Childish

Violet did not expect to find Robin waiting under the awning on her front porch that housed her firewood when she arrived home. The timing was too perfect. Did the carpenter somehow know her shameful secret? The pastel-haired woman tried to play it cool. "Hi, Robin! How's it going?"

Upon hearing the farmer's voice, Robin looked up and gave her a friendly smile. "I'm here to work, silly!" The red head handed her a piece of paper with a crude map of the property drawn on it. "You sent this map and the money in the mail to build you a new cabin, but the location you indicated isn't cleared yet. I wanted to talk to you about alternative options…"

Violet examined the map closely and found a red "x" on the prime location next to the central pond where she planned to put her next crop field. "Oh, hell no…" she scoffed in disbelief when she spied the design for the handsome pine house with a green roof. "Zach tried to get his own private guest house built without my knowing."

Robin blinked. "Is this the brother who got Lewis to upgrade your house?" she asked curiously.

"I've only got the one," Violet groaned, rubbing her face against her palm in exasperation. The farmer handed the map back to the carpenter. "Either way, he can't have his guest cabin there. I need that space for when I expand my fields." The farmer did not want to have to do anything productive today, but she supposed she had no other choice. "I'll clear the land, just give me a few hours." She glanced at the ginger apologetically. "You can probably go and get some lunch for now. I hope to be done by the time you get back."

Robin hoisted a bundle to shoulder-height. "No worries, my handsome hubby packed me lunch," she replied with a grin.

"Oh." Violet was not used to displays of affection between married couples. Then again, her parents split for a reason. "In that case, you can sit inside with Bruno if you want," Violet offered, so that her guest could get out of the rain. "I'm sure he would enjoy the company…"

"That's sweet of you," Robin said, opening the door to the farmhouse and letting herself into the kitchen. Bruno barked at the intruder but relaxed as soon as the woman offered him a piece of her meal.

"Some guard dog you are!" Violet playfully scolded her canine as she stepped inside briefly to grab a field snack. Bruno ignored the insult and happily accepted the bribe from the carpenter as his owner ventured back out into the rain.

As punishment for trying to go behind her back, Violet cleared land for her brother's cabin on the opposite corner of the farm. It was a shame to cut down so many pine trees, as they were the most prevalent species in the southwest portion of her farmland, but she had to nip this kind of behavior in the bud before Zach trampled all over her. At least the pines smelled pleasant, even as she chopped them down. Fresh sap oozed from the stumps, and the scent reminded her of the mountain, and of a certain young man who lived upon its slope.

Violet recognized she was distracted, and she flushed at the recent memory of Sebastian's sleeping form beside her. The farmer immediately flustered and miscalculated the swing of her axe, lodging it into the soft, muddy earth instead. "Of course, Zach found a way to mess with me all the way from NuNu!" the pastel-haired woman griped, yanking the blade out of the grime. Before she knew it, Violet made great progress in her work by imagining the stump as her meddlesome older brother's head.

Eshra sat in one of the tide pools on the eastern beach of Pelican Town, waiting impatiently for night to come so that her cart could be transported along its sea route. Although she was an excellent swimmer, the syren could not very well lug large quantities of goods. As usual, Eshra Talla needed to remain in her natural form for the next several days, to recharge the magic in the tiny shell she wore around her neck for her human disguise, which she used to conduct most of her business.

So she waited impatiently for her father to be satisfied that the business day was done. "No one will come in this rain…" she stated flatly, lounging among the rocky edge of the tide pool. She eyed a particularly delicious looking crab, which quickly scuttled under an earthen formation to escape her predatory gaze.

The bearded man chuckled, patting the satchel of pendants hanging at his hip. "I only come here when it rains, Esh," he reminded his impatient daughter. "If you're expected somewhere, you'd best not disappoint a customer."

"I am still offended you sell that which repels me," the teal-haired creature scoffed, her gills flaring in annoyance. "I hardly eat men anymore as it is…"

The old mariner smirked, his skin stretching like old, worn leather. "Oh, don't be like that, guppy," he scolded affectionately. Eshra hissed at the infantilizing nickname, but her father continued. "You know it's so syrens know the person would be missed if they were to suddenly disappear. You and your sisters nearly ate your way through the entire population of that isle back on the Fern Islands!" he berated his child. "Willy and I couldn't even step ashore without a riot for at least a decade."

"That was over a century ago!" the syren argued indignantly. "I was teaching them to hunt and it was only half of the male population," Eshra corrected her kin with a pointed glare. "Besides, the women desired it, father. Their lovers were all unfaithful swine." The syren picked at her claws casually, "From what I understand now, that tiny patch of land is known to human women who seek the hearts of their fellow females." Tossing a piece of stray seaweed into the tide pool, she flashed the man a tooth grin. "Our services are no longer necessary."

The old man adjusted his hat against the trajectory of the rain. "Maybe not there, but you started a hunt in this area recently…"

Eshra glanced coldly at her father. "I am sure Mother told you." She lowered herself into the water to stretch the muscles in her tail, twisting herself in the low water to get the best angle. "She approves of my work, why can you not do the same, father?"

The sailor cackled and smiled at his daughter. "I can love ya without approving everything you do, guppy. Same goes for your mother…"

The syren exhaled sharply, droplets of water forced from her gills mingled with the rain into the pool of water below. "So be it…" she growled in an animalistic, yet somehow childish voice. "I do not hunt the man to eat, but I have yet to decide if he is up to the task I have in mind…"

"Ah, that one the Gotorans asked about?" the bearded man replied knowingly. Tapping his chin, he added, "Harvey would be an ideal match for that, being a doctor and all…" with an approving bob of his head.

Eshra paused, sensing the presence of a human nearby. "It is only that boy allied with the Shadows who comes to watch the sea…" she observed with a click of her tongue. "Too bad he is not palatable. He would make for an easy treat."

The old mariner cackled. "Oh, I don't know, Eshie," he disagreed. "He's got a little sparkle in his eyes now, like he's got someone on his mind, and it lights him up from the inside." He grinned like a fool. "Perhaps I'll see him come by here to pick up one of my 'mermaid pendants' one day?"

"Or perhaps he will break my distant cousin's heart..." Eshra countered with a shrug and a sigh. "Only time will tell."

Jas knew something funny was going on when Aunt Marnie dropped her off at Vincent's house to play. Her suspicions were confirmed when Shane did not come home that night. So, when she rose from her sleep on Tuesday, Jas was determined to find out what happened to her godfather. Much to her surprise, however, Shane was already in the kitchen when she entered. Right away, she noticed that he was not wearing his Joja Mart jacket. Just shorts and a shirt from his favorite gridball team.

"Shane!" the girl shouted, throwing herself at her godfather, and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Where did you go?"

The man glanced to Marnie as if seeking approval, though Jas did not catch the interaction. The dark-haired man sighed and sank to his knees to be on-level with her. "I uh… I got sick and had to go see Dr. Harvey," he explained to Jas. "And I'm going to go see a doctor in Zuzu one a week for a while to help me get better again."

"That sounds bad!" Jas shot back, the concern palpable in the high squeak of her voice. She squeezed Shane desperately, as if her small body could shield him from the unknown ailment.

Shane gently pried the little girl from his torso and held her shoulders at arm's length to look at her. "It's a good thing, Jas," he assured her, adjusting one of her pigtails that had gone askew. "It also means I won't be working at Joja Mart for a while, so I'll get to spend more time with you until I go back."

Jas' eyes lit up. "You mean it?" she inquired excitedly, hopping up and down with joy. "Can we play dolls and dress up and -?"

"Whatever you want, so long as I'm not at the doctor or have plans," Shane answered with a mischievous smile, waggling his fingers to tickle his goddaughter. He snatched her up in his arms and the child giggled in delight.

It warmed Marnie's heart to see her niece and nephew getting on so well. Even if Shane was putting on a brave face for Jas, she knew that he was trying for himself, too. "Alright, Jas, let Shane go," the rancher ordered gently. "Shane has to get ready to go to ZuZu City for his appointment."

Jas paused curiously. "You're going to the city?" she questioned aloud. "Why do you have to go all the way there?"

Shane scratched his head anxiously. "Well, the doc I need to see works there, so I have to go to them."

The pastel-clad girl stomped her foot. "No, they should come here!"

Her godfather did not know how to respond. Luckily for Shane, her guardian stepped in. "Well, if the doctor comes here, they won't be able to help as many people because they'll waste time traveling to each patient's house, right?" Marnie reasoned with her niece. "Isn't it better for the doctor to help more people?"

Jas huffed but reluctantly agreed with the brunette. "Fine… but we're going to play when you get back!" the dark-haired girl insisted.

Shane smiled and rubbed the top of her head, messing up her hair a bit. "Sure thing, kid."

"Now, if you excuse me, I've got to go catch a ride to ZuZu…"

"Nnnnnghhh…" Haley released a cry of frustration as she tried to unscrew the lid of her favorite raspberry jam. "I just can't get this jar open!" she growled, clenching her teeth together as she strained against the seemingly immoveable cap. If just smashing the container against the countertop would not result in glass shards in her food, Haley would have seriously considered it. Flailing about, the blue-clad woman shook the jam jar like she was trying to squeeze the contents free.

"Are you, uh, okay?"

The blonde turned to find Shane standing in her kitchen, looking perplexed by her aggressive shouting. "Oh, thank goodness!" she breathed in relief. "You're pretty strong, aren't you? You lift heavy things all the time."

Shane balked at the question, glancing down at his beer belly self-consciously. Still, he did lift lots of heavy boxes and cans of things at Joja Mart. "Uh… sure, I guess I'm kinda strong."

Haley smiled and shoved the object of her strife into the poultry farmer's hands. "Great, then you shouldn't have any problem opening this jar for me!"

The former Joja Mart employee gripped the closure and its container tightly and twisted them in opposite directions. There was a pop from the release of suction and Shane handed the open jar to Haley. "You mean like this?" The dark-haired man could not help but gain a little satisfaction from the minor display of strength.

"Hey, you did it!" Haley praised him, but immediately ruined it with her follow-up commentary. "You're stronger than you look!"

Shane sighed, "As usual, a stellar compliment, Haley." He pulled up one of the kitchen chairs and took a seat, waiting for Emily.

Haley's bright blue eyes glanced upward toward Shane as she slapped a layer of jam onto her toast. "Okay, like - fine, I deserve that one," the blonde admitted with a bite of her breakfast. "But if you're going to be around here more often, you're going to have to learn how to deal with me."

Shane's face colored slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, "Like I didn't overhear that conversation with Emily you had at the clinic," she groaned, taking another bite of her toast. "It was disappointingly short of a juicy love confession, but it was kinda sweet for two dorks, I guess." Her coral pink lips curved upward in a smirk as she noticed Shane shift in his chair and avoid her gaze. Part of her really missed spilling tea right in front of the person who made it. There was a certain satisfaction in watching someone get so embarrassed with themselves over something so trivial. It was adorable, really.

Haley wiped the edges of her mouth with a napkin as she finished her meal. "You're alright," she told the man sitting at their kitchen table, "but I don't approve of you just yet. But you're kind of a slob and you need to get your act together before I let you date my sister. She's way out of your league as it is…"

Shane opened his mouth to argue, but Emily entered the kitchen from her bedroom. "Good morning residents of Pelican Town!" she declared upon seeing the two of them at the table. The sapphire-haired woman beamed at their guest. "Shall we get going, Shane? We don't want you to be late for your first appointment!"

The man nodded without a word and followed Emily out of the house. As the door shut behind them, Haley smiled, satisfied with her work. At least Shane knew she would be keeping an eye on him, not that he really needed it. The guy seemed kind of apologetic about the whole thing, but the woman made a vow that she would make sure so no one ever made Emily cry like that again. Emily always protected her, so now it was Haley's turn.

Abigail entered the front door of her boyfriend's house, which was still a strange new normal for her. But after having dinner with Sam's family several times now, Abigail got the sense that Jodi already loved that she and her son were dating. The amethyst-haired woman could not understand why, since Abigail hardly ever interacted with the woman on a one-on-one basis before. Maybe it was because her mom and Jodi were best friends?

She heard a soft clanging in the kitchen, like someone was rummaging through the fridge. That must be Sam. "Oh, hey, Abi. I was just about to have a snack. Here, let me get something for you." Sam opened the fridge and out fell an egg, splattering on the floor with a loud crack of the shell. Sam looked mildly flustered at being so clumsy in front of Abigail. "Oh no... What a mess," he groaned.

The soft patter of footsteps on the hardwood floor came from the hallway and Jodi appeared behind them in the kitchen. "What was that sound?" she asked, clearly alarmed. The brunette followed Sam's gaze to see the egg oozing out of its crisp white shell on the floor. She gasped. "This is absolutely terrible! What happened?"

"... Tell her, Abigail," Sam said with a pleading look. It was plain as the panic on his face that Sam did not have any ideas.

From the dinner she had with Sam's family, Abigail could tell that Jodi would give her a pass if it was her fault. Better take the hit, Abigail thought. "Sam was getting a snack out of the fridge and I bumped him, so the egg rolled off the shelf and smashed all over the floor," the young woman lied. It was mostly true, the only embellished part was that Abigail had anything to do with it. Oh, well.

Jodi's eldest son chimed in to back his girlfriend's story. "Yeah, that's what happened!"

Abigail sighed, making sure to look apologetic, "I'm sorry, I should have been more careful."

Jodi's expression slowly went from angry to understanding. "Thanks for telling me the truth, Abigail," she told the young woman appreciatively. Reversing her previous position, she added, "It's not such a big deal."

"I'm sorry about this, mom. I'll clean it up," Sam offered, scooping up the empty eggshell and retrieving a mop to clean the mess off the floor.

Jodi looked on with pride as her son took responsibility for some of the mess around the house. "Thanks, honey," she responded, stifling a giggle behind her hand. All it took was a girlfriend to inspire Sam to do more things around the house. If only he and Abigail had started dating years ago! The tawny-haired woman gave the couple one last look before she disappeared back into her bedroom to get ready for her aerobics class.

Sam rinsed the mop in the sink before squeezing it out and putting the cleaning implement away. "Thanks, Abi," he sighed with relief, bringing her in for a hug. "Even if it really was an accident, mom's been really on edge lately."

Abigail gave her boyfriend a squeeze. "What do you think it is?"

Sam pulled away from their embrace and shrugged. "Who knows? The only thing I've heard lately was she's worried I'll knock you up."

Abigail froze. "She what?!" Her cerulean eyes widened in fright. "She doesn't know that we…"

The blond peered around the corner to make sure none of his family members were within earshot. "Nah, she doesn't know we've been having fun sleepovers. I apparently just look at you like the snack that you are and that set off the alarm."

Looking pleased, Abigail tucked her amethyst hair behind her ear. "Damn straight, I am."

Sam grinned like a fool in love. "You're the appetizer, main course, and dessert all in one, babe!" he asserted before engulfing her in his arms and nibbling on her ear. Abigail squealed, trying to squirm away, but the blond kept a firm grip around her waist and shoulders. The two started to kiss when they were interrupted.

"MOM!" Vincent's distressed voice rang out as a look of pure horror washed over his face. "Sam's a zombie! He's trying to eat Abigail!"

The two lovebirds broke away from one another and Sam made an immediate grab for his little brother, who still pointed at him accusingly. "Vince! Be cool," the skater tried to reason with the child, but the strawberry blond would not have it. The boy dodged his older brother's attempts to restrain him and made a break for the front door.

Vincent opened the door and sprinted toward the museum, where he was supposed to meet Penny and Jas for summer reading today. The boy did not pay attention to where he was going and slammed into his teacher, nearly bowling her over. "Are you alright?" Penny asked Vincent as he clung to her leg.

"S-Sam's a zombie hungry for human flesh!" he wailed pitifully. "He already got Abigail." He whipped around as Abigail and Sam approached, putting himself between the couple and his beloved teacher. "S-save yourself, Miss Penny," he stuttered bravely. "I'll try to hold them off!"

Abigail did not bother trying to contain her amusement and openly laughed at the situation. "Vincent, Sam isn't a zombie!"

Vincent backed away a step as Abigail took one forward. "That's exactly what a zombie would say!" the kid replied suspiciously. "He got to you, too!"

The amethyst-haired woman sighed. "It's all a misunderstanding, Vincent," she began to explain. "Sometimes adults kiss and stuff to express their feelings."

"But Sam was biting you, that's not kissing!"

Penny visibly reddened at the clarification and avoided looking at Sam and Abigail out of second-hand embarrassment. The brunette did, however, take control of the situation. "Vincent, I promise you that your brother is not a zombie." She adjusted her sunhat before kneeling down to Vincent's level. "You'll understand more when you're older," she told him with a pat on the back. "You don't have to worry about it for now."

The little boy kicked his heel in the dirt, not fully convinced that he had not witnessed attempted cannibalism. Despite his reservations, Vincent nodded. "Okay. I trust you, Miss Penny." He glanced shyly at his teacher. "But I hope I grow up soon, or I'll fall behind and lose you to my rival!"

Penny could not help but giggle at such a bold statement of intent. "Don't be in such a rush to grow up. Being a kid is a lot of fun, you know…" she told her student with a pleasant smile. "Enjoy it while it lasts, Vincent."

The group brought their conversation to a halt when they heard footsteps approaching. It was Violet carrying a tree sapling cradled in her arms. The farmer tried to free one hand to wave, but all she accomplished was to shake the tiny tree. "Hey, guys! Did I get the wrong day to watch band practice?"

Abigail shook her head. "No, we're just finishing up here. Right, Vincent?"

Frowning, Vincent agreed, if only so that he could go spend time with Miss Penny. The boy paused once he felt he was at a safe distance from his potentially compromised brother. "Just don't let them bite you!" he called back to Violet as a warning.

The pastel-haired woman chuckled and turned to her friends. "Do I wanna know?" she inquired with a smirk.

Sam shrugged. "Eh, my little brother just mistook my nibbling on Abigail's ear for cannibalistic zombie behavior."

"And you didn't lean into the zombie role?" Violet exclaimed with disappointment, shifting the sapling she carried to rest primarily on her left forearm. "What a missed opportunity!" she lamented teasingly.

The blond laughed as he led the way back to his house. "Spoken like a true sibling," he observed. He gestured to the vested woman beside him. "Abi doesn't get the dynamic. She's missed out as an only child."

Without warning, Jodi burst from the front door of the house, looking around frantically. The trio quickly explained to Jodi that despite Vincent's screams, there was no emergency. So, she left for her weekly aerobics class at the General Store's meeting space as scheduled and the young people were cleared for band practice. "The only reason I would want a sibling is to divide my mom's attention and keep her off my back," Abigail stated decisively as they entered the house. "Otherwise, they're just people you're forced to be friends with."

"Oh, my brother and I are not friends," Violet interjected decisively, setting her apple tree sapling down next to the front door to keep the dirt out of Jodi's clean house. "But things are better now that we don't have to live together."

Sam perked up at this. "I didn't know you had a brother, V! Maybe he and Vincent would get along?"

The grocer's daughter remembered Violet mentioning a brother when they talked about their families. "She has an older brother," Abigail corrected her boyfriend, taking her place at the drum set.

Violet nodded in confirmation, turning the chair in front of Sam's computer to face the center of the room, and taking a seat. "Though he works with kids surprisingly often for a lawyer who doesn't specialize in family law. I think he volunteers to improve his horrible reputation."

"Ah, he can't be all that bad," Sam thought aloud, picking up his guitar and strumming a few chords before tuning the instrument. "Speaking as an older brother, we're pretty cool dudes."

The farmer sniggered at this but humored her blond friend by not arguing the point. Abigail looked around and saw they were missing someone. "Where's Sebastian?"

"Oh, you guys didn't see his text?" Violet mentioned, holding up her phone. "He's got work holding him up. He won't be here today."

Sam frowned, "Well how're we gonna practice our new songs without our synth player?" he complained, plucking a minor chord to emphasize his displeasure. They would not get the full experience without all the instruments.

Violet chimed in. "Well, Sebastian did send a recording of his part so you all wouldn't be completely left in a lurch."

"Okay, so we technically have all the instrumental aspects." The drummer's light blue eyes shot the farmer a look. "That means Violet can help us out with some lyrics!"

"Oh?" the pastel-haired woman stiffened, hoping that the duo had not purposely invited her so that she would willingly fall into their trap to officially join the band.

The guitarist liked this idea. "Oh, sweet!" He dug around under his bed until he found a notebook and tossed it to their newest friend. "I've got some rough ideas, but they need a good polish."

"So, I don't have to sing?" Violet clarified with relief.

Sam winked, flashing a smile to their new, nervous lyricist. "Not unless you feel moved by the rockin' music." He picked up his guitar again and began to play. "I'm thinking it should go a little something like this…"

Sebastian finally emerged from his room relatively late that evening, exhausted from trying to work out the bugs in his code. "Maybe I bit off more than I can chew with this one…" he admitted to himself as he pulled the door of the refrigerator open and discovered a to-go container with his name on it.

Had his mom set aside leftovers from dinner for him? Sebastian had been too consumed with his work to join the rest of the family. The hungry programmer set the container on the table and pried it open, only to find a maki roll inside. Sure, it was a little fat, so the seaweed did not wrap perfectly, and the layer of rice on the outside was a little lumpy in places, but this was recognizably one of his favorite foods. Sebastian finally noticed the note on the container and opened it to find Violet's handwriting.

We missed you at band practice today! I made too much for dinner and since they don't keep well, I thought you'd like some.

I hope you're on a roll after eating this. I know good food always helps me think.

- Violet

Sebastian smirked at the bad pun, sat down at the table, and popped a segment of the California roll into his mouth. She used real crab meat! the young man thought in awe as his taste buds triggered all sorts of endorphins. Yeah, it did not look pretty, but it was damn delicious. "She even mixed in a little spicy mayo with the crab," he observed with a delighted groan that can only follow a bite of good food. Before he knew it, Sebastian shoved the rest of the maki into his mouth. He was hungrier than he thought.

The dark-haired man pulled his phone from his pocket to pass on his compliments to the chef. *That was an awesome maki roll. Thanks, Violet!*

*I'm so glad you liked it! I'll try to improve my presentation next time. ^^()*

Sebastian thought it was funny Violet was so concerned about how it looked when it tasted the way it did. He wanted to reassure her. *Eh, I like things a little messy. If it looks too perfect, you feel bad eating it, right?*

*I thought that was just me who felt badly for eating things that are meant to be eaten!*

The programmer imagined the look on Violet's face right now. Was she happy that he liked her food and related to her on some level? He hoped she was… *I'm down to taste test your sushi anytime you want to make it!*

Sebastian smiled to himself, feeling much better after taking a break and eating something filling. He washed the container quickly and set it on the drying rack before heading back downstairs to his room to finish his work.

*As long as you promise not to eat it all! I don't often share, you know. You should be honored.* Violet replied.

The programmer chuckled as he texted his answer. *I make no promises. It's every man for himself when it comes to sushi.* He added a winking face to make sure she knew he was teasing, but panicked immediately after sending. That was not going to give her the wrong idea, was it?

*RUDE!* Sebastian relaxed at the response. Violet had not seemed to think he was flirting with her. He could deal with a miffed farmer. It was more fun that way. *You try to steal my sushi and I will bite you!*

*I'll take my chances.* Sebastian could not imagine she would actually bite someone. Either way, he needed to end this conversation so he could focus. *See you tomorrow at Sam's for band practice.*

*Oh, didn't Sam tell you? He has work tomorrow, so we're getting together at my place once he's done.*

The band could play music until late out at the farm. The nearest neighbors were a good distance away, so they would not be bothering anyone. That worked out well. *There'd better be more maki!* he demanded.

*I don't negotiate with food terrorists,* the farmer countered with a winking emoji of her own. *But if I happen to catch anything good tomorrow, the odds are in your favor.*

Sebastian smiled. Violet was starting to dish out some teasing in return. He liked that. *See you tomorrow, Violet.*