December 28, Winter, year 20
I did it! The Harvest Goddess is back! I rescued the Goddess!
Claire had been on cloud nine all day, thinking about the previous night and the kiss from Skye.
And by 'cloud nine,' it was noticed by everyone that she was in the best of moods, a smile that hadn't been seen since her parents had died in the winter ocean. It was an infectious smile too, sulks and frowns faded away in the face of her glee.
Skye had, however, left some time in the middle of the night, after the mob had disbanded and gone to their respective homes and beds. So he wasn't around to witness the amusement, winks, and nudges that people were giving each other in regards to Claire's bubbling cheer.
The farmer had saved certain farm chores for after her mining trip, such as gathering the eggs of her chickens and ducks. As she set the collected eggs into the shipping bin, there was an all-too-familiar tingle that preceded a Sprite's return to the world, and a sudden, palpable increase in the latent magic that Claire had been feeling.
With a soft pop, Laine appeared in the air over the shipping bin. Claire caught him before he landed on her eggs, and set him carefully on the ground.
"Wow! Thanks Claire!" Laine grinned a happy sprite grin. "I'm glad to be back! I should go and check in with the leader! Byebye!"
He poofed away with a flash of red sparkles, and Claire nearly fell over when she was tackled from behind.
"I'm back!"
There was no denying the owner of that voice, not when Claire had been hearing it since she was seven. She spun inside the Goddess's hug, and hugged the woman right back. For several minutes they danced together in mutual glee—the birds all ran to a corner opposite the women, panicked—before the Goddess pulled away.
"Claire, thank you for all your hard work," she smiled. "Although I must ask… did it have to be winter?"
The farmer just laughed.
"Not my fault," she replied. "I've been playing things by ear since the Harvest King was hardly any help in rescuing Sprites. Seriously, his letter said 'work hard and achieve your goals.' Not the most helpful of hints."
The Goddess giggled, patting Claire on her head.
"It's so good to be back!" the green-haired woman commented. "Even if it has to be the middle of winter. It's still my land. I hope crops were alright without me…"
"Vesta's farm had a bit of a problem, but other than that everything went good," Claire replied truthfully. "And now that you're back, everything can go back to normal."
The Goddess's hands clapped, showering the farmer with sparkles of magic that made her sneeze. Laughing the magical being took her leave, showering the girl in magic as she did so. Magic that tickled as it settled onto and into the girl's body and soul.
It was a reward for the rescue, imbuing Claire with a small bit of magic, enough to coax plants to grow bigger and stronger than before.
Once the giggles and tickly feeling had worn off, Claire made a beeline to tell the Witch Princess that the Harvest Goddess was back.
On her way home, she stopped by the Blue Bar, though it was closed. She wanted to tell Muffy—a little bit—about the kiss. But before she could even get inside, she heard a loud squeal of delight that made her jump about a foot.
Ten seconds later, she collided with Muffy, and both of them tumbled into the snow. Griffin, standing in the doorway of the Blue Bar, tried not to laugh as they untangled themselves.
"Claire!" Muffy hugged her cousin in delight. "Claire you'll never guess!"
"Not if I can't breathe," Claire agreed, wincing at Muffy's tight grip.
The green-eyed woman blushed, and released the farmer, who rubbed at her ribs through the thick winter coat. Griffin couldn't help but chuckle, as Muffy helped her cousin to her feet, then grabbed her hands in delight.
"Claire, Griffin just asked me to marry him!"
Claire's mouth dropped, and then she hugged Muffy, the pair of then jumping up and down in the snow and squealing in mutual glee. Still in the doorway, the older man blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
After a moment, Claire swooped down on him to, grinning.
"It's about time!" she teased. "Congratulations you two! When's the wedding?"
The pair exchanged looks.
"A week?"
"Sounds about right."
Claire let out a laughing groan.
"I'll go call Lauren then," she chuckled. "I bet she'll come up with the perfect dress for you! And," she grinned a little at Griffin, "a good tuxedo for you!"
Muffy giggled.
"You're the best Claire!" she cheered. "Will you be my bridesmaid too?"
"Do I get a choice?" the farmer laughed. "Sure, I'll be your bridesmaid cuz."
"Yay!"
Another hug-and-spin, and Claire left to call her best city friend.
So, Muffy's getting married in a week! This is awesome! She really deserves the best of the best, and I know Griffin will cherish her for herself.
And Lauren's agreed to come out and make Muffy's dress. I swear, that woman is a godsend! She's even said she'll take half off the price since it's—again—family.