Old Ships and New

Haley did not comprehend that Leah was calling to her over the noise of the Fair at first, but after faintly hearing her name half a dozen times, the blonde finally caught on that she was being followed. She turned away from the front door of her house to face Leah, her blue eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing?" Haley asked the red head, though she forgot to conceal the hurt in her voice.

Leah panted, still slightly out of breath from running so quickly. "You just bolted," the artist explained as if she were annoyed that Haley did not think that was enough of a reason. "Why did you just leave like that?"

The curly-haired woman was flustered that the person with whom she was so infatuated had followed her home. Still, Haley could not help but be bitter. This whole day had not gone as she expected. "Aren't you hanging out with Violet today?" the woman in the blue dress muttered, pulling her jacket closed over her chest against the autumn air. It was colder now that they were not in the tent anymore.

Grey eyes blinked in confusion. "Are you… mad at me for hanging out with Violet?" Leah interrogated her neighbor with an air of disbelief. "Aren't you two at least cool with each other now."

Haley huffed. She did not care if she was being childish anymore. "Just because Violet's boyfriend ditched her doesn't mean she gets to steal you, too!" the photographer whined. "Everyone else in this whole damn town has paired off but us and I wanted it to be just us!" Haley had a moment of panic when she recognized she had given herself away, especially after the stupidly obvious question she asked the fortune teller of whether she and Leah were together in the future. The young woman had to think of something quickly to tack on the end of her proclamation to throw Leah off the trail. "... gal pals!"

While the statement about there being no other singles in town was not entirely true, it was basically fact for the younger generation of villagers. Anyone with eyes could see it. Ugh, "gal pals?" Haley shamed herself silently. Why did I use such a lame phrase? She should have said "single ladies" or something more chill and way less stupid. Ideally, Haley meant to get Leah alone to talk about how she felt, but her overwhelming sense of embarrassment overruled that desire right now. The blonde could not risk putting herself out there again today, it was too much.

Still, Haley wondered if Leah chasing after her meant what she hoped it meant. Or had Violet just fallen behind in the crowd? Was it stupid of her to expect that Leah would be willing to have one-on-one time that did not involve working on their art?

When Leah laughed, Haley forgot her self-doubt. Instead, the reaction triggered Haley to shout angrily at her. "What, you think it's funny that I've gotten this pathetic that I have to beg someone to hang out with me?" the blonde demanded furiously. Never had she been so low on the social ladder. Haley was shook to her core.

Leah shook her head. "No, it's just kind of adorable," the artist assured her friend. "I didn't think you would get so jealous about something like this."

Haley scoffed, offended by the suggestion that she could possibly be jealous of someone as dorky as the farmer. "I am not jealous!" she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"Sure, Haley." Leah did not look convinced, but the ginger flashed a friendly grin. Haley could not help but notice it was even more radiant than Alex's identical expression. The artist offered her a hand and the curly-haired woman gazed into the artists' cool grey eyes as she accepted.

"C'mon, gal pal," Leah teased, bobbing her head back toward the Fair. "What do you want to do first?"

If this were not the biggest event of the year, Pam would have marched over to Penny and dragged her away from that no-good poet, but she knew better than to make a scene. The bus driver warned her daughter not to get too close to the kid whose idea of a fun writing retreat was living in the old love shack on the beach. People like Elliott treated the lives of normal people like something cute in a patronizing kind of way.

Pam learned years ago not to trust outsiders - especially the rich tourists. This Elliott kid would have his fun playing house out on his own for a little while and then leave it all behind the instant he got bored of living a "simple life." Monty did the same damn thing - and Pam had been just a weekend fling to him. The worst part was she had not found out she was pregnant with Penny until long after he was gone. Otherwise, Pam would have at least hit the scumbag up for some child support before he left.

Not that Pam had not tried to find him. She figured at the very least the hoity-toity bastard could cough up some cash to raise his daughter, but Mont Michel was nowhere to be found in ZuZu City phone book, so he must have been in town from further away or gave her a fake name. Either way, it was going to be expensive to track down the man and that was the kind of money Pam did not have.

So now that her daughter was grown, it made Pam's blood boil as she watched her daughter look at that rich kid with big doe eyes and a smile on her face. Penny was supposed to be a smart girl, so why the hell was she making the same mistakes as her old lady? After all Pam had done to raise her right - to make sure she was protected from people who would use her and toss her away like a piece of garbage without a second thought.

Unlike Pam, the Fabio impersonator could pack his bags and run home to mommy and daddy any time he liked - he had a lifeline out of poverty that people like her could only dream about. The thing about that free pass out was that it was only for their own, however. Rich people did not like it when their sons or daughters brought home strays, even when there was a baby involved.

If Monty had stuck around, his parents probably would have offered a decent chunk of change as a bribe for Pam to just disappear. Her pride would never have allowed that kind of deal, though. So, in the end, it really did not matter whether she ever found Penny's father. All Pam needed to do was make sure her daughter stayed the hell away from Elliott.

She saw the two head toward the token shop tent and Pam knew right away that the kid was going to buy Penny something flashy to impress her. But to her surprise, the overdressed guy handed Penny a bouquet of dried sunflowers in a blue vase.

Penny was over the moon about the crispy flowers, though Pam was not sure what was so great about them. The worst part was the blush on Penny's face. Her daughter had already fallen for the fop. Pam knew she might have to resort to some drastic measures to keep them apart - even if it meant breaking Penny's heart for the greater good.

M. Rasmodius was not sure why the young people of Pelican Town had not immediately sought his wisdom and guidance once they learned of their latent magical capabilities, but he was too proud a wizard to solicit them as a potential instructor.

He had kept an eye on their activities over the seasons, especially since the first incident involving a protection spell over the old farmhouse that Spring. From Rasmodius' observations, the illustrious enchanter found that there were more magically inclined youth living in Pelican Town than he previously believed, though not all of them were a breed that would be capable of harnessing much raw arcane power and therefore worth taking under his wing.

There was the farmer, whose abilities seemed to be tied to the divinity of the Earth goddess; the gloomy boy from the mountains, who appeared to have a relationship with the Shadows; Caroline's daughter, Abigail, who had some magic that was compatible with his own, though not well-refined. Another young woman had connections with the local fae, the town doctor had gone abroad with the merchant syren, and although Mayor Lewis was not magical himself, the man had a scrying spell keeping tabs on his movements.

Due to this disturbing discovery, Rasmodius had cast his net wider to make sure his ex-wife had not cursed anyone in town lately. While the heavy stone slab he erected in front of the entrance to the swamp was still in place, the wizard could never be too careful.

Fortunately, the cloak-wearer did not find anything other than the usual protection spells on both the farmhouse, which he had already investigated, and the Mullner residence, which was beginning to fade, but had been in place for decades.

Tonight, however, he noticed a blip of magic in close proximity. Concerned of who - or what - might be the cause, he quickly teleported closer to the location where the spell was cast. Unfortunately, he happened to find himself among a group of young people.

The blond kid jumped back in surprise while the brunet and Caroline's daughter immediately put themselves between him and the inventor girl.

"Hey, it's that wizard who lives in the tower at the edge of the forest," the purple-haired girl said observantly, relaxing her stance a bit. Where had she been keeping that sword? Rasmodius marveled in horror.

"What the hell do you think you're doing just appearing out of thin air like that?!" Abigail scolded the magician unabashedly, prodding the air in his general direction with her blade. "I could have killed you!"

Rasmodius did not normally fear an ordinary weapon, but for some reason in the hands of Caroline's daughter, the mortal weapon appeared more threatening. He raised a hand to his face and cleared his throat. "I came in search of the one who cast a minor cantrip just now..." the cloak-clad man clarified in his most dignified tone. "I am offering my skills as a magical mentor, so to speak."

Abigail straightened her stance and sheathed her sword. "What the hell is a cantrip?"

The magically inclined man balked. It was such basic knowledge in his field that it did not occur to him that others did not know the word. "It is a spell that requires negligible energy and effort from the caster."

Rasmodius realized that the hue of the girl's hair was much like his own. The other young lady, the one who lived in the mountains that he often avoided because she often sought him out to conduct "scientific experiments," "That would explain why you didn't notice anything different, Abigail."

The rookie caster narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Have you been spying on me?!" she demanded to know.

Rasmodius scowled at the accusation. "I simply sensed another magical presence," he answered calmly. He did not owe these children an explanation for what he did to keep Pelican Town safe from his ex-wife. It was none of their business. "Since it was in such close proximity to so many people, I decided it was best to investigate before someone was harmed."

It was then the blond boy placed a hand on Abigail's shoulder. "See? Our local wizard dude is just trying to make sure no one gets hurt and offering to help out." The lad's green eyes settled on Rasmodius. "Right, sir?"

The magical academic squared his shoulders, giving off an air of dignity. "I did offer my skills for the benefit of the community," Rasmodius replied. "I am Rasmodius: Seeker of the arcane truths, mediary between physical and ethereal, master of the -" He was not permitted to finish his introduction.

He felt a violent tug on his left ear as someone began to drag him through the crowd of young people and away from the Fairgrounds toward the old community center. "Unhand me, wench!" Rasmodius growled, seeing only green and assuming the witch must have somehow escaped. But the woman that responded was not his ex-wife.

"What gives you the right to offer magical tutoring to my daughter?" Caroline demanded to know, releasing her hold on his ear, and thrusting her hands on her hips. "And revealing her magic to all those other people?"

Rasmodius blubbered a comeback, completely caught off-guard by seeing his ex-girlfriend address him so aggressively. "The others were already present when she cast the cantrip!" the wizard argued defensively. "I only went to investigate and found myself among them after teleporting to what I assumed would be a secluded location behind the shop!"

Caroline shook her head. "It wasn't that far from Welwick's tent," she countered in annoyance. "You could have walked."

The idea repulsed Rasmodius. Why would he ever exercise when he could simply appear in the place he desired instantaneously? "I don't see that it would have made much difference in the end," he retorted stubbornly. He noticed that Caroline did look quite stunning this evening, even with her face flushed in anger. Her hair was such a beautiful shade of emerald, which matched the shade of her irises. Rasmodius knew that the woman was married to the shop keep, but he could not help but recall their time together.

Then, a small leap of logic struck him like lightning. "Is your daughter…?"

Caroline caught on to his meaning, as it seemed her thoughts were aligned with his. She caressed one of the relaxed ponytails on either side of her head, fingering the silky strands delicately. "I think we have to acknowledge that Abigail might be yours, too." The emerald-eyed woman made a request. "I would like to be the one to tell her, though. It might come as a bit of a shock and it's better if Abigail hears it from me."

The wizard nodded agreeably. He never had a child before, but he had his suspicions for a while now that Abigail might be his. Ever since she dyed her hair and it remained without any additional effort, Rasmodius could not help but see glimpses of his relatives in Abigail. His mother's eyes, his father and sister's fuller lips, even Abigail's frame reminded the magician of his grandmother.

"In that case, why would you object to my teaching her?" the enchanter queried, puzzled now by Caroline's violent reaction. That sure was something Abigail had inherited from her mother.

The grocer's wife sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. "I was more upset that you exposed her, Ras," Caroline admitted. "And that you did not come to me first," she added, shooting him a pointed glare. "But I guess it was a stupid accident caused by your laziness that you happened to teleport into the middle of a council meeting among my daughter's friends."

Rasmodius resented the commentary on his character but did not speak up. It was best not to stir up more trouble for himself. "So does this mean you'll allow it?" he ventured to ask.

Caroline smoothed the hair on the top of her head. "Only if Abigail agrees for you to teach her," the woman resolved hesitantly. "And if you teach her, expect the possibility that the others will seek you out for guidance, too." She smirked, knowingly. "Which will mean less time for your more academic pursuits."

That had not occurred to him, but Rasmodius realized too late that this would pose a potential problem. However, there was the opposite side of that same coin: unpaid interns and test subjects!

"Of course, but it is so important to teach the future generations of magic-users properly," the black-clad man replied solemnly. He was not sure whether his words comforted Caroline, but she posed no further objections before returning to her husband's side among the other villagers in attendance at the Fair.

Rasmodius grinned, his mustache twitching with excitement at the prospect of a small cohort of students at his disposal as he went off to find Abigail once again. Surely, she could convince her friends to join us for some magical instruction, he told himself gleefully. I'll finally develop something worth publishing in the Arcane Innovator!

After finishing at the fortune teller's tent, Violet found herself alone, and therefore made it her mission to win enough star tokens for three items in particular: the Stardrop, to which her grandmother's necklace reacted; the scarecrow that looked exactly like Turnip Head from "Howl's Moving Castle," and the cute light green floor rug that would add a nice pop of color to the wooden floors in the farmhouse.

Violet tried all the games to find what would be the best way for her to earn all the tokens. Unsurprisingly, the former city-dweller discovered that she was terrible with a slingshot but did decently well at the fishing game. Still, it would take a lot more to reach her goal of 3,200 tokens. As a first-time fair attendee, Violet had purposefully not brought all her money with her to make sure did not spend money she set aside for farm improvements on frivolous fair games. Even after winning the granges display, however, she only had just under 2,000 tokens and was running out of gold.

Luckily for her, Violet spied Penny and Elliott together looking like a real couple and the pastel-haired woman could not help but want to confirm her suspicions. Violet tried to hold back from outright gushing but was only partially successful. "You two look fantastic together," the woman observed suggestively. "And I've never seen you smile so much, Penny. Did something happen?"

Penny's face could not be any more pink than it already was. Elliott, too, was ruddy in the face. Viole noticed that Elliott was holding Penny's hand and carrying a vase of large, dried flowers in the other. "Elliott and I are officially courting now," Penny tittered giddily.

I'll bet he used that exact language, too. Violet reflected with amusement. "Congratulations!" she shouted earnestly. The agriculturalist could not help but think that Penny was a good match for Elliott. Someone as kind and gentle as him deserved someone who would treat him with just as much respect and dignity. Especially after his ex-fiancée ditched him for his younger brother.

"What are you up to?" Penny was trying to be polite and continue the conversation, even though it was obvious the two wished to escape somewhere more private than the middle of Town Square.

The floral-haired woman shrugged. "Oh, I'm trying to get a few prizes, but I don't think I'll get around to earning enough tokens for all of them."

The brunette's eyes darted off to the side and she leaned forward to whisper. "Try that game with the man in the suit over there," Penny indicated subtly. "The spinner lands on the green side most often. If you only bet half as many tokens as you have, you'll earn a lot of tokens for free after a few rounds of winning."

Violet wondered how Penny obtained this information but appreciated it all the same. "Thanks, I'll do that!" Addressing the new love birds, the shorter woman excused herself. "I'll leave you two to your courting," Violet winked at Elliott, who bobbed his head appreciatively, averting his gaze as he led Penny toward the beach.

I'll take that as a thank you, Violet decided with a chuckle.

It turned out Penny was right and while Violet lost a fair number of tokens in the process, she quickly earned enough to replace them and make more than she had before starting the game. Once she had her desired amount, Violet immediately headed for the shop tent and slapped down her payment.

The vendor looked confused at first. "Are you buying one of everything?" Her long tawny locks fell behind her shoulders as she tilted her head.

"I can't afford one of everything with this amount," Violet stated, wrinkling her brows in mutual puzzlement. "Just the rug, the scarecrow, the purple star-shaped fruit…" Now that she had enough tokens, Violet could afford a gift for Sebastian as well. "And the triple shot espresso."

The woman's dark eyes widened in shock. "Oh! My apologies, Miss!" For some reason the shop owner kept bowing her head slightly as she went to retrieve the items and place them on the service desk for Violet to collect. Finally, the woman disappeared beyond the light of the tent flap and reemerged with a glass jar containing the mysterious Stardrop.

She glanced around nervously. "Take this and eat it right away. Don't let anyone else see, understand?" the woman in the purple cowboy hat instructed. "Just to be sure, it was you who saw it on the prize board, right?"

Violet lowered her head, a creeping sense of anxiety over the cloak-and-dagger feel of the conversation slowly seeping into her mind. "Yeah, it's right there." She pointed to the row near the bottom of the list and the shopkeeper finally surrendered the jar.

"Don't let anyone else eat it, it's very potent!" the woman hissed after her as Violet headed back toward the farm to drop off her loot.

Reminded of her time in the wizard's tower in which she had been drugged, the farmer decided she would not eat the mysterious fruit until she was in a safe place. Preferably where someone would find her quickly in case something happened. After dropping off her things, Violet put the jar with the Stardrop inside her bag along with the thermos of triple shot espresso for Sebastian, and made sure Bruno was fed before heading through the backwoods trail toward her boyfriend's house.

Welwick inhaled deeply from the long-stemmed pipe, breathing in the smoke, and exhaling it in a billowy plume above her. The Cindersap Forest was alive with the chirps of small insects singing their swan songs before the coming Winter. She passed the pipe to her companion. "A lot has changed in the Valley," the seer remarked as she admired the sun sinking on the western horizon. "For once, you did not turn your offspring into a dove."

The woman beside her chuckled softly, only her silhouette visible against the setting sun. "The bird flu wiped out too many of the villagers back then, even after Herschel offered himself up to Bagobumu in order to protect the others," the witch reasoned. "And even though a few old families survived and had children of their own, after Valencia and Clara both left, there weren't enough villagers to birth the next generation." Miniature grey clouds formed as she breathed out the strong, scented contents of the pipe. "I was forced to make my own contribution and even then, we still had to attract new blood to the Valley."

"It seems to have worked well enough," the traveling fortune teller observed. "There are lots of bright, young faces in Pelican Town now."

"Yes, all that hard work finally paid off," the sorceress acknowledged. "I suppose marrying that unfaithful man was worth the trouble in this case."

Welwick's lips curled upward on one side of her face in disgust. "I know you left that pompous windbag Rasmodius, but I don't care for that miserly mortal, either." Her crimson eyes glanced toward her friend. "Why do you bother with such men, my dear?" the fortune teller questioned. "Even if they come and go rather quickly, they hardly seem worth the effort of tying oneself to them just to pose as a human."

A coy upward curve blossomed on the sorceress' lips. "I have to keep enough of an air of normalcy to keep the whole charade going," the woman explained, leaning an arm to rest on the log on which they both sat, and holding the pipe in the other. "I altered Rasmodius' memories of my appearance rather than try to live a life in disguise, but that did not mean there was no risk of accidentally triggering his memory if I just went about business as usual." Her lips pursed together as she brought the pipe to her lips. "Besides, the best way to keep your ex off the trail is to perfume yourself with another man's scent."

The seer cackled at that and signaled to request the pipe with two of her fingers. "Ah, yes. They never expect a lady to move on, do they?" she concurred, taking in a deep drag. She snickered, flashing her row of jagged teeth. "Though it seems you'll have to tell your girl the truth, dear. She made quite the splash earlier this evening." Welwick tittered, amused by her own joke.

"It's probably all that bog water I drank while pregnant," Welwick's companion sighed dismissively, turning her head up to look at the rising stars in the twilight sky. "I don't mind her having magical abilities, but I was hoping for something more similar to my own."

Welwick cackled. "Not all witches are as gifted as we," she reminded the shadow beside her, the smoke from her nose taking shape into dozens of different figures and slowly extinguished into nothingness one by one. "And we can't afford to be choosy," the woman in the blue cloak scolded her companion. "Our numbers are not what they used to be…"

"All the more reason my daughter should learn the old ways." A flash of green became visible in the faint light of the waxing moon above as she turned her attention back toward Welwick. "Do you think it's wise to let Rasmodius instruct her as well?"

The oracle snorted. "For a good laugh, if nothing else!"

Her friend sniffed in amusement, accepting the long-stemmed pipe from Welwick and slowly inhaling the smoke of her homegrown herb. "I've had plenty of those lately. That snot-nosed kid Lewis finally got his comeuppance."

"Now that was something I didn't see coming," Welwick admitted with a smirk, tracing her fingers along the stars of the constellations overhead to do some minor calculations. "But Lewis won't last long without his title to protect him."

An amused sniff came from the shadow of the pine tree. "I give it to the end of the season," the seer's companion declared confidently. "That eccentric elf always comes to collect his debts."

Welwick nodded in agreement. "I suppose he does not have much else to do considering what happened to the rest of his kind."

The witch sneered at the irony. "I heard they purposefully waited to perform the ceremony once he left for the desert. They wanted to leave him behind," she took another long drag from the elegantly carved pipe before blowing the smoke out toward the darkening sky, "and I suppose they did, in a way."

"Not in the way they intended," Welwick contested the claim with a wicked sneer, shaking her head. "But they dared to trifle with magic they did not fully comprehend - and it destroyed them."

"They weren't the only ones..." the witch said solemnly. Welwick could not disagree with her companion's sentiment and instead chose to sit with her in quiet contemplation, reading the stars and creating wispy clouds of scented smoke that rose into nothingness. Together, the two old friends watched the smoke of their shared pipe mingle with the twinkling lights of the heavens. At least the constellations had not changed so much.

It was a quiet night, with the crescent moon low on the horizon among the soft light of the stars. It was times like these that her glow ring was helpful outside the mines, helping her avoid footfalls along the path. As she neared the clearing where Robin had built her family's home, Violet spied Linus' fire burning in the stone circle pit he crafted. There were figures near the tent, though the woman could not make them by their silhouettes, especially in an amorphous cluster.

Something felt off. There were too many voices she did not immediately recognize - though one male voice gave Violet pause. However, as a barrage of small objects took to the air, the newest local realized that they were throwing rocks at Linus' yellow tent. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, assholes?!" the woman roared angrily, charging forward to confront Linus' attackers. He could be inside!

There was a yelp among the crowd and the half-dozen people fled down the mountain path back toward town. "Yeah, you better run, you fucking cowards!" Violet shouted after them, waving her fist in the air with righteous indignation. She turned back toward the makeshift shelter to make sure Linus was not injured by the projectiles that landed on his home.

The tent itself was in shambles, there were several holes and at least one of the support poles had broken, causing one side of the structure to cave in. "Linus?" Violet called after the wildman. "Are you hurt? Just say something so I know where you are!"

"I'm fine," Linus' voice came from behind her, causing Violet to jump in surprise with a sharp cry of alarm.

Somehow the man found the emotional strength to laugh at Violet's reaction, despite the state of his home. "It's alright, you scared those hooligans off," the white-haired man reassured the young lady. "Thank you. I hid in that bush over there when I saw them coming. They looked like they were up to no good and people like me are easy targets for youths looking for trouble."

"That's terrible!" Violet proclaimed, furious on Linus' behalf, though the man himself seemed resigned to the situation.

"It happens every once and a while," Linus acknowledged sadly. "You get used to it when you live the way I do."

Violet's heart went out to the man. "Here," she replied, taking hold of the broken tent support, and untying the waterproofed fabric from it. "Let me at least help you fix your tent."

Linus seemed surprised by the offer and immediately moved to take over untying the knots. "I'll do this, why don't you go find me a suitable stick for a new pole?"

It took Violet a while, but with her glow ring, she was able to forage for a stick just north of the train station where the path to the summit began and the pine trees were often left undisturbed. Satisfied with her find, Violet returned down the mountainside to the ridge where Linus lived as the moon rose high overhead.

He had taken apart the tent completely, sewing up a few holes that the tourists created with their cruel sport. "Just set it over there while I finish up with these," Linus directed the farmer. Violet did so, sitting across the campfire opposite the man.

"I'm sorry they did this," Violet stated sympathetically. "It's not right that people get away treating anyone like that."

The older man lifted his shoulders nonchalantly, the leaves of his natural clothing rustling slightly. "I expect as much from most people. People don't understand the way I choose to live my life. It's not something most of us are raised to think about anymore."

"So, you weren't always… a camper?" Violet decided against calling him homeless in case he found it offensive.

Linus chuckled at her polite avoidance. "No, I used to live quite the extravagant lifestyle, but it came with a high cost - and I don't mean that monetarily speaking." He held out the patched fabric to admire his work. Nodding approvingly, he began to attach the new wooden pole to the material. "A lot of people have lost touch with their spirits, living so far away from nature and all it has to offer. I feel more alive out here than I ever did in the pal-" Linus stopped abruptly and Violet questioned why, following his gaze up toward the sky.

"Could you help me by holding this up while I attach the support lines in the ground?" The wildman requested urgently. "I think the rain is coming in sooner than I expected."

Violet could feel a coolness in the air that could only come with storm clouds, so she did not object. As they propped the support poles, Violet saw Linus' worldly possessions, which were usually concealed by the tent. There were several baskets for collecting wild berries, vegetables, and mushrooms; a few books, a simple set of pots and pans; a sleeping bag; and a pile of firewood.

Strangely, Violet noticed something glittering in the light of her ring, just beneath the dried wood set aside for the campfire. Still holding the stake, the inquisitive woman leaned closer to inspect the object. There was a glint of finely crafted metal encrusted with jewels of various sizes. What is that?

But Linus threw the cloth across the rope of his newly setup line that acted as the spine of his tent, covering his dwelling once again. Despite dying to know what it was she saw, Violet had no real reason to expect that Linus would indulge her snooping. Still, she intended to make sure that the man had somewhere safe to be in case something like this happened again.

"I know you're happy out here," Violet clarified before she extended the offer, "but I have an empty cabin on my property if you ever need somewhere to stay temporarily." The landowner grimaced. "Not that I'm hoping this will happen again."

Linus beamed at her. "That's very kind of you, Farmer Violet." He gathered up his tent-repair supplies in his arms. "I'm quite content out here, but even I can admit there are some winter nights that I wish I lived in something that blocked that cold winter wind."

Violet grinned. "Just let me know, you're always welcome." The young woman felt the wind shift and saw the storm clouds rolling in, blanketing the night sky at an alarming rate. It made her feel especially grateful that she had Sebastian's sweatshirt for the day. She hugged her arms close to her body.

Linus shooed her away. "You'd better head out now," the man advised his helper. "I don't want you caught out in this bad weather."

The flower-haired woman agreed and headed straight for the carpentry shop door. Unfortunately, it was locked. Robin and Demetrius must either still be helping with the Fair tear-down or already home asleep. I wonder…

Walking back the way she came and inspecting the window well that led to Sebastian's room, Violet found that he left his bedroom window unlocked. The small woman immediately ducked through the unconventional entrance, and after tossing her dirty shoes to the floor below, lowered herself onto Sebastian's bed.

As soon as she closed the window behind her, the rain drops all began to beat a rhythmic pattern on the glass panes. Violet checked her phone to see that Sebastian sent a text apologizing for being late, but that he had to stop under a bridge for a while due to the rain. The storm must have hit ZuZu City before Pelican Town.

Since she was in a safe spot and Sebastian would obviously have to come back to his room soon, Violet decided now was as good a time as any to try the mysterious purple starfruit. Removing the lid from the jar that contained the Stardrop, the agrarian was in awe of how lightweight and warm to the touch it was. Her grandmother's necklace once again reacted to the object and taking that as a sign of encouragement, Violet took a bite.

A soft warmth washed over her and for some odd reason the flavor reminded her of Sebastian, though she was not sure why. Violet missed her boyfriend and was suddenly full of energy that had not been there moments ago. Oh, fuck. Are Stardrops an upper or something? Maybe that's why the lady in the shop was so secretive about it. Does Gus even know what his bar is named after?

Still, Violet did not sense any immediate danger. Her heart rate seemed normal and after ducking into the bathroom to check herself in the mirror, the wavy-haired woman saw that she looked completely normal. Violet was just… unusually chill. It was nice.

As she entered the room again, she noticed that her phone was illuminated, showing another text from Sebastian that he was almost home. While Violet knew Sebastian meant for them to have a serious conversation, she was also in the mood to tease him for ditching her all day to go to class. Yes, school was important, but after Leah went to follow Haley, things got a little bit lonely seeing all the couples walking around. Violet decided she could have a little fun at Sebastian's expense.

She picked up her phone. *I'm warming up your bed. ;)*

Violet heard the garage door opening above her head. Sebastian must be home already, putting away his motorcycle. She smirked impishly as she went to turn off the lights and wait for him.

Sebastian left his backpack in the doorway so that he would not get the rest of the floor on the way to his room wet, but he took out his textbooks to discover that they just barely managed to keep dry. He sighed with relief, but still took out the overpriced books anyway just to be safe and allow the bag to air out before morning.

The house was dark, so his mom and Demetrius must be asleep already. It was still during the week, so Maru was probably still staying at Harvey's place. Sebastian quickly peeled off his leather riding jacket which clung to his wet shirt underneath. He dried it off quickly, so the water did not pull out the natural oils and ruin the material.

As soon as he was not dripping everywhere anymore, Sebastian made a dash for his bedroom so he could get out of wet clothes. He flicked on the lights and quickly peeled off his wet shirt and pants. Maybe I should tell Violet not to come in this weather, Sebastian considered. He got his phone out and discovered Violet had already responded to his last message.

*I'm warming up your bed. ;)*

Sebastian's attention turned toward his bed. He saw a pair of pants laying on the floor before he spied Violet lounging on his bed in his sweatshirt that covered her uppermost thigh before yielding to bare legs. She was suppressing her laughter behind a hand, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

The programmer finally grasped he was standing in his underwear and his very hot girlfriend appeared to be wearing nothing but his favorite sweatshirt.

Sebastian could feel the blood rising to more than just his face. "W-what are you doing, Violet?"

His girlfriend giggled. "What does it look like?" Violet replied with an overly satisfied expression plastered to her face.

"Could you tell me anyway?" Sebastian requested, trying his best not to gawk.

Violet did not speak, but patted the bed beside her, inviting Sebastian to join her. The sable-haired man swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly closed the gap between them before sinking down onto the mattress.

His girlfriend smiled, sitting up to wrap her body around him. Sebastian stiffened, worried that if he reacted too suddenly, Violet might get freaked out. She kissed his neck and slowly his muscles began to relax.

"So… what exactly did you have in mind?"

Violet stifled a giggle. "I just thought it would be fun to make out with fewer clothes this time, you know?"

"Oh," Sebastian breathed, feeling his anxiety levels drop significantly. The man noticed as Violet gently toppled him onto the bed that she was in fact still wearing her underwear. He had been worried that Violet wanted to jump straight from first base to a home run. But then again, all she had done was show off her legs. Sebastian was alarmed by how easily that turned him on and made him jump to conclusions.

As she straddled him and claimed his lips with her own, he subconsciously ran his hands along her thighs up to her hips and down again as they made out. Everything about Violet's body felt right and while he was short of breath, he did not want to stop kissing her soft, warm lips.

Despite his desires, Sebastian finally broke away to surface for air. He stared up at Violet, who now did not appear nearly so bold anymore. Her face was pink as her upper body moved with each heavy breath, sucking as much oxygen as possible. "D-did you like that?" Violet asked sheepishly.

Sebastian nodded, unable to find words to describe how much he enjoyed it that seemed to do the experience justice. Violet bit her lip, contemplating something. She hesitated for a moment before finally working up the courage to shed the sweatshirt.

"You don't have to -" Sebastian began to say, but Violet put a finger to his lips to interrupt.

"It only seems fair," she explained, her eyes darting away shyly. "Since I kind of ogled you like a total perv while you were stripping down out of your wet clothes."

"Okay, yeah," Sebastian chuckled. "You were kind of a Peeping Jane there, weren't you?"

Somehow, despite being on top of him, Violet found a way to be embarrassed by his joke. "I texted you, to be fair!" she argued. When she shifted her weight to swing a leg off him, he held her hips firmly to stop the movement.

Violet blushed again and she bit her bottom lip again. "You… want to stay like this?"

Without a word, Sebastian gently hooked his hand behind her neck to bring her face down to his. They kissed, but Violet pulled her face just far enough away from his to speak. "There's one more thing I'd like to try," she informed him nervously. "If you want, that is…"

He regarded Violet curiously as she took his hand and placed it on her chest. Sebastian blinked in surprise. "Um… thank you?"

Violet pushed his hand away and sat up, mortified. "If you don't want to touch them, that's fine. I just figured since you're a guy you'd be happy about it!"

Sebastian tried to rein in the misunderstanding. "I didn't know what else to say!" he countered in his defense. "You literally just grabbed my hand and put it on your boob. How the hell am I supposed to react?!" When Violet did not have an answer for him, he continued. "You could have at least told me it was okay to touch you there and it could have happened when it felt right or whatever!"

"Yeah, okay…" Violet nodded guiltily. She took in the information and verbalized her desires more directly. "Sebastian, I'm okay with you…" she paused, trying to think of the right word for her yearning, "exploring a bit." She fiddled with a corner of the sheet beneath her intently. "If I get uncomfortable with it or uh - let's just call it overwhelmed, I'll let you know."

"Do we need a safe word or something?" Sebastian said with a smirk, as he ran his hands along her body. Damn, she felt incredible. Whenever Violet's boldness was lost from her, it always had a way of finding him instead to tease her right back.

"So 'stop' is no good?" she inquired with a squeak.

Sebastian shrugged. "'Stop' is fine, I just had to make sure." He pulled her in close again, feeling her half-clothed body against his. He was already hard and tried to make it less obvious in case it made Violet uncomfortable, but as they both lost themselves the senses, Sebastian worried less and less about those kinds of things. Their bare skin pressed close together with each kiss, deepening the familiarity with one another's bodies. Eventually, all Sebastian's apprehensions melted away and all he could focus on was kissing Violet, exploring every inch of her with his fingertips.

Never in a million years had Sebastian thought he would be this lucky.