April 21st, Spring, year 20 (cont.)

The Goddess pond in Mineral Town was on the far side of Jill's farm, just up the first turning at the hill. Damien and Claire made their way there in silence that the blond was unwilling to break first.

"You never called," Damien said once they had arrived. "After your parents died and all… What's up with that?"

Claire rolled her blue eyes in annoyance.

"It's called planning a funeral with no bodies," she shot back bitterly, "making sure that my siblings were informed, and figuring out what to do with the farm. Going to one of your drug-and-booze binges wasn't exactly high on my list of things that needed to be done.

"And what exactly are you doing here anyways? If memory serves, I told you I lived in the Valley, not the Town," and her blue eyes narrowed. "The Valley has its own dock you know. I've told you, when you said you wanted to see what my family and home was like."

Damien's hands were shoved into his pants pockets, and he shrugged one shoulder in her direction.

"You don't exactly look like someone who's suffering from her parents death," he commented idly. "Dancing with the girly-boy. Thought I said all your dances were mine."

And he grinned a little lecherously. Claire's scowl didn't change one whit, and after a second his own smile dropped.

"You could have called yourself. I don't recall a time you ever asked permission, especially considering you used to call my house when my folks and I were sleeping." And Claire folded her arms across her chest. "You were lucky they slept deeply after all their hard work, otherwise my Dad would have reamed you out something fierce. Repeatedly."

Again, Damien shrugged.

"Why are you bringing up ancient history?" He asked, starting to get annoyed himself. "When did you become such a straight-laced girly-girl?"

Claire bit back her first retort, barely, and took a couple of deep breaths to reign herself in. Even though it was the Goddess Pond, and no one was around, it wouldn't do for her to start shouting here. All it took was the wrong word and the Mineral Town Goddess would pop up, either ready to try and fix things—which was the last thing Claire wanted—or annoyed with them, which was also pretty scary.

"Maybe I always was one," she said after a minute. "You just couldn't look hard enough to see her."

Damien snorted derisively.

"This coming from the girl who would drink like a fish and get stoned on a regular basis when she came to see me," he sneered.

Claire winced inwardly, knowing full well that she had been a reckless idiot when her parents had still been alive.

"Can't argue with that, can you blondie?"

"No, I can't, but I can still deck you if you harass me," she warned. "And unlike you I could always say no once I hit my limit. You were the one who ended up so trashed you couldn't see straight."

That much was true. Claire might have had a problem with being irresponsible, but she knew when enough had been enough. Most of the time. Usually at the behest of Lauren, who was the best friend shed ever made in Ming City.

But that was the past, and this… this was now.

"Unfortunately for you Damien," and she sniffed derisively, "I've run out of the free time necessary to see you. So I won't be going back to the city on your whims anymore."

Damien blinked, green eyes narrowing.

"That's it then? After all of this, you're ending it like that?"

Claire lifted her chin, unwilling to show him just how badly this conversation was making her heart hurt. She refused to break down and cry, wanting to at least appear as heartless as he had been at times.

"I am," and her voice was steady. "I won't be your groupie, follower, or pet. Never was, you know. I have things that are more important to take care of right now."

"Oh?" and there was a sneer to his voice. "Like what? That stupid farm?"

Instead of responding, Claire turned away, shoulders tight with anger. He was only echoing her own comments of three months prior, but it was her farm now, and the comments that had been idle when she'd been able to discount it now stung.

"Call it stupid again, and you won't live to regret it," he voice was chill. "Goodbye Damien."

He was fast, but she was faster. As he rushed her, ready to pin her against the nearest tree, Claire put the karate lessons that Flora had taught her to good use. One sidestep and a judo throw later, Damien was kissing dirt and Claire propped her hands on her hips.

"I mean it," she said firmly. "Unlike the other times, I mean it. It's over. Go back to your other girls and your city Damien. I have things to do."

As she turned to go, Damien pushed himself up, green eyes glinting with anger.

"You'll come back!" he snapped. "You always do!"

"Not this time," she whispered, walking down the path. "Not this time…"

Claire's re-emergence into the Square went more or less unnoticed by her family. Jill and Karen were too busy arguing with Rick about something, but Gray noticed and gave her a slight nod. Skye—who had been squarely under Jill's thumb to keep him from going after Claire—took the opportunity to slip away from the brunette, and made his way across the Square to the blond, who had once again moved to sit on a bench.

"No more dancing?" and the question was lightly teasing.

Claire's smile looked forced—it was forced—and that made the thief pause for a moment.

"What're they arguing about?" she asked, motioning to the group that Skye had just vacated.

"About some boy named Kai," and he sat on the bench as well, close enough to touch but careful enough to keep his hands to himself, "dating that pink-haired friend of yours."

"Oh jeez," and Claire snorted her amusement. It, at least, was genuine. "There's an argument that will last until the cows come home."

"I must admit that I do not understand it," and Skye leaned back, brushing hair out of his eyes again. "Who is this Kai?"

"Kai alternates between Mineral Town and the Valley every summer," Claire replied, watching her sister's hand slash the air in annoyance. "He flirts with Popi, but Rick has a problem with them being a couple, and claims that Popuri's too young to understand."

She stretched, and shook her head.

"If Rick's not careful, he's going to make her want to prove him wrong. And Popi being who she is would probably run away to be together with Kai without a second thought. Which would only piss Rick off more," and Claire sighed, shaking her head. "It's one big mess with Popi's family. Lilia's ill, her dad's gone, and Rick's trying to control her life. He doesn't mean to, but he does it without realizing."

"You sound as though you sympathize with neither of them," Skye gave her a sideways glance, and caught the brief amusement that flashed across Claire's face.

"I personally think Rick could stand to let up a little, but Popi's a bit of a ditz herself, so she needs to grow up a little. The only one I really feel sorry for is Lilia, for having to put up with them."

She fell silent, and there was a brooding quality to it, one that Skye found himself avidly disliking. Claire didn't seem like the type of person who should sit and brood over a confrontation. So, acting on an impulse he didn't quite understand, he took her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Come," he coxed, smiling down at her startled expression. "Dance those thoughts away."

Claire didn't have it in her to protest, not when she knew that it would be better than dwelling. So she nodded, and let him pull her back out into the Square.

The sun had set almost an hour before the festival wound down at last. Claire's body ached almost as much as it did after a hard day of working with her farm. But it was a good ache, having driven away her darker mood and thoughts.

The younger generation had trekked down to the beach, to build a bonfire. Once it was good and ready, all the flowers that had been used in the festival—the garlands, and wreaths, not the potted plants—would be tossed in. That was the official end of the day.

Damien, to Jill's relief, had not come slinking back to the dancers after whatever conversation he and her sister had had. If he had, she might have been 'forced' to try and toss him off the dock.

Skye had left when the parents had, citing a need for rest, in a comic way that had made Claire giggle. So the blond was now sitting next to Jill, doing her ample best to keep herself awake. Jill shook her head in sympathy.

"Maybe you should stay the night again," she suggested. "I'm sure Uncle Tak wouldn't begrudge you the extra sleep any more than your cats would."

Claire gave the younger farmer a dry look, and Jill chuckled.

"Okay, less than your cats would."

"Better," Claire smiled, stretching, "but if Damien's staying in town I'd rather put more distance between the pair of us. He'll probably try something if I'm found here even at six in the morning sis."

Jill tilted her head slightly. She'd seen him around once or twice, and Claire had given her some scant details on his job in the city, but outside that she knew practically nothing about her older sister's city adventures.

"Sis, who exactly is he?"

Claire shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

"Someone you don't want to get involved with kiddo," she said absently, one hand reaching up idly to touch rose petals. "Someone… I shouldn't have gotten involved with."

Jill wanted to know more, but from the set of Claire's jaw, she wasn't going to get anything else. She gave an annoyed sigh, sometimes her sister was just so aggravating!

"Okay, than the silver haired guy, who is he?"

Claire grinned a little, chuckling tiredly. Clearly the younger farmer wasn't going to drop the subject.

"You're just not going to let it go, are you?" she asked rhetorically. "Skye… Hmm. A little like Kai, what with how flirtatious he is."

"But," Jill couldn't help interrupting, "he's only got eyes for you!"

The blond elbowed her sister, knowing full well that this was Jill's revenge for all Claire's teasing about Gray. Jill snickered, then tugged lightly on some loose strands of blond hair.

"No really," she insisted when Claire tugged her ponytail, "when you left with Damien, I sent Gray to make sure he wouldn't follow. It was hard trying to keep him in one place! It was like every time I took my eyes off him he kept trying to slide away!"

And Claire laughed again, shaking her head.

"I think you're reading too much into it sis," she smiled wryly. "Besides, he's too… pretty for the type of life I lead, you know?"

Jill just rolled her eyes and gave her sibling a playful shove.

"You're so picky," she teased. "If you're not careful, you're going to end up the old maid of the family."

Claire frowned, but bit back a comment that would have started them both arguing. It was a festival, and arguments would spoil the mood. Thankfully, before the blond girl could think up something that would sting but not bite, Popuri tossed her wreath onto the fire.

And that was the signal. Soon flowers were flying into the flames, garlands were pulled apart and fed to the only source of light on the beach. Jill, laughing, tossed the cant-mint crown into the flames, and Claire reached up for her own, having forgotten that all she had was the rose from Skye.

She pulled the flower out from behind one ear and studied it. True, she had half-a-dozen form him sitting in a vase at home, but this was given to her directly. It felt silly but… Claire wanted to keep it.

"He took my wreath," she murmured, a half-smile flicking up on her face. "Cheeky."

She flicked her wrist, and the rose joined the other burning flowers. Tradition was tradition after all.

The scent of potpourri filled the air, and slowly, in twos and threes everyone began to leave the beach, until only Rick and Cliff remained. They had been stuck with fire duty.

Claire made a brief stop at Jill's house, having a late supper and changing into her regular clothes.

She thought longingly of both her bed, and the long talk she wanted to have with Muffy. Her cousin knew the city just as well as, if not better than Claire herself. Maybe with any luck, the two blondes could make some sense of the confusing situation.