Surviving Winter

Chapter 3

Settling, Speculation

"That's beautiful." Columbia said, watching as the two larger men carefully placed the large tv down on the brand new entertainment center. She stepped back, admiring the view, falling into her couch as a test run. "Perfect. Thank you."

"Hm. Your welcome." The bulkier of the two said. He talked quietly, like nothing could bother him.

"I told you I wouldn't drop it, mushy brain!" The other man stated, jabbing the bigger man in the ribs. He seemed more excitable than his partner. She noticed he was considerably more tan as well.

"Oh? I am still not going to pay you."

"We agreed!"

"I said no such thing..."

"Coward! You're just so-"

These two obviously did not get along well. "Guys, it's fine." She dug through her wallet and handed them each a ten dollar bill. "Are you like this in front of all your customers or am I a special case?"

The smaller of the two laughed. "Ah no, its always like this. Dead brain here just ticks me off."

"Maybe if you weren't so easily agitated we could focus on our jobs more..."

"What was that?"

"Stupid head."

"Jerkules...!"

The looked like they were going to start fighting. "And out there door you go, before you break the nice lady's new TV!" Columbia shouted, sweeping her arms towards the front. "Thank you and good bye!" The men stared at her for a moment before silently grumbling and marching out. She could hear their loud, arguing voices from outside though, even as they drove off.

Exasperated, she returned to her couch and collapsed into the soft cushioning, grabbing her new laptop off of the end table and deciding to do a bit of digging.

Murder cases in Nation, New York

There wasn't a whole lot to go on except for a few newspaper articles. The case apparently involved two deaths, one of a guy named Hartwin, and another 'victim' whose name was undisclosed. The undisclosed was beaten to death with a blunt object, and the Hartwin victim was just plain beaten to death, and died of internal bleeding and bruising.

The only other thing she could find is that it was a hate crime, but it didn't specify what kind. Most other names and people involved seemed to be missing, too.

Ivan Braginsky, Nation, New York

She found a birth date and a couple of pictures. He was smiling in both, and actually looked like a nice guy. Not the tall, intimidating person she saw in town hall. Other than that though, it looked like his record had been scrubbed. Nothing to indicate a heartless killer.

Then why all the fuss? Why so sure that he was problematic? She wanted to ask Ludwig again, but decided she had bothered him enough. For now, at least. She pondered and pondered. Maybe it was just something she would come to learn in time.

She saw him once more when she went to town hall to update her bulletin board post. She chewed on the end of her pen, wondering how to word the updated ad. Then he strolled through a door, his coat swaying with his steps. He was carrying a water pipe with him, Yao wasn't kidding. Whatever reputation he had with the people around here it seemed he was intent on solidifying it. It didn't help that he had a incessant smile spread across his face. However he was trying to come off as, it didn't seem natural. She still couldn't figure out was his accent was.

"I want that moved to next week..."

The conversation he was having was boring. Not interested enough to care, she just glanced and focused on looking at him. Tall, yes. Intimidating, maybe. It seemed more like all talk and no bite. She must have looked a moment too long, because he turned to face her, his grin widening.

She jolted in her seat. What was with that look? His eyes were drawn up by the grin, and he approached her, one slow, deliberate step at a time.
"Ah. I've never seen you before." He greeted, spinning the water pipe in his hand and hooking the end of it on the edge of her paper. He pressed it down, so he could see what she was writing. "You bought farm outside of town. Are you tending it all by yourself? Such a small person for so much land." His grin widened again.

She wore a placid face. If he was trying to freak her out, the worst thing to do was to let him succeed. The 'small' comment irked her. There was a little problem though. She saw him up close for the first time, the odd smile stretching his face almost unnaturally, his violet eyes didn't shine like they were supposed to, they almost looked frozen. Even though the only part of his body she could make out was his crazy height and face, she could tell he was naturally handsome. Actually, that seemed to be a trait quite a few people here shared. Alfred, Francis, even Yao had a level of attractiveness to him. She could see them though too, and Ivan seemed to hide under his large coat and scarf. For a moment, she wondered what it be like to touch is almost silver hair, it looked light and fluffy as feathers. Finally, after taking a moment to absorb the tall man, her mouth finally caught up with the response that popped in her brain. "I can manage until Spring. Anyway, I don't believe we have met. My name is Columbia. Columbia Marsh." The water pipe thing was annoying, and strange. She pulled her paper from underneath it and returned to writing, not facing him on purpose.

"But you have to survive winter first!" His voice was sing-song, like he was mocking her. "Winter is no fun. Cold and white. Is the season of death."

She forced herself not to flinch, but looked up at him. He was still smiling evenly, like the comment was entirely normal.

It most certainly was not. For whatever reason she thought of her hippie friend from back home who was constantly talking about people's 'aura's'. If she was here now then what would she say about mysterious Ivan?

Maybe just that. 'Mysterious'. Would 'dark' and 'cruel' follow?

She forced a smile. "So does that mean if I survive winter, then I beat death?"

His face morphed from a smile to a quizzical stare, his eyes lifting in surprise or confusion, it was hard to tell. "Oh? Did I say that?" He shrugged his shoulders slightly, though it was hard to tell because of the thick coat. "Is no matter. You gave your name, Miss Columbia. I am Ivan Braginsksy, I work in the water department. I enjoy my job. Everyone has to come and see me eventually." The smile he gave was sweet, almost like he was genuinely happy with the idea of people forced to come see him.

She was starting to understand why people were scared of him. At the same time, he was off putting and making her uncomfortable, but the words and seemingly deliberate attempts to scare were lacking something. "Well, it's always good to do something you enjoy. I live too far out though, I have a well so I guess that excludes me." She smiled back at him, and his looks darkened, confusion clouding his features. "I really have alot of work to do. It was nice meeting you though." She extended her hand, which he just stared at quizzically, his strange creepy stare not falling at all. "...Fine, geez. Maybe I'll see you around." She pinned her finished ad to the corkboard with a thumbtack and left with a wave.

Feliciano fell over again, breathing harder than he should have been.

"Feli...if you can't even chop some wood, then I dunno if I can keep you working here for the winter. The barn needs fixed and it's no easy task - "

"No, I can do it!" He said determinedly. He raised the ax again, bringing it down as hard as he could.

Columbia watched, defeated, as he repeatedly tried to split the log. Maybe with a little work he would be okay. A large truck pulled into her long driveway, and she smiled wide. "Yao's here!" She cried, breaking into a dead run towards the driveway. The truck pulled all the way in, making use of the large free space to turn around and back in towards the front door of the house. Thank God, he had finally arrived. Ever since her little talk with the tall, light, and mysterious Ivan she hadn't been able to get the beige-silver haired man out of her head. Something about him intrigued her so she had kept herself busy, working her fingers and hands to the damn bone just to distract her wandering thoughts. The new bed was the first thing in a long time that she was legitimately excited for, and made for the perfect distraction.

Feliciano followed her, watching anxiously.

Yao jumped down from the tall delivery truck, his sleeves flopping around him. He had the good sense to dress warmly, at least. It was getting closer to winter. "So, it is done!" He called, and Columbia grinned excitedly. She had been waiting for this. The bed upstairs creaked way too much for a decent nights sleep.
The ponytailed man unlocked the back of the truck, which was full of wood pieces, big and small. "Made for easy transport. I can assemble it inside. Biggest part is headboard - " His sleeve flopped forward, indicating the large but flat wooden piece leaning against the inside of the truck. " - but is short. Should fit through door no problem, aru."

"Let's do that piece first then." She said, climbing into the large truck. "Feli, start taking the smaller pieces upstairs to my room - carefully - and put them in an out of the way place. We're gonna have to flip the mattress off the old bed and lean it against the wall, got it?"

"Si - !" The thin man said, grabbing a few pieces of carved wood and running inside. Yao seemed to be scrutinizing him.

"What, you got a problem with my helper?" She asked, lifting one side of the headboard to inspect it. There were small, intricate details carved into the wood, but it was classy. Had a very victorian feel to the style.

"Felciano Vargas is bad news. Bad luck, for sure!" He nodded. "Nothing good come from him, aru." He jumped up into the truck as well, rolling up his sleeves to help lift the solid headboard.

"Then why do you let him sit outside your shop to sell paintings?" She grunted. It was heavier than she thought, but Yao seemed to be holding up his side rather easily.

"Hmph. Just because I think he be bad luck, does not mean I don't feel bad, aru." The smaller man didn't even seem to be struggling as he carefully dropped himself over the edge of the truck, holding up the heavy wood with little difficulty as they descended it out of the cargo space.

"Why do you- huff - feel bad?" How was he doing that?

"Hm. If he has not said anything, then I should not either, aru. I'm not even involved." They backed into the front door. It was short enough that it wasn't a problem.

"Strange. Though he did almost say something - once - " She breathed, feeling her shoulders want to take a break from the strain.

"You all right?"

"Fine." She replied.

"We should switch for stairs, aru..." Yao said, carefully dropping the wood. He did not let his hand off of it though.

"If you're sure." At the top of the stairs, Feli had just started to come down.

"Stay there, Feli." Columbia said. "We might need your help."

He nodded timidly. Strange, she expected some kind of reply.

She and Yao switched places, and again he seemed to have little trouble. "Uhm, turn it a bit...the wall." She pointed out the piece that just seemed to jump right in their path and he nodded.

"Good eye, aru." Getting the large piece up the stairs was easier than she thought, and before she knew it it was lying against her bedroom wall.

"Where do you want it, aru?" Yao asked, looking around the room.

Columbia breathed deeply, noticing the mattress was sloppily slumped against the wall. "Right where the old bed is. This one is firewood." She complained, kicking the bottom of the creaking old piece with her boot.

"I can disassemble this one, no problem. Just bring up rest of new pieces, aru." He fell to the floor, removing the backpack that she just noticed he was wearing. The clinking of tools only mildly surprised her. She and Feliciano brought up and took down the new and old wood, and Columbia's mind was working in overtime. Compared to the gorgeous new bed, which was a dark wood, everything else looked like crap, save for the TV and new couch. The dresser that came with the room was nice, but needed redone, so did the large mirror.

"Vee, Columbia...? How do you want to take down the old headboard?"

She stared at the creaky piece of crap for a second before looking back at him.

"Got my ax?"

"Yes, but..."

"Good. Get to choppin. Do it in the hallway and clean up the scraps after. When the pieces are small enough you can take it down easy. Stack the wood by the fireplace, and be careful of splinters. Actually, wear gloves."

"O-oh...all right." He shuffled out of the room, and the violent sounds of splintering wood echoed.

"Whiny baby..." Yao muttered.

"Not too many people seem to like him..."

Yao remained silent.

"Yao, I've been thinking. This is a gorgeous piece of work you've made for me. Are you still open for more business?"

Yao turned to look at her. "You are joking, right?"

She shook her head. "No, not really. See, I was thinking the rest of the furniture in here could use some refurbishing. Plus my kitchen table is old and kind of small, and there would need to be a matching set of six or eight chairs..."

"Hold on. That is lot of work!"

"I know. I also want the cabinets refurbished and the mantle in the living room replaced."

"You nuts! That is months of work, aru!"

She paused, staring down at him as he screwed the small pieces together. With what the bed cost... "Seventeen thousand." She stated simply.

His eyes turned into big, brown saucers. "Come again?"

"In addition to the payment for the custom bed, I will pay you a total of seventeen grand to properly furnish and finish my house. My woodworking sucks in comparison to this. Good enough for the barn, maybe..."

"Hey." Yao had stood to face her, his expression turning serious. "Who are you, aru? You have been a strange one since the beginning. So inquisitive."

"I'm just a farmer in search of a fresh start. Trust me, I'm not new to this business. I still need to get the equipment and hire hands for the Spring..."

"Tell you story. Strange girl strolls into town, shops for everything, aru. Never sticks around town and is apparently loaded! Are you thief on run, aru?"

She giggled. "Wild theory. No, nothing so...underhanded. She let her head rest on the back of the wall. "I guess I have been acting a little suspicious though."

"'Little'? You have this huge house. You honestly believe that people think you would buy this just for yourself, aru? This house is made for large families. And you claim to be alone! Is very strange, aru! Farmers are family-oriented, normally."

"Gosh, I guess I never thought of it." She shrugged.

"I take it back. You just head full of air, aru." He indicated, jabbing his flapping sleeve in her direction and sighing. "Very well. I will take long job. It is very good offer, aru."

"Promise the money isn't stolen." She said, smiling lightly.

"First the whole thing about Ivan and now this...I am beginning to think you are more trouble than worth, aru."

"Oh yeah. I talked to him." Figures the moment she finally got a few minutes without thinking of the man he comes up.

"...aru?"

"He's...different..." That faced stared back at her in her mind.

"Eh?! You...what did you do?!" Yao had stopped his work for the second time, staring at her in bewilderment.

"Nothing." She shrugged. "He just talked to me. A little creepy, but..." Her brow knitted in thought. "He lacked intent. You know what I mean? All show and no bite."

"You - you weren't scared?"

She frowned. "What's there to be scared of? All I've seen people talk about his the assumption that he's done something. But - "

"Think what you will." The Chinese man replied, suddenly cutting her off. "I have work to do, aru. Excuse."

Columbia's expression hardened, but she left him to his own devices.

What the heck were they so afraid of?! It didn't make sense, and although she had been able to dig up snippets of information, few people were willing to let any details go. Whatever it was, he didn't scare her. In fact, she worried he did the exact opposite.

"Gosh, it's too early for this..." She groaned, driving into the small town carefully. It was the crack of dawn, and the small little town was quiet. Feliciano wanted to show her something though.

The streets were still empty, but she noticed Francis's and Alfred's car in the lot of the cafe. Over the couple of months she has been living in that small house, she has had made a point to eat the Frenchmen's cooking at least once a week. Maybe a good breakfast will help her stay awake.

Inside was rather empty, which didn't surprise her, but Francis seemed alarmed at her arrival.

"Mademoiselle Columbia! What are you doing here so early?" He looked like he was going to panic.

"I had an early errand to run, but man am I tired. It's not too early to place an order, is it?"

"Non, but the thing is..." He leaned over the counter, whispering lowly. "Ivan is here."

"Um...so what?" This was getting ridiculous. "I'm hungry, Francis." She would've pouted if she didn't feel that it was beneath her.

"All right, all right, suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you. Alfred!"

"Yo, Francy what's - ah! My favorite customer! So early..." The honey blonde waiter checked his watch. "Follow me, I guess." He turned, shrugging.

Alfred did not share the feelings of his employer, apparently. He had no problem with her being just another customer. She spied Ivan, sitting alone at a small table, eating silently. Abandoning the route Alfred had planned, she approached the seat across from him, and smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

At this, Alfred did stare nervously.

Ivan paused his meal, looking up at the young woman. "Oh. Is cheeky little girl from the other day."

"'Cheeky little girl'?" Columbia cocked an eyebrow. "You're the stuck up one that wouldn't introduce yourself properly. Or shake my hand."

"Oh? I'm sorry. I did not mean to be so rude. Sit." He gestured towards the chair she was holding on to. "I will buy you breakfast as apology then all will be good, da?"

She assumed the last word was some kind of confirmation. "Works for me. Alfred, I'll have an orange juice and an omelet." The young man simply adjusted his glasses before running off, not uttering a word.

"Alone at last." Columbia started, staring down the violet-eyed man. She didn't like to be intimidated. "So why is it that everyone is so afraid of you?" It was satisfying just to see him again. That air of mystery, the odd, low tones of his voice and the strange stares he gave. She felt excitement grow in her chest.

"People are afraid of me?" He asked, his expression confused.

It was hard to tell if he was playing dumb or if he really didn't realize. His confusion was simple, not twisted or contorted too badly...almost like a child.

"You've had to have noticed at some point." She confronted pointedly.

"This conversation is strange." He said, frowning. "People come see me all the time." His smile returned easily. "All is fine."

He was being serious, she realized. He had no clue. "You know...you look odd when you smile." She added, noting the lackluster gesture.

"I think I look cute!" He pointed to his own face cheerfully.

She squinted, as if to purposely skewer her vision of him. What was wrong with this man? Actually, come to think of it, it wasn't just him. Feliciano, Lovino, and a couple of others...herself including, she quickly realized, all had something to hide or something that they couldn't talk about. The number one no-tell rule went to whatever this man in front of her had did. All she had heard was speculation, no solid facts. There was something wrong with this town.

Bad luck indeed, Yao.

Either way, she could tell Ivan wasn't a deadly threat like everyone thought. If a man wanted to kill, you would know. Ivan was creepy, but he didn't give off that murderous vibe. It was closer to think that his mentality was slipping and he simply had a hard time keeping track of what he was saying. Or his intentions didn't match what came out of his mouth. At the very least he was interesting. Maybe that's why she couldn't stop thinking about him. Either that or she was just insanely attracted to his presence.

"Would you like to have dinner sometime?" Columbia asked, placing her hands under her chin. Bad reputation be damned. That kind of mysterious personality was straight out of a some bad sob movie. And she had a big soft spot for stupid feely movies. This was a chance she couldn't pass up.

"Ooohhh?" Those bright violet eyes grew wide. "I don't know. Is it like having breakfast now?" More smiles from the strange man.

"Ummm. Yes. Except we arrive at together and eat together. Speaking of, where is Alfred?" The waiter had not come back yet. Francis was certainly taking his time...

"Sounds like fun! Makes me feel funny." Ivan said, patting his chest. "Or that could be hunger. Not sure."

For whatever reason, she almost felt like laughing. "You're strange. I think I like that."

Confusion clouded his eyes. There was that odd look again. The look that stared at her hand when she offered it to him. "You do?" The words were mumbled.

"Well. I think I do. I mean, I don't know yet, not really. We've only talked together twice now. I'd like to get to know you and some of the other people in this town better though." That was true. It didn't take her long to start appreciating Feliciano's presence in her life. Maybe if she kept trying to make connections here, she would start to feel more at ease.

Silence, he was just looking at thin air, his expression becoming more and more strained. "I don't understand."

She paused, processing the words she had said previously with his statement. What wasn't to understand? "I just want to spend some time with you." That definitely wasn't a lie. Maybe if she spent some time with him she could get him out of her damn head. "I mean, unless you're already in a relationship with someone. Because that would be weird."

"I wonder...no..." He gaze fell, and for a moment he actually looked depressed. Shoulders sagging and poking at his soup with a spoon, he remained silent.

A crashing sound drew both of their attention to the front of the cafe, a cascade of angry voices following.

"BLOODY HELL!" That was a voice she didn't recognize. It held a thick British accent.

"That is coming out of your paycheck-"

"Damn frog! Alfred bumped me!"

"Well if you weren't staring off into space..."

"I am no FROG, monsieur!"

Alfred appeared a second later, silently leaving her food and two separate checks to save time. "Sorry about that." He apologized shallowly, his voice lacking it's normal exuberance.

Neither customers bothered with a reply, and he walked away awkwardly.

"So...what were we talking about again?" Ivan asked, he disposition had brightened.

"I was...asking if you had a girlfriend." Columbia replied, take a bite of her omelet. God she lacked tact. It was far too long since she's done anything like this. She vaguely wondered if her previous disaster of a relationship had scarred her and why on earth couldn't she eat this food every day?

"Ah, da. No, I do not. And you are expressing interest in...going out with me?" His looks muddled again, like he wasn't sure what that meant. Or he wasn't used to it. Whatever the reason was, he seemed confounded at the idea.

"Not a date date. I'd like to just meet up as friends or something. ...Unless you want it to be a date date." The people she spent the most time with was Feliciano and Yao, although Alfred had invited her to watch movies once, which was fun. She thought the young man had a little bit of a crush on her, which was cute, and so was he, but he just wasn't her type. A little too hyper, and little too loud. Maybe a little too blonde. She stared at the silvery locks in front of her, holding her hand back from reaching out and touching them. Geez that was a weird instinct. Why couldn't her brain just act normal in public?

"I see. So. When would you like to meet up?" His face returned to his rather neutral and almost unnerving smile.

"Umm. Let's say..." She retrieved her pocket calender from the back of her jeans and opened it up. Barn needed to be done all in one week, and Yao would be at her house on certain days... "Wednesday night?" It was Monday now, so that gave her a little bit of time. She hoped it wasn't too short notice.

"Sounds good to me." He replied, smile ever present. His soup finished, he checked both bills and left enough money to pay for both. "Where should I meet you?"

"My house? Maybe?" She suggested, not knowing too many landmarks in the town. There were stores, but...

"Okay. Be ready by four. I'll pick you up. Wear good clothes." He smiled, and left. She figured he must know where the farmhouse was. He indicated as such when they first talked.

Another crashing noise occurred at the counter.

"For the love of-!"

"That - that was me. Sorry, Francis!"

"Mon Dieu! Clumsy oaf's!"

Columbia continued her small meal, watching Ivan walk out the door, scarf waving elegantly behind him.

"Did - did you just - ?" Alfred was standing two feet away, staring bug-eyed and limbs frozen.

Lazily, she allowed her gaze to meander over to him. "What?" Though it wasn't hard to figure out what his problem was. "I have a date with Ivan."

The young blonde was tight - lipped, shoving his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. He was eerily quiet. Giving a stout nod, he took the paid checks and left.

Columbia checked her watch. It was time to pick up Feli.

The small grocers store was still closed, but she knocked on the glass doors. The darker haired Italian, Lovino, grumbled angrily but unlocked the door, murmuring something about it being too damn early and scratched his side. He pointed to a set of stairs hiding behind the walls, going up a separate set that stood opposite.

Knowing enough from Feli to not annoy the grumpy older brother, she silently followed his directions and ascended the stairs.

The space upstairs was tiny. A cramped bathroom with a simple shower, sink and toilet hung on the right of the narrow hallway, a small storage closet next to it. A closed door was on the right. She knocked gently. "Feli?" She called.

"Veee...come in..." The sleepy voice called. Columbia paused, swallowing hard. Feli had been very private about his home life, speaking only of his brother Lovino and friend, Antonio. She gripped the cool metal of the creaky door handle and pushed the light wood open.

The room was small. It was probably smaller than her living room. An old bed clung to the side wall, run down but clean, which she scolded herself for being surprised. A small dresser next to the bed, there was a chair next to the doorway, but other than that...the room was full of paintings. Feli was sitting in the middle of the room on a simple wooden stool, a large tarp that was splattered more than several rainbows of colors was spread out over most of the floor. Paints littered the tarp, the far wall was lined with them, new and old. None of them looked actually old or dusty, just used. As a matter of fact it seemed that dust was meticulously left out of the room. Canvas's, full and empty peppered the walls and were stacked neatly against the walls, some stacks looked to be at least twenty paintings thick.

"Holy shit." She breathed, attempting to wrap her head around the amount of work, the hours he must have put into this room. He turned his head to face her, tearing his eyes from the easel in front of him. His white shirt was splattered with color, and he wore little other than boxers. Even his feet and fingers were stained with color. His amber eyes shimmered as his face lifted into a wide, bright smile.

"Ciao, Columbia!" He dropped his brush, spinning to half walk, half skip and throw his arms around her neck. His greetings have become steadily more energetic, but this was the most exuberant she had seen him.

"Hello." Her shoulders went rigid at their closeness.

He stepped back, kissing her cheek and moving to place his lips on the other one-

"FELI! What the crap!" She leaned back from the second kiss, her face bright red. It did not help that he was only in boxers, something that seemed to be bothering her a lot more than it did him. She tried to refrain from thinking about it at this point.

He frowned, disappointment marring his good mood. "Veee...is how I say hello to my friends..."

"I - oh." The surge of emotion passed, but her face was still flushed. "S-sorry. You might want to give me a little time to get used to that."

"Oh, okay then." That mood of his was easily influenced. Chipper as before, he bounced back into his stool. "Just give me a moment more." He returned the brush to the canvas, and she curiously peeked over.

"Mind if I watch?"

He stopped, flushing slightly, sending her an awkward glace. "I...suppose it's all right?"

What was embarrassing? Then again, painting was a personal art.

It was a portrait. A young boy...or man, it was hard to define his age, laying on a bed of flowers. The colors were vivid and calming, and the young man had his eyes half open, bright blue from what she could tell, and short blonde hair. She squinted, looking at it closer. The face was different, but he could draw details well and there were similarities.

"That...looks like Ludwig?"

Feli squeaked, his shoulders drawing up tightly around him and his elbows dug into his sides. She had begun to realize that it was the boy's defense mechanism. "N-no..." He chimed, his face turning redder. "Someone else..."

She frowned, taking another sweep of the miniscule apartment. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

"Si, my apartment...I uh...I just moved here a little bit ago."

Her frown hardened. "Really. Where were you before that?"

Trembling. He was trembling. "Um. Without your help. See..." Fidgeting, knees rubbing together, elbows frozen at his sides. "I wouldn't...be able to stay here. Not on my own, anyway. Like I am."

She didn't respond. After a moment, he relaxed, continuing his skilled work. The town was too small to sell paintings like this on the street every day. She waited just twenty minutes, an oddly relaxed period of time, before he wiped his brush clean and sighed. Muttering something she couldn't quite catch, (she wasn't sure if he was speaking in Italian or English anyway) he rubbed his eyes and almost fell into the small dresser, pulling up a pair of worn jeans and grabbing some socks. "Okay. I am about ready to go now."

He looked tired. "Did you paint all night?" She asked, her features hardening into a glare.

He sleepily shook his head, wiping his eyes with a loose sleeve. "Vee...no. I got up extra extra early though, because I knew you were coming to get me...grazie."

She pressed her fingertips against her forehead, rubbing thoughtfully.

Feliciano really did like to sleep, she decided, and his sluggish moments throughout the day did not go unnoticed. It was getting to be late November, so the chill in the air did not help.

"Hand me those boards!" She called, watching carefully as the sleepy Italian ran back to the outside, picking up a long wooden plank and carefully raising it so it leaned against the edge of the loft. He ran back to do this again. She dragged the first board carefully, wood scraping wood as the large plank was slowly pulled upwards. Laying it against the floor, she gauged the size she needed, sticking her knee under the plank for leverage and sawing the proper length. The cut wood slid in it's spot on the second shaving, having to be pounded in a bit with her fist before placing a nail and hammering. She shivered. A scarf got in the way with this kind of work and the hat she had wasn't as cozy as she hoped.

"Get to cleaning the stalls. Clean out the cobwebs, make sure the feed room is organized." She called from her hammering position.

"SI!" He shouted in return, and she started to hear the sweep of the broom between her incessant hammering.

She shivered again, feeling a slight tickle in her throat. Cursing, she simply continued to work.