Word Travels Fast
Robin hummed happily to herself as she prepared breakfast that morning. Demetrius was sleeping in after their trip to the Night Market the previous evening. Usually, Robin's husband woke earlier than her, but Demetrius was a person who needed a solid eight hours of sleep to function properly. The carpenter, on the other hand, rose at her usual hour despite the lack of sleep. Unfortunately, Robin's internal clock did not care what time she went to bed.
While she was groggy, the redhead was in good spirits. Last night before they headed home, Maru pointed out that her brother and Violet leaving the submarine ride looking red-faced and disheveled. It reminded Robin of her younger years, sneaking off to make out somewhere with a certain boyfriend. It gave Robin hope that her former hermit of a son might end up married one day.
But while Maru was observant enough to notice Sebastian's relationship, Robin realized that her daughter had not seemed to notice a certain athlete's interest in her. Robin wondered if that was because her youngest was disinterested or simply oblivious like her father. The latter was certainly the more difficult of the two to handle. Robin loved her husband. She also knew that Demetrius needed things that she viewed as "common sense" spelled out for him and it caused friction between them at times.
Still, she and Demetrius always worked out their differences in the end. Her husband was not the type to rest until he solved a problem, which was helpful in their relationship. Besides, the man remained faithfully by her side for over twenty years now, marveling at the beauty of the sunset out on the ridge in front of their house in the evenings. Demetrius' quiet, calm presence in her life was essential. She needed the kind of unconditional trust Demetrius gave her.
When her husband finally shuffled into the kitchen, Robin beamed at her husband and poured him a steaming cup of black coffee. "Good morning, dear," she greeted Demetrius. She kissed him and set two plates of food on the table for them. "Did you get enough rest?"
"My cognitive function will not be at full capacity today," the man muttered into his drink. Robin witnessed the tension disintegrate from his body as Demetrius took the first sip to test the temperature. "But I slept for the minimum time my body requires."
Demetrius shoveled a forkful of fluffy scrambled eggs into his mouth, then added, "Maru asked me an interesting question last night at the market."
Robin bit into her golden-brown toast. "Oh?"
"She inquired how I recognized my own interests to pursue you romantically."
The ginger blinked. Robin had not expected Maru to seek out her father's advice when it came to relationships. Still, the carpenter was pleasantly surprised that her youngest expressed an interest.
Robin wanted to know how Demetrius approached the subject. "And what did you tell her?"
Demetrius shrugged. "I told her that while I found you both aesthetically pleasing to the eye and physically attractive, I had no way of determining whether we would be compatible personalities. The only way I could determine that was by getting to know you." He took another bite of his meal. "And if things didn't work out between us, I knew I could decline to continue my relationship with you."
Robin smirked in amusement, "Your answer to dating boiled down to 'trial and error?'" It was not bad advice, but Demetrius always made these sorts of things sound so cut-and-dry. Romantic relationships were messy and fun and could cause someone to feel invincible or beaten down to their lowest level. While Alex was not the type she imagined her daughter would date, she knew that Evelyn and George raised him right and he respected Maru.
"I'm glad you're coming around to the idea of Maru dating," Robin articulated, patting Demetrius affectionately on the shoulder. "It hasn't been easy for you."
Demetrius frowned but bowed his head in agreement. "While I would rather Maru wait until she has obtained a higher degree in her education, I don't want to disadvantage her by missing an opportunity with someone who could make her happy."
He reached his arm across the table and took Robin's hand in his own. "After all, if I had stuck to my own rules, odds are Maru wouldn't exist," he grinned.
"Right! You weren't 'allowed' to date until you finished your PhD, were you?" Robin giggled, remembering how quickly that resolve crumbled when she gave him her number all those years ago. Demetrius nodded in confirmation, his dark eyes twinkling at the memory.
While Robin had given Demetrius her number to pay for his medical bills after she punched him out upon their first meeting, he cleverly called her to meet up for a steak dinner at his apartment since he had used a frozen steak to reduce the swelling. It had been unexpected, and Robin was not at all dressed for a date that evening, but Demetrius did not seem to care that she showed up with her young son in tow. It bothered so many other men that expressed an interest in her at first, that his reaction had been a breath of fresh air.
And here he was, still sitting beside her decades later. Her husband, the man with whom she would grow old. "I love you, Demetrius."
"And I love you, Robin."
Sebastian gave Violet her phone back that morning before he left for ZuZu City and the farmer paled at the number of missed calls and text messages. She kissed her boyfriend good-bye and braced herself for the oncoming barrage. Should I bother listening and reading all these or just go straight to calling her?
A quick glance through her text messages with increasingly aggressive wishes that she was okay and devolution into strings of Spanish curses made Violet decide to just end it now with a phone call. Before heading back inside to be yelled at by her best friend, she checked her mailbox. Inside, Violet found a request from Clint for an iron bar and some raw wool from Emily with a little note attached. The woman made a mental note to put together a loom for the sheep fiber later and to swing by the blacksmith's shop to drop off the requested item sometime in the next day or two.
Bruno, who had presumably been chasing some small animal away from his domain, trotted up to lick Violet's hand before returning to his farm dog duties. As much as Violet dreaded the phone call, she knew she had to face the consequences of her mistake sooner rather than later. The farmer briefly envied her dog's carefree life. "Any chance you want to call her instead, boy?"
The German Shepherd barked in reply, his pink tongue flopping to one side as he gazed up at her expectantly. Violet laughed. "Oh, go on, Bru-Bru," she dismissed her canine companion, ruffling the fur on the top of his head with the heel of her palm. "You'll get bored of me catching up with Bex. Go have fun!"
To mentally prepare herself, Violet made herself a mug of hot cocoa before settling down to call her best friend. "Mmm." The chocolate was just right. With that, the farmer held down the "1" to speed dial Bex.
The pastel-haired woman should have expected the explosion that immediately followed.
"¡CONEJITA! ¿Me odias? Why didn't you call me until now?"
"I'm sorry, Bex! I forgot my phone at Sebastian's and he couldn't get it back to me right away!"
While Violet was sure that her friend heard her excuse, Bex stopped only to hiss through her teeth in disapproval before she continued her rant. "¿Sabes lo preocupada que he estado?" the cosmetologist demanded. "I had no idea whether you y su amante sombrío were holed up para el Invierno, follando como conejos, o un cadáver!"
Violet blushed at Bex's assumptions that she was simply shacking up with Sebastian and they were too busy to answer her calls for days at a time. Yet she took the fact that Bex was mixing her languages, rather than scolding her in a series of unrelenting Spanish insults, that her oldest friend was more relieved than angry at this point. Still, she owed Bex an apology.
"I'm so sorry." Violet felt guilty for not doing more to assure Bex she was okay when she expected her best friend to show up in town soon. "It was an honest mistake, but I didn't mean to worry you like that. I should have just borrowed someone else's phone to contact you sooner."
Though Violet could not see Bex, she could hear the muffled huff of disbelief. "Tienes toda la razón, you should have called me sooner!" she muttered under her breath grumpily. Despite the rough words, Bex was not one to hold a grudge against her for long and Violet was keenly aware of that fact. They had been friends for so long that it seemed a waste to spend their time bickering.
"So, when should I expect you?" Violet tried to change the subject, hoping to remind Bex that they would see each other again soon anyway. If the bilingual beauty wanted to resume the tongue-lashing, Bex could easily do so in person.
"Didn't I tell you I was leaving en diez minutos?" the cosmetologist reminded her. Violet could tell from the tone of Bex's voice that she was teasing. "Honestly, conejita, usa tus oídos!"
Violet grinned. "Then, what should I make for dinner?"
"La madre mía packed us enough tamales to feed an army as thanks for giving primo Arturo and his nerdy guild so much business, but you owe me a dessert delicious enough to make up for toda mi preocupación," Bex shot back with an exaggerated whine to her voice. "You're giving me early greys."
The farmer missed seeing Bex's family. She felt closer to them than her own flesh and blood most of the time. This time, her lips pulled back in a nostalgic smile. Violet loved her life in Pelican Town, but maybe she should visit the city again? If only to see some warm, familiar faces. "I'll see what I can scrounge up," the wavy-haired woman agreed.
Bex decided that they could catch up when she arrived later that evening, so they ended their call shortly afterward so they could get ready. Violet had a house to prepare for an honored guest and Bex had to finish packing the truck. With a sigh of relief, Violet went through and deleted the long list of missed calls and text messages to make room in her voicemail inbox for future messages. She did not catch that she accidentally deleted someone else's voicemail along with them.
Samantha lay sprawled out on her bed, her legs up against the wall as she stared up at the ceiling. She was bored. This was not at all how she expected this vacation to go. Shane was always busy trying to figure out how to resolve the town's money issues, Haley was going all-in with her new relationship with Leah, and even Jas had more social plans than she did.
It was embarrassing to have less of a social life than a kid half her age. Kicking her legs off the wall, Samantha flopped onto her side for a change of scenery. It did not help. The dark-haired woman rolled off the bed ungracefully and threw on a few extra layers of clothing. If nothing else, she could go outside and enjoy the Winter scenery. She did not often get views like this in the city, and she needed something to assuage her restlessness.
Samantha smirked. Or maybe try to ride one of Aunt Marnie's cows. She had fond memories of trying to do just that as a kid. The attempt was an utter failure, but Samantha was so muddy and covered in grime by the end, it was a different kind of fun.
"I'm heading out!" the raven-haired woman shouted to her aunt, who was leaning over some paperwork at the counter of her in-home shop.
Marnie's face went red, and she quickly went to hide the piece of paper under the tabletop. "Are you going to be home for dinner?" the brunette inquired of her niece.
Samantha almost stopped to interrogate Aunt Marnie due to her suspicious behavior. It seemed like she was hiding something, and it killed the young woman a little bit to let it slide for now. But the visitor had already made the decision to leave the house today and nothing was going to stop her from doing just that. So, Samantha shrugged on her coat.
"Don't worry too much," she assured the older woman. "I'm a big kid who can fend for herself."
Marnie beamed in her general direction. "Okay, dear," she replied in a motherly tone. "You have some fun out there."
The crisp Winter air awoke Samantha's senses almost instantly. Everything was blanketed in a thin layer of sparkling snowflakes that shimmered in the sunlight. The colors that poked out from underneath the coating contrasted so much more, making the colors pop. Without realizing it, Samantha stood in front of the doorway just admiring the world around her for a few moments.
Most small mammals were sleeping this time of year, but the tiny birds that were too stubborn to migrate chirped from branches well overhead. Samantha could not decide if she admired their determination, freezing their little bird butts off every four seasons, or if their bird brains were just stupid. Their songs were nice, though. Most of the birds around campus were pigeons and those flying rats did not sing sweetly like their counterparts here in the country.
Samantha sighed, unsure of which direction she should head as she wandered around town. Maybe she could go to the beach and watch the ocean for a while? Or maybe climb up the mountain and explore that way. Aunt Marnie mentioned there was a lake up there. It would look really pretty if it were frozen.
But as she lingered in the doorway of the ranch, Samantha heard voices coming her way. It was Violet and one of the other villagers. What was his name again?
The pastel-haired woman waved at the college student. "Hey, Samantha! Are you going to see Shane?"
Samantha shook her head. "I've been high-key bored out of my skull, so I'm going to wander around a bit," she admitted, shoving her hands into her pockets for warmth. It sounded so lame to say those words aloud.
The farmer and her friend exchanged looks and when Violet nodded, the guy invited Samantha to explore the old, abandoned mines in the mountains north of town.
"Is this like a ghost hunt or something?" Samantha demanded with an amused grin. She loved creepy, old places on the verge of collapse. "'Cause if so, I'm in!"
Violet's face looked doubtful. "More like adventuring," she offered in answer, though even she looked unconvinced that was the right descriptor for it. "Are you willing to fight monsters, or would you rather collect loot?"
Samantha could not stifle her laughter. "Oh, shit. You guys LARP?" But rather than looking embarrassed, the others smirked as if they were in on some joke that Samantha had missed.
"If you're trying to pull some kind of 'welcome to town' hazing prank," the younger woman shifted her weight to one leg as her fist rested on her opposite hip. "This ain't it, chief."
The dude laughed and put an arm around Samantha's shoulders. "I didn't believe it, either. But we'll make sure you don't run into any real danger." He looked at Violet. "We've got a good group going today. You'll be our fifth."
"That being said," the farmer responded, her face scrunching toward its center as she considered the plan. "I'll need to head back home really quickly to grab extra tools and supplies if we have another person." Her dark blue eyes rested on the brunet. "Alex, can you head up there with Samantha to meet Sam and Abigail while I run back and grab some things?"
Alex. At least Samantha knew the guy's name now.
"Sure," Alex answered with a carefree lift of his shoulders. He glanced toward Samantha. "Are you still in?"
The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes but was pleased that she was still invited after making fun of their LARPing group. "Alright, if you townies are that dedicated to your schtick, I'll play along."
In part due to Alex's suggestion, Maru was now in the habit of closing the clinic for a lunch break. Doctor Harvey never did so, even on the days that she helped him part-time, but after adopting the policy, the nurse found that it broke up the day nicely.
The lunch hour was not enough time to travel up to the mines and attempt to speak to the strange figure in the smaller cavern at the mine's entrance, but Maru was doing her best to break the language barrier between them.
She texted Alex. *I'm heading to the library to research. Any interest in joining me?*
Maru did not wait for a response to pull on her coat and gloves. She locked up the clinic and flipped the card, adjusting the tiny clock face to alert the villagers that she expected to return in an hour. Her phone buzzed. *Sorry, Maru. I'm kinda busy today.*
It was not that Maru expected Alex to be at her beck and call anytime she wanted to hang out, but she was surprised that her athletic friend already had plans. He was not set to start his training workout for a while.
Alex usually explained himself if he was not able to accept a social invitation. So, why not now? Was he hanging out with Haley? Or was something else going on? If George or Evelyn were having troubles this morning, surely Alex would feel comfortable asking for her help?
Alex he denied any troubles with either Evelyn or George and ended the conversation with *Hit me up next time?*
It was a polite dismissal, but a clear sign that he wanted to end the conversation. At first, Maru was not sure why it bothered her that Alex did not offer up more information, but her heart sank when she spied him across the Square with Shane's younger sister, Samantha. They were laughing and heading toward the library as well.
Maru recalled her conversation with her father the night before and all the hints from other villagers that there might be something going on between her and Alex. While Pelican Town was not exactly an ideal sample size of study participants, if all the people who had spoken up to her about it thus far agreed that something was there, perhaps there was some truth behind it. Maru felt a pang in her chest. Was she jealous? And, if she was, did that mean what everyone else seemed to think it meant?
She tried to casually keep her distance while walking in the same direction as Alex and his companion. Maru did not want it to look like she had been following them. But, then again, she had just invited him there anyway. Alex could not really accuse her of anything if she told him her plans.
But the two did not stop at the brilliant green building and instead continued onward toward the blacksmith shop. Maybe Samantha had requested Alex's help?
Despite herself, Maru peered around the library to watch the duo. She wanted to prove to herself that Alex was not really keeping any secrets. At least, that was how she justified her actions. Maru did not normally snoop into other peoples' business.
However, Alex and Samantha once again passed the shop entrance. Instead, they approached the mine cart on the old tracks just beside the blacksmith's dwelling. The athlete offered Samantha a very gentlemanly hand to help her into the cart and jumped in after her in one fluid motion.
Shoving the urge to follow Alex and Samantha aside, Maru forcibly directed her body toward her original destination with a grim determination. You don't know what they are doing, and your mind is jumping to conclusions based on emotion, not evidence, she reminded herself.
As she pried open the maroon door of the library, a waft of warm air greeted her inside. "Good afternoon, Maru!" Gunther called, tipping his hat to acknowledge her arrival from his usual spot behind the service desk. "Anything I can help you with today?"
Maru flashed a friendly smile, trying to mask her sour mood. "Actually, I was wondering what language books you have available."
The librarian chuckled to himself. "That boy is one step ahead of you."
Maru's brow wrinkled and she inquired "Who?" in hopes of reaching confirmation in her suspicions.
"Oh, I reckon you're after the same thing as Alex," Gunther explained, leading her toward the shelf she requested among the stacks. "He came by yesterday and I explained that I would need the scrolls that can be found in the mines to create a translation guide for that fellow in the mines."
The news surprised Maru. Another detail Alex kept from her. They could hunt for the scrolls in the mines together. Going in alone could be dangerous. Maybe that's why Samantha is with him? the researcher reasoned silently. Whether or not it was true, the idea eased the tension in Maru's body.
Maru was unsure of Gunther's motives for mentioning it at all. "Did he say anything else?" she queried the museum curator.
"No," he admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But unless you already have all four scrolls, I kindly suggest you not let the young man's efforts to impress a lady go in vain."
Maru nodded in understanding and Gunther rounded the corner to return to his desk. It was a bit inconvenient to wait for someone else to do the work just because they started first, but she understood common courtesy well enough to know it would disappoint Alex to be beaten to the punch.
In addition, Maru was still a bit unsettled by the notion that most people in town seemed to recognize Alex's friendly, helpful behavior as a romantic gesture. Simultaneously, the scientist accepted that she could not collect proper data without posing the right kind of question.
The young woman did not dislike the idea that Alex might be interested. He was a conventionally attractive man. Tall, strong, with an athletic physique. Alex kept himself well-groomed, though his style of clothing was a bit outdated for someone who was already several years out of high school. Still, that one trait did not disqualify him.
The brunet cared about his family and respected Maru's expertise and general opinions. And most importantly, Alex's eyes did not glaze over whenever she went on an excitable rant about any given topic. While he did not always understand her meaning, the jock had become comfortable enough to solicit her for more detail or to approach the topic from another angle if he was confused.
Maru pursed her lips in contemplation, remembering her father's advice from the previous night. Knowledge can only be gained through experimentation, she reflected. Now she would just need to devise her methodology.
After a successful trip to the mines, which triggered a quarter-life crisis within Samantha, Violet went to the Night Market for its final evening in business before the merchant fleet moved onward to their next destination. She had done a fair bit of fishing the first night with Emily and Jas, but she went for a second time this evening to see if she could catch anything else.
The midnight squid and spookfish were fine, but the poor blobfish practically collapsed in on themselves when they reached the surface. Violet felt like a monster for causing the deformity by taking them out of their natural habitat.
Frowning, she stored the fish on a line in the water until she was ready to leave for the night. It was starting to get late, but Violet still wanted to check out the mermaid show. If it was a peep show, she would just leave, but if they were the real deal, Violet wanted to know if they heard anything from Talla since her departure to Gotoro last season.
The precarious makeshift bridge spanning the gaps of several small rowboats with wide, unsecured planks made Violet anxious. But she reached the sea blue ship with a mermaid mural painted on the sign above its door without issue.
Inside the vessel, there was a single room, bare except for a stage. It was curtained with teal and seafoam green panels, embroidered with a simple pattern of bubbles and seashells. A set of clam shells shielded the stage lights from the audience, illuminating the performance platform above. As soon as Violet paused in front of the stage, the show began.
The curtains parted to reveal an enormous, intact clamshell among a bed of kelp and driftwood. A night sky was painted on the backdrop and sea stars and remnants of shells littered the stage, which gave the scene the appearance of debris being washed ashore by a storm.
The top half of the shell opened, revealing a beautiful woman with thick blue hair and sea green eyes. She was a mermaid - flanked on either side by tiny fairies, swayed in the air as they played instruments too small for Violet to see.
A mythical maiden sat upward and smiled seductively at her audience of one. Her head swayed to and fro, following the tempo of the ethereal notes that emitted from the fairies' music. Upon further examination, Violet noticed the woman had a convincing kelp-colored fish tail tucked in half-way beneath the human-half of her body. It looked as real as Talla's with the lustrous scales and seamless transition of her form between woman and fish. Her ample upper body was covered with coral-colored shells and decorative strands of tiny, delicate pearls and shells. The mermaid propped herself up on one arm, beckoning toward Violet with her free hand as she opened her lips to sing.
Violet had expected words to the song, but the mermaid's vocalizations were just as hauntingly beautiful as the voices she heard calling out from the darkness beyond the docks. Perhaps this performance was just a continuation of their concert out at sea for the mortals to see.
The mermaid's voice swelled, and the farmer heard more voices join in the chorus. Violet felt sleepy, her eyelids suddenly heavy. From there, she was not sure if she was imagining things or if there really were more mermaids on stage now - carbon copies of the first singer in appearance save for a more voluptuous mermaid whose pitch was lower than the high sopranos and the well-rounded altos.
Before Violet was fully aware of her surroundings again, the mermaid's voices began to fade and the curtain abruptly closed to signal the end of the show. The lights behind the clam shells brightened, allowing the farmer to better see the rest of the room. She called out, hoping to get the attention of one of the singers.
"Excuse me!" No one answered, but Violet noticed there was a ripple of fabric from movement behind the curtain. "Do any of you know Talla? She's like you." If these women were actresses, Violet specifically worded things vaguely enough that her statement could either mean a merchant or a sea dweller. "I wondered if you heard any news from her lately."
Even if the mermaids were not genuine, they were still part of a merchant fleet and Talla might conduct business with them. To Violet's surprise, a face peeked out from behind the heavy velvet curtain. The wavy-haired woman was not sure if this was the main singer or a member of choir that she may or may not have hallucinated. Violet made a mental note to avoid these kinds of shows in the future unless she knew what they entailed ahead of time.
"You know Talla?" Her words were like a song, even when talking normally.
Violet hesitated. "She said we were cousins." She pondered the descriptor a moment, then chose to clarify, "Distant cousins on my mom's side."
The singer eyed her curiously, scanning her from head to toe. "I did not notice the traces of the Earth on you while on stage," the mermaid replied, bemused. "Your power is so," the mermaid paused, choosing her words carefully, "unrefined."
Violet knew that she had no formal training, so the comment was not unexpected. Still, it was not fun to hear. "I haven't really figured it all out yet honestly." She doubted that a mermaid would be able to help with that, either.
She posed the question she intended to ask. "Do you have news from Talla?"
The mermaid smirked coyly behind her hand. "She overestimated her ability and has paid a pretty price." When she noticed the grimace of concern on Violet's face, she amended the statement. "Though her pride is hurt, Talla's life is not in danger."
A female voice hollered something Violet did not understand, and the mermaid disappeared behind the curtain. After a few awkward moments of waiting around, the farmer realized that she was not coming back. It was past midnight now, and the woman was exhausted. At least Violet could get the mysterious figure to teleport her back home, but she would still need to hurry to catch them before closing.
"Psst!"
The voice was so quiet Violet assumed it was just the ship creaking underfoot. But when it called out again, the pastel-haired woman came face-to-face with one of the tiny fairies. "You're the new Earth Mother!" the winged woman grinned; her tiny mouth full of pointed teeth.
The fairy urged Violet back toward the stage, indicating toward the shells attached to its base. "Here, press the shells like this!" She tapped the line in a pattern that alternated from outermost toward the middle. "A gift for you."
Violet followed the instructions and when she finished the sequence, something round rolled into her palm out of a concealed compartment. Holding it up to the light, she realized it was the largest pearl she had ever seen. Judging by the size, Violet thought it might have come from the empty clamshell on stage.
"Now go!" the fairy shooed Violet toward the door without giving the human a chance to thank her for the present. "We set sail immediately."
Violet obeyed and the heavy metal door closed with an impressive thud behind her. As she walked, the farmer was unnerved that something unseen dismantled the plank bridge the instant she was safely across. Looking around, the merchants were packing things up at an unnatural speed. If not for the cloaked figure shouting for her to hurry, Violet might have missed the opportunity to teleport home for the night.