Fortune's Fools

"Wakey, wakey, sunshine," Zach's voice cooed mockingly through the earpiece of Violet's phone as she brought it to her ear. "How badly did you fuck things up this weekend, Vi?"

The farmer blinked, her vision adjusting to the light pouring in from her window. "What are you talking about, you freak?" Violet groaned, rolling over to swing her feet out of bed.

Zach sniffed in amusement. "My darling baby sister always does something ill-advised on the anniversary of mom and dad's divorce," Violet's older brother reminded her. He drilled the point home. "Let's see," he began to list out the evidence for her patterns of behavior. "When you were twelve, you left with that giantess friend of yours on a journey across town to find the 'perfect Sunday sundae' and ended up taking the wrong line on the subway. I had to collect you little dipshits in a bad part of town."

"Okay, but to be fair, when Arturo says 'the E line' it sounds an awful lot like 'D line'!" Violet protested in her defense.

Her elder sibling moved on to another case. "When you were sixteen you stole dad's car without his knowledge and when he finally realized, he had to call the cops to help find you because you stranded yourself in the middle of nowhere when you ran out of gas and only then realized you forgot your phone."

Violet opened her mouth to form rebuttal, but Zach pressed onward. "Then when you were nineteen, you started dating that scumbag's son because he looked at you with any ounce of affection. So, what was the damage this year?" The lawyer paused expectantly, awaiting a confession.

The younger sibling realized with a heavy sigh that she had, in fact, done something stupid again this year. All without realizing the date was Fall 14 yesterday. For the last few years, Bex had been around to barge into her apartment with pints of Ben & Jerry's and homemade salsa and that kept her from doing anything other than regret how much junk food she ate and mocking the rom-com actors on the television screen.

Not only was Violet no longer living in the same city as her best friend, but the former Joja Corp. employee did not keep a calendar at home anymore. Unless it was a festival day, the farmer's day-to-day schedule was relatively unstructured. Violet pushed Sebastian away at arm's length because she was having her annual freak-out questioning the existence of healthy relationships.

"I… may have done something stupid again," Violet conceded against her better judgment. "I basically told my boyfriend he should move to the city to pursue his dreams and implied that we should take a break until he figures out what the hell he wants to do with his life."

The impressively long whistle was not unexpected, but that did not stop it from being an irritating response coming from Zach, nonetheless. "Sabotaging your own relationship because you're still hung up about our lame parents breaking up," the blonde tapped his fingers audibly on the arm of his chair. "It's a good thing you did not explicitly state that you're dating and that person's name. Otherwise, I would be legally obligated to tell our mother dearest."

"Oh, yeah?" Violet chuckled, despite how terrible she felt. "Did she get that in writing?"

"Don't laugh until you see for yourself how iron-clad the wording is on that document, Vi," Zach countered, though his tone was slightly amused, Violet had to wonder if her older brother was being serious.

"Ugh, if Mom knew I was dating someone, she'd take the first flight down here and try to drag me back to NuNu by the ear."

Zach played into the image. "My money is your hair. A good handful of hair is strong and less likely to slip out of her hands than your ear if she gets a good grip."

"You're not helping!"

Even if Violet could not see her irksome older sibling, she could tell from his voice that he was grinning. "I've given you excellent legal advice, Vi. And I'm not even charging you."

"Why is it such a big deal to her anyway?" Violet speculated aloud, not bothering to hide her dismay at their parents. "Dad didn't care so much when I started dating Kyle, but Mom was practically up in arms."

"Oh, probably because he's the son of a big wig in the government and who knows what you could have been dragged into by association." The blond reminded his sister in a mockingly stern tone. "And anything that sullies your name potentially stains her, too."

Zach sighed at the memory of all the messy lawsuit paperwork. "Just be glad he wanted to keep things as quiet as possible when things went sour between you two. The last thing his dad wanted was word to get around that his son had cheated - since there were rumors going around that he was cheating on the missus, too." Zach snorted at the irony. "Like father, like son, eh?"

"Fool me twice..." Violet growled, reciting a section of the infamous idiom. "Shame on me."

"Speaking of which, that kid hasn't tried to contact you, has he?" Zach inquired quietly, as if he was worried someone would overhear.

Violet shook her head. "No, I haven't seen any sign of him. I don't really do the social media thing anymore, either. Not since I moved to Pelican Town."

"Just make sure your friends aren't posting anything with your face," her older brother warned. "You'd be shocked at the information you can glean from just a photo nowadays, if you have the money or tech savvy."

"Yeah, okay, mister cyber spy," Violet pushed back on Zach's paranoia sarcastically. She turned the television on mute with closed captions to find that Welwick predicted a 'very lucky' day today. She promised Sebastian not to go to the mines alone on unlucky days, but today that was not the case. It was an opportunity for some major stress relief. "I need to go do something to take the weekend's angst out of my system." The pastel-haired woman stopped, and frowning, she added, "And Zach? Thanks for checking up on me."

"Ew, stop," her brother gagged with disgust. "Your sentimentality will infect me." Violet could tell from the change in volume that he was holding the phone well away from his body. "Goodbye!"

Sebastian was disturbed that Violet left his texts unanswered, but there was not much he could do about it now. It was Monday and whether he liked it or not, he had classes to attend. As he watched the clock during his first two courses, he speculated if he somehow slowed time with his finicky magic. But with his abilities so relatively weak, the rookie sorcerer did not entertain the idea that he might be able to sway space-time for long. Try as Sebastian might, he could not focus on the day's lessons. Violet had thrown him for a loop by shoving a pile of gold toward him and implying he should move away to fulfill his dreams.

Even now, Sebastian doubted what those dreams had ever been other than a vague notion that he had to get out of the literal reinforced hole in the ground that was his bedroom. He never wanted to be a "successful" corporate programmer. They made a ton of money, but they were all part of a rat race on a giant wheel going nowhere, running and running until they crashed and burned. It all seemed so pointless to spend all your energy on a stupid company that did not actually care about your well-being. You were just another cog in the machine until you rusted enough to warrant replacement.

Sebastian did enjoy programming, however. Hell, he went back to school to get his degree for it. Nonetheless, even Sebastian could admit to himself that obtaining his diploma was just as much about sticking it to Demetrius and improving his freelance prospects as it was an excuse to search for his biological father.

The search for Jesse Oakes was going nowhere. There were no new clues and all his leads thus far led to a dead end. Sebastian was tired of waiting for his mother to be "ready" to talk to him about his father. He had a right to know. If he was not so busy with everything else, he might have already stormed into the carpentry shop and demanded Robin give him answers. He sighed heavily and the student next to Sebastian eyed him curiously before turning their attention back toward the professor.

When the second class of the morning finally let out, Sebastian decided to walk around campus to clear his mind. Violet had yet to respond to any of his texts and it was not even that they were left on "read." When he tried to call, it went straight to voicemail. Either his girlfriend turned off her phone or it was dead again, and she had not noticed. Violet was not exactly the most aware when it came to electronic "quirks" like battery life.

As he wandered, Sebastian was beckoned inside of a building he did not recognize by the smell of frying meat. Unsurprisingly, there was a large dining hall inside and one of the service stations was selling bacon cheeseburgers and fries. Sebastian's stomach made its demands known and the hoodie-clad man caved immediately upon recognizing he had forgotten to bring lunch anyway.

After making his purchase, Sebastian found a tiny corner table and sat down to inhale his food. The programmer noticed more and more students slowly filing in until the tables around him began to fill up with students chatting and relishing a break in their busy schedules. For some reason, a few of the diners shot Sebastian a dirty look, though he could not figure out what he could have possibly done to offend them. Maybe he was just imagining it.

When a large group entered the hall, the door was held open for a time and the sunlight from outside reflected from the glass and onto a tapestry on the wall. The gold thread glinted in the light and Sebastian craned his head to view the artwork. From all the sand and various cacti, it looked like a scene from a desert, but instead of having normal animals like snakes and camels, an enormous golden dragon lounged in the sand, holding what appeared to be the mouthpiece of a hookah hose in its talons. There's no way that's school-sanctioned… Sebastian thought in disbelief.

He rose to his feet to inspect the embroidery more closely and where Sebastian suspected the hookah in question might be depicted was obscured behind the illuminated cabinet housing various trophies won by sports teams over the years. Sebastian shifted the furniture away from the wall just enough to confirm that a giant hookah in all its embroidered elegance was stitched into the fabric, concealed by the antique display cabinet.

"A big donor insisted on the tapestry," a familiar voice explained with a quiet laugh over the noise of the crowd in the dining hall, "but you know how schools are about 'glorifying drug use.'"

"Yoba forbid the administration do something chill for once," he replied sarcastically. His obsidian eyes then caught a glimpse of another figure on the tapestry, a humanoid highly decorated in ornate gold jewelry wielding a mouthpiece far too large for their body opposite the golden dragon. This larger work had more details, but Sebastian would bet money that the same person who made the tapestry Violet found in her farmhouse created this scene as well.

"Any idea who the donor is?" Sebastian asked casually, trying to suss out some additional information. "I think I've seen another in this style, but the subject matter is…" he paused, unsure of how to describe a possible massacre without sounding like a sociopath, "darker."

Edge shrugged. "I don't know his actual name. Word around campus is that the guy is eccentric. I heard he once sent all the upper administrators on an elaborate scavenger hunt for his donation checks," the educator snickered at the idea.

"Who the fuck does that?"

The fellow caffeine addict shook his head and shrugged. "Apparently a wannabe member of the Blue Man Group," but rather than explaining the odd comment, Edge turned the tables and began to lead the conversation. He set down his thermos onto the table carefully. "So, I saw your concert on Friday night. Call me impressed!"

This took Sebastian by surprise. "But I didn't tell Andi where I was going. She was supposed to give you directions…"

Edge cackled, taking a seat, and leaning back in the chair. "Being a college professor has its perks. I have a lot of connections with students who are way more knowledgeable about the city's social scene than I am."

Sebastian's dark eyes glanced toward Edge with an amused expression. "I didn't realize you were a stalker, too, professor."

The black-clad man tapped the thick tabletop. "You're the one in my usual lunch spot, kid." The educator smiled and gestured to the draconic tapestry on the wall. "Stoner Dragon and I go way back; this is our spot." While Edge had not requested to join him, Sebastian supposed it was okay in this case.

The professor propped his bag against the wall beside him. "I hope that Miss Andrews did not cause any friction between you and your girlfriend."

Sebastian sighed, leaning his face to rest in his open palms as he rested his elbows on the richly colored, wooden table. "I don't think putting our relationship 'on hold' right now has anything to do with it, unfortunately."

The professor's thick brows furrowed. "Maybe I'm not an expert on modern dating," he confessed with a bemused expression, "but what exactly do you mean 'on hold?'"

Sebastian's shoulders rose sharply in exasperation. "Fuck if I know!" he grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "She told me I should move to the city like I always dreamed and started acting like I'll resent her if I don't strike out on my own for a while. Then she said we shouldn't see each other." Sebastian's body fell back in his chair and his head bumped gently against the wall behind him. "I didn't even know what to say to that before she ran off and now, she won't answer her phone!"

Edge's lips pulled back into an uncomfortable grimace. "Now I could be wrong, but it sounds like she's struggling with something that may have absolutely nothing to do with your relationship." He shook his head. "I'm not saying it makes sense, but a lot of times we don't think logically when we're hurting."

"Well, how am I supposed to understand what's going on unless she tells me?"

The educator gave Sebastian some advice. "If she won't pick up, go talk to her. Communication and trust are two key components for a successful relationship." Sebastian almost made a comment about Edge being a confirmed bachelor, but the steely-eyed man regarded him with sympathy. "I think Andi was also reaching out to the both of us, in her own way."

Sebastian regarded him suspiciously. "You didn't -"

Edge held up a bony hand as he interrupted the younger man's accusation. "I don't engage in any activities that would even vaguely be considered misconduct with my students. I made that crystal clear to her," the man with grey-streaked hair asserted. "I simply connected her to some valuable resources to help with her situation."

For some reason, that relieved Sebastian. Andi's forceful push toward having relations with a man twice her age did not work out. Edge crossed his legs and turned his head to look out a nearby window foggy from the warmth of the indoors compared to the chilly autumn weather outdoors. The natural light, however faint, emphasized his angular features. "She just wanted desperately for someone to notice she needed help, I think," Edge opined quietly, taking a sip of his coffee from a large thermos.

Sebastian did not really care what the first year did so long as she left him alone, so he did not take the opportunity to query the fellow biker how he came to that conclusion. It was none of his business anyway. Nevertheless, something seemed to be on the professor's mind. "Is…" Sebastian hesitated as the older man's slate-colored gaze fell upon him, "everything okay, Doc?"

The corners of his lips curved upward and the crow's feet around his eyes creased, "Oh, don't mind me, kid. Just recalling some Shakespeare that seems especially relevant right now." Sure, Edge was older than him, but Sebastian did not typically encounter middle-aged men who called themselves old men. The hoodie-clad student noticed Edge's gaze gave a far-off look, like someone well beyond his years.

The ruby-haired woman stood at her shop counter, gazing out at the dry desert through the glass door leading outside. Her hazel eyes tracked the hazy patterns in the air caused by the heat in the air and the retailer sighed. "No customers again today…"

She glanced down the corridor toward the man in the tacky boulder hat guarding the entrance to her landlord's exclusive casino. He always wore sunglasses, even indoors. Admittedly, the top of the building was made of glass, though it was thick, so that the natural light poured in while most of the heat remained outside. In a desert, however, most heat was not enough to make the indoors cool.

Not that she minded. In fact, she liked the warm weather. The red head sighed lazily, like a lizard basking in the sun on a flat, smooth rock. She dozed slightly while standing - a skill she had picked up working here in this tiny shop - until she heard the chime of the door.

Her warm obs flickered open and immediately fell upon her best friend. "Emily!" the ruby-haired shopkeeper squealed, running over, and throwing her arms around the shorter woman's neck.

The visitor did her best to twist her body away to save the mango sticky rice from being crushed by Sandy's display of affection. "Happy birthday!" Emily chirped merrily, returning the gesture with one arm while balancing the bowl of food against her hip. "I brought your favorite!"

Sandy beamed. "You know you don't have to bring me anything!" the fellow fashionista claimed, though her hungry eyes expressed otherwise. The red head flipped the "OPEN" sign on her shop window to "CLOSED" and waved her friend into a side door that led to her living quarters attached to the store.

"Let's catch up!" Sandy insisted, pulling up a second chair to the table. Emily smiled at the sight of all the desert plants in the tiny space.

"Oh, Sandy, you always impress me with your green thumb!" the Pelican Town villager crooned. "I'm afraid the only pet I could keep alive is a rock," Emily admitted with a slight frown.

Sandy smirked shrewdly. "That's because you always want to overfeed or overwater them!" the desert-dweller revealed, sneaking a bite of the sweet and sour mango rice. The woman vocalized her bliss with a series of satisfied coos before adding, "Sometimes, the best way to nurture something is to let it be until it tells you it needs you."

The blue-clad woman picked up a small pot. "Especially this dramatic bitch," Sandy complained, handing Emily her nerve plant with a chuckle. "She's constantly fainting on me, but once she gets enough water, she perks right back up."

"They have such personalities!" Emily giggled along, setting the potted plant back in its allotted space on the table.

"Of course, just like people," Sandy agreed, shoving another spoonful of curry into her open mouth. Emily always made the best food, even the recipes that Sandy herself had shared were all somehow improved when the barmaid cooked them. The ruby-haired woman leaned over the narrow bistro table. "So, tell me everything!" the birthday celebrant ordered. "Last I heard from you, a new farmer moved into town…"

Emily laughed. "So much has happened since Spring, Sandy. Especially for me," the fellow creative continued. Emily reached out her hand to grasp Sandy's. "Since you're my best friend, I knew it was only right to tell you in person."

The sapphire-haired woman had such a magnificent glow about her, even in the bright light of the desert sun filtering in from the skylight above. "I'm seeing someone now, Sandy. I can't wait for you to meet him. Shane and I -" she paused, stumbling over her words as she blushed slightly. "Oh, Sandy, our auras blended so well - they make a beautiful fluorite color!" she gushed.

Sandy wanted so desperately to be pleased for her friend, but her heart sank with every word that poured out of Emily's red-tinted lips. Emily had Shane now. She waited too long.

Violet bought a new backpack prior to climbing up the mountain to enter the mines. She would need all the extra space she could get since she was solo leveling today. While Sam and Abigail might be available while Sebastian was in ZuZu, the farmer wanted the chance to hash out some of her frustrations on her own. So, with her new aqua blue backpack and a supply of snacks to help replenish her energy and overall health, Violet stepped into the elevator and pushed the "55" button.

After making a steady, gentle descent, the metal door of the elevator slid back to reveal an icy cavern full of soot sprites. If Violet was not already trying to exorcise her own inner demons, she might have felt remorseful about killing the little creatures. But slaying the fuzzy black mites proved more profitable than she imagined. One dropped a beautiful, spherical stone with a rich hue like the ocean on a summer's day and a strange fruit that Violet had never seen before.

As Violet collected her loot, she heard the haunting echo of a lonely cry reverberating throughout the chamber. Whipping around, the young woman spied a sickly greenish-yellow figure slowly bobbing toward her. Her cobalt eyes did not deceive her when Violet realized that her foe had no legs and was floating mid-air as it approached. Its hollow orbital sockets bore no light, unlike the those of Krobus. Instead, they were a lifeless dull grey.

Violet shrieked, slashing her sword in its direction, and the moment the weapon connected, the ghost vanished. Briefly, the farmer believed she had scared the otherworldly being away, but as she broke more stone with her pickaxe in search of an exit downward, the apparition appeared again. Her blade connected, but the gloomy figure vanished once again. This repeated several more times until finally, the ghost disappeared one final time, leaving behind a bright object in the shape of a small sun.

Picking it up gingerly, Violet noticed the mysterious golden shape gave off a slight warmth to the touch. "This is interesting," she supposed aloud, tucking the object away in her bag for later. She would rather examine it in more detail once she was someplace warmer.

The next couple of floors were not nearly so eventful. Violet mined a fair number of iron ores and even found two oddly shaped geodes with multi-colored flecks on the stone shell among a swarm of soot sprites, which Violet quickly extinguished. But soon the lone adventurer found herself a strange, purple haze that hung thick in the air, making visibility difficult. Violet heard the swarm of bats before she could see them. Slashing and hacking at her attackers, the mysterious miasma only dissipated once the last fell to her blade.

Once visibility had improved, Violet noticed that this stage was roughly shaped like a letter "X," with herself at the upper-left side. At its center, the solo leveler found a black slime with a gold star attached to its antenna. It lunged at her, and Violet fended off the creature until it finally melted away, leaving nothing but a metal club behind. The floral-haired woman tucked the bludegon away in her inventory but doubted she would ever use it personally. Blunt-force trauma was not really her style, nor did she have the arm strength to make it particularly effective.

Finally, Violet found a satchel full of coal before breaking a near-by stone to reveal the next ladder down. The walls slowly curved around in a circular motion, getting closer to the center bit by bit. Violet recognized the signs that this tunnel was like the brown earth level on which Sebastian first discovered he could switch two people's physical location using transposition. Things had been so different then, and yet in the grand scheme of things, not much time had passed since that time in early Summer. To think she would be so bold as to kiss Sebastian less than a season later!

Violet blushed at the thought, recalling exactly how it felt to kiss Sebastian. If only I hadn't screwed up so badly yesterday, the farmer lamented to herself, giving her pickaxe a particularly aggressive swing. Maybe then I could have just explained myself.

As she continued her labors against unbroken rock and reflected on her cringy mistakes, Violet found a note lodged in one stone and judging from the context, it appeared to be a shopping list written by Penny. While it did provide some basic information on what several of her neighbors liked, it was otherwise unhelpful in her efforts to exhaust herself.

After Violet harvested a copper ore vein, she found a ladder down, but instead of choosing to climb down immediately, she felt drawn to continue forward to the spiral's center. It was as if something was gently pulling her along by an invisible thread. She followed the gently sloping tunnels and soon she began to hear the faintest sounds - like people whispering just beyond her line of sight. Yet with each step, the voices never became more audible. Despite this ordinarily creepy occurrence, for some reason Violet sensed the voices were friendly.

When Violet found herself at the end of the passageway, the hushed tones were silenced, and there was an assortment of crates and barrels strewn about the area. Her eyes lit up at the prospect of the possible treasures the old containers might hold. "Fuck yeah, loot!" she exclaimed, drawing her steel smallsword to quickly break open the containers more quickly. For the most part, there was nothing exciting, but the odd sensation that lured her here in the first place felt more urgent now that the wooden vessels were broken.

Rummaging among the wreckage of her own creation, Violet finally felt a warm breeze as her hands brushed up against something. Gripping the item, the farmer found a magnificently carved piece of wood in the shape of a sword. Its guard was even more dramatically angled than a claymore and the pommel was a large piece of jade fashioned into a simplified oak leaf. Violet could feel an aura of energy around the weapon. As she raised it aloft, Violet could not help but notice it was as if the smooth, polished hilt had been carved specifically for her hand.

A faint light radiated from her chest and Violet noticed the necklace Talla had given her - the jade tree pendant – reacted slightly in the presence of the other artifact. The farmer put away the steel blade and opted to try her new sword, which was surprisingly sharp for something crafted from wood.

However, the next level down did not have any creatures to fight. Instead, there was a small, underground pond. Violet had not expected to need her fishing pole here, but luckily, she had kept it in her inventory since she had so much extra space than she was used to with the new bag. Trying her luck, Violet cast her line out into the frigid waters.

Now that she had some of the negative energy out of her system from all the physical labor of mining and defending herself against the many monsters of the deep cavities below the mountain, Violet reflected further on her actions from the day prior. Sebastian had not deserved to be blind-sided like that and she sure as hell would have been devastated if he had done the same to her. The farmer knew she should apologize, but also wanted to present her boyfriend - if Sebastian would forgive her spazzing out on him through no fault of his own, that is - with an apology gift.

Once Violet reeled in a decently sized fish from the underground pool, she proceeded further into the mines with a mission to find one of these "yeti tears" that Sebastian had mentioned. The next few stages did not have any signs of them and fortunately Violet found a way down relatively quickly several times in a row.

Finally, Violet hit a more maze-like set of tunnels with several dead-ends and a swarm of soot sprites and slimes. With her new sword, she eliminated the creatures swiftly and Violet knew she found the object of her search when she spied it among the dropped loot from her fallen enemies. It was a beautiful crystal in a tear-drop shape next to a scroll tied with a gold ribbon, a chunk of jade, and a strange fruit that appeared to be frozen. Spurred on by success, Violet pressed onward, realizing that if the pattern had continued like it had thus far, the next shaft would re-activate a section of the elevator shaft for the next time she arrived with the whole gang.

She heard the satisfying "ding" of the elevator as she stepped foot on the sixty-fifth level and Violet knew luck was on her side when another soot sprite yielded a second yeti tear - one she could donate to the museum. A chill traveled down her spine as Violet heard the now-familiar moan of a ghost and she turned, ready to test the Forest Sword on her undead attacker. The apparition did not last nearly so long against this new weapon as it had with the steel blade, Violet noticed with appreciation. But it was what the ghost left behind that made her heart race with anticipation. Gold ore.

"Quality sprinklers, here I come!" the farmer shouted with delight. The old her would have never been so excited about a sprinkler system, but Violet's priorities had changed significantly over the course of the last year. If she wanted Shane to have time to tend to the animals in her new coop in addition to his mayoral duties, Violet would need to automate the watering of her crops as soon as possible. While Winter would buy her some time due to the off-season for planting, the agrarian had plans for the colder months.

In her hubris, Violet decided that a quick peek onto the next floor would not hurt anything, despite the late hour. The decision was a double-edged sword. She harvested a third yeti tear, which she planned to send to Arturo as an essential material for Sebastian's big gift next month, but there were a lot more monsters than she anticipated. The horde of slimes backed her into a corner away from the exit and Violet was attacked from behind by a ghost.

Despite the flurry of attacks, Violet was able to cut down her enemies with wild thrashing to a more manageable number. Once the remaining foes were vanquished, Violet could feel how unsteady her feet were beneath her. She was shaking from exhaustion, but finally made it to the ladder to claw her way back toward the surface. Her body began to thaw slightly as she reached the warm entrance cavern, but it was already well past one in the morning and Violet had to urge her body forward or lose the momentum. I just need to get inside, Violet told herself. It was then she noticed a dim light coming from the basement window well. If I could just get to Sebastian...

By sheer force of will, Violet made it as far as the side of the house, collapsing several feet away from Sebastian's bedroom window. Lifting her hand, she grabbed a pebble from the ground beneath her and tossed it toward the glass, hoping that Sebastian would hear. She could no longer keep her eyes open, the world went black, like the beautiful night sky above.

When Sebastian arrived back in Pelican Town from the city, he immediately went to Violet's farmhouse to try and speak to her, but she did not answer the door when he knocked, and she still had not replied to any of his texts. He even left her a voicemail at one point.

Sebastian waited as long as he could before resorting to more morally ambiguous methods of making sure that Violet was not hurt somewhere inside the house and simply unable to come to the door. After knocking again with no signal of movement from inside the house, Sebastian turned the doorknob and discovered the entrance was unlocked. The lights were out, and the sun was low, so the interior was dimly lit. But Sebastian froze when he heard the low, guttural growl of a large dog.

Oh, shit. "Down, boy!" Sebastian pleaded desperately as the German Shepherd lunged at him. Luckily, Bruno immediately recognized the intruder and the dog opted to knock Sebastian to the ground with friendly licks to the face rather than a savage bite. Sebastian patted the dog's head before finally rolling over to escape the canine's affection. The raven-haired man stood, brushing himself off before flicking the lights on to find an empty house.

"She's really not home, huh?" Sebastian sighed heavily. It was getting late and he needed to get home for the night. He doubted Violet would appreciate coming home to find he had let himself into her home if she was trying to avoid him for whatever reason. Admitting defeat for the evening, Sebastian headed home. But once he had showered and reclined on his sofa to wind down for the night.

Sebastian was not sure how much time had passed, but he knew it was later than he intended to be awake. Even so, he could not bring himself to go to bed.

Sebastian almost ignored the tap at his bedroom window as he laid across the couch, reading a comic late that night. The raven-haired man thought he had imagined it, or it was just a bug that had slammed itself against the glass to get toward the light shining from his room. But then again, it was awfully late in the season for insects.

When Sebastian saw the movement from the corner of his eye, it became increasingly obvious something was going on. The rookie sorcerer sprang up, and as he balled his fist, Sebastian felt the chill in his hand slowly solidify into tiny ice crystals. "Who's there?"

From the dimmest corner of the room, Krobus made his voice heard. "Nelir," the darkness whispered, making his presence known by stepping into the edges of the light. "The Queen of the Forest is lying outside your window fast asleep…" the shadow informed his old friend, twiddling his hand nubs anxiously. "May I bring her inside?"

Sebastian's obsidian eyes widened in panic. "Why did you bother asking if Violet's in trouble, Krobus?" the young man snapped in agitation. The silhouette liquidized as it bowed in apology, melding into the blackness behind him and within seconds, Sebastian noticed the farmer's body slowly lower down into his window well. The man hopped up onto his bed and held up his arms to receive Violet's unconscious body.

"What the fuck is she doing camping outside completely exposed to the elements?!" Sebastian demanded in a quiet, angry hiss as he peeled off Violet's jacket and boots so that he could tuck her safely in bed and hug her to his chest to warm her. Even with all the jostling, he did not catch a glimpse of her sapphire blue orbs from behind her eyelids.

"I do not think she was camping." Krobus tilted his upper half curiously. "Though your mate does not seem to be mortally wounded…" the dark specter observed from a safe distance, slightly intimidated by Sebastian's argumentative concern. "Simply too tired to continue."

Sebastian sighed heavily, brushing the hair away from Violet's face. Her breathing was slow and steady, and his heart rate began to calm at the realization that Krobus appeared to be correct. "Thanks, Krobus…" the sorcerer nodded. "I'll make sure she's taken care of from here."

The ancient being grinned. "Of course, Nelir!" Krobus replied cheerfully. "The Forest Queen is a powerful ally against the dwarves and the alcohol you both made was delicious." He winked as best a shadow could. "I look forward to seeing what you make next!" In the blink of an eye, Krobus was gone.

Sebastian glanced down at the sleeping woman in his arms. "You've got a lot of explaining to do in the morning," he grumbled, getting up for a moment to turn off the lights. Once he found his way back to his bed, Sebastian climbed back into bed with Violet. With a shake of his head, the aggravated man shimmied his girlfriend inside of his hoodie with him, so that her head was close to the opening for his own. This was the best way to get her warm, but he did not want her to suffocate.

Resting his chin on the top of her head, Sebastian closed his eyes and cuddled Violet against his body. "But for now, I'm just glad you're okay," he whispered into the enveloping darkness. Violet's quiet breathing filled his senses. Finally, Sebastian could relax.

Author Note:

My spouse wrote an omake while very sleep-deprived and slap-happy about some backstory regarding "Stoner Dragon" that won't be revealed for quite some time. The second tapestry at ZuZu U is a little shout out to it. Maybe someday I'll link to it when it wouldn't be a spoiler.