Chapter Four: A Proposal

"I'm busy working hard on my latest works, and this is what I get! I've got to be the last smurf in the village who still hasn't met this Roesia," Brainy said, irritable as ever.

"Heh, I wouldn't say so… Don't think she's actually met Baby yet," Clumsy mused.

"Good. I don't actually want to be left until last, so I'm going to see what all the fuss is about over this human in the forest. But…"

"Do ya know the way?" Clumsy asked lightly.

"No" Brainy admitted sheepishly. "Clumsy… Will you show me where she is?"

"Gee Brainy, all you gotta do is ask," Clumsy said happily.

"…And, of course, you have Papa, and none other than myself," Painter told Roesia, proudly displaying the painting he'd brought to her.

"It looks amazing," Roesia replied. "But I think there are some of you missing? Where's Smurfette, and Sassette, for example?"

Painter nodded. "This group portrait, it is a little old now. I made it before Smurfette came to the village."

"Ah, that makes sense then…"

"Hiya, Roesia!" Clumsy waved.

Roesia turned away slightly from the approaching smurfs. "So… bright," she muttered.

Brainy strolled over confidently. "Why, yes, I am very bright! My name is Brainy, after all."

Painter rolled his eyes, getting up from where he sat. "Was good to see you, but I should be getting back now," he nodded to Roesia, then looked over at Brainy and Clumsy. "I suppose I shall leave you to it." He took his painting with him. Roesia waved her goodbyes and then turned to acknowledge the two newly arrived smurfs.

"How nice to finally meet you, Brainy! I've heard about you a little from the others. And it's always good to see you, Clumsy."

They spoke for a little bit, Brainy being allowed ample room to properly introduce himself.

"So… what about you, Roesia?" Clumsy asked, during a little break in the conversation. "Maybe you could introduce yourself a little to Brainy!"

"Oh, me?" Roesia looked at them intently. "I'm a Reader."

Brainy's face lit up. "Oh, you like to read? Well, I like to write! You're in luck!" he started launching into a monologue about all the great books he'd written, capturing his timeless knowledge, when a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Hellooo! Your favourite smurf has come to pay you a visit!" it called.

"Vanity! Oh my, aren't I popular today?" Roesia remarked cheerfully.

"Gosh… Vanity's your favourite?" Clumsy looked over as Vanity adjusted the flower in his hat.

"I'm everyone's favourite," Vanity corrected with a sly smile, "Wouldn't you agree, Clumsy?"

Clumsy giggled. "Ah, no such thing as a favourite smurf, just different smurfs!"

Roesia nodded at this. "Exactly".

Brainy cut in, clearly annoyed at the interruption caused by Vanity's arrival. "Vanity, Vanity, Vanity-"

And then Clumsy abruptly seemed to remember something. "Oh, no!" he said out loud. Everyone else turned to him.

"Oh, I- I just remembered I promised t' help Smurfette out with somethin'- I gotta go but I'll be back real soon!" a laugh, a smile and a wave, and then he was hurrying off.

"Be caref-" Brainy began, just in time to see his friend trip over.

"I'm okay!" Clumsy reassured them as he got up again and disappeared into the forest.

Vanity cast a bored, aside glance at Brainy, undeterred that someone else was already here to visit Roesia. "The week I've had," he began, sitting down and making himself comfortable, "I think you'd be interested to hear about it."

"Now wait a minute. I was already talking to Roesia. I was telling her about the wonderful works of me, Brainy Smurf!"

"Shhhhh," Roesia said soothingly, "I am interested to hear about all of these things. But we've got all the time in the world, don't we? In fact, I think we should organise a day soon to meet up, just the three of us. There's something I'd like you both to see. How does the day after tomorrow sound?"

"Ah, I don't see the harm…" Vanity began slowly. He'd met Roesia many times before.

Brainy's curiosity was piqued. "Something none of the other smurfs know about?"

Roesia nodded, and Brainy felt a great rush of self-satisfaction. She'd only just met him, and yet she must already be able to see the extent of his intellect! Why else would she offer him exclusive information? He was hardly listening as Roesia gave them quick instructions of where to meet; Vanity was taking note.

"A different meeting place…?" Vanity lowered his mirror somewhat, and peered at Roesia from over the top of it. "…Information no one else knows? Then why tell us?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll show the others too. But I just thought, if you two wanted an exclusive little bit of insight first? I wanted to keep it a surprise, too. Just the three of us to know, for now."

After Brainy's initial burst of excitement, he was now cautiously mulling it over the same way Vanity appeared to be.

"Well, can you give us any more information?" Vanity pressed.

"That would ruin the fun, wouldn't it?"

Vanity gazed deeply into his mirror. "Then we don't agree to go."

Roesia inclined her head. "I understand. You are, of course, free to-"

"We'll meet right here," Brainy said assertively. "If we need to go somewhere else, we can walk. You'll give us more information first. And then we'll decide if we want to go or not." He could sense that Roesia was withholding important information now, and he wanted very much to know what was going on, especially before all of the other smurfs.

Vanity nodded along to this – it sounded agreeable enough. There was a lot less risk involved.

Roesia smiled. "You know, that's a pretty good idea – better than mine, actually. I can see why the two of you are worried, so I suppose I'll have to do more to reassure you both that you needn't be."

"It's nothing personal," Vanity commented. "It's just a matter of safety."

Roesia nodded. "I'd be the same way."

There was a rustling and they all turned to see Papa Smurf stepping into the little area in the forest that Roesia had made up for herself.

"Oh… hi, Papa Smurf," Brainy didn't have a reason to sound nervous, did he? Technically they weren't supposed to go into the forest specifically to see Roesia, but he didn't know that Brainy didn't have any other errands to run, did he?

"How nice of you to drop by!" Roesia looked pleased.

"Yes, good to see you too, Roesia. I hope you've been well." Papa then turned to Vanity and Brainy. "Interesting that I should find the two of you here together… But I'm afraid you're needed back at the village."

"Yes, Papa Smurf," they replied, bid Roesia adieu and began to head off.

"So, how have you been, Roesia?" Papa prompted, remaining behind. He asked her about how things were going. She'd been hanging out in the forest for extended periods of time quite a bit now. He gently tried to see if she had any other plans coming up, but did not exactly receive anything concrete in terms of her replies.

Roesia asked him much the same questions about how he's been going in turn, and then Clumsy returned to the clearing just as he'd promised, only to find that Vanity and Brainy were now gone.

"Ah, gee, where'd they go," Clumsy wondered after greeting Papa Smurf.

"Brainy and Vanity?" Papa guessed. "They're needed back at the village to get the final preparations ready for Wild's birthday tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah! I should probably be helping out with that too, huh?" Clumsy realised.

"Well, I think the village mostly has it covered, but we should be getting back in any case," Papa told him.

"That's a shame," Roesia told Papa. "I hardly get to see you! Give Grandpa my best wishes."

"I will," Papa assured her.

"And I hope things pick up with the harvest, although I'm sure that shouldn't be an issue for a great and powerful wizard such as yourself," she added brightly. A complimentary tone.

Papa paused. Yes, he had mentioned to her just now that they'd been having some trouble with the harvest…

But…

"I'm sure things will pick up very soon," he said, trying not to let his speech sound stilted. He politely bid her farewell, and left with Clumsy.