

Having worked all day, Jo was glad that she had made time to shower before coming over to Emily's. Her hair was still air drying, making her natural waves twist messily into one another - but it was better than stinking like sweat and sawdust.

Rapping her fingers against the door, Jo didn't have to wait long before it opened in front of her - revealing Emily.

"Jo!" The girl declared, moving to give her a hug. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Thank you for inviting me," Jo said as they pulled apart. "Oh, these are for you." She handed over the flowers now, relieved to see the delight that spread over Emily's face.

"They're wonderful! I'm going to get these into a vase right away. Come in, come in," Emily said, waving Jo inside.

Right as she walked through the doorway, Jo was met with smells that made her stomach rumble. She had hoped that Emily, or the other new company hadn't heard it.

"Welcome, Jo," McDonald shot out as he laid an empty plate on the table. "Hope you're hungry."

"Well, if I wasn't before, I definitely am now," she told him.

As if appearing out of the air, Sophie suddenly gave Jo's back a little push, aiming her towards the table. "In that case, let's eat. The food is ready and there are hungry mouths to feed."

"You two sit," Emily told them. "We'll bring the rest over."

Following their orders, Jo moved to a side of the table and sat down in a chair. Sophie did the same, situating herself in the seat just catty corner to Jo as McDonald and Emily walked back and forth from the counter to the table - delivering a new dish each time. It was a full blown feast.

"Holy… you didn't have to go through all of this trouble," Jo told them, staring around.

"Oh shush, child," Sophie answered. "We are more than capable and more than willing. Now eat up."

Jo pressed her lips together as she tried to hide her smile. Still, she took the woman's advice and began to join in on their process of scooping food onto her plate and passing any dishes requested. She hadn't done something of this sort since the Autumn Harvest in her own town three years ago.

The room began to fill with their voices, mainly of Jo's hosts as she listened to their stories. The glow of the lighted flames in their fireplace made the walls dance behind them - making them look like travelers sharing the tales of their journeys. Even Sophie's small frame and soft exterior seemed grand in their intimate space. Jo wanted to write stories starring her three dinner companions - making them each a strong wizard, warrior, or animal tamer. Unfortunately, she knew she didn't possess the talent to do it.

"I remember that was the first night I met your Pa," McDonald said as he continued his story. "I'll never forget it. He was the one who suggested we bury ourselves in hay in order to lose Aadit and his father on our heels. But we learned our lesson and never dared to steal apples for the farm again."

"Good thing too," Sophie said. "Or else I would have started putting needles and pitchforks in that hay for you boys to find."

"Ouch, Granny," Emily spoke up with a laugh.

"Well, serves them right. After all those apples they've given us," Sophie said, giving McDonald a disapproving shake of her head.

"Oh, Sophie, come on. Those were different times. We were kids," he told her.

"You were friends with my Pa?" Jo jumped in after waiting her turn. She had set her fork down, no longer as interested in the delicious food in front of her.

McDonald suddenly seemed embarrassed, as if he hadn't fully realized what he had said before.

"Y-yes," he stuttered out. However, he captured control over the rest of his words. "Some would say we were pretty darn close."

"He used to spend a lot of night's with us - for supper. While they were just boys and even as they became men," Sophie explained.

An ache grew in Jo's chest and throat.

"What was he like?" She asked, unable to help herself. "...Fr.. from your point of view, that is…."

McDonald shot a look at Sophie, who gave him a nod as she closed her eyes.

"Your Pa was one of the best people I've ever known." The man's voice was softer now, more gentle. He didn't dare touch his fork either. "We met forty years ago and have been friends ever since. Up until the end."

The word end shook through Jo, rattling her right down to her toes. It nearly took her breath away.

When she had told Emily that first day in town that she didn't mind talking about her Pa - she had meant it. But now, with McDonald's word, she felt otherwise. She had wanted to talk about her father - she had been the one to ask, after all - but now there was something within her feeling indifferent.

Maybe it was because no one had really talked to her about her father so far. It was a lot easier to decide your emotions when you didn't really have to face the situation itself.

Or maybe it was because McDonald actually shared an intimate past with her father. Something she hadn't really ran into before. And now it made the lump in her throat growing sore and full.

Swallow it.

"Did he love Portia?" she asked him, her fingers tapping delicately against the table top as she continued on.

McDonald nodded slowly. "He did. He said he never wanted to leave. Only time he did was when…"

He didn't need to finish his statement. Both he and Jo knew what he was referring to.

Was when he chased after my mom… and they had me.

But then he had come back.

"We missed him," Sophie chimed in. "But your father always had an act for doing the right thing."

Jo looked at her now, seeing Sophie's wise eyes on her.

"And you were the right thing," she finished.

Now Jo's chest grew tighter. How could the woman say that? She barely knew Jo. She barely knew Jo's mother. For all she did know, Jo's mother and her could be terrible people who only tore her father apart.

Though, they hadn't been. Jo's father coming back to Portia was a completely civil decision. She wondered if the folks sitting in front of her knew that.

She also wondered if they knew about the letters she had sent to her father. The dozens of notes begging him to come back to her, but he never did. However, she eventually felt selfish for her behavior - which was beginning to resurface based on the stories, and even expressions, from her current company.

"I'm glad he came back," Jo said, trying to makeup for the thoughts that had passed through her mind. Though they couldn't read them, she still felt like she owed the words to them.

Sophie smiled, her hand suddenly on top of Jo's. The touch made Jo's heart squeeze as she stared at the woman's wrinkled skin. She wanted to thank her - for more reasons than she understood.

"Mc… grab the photo album, would you?" Sophie said, her eyes raising to Jo's. "Would you like to see some photos of your father?"

Jo took a slow breath in as her eyes cast downward.

Would she? She wasn't so sure.

However, when she looked up and saw the leather bound book residing in McDonald's hands - she answered instantly.

"Yes. I would love that."

They placed the album in front of her as Emily scooted in closer, her shoulder brushing against Jo's right. Emily helped her open the book, flipping towards pages as if she knew the exact location of each photo.

"This is one of my favorites," Emily told her as she pointed.

On the page, Jo could see a photo of her father kneeling down on one knee, smiling at the camera as he had his arms wrapped around some sort of animal on each side.

Jo laughed. "Oh my God. What are those things?"

"They're Colorful Llamas," Emily informed her. "They're right near your house. Haven't you seen them?"

Jo shook her head as she stared at the photo still.

"Well, you're bound to at some point. They loved your Pa. He was always feeding and petting them. Even brought them blankets sometimes."

Now they were flipping to a new page.

"Ah, there's your Pa and me," McDonald pointed to two photos at the bottom. They were a set - the same occasion, but separate poses. The men looked more like boys with their floppy hair and tanned skin.

"Oh, and there's one from when your dad tried to ride a horse for the first time. Got knocked right off," McDonald told her with a hoot.

Sure enough, the photo displayed a young version of her father as he laid laughing on his back, the horse running away in the background.

Jo could feel her cheeks growing warm, another lump growing in her throat as they turned to the next page. The three others had their eyes only focused down on the pages, pointing more photos out to her and explaining the history behind each.

One from when her father had tried to cook Sophie a meal in her own kitchen and nearly set the stove on fire.

One from where her father won third place in the Workshop Ranking and held up his prizes to the camera.

One from where he seemed to be looking for a hammer, while McDonald stood in the corner of the photo - obviously hiding it.

All these moments. These were moments of her father's life that had all occurred without her there. Not only because she wasn't born yet, but because they had been apart.

It was like seeing a piece of you, but not knowing if you could call it yours.

"Oh, and here's this one... " Sophie said, sliding a photo out of it's plastic covering before Jo could see it.

She stared at it in her hands, a sad smile resting on her lips before she slowly handed the photo to Jo.

"This one's my favorite."

Jo took the photo from her without saying a single word. She turned it to sit upright as she stared at the image in front of her.

Her fingers came up to brush the shiny, gloss that laid over the photo - keeping the colors vibrant and intact, though it was obviously old.

It was her. And him. She had to be four or five, wrapping one arm around his leg as she held a plastic screwdriver in her little hand. Her father stood feet above her in old jeans and a plaid shirt as he held up a real screwdriver. They both had the fullest grins on their face, Jo's set of teeth gapped and crooked.

Each breath kept hitching in her chest as her nose started to run.

It was before. Before he had moved back to Portia. It had to be one of the last photos that they had taken together considering that was around the time he left. Jo had never seen it.

Where did Sophie get this?

She had remembered that day, though. That whole time period in her life. When her father would start a project for someone in the neighborhood - either building something completely new or fixing something that had been broken. And Jo would insist on helping as she carried out her plastic tool belt, put on a pair of his work goggles that were much too big, and utter their shared catchphrase.

"Nothing we can't build."

Jo let out a shaky breath, suddenly becoming aware of herself.

She was crying. Thick tears were streaming down her face and she sniffling like a madwoman to prevent anything dripping from her nose. Her cheeks were likely fully flushed red now, only growing deeper in color as she tried to wipe the tears away. Complete embarrassment swept over her as she placed the photo down on the table and turned away to her left.

"I'm sorry," Jo said, grabbing her napkin in order to dab her nose and cheeks.

Damn her emotions for getting the best of her.

Jo felt a hand touch her back, rubbing side to side gently as she began to steady her breath.

"It's alright, Jo," Emily voiced.

"We should be the ones apologizing," McDonald said. "Should have known better than to bring out the photo album."

Jo shook her head, trying to tell them it was okay - but she didn't completely trust her voice yet. Taking a few more breaths, she turned back to face front again. Underneath her eyes felt raw as she wiped away one last tear, catching the way that Sophie was looking at her.

The woman's eyes were curious, her lips pressed tightly together as she was conscious of Jo's features. Her gaze grew more serious almost making Jo feel pined.

"You should take the photo," Sophie told her. "I think it's better in your hands."

What?

"No, no," Jo began, waving her hands in front of the album. "I couldn't."

"You can," Sophie jumped in. "And you will."

Jo looked down to Sophie holding the photo out to her again.

Emily was now up, clearing away dishes as McDonald assisted her in bringing them to the sink. Perhaps they figured she needed the space.

"It may not seem like it right now," Sophie began again. "But you need that photo."

Jo swallowed hard as she took the photo from Sophie and held it gently in her fingertips. She tried to keep her mind clear as her eyes shifted down to the photo again - her vision was blurred as she didn't fully register the image.

"Thank you," Jo said, not completely sure what she was thanking the woman for anymore. It could have been any part of the night.

Sophie didn't say a word, only squeezed her hand again before slowly getting up.

"Now… for a nice cup of tea before bed."

The town was quiet. It seemed like most had called it an early night as windows were black and the streets were cleared already - well before even ten o'clock.

Arlo had apparently missed the memo. Rather than being tucked away in bed, he was sitting on top of his horse as they made their way through Peach Plaza. He was on a late round as a result of some "skin crawling" sounds that had been heard coming from Western Beach. Or so the Hulu brothers had told him earlier that day.

Passing out of the main entrance, Arlo continued down the path. His hands adjusted on his reigns as he became aware of the small house that sat to the left of him. He tried to keep his eyes ahead, but he felt them sliding over regardless. The lights inside were also out, suggesting that the owner had taken a chapter from the rest of the town's book.

Not that he knew of her schedule. Going to bed early could be a normal occurrence for her.

Continuing on, he could see some items sitting in her yard that were each their own beautiful creation. Even from where he was, he could see the seamless structure of hardwood couches, water tanks, and even a partially finished Dee Dee stop.

The words quick learner began to echo through his head.

Sliding his eyes away, Arlo continued down the path with a smile now spreading on his face. The thought to bring a hand up to smooth it from lips passed through his mind, but he never managed. Instead, the smile fell away on its own as he caught sight of something in the grass twenty feet away from Jo's fence.

Or rather someone.

Pressing on, Arlo got closer before he could actually make out the scene in front of him.

There she was. Laying on her back with her arms behind her head as they served as a pillow. She hadn't noticed him as her eyes remained upwards, clouds of air coming from her lips as the spring weather had turned colder for the night.

Arlo slowed his horse, the image of her making it incapable for him to move on. But only because he had known he should check on her. What kind of public protector would he be if he hadn't?

"Everything okay, Jo?"

The puff of air from Jo's lips was suddenly sucked in as her head turned to look at him.

"Oh, Arlo," she began, not getting up from her spot on the ground. "You startled me."

"Apologies," Arlo offered, steadying his horse's antsy feet. "I just wanted to check on you. It's getting late and quite cold out here."

"Mmm," Jo said, turning her head forward again so her eyes looked upwards. "Yeah…. I'll head in soon. I just needed the fresh air to clear my head."

Her words reminded him of the day before, when she had insisted he not fret over her injuries. It was another case of Jo trying to fend for herself, it seemed.

Arlo laughed. "This looks more like you trying to purposely get yourself sick. You definitely won't be able to keep up your commissions with a nasty head cold."

His tone was light, the same teasing they had shared before. It was a safe place among them that he couldn't help but to return to. To enjoy.

But maybe tonight was not the right time for that.

Her eyes remained upward, not even caring to respond to his words - which caused his brows to pull together. She was looking up at the sky as if waiting for something to appear in the stars. What that could be - he wasn't sure of.

"Jo..." he began.

She surprised him by speaking up, her voice just loud enough for him to hear.

"Do you ever just feel… so sorry for something that isn't even your fault?" she said, her question pointed up towards the stars.

He released a breath, her words melting into his skin - causing his brow to furrow deeper instead of smoothing away the crease.

Her question laid in his hands and he wasn't sure how to take care of it or hand it back to her. He desperately wanted to give her the answer that she was searching for in the sky, but they both had known he couldn't.

He opened his mouth, not sure of what to try, but she spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Arlo," she breathed out another cloud. "Do you think I could be alone? I'm not much of myself right now."

Silence fell through the night air as they remained in their respective spaces. Even as he still stared at her, he felt as if he had already left. As if she were floating above him, not ready to come back down to Earth just yet.

Without uttering another word, Arlo felt his shoulders and arms grow heavy before he flicked movement through his reigns, kicking his horse's sides. He did as she asked, as he believed she needed.

He left in silence, knowing she didn't need anymore noise.