Shook
Violet's bed lurched in a way that made her stomach turn as she awoke with a start. The farmer sat up in her bed, scanning the darkness for any sign of who - or what - caused the movement, but after a few moments of her furniture shifting back and forth, the pastel-haired woman realized it must be an earthquake. A few books fell away from the shelves and Violet felt as if she were aboard a ship upon the ocean, but soon the tremors quickly subsided, and everything went still again. The farmer's heart still beat loudly in her chest and Violet worried another wave might be close behind. But, after about half an hour, the ground beneath her had not moved and the young woman attempted to go back to sleep.
When it became apparent to Violet that she could not rest until she checked the house and garden for damage, the farmer slipped on a hoodie and turned on the lights - which luckily still functioned - to make her rounds. Walking over to the kitchen, she could still hear the low hum of the refrigerator and the water still flowed clear out of the faucet when she flipped up the handle. A few books had fallen from the shelves, which Violet gingerly replaced and some of the furniture had shifted to the right or left several inches, but nothing major. Upon the kitchen table, Plus Ultra Violet had toppled over and lay dangerously close to the edge, but the pot remained intact and once the young woman scooped up the soil and her precious flower back inside its container, it was as if nothing had happened at all.
But Violet knew she could not be relieved until she made sure her crops were unharmed. Bruno, who seemed more confident that the tremors were over than his human, trotted at his human's heels to escort her outside - or perhaps to make sure Violet stayed safe. In the light of the waning moon, things seemed to be alright at first glance, but the farmer noticed something odd about a few plants. In the first row, some of them seemed strangely off-color compared to their counterparts of the same species. Instead of the bright green new leaves usually presented, the tiny starts to the blueberry bushes bore wine-colored leaves and the hops that seemed similarly effected were almost bronze in color. If Violet did not know any better, she could have sworn they were glowing.
The farmer shook her head, realizing that she did not have the mental capacity to deal with this right now. Perhaps this was her active imagination playing tricks on her because of an interrupted REM cycle. Bruno did not seem particularly disturbed by the strange-looking flora, so Violet decided it was best to return to bed. Patting her loyal dog on his large, fluffy head, the farmer stepped back into the house and flopped into bed. Bruno took his place at the foot of the bed and rested his snout on his human's ankles. The gesture calmed Violet and she eventually drifted back off to sleep.
Rasmodius was deeply troubled by the quake in the middle of the night, but not because of the way it shook his tower. No, the man had magical wards in place for natural disasters, though he suspected that this earthquake was not entirely natural. Earthquakes were not common in the Valley, but had he not known about the witch's swamp concealed by the mountain, the wizard might not have suspected a magical source. However, conditions being what they were, Rasmodius believed that the path he had blocked off with a convincingly natural landslide was now clear from debris.
Adjusting his telescope to view the railroad station, the wizard confirmed that the boulders were gone. So the problem was his ex-wife, the witch. While his seal on the entrance to the bog remained intact, there was now only the seal in front of the entrance that kept her away from the rest of the world. He sighed heavily. Somehow that nagging woman was going to claw her way back into his life, it was just a matter of how long he could delay the inevitable.
Penny walked toward the library to meet Jas and Vincent without taking her emerald eyes off the manuscript of Elliott's book in her hands. Though the teacher was off from educating the children during the warmer months, the young woman still wanted to ensure that Jas and Vincent did not lose all of their academic momentum during the Summer vacation. So, twice a week, Penny took the kids to the library to do some summer reading before she would take them outside to play.
While no one asked her to do it, Penny enjoyed the children's company. Penny hoped to have some of her own someday, but that did not stop her from showing her students with love and affection. Besides, it gave both Marnie and Jodi a well-deserved break. Penny was happy to help.
Normally, Penny spent her summer re-reading all of her favorite books, but this summer she had volunteered to be Elliott's editor. Not in the official sense. Though Elliott did assure her that he would bestow upon her a percentage of the profits to demonstrate his gratitude once the book was published. He was sweet that way. But really Penny had an ulterior motive in offering her services. Elliott wrote romance novels and she found she adored his style of writing. The local author was the kind of old, sensitive soul, which was hard to find in the modern man, Penny thought. Not to mention that Elliott had a breathtakingly beautiful way with words.
In her own way, it was a selfish thing to offer to edit for Elliott. It made Penny feel special that he trusted her to be the first set of eyes to examine his work. Writing was such a personal process, like baring one's soul to another. There was a sense of intimacy to it all that made Penny blush at times, especially when reading a particularly romantic scene between the main couple. She sighed as she arrived at the door of the town combination library and museum. Penny could not very well read a romance novel while sitting with the children. That would be... unprofessional. No matter how much she wanted to read Horatio and Clara's midnight rendezvous in the private cabin on the train, it would simply have to wait!
Once Violet collected her mushrooms from the cave and her maple syrup from the tapper, the farmer quickly realized that the discoloration she noticed in some of her plants were neither a trick of the light nor her imagination. While the blueberries and hops appeared healthy by the shape and rigidness of their leaves, their colors were distinctly different from that of their normal counterparts.
The farmer still watered all her crops as normal, but Violet could not help but wonder if it was merely a coincidence that the oddly-stained leaves happened to be the same ones she watered the day prior before Bruno knocked her over the rest of the watering can's contents. Just in case, the young woman took care not to touch them, but documented the peculiarities on a spare piece of notebook paper. Maybe this could be something she could ask Maru without giving away the fact that Sebastian may be the source of these weird changes. That was assuming that Sebastian had not told his family about the magic, of course. He seemed like the type of guy to keep these things close to his chest.
Violet wondered if Sebastian would have told her about what happened, if he had not passed out in her house that night. Was this something her friend suspected for a long time over the course of his life or did the magic sneak up on his out of nowhere? Now that Violet had seen some spells in action, the farmer found herself becoming more and more curious about the source. Was the entire family magical and just unaware? That would be exciting! Though the farmer realized she should probably discuss this with Sebastian before asking other members of the household about their mystical abilities. Turning her attention from the strange plants, Violet noticed that her mailbox had a note inside.
Violet -
This is embarrassing... I lost my lucky purple shorts. I'm telling you because I think I can trust you.
If you find them, bring them back to me DISCREETLY. I'll pay well.
Thanks,
- Mayor Lewis
The young woman frowned. "Shorts, huh?" she repeated in disgust. Violet did not want to know how a grown man lost an article of clothing that belonged on his person. Part of her wanted to assume they were somewhere in his house and the mustached man simply forgot which drawer he put them. The fact that the Mayor wanted this handled discreetly made her wonder what potential scandal Lewis feared.
While she did not like the Mayor, Violet had no reason to hate him, either. She sighed in annoyance. If I happen to find them, so be it. I'm not going to go out of my way to get them, though..." she told herself. The farmer noticed her dog play bowing at her with a large stick in his mouth. She laughed. "Okay, boy. I'll play with you, but we're going to need to find something smaller for me to throw..."
After a while, the German Shepherd grew tired of the game of fetch. Violet figured that after Sebastian's magically enhanced launches, his own human's fetch skills paled by comparison.
Bruno wagged his tail and barked in Violet's general direction, as if he wanted her to follow. It was not as if she had any other solid plans that day, so why not? "Alright, Bruno. I'm coming," the young woman assuring her loyal canine companion. "I only have two legs!"
Vincent sat impatiently at the table he shared with Miss Penny and Jas, his little heels clacking against the legs of the chair beneath him. Reading was okay, the little boy supposed, but it was not nearly as fun as digging in the dirt to find worms and bugs. The bigger, the better!
The child stole a glance at Miss Penny and flashed a goofy grin when she smiled back at him. Miss Penny had the prettiest smile in the whole wide world. Even though she was his teacher, she did not treat him like a baby. Mom always yelled at him for doing cool stuff. Like the last time mom took him to the beach. How was playing with the broken bottles he found on the beach so wrong anyhow? They were in fun shapes and the edges were really pointy and shiny! Not to mention the bottles made a fun clacking sound when he hit them together. And when held them up to the light, they made the ground all colorful. Maybe he could still find some if he went to play on the beach right now. Or better yet, a giant squid!
He could not go to the beach without Miss Penny's dismissal, though. The tiny strawberry blond sighed, closing his book. "I'm done, Miss Penny!" Vincent announced, turning to slide down from his seat.
Miss Penny stopped him before his feet touched the ground. "Could you please tell me about the book you read, Vincent? I would love to hear about it!"
Aw, shucks. He had been caught. The child laughed nervously and uttered the first idea that came to his mind. "Well, uh - It was about a pirate with TWO eye patches and a cannon for a leg!" Vincent exclaimed, making pow-pow noises as he flailed his left leg toward the ceiling. "And Green Hook flew his flying space boat into the sky to fight the dinosaurs that live on the moon and breathe fire and shoot lasers out of their eyes!"
Miss Penny laughed. She had the best laugh ever, Vincent said quietly to himself. He wanted to make her laugh all the time and make her happy. "You have a wonderful imagination, Vincent," she praised the boy. "But I don't think that a book about a dog has any pirates or dinosaurs like the one you described."
Vincent frowned, knowing his teacher was not going to let him off the hook. His moss green eyes lit up with terror when he saw Miss Penny's stack of papers on the table in front of her. "Is that a test?" he asked in horror. "I thought we didn't have to take any tests during the Summer!"
Miss Penny laughed. "It's a manuscript," she explained quietly, so not to disturb Jas' concentration. "It's what the rough draft of a book looks like before it's published."
The teacher's words caught Jas' attention anyway. "Are you writing a book, Miss Penny?" the little girl asked, a sparkle in her dark grey eyes.
"Oh, goodness no," the brunette told her students. "Elliott is writing a book and I volunteered to be an editor," their teacher clarified.
"What's an 'editor'?" Jas wondered aloud, tilting her head off to one side. "Is it like a princess?"
Vincent put forth his own idea. "Is it a dragon?!" His question made Miss Penny laugh again. That was the best part of his jokes.
"An editor is someone the author trusts with their life and livelihood," a melodious voice chimed in from the other side of the room. The trio at the table turned to see it was the man with long, pretty hair and funny clothes that lived on the beach. The man looked at Miss Penny in a way that Vincent did not like. "And I would have never made it this far in my progress without Miss Penelope's assistance. She has proved to be an essential influence in my creative process."
Vincent noticed Miss Penny's face looked all sunburnt from the man's fancy words and the little boy felt the jealousy rise in him. "What brings you here, Elliott?" Penny inquired bashfully. Her eyes darted to the stack of papers on the table. "I'm afraid I haven't finished editing the manuscript."
The tall man tucked his hair behind his ear. "I did not seek you out for business purposes, Miss Penelope," Elliott confessed. He hesitated before taking something out of the inner pocket of his coat and offering it to the brunette. "It is my way of thanking you for all your efforts." His amber eyes glanced downward toward the floor for a moment. "I know it's not much, but I hope you will accept it as a token of my gratitude..."
Miss Penny took the present wrapped in brightly colored paper and fancy ribbon as her face got all pink again. Vincent's dark eyes glanced up at the man and he recognized the funny look on his face was the same as when his big brother looked at Abigail. Trusting someone with your life sounded an awful lot like getting married and that was a major problem in Vincent's life plans.
Vincent panicked and hopped down from his chair to grab Elliott by the arm. "We're busy right now, come back later!" he insisted, attempting to drag the adult male with all his might. The long-haired man laughed at the boy's efforts but nodded.
"It seems your pupil has spoken," Elliott chuckled with a smile. He turned his head back toward the teacher. "Perhaps we can arrange a meeting for another time?"
"Miss Penny is too busy!" the child in the striped t-shirt shot back, still escorting the author toward the door.
It was strange to see her student so motivated to do a reading assignment. Penny wanted to scold Vincent for being rude, but Elliott seemed more amused by the boy's antics than offended, so the woman let it slide. Though she did hate to see Elliott go, especially immediately after presenting her with a gift.
Once Vincent had Elliott outside and out of hearing range of those still inside the library, he thrust his finger toward the man's face and stared him down. "I'm gonna marry Miss Penny some day!" the child declared confidently. "If you wanna marry her, too, that makes us rivals, mister!"
Elliott held back his desire to laugh at the the adorable proclamation, as it would almost assuredly insult the boy. The man raised his eyebrows. "Well, Mister Vincent, that is indeed quite the statement of intent," the silky-haired man admitted. The poet pondered for a moment before continuing. "While I do believe you still have some years ahead of you before you may marry, I can see that you are quite taken with your teacher and hope to win her affections." He offered a hand to Vincent, who eyed it warily. "In that case, I accept you as my rival, though I cannot say that I have even considered joining hands with Miss Penelope in holy matrimony. We are both taking time to mend our broken hearts and have yet to truly court one another, you see." The man shook his head. "Not that I am opposed to the idea. Miss Penelope is a lovely, charming woman whom I admire greatly..."
Vincent became impatient as the author continued. He did not understand most of those words, but the important part was that Elliott acknowledged him as a rival. The strawberry blond took the author's hand to shake. "May the best man win!" he said, interrupting Elliott's rambling.
"To whomever Miss Penelope chooses..." Elliott agreed with a solemn nod before turning his heels to both conceal his expression of amusement and return home. Once he was sure the man was leaving, Vincent returned back inside to finish his summer reading with a new sense of responsibility. If he wanted to impress Miss Penny, he would have to try really hard to focus on his schoolwork. Much to his annoyance, however, Jas brought his new rival up almost immediately.
"Do you think Mister Elliott is a prince, Miss Penny?" Jas asked their teacher, staring out the window dreamily. "He looks like one from my fairy tale book!"
Penny thought for a moment. "I suppose he does look princely, doesn't he?" she agreed with her student, eyeing the unopened present now resting in her lap. The woman had decided to wait to open it until she was alone, though she was quickly regretting that decision as her curiosity only grew exponentially as time passed.
The little boy at the table frowned deeply. "What about me?" Vincent wanted to know. "Do I look like Prince Charming?"
"Of course, Vincent," Penny said to placate the child, touching his arm encouragingly. "You can be whatever you want to be when you grow up." The latter part of that sentence did not go unnoticed by Vincent. When you grow up... His dad gave him the responsibility of being man of the house while he was away. Vincent knew that he was very grown up, he just... wasn't very tall yet. But he ate his vegetables! ... If they weren't the icky green kind.
Jas did not follow her teacher's example and interfered with Vincent's sulking. Her nose scrunched up in emphasis as she cried, ""Ew, no! You have cooties Vincent, you can't be a prince!"
Penny scolded Jas for her commentary, but the conversation between her two students quickly devolved into childish bickering. Finally, Penny surrendered, suggesting that they finish their summer reading for the day and go outside to play.
"Yay!" Vincent cheered, forgetting all about his book and rushing out the door into the great outdoors. Penny and Jas giggled at his behavior and gathered up their things before joining Vincent outside.
"I still think you should marry a prince, Miss Penny," Jas informed her as they exited the library, giving Gunther a small wave as they left the building. "You would make the most beautiful princess."
Her students were darling, Penny reflected happily. "That's very sweet of you, Jas. But there are no princes in our country," she explained. "The king peacefully abdicated the throne without an heir decades ago, after the tragic loss of his younger brother. That is why we have the form of government we have today." The teacher patted Jas' shoulder. "I was going to wait a few years before teaching you children about it, but if you are interested, I could plan a lesson around it for you both."
"Well, that's silly," Jas protested, clearly disinterested in the actual way the country was governed. "Why would anyone give up being royalty?" The little girl plucked a flower from the ground and put it in her hair before going off to play. "I would want to be a queen forever!"
Upon following Bruno up the mountainside, Violet found a new trail that she had not noticed before. Perhaps the earthquake had cleared the path? No matter the reason, her enormous fluffy dog bound up the stairs into an area unknown to the farmer.
Much to her surprise, there was a strange building that at first appeared to be a greenhouse from the glass ceiling and greenery within. However, upon further inspection, Violet realized that the sign above the door said "Bath" in large sans-serif letters. While she had never been to one before, the young woman speculated if this place was built upon a natural hot spring.
Peeking inside the building, it was in ill-repair, judging by the cracks in the wall and the general grime on the tiles. However, the steamy main room that held the bath itself seemed to be doing just fine. Perhaps next time she headed up this way, Violet could bring her swimsuit and relax in the spa for a bit? The farmer left the building quickly to make sure Bruno did not wander off too far. Luckily, he had remained at the front door of the bathhouse and barked happily upon her return outside.
"Such a good boy!" the pastel-haired woman praised her dog. Bruno's tail thumped again the dirt ground and Violet laughed at the way his back rippled as she scratched along his spine. Bruno uttered an "Ooo-ooo-oooh!" to express his approval at the attention.
Once Bruno had enough, the two continued to explore the area. A lot of it was overgrown with tall grasses and the trees were exclusively pine. It was then Violet noticed the railroad tracks and a small railway station just beyond it. "I wonder if they used this to transport all the ores from the old mine?" Violet postulated as she stood along the tracks. The farmer was not sure if the railroad was still in use, but Violet decided it was best not to chance it and linger. Beyond the tracks was the station, but it looked as if it had not been in use for a long time, either. Violet began to wonder how long this section of town had been blocked off to the residents of Pelican Town.
The young woman heard barking further north and followed the sound until she found Bruno, spurring her to continue up the mountainside. He hopped the low ledge and looked at her expectantly, his pink tongue hanging out of his smiling mouth. "You really want to explore today, don't you Bruno?" she asked him with a chuckle. "If you insist..."
Violet needed a bit more time to lift herself over the small ridge than Bruno had with his four powerful legs, but eventually she got herself up. Bruno barked and continued northward. There was no path for a while and Violet was concerned that she would be lost among the pine trees and bushes, but soon a new trail appeared ahead of her. Once Violet's was sure that his human was nearby, he bounded up the trail ahead of her once again. She could not help but laugh at Bruno's behavior, though she was curious if there was anything the German Shepherd wanted her to see. Where was Bruno taking her?
The path snaked back and forth for some time, though Violet had to admit she enjoyed the hike. Pine was one of her favorite scents and the trees grew more densely the further they headed up the mountain. The birds and woodland creatures could be heard on all sides, tweeting and chattering about among the pine needles. Maybe Bruno just wanted to chase something where the animal population was greater than at the farm?
Violet was not sure how long she had been hiking up the mountain when the path made a turn north and the incline became greater than before. Bruno came back down the trail toward her and licked her hand encouragingly. "Is this where you wanted to go?" she asked her dog curiously.
Bruno woofed in answer and nudged her with his snout. Violet obeyed like a good sheep for her shepherd and followed the old dirt path until it simply stopped at the edge of the world.
It was the summit, Violet realized, as she gazed down at the verdant mountainside stretching out for miles below. There were other smaller valleys between the peaks of the mountain range, but the sight of the vast spread of wild, untouched nature was absolutely breath-taking. At her feet lay thousands of tiny white flowers for which Violet did not know the name. She took a few to make a flower crown, much like she had to help Emily prepare for the Flower Dance. It was as if that event last week awakened her love for a touch of whimsy here and there. She made two crowns, one for herself and one for Bruno, who allowed her to perch it on his head for a few seconds before it immediately fell off when he ran off after something rustling in the brush nearby.
The farmer picked up the second crown and set it upon her head as well, interweaving it with the first. It was the little things like this that made her feel a bit giddy. "You did well, Bru-Bru," Violet thanked her dog as she sat in the soft grass and admired the view. The German Shepherd was still trying to find the small creature that caught his interest. For the animal's sake, the woman hoped it knew how to hide well or had already put as much distance as it could between itself and Bruno.
After a while, Violet's loyal canine gave up on his hunt and settled down next to her. She pat his absent-mindedly as she watched the breeze create gorgeous rippling patterns among the grasses below. She could watch it all day...
"I'll bet this place is even more incredible in the fall when all the leaves change colors," she thought aloud. Perhaps a picnic was in her future, Violet hoped, humming to herself as she continued to stroke Bruno's thick fur. Her mind drifted toward the idea of bringing Sebastian up here sometime. Violet knew that he seemed to like looking at the sea when he wanted to think, but the wind gave the land below the likeness of an ocean whenever it blew across the land. "Thank you for taking me here, Bruno. I would have never considered hiking up to the summit. And today I have such handsome company!" Violet cooed, rubbing Bruno behind the ears.
The dog lay his head on Violet's lap and the two rested on the highest point in Pelican Town, watching the world drift by in peaceful silence. Violet felt restored in this place, where the earth and the sky met in harmony. "I think this might be my new favorite spot..." she confessed to Bruno. "Though if it turns out that the summit is crowded next time, I might have to change my mind," she laughed as she reluctantly rose to her feet. The sun began to set in the sky and as much Violet wanted to watch the sunset, it would be dangerous to descend the mountainside in the dark and she lacked any camping equipment to stay here the night. Besides, from the rumbling in her stomach, Violet realized she had worked up an appetite from all the hiking.
"Let's go home, shall we?" she proposed, heading down the path back toward town. Bruno paused, as if taking in the sights one last time before he trotted to his master's side.
Maru was tinkering with the adjustments on her telescope when she heard barking on the other side of the patio fence. "Alex?" Maru called out, wondering if he and Dusty were out on a stroll. But the dog that came to answer her call was not the mutt Maru expected. Instead, Bruno rounded the corner of the fence and darted onto the patio as if he were competing in an agility race. "Be careful with my equipment, Bruno!" Maru plead desperately.
"Bruno!" Violet's voice shouted disapprovingly as she came into view and grabbed the overgrown pup by the scruff of the neck. "Where are your manners?"
When the scientist realized that the danger to her telescope had passed, she relaxed. "Oh, it's okay, Violet," she assured the farmer. "I just didn't want anything to get knocked over."
Violet's cobalt eyes rested on the telescope. "So what were you looking at this evening?"
Maru smiled, clearly pleased that the farmer was taking an interest in her hobbies. "Oh, I'm trying to set up to see the Black Eye Galaxy later this evening," she shared. "It won't be visible until it gets darker out. I'll probably try right before bed tonight." The brunette returned Violet's social graces with a question of her own. "So, what brings you to the mountain this evening?"
The pastel-haired woman ruffled her dog's fur. "This big guy insisted we go hiking up the mountain," Violet explained. "We actually got up to the summit. It's absolutely gorgeous up there and I bet it would be an even better spot for your telescope."
"Oh, the landslide is cleared now?" Maru asked for clarification. "That area has been blocked off for years..." Violet was curious if Joja Corp. had anything to do with it, since they had been the source of the previous obstruction to the mines.
The farmer shrugged, "I never saw the path before today," Violet stated. "There were some train tracks and an old bathhouse..."
"That's excellent!" Maru replied enthusiastically. "That means I can study the stars more this summer..." Violet remembered all the space posters in Maru's room. This must be a passion for her.
"Well, I recommend camping up there sometime, so you don't try to walk down the mountain in the dark with an expensive and very breakable telescope..."
The scientist chuckled. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," she assured the shorter woman.
The door from Maru's room opened and Robin poked her head out onto the patio, surprising both women and the dog alike. "Oh, sorry to startle you all," Robin apologized. "Maru, dinner is ready sweetheart." The ginger glanced at Violet. "You're welcome to stay as well, Violet. I made more than enough for everyone!"
"That's okay, Robin," Violet assured the carpenter. "I really should get home to make sure Bruno gets something to eat, too."
Robin waved off the excuse. "I'm sure I can find something nice for Bruno, too, dear."
"I'm really not that hun-" Violet was cut off by the indignant growling of her stomach. Robin gave a smug, yet motherly smile as she ushered the trio on the patio into the house for dinner. Violet did not bother trying to protest anymore and just went with it. She just hoped that this would not be too awkward.
Sebastian wandered aimlessly around the mountain lake when his phone vibrated in his back pocket.
*We're about to eat. Mom invited Violet to stay for dinner. Hurry home or you'll miss out.*
The man's face went white for a moment, realizing the gravity of the situation. His entire family was sitting down for dinner with the girl he liked. Anything could happen and he would have no power to stop it simply because he was not there to put an end to their embarrassing questions. Sebastian could not recall ever running home so quickly in his life.
"Where is your brother, Maru?" Demetrius asked his daughter as they all sat down at the table for the evening meal.
Maru shrugged. "I assume he was on his usual walk around the lake, so I texted him to come home. I'm sure he'll get here soon."
"Hmmm... Reception isn't always great out here," Robin fretted. "I hope Sebby gets back in time to enjoy our guests' company," the woman added, winking at Violet as she served up the cheese cauliflower and barbeque chicken on each other the plates. "Do you think Bruno likes sauce on his chicken?" the carpenter asked the dog's owner.
Violet was unsure. "I'm not sure how he feels about sauces, but he loves anything meaty so I'm sure he'll figure it out..." As predicted, when presented with a chicken breast, Bruno wolfed it down without so much as a second thought.
"And there you have it," Robin chuckled as Bruno sniffed at the chef for more. The woman happily obliged the canine who complimented her cooking and added another piece of meat to his bowl.
The ringing of a small bell alerted everyone of Sebastian's arrival and his footsteps could be heard as he rounded the corner of the hall and burst into the kitchen. "Sorry... I'm late..." he panted, pulling up the spare chair that his mother had brought from her shop. His usual spot was taken by Violet, who sat opposite Sebastian.
Maru noticed a silent exchange between the two of them before Violet asked, "Are you feeling better today, Sebastian? You left in such a rush the other day..."
Her brother nodded. "Uh - yeah... It must have been something I ate," he replied awkwardly. "I didn't want to bother you with it."
Robin added a generous portion of food to her son's plate before taking her seat. "Oh, were you not feeling well, sweetheart?" the ginger questioned, the motherly concern coming through her tone of voice. "I wish I had known."
"It's fine, mom. It didn't last long, it was just... unpleasant," Sebastian lied. Maru knew her brother was lying from his body language and it made her wonder what made her wonder what Sebastian was hiding.
"It's strange that no one else in the family got sick, if it was something you ate," the young scientist commented, slicing the chicken into small pieces with her knife. "We all eat the same food, after all."
Sebastian's pupils widened for a moment as he scrambled for his next step. "I mean, everyone's body reacts to things a bit differently, right?" he reasoned, stuffing his mouth with food immediately afterward to give himself time to think.
Violet looked mortified, "Oh, it wasn't the fries I made, was it?" she asked, clearly distraught by the idea. "Maybe my secret spice mixture didn't agree with you?"
"That would be the only thing the rest of the family did not consume," Demetrius nodded in agreement. "That seems like the most likely answer..."
Her brother paled when Violet's expression turned to a guilty one. "No! Of course not!" he insisted, attempting to spare the farmer's feelings. "I'm sure it was something else, or maybe even a quick stomach bug!"
Clearly, Maru presumed, Sebastian was trying to avoid making Violet feel guilty, whether her cooking was indeed the culprit or not. It was cute how he wanted to protect the farmer's self-confidence. Maru liked seeing this change in Sebastian's behavior. The young woman decided to help him achieve that goal. "Well, now that I think about it, Sebastian, I asked you about those questionable leftovers on Sunday, didn't I?"
Sebastian eyed his little sister quizzically, but it did not last long. He must be wondering why she was helping him with his cover-up, Maru assumed. "Which leftovers?" Demetrius queried; his brows furrowed. "We are usually efficient in our food consumption in this household. Your mother is an excellent cook, after all," he added, sprinkling in some praise for his wife. Robin beamed at her loving spouse and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.
Maru set down her utensils for a moment so she could better gesticulate with her hands without the risk of poking someone. "The container in the back of the fridge had some pumpkin soup that smelled questionable to me, but Sebby loves it so much, I thought he would know better than I."
Robin bit her lip. "Oh, it's been ages since I last made pumpkin soup," she stated uncomfortably. "That must have been ancient. I'm shock Sebby even tried it..."
"I do love your soup, Mom," Sebastian admitted bashfully. At least that part was true. That detail would play into the deception well, Maru determined. It was always good to add a dash of truth to a good lie to make it more believable.
"Mmm, pumpkin soup sounds delicious," Violet agreed. "I would love to get your take on it someday, Robin," the farmer addressed Robin.
The ginger gave the pastel-haired woman a friendly smile. "Well, bring some fresh pumpkin, come autumn, and I'll be glad to teach you the recipe." She winked at Violet, "I'm sure you can find some willing taste-testers among those at this table, too." Robin took the last bite of her meal before she asked their guest a more personal question. "So, Violet... Do you have any other visitors coming the Valley any time soon? Your friend Bex brought a breath of fresh air to the Flower Dance." She tilted her head toward her husband, "Demetrius and I learned a few new dance moves to try out on Friday nights at the Saloon."
Violet hesitated for a moment, which Maru noticed Sebastian caught as well. "Well, my older brother said he would visit soon, but he didn't specify when..." the farmer shared. "He hung up abruptly during our phone call saying something about Lewis and I haven't heard from him since."
Robin's dark eyes lit up for a moment at the mention of Violet's brother. Maru wondered what that was about. "I look forward to meeting him, whenever he does decide to visit!" Robin assured the farmer cheerfully, getting up from her seat and clearing her plate. Shortly after Robin brought out some ice cream, Violet asked if Pelican Town was on a fault line or if last night's earthquake was some kind of fluke. Which resulted in Demetrius relaying an interesting, if not tangential lecture on Pelican Town's geographic composition.
It was around nine when Bruno finally demanded to be let outside again and Violet excused herself as well. "Thank you all for inviting me into your home," the young woman thanked her hosts. "The food was excellent, Robin!"
The mother smiled at the praise from the new girl in town. "Anytime, Violet. Just give me a bit of notice so I know to make an extra helping. Besides, you are the one growing all the fresh produce now. It's the least we can do to thank our local farmer."
Violet blushed at the compliment and waved good-bye as she and her dog headed out into the night. Once their parents left the doorway, Maru grabbed her brother by the sleeve of his hoodie and lead him into her bedroom. "Okay, big bro," the bespectacled woman began, "why did you lie?"
Sebastian yanked his sleeve away from his younger sister. "What are you talking about, Maru?" he asked defensively, though his eyes avoided her gaze.
Maru sighed. "I know you and your friends weren't playing with dry ice out at the farm on Sunday," she informed her brother. "So, what were you doing?"
"Dry ice?" Sebastian responded in confusion. "Who the hell said anything about dry ice?"
Caught already... "Violet, actually," Maru stated smugly, pleased that it had not taken nearly so long to find a crack in their story since Violet and her brother were not in the same space to collaborate. "She told Alex that you all were playing with dry ice and that's what killed her tree."
The hoodie-clad man groaned as he realized his mistake. He still tried to deflect anyway. "So, I accidentally killed a single branch of her pomegranate tree," Sebastian relented. "What's wrong with my friends and I goofing around at Violet's place?"
"I don't care that you were all hanging out," Maru corrected him, taking a seat on her bed. "What interests me is that you both lied about what killed the branch - and not even a good one, since you two didn't even agree upon a convincing cover story."
Sebastian slumped onto the stool at her desk. "I accidentally burned it, okay? I was messing around a bit with a fire and I fucked up."
Maru considered this answer, "But then why did Violet say it was dry ice if the branch had caught fire? That makes no sense..."
"How I am supposed to know what goes on in Violet's head?!" Sebastian snapped back, but Maru could tell from his discomfort that she was on to something. Perhaps a small nudge?
"Okay," Maru sighed, indicating that she would drop the subject. "If you won't tell me the truth about what happened with the tree, then at least tell me why you left Violet's place so quickly the other night that you forgot your bag." Before Sebastian could answer, she added, "And don't tell me it was food poisoning or anything like that because if you accepted my help to lie to Violet, I doubt that was the reason."
"I'm not gonna talk to my little sister about that!" Sebastian protested, heading for the door to leave. "That's fucking awkward and weird."
Considering the reaction, Maru grasped the most likely conclusion, "Oh... so you and Violet got physically intimate. Yes, I suppose it would be rude of you to leave abruptly if that were the case..."
Sebastian threw down his arms in exasperation. "We didn't do anything. Violet was just reading over my shoulder!"
Now Maru was even more puzzled. "You were freaked out by her reading over your shoulder?" the scientist repeated doubtfully. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees as she watched him, expecting a better answer.
Her brother seemed to be battling himself internally before he finally surrendered an answer. Though it was not to the question she anticipated. "Fine. I froze the branch with my hand!"