Evening air warm on her face, the sun gleaming out of existence for the evening, frogs croaking in the nearby pond, and cicadas whirring their long hum. Her eyes slid closed and she rocked gently on the porch swing, one foot tucked under herself, and the other with toes on the wood floor pushing her back and forth smoothly.
Little paws padded on the wood, and a faint and quiet purring began. Ooma wasn't a cat to hang around in the summer day time, rather emerging at night when things had settled. Days were much better spent in the rafters of the barn that housed the cow and few pigs Laura took care of. Better spent for the cat that is. Laura had looked forward to the addition of a cat into her life, thinking of it's use in chasing down field mice and moles. The mice and mole problem was taken care of in a different way though as the years had gone by. A junimo hut was put into her garden, out of complete eye sight, but Laura had only wanted their company, if they'd have her. She let them come and go as they pleased, and never asked anything of them. And because her love of gardening was absolutely evident, the Junimos had taken to ushering out the nuisance causing creatures, with no harm done to either party. Just mild annoyance from the "pests".
Laura was slightly surprised that Shane had never noticed them, as she'd seen them herself scurrying under his feet on more than one occasion. But Shane seemed usually so deep in thought and his work that it may not be that much of a surprise he never took them in. No telling what his reaction might be. Even she had leapt into the air with fright at the first sight of the spritely spirits but quickly came to admire them, bringing small gifts that they may ask for, and even saying small prayers to Yoba as she laid them neatly on the little wooden platforms strewn out through the decrepit community center. Amazing things happened as she completed the tasks laid out for her, and her fascination with them only grew. So unlike the green slime creatures deep in the mines, their hulking bodies that rolled towards her with only a desire for her death as she searched for the precious stones she needed for all of the crafts she put out in the farm. It would make her shudder the first few months in, but with practice over the years she only thought of them mildly. Almost with pity even. If only they could come out, feel the grass between their... well, feel the grass and the warmth on their faces. Maybe they wouldn't be so blood thirsty. It was creatures like the Shadow Grunts that really gave her pause. Battles with them were typically long, tough, and grueling and she'd come back from the mines with bruises and scars. It made Krobus so much more of a wonder, that he had gone and strayed from their seemingly vengeful ways...
Her eyes slid over to take in the great big white cat as it stretched it's body out, one paw out, then the next as it showed sharp and menacing teeth for a moment, licked it's lips, and jumped up into her lap.
"Oof!" she gasped, a small laugh escaping soon after as she rubbed the cat's head affectionately. It was nice for the thoughts brewing to be dispelled, and upon seeing the cat and it's normal stand off-ish demeanor that still demanded attention, she was reminded of the other stand-offish "creature" she had invited into her home.
Laura tilted her head back, and closed her eyes once more before opening them only half way again, squinting up at the metal tile that covered her porch ceiling. The designs blurred as she squinted, and as she stared she could almost see Shane's form coming out of the pattern as she put her imagination to work. She blushed and slid her eyes closed once again.
It was a little shocking, even to her, that she had extended the offer to this man. Laura was typically a quiet woman who did no seeking into any type of relationship with men. Not that she couldn't feel a type of attraction... she was just... happy with being on her own. There really wasn't a need for Shane to come and live with her, and Jas too. But, she reasoned with herself, it did get lonely in the house that had ended up just being too big for her. A regret had set in as soon as she saw how much bigger her tiny abode had gotten, soon after Shane had started working. She wasn't sure why she had done it, even though, subconsciously she really did know why. To invite him deeper into her life.
Was she manipulating him? The thought had crossed her mind. Manipulating him into getting closer to her? He was so harsh and angry, like a wild angry horse penned in and seething... and drunk. Did Laura feel like she could tame him? Or fix him?
No, she reasoned again. Things had gone much too slow for it to be a type of manipulation, and there was nothing she REALLY sought out from him. Maybe his company, but she did not delude herself into believing that they would ever end up together. Emily seemed to be the woman he'd end up with someday anyways. Opposites attract and Emily was bubbly, sweet, and accepting. Almost the exact opposite of Shane.
Ooma meowed with annoyance, Laura realized her hand had slipped to rest on the cat's back, and she picked back up scratching the feline behind her grayish ears.
"Will you all get along?" Laura asked, smiling down, but only got a slow look up from the cat in her lap, an uncaring and cool glance as it looked away again.
"Probably then..." Laura spoke softly. And with a small grunt she pulled her leg out from under herself and heaved upwards with a small struggle, Ooma a little to big for her own good, the cat scrambling for a moment before putting it's paws up on her shoulder and staring out onto the wide fields of the farm. Laura smiled again, opened the door with attention not the disrupt Ooma too much and moved into the house, shutting the door behind herself softly, peaking out at her farm for one last second.
Sun peaked through the white window shutters, slats of light covering Laura and her bed in sunshine with one particularly pesky beam nudging her to wake up. It only took a few seconds for the understanding, the world wanted her to wake up. Start the day.
Laura stretched and yawned, back arching and arms coming up over her head, her blue night gown sleeves with tiny white flowers descending down and bunching as she put her hands back over her chest. She lolled her head to one side lazily and smiled at Ooma. Who gave her an upturned snub nose in response and looked away as though to say
You have not fed me yet.
The act elicited a small laugh from Laura, who closed her eyes for a brief moment as she turned to face upwards again and open them to the ceiling.
What horrible popcorn texture, she mused, but smiled at it anyway. Although it wasn't a very pleasing sight to behold, she couldn't bear to part with it. Although the thought of sloughing off the dated texture was tempting, when she stood on her bed and pushed up onto her toes, looking at it long ways made it so much more interesting to see. Like stalactites growing from the ceiling, or mountains turned upside down or any number of other things. But that was when she was feeling silly. In reality, she kept it because of her grandfather. The first part of the home that she had started living in was the last original part of her grandfather's home that had weathered the storms and days of neglect. The rest of it had been inhabited by critters and damaged by rot and just age. But the heart of the home had muscled through she imagined by grit and drive alone. As though it had been waiting for her bravely and patiently. And when she lay in her bed, she liked looking up at the ceiling and thinking that her grandfather may have looked up from his bed as well. Or reached up to touch the itty bitty stalactites when he was feeling imaginitive too. Living alone, she now knew, had you thinking very deeply into the most mundane things, though she liked it that way.
Meow
Came Ooma's annoyed call, urging her to get out of bed and start on breakfast. Looking over at her old cuckoo clock, the bird long since left out in a permanent state of song when the gears wore out at perfect time to freeze the stance, it read almost noon which had Laura jumping in her skin in surprise.
She heaved herself out of bed, bare feet slapping on the wooden floor as she raced over to the kitchen and got out the crock of cat food, grabbed a scoop and plunged her hand in, taking out deep fills of food and placing it in the bowl that she set on the floor for a hungry Ooma. Laura eyed her with minor embarrassment, having slept in and not attended to breakfast. It was a wonder she was woken up by sun and not claws into her belly, but she was grateful. There were other things to attend to though, she wanted to grab some staples at Pierre's like-
A knock at the door, and it sent a shiver through Laura. It couldn't be him... he'd never come back so quickly to answer... maybe Leah instead or...
She wiped cat food crumbs hastily on her night gown, glad for its modesty and grabbed the metal door handle opening it, to her surprise, to Marnie.
"Oh! Marnie, what a pleasant surprise!" Laura chirped, not very good at hiding her nervousness and then with a glance down at herself her further embarrassment. As if being embarrassed in front of Ooma wasn't enough...
"Hi Laura! How are you?" Marnie asked, smiling kindly.
"Good! I'm so sorry if you'd like to come in for a moment I can throw clothes on and-"
"No, No, it is honestly all right. I only want to talk for a moment. About... Shane." Marnie finished, a little bit of an awkward edge in her voice. Not angry or upset or fearful just... awkward.
"Sure, sure, please sit with me, I'd love to talk this through." Laura answered, and came out, shutting the door softly behind her and moving to sit at her yellow metal table after pulling a chair out for Marnie to sit in as well. She picked both chairs up a little and moved them back, keeping that annoying screeching sound out of the air, and already nervous for what was to come. Marnie sat down with a sign on content to be sitting under the shaded porch on this very hot day. Laura made a move a murmured something about water but Marnie stopped her again and pulled out a water bottle beaded with sweat.
"I'm good, Laura, honestly. I just want to ask quickly... how you feel about Shane?" the questioned startled Laura quite a bit, and she made a fidgety move, running her fingers from temple to the base of her neck and flaring her hair out from in front of her shoulders to behind. It was a defense mechanism she knew, thinking if she hid less of her face, she might appear more confident. Which unbeknownst to her it usually did just that.
"He's a good guy. Misunderstood, I might think. We honestly don't talk a whole lot... but I trust him and respect him." Laura quietly said, looking down at her now clasped hands resting on the mesh metal table but then back up at Marnie as she spoke who was looking her straight in the eyes. Laura knew she should show Marnie the respect of maintaining eye contact as best she could even with the small blush creeping over her face, so faint it may just look like flush from hot air.
"Well, he told me about your offer... it's very generous of you. I can't say I haven't worried for him as he makes that long walk every day. I worry for you too, living out her so secluded from everyone else. But... something tells me you know how to handle your own, I am sure you know people talk about your involvement with the Adventurer's Guild. You've quickly become our most interesting townsperson." Marnie laughed, and smiled warmly at Laura. "But, Shane can be difficult at times. And I know he loves this job, not that he'd ever say it to you, honestly, but I would hate for a living situation to cause conflict and... maybe termination if it didn't go well. I just worry for him." There was a pause between the two, and Laura leaned back heavily on her chair and let what Marnie was saying sink in as deeply as it could go. With how little they really spoke to each other, she couldn't foresee a problem between the two of them. She was quiet around him, and typically that way around most people, she tried to be as friendly as she could with him but he was a bit abrasive... but it didn't bother her too much. It made certain moments so much sweeter, and he was not outright cruel to her and didn't take advantage of her kindness in any way. But she could see why Marnie would be worried. This situation of living with technically an employee was very unconventional. But she barely thought of Shane as an employee, more like a business partner and an equal. She even paid each of them the same from what she made off the farm alone. Loot from the mines and fishing were more than enough to help pay for the home addition and out buildings, and for whatever reason, it was impossible to take a loan out in this town so she wasn't in any debt.
"Thank you for talking to me about this, I do really appreciate it, Marnie. I don't know if I can ever dispel your worry but I can say that I do mean it when I say I trust Shane. And I trust that this will work out between us two. I respect his boundaries, and I'm not interested in pushing him or changing him. He's his own person, and I am very careful not to pry. And with our living situation, I will keep that same mind set."
"So you're not romantically interested in Shane?" Marnie deadpanned, almost immediately after Laura had finished causing Laura to inadvertently sit straighter and sputter a bit, losing her calm and collected state for a moment she'd worked so hard to get herself into.
"No! No... I mean... I think Shane is great, I... he would be a great... uh... romantic partner for any woman... um... I would never, well, I wouldn't... Shane is a very nice man." Laura rushed out that last bit and blushed heavily, breaking the eye contact she had worked so hard to keep and Marnie laughed from deep within her stomach.
"Don't worry Laura! Your secret is safe with me. Hey- you've kept my secret! That's what friends do." she said, grinning from ear to ear and stood then, gripping the chair and pushing the chair back, making that sound Laura had tried so hard to avoid but it didn't hold the threat anymore. The tension was gone, and Laura was relieved that it was over, maybe the solitary life and Shane had made her eager to get out of conversations but at least she was glad this one happened with Marnie.
"And Laura, honestly, please take care of yourself. And if you need anything, come by at any time." she gave a quick smile, and hugged her briefly before then turning and starting her walk back to her ranch.
Laura watched for a little while until she couldn't be seen anymore, and even then stood still lost in thought for a moment before jumping and realizing how late it had gotten. She'd have to hurry to get all these chores done in time now. But with a small weight off of her chest.
Thank you for your support Clixila! I dedicate this chapter to you haha and my renewed motivation to continue with the story! :)