By now, Molly was used to be woken up early (for some reason, people thought all farmers like to be up and about at six in the morning) so a knock at her door at any particular god-forsaken hour was entirely unsurprising. What surprised her was the feminine figure that greeted her.
"Good morning!" chirped the Witch, looking entirely too chipper and more put-together than anyone had a right to in the wee hours of the morning. It wasn't fair!
Molly suddenly felt self-conscious of her bedraggled nightgown and messy hair.
Wait, what she was doing on the door step anyway? Had she gotten the house number wrong or something? Actually, considering Molly lived on a large farm away from the rest of the population, even the farmer had her doubts about that. Still, Molly couldn't fathom how she would have the nerve to even turn up near here after drugging her! To top things off, it looked like she had a package in her hand, which obviously meant the Witch was up to no good!
"What are you doing here and what's that in your hand?" she asked, though she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.
The Witch beamed. "Hey Molly, I baked a pie! Can you believe it? It's perfect and I know you want some..."
That was awfully optimistic. Especially considering it was this particular Fugue Forest dweller.
Molly pretended to look thoughtful. "Well, considering you poisoned me with a pie before... Yes, yes I can believe it and no, I don't want some."
"B-But doesn't it look delicious?" the Witch sputtered.
Well, maybe just a little, but that wasn't the point! Molly didn't want to end up in some coma or popping pain pills for days again!
"That's what I thought last time! Stop beating around the bush! I have farmer-y things to do today!" Actually, it was too late in the season for her to plant any more crops and the few stragglers that hadn't been harvested were watered by the small downpour during the night.
Come to think of it, the day wasn't shaping up to be particularly nice. That just left feeding the animals, which was a task unto itself, and she could kick back and do relatively nothing. Or she could mine or cook, or go showering people with gifts, but none of that sounded as appealing as spending quality time with her cat and some tea! Not that the Witch needed to know any of that, of course!
"I promise there are no potions in it or anything! It's a perfectly normal pie! Really, I baked it because I'm sorry for last time!" the Witch pleaded, to little avail.
"I'm supposed to believe that? Your last pie knocked me out before! I woke up in the Wizard's house." Molly felt particularly unhappy about that last part. Thinking back on it was a little embarrassing, not to mention the horrible after effects of whatever was in that concoction!
The magic-user frowned. "Well, I see that turned out well for you!"
"Is this something the entire island sees? Because I sure don't and I'm not eating anything you make!" Now Molly was just frustrated. Did the Witch really come here to even some sort of personal grievance? And why did everyone think she was somehow involved with the Wizard? Did the Sprites do some sort of weekly live broadcast on the local channel?
...That couldn't be it; she would have seen the re-runs. But something was up!
"...So invite me in and I'll eat some of it too! That'll prove there's nothing wrong with it!" The Witch was persistent, Molly gave her that.
"I got it! Whatever that is, it contains some super secret ingredient that only works on humans and not witches! I'm on to you!"
"Molly, just invite me in, okay!"
"No way! I want nothing to do with you and your...illicit drugs!"
"...Did I mention its pumpkin pie?"
Oh, the Witch was crafty! Making her forget her past turmoil with her absolute favourite indgredient!
"...Fine, I'll let you in this once, but don't you try anything! Or else!"
"I told you not to get involved with that nasty guy!" the Witch Princess lectured through a mouthful of pie.
Molly tentatively chewed a piece of pie. Thus far, it was completely delicious and had no discernible negative effects. That is, other than calories, probably.
"Is that what this is about?" she ventured between bites.
"Yes! And you should feel honoured you get to eat my snacks, by the way."
"What is it with everyone lately? He was just helping me catch my kitty!" She pointed to her cat, which was sleeping on the bed. It was content after a long evening of sprite harassment. Finn was glowering from his sock drawer.
"Nuh uh! I don't believe you! You're after him!" the Witch pointed her fork squarely at Molly.
"What do you mean 'I'm after him'? Does it look like I'm after him? We just had a mutual agenda that revolved around a cat!"
"And what about how he came and got you from my hut!"
"What about it! You put some fancy food-y spell on me! What's your problem, are you into that guy or something? 'Cause this is getting ridiculous!" The nerve! Barging into Molly's house with pie and bribing her into confessing something weird.
"No! I just have your best interests in mind!"
Molly couldn't help but giggle.
"I really do! I don't want you to be all mopey over that guy! I like you, y'know!"
"You could have fooled me..." Molly couldn't figure these magical entities out. Was knocking her out cold some term of endearment?
The Witch played with a morsel on her plate. "I'm sorry, all right? It wasn't supposed to happen like that!"
"Then what was supposed to happen?" The farmer really couldn't fathom what intended use, other than knocking her out, could be. Molly didn't think she was even being dense this time either!
"That's a secret!" exclaimed the Witch, "Just, um, know that I didn't mean for that to happen, okay?"
"Fine, I guess..." Though Molly wasn't really sure what she was forgiving.
"Good! So let's be friends again! And you can stop wasting time with that guy and spend all that time with me instead!" the Witch looked like she'd won some nominal victory, which unnerved Molly just a bit.
Molly finished chewing another large forkful of pie. "Hey, he's still my friend! I don't get what it is with you two."
"He's just a...no good fugue mushroom stealing scoundrel! And I bet he's after you now too! That's what it is!" replied the Witch, plate forgotten.
"I don't know what he's after, but I doubt it's me." Molly shrugged.
"You're not very smart, Molly," the Witch informed her, "even by human standards."
Evidently, Molly did not take the Witch's advice into consideration. In fact, she did quite the opposite. Really, the Witch should have known that the best way to get her to do something was to tell her she should be doing the opposite.
It was human nature, or something.
While she was glad that she could count the Witch among her friends again (or as much of a friend you could call someone that drugged you in a hut in the middle of nowhere), that didn't mean the Witch had any say in the company she kept! Obviously, this meant the Wizard.
This is why, after the Witch left after a couple hours of watching The Sprite Rangers, the farmer decided to visit her suddenly (and overtly) close friend, the Wizard. Maybe the Witch Princess' entire problem was just that she was in love with Molly's television, an apparent rarity among villagers. Molly could understand that.
The Wizard agreed that her assessment of the Witch was plausible; she did have an uncomfortable fondness for The Sprite Rangers, but doubted that had much to do with her renewed efforts to win Molly over.
"She just wants you because...you're my friend, as well..." the Wizard took a tentative sip of coffee; Molly, seated directly across from him, was still enthusiastically scooping sugar and cream into her cup.
The farmer took a careful sip once she was satisfied that her drink was going to taste more like candy than coffee. This particular drink was still a novelty; back when she lived at home, someone always tried to limit her consumption. She couldn't imagine why. With the right amount of sugar and cream, it was entirely delicious and made her hum with even more energy!
"So what? Are you jealous or something? Am I some kind of trophy you guys are after? Like a fugue mushroom or something?" Molly scrunched up her nose, none too fond of the idea. It allowed her incredible access to free food and drinks, but she wanted some kind of illusion of regular friendships!
The Wizard half-smiled and stared into his drink; Molly was shocked at this new expression. "Maybe...I am a bit...jealous."
"D-Did you just make a joke? An honest-to-goodness attempt at being jovial, and smile too? I'm shocked; I didn't think you had any humour at all! I thought you were just some stick-up-the rear! Um, I mean that in the nicest way possible, really!" the farmer spouted, trying not to upend the table or something silly in sheer surprise.
The man across from her just shook his head and gazed with the same uncharacteristic smirk into his coffee cup.
After overcoming her initial mirth, Molly settled back down to her drink and her chair and suddenly felt a little awkward, like she always did after being met with silence. Why did she have to be the one to do all the talking, anyway? So she gazed around the room in an attempt to find a fruitful conversation piece. The Wizard's house was virtually the same as every other time, right down to the smell; however, unlike most times, he actually had the blinds open so she could see out his solitary window. For someone that loved admiring the stars, he sure didn't let much light in other than the observatory. Maybe it appealed to the villager's notion of fortune-teller aesthetics.
"So... I guess it's getting pretty late in the season, huh? Pretty soon it'll be winter. I think my crops are on track and everything; I've even done some harvesting! I guess I'm getting better at this farming thing!" Molly chirped as she watched the pale gray clouds float over the mountains through the window.
"Ah, I missed the Moon Festival... How disappointing..." the Wizard sounded particularly regretful.
"Yeah, well, if it makes you feel better I missed it too! Hamilton came and told me but, um, I just kind of ignored him. I think it was last week or something." Molly did that incredibly often, now that she thought about it.
"We will have to go... next year. Together." He sounded more hopeful this time.
Molly didn't have the heart to tell him she wasn't particularly interested, so she nodded in agreement.
The Wizard looked content and removed himself from the table in order to grab the coffee pot from its nearby stand. With sharp precision, he poured himself another cup of coffee and wordlessly stepped beside Molly's seat and topped off her sugary concoction. He lingered as if he had something to say, but stepped away before forming any words and took his seat across from her again.
"...The crop festival is soon... Are you entering it, Molly?"
"They have one of those? Really? When?" the farmer frowned, Hamilton was slacking!
"It is... the twenty-seventh, I believe... They offer prizes... Fertilizer, for the best crops..." It looked like he was straining to remember the details; Molly supposed it was hard to keep track of all the festivities! Because, you know, there were so many...
The farmer hummed to herself, "I really wish I had known about this sooner! I've shipped most of my crops. I guess I can see what pops up in the next few days though!"
"Ah, so you will... be entering then?"
"Yeah, I mean, I may as well! I'm a farmer after all! These things are expected of me! And I have to let everyone know which farm is the most super duper ever!"
It was decided! Molly was going to show everyone that she was an amazing farmer! Never mind that she didn't have any crops yet, it would all fall into place, right? Well, it's not like little details like that had stopped her before!
"Perhaps... I will accompany you, then... "
"I didn't know you grew crops, Wizard!" Molly didn't think he really did much other than tell fortunes, spend copious amounts of time in front of a telescope, and rescue cats.
He rubbed the back of his head and looked a little flushed. "...I meant as... support... for you."
"Kind of like my own personal cheer squad? That's great!" Usually Molly had Finn, but he had been a rather poor supporter lately. He barely even followed her around since she'd brought home the cat! She almost missed him now that he wasn't around as much.
The Wizard shook his head, but Molly swore he was smiling at least a teensy bit under all that shaggy hair! "I suppose, you could call it... something like that. I'll come by... the morning of the festival... then?"
"Sure! I can't wait to show everyone my mad farmer skills!"
Molly downed her coffee and rubbed her hands together gleefully. Nobody back home believed she had it in her to be a great farmer. In fact, most people on Castanet could barely believe it. But when she showed up (with her own one-Wizard supporter, to boot) and won this festival thing, she'd be a proven farmer! Now all that was left was to harvest one single amazing crop... in three days.