This kind of went on longer than I thought it would, but I just couldn't help it. I had too much fun. :D

~2~

Vivi poked her head out from behind the tree, looking left and right as if she was crossing a busy street. The coast was clear, but she didn't dare leave the shadows of the forest. Despite the cool fall air on the cliffside, her nerves were making her sweat.

Focus! Gotta find this guy and obliterate him before tea. Well, that's a strong word… just… make him disappear a little. Yeah. The Witch mentally coached herself. Her own motivations were a little unclear to her. She was just determined to make it so that she'd never have to worry about attending Molly's future wedding because there would be no such thing. She wasn't exactly gung-ho about committing murder. Was that still illegal? Humans had such nutty ways of solving their problems without it. Very troublesome.

Using the brush for cover, Vivi scampered as expertly as a squirrel to the nearest structure. It was a building surrounded by heavy loads of lumber and great big saws. The musty smell of dust and pine emanated from the workshop. Could Molly's guy be here?

Vivi skipped across the dirt and ducked below the nearest window. She set her staff down and as stealthily as an assassin, she peered up through the glass and squinted.

Good gracious, that's a sizeable ass. The Witch wrinkled her nose distastefully at the closeup view of the behind of a burly man. He was standing at the counter directly across from her, and when he turned his head, she saw a huge, bushy mustache upon his lip. He was a little gruff, but appearances didn't mean everything. Maybe Molly was into a more mature type.

Over by a circular saw, there was a spindly little boy doing his best not to lose any fingers. His sandy blond hair was held back by a headband that made him look even younger. He had all of the grace and presence of a newborn foal. He was vaguely familiar to her, but the Witch didn't realize why until a third person entered the room.

He's too old, and he's too young, but he's just right! Got him! Vivi celebrated her Goldilocks victory with a smirk, sizing him up. It was the bandana clad, axe-wielding moron. He was currently speaking loud enough so that she could hear his voice even through the glass. He was handsome, but he was a little too dim – even for Molly. It was difficult to imagine them together without causing chaos.

Vivi knew him well – or, well enough. He and the scrawny one were always cavorting about her woods, cutting down her trees. The eldest was particular noisy and bothersome, so she was quite annoyed to find him as a potential suitor to her one and only friend. She didn't know their home was a mere stone's toss away from hers. She made a mental note to terrorize them later when her current business was through.

More importantly, Vivi couldn't imagine anyone inside the room being capable of something as tedious as making jewelry. That was the one and only clue she had, and she needed to abide by it. This place was a bust.

"Drat!" Vivi cursed, leaving the window and retreating back to the trees. She made her way across the footpath with a tuck and roll and crept to the next home along the way. He was sure to be around here somewhere.

The next home only had women inside, and Molly had specifically said it was a 'he.' So Vivi turned her nose up at them and went to the following building down the line. This one had a dim room in back that was very girly. It was clearly a woman's. Vivi was about to move on when she spied a case of jewelry. She pressed her hands and face up against the glass. That's it!

As no one was within, Vivi had no reluctance prying up the window pane. She slid her thin fingers through and gave it a heave, forcing it up. Chewing her lip at the difficulty, the Witch stuck her staff in the dirt and clambered up onto the sill. She flashed the neighborhood as her striped bloomers rode up during her climb, and she growled and kicked her feet to gain leverage. Her balance shifted inwards, and the Witch slipped inside.

After her silly theatrics were over with, the Witch righted her shorts and adjusted her corset and little hat. She leaned back out of the window to retrieve her staff, but she was alarmed to find it just out of her reach. No matter how far she stretched and craned and whined, her fingertips wouldn't so much as touch it. Vivi nearly fell out the window trying and finally gave up. No matter! I've got plenty of magic in my left and right hook – he won't know what hit him! Now where would he be…?

Vivi did her best to tip toe across the carpet in her heels and opened the door a crack. Voices that had previously been muted to her now drifted in down the hall from the shop's lobby, and the Witch held her breath to listen in.

"—beautiful. I know she'll love it," a woman said. It sounded like she'd been reassuring someone for quite some time given her bored tone.

A man spoke next after a little, discontented sigh. "You think so? Really? I feel like it could've turned out a little more… more! You know?"

The woman replied with a sigh of her own. "Julius, she's not a picky girl. You've worked so hard, and that's what she'll love the most. You know Molly better than anyone. I shouldn't have to tell you that."

Vivi's eyes lit in a strange mixture of emotions. Excitement that she finally had the right people on the other side of the door. Eagerness to get her revenge. Fear she could be caught any moment. But mostly great offense that this woman just implied someone knew Molly better than she did. She childishly curled her fist around the door knob. I'm her best friend! No one knows Molly better than me. No one.

"Hm, no, but I like hearing it~" he chuckled devilishly. After a pause and a shift of a chair, he went on with a brighter note behind his words. "It's decided then! I'll give her the necklace as is. Thank you, Mira; you're such a dear."

Ugh, what a charlatan, Vivi faked a retch, sticking her tongue out. He was so incredibly annoying. She would enjoy ruining his day. And she knew just how to do that.

Luck was on her side as their conversation veered towards finding lunch. She heard them traipse by and head into the kitchen. The clank of cutlery let her know they were busy. And that necklace was unattended.

Confident in her change of plans, the Witch left the bedroom at last and stole across the floor. She darted through the unfamiliar house like a rat on the run, doing her best not to let her heels scrape or else alert them to her presence. She found the living room where they had been chatting alongside their store front with empty cups of tea left behind. Vivi had her pick of any precious gem she wanted from the loaded cases, but her eyes gravitated to the box sitting alone on the table.

Vivi lifted the lid like she would find ancient treasure, her eyes ogling the glimmering necklace within. Her expression immediately dulled to a bored regard. A plain silver chain held a clover-shaped pendant with four little green gems she took to be emeralds. Overall, it was nothing special. He's right, it needed pizzazz.

Oh, well! She gleefully suppressed a giggle of delight as she swiped it. It was cold in her palm and much smaller and more delicate than she initially surmised. Vivi didn't bother replacing the lid to hide her crime, happily heading back the way she came. She closed the bedroom door behind her and approached the window, looking down at the ground below with a purse of her lips.

For safe keeping, Vivi decided to wear the necklace. She clipped it behind her neck and freed her long silver hair of the chain, holding the pendant beneath her nose. She snorted. "So tacky."

And as easy as that, the Witch hopped out the window and retrieved her staff. She had a skip in her step as she re-entered the forest. She'd succeeded! Poor guy would get his hopes dashed when he saw his precious present for Molly was long gone, and Molly would never have to suffer receiving his affections through the gawdy thing. Everyone wins.

"And there's plenty of time before tea~!" Vivi sang, leaping up into the air for a triumphant whoop. She clicked her heels mid spring and merrily disappeared between the trees.

Julius stared at the empty box for a solid minute before he turned to Mira. She was looking much more distressed than he was, but he just wasn't showing it yet. "Are you sure you left it here?"

"I was going to wrap it after lunch," he confirmed, his hand to his chin, his mouth a grim line. His mind was whirring a mile a minute as he tried to comprehend how the necklace he painstakingly made for his Molly had vanished without a trace in the matter of the past half hour. Even more concerning, the store wasn't open today, so the door was locked fast. It should've just been Mira and him. Should've.

"Julius, I don't know what to say," her voice had an edge to it. He knew she was frightened. Anyone would be if there was the clear sign of a burglary in an otherwise quiet home they had never left. But her next words surprised him. "You spent so long on that necklace. You must be absolutely devastated it's missing. Will you be alright?"

She was wringing her hands. Mira was so worried on his behalf. His heart melted a bit. He forced a smile for her. "Never mind that. First, let's look around to make sure I didn't drop it somewhere. It might've been kicked beneath the sofa or something."

Mira was clearly unconvinced, but she helped him search none the less. They lifted cushions, pulled out chairs, checked drawers, and went through the entire living room. When that turned up nothing, they began the arduous task of tearing the whole house apart. They checked every nook and cranny, and while he was fruitlessly scanning the shelves of the store front for the shape of a clover amongst the baubles, he heard Mira call for him from the hall.

"Why's it so terribly cold?" Julius asked, following her voice around the corner. He cinched his jacket tightly together with his fist and shuddered, finding his boss in front of her bedroom door looking spooked. "What's the matter?"

"The window's open," Mira reported, unable to enter the room with her feet rooted to the spot. She shook her head. "I know I didn't leave the window open."

"Of course, you wouldn't," he lightly scolded the very notion. It was mid-autumn – the air was much too chilly to welcome a passing breeze. But lo and behold, he sidled by Mira and peered in to see the window opened wide. He marched up to it and looked out, glaring at the ground. In another second, he began to climb through.

Mira ran ahead to stop him, but she was too late as he dropped down. She plead from the window like an anxious Juliet. "Oh, Julius, please! We need to call someone. It could be dangerous; you shouldn't go off on your own."

"Never fear, my dear," he said, quite fearless himself. The dirt was dusty from the cold, but it had rained the previous day. The combination created a clear smattering of footprints all about the ground amongst his own boots. The tiny pumps made a path to and from the window, straight into Fugue Forest. He clicked his tongue. "I'll be just a moment."

"Oh, goodness," Mira fussed. She watched as he didn't heed her warnings and made his way into the woods. She ran to phone the nearest authority they knew, impatiently waiting for the rotary to spin. "Stubborn boy! Heaven forbid he listen to any sense."

Mira's fears were quite founded, but Julius pressed on with purpose through the forest. The footprints were quite easy to follow - the thief doing very little to disguise their existence. They had a certain direction, and the path was leading him into the very thick of Fugue. As he ducked under a branch and pulled his long jacket free of briars, he grimaced at his ill luck. It only ignited his anger further. This chick's got another thing coming, helping herself to Molly's necklace! I'm going to track you down, little rat. You'll be sorrier than white shoes after Labor Day!

Julius certainly wasn't a scrapper, but he was always up for trying new things. Thoughts of who would be at the end of this high heeled trail cluttered his mind amongst his uncertainty of just what he'd do when he found them. No one he knew would be the type to break in through windows and steal jewelry. Especially just the one necklace when they had a whole slew of pricey options within access. No, this person knew exactly what they were looking for. But why? Who would want to steal something with sentimental value?

The jeweler found his answer as he parted a branch and stopped fast, going cross-eyed at the gnarled, tree-knotted staff at his nose. Fiery orange eyes glaring at him defensively swam with fresh confusion at the person she caught tailing her all this way. He was inexperienced navigating the trees, creating a racket like nothing she'd heard barreling through the forest before. She was baffled to find not a bear but a Barbie doll at the end of her staff. "What on earth are you?"

The insult sparked a question of his own, and Julius' puzzlement became annoyance. "Don't you mean who?"

The mysterious woman drew her staff away, striking the ground at her feet with authority. She held her nose in the air without apology. "You heard me. Speak, foul creature, lest I tire of your presence and cease your existence."

That's surely an act? He found her word choice bizarre and dated, but he had a sneaking feeling it wasn't natural. Like she was forcing some sort of mighty dominion with them. But Julius' knew a thing or two about verbiage and wasn't intimidated in the slightest. He crossed his arms, noting the item he was looking for around her pale neck. "So you're the thief."

Vivi hid the damning evidence in her fist. She sized him up anew, recognizing his voice. "So you're the one after Molly's heart."

Julius' eyes widened, genuinely surprised. First, there's a burglary at his work place, second, he's found the culprit to be an oddly dressed woman he's never seen before, and third, she knew about him and Molly. He had heard of stalkers before, but he thought this caliber was just meant for the movies. It was almost impressive.

He took a daring step forward, and Vivi immediately backed up. Julius held forward his hand in demanding. "You have something of mine."

"Oi, back up before I make you into a turtle for my soup," she warned, her voice getting much flatter and more frustrated.

"Aha, so you were just bluffing," Julius looked her up and down, bemused that he had guessed correctly her whole aura was a poor act. He wrinkled his nose. "I've got to say you are the worst Rune Factory cosplayer I've ever seen. Is that polyester?"

Vivi looked down at her striped shorts, affronted, before glaring back at the young man. "Look, pal, you can say whatever you like, but as far as I'm concerned, I've got you right where I want you. I'll have you know you're speaking to an all powerful witch, and she's got a hell of a grudge against you. I can zap you clean off the face of the earth, so you watch your mouth."

Julius placed a sassy hand on his hip, shifting his weight. He couldn't look more unimpressed if he tried. And he already was. "I didn't realize I offended the leader of the Lollipop Guild. I'll have my necklace back, please."

The pleasantry was tacked on in a dangerous tone, and the Witch turned away from him. This guy had some nerve insulting her outfit when he was decked in bellbottoms and platform shoes. He placed another foot forward as she stared at them, and she aimed her staff at him again. This time, she also held the necklace in her palm, meaning to crush it. "Step back, or I'll destroy it!"

"No, don't!" Julius leapt forward to stop her, his panic finally surfacing at the threat. He was close enough and had a good reach.

Vivi squeaked in fear as he pounced and made a grab for the necklace. The chain snapped at a tug from her neck, but she wouldn't lose so easily. She got ahold of the other end of the broken chain, the pendant spinning between them as they resorted to an ugly tug-of-war. "Will you back off?!"

"Give me my necklace, you hag!" He demanded, fiercely fighting for control of the accessory with the voracity of a Black Friday shopper.

"Ugh!" Vivi gasped. The offense renewed her vigor, and she pulled ever harder, trying to shove him back at the same time. She made a swipe at his head in an attempt to daze him, but she missed.

They struggled for a few short seconds before the Witch's staff fumbled and fell to the forest floor. With the impact, a shot of green light zapped out the front end and hit the necklace dead on, sending the pair into an inglorious heap in the dirt.

Julius rose first, scrambling to a sitting position before the Witch could roll over. He flipped the hair from his face and brushed the dirt from his front. To his delight, he found the necklace still in his fist, and he gave it a hard pull. Vivi's arm came with it, still refusing to give up. His patience quite through, he attempted to pry it out of her grasp with all his might. "Will you…?! Enough already! Let go of it!"

"I can't!" The Witch hollered, following her arm as he yanked it with him.

"What do you mean, you can't?!" Julius snapped.

Vivi reiterated, shaking her arm for proof. "I can't let go! My hand is stuck, jackass!"

Horrified, Julius did the same and found he couldn't flex his fingers. They were fixed fast around the chain like hers were. No matter how much he willed his hand to move, it wouldn't. He couldn't let go of the necklace even if he wanted to. "Hell, I'm stuck, too!"

They both looked up at one another. The forest was suddenly very quiet. They were trapped. Together.