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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 19: Blessings and Birthdays
Things were mostly fine after a week had gone by since the Gossamer Harvest Festival.
Las Lindas was steadily growing through some small donations coming from some of the investors coming from at the celebration, with most of the money being quickly invested on improving things both at the house and at the farm at the same time. People were checking and buying our products with new confidence on the quality and the increase in income meant a breath of relief in the form of a complete nullification of all remaining debts.
It was one less burden to worry about, but it also opened up a fair question that had been raised a lot during our time at the event. Did the farm need more workers? Yes. It was going to become a necessity that couldn't just be ignored for long. Despite the fact even Mora agreed to the need to wait and truly see the full effects of this need, it was becoming even clearer than before how things were just intensifying the more the farm grew. And I was partly glad Randal decided to return to the farm to help.
The Collie Prime was a jovial individual. Very friendly, very huggy, but also incredibly protective of his family. The first few days were rather tense ones between us. He had all reasons to be quite defensive when it came to his sister, but the entire situation seemed to come to a pleasant conclusion the moment we decided to talk about it. I knew Randal was just worried, and I was more than calm about it. I had suffered this kind of issue before and I was more than relieved when we ended up sharing a few stories about our college time. He also took the opportunity to check his mother's grave. I wasn't exactly sure where the thing was but… I was actually taken to it.
Now I had another reason to keep this farm going. Standing atop a lone hill near the orchard, just below the shade of a strong tree, the small plaque of white marble stood as the only notice of Diana Linda's resting ground. It was so simple and… and yet I could still feel a sensation similar to the one I would feel the few times I visited grandfather's grave. It wasn't as strong as that since I didn't know her in person, but I could tell from Mora and Randal, their reactions to it, that she was a lovely person I would have wanted to meet. They discussed for a while, mentioning a few childhood tales that stole a few giggles and chuckles regarding the past.
As they retreated back to the farm, I asked to remain behind. It was a request that came out without warning and got a confused look by both. I merely mentioned that I just wanted to stay alone and think about the current discovery. Still unusual, they ultimately decided to let me be as I took a few minutes to quietly watch over the grave.
It was still there, the emotion. It was duller but still… there to remind me of the good people that were no longer there. I felt little, I felt helpless- no, I didn't feel any of that. I was just… remembering a time I felt like that. A time when I was just a child trying to understand the world and I had someone to wisely guide my steps into the man I am right now.
So I sat down and… sighed.
"Hello."
Simple, curt, and yet my throat hurt at delivering a sudden word before such an important element of this farm. The soul that beat so brightly for it before Mora decided to take the mantle of owner to it.
"I know we… don't know each other. In fact, I guess I still count as a stranger in some part," I started to say, allowing my own feelings to speak in the moment. Nothing about it was planned, I hadn't expected to be there at that moment but… but I still went through with this duty of mine to speak with her. "My name is Declan, I joined the farm a few months ago. It's a lovely place. I'm sure even now you are watching over it and I hope I didn't do anything wrong. Your family and… Las Lindas."
…
Silence met me and I continued to talk.
"There are so many people working at it. To get its heart to beat, to make it last for as long as possible and… and I want to say, thank you for giving your all," I muttered with a small smile. "I've heard you were alone in your last moments. I know it can be tough as… my grandfather was rather reclusive in the last weeks of his life too. He was a brave man, I can say that. And I bet you were as brave and strong as him. I hope he is well too wherever he is now."
I stood up, feeling like I was done for that brief exchange, but I spared her one last look and comment.
"I believe it can be done. I believe this farm can do something magical out of it. And… who knows, maybe Mora might end up being the one. I will treat her the best I can, all the time. I love her a lot and… I hope this is alright." I concluded by bowing my head slightly towards the grave, turning around and pausing as I found out that someone had decided to actually remain.
I looked up to match the fond stare a certain gorgeous lady was giving me. My smile widened and I stepped forward the very moment she leaned her lips for a quick kiss. I took the opportunity, and I felt the warmest possible in her embrace. We soon walked back at the farm, but before we were completely away from that place, I heard a gust of wind deliver what felt to be a comment.
Good luck, young man.
The rest of the week proceeded fairly smoothly. Miles managed to have a quick recovery after what happened with his old friend that wasn't that happy to meet him again after what happened last time he was around at college. He was given a stern lecture, one that was filled with a few new restrictions about his working pace. He was annoyed by this, but he seemed to change his mind when I told him that Minos had asked to be there for that discussion and not as the civil part of it.
What I really hadn't imagined was how annoyed the Bull Prime got at realizing what happened to poor Taffy. While not the closest to her, that didn't prevent him from being particularly unnerved by Miles' words to the girl. I could relate to this line of thought, but I had the chance to digest this development better and I could tell that I just couldn't focus on the Cat Prime about this.
Taffy looked a little tired the day after the event and she spared no words with Miles for a couple of days. It was evident that, even though she wasn't planning to be angry about this for long, she still made it clear she didn't want to deal with him for a while. No 'good mornings or goodnights', which was a telling sign of this approach since she would give all those living in the house.
Taking this matter with velvet gloves, I decided to not be too direct about it with the Bunny Prime. She was relieved nobody was being too attached to her case, and she definitely appreciated the fact we were giving her some time to get through with it on her own. She knew we were there to give her some help in case she needed it and that seemed to be enough to keep things from escalating any further.
But… that wasn't exactly a problem within the week. In fact, it was just a brief matter that was healing itself with its own accord. No, the problem was… that other problems came by while the week unfolded.
Starting with the fact that Idward was now staying there, it meant I had to keep an eye out for any scares coming from his way. He was mostly calm about it, and he took this opportunity to write something about farm life. Nothing wrong with that since he had a shift to work too when it came for his stay. He asked for it, and Mora saw no reason to refuse the plan of keeping him busy like that. It was a good way to make sure he wasn't busy plotting anything weird and… it worked.
I was still sure he still harbored some feelings toward her, but the writer wasn't making any progress into getting ejected by the farm again. His pace was good for someone that never worked this hard in his entire life and I could tell he was putting himself into it. It was like looking at a more focused version of Miles. One that actually got things going without any hesitation much to my relief.
The final issue, the one I thought that I had solved, manifested once more on a few random occasions. First I had to handle Rachael's more subtle approach to annoy me. At this point, she wasn't going for it as intensely as she did the time I called her out on that, with her attempts being masterfully gauged to not gain that much attention to herself.
At this point, it was clear that she wasn't over me and that she would start to get through with that on her own… same for Sandy. The redhead was a little less blunt by her efforts, and not as playful about it. It was clear she got my profile understood and was trying to gain my interest through careful planning. First it was a sudden flash as she fixed her overalls, with her left breast exposed in my general direction as we finished working on a patch of the fields, then the rest unfolded during breaks or after the shifts were over.
There was an occasion where she seemed to ponder about joining me in the showers, but she decided against it because she could tell it was too direct and self-destructive for her efforts. It was a rather stressful situation and… this actually grew more bizarre when I brought these circumstances up to Mora.
"I'm glad you're this self-restrained," The Cow Prime admitted with a small smile. "But I wouldn't mind if you were even a little loose on that."
Frowning, I granted her a confused look. "What?"
"I know you're not trying to cheat on me. You made this clear abundantly and… and I know this might sound weird but how about you actually give them a little bit of what they want."
"How so?"
"Well," The woman trailed on this word for a while before answering. "Since they are putting themselves over it and ignoring the fact you aren't going to give them what they really want, how about you just… give them a reaction? A minor victory in a war they can't lose."
"Wouldn't they feel like I'm… leading them?" I pointed out and she sighed at this.
"It's either that or we might end up seeing a worsening of the matter and being forced to hand them the papers asking for their resignation. They are good workers, you vouched for them, and while I'm not asking you to behave in a way you don't like, how about you just give it a try and… see if this can work. At least once."
"And then I can choose to not pursue it?" I asked, showing a minor degree of interest at that.
"Of course. Once again-"
"You're not forcing me into this, and I'm happy about it," I hummed with a small smile. "But I will definitely stick at loving my big girl some more before making that serious decision."
A snort, she mentioned how the office's door was closed and how Digit was going to be missing for a few hours for some maintenance work at her beacon thus giving us the chance to have some good time alone. It was quick fun that ensued, but it drained our frustration all at once.
Still, the idea remained in circulation for a while as I thought about it, and yet it never became a reason for me to just stop being so defensive on these occasions. At least, that was until another important event came up in the form of a birthday.
Sarah was eighteen and a big feast was given to her to celebrate her entry into adulthood. It was a formality of course, the girl hardly having gained enough maturity to be considered a proper adult, but she was on her good way into that mindset. With that came numerous expensive gifts for the girl to enjoy.
A music player from Rachael, an advanced watch from Minos, Miles tried to 'offer' her a massage card with private master Miles Lionheart, the paper was promptly destroyed, and then an interesting offer from Mora and Taffy. A wild shopping trip to buy her new clothes. For the girls this was an amusing possibility… but for Sarah meant another 'annoying session of trying boring clothes'. I had given her three coupons for a shop that sold games at the Mall and that was what she needed to come up with the most ambitious plan yet.
"Can't Declan just take me to the mall and let me buy the clothes on my own?" The Cat Prime offered with her infamous puppy-eyed technique. The deadly ability that many children had and that could stop most adults from actually rebuffing a request as this one. Mora actually stood silent about this and even Taffy wasn't sure how to counter that argument. It was clear the birthday girl wasn't going to back away from this stance and… they both stared at me.
"I would be fine with it," Rachael confirmed calmly and I wasn't sure if it was genuine trust she was giving to me or because she was getting good points through this comment. Nonetheless, that response gave more legitimacy to Sarah's plans and I ended up agreeing to it after she bestowed me with a full-force of that impressive power of hers.
A shopping trip to remember soon ensued.
"Oooh! Do you think there are some good games I can check?"
"Maybe," I admitted calmly as I led the excited girl inside the mall's main building. The place was just a massive conglomeration of shops of various kinds and… it was humongous. It was definitely bigger than any place of the kind I had visited in the past. "But maybe we can get the clothing bit done first and then we can check the games once we're done with that."
The blonde pouted. "But I thought you said you were fine if I didn't go for that first," The young woman lamented and I shrugged. One thing that I really was glad to have with the girl was a bond born from honesty. She was rather blunt with her interests and I listened and discussed those with hers since those were innocent in most part. So I knew of her discomfort at going through this kind of event and yet I couldn't just allow her to waste this opportunity like that.
"I specifically said that it was fine to consider it a chore since you don't like having a large amount of things for yourself, but that doesn't mean you should just waste the money Taffy and Mora gave me to get you some pretty things," I pointed out kindly, trying to subvert the little pout on her face. And I had a good idea to get her to show some interest in the matter. "Plus, I think there are a couple of cosplay shops here so we can buy two or three outfits of characters you like. How about that?"
In a brief instant, Sarah's mood turned for the better as she giggled at the chance.
"Let's go!" Sarah exclaimed while pulling me into the closest clothes shop in sight, and I snorted as I was given confirmation that she was now fascinated by the topic at hand.
I wasn't exactly a lover of this kind of trip myself, so I didn't put any pressure on Sarah about what she could try on. Merely offering her some advice on what to focus about, she decided to pick some clothes on general needs. Since winter was coming close, it was clear that her current clothes wouldn't do and that something warmer had to be picked as she would end up sick if she didn't have something to wear for that situation.
The outfit that came out of our little brainstorming was still as revealing as Sarah liked, but it was meant to cover her arms, legs and torso from the cold. With a half-sleeved pink shirt that barely showed her midriff, the girl was also wearing a purple heavy jacket, a pair of baggy blue pants, and two silver and red shoes. Really chill and relaxing, but also warm and good enough to offer some protection from the cold.
Soon it was the turn for something for spring and summer. First we went for something that matched well in style and 'coolness' what the girl was currently wearing. The small cloth covering her upper bits was quite revealing, and I could tell that it wasn't going to be matched by anything in there… except for something quite risky and yet usable.
"I think I like it," The girl beamed as she tried on the skimpy orange half-sleeved shirt I found while browsing around in the shop. It was really nice and appealed to Sarah's own fascination for this kind of risque style. She added this with a pair of gray yoga pants that stopped at her knees. A pair of sandals was also added to finalize the outfit.
With that second complete outfit gone through it was time for something a little more complicated to handle because… particularly skimpy. Bikinis and swimwear.
Sarah had mentioned her interest in visiting the beach in the future and that wasn't going to be possible until she got herself at least two similar outfits for her to wear for the occasion. Trying out this challenge, I soon realized where the real problem was. While Sarah's mindset was still far from being considered proper for an adult of her age, her body had long reached the peak when it came to curves.
Her breasts were close to be as big as Sandy, something that she would unconsciously flaunt by wearing that particularly skimpy outfit of hers. Her boobs bounced about, but it was easy to just ignore those while at work after having been around her for so long. The issue? Now I had to be close to the changing room as she tried out bikinis and noticed how most of those weren't just meant to be worn by her.
"Uuh, Declan? Can you come inside a moment?"
…
"What?"
"I… I think I need help right now."
I was surprised by this request and, after sparing a quick look around, I decided to check on her and see what was wrong. Once inside, I was presented with quite the sight as Sarah struggled to remove one of the upper sections of the swimwear she had been trying out. Really small for someone like her, the blonde still stubbornly tried to put it on herself. It didn't work and… it left her in quite the struggling situation.
With her breasts left out in the open for me to notice and stare at for a while. The girl huffed and finally noticed I was there.
"D-Dec, can you help me?"
Her voice broke me out of that mesmerizing scene, my body moving as I gestured to her to stop struggling with the clothes. She was surprised as soon as I was stepping closer to her, looking over her shoulder and reaching out to unfasten a little knot that kept the entire bikini tied like that. It took her just a second to finally free herself and… she didn't bother covering. A tiny grateful face, I thought that she really hadn't realized the situation she was in as I turned around and walked up to the entrance of the room… only to be stopped by Sarah. Her fingers held my shirt by the edge near my wrist and I paused.
"Yes?"
"You… You didn't mind that I was… yeah."
I blinked, actually noticing that her tone was suggesting some self-consciousness on the matter. As much as Sarah tried to appear wilder with her openness, it didn't surprise me that she was a little shy when this kind of circumstance happened.
"It's alright," I offered gently. "I know you were really in trouble and that's all."
"But… can we talk?"
I blinked again. Turning around and focusing my attention to her face. "About what?"
She looked a little nervous at my attention. "W-Well, I actually wanted to ask… what do you think you will do with Rachael since… well, she is-"
"Trying her chances with me?" My interruption gained a surprise look from the blonde. "Well, we spoke about it for a while and I politely told her that I wasn't interested. Guess what happened next."
A blink from her, then a confused frown. "She… continued?"
"Yep."
"But… even you told her that you weren't interested?"
"Sometimes that happens when you're either crushing really hard on someone or you are legitimately in love with them. I think it's the former since it's the first time she had someone to pursue romantically and… yeah, that happens at times," I replied with a nod and she looked genuinely interested in the matter.
"But wouldn't that be silly? I mean, if someone says they aren't interested… it means that, right?"
"Most of the time that's the meaning. Sometimes it can be seen as something that can be changed in due time and with proper effort," I remarked with a sigh. "It can be frustrating, but it's usually the moderation and the determination that ends up changing minds when someone is really in love with someone."
"So Rachael still tries that because… she believes she has a chance."
"When you really love something or someone, you don't mind the sacrifice you have to get through to gain their attention," I pointed out. "It's not always, but it's a strong element in both Primes and humans to be really stubborn when it comes to winning something or someone over."
Sarah nodded. "I think I get it."
"Good, now how about you get back to try out the outfits so we can get through this boring thing and go for the video games."
Bringing up the main reason why she wanted to come to the mall killed any interest in continuing that conversation and the girl happily got through the last things needed to finish that outfit-search. Soon it was time for the two cosplay dresses I promised her we would have gone through and got, eventually settling for a bold Rainbow Mika one and Seras Victoria one. Interesting choices, but I was quickly told by Sarah that the last one was actually taken because she found the character interesting… but didn't know from which show she came from. Bringing culture to her mind about Hellsing soon proved to be a necessity.
We resumed the shopping spree after we were done with this part, this time moving to the games section and getting a couple of expensive titles for her to play by herself or with others once we were back home. Sarah skipped along quite nicely, but never wandered too far from me as I could tell she was really trying to keep up with my 'slug' pace.
Once back at the farm, the girl happily showed around to the women what was bought and they were mostly fine with what was picked. There was some protest from Taffy regarding the revealing nature of some of the outfits, but Sarah mentioned that it was something she asked for while browsing for new things to add to the wardrobe.
No complaints from Rachael, but I could tell that she wasn't wholeheartedly happy about the fact her sister asked a guy to help her shopping. Even though 'the guy' was someone she was shooting for and was trying to seduce as subtly and steadily as possible.
With the week coming to an end, the next days were going to be packed with a couple of events I wasn't prepared about. Starting with Taffy requiring some consultations regarding Love and dating.
AN
Sarah being a good girl and little sister.
She is an adult. You know what that means.
No.
...No as in 'I don't know' or-
No, I will not suddenly lewd her.
Liar. I know what you did in the chapter just now.
It was a point-
A lewd point-
A point driven by a sense of morality, please-
You say no, but I say yes. Guess who wins?
Naerie?
Cruel, Bukharin. You are cruel.
REVIEW Q&A! (With Lady Ambar!)
Astrogamer:
Not likely. Not only Human-Prime compatibility is quite low-
But it's also a 50/50 situation. Sometimes it's a Prime, sometimes it's a human. No mix-ups between two different species.
