((yyyyup, another really slow chapter. even shorter than all the other chapters though. owo))

It was killing her. The wait for Bonnibel. Unlike her usual anticipation to be able to talk to her again, it was the actual fear of whether or not she would ever see her again. And she more so hoped that if she did see her again that she would at least be alive.

'Damn it, Marceline,' she panicked to herself, 'Why the hell would you even be thinking this sort of stuff?' Instead of relaxing in the treetops, she'd already been at the forest floor, pacing back and forth in dismay. 'Of course she's still alive.' she tried to reassure herself. 'She's a smart girl. I'm sure she's already started traveling on her old path... But... she is okay...' she looked over in the distance where she was hoping to see Bonnibel come over the horizon, 'right?'

With the farmer and Marshall both trailing her at the same time, Marceline began to blame herself if anything were to happen. 'I could've protected her somehow. I could've told Marshall to back off. Maybe it would've been better if I never even met her.' The swirling thoughts of her brother and of Bonnibel, along with the overwhelming emotions they caused were getting the best of her. And to think, a girl she'd only known for a month or so had worried her this much. She curled herself up into a ball and closed her eyes, hoping desperately to see her again.

And then she felt a gentle touch upon her shoulder.

She raised her head carefully. "Hey." It was her voice. Marceline's eyes readjusted to the brightness of the summer day gradually. Squatting next to her was the same red hooded girl that'd been the only thing on her mind. "Um, are you okay?"

Marceline immediately turned and threw her arms around her. "Thank God you're safe." Her fears and worries were wiped away with a boundless relief. Her tail wagged unconsciously. As she started to think clearly, it was a tad surprising for her to realize that she had even been so preoccupied as to dismiss Bonnibel's scent. And the now that she had her in her arms, she was practically being suffocated by it. And the force of the hug was even enough to pull her hood off.

"Oh, um, what?" Bonnibel slowly hugged her back. "I'm completely lost," she chuckled.

Marceline pulled away and began to rush her with questions. "So, did he talk to you? Did he tocuh you? Or did the farmer confront you instead? You aren't hurt at all are you? Because I swear, if he even laid a finger on you—"

"Marceline!" she interrupted, smiling. "Slow down. I'm still really lost right now."

She calmed herself. "Hah, right… sorry." She turned back to the direction she was originally in, allowing Bonnibel the room to sit in a more comfortable position. This was the first time they'd ever been able to sit down and talk.

"Soooo, you never met any new 'unsettling men' in the past few days?"

"No. Why, was I supposed to?"

"Ah, no, no! You weren't," Marceline said with waving arms.

"Then who 're you talking about?"

She thought before she answered. 'Maybe it would be best to just keep it to myself. She's already got enough problems…' "It's nobody…" she answered, looking away. "You shouldn't worry about it." She turned back and cracked a slightly nervous smile.

Of course, Bonnibel wanted to know more, but she respected her privacy. "Um, alright then…"

As a brief silence passed by, Marceline's eyes began to wander, but were caught by an abundance of faded colors organized in front of Bonnibel. A pile of books was stacked before her.

"Hey," she pointed. "Were those always there?"

"Jeez, Marceline. You must really have some kind of seeing problem. Seems like you're always missing out on stuff," she laughed. "Yes, they were always there."

"Oh, yeah. You don't have your basket or wood today, huh?"

"Yeah. My brother got tipped a ton of money by some random customer apparently. He says we can take a short break."

"So what's up with the books then?"

She picked one up, facing the cover towards Marceline. "'The Science of Alchemy'," she said, reading the title from memory. The other books seemed to involve related topics.

"Huh. Didn't take you to be the alchemic type of person." She picked up another book and flipped through it. Dozens of texts, notes, and diagrams filled each page.

"Yeah. Creating new things from what I already have has just always appealed to me. Guess that's one of the things my brother and I really have in common." Talking about her interests almost made her want to blush. "Though, I'm more fascinated by alchemy than what I've seen most people interested in."

"Any reason why?"

"I suppose I enjoy working with things you wouldn't be reading in fairytales or storybooks..."

"But, aren't I something you'd find in a fairytale?"

Bonnibel had almost forgotten who exactly she'd been speaking to. Noticing Marceline's ears and fangs again reminded her. "Oh, I didn't mean it that way!" She was afraid if she'd offended her.

"It's fine," she grinned.

"I meant witchcraft and sorcery. It feels like something should be given up in return for what you want. Magic is just a little hard to believe for me."

"I understand. Sometimes even I forget that I'm not human." She turned to Bonnibel. "But you sure make me feel like one."

Bonnibel smiled and felt rather touched.

The rest of their day was spent talking and sharing stories. It was the longest they'd ever been able to see each other. And it ended with their usual goodbyes. Marceline's worry still lingered, but for the most part, she was convinced that Bonnibel would be okay.