She observed him, just as she always did. Just as she observed everyone else in Forget-Me-Not, and everyone in every other place she'd lived.

It was easier, here, with everyone knowing everyone and it being such a small town. The 'town' could hardly even be called that – there were no restaurants, and the only shop was Van's, twice a season. It was strange, though, because of the simplicity of life here. Everyone seemed to be a caricature of what they could be. The farming family, the strange scientist, the lonely middle-aged man that was rarely seen, Tim and Ruby, happily married with a typical rebellious son. Or the strange twins, the quiet artist, and the rich family that was so close to the retired couple a few houses down. She could list them all off at once, too – the ex-socialite mother with an Olympic wannabe husband and son, the unsuccessful archeologists, the stoner who lived in a hut, and the owner of the bar.

Nami was just getting bored when suddenly, everything changed.

It was the last day of winter that they moved in and set the town abuzz, and it was the first day of spring that Ruby knocked on her door at 9:15, knowing that Nami woke up at nine, and brought a cup of her favorite tea. She didn't speak until after Nami began to drank and open the windows and make her bed. Ruby included laundry in the rent, so she brought up the freshly laundered clothes, and Nami folded them away into her small backpack. She didn't use much, really. She didn't need too.

"So, there's some people in town newer than you!" Ruby said brightly as Nami poured a second cup of steaming mint tea.

"Oh?"

Ruby did not take offense to Nami's dry tone. In fact, she giggled a little. Nami usually scorned giggling, but somehow Ruby always seemed to glow with effervescence and made the gesture bearable. "Yes! Two of them. Mark and... Pony. They moved in with Takakura yesterday. Such a kind pair. Pony stopped by yesterday to say hello!"

It was rare that new things happened in Forget-Me-Not, so Nami forgave her eagerness.

"What are you doing today, Nami?"

Shrugging, Nami blew on the tea, staring outside at the view. Wally and Hugh were jogging past, already shining with sweat. "Maybe I'll explore the spring."

Nami had been here for two weeks now. Her funds were slowly dwindling, but for whatever reason, she wanted to stay here for a little longer. Not to mention Ruby's cooking was divine, she reminded herself, biting into a fresh muffin. The steam flowed into her mouth, a little too hot, but Nami ignored it.

"Oh, that'll be lovely!" Ruby smiled. "Would you mind buying some milk from Takakura's farm sometime today? Apparently he just bought a cow. I can give you the money, but I have some errands to run, and you know Rock…"

Nami did indeed know Rock. Though he was a nice, well-meaning kid, she wouldn't trust any money in his hands. "Sure."

"Oh, thank you so much, Nami." Ruby sighed gratefully, pulling a few bills from her apron pocket. "I have to go now, but there are more muffins in the kitchen if you like!"

The shorter woman bustled out, and Nami yawned before leaving. Like always, she didn't bother to lock her door, but did carry a notebook with her.

The day was sunny, not too hot. Winter had left gently, leaving a warm, breezy spring to take over. The path was well beaten by thousands of footsteps from years of travel, and it was comforting to see the utter lack of concrete roads. Cars did not exist in Forget-Me-Not. Air was cleaner, water tasted better, the sunshine felt brighter. A few tight buds of green were beginning to split, and Nami felt calm. Wandering up the hill to the spring, she saw a few familiar faces: Gustafa, the friendly and cheerful young man who lived in a yurt over the hill from the inn, and a homeless man who often stared at her intently. Shrugging it off, she wandered up to the spring.

She'd only been here twice in her time in the Valley. It was special – she did not want to grow bored of it. As she sat though, doodling and writing in the journal as she dipped her toes in the cool, clear spring water, suddenly, a figure waded through the tall grasses and nearly toppled over on her.

He wasn't tall – he had a small, compact body and a slightly dusty white shirt. Brown hair curled slightly around his forehead and he grinned at her in apology, his eyes clear and wide and friendly. Startled, she only stared back for a moment, before collecting herself enough to ask, haughtily: "Who are you?"

He pointed at himself for a moment, as if unsure who she was asking. Opening and closing his mouth, he only stared, his puppy-dog eyes looking confused.

"Yeah, you."

"Mark." Was all he said, as if his name told her everything she needed to know and she only looked at him, feeling her lips twist into a scowl at her disruption.

"I nearly dropped my notebook."

Apology sprung into his eyes and he stared at her lap, as if horrified her journal might still be at risk. Shrugging, Nami looked away, finding it difficult to continue to stare into his eyes. Looking pained, he pulled a flower from his deep pockets, offering it to her.

She stared at it for a moment, witheringly. Was he making fun of her? "Nice." She knew her tone was scathing, but it was difficult to hide the irritated flush that was beginning to climb up her neck. Standing, Nami noted he was eye-level with her, and he still only looked at her with inquisitive amber eyes. He said nothing as she walked away.

But now she doubted she'd ever be bored with the spring.

X

A loud knock on the door startled Marlin from his morning coffee. Looking up from the newspaper he read, he watched as Celia stood to answer the door.

"Oh! Hello, Pony." Celia smiled softly and stepped aside so the taller brunette could enter. "How are you today?"

Smiling back, Pony nodded, and produced a bouquet of flowers from behind her back. Oohing, Celia quickly placed them in a clay pot, filling it up with water.

"So what brings you here? Did you need to buy something?" Celia asked, politely as always, a fond smile on her lips as she stared at the other woman.

Nodding once, Pony shot a small, friendly smile at Marlin. "Tomatoes and turnips, please. Fertilizer, too."

Marlin had immediately guessed that both Pony and her twin brother were new to farming. Even the way she spoke, quick and concise though her words were, had the same elongated pronunciation most city-dwellers did. Eyes going back to the paper, he listened as Celia chattered and Pony responded with one word answers. Despite her curt sentences, he approved of her. Takakura was a good guy, and if he brought those two down to work, he was sure they were good workers.

Pony left, and Celia closed the door behind her, smiling. "What a nice new neighbor!" she exclaimed. "What do you think of her?"

Nodding, Marlin folded up the paper. He knew Celia liked to read them before she went to bed, so he always made sure to keep them in order. "She's willing to work, I guess."

Celia nodded gladly, her soft gray eyes shining with hope. He almost blushed – her eyes were large and framed with soft, long lashes. "I hope she and I can be good friends!"

Shrugging, Marlin stood. Anyone would be better than damn Karen. "I'm gonna go out to the fields now."

Celia's eyes widened. He'd been staying inside for most of winter – his health had been too bad for much strenuous work. "Are you sure? If you think Vesta needs help, I should-"

"No." He tried to soften the blow of his gruff tone with an explanation. "Vesta likes when you cook lunch. So do I," he added, and she stared up at him in concern. Feeling his neck heat, he stormed out of the house, unintentionally slamming the door.

With the warmth of spring, the air felt less severe on his lungs and his joints felt easier to move. Standing up straight, he strode towards the field, ready to grab some of the watering cans. Vesta, being the largest of the three, usually handled fertilizing. As he strode towards Vesta though, a smaller figure was behind her.

Pony was still in the field, one of the wild plants that grew nearby twisted between her gloved fingers as Vesta spoke animatedly to her. Probably about vegetables, he snorted to himself. But Pony seemed fully engaged in what Vesta was saying, nodding her head and craning her neck to meet his vivacious sister's eyes.

"Ah, Marlin, there you are. I was just tellin' Pony here about you and Takakura. Old buddies, they are. Two old men in young men's bodies."

Rolling his eyes, Marlin only grunted. "Where's the watering cans?"

"I already did all that. Pony gave me a hand. Don't have much to do at your farm yet, huh?" She bellowed a laugh, slapping a large hand against Pony's smaller shoulder. To her credit, the girl barely flinched, and her wide smile never left. "Why don't you start weeding? With spring coming in, you know all the wild herbs will be coming in too."

"I can help." Pony offered.

Marlin eyed her suspiciously. The girl he'd first met had been eager and helpful and he trusted her. She couldn't possibly be stealing Vesta's secrets – Takakura's farm was more of a ranch, with less space designed for farming. But he struggled to imagine why she would possibly offer to do their chores with them. "Why?" he blurted.

Pony's eyes flashed up to him, less gray than Celia's and more of an off-blue. Friendly and open, she shrugged. "Gotta get the hang of it somehow. Vesta's a good teacher."

His sister practically swelled with pride as she began ordering Pony about. By the time Celia came out, half of their work for the day was done.

"Lunch is ready. Oh, you're still here, Pony?" Celia's high voice was tinged with surprise and pleasure. "I made enough for extra!"

"Wanna eat, too?" Vesta grinned down at Pony, who was somehow covered in dirt already. Marlin scoffed. "Least we can do after you gave us such a hand."

Pony looked hesitant, but the grumbling in her stomach gave her away. Shooting an abashed grin at Celia, Pony nodded, offering a tentative smile.

Lunch was a cheerful affair. As usual, Celia and Vesta led the conversation, occasionally forcing an answer or two out of Pony.

"So are you more interested in farming or ranching?"

Pony looked up from the bowl of salad in front of her, chewing messily on the crunchy vegetables. Swiping across her chin, she swallowed, answering hesitantly: "Well, me and Mark wanted to make more of a rescue for animals and home-grown vegetable patch than a ranch. Well, I did. Mark wants to buy his own place."

Marlin bit back a scoff. A farm rescue? How cliché. Surprisingly though, Pony shot him a reproving look. "I majored in nutritional and environmental sciences in school.."

"College?" Celia sounded impressed. "Wow! That must be so wonderful. Did your brother go, too?"

Pony only nodded now, looking at her salad. Marlin again wondered if she were shy or just quiet.

"What did he get a degree in?"

"Folk History."

"So he knows a lot about vegetables!" Vesta grinned down at her. Marlin wondered how the hell she'd made the jump from the history of Forget-Me-Not back to farming, but she probably was thinking of the agricultural revolution which had begun just a few decades ago and was slower-moving in towns than it was in more populated areas.

"Do you like to cook?" Celia asked. "I know Ruby from the Inner Inn has lots of recipes!"

Pony grinned and shook her head. Marlin remembered her comment - her weird refusal to eat anything but raw vegetables. "I leave the cooking to the men."

Marlin felt a small smile grow on his lips as Vesta roared with laughter and Celia giggled, the sound of bells and happiness filling the small cabin. He supposed company wasn't so bad after all. At least sometimes. If they weren't Karen.

X

Nami meandered the farm, wondering where the hell the resident farmers were. Takakura was always reliable. Nami liked him. He was a man of few words, but the way he handled the farm made her think that his gruff exterior was just that - his exterior. But where the hell was he? The cow stood by the gate, and as Nami stared at it, she mooed. Smiling a little, Nami turned to the creature, reaching a hand out.

"Y'know, cows moo in different accents."

Nami jumped a little as a thin girl covered in dirt stood up, trying unsuccessfully to swipe sweat from her face with muddied hands. She ended up striping herself with dark brown earth, and grinned at her, white teeth striking against a muddied face. "What?"

"It's something Takakura told me." The girl before her didn't elaborate, and only saluted her. "I'm Pony."

It was a strange name, but Nami had heard stranger. "Is that a nickname?"

The girl smiled even more widely, before offering: "Jill was my grandmother's name. Ew."

Nami stared for a moment, before breaking into her own small smile. "Why Pony?"

The girl shrugged. It was answer enough. Nami understood. "I need to buy milk."

Pony's eyes widened. "Oh, we don't sell milk."

Nami pointed wordlessly at the cow chewing contentedly besides them.

"No, oh… I mean…" the woman seemed flustered. "I mean, we," 'we' seemed to imply an inherent 'Mark and Pony', rather than 'Mark, Pony, and Takakura'. Nami was sure Takakura would sell her milk. In fact, where was he? "This is more of a shelter. She can't give milk, she's dry. Also, I don't even know how to milk a cow or the process that you use to clean it."

"I milked a cow once." Nami's offering was lame. How was she supposed to get Ruby's milk now? She really didn't want to deal with this.

Pony looked unsure. "Takakura?"

Nami nodded, and the pair went off in search of the elusive Takakura.

x

"She can't be milked. You're the one who bought her."

"Adopted." Pony insisted. "But what are we gonna do for... Nami?"

He shrugged. "If Ruby wants milk, I can go into the city."

"That takes hours. I'll just tell her no."

"She'll be disappointed." Judging from Takakura's voice, Pony figured a disappointed Ruby was not a good thing.

Pony blinked, and the older man had turned away, ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"I feel guilty." Pony said, and at the same time, Nami mumbled: "Well, shit."

"Why don't you stay here for dinner?" Pony asked suddenly. "I don't want to send you back to Ruby without anything."

Dinner was salad - not quite as good as Ruby's fancy, exotic dishes, but fresh and delicious. "Did you grow all of these?"

Pony snorted. "I brought half of them with me. I'm gonna plant them, too."

"Do you just plant it? Just like that?" Nami blinked at the thought. She actually had no clue how gardening worked.

Pony grinned and shook her head. "That scientist gave me a seed maker."

Nami blinked. "Why?"

Shaking her head and chewing a bite of salad, Pony shrugged. "Because he doesn't sleep enough and it's literally depriving his brain of oxygen. Seriously, he needs a vacation. And some therapy."

Shuddering, Nami asked: "Why hang around him, then?"

"I've been trying to help him." Pony admitted. "I bring him food, make him eat. At the very least, he should eat well. I met him on the first night I was here, creeping around the house, and I go to his place twice a night, to make sure he eats. I clean, too, when he's calmed down enough for me to touch his stuff."

"He's a little scary."

Pony shrugged. "All strangers are a little bit scary. He's like a spider. More afraid of you than you are of him."

Swallowing, Nami nodded. That was... interesting advice.