They had only meandered a short distance when Jin beckoned his head to the Ocarina Inn before they could pass it completely, stopping along the pastel-colored brick. "Would you like something to eat first? Have you had breakfast?"

"Of course! I never skip breakfast," Irene admonished him, seemingly affronted at the suggestion. She patted his forearm with a gentler expression as she thought it over with a worrying crease in her brow, watching the door of the restaurant. "I suppose a snack wouldn't hurt though… You need to keep up your strength."

He acquiesced and held open the door for her. Before they could enter, a rapidly approaching silhouette was set to exit. Head down with her nose in a long list, Anissa almost didn't notice someone was holding the door until she was in the way. Her face flushed when she looked up and realized who it was. "Oh! Pardon me – I'm in the way. Sorry!"

"Never mind, dear," Irene's tone brightened drastically at the sight of the familiar face. She looked to her grandson as if he needed prompting. "Let her by, Jin."

"Morning, Anissa," he casually greeted her and motioned for her to go through.

Anissa awkwardly side-stepped through the doorway and shuffled to the side. She went to run a hand through her hair but remembered in time not to muss her French braid. She idly scratched her temple instead. "Good morning, doctor. Miss Irene. How are you?"

"Quite fine, thank you," Irene answered for them both. Her eyes gravitated to the shopping list and loaded basket in Anissa's gloved hands. "Running errands this early in the day?"

Anissa nodded and sweetly smiled. "It's rather a hectic time of year for us… but it's better to be on the move. Gives me exercise!"

It was evident she was rather exhausted, but Jin wasn't surprised. She had always been a hard-working girl, going above and beyond her family business down at Marimba Farm. She'd often sit with Irene and learn about medicine making and herb recipes, too. That was how Jin became acquainted with her. Anissa was one of the few people in their little town who was never idle.

Irene wisely nodded her head in agreement. "I would imagine. There must be lots of planting and plowing to be done."

For a split second, Anissa's face changed to one of perplexity. Her eyes flicked to Jin's, but he remained placid and patient. She quickly shrugged it off with a nervous chuckle. "Oh, but this is a big day for you, isn't it? Out to celebrate?"

Irene was nonchalant, but it was apparent she was the one confused now. "Not particularly, no. Just another day… as usual. We're out to brunch. Why don't you join us? Wouldn't that be nice, Jin?"

Anissa's gaze locked on Jin's face, and she studied him intently. Her mouth became a thin line. Jin didn't shrink. He pleasantly returned her stare with a grateful one. She understood and was quiet as they seemed to share a private moment there on the street. But her focus returned to Irene, and her eyes regained their lively sparkle as she addressed her. "That sounds wonderful! But… I'm really terribly busy. Some other time; please forgive me."

"Of course, you don't want to fall behind," Irene said. She liked Anissa's work ethic very much, but she was quite fond of the girl's company. So she was still a bit disappointed to see her go.

Anissa laid a reassuring hand on Irene's forearm. She gave it a light squeeze. "I'll make it up to you soon," she nodded to Jin, "I'll be seeing you. Have a great day, okay? And take it easy!"

"You as well," Jin held up a hand to bid her farewell. Anissa regarded them a final time over her shoulder, but she hid the pitying look with a turn of her head. The tufts of hair that couldn't be captured in the braid and her long, gypsy skirt were caught in another gust of wind as she disappeared.

"You barely said two words to her," Irene flatly scolded him as they finally entered the restaurant.

"I wished her well," Jin calmly argued, easily finding an empty table nearby and escorting his grandmother to it. He held out a chair for her, and she elegantly accepted it, untying the fabric around her neck. Jin took her favorite, slightly ratty, purple shawl from her and hung it over the back of her chair before taking a seat across from her for himself.

Irene huffed as she scooted forward slightly and picked up the waiting menu before her. She rose an eyebrow as she read the available dishes. "She's a nice girl, Jin. If you knew what you were doing, you'd be more forward with her."

"Obaa…" he found himself whining slightly on the exhale, setting aside his own menu and removing his scarf. He bunched it on the table beside his place setting.

"I mean it. You ought to be thinking of these things," she said with finality. Irene was rather severe, but she had that same 'grandmother tone' that was typical of fussy nannies the world over. And each one of them seemed to be obsessed with playing matchmaker for their grandchildren.

Jin decided to take it in good humor. He tapped her menu with his index finger. "Have you decided what you're getting?"

Irene puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, but she dropped the subject. Her eyes skimmed the entrées again, and by the time young Maya had arrived to take their order, she had decided on the egg soba. Which proved to Jin that she hadn't eaten breakfast like she said she did. He just got boiled spinach. Because the doctor should practice what he preached.

Maya set their dishes before them on the table with a perky attitude. Irene was busy properly folding her napkin in her lap, but Jin smiled in return to the waitress. Her wispy hair was pulled back, but the ends curled around under her ears where he spied a new pair of earrings dangling. Some sort of garnet perhaps, shaped into little hearts with gold mounts.

Jin waited until the table was set and caught her before she could get back to work. "Thank you, Maya, this looks great. By any chance, are those earrings new?"

"Y…yeah!" Maya readily nodded, surprised he had noticed. Her hand went to her earlobe for confirmation, twisting it back and forth as she chatted. "Gift from the boyfriend, hehe~ It was an early birthday present."

"They suit you," Jin said, admiring them in his quiet way. To those who didn't know him well, he could imagine how his demeanor could seem cryptic in its sterile formality, but every word from him was genuine. Just like his grandmother.

"Birthday?" Irene piped up, unravelling her silverware from the napkin. It fell out onto the table in a clatter. "My, the time flies…"

"Uh-huh!" Maya giggled. She hugged her serving tray, and though she didn't mean to appear demeaning, she stooped to wink at Irene in a secretive way. "What about you? Any big plans today?"

"Today?" Irene wrinkled her nose. The question posed to her twice in a relatively short span of time began to confuse and rather annoy her. Her knuckles turned white as they gripped her fork. "No, of course not. Nothing special going on. Just having lunch with my grandson – I'd like to think that's perfectly natural!"

"Thank you, Maya," Jin reiterated, a cautionary hand shooting out and taking his grandmother's.

Maya got the hint. Though she looked a bit hurt, she forced a smile and tucked the thin strands of hair behind her shiny earrings. She chuckled nervously and bid them a speedy farewell. Over her shoulder, she called back: "Just give a holler if you need anything!"

Irene watched and allowed Jin to calmly lay out her silverware for her. Once it was all straightened out, and she had calmed considerably from her defensive nature, they began to quietly eat. After her strange shift in mood, there wasn't much to say, and neither was going to address it. So they were content in the silence.

Jin was getting lost in the atmosphere of the little restaurant. It was family owned and operated, and it had that vibe. A little dingy here and there, but there was so much heart in it. And the food couldn't be found exactly the same anywhere else. Even his overly-buttery spinach was filled with the sense of home. There was so much worth in that.

A couple of tables over was one of the local families. The baby girl was dead-eyed as she vacantly watched her mother attempt to feed her a mushy-looking carrot from a spoon. Phoebe was absorbed in the task, making motions with her mouth and smiling in encouragement for her little girl. Calvin was across the table from her with their son, an adventurous boy named Heath who was demonstrating his excitable personality as he laughed with his father and tried to assemble a pyramid with his French fries. They were a happy family. He knew both Calvin and Phoebe worked quite a bit, much like Jin's own parents back in the city, but there was a strong bond between them. The doctor could see it as they took time out of their busy schedules for a simple lunch out with their kids.

To the table directly behind Irene, Jin could see the back of Gill's platinum blond head. The mayor's son. He had his nose stuck in a book as he ate alone, taking notes every now and again in a spiral notebook, swapping out his spoon for his pen. He was a man always on task. Jin supposed he could relate to him in that respect, but it wasn't one he was very proud of. He needed to learn to take life at a slower pace. They both needed to. To match their little town of little people with their little problems. Jin wondered if Gill ever took days off to take his father to lunch… or maybe it was the other way around. Hamilton could be rather assertive. Jin smiled at the thought.

Knowing the names and faces and stories of those around him gave Jin deep comfort. He thought… he'd like to hold onto that. For as long as time would allow. That pleasant closeness and peace…

"Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread… so much pumpkin…" Irene muttered. She had taken up a laminated card that was sitting between the salt and pepper shakers. "It's a wonder anybody eats all of it… such a strange time of year, too! They ought to use something in season – like raspberries."

His eyes made contact with hers, and he stared. It took Jin a full five seconds before he realized his grandmother was pointing at his sweater and leaning over the table with her napkin.

"You've got this butter sauce all over your sweater…" Irene reprimanded with an exasperated roll of the eyes. She made to dab at the stain, but Jin backed away and took up his own napkin to take care of it. He hadn't realized he had dropped his fork and subsequently splashed himself with his food. He made Heath look like a capable adult in comparison. Irene sat back in her chair and made to finish her noodles. "Always lost in your own thoughts… You get that far off look like you're trying to count the carpet fibers. Stop that."

Jin snorted in good humor at her summation. Finished with his spinach anyway, he pushed the bowl away and retrieved his scarf. He wrapped it around his neck and fluffed it out over the splotch. Jin looked up at his grandmother with a proud grin. "See? No harm done."

"You're disguising the problem," she retorted, finding a way to worm a lesson into the occurrence. Irene gently pat her mouth with the napkin, careful not to smudge the subtle color of lipstick she had on. She cleared her throat. "Well, I suppose we're done here. You're always in such a hurry, Jin."

"There's no rush. Take your time," he said, starting to slide the scarf off again.

"No, no. No need to stay cooped up in here all afternoon… I'll pay," the firm insistence was tacked on at the end with authority. Like she was slapping his hand away from the cookie jar. She brought her purse up onto her lap and dug through it for her clutch wallet.

"That isn't necessary – this was my idea," Jin argued, his wallet out of his pocket and at the ready.

Irene snapped her head up in irritation. "Nonsense! Don't be so difficult."

Jin stood up first. Irene was still determined to have her way, and she tossed a bill onto the table. Jin handed it back to her, but she refused to take it. He sighed, but his smile remained. "Please, baasan. I'd like to treat you."

"You're so stubborn!" She scolded as Jin turned his back and went up to the counter to cover the bill there.

After having to wrestle the money back into her purse and get her shawl back around her shoulders, the two were off once again to the quiet streets of Harmonica Town. He thought it would do some good for her, and they made the trek down to the beach, watching the green waves wash over the sand in a salty spray. They admired the ocean, but it was difficult for her to walk in the uneven sand.

So they went back to town. Jin was the one grand-mothering her for a change, taking each stair they came across one step at a time. She swatted at him when he made the excuse for his worry that a 'fall at her age' could be critical, but it lifted their spirits. They meandered along the cobblestone pathways that were so familiar to them. The seagulls bobbed in the ocean waters by the pier, and they watched them for awhile, talking about the ins and outs of the clinic. Jin was careful and skirted around the present and focused on the distant past. Remember when Luke came in with a broken arm? And how he came back with a broken cast a day later? Irene nearly chased him out. How Kathy was so scared of needles when they were kids? She was the toughest little girl in town until flu season when she'd snot-cry as her father held her arm pinned, and Irene stuck her. And Toby was so sickly – his uncle would constantly be in for cold medicine. How Hamilton insisted Gill was sickly, too, and Irene let him have his self-diagnosis without saying a word. He had become a terrible worrier, panicking at every sniffle and sneeze, after his wife died.

They stopped by the bar where the chef was on break, puttering away on his pocket flute to while away the time. A few villagers had slowed to a halt in the area as well to listen and relax and enjoy the nice day. Irene watched Chase play out a folksy melody, her eyes swimming with memories that Jin wasn't old enough to recognize. But he watched her in interest, wondering what she was seeing in her mind's eye. What was locked in there…? What in this particular song struck a chord in her heart?

When Irene looked his way after he had been staring for some time, Jin adjusted her shawl closer to her neck. The wind had picked up, and they were both looking a bit frizzed around the edges. "Are you cold?"

"I'm quite alright, thank you. Chilly today… unusual. I hope it warms up soon," she mumbled, wringing her hands underneath her chin.

Jin bit the inside of his lip, turning away. He had his arm around her shoulders and could feel she was shivering slightly.

"Jin? What's the matter? You look anxious," Irene read the jumbled emotions behind his face. "Are you in a hurry?"

He led her away towards the foot bridge, his expression lightening again as he was struck with an idea. Jin smiled as he indicated the store in front of them, successfully avoiding her questions. "Why don't we see what's new in the tailor shop? Maybe they'll have something you like."

"Hm… their knits could be discounted," Irene agreed with the plan, observing the sky. She gave Jin a pat on the arm. "Alright, that sounds nice. Let's see. Maybe I'll get a pair of gloves or a muff for next winter."

Happy for the distraction, Jin held the door open for his grandmother and they went into the little store. The bell tied above the door was broken and only clunked once as they entered. It was almost unnervingly quiet, but when Jin listened close enough, he could just make out a lilting piano track coming from the radio in the corner where Candace was busily knitting. Her sister, Luna, was at the counter, trying to disguise the fact she had been playing with her chewing gum before they arrived. She spat it into a nearby rubbish bin and smiled sweetly, waving her fingers in greeting.

The store was bright and smelled of the fresh linens on display. It was kitschy and serene. Jin almost forgot why they never came in there anymore.

Irene drew away from him and began passing through women's tops hanging on a wooden rod against the wall. She admired a pale yellow sleeve, rubbing the soft fabric between her fingers, but she let it go and approached the counter where Luna was straightening her posture.

"Hello, Luna. How are you?" Irene politely inquired, hands folded before her.

Even though she was the guest, Irene commanded a sense of respect. Like she was the hostess no matter where she was. The person in charge. Luna gave a little curtsy. "Hi, Miss Irene, Dr. Jin. We're fine! Business is business, ya know. How are you up at the clinic? Keeping busy?"

"Here and there," Irene answered vaguely.

Jin sensed the small talk and interrupted rather abruptly, directing his question at Luna. "Do you have a muff?"

"What?" The girl's tone was aghast.

Candace whirled around in her chair for the first time since they came in, a shocked expression and a blush steadily rising on her cherubic face. "Luna…! The furs! Obviously…"

"Oh," Luna flatly realized, silently shrugging off her mistake as one that was easy for anyone to make. Her older sister's eyes met Jin's, and she quickly spun back around, the knitting needles fumbling as she went back to her work.

Luna muttered something about 'well, nobody ever asks about them…' as she passed their customers and went to a display near the window. She stood on her tiptoes to retrieve a fluffy fur from off the shelf, bringing down a second one in blue with a grunt and a little hop. Luna went back to the pair and held out the items. "Last we have! Not many people wear 'em anymore…"

"Which do you like better, baasan?" Jin said in a hush out of respect for the store's quiet environment.

Irene picked up the burnt orange one and considered it for a moment before deciding it looked rather like a fat tabby cat. She took the one in blue and tested it in her hands, holding it close and showing her grandson. "Well… it's warm. Does its job."

"I think it looks very nice. It's classic," he complimented her choice.

Satisfied with his approval, Irene accepted the blue muff and took it to the counter to purchase it. Luna replaced the orange one back onto the shelf and hurried to the cash register, skipping to a stop, the pigtails resting low on her shoulders bouncing with her movements. She brightly looked at them after she had rung it up. "Alrighty! Is that it for ya?"

"Yes, thank you," Jin said with a nod, his wallet again at the ready.

"Now, Jin…!" Irene began to argue as she brought up her purse to the countertop.

Foreseeing the same argument, Jin didn't want to bother with the logic and reason she wasn't going to accept. "This one time. Consider it a present."

Irene attempted the same action she had in the restaurant with the same crumpled up bill, tossing it onto the counter. But Luna took Jin's side and refused to take it from her. Irene huffed, taking it out on her generous grandchild as she stuffed her money back into her bag. "You're so stubborn!"

Her repetitive nature was secondhand to him now. He easily dismissed it. Jin just shook his head and looked to Luna. "How much is it?"

Luna remained cordial through the whole debacle. She'd seen this shtick of 'no, allow me' before. Like with her fiancé. "It's twelve—"

"Where's Shelly?"

They had gotten so far.

Jin had pinched his eyes shut at the mention and slowly opened them. Luna's mouth was a grim line. Candace had stopped her knitting, sitting there like a statue with her head hanging and shoulders drooped as she listened. Irene was casual, still looking to Luna for an answer as to the whereabouts of her grandmother.

"It feels like I haven't seen her in ages," Irene went on to fill the awkward silence.

"Gramma's…" Luna spoke quietly, still making up her mind.

Jin was furiously wracking his brains for a way to apologize, but it was such a stark thing to say. He couldn't think of a way to gracefully recover from it, and the mistake was on his hands. He brought her in here – he should have known… and remembered what happened last time.

But Luna brightly smiled. "She's in the back taking her nap! I could wake her up for you, if you want."

Irene declined, holding up a hand to refuse the offer. "Oh, no. Let her sleep, then. Shelly works so hard, so she needs the time to relax. But I'll stop in later, thank you."

"Yeah… you do that. She'll appreciate it," Luna continued to speak of her in the present tense with a wide, phony smile. Jin's heart broke for her. For them.

Everyone was thoroughly uncomfortable, but they did a good job disguising it. And though Jin knew the girls didn't owe him anything – he was surprised when Luna delivered. Here they were stirring up painful memories, and they were just… playing along. For Irene's sake. It really was… too kind of them.

"Oh, right, the muff. I'll take just that today," Irene saw the item on the counter, nodding to it and bringing up her purse again.

Jin clenched his fist, too shell-shocked by the turn of events to find words to say. But Luna was a better actress. For the time being. She shook her head and handed the dyed fur over to the old woman across the counter. "No, you take it. It's on the house."

"We couldn't do that; we've caused enough…" Jin's sentence trailed off when his grandmother gave him a skeptical glare. He looked past her at the girl still quiet in the corner. Jin couldn't see Candace's face through her waves of loose hair from where she sat with her back to them, but her lungs seemed to shudder.

"Please… Gramma would've… she'll want you to have it," Luna's head lowered as she held it out even further, almost forcing it into Irene's arms. Her voice was lower, and her eyes were glued to the desk. "I insist."

Jin took it. He handed the muff to his grandmother and put her hands into the fabric, giving it a squeeze. Irene was completely bewildered by their strange dramatics, but she didn't argue after looking between their distraught faces. Like they knew something she didn't know.

"Thank you… truly," Jin bowed, his ponytail falling over his shoulder at the steep angle. But he quickly rose and took his grandmother by the arm. "Let's go, obaa… See, you won't be cold now. Very nice… what they did for us."

"Lovely girls," Irene nodded in agreement. She went through the door Jin was holding open for her. "So generous! You can tell they were raised right. Their grandmother must be so proud!"

The most gut-wrenching feeling penetrated his very bones. Leaving that store, he could feel it in their eyes on his back, in the empty silence they left behind. It was so thick, so heavy. Like it held actual density in the air. That dreadful, agonizing, undeniable… pity.