DISCLAIMER

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 11: Clue by Clue


The two new workers were finally starting to get accustomed to the farm life. Sarah was the one that managed to easily get hold of her task. After being given some proper clothes, with Mora reluctantly giving up one of her unused and held half shirts, the Cat Prime just began putting her head onto her new tasks. But her 'growth' wasn't possible just because it was a fairly simple work, but because she seemed to gain a degree of understanding over the way she was supposed to manage time between shifts, meals and sleep time.

While this might not be an achievement for many people, one thing that it was easy to ignore was that the blonde was working for the first time ever. A legitimate job that, albeit small and seemingly insignificant, was still an important tiny cog within the machinery that was Las Lindas.

Rachael was the one that ended up discovering plenty of troublesome issues early on. Starting from the fact she was at odds with Miles most of the time, the two exchanging jabs and quips whenever possible and every single moment they were busy with their shifts. Despite this, the competitions that would come out of each 'fight' would only bring them to do their best to outperform the other. There was never a clear winner from those, except the farm since it was easily getting the maximum effort from the two of them.

It wasn't even a case of exploitation since they both knew that it was the main reason why they were put against each other, and Miles just saw it as a reason to come back at the girl's snark about his tastes, while the young woman decided to return the favor by pestering him back. There was a lot of attrition between the two, but it seemed to disappear the very moment they were put away from their proximity.

Speaking of Rachael, there was also a curious problem I wasn't… exactly sure why it even existed. It was subtle at first, with her making brief comments about Mora and her personality while I was around and the owner of the farm was out to buy new resources with either Minos or Taffy. Then the situation took a 'stronger' look as her comments grew by length and by insistence.

"I just… don't understand it. Forgive me if I'm being too blunt about this it's just weird that someone as level headed and rational as you is dating someone like… her."

We were currently sitting by the kitchen when that unexpected debate came to be. Our respective shifts were over, and we were waiting for everyone rest to be done with their own tasks. Sarah was in the kitchen with Taffy, from what I could catch on their conversation while passing by, the two were considering the chances of combining efforts for the sake of pancakes. The Bunny Prime was, of course, reluctant to go through with this plan because… Sarah wasn't exactly experienced in handling a stove, even with adult supervision. Mora had taken a moment to check a few things by the Barn, while Minos and Miles were giving a quick look at the gates. Yesterday there was some heavy raining, so they were making sure the entire thing had held its first weather ordeal.

So it was just me and Rachael, and a crazy conversation I wasn't looking forward to after I was done with a strenuous day at the fields.

I sighed. "You are just angry because she was thinking of calling the police, a legitimate line of thought when it comes to thieves nowadays."

"I-I'm not saying she was wrong about that," She muttered nervously. "But I swear every time I see her staring at me, I feel like she is expecting me to do something bad. And she doesn't do this with Sarah, so it can't be about the attempted theft."

"I don't want to… burst the bubble here, but I'm quite sure it is about the theft. It's just that Sarah has her emotions at hand and isn't that much of a robber," I remarked calmly. "You have the intelligence and the pragmatism to think about it. She just needs to see you not do anything crazy for a while."

"How long?"

"I believe at least two months. I know it's a very long time but… she is that fierce when it comes to keeping the farm and its occupants safe."

"You say this as if I'm some sort of crimin- never mind."

I snorted at that. "I believe you are just a person that has to do things that you're not proud of. All because you had to survive together with your sister."

"...Why do you care this much about this bit? It's not like it matters about how I handle the job."

"Just because one thing isn't relevant to work, it doesn't mean I don't care about it," I pointed out with a frown. "You might think that you are here just as a worker, but… I guess the farm is a little more than just a workplace. I've been at a serious workplace. People are always formal, tentative- never checking on others. I don't want to make false promises, but I'm quite certain you and your sister will be fine here."

"..."

"Ah, and this even reminds me of one time when I was like… ten or something and I had this conversation with this little girl that was whining about the food and the people all around her. She hated formal parties and would pester her servants with demands to be brought back home and be left alone," I remembered, almost smiling at the small amusing pearl from my childhood.

"How does that… compare to the discussion we are having right now?"

"Well, I was around when those outbursts happened," I resumed my narration. "And I ended up having a little strange debate with that girl. She would then go off on a tangent about how she didn't care about being too loud and that she would have been louder because I told her that she needed to keep quiet. I was really short-tempered as a kid, so I replied quite… interestingly."

I couldn't exactly tell why, but there was an odd look plastered on her face.

"So I decided to give her a reason to stop by pinching her cheeks," I continued with a nod. "She would whine loudly about this, demanding to be let go… and I said that 'not caring about doing that and even pinching more if she didn't stop whining'. She seemed to catch on that lesson fairly quickly. The servants just stared and… allowed this to happen."

"Y-Yeah, that's… funny. Really funny."

I frowned at that response, confused by that reaction, but I decided to put an end to that little digression.

"The reason why this reminds me of that time is… because right now you are stubbornly trying to push a solution that you are already aware it will not work. All because you don't want to admit being wrong," I elaborated with a sigh. "It's alright to be prideful, but there is no reason to exaggerate because of it. You are smart, Rachael, there is no doubt in that, but you are also stubborn and quite silly when you want to be right in a situation where you know you are wrong."

"I… I suppose I'm giving it too much of a harsh look at it. It's just… I don't want to be screwed like this. Not like this."

"It will not happen. I can swear on my own life it will not happen."

She nodded, a tiny and relieved smile plastered on her face at hearing that.

The conversation didn't continue beyond that point. We decided to check by the kitchen and soon we were joined by the rest of the farm's workers, everyone was prepared for lunchtime together. Surprisingly enough, Rachael didn't seem to be putting too much attention on the cautious looks coming from Mora, her thoughtful look aimed at her food as she distractedly munched at the small bits she was cutting off from her meal.

With that discussion out of the way, I was left free to finally make the last preparations for something that I really had to handle now more than ever.

I had a hang out with Toots, and I wasn't missing it now that I had to know what was going on with her boss.


"It's a nice place."

"W-Well, I had to pick a good one. One that could spare us some privacy if we want to keep things quiet."

I nodded, addressing the nervous Mouse Prime as we both moved towards the counter to get ourselves some drinks already. Gossamer Spirit was smaller than the pub where Taffy used to work in, but the amount of clients, most of which were young and coming from the settlements nearby, was noticeably higher at this hour. It was still far from dinnertime, so there shouldn't be so many people… yet there were.

The owner of the place was a Cow Prime with violet fur, some darker spots on the upper section of her face. Her golden eyes regaled us with a dull glance before she offered a silent nod while we checked on the menu. She looked taller than Mora, but surprisingly enough less curvier than her. Just a sprinkle less when it came to hips and breasts, but she was still… fairly big. As a normal Cow Prime should be. She also looked fairly old, some wrinkles born from years of work now resting on her face.

"We'll take two cool beers," I muttered, getting a quick nod from Tootsie to confirm the order. The bartender nodded again and moved to pick two small bottles with the cheap alcohol.

"So, how do you want to start?"

The blonde groaned. "I thought you would have been the one asking things. Why are you giving me carte blanche?"

"I'm not one of our old teachers. Did you forget that I tend to have people list out their cases before dissecting their arguments?"

"Yes. But I think I can still dream a day when you would make life easier," The young woman shot back, gaining a shrug out of me. "Fine. I guess I can tell you a little bit about Ms. Alejandra."

I listened quietly as Tootsie finally got to tell me some more about her boss. It would seem like Alejandra first tried to get hold of a company by working her way into the administrative section. Things just didn't seem to take off when the owner decided to concede the company to his daughter despite the fact there were some minor promises of giving it to Alejandra.

In less than three years, the young woman bailed from that company with a modest sum of money to start her own organization, eventually conquering just enough workers, experts and resources to properly begin her own activity.

Tootsie was there since Square Negative One, having been part of the old company with Alejandra, but eventually joining her boss for her endeavor with a new group. She was the chief of the Development company and behind most of the machinery used at the farms. A marvelous genius that Toots was, I was actually surprised that none of the devices had some deadly option attached to it.

After watching one too many robot movies, the girl just loved to put epic features that most of the time tended to kill people. The only saving grace was that the young woman had enough common sense to put some safety measures to prevent disaster from ever happening. Still, I saw none of that back during that visit and it had me inquiring about this very matter.

"Ms. Alejandra was quite… serious about avoiding any problem with the workers. I know I tend to go overboard with cool-"

"Deadly," I corrected.

"Cool things," She happily ignored. "But I know when to put the serious hat on and do the best job possible."

"That's Toots for you," I cheered, getting a giggled out of the girl.

"And you are a prick, Declan. Seriously, I didn't expect… our reunion to end up this messy."

"Not my fault your boss went in that insane rant. She still owes Mora an apology-"

"You should know better than me that it isn't just going to happen. She is… too prideful on that front."

"I would still ask her that. it's just formality."

"Screw formality, we both know you never cared much about it. Where is the old Dec?"

"Probably in the deepest and most forgotten part of my brain," I muttered mirthfully. "Either that or he grew up and now works at Las Lindas."

Tootsie huffed. "Dammit."

Just as she said that, our discussion was briefly interrupted by an unexpected individual.

"You work for Diana's kid? I didn't think the farm was still operative," The bartender quipped, curiosity now playing by her golden eyes.

"You mean Diana Linda, right?"

"And who else? That woman was the one that revived the place after years of decline under the last two or three ownership of that farm," The Cow Prime continued. "Crazy but smart. And incredibly good at convincing people."

"You… know a lot about her," Tootsie pointed out and the older woman sighed.

"Damn right I do. She was a pest when she first got hold of the farm," The bartender replied. "Starting from the failing period where her mother just stopped caring for the place, Diana was the fresh wind that brought vigor to not only the farm but also this activity too. A local vendor was nice back then… but I guess Las Lindas has yet to get back on track with that front."

"Yeah, we are… starting back from early steps," I had to admit. "We are going pretty fast, but I believe we should have something going by the end of this year. I have yet to discuss this with Mora, but there are chances of moving into that direction."

"Heh, aren't you being too confidential with your boss? Faithful worker and all, but you are making it sound like you two are-"

"Together? Maybe… we are? But it's not about it since-"

"Hold up, you are dating Mora?" I frowned at that question but nodded.

"What about it?"

"I have many questions," The blonde pointed out, getting a snort from the bartender as she raptly listened to this take on the conversation.

"About what?"

"Why is it that you got yourself tangled with someone you have been working with for a couple of months, and I am still single after three years of effort?"

"I'm not afraid of talking informally with Mora?"

"That's a low blow," The Mouse Prime snorted, poking her elbow at mine. "But really, how?"

"Do you think you can safely ask her out while keeping things professional?"

"I… I didn't study the situation long enough."

"A single advice, young lady," The bartender commented. "If you want to make your position clear with someone, maybe it would be good if you made a few steps for yourself to show you are interested."

"And… that actually works?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Do you think it would work?"

Tootsie remained quiet, a thoughtful look plastered on her face as she pondered about this very question. And as she did, I decided to take a moment to actually capitalize in the opening offered by the bartender about the farm's past.

"Also, I know this might be a bit much but… can you tell me more about Diana Linda?"

"Not much," The Cow Prime admitted. "I can tell she was particularly clever, and a stubborn thorn to the side when she wanted something out of people. Either a hug, a free beer, or a story."

"A story?"

"Don't ask me, I never saw her ask any of the old clients about this. She was rather reserved at times despite how friendly she used to be."

"That's because she stuck to her most intimate opinions by her close friends and family most of the time," A gruff voice added, the intrusion urging me to look on the left, right where a short man was finishing drinking a bottle of beer. He was wearing a sandy trench coat and matching hat, his face and most of his appearance hidden away by both pieces of clothing. The only visible features being two sloppy long ears that trailed to a little lower his shoulders.

"And you… know anything about it?"

The old man snorted. "Only rumors. Name's Maverick by the way."

"Declan."

"Never thought that farm would have hired a human. Having some trouble with the hard work, city boy?"

"I've been managing just fine. But I guess it can be tough to imagine that when you are old and tired."

Maverick chuckled, shaking his head as he caught another big sip from his bottle.

"Big words from a little human. But I will grant you a simple rumor I heard a while ago," The stranger muttered with a nod. "If I remember correctly Diana was known to house interesting people at the farm. Some of which would even now be considered… quite unsavory."

"Criminals?" I inquired and he hummed quietly, shaking his now empty bottle as if in an effort to see liquid miraculously appear within it.

"No, worse. Let's just say that it's all about how some situations are handled. Diana won hearts by being a genuinely good person, maybe would have looked away from some of the things she had to go through."

"You worked there, did you?"

...

"Heh, maybe. But I hadn't been around for years now and… I'm 'old' so I tend to forget many things in these trying days," He muttered. "But for now, I leave you with these little details. Have fun picking up the rest of the pieces and break the mystery." He stood up, leaving enough money to pay for the beverage before making his way towards the exit. I continued to stare at him, but I didn't say anything to stop him as I was incredibly confused how 'a mere wanderer' was able to know this much about the farm.

A former worker? Maybe there was some old journal with a list of names with those that worked the farm to check on. Surely Diana kept around something of this kind around somewhere.

The rendezvous didn't last any longer than that. With the issues mostly fixed with an uneasy truce between us created for the sake of not ruining our friendship even further, I knew the only way things were going to be patched up was to see Mora and Alejandra to make peace.

But the more I hoped for it to happen soon, the more my brain pushed back at it and reminded me that this wasn't going to be a feud that was going to easily die down.


AN

Year of the Cow, mah dudes.