The next few days on Finley Farm passed uneventfully, Vicky spent most of the day Saturday planting new seeds in the fields she'd prepared and she took Sunday off to relax, enjoying the work she'd done over the week with a glass of water, relaxing on a chair on the porch of her house. The place needed work, most of the farm was still a mess, and the house was still in imminent danger of collapsing around her, but at least she was reasonably established. Not bad for a week's work, really.

She hadn't heard from Abigail all day Saturday, but Sunday morning she'd finally gotten a text. Apparently the shrine Vicky'd seen in their house had been placed there by a prior owner, and Pierre and Caroline hadn't had the heart to tear it down. A few of the villagers still came in to worship every Sunday to Yoba, and according to Abigail she spent most of the day in her room, catching up on schoolwork or surfing the web or playing games.

It seemed like an okay sort of arrangement to Vicky, but she'd extended an invitation to Abigail anyway, saying that she could come by any time she wanted, but especially Sundays if she felt like getting out of there instead of being cooped up in her room. The response had been noncommittal but at least it wasn't a no, and Vicky figured she was probably still torn up over Sebastian. She didn't really hold it against her friend if she needed a few days to herself.

Around noon Vicky figured she should probably get off her rear and do something, and decided that going to go see the Wizard was as good as anything. Maybe he could even shed some light on this nonsense going on with the Junimo and Scellia. The little dragon had curled up under her chair to nap while Vicky relaxed, and the farmer had been glad to have some peace and quiet. It's not like Scellia was a burden, but she was an energetic little thing, always scurrying around and running in circles in the house, stealing food, running off with items or tools. She'd even found a little pile of small objects under her bed, nothing particularly valuable, but Scellia had already run off with her phone once and it'd probably happen again.

Waking the little dragon to tell her where she was going, Scellia trotted off after Vicky with her head held high. I guess she likes going to see old Rasmodius. Vicky detached the trailer from her bike by undoing the knot of the rope, and once Scellia was secure on her shoulder, she took off toward the south through the same trail she'd used before.

She passed Marnie feeding her animals, waving toward the woman, and even saw Leah out picking berries or something from a bush, but her attention was turned elsewhere as the farmer passed, so Vicky didn't bother waving. It only took a few minutes for her to arrive at the Wizard's tower, the bike proving to be an excellent gift for her mobility's sake. She dismounted and headed up to the door, and once again it opened before she even had a chance to knock.

Once she was inside, Scellia hopped off of her shoulders and pranced over to Rasmodius, where the Wizard was once again standing near his cauldron, though it was bubbling blue this time. He passed something small out of his pocket to the little dragon, who quickly ran off under a table to begin issuing 'tink tink' noises. He'd likely given her another fragment of amethyst for her to chew on. She didn't seem to actually eat the stuff, just gnaw on it like a chew toy, and at least three fragments had been in the little hoard under Vicky's bed...

"I see you've returned." Rasmodius began, his other hand holding up a book he seemed to be reading from.

"Yeah. I went out to the Community Center, had a look." Vicky put her hands on her pockets as she stood nearby. She really needed to buy some new clothes, she still only had one pair of jeans.

"Oh? Did that go well?" He tossed some kind of dust into the cauldron, which shifted to a deeper purple.

"Sort of. I met the Junimos."

"Really?" This time he actually stopped what he was doing, closing the book and leaving the cauldron to bubble. He stepped closer, his robes swishing quietly across the floor, letting Vicky get a better look at his clothing. It was covered in embroidery of an assumedly-mystical nature, though she didn't know if that was for fashion's sake or if it actually served some purpose.

"Yeah. There was some kind of plaque on the floor, and when I tried to read it, they... 'spoke' to me or something."

"Did they now." He leaned closer, as if looking through Vicky's eyes rather than into them, searching for something. "And?"

"I could understand them. They want items for reagents or ingredients, or for magical properties, I don't know. They said they'd help around town if their requests were filled."

"Sounds like you have a job to do then." He stood up again, letting out a quiet sigh as he did, moving back over to his cauldron. "I wonder if you could actually understand them, or they simply imparted understanding..." He put a hand on his chin as he gazed into the cauldron.

"Well it was more of a... vision or something, than anything. Kind of unsettling-"

"Ah, imparted then", he interjected.

"But I felt... safe? Afterward? I don't really know how to explain it. I could definitely read the other plaques though." She shrugged, pulling one hand out of her pocket to accent the gesture before she returned it to it's confines.

"Other plaques? Please continue." He waved a hand vaguely in her direction as he opened his book again.

"Yeah. One in every room of the Community Center. Some wanted fish, some wanted vegetables, some wanted random items I'd assume you could get from a farm. One even just wants amounts of money placed on it."

"That's rather interesting. Perhaps this is why you were called here. The Junimo were searching for someone able to see them and fulfill their requests, and you appear able."

"I was actually hoping you might know. What with the vision you had, and all."

"My foretelling? All I was informed was that a 'descendant of Finley' would return, and that the land would be 'reclaimed'. I assume they were talking about your farm." He remained quiet for a moment as he read through the book. "It mentioned nothing of the Junimo."

"So you know about as much as I do, then."

"Oh no.", he laughed. "I know a great deal more. But as to your purpose, I am as ignorant as you. I believe you will have to find it out for yourself." He lowered the book slightly so that he could look at her, but his expression was a bit more warm than last time she'd visited.

"So what should I do? I'm a little bit lost here. I've got a dragon who likes to follow me around", she gestured to Scellia, who glanced up at the word 'dragon', but quickly returned to chomping on her gemstone, "I've got little marshmallow guys who want random crap-"

"I believe they would take offense to that."

"- Little fuzzballs then. Whatever. I don't know what they are. And then apparently the land itself can think and wants me to farm it, as crazy as that sounds to me. It all sounds crazy now that I think about it. I blame you." She pointed toward the Wizard.

"Me? Whatever for?"

"You made me drink that green stuff and pass out and now all this crap is happening."

"That was simply to open your eyes. The visions are simply a side-effect of the magic of the area that had been trying to reach you finally being able to. What you saw was likely an amalgamation of all the signals you missed."

"... okay. Though that doesn't make a lot of sense." She shrugged. "Kind of weird to see tiny little versions of people you met, though.", she grumbled.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nevermind. Anyway, what should I do?" She looked to him again, though he appeared to be engrossed in his book.

"I would do as they ask." He glanced toward her again. "Grow your crops, reclaim the farm, deliver them the items they request, whether that's by buying them or producing them yourself. Make a list, check it off as you go.", he made a motion as if swiping a pen across paper. "It will take time, I'm sure, but the rewards will likely be worth it."

Vicky sighed softly. "Great."

Vicky soon returned home, Scellia in tow, and spent the rest of her afternoon cleaning and getting her house in a little bit better shape. Sure enough, Scellia ran off with her phone again, twice, and the second time she even found the little shit going through her pictures. Cheeks red, she swiped the phone back from the dragon, drawing a rather angry face from the little thing. "There are things in there forest guardians shouldn't see."

Scellia blew her a raspberry.

Bright and early Monday morning, Vicky headed outside to see how her farm had fared overnight. Everything appeared fine, though she'd have to do some gardening to get rid of a few weeds that had sprung up. Apparently even they grew quickly. She glanced to Scellia as she checked her mail. "So, you control plants and stuff right, grant blessings?"

Scellia looked up to her, considered, then nodded a few times.

"What about weeds? Can you stop those from growing?"

Scellia shook her head, then trotted over to one such plant. She stuck her head in, gripped the weed with her teeth and yanked, pulling the entire thing out, roots and all. Vicky was impressed.

"Good job."

The little dragon practically beamed, and Vicky swore if she was a dog her tail would be wagging.

"Oh well, more work for me to do I guess."

She flipped through the mail, most of it just messages from some of the villagers that she'd have to reply to, asking how she was doing, inviting her to dinner, talking about Friday, things like that. One message in particular stuck out, however, a message from Lewis about an upcoming Festival in town.

"Vicky,

As Mayor, it is my duty to inform you that in just a few days we will be holding the Egg Festival in town, from 9:00am to 2:00pm. If you wish to attend, please wear something festive, though if you have nothing available I'm sure the townsfolk won't mind. There will be a Egg Hunt contest with a reward, as well as several booths set up with produce and other items for sale. Of particular interest to you may be the Strawberry Seeds, as this is the only time of the year that Pierre is able to get a supply of them, and they usually sell out quickly.

Hope to see you there,
Mayor Lewis"

Vicky let out a quiet little 'huh' as she read over the letter, flipping it over to make sure there was nothing on the underside. "Guess I have to buy a new shirt after all."

When she went inside to check her phone and put the letters on the counter, she realized she'd gotten a message on her phone. She flipped it open to find a text from Abigail. 'B there soon. Want 2 hang.' She let out a little noise and grinned, tossing the thing back on her bed. "Awww yeah."

When Abigail arrived, Vicky was currently bent over in the garden, pulling weeds up from around the plants that had begun to grow over the weekend. Once this was done she'd water them, make sure everything was in order, and then probably just work on wrangling more of her farm into shape. She still had to figure out what to do about the trees. She could cut them down, sure, but that'd leave massive stumps everywhere that she'd not be able to deal with on her own... Maybe Scellia had an idea.

Abigail laughed when she saw Vicky on her hands in knees in the dirt. "You know, I was starting to wonder if you actually did any farming. Certainly didn't act like a farmer Friday."

Vicky was glad to see her smile, but she could tell that it was more withdrawn than normal. At least she was trying, though. "Yep. You helped me haul in the parsnips, those were all mine."

"Never know. You could have been just trying to show off or something." She shrugged, then headed off to go lean on the mailbox to watch. "So what are you doing now?"

"I am pulling weeds. Things grow faster here, and that doesn't just include vegetables. I think after a few rounds of growing things, though, it should clear out a little more. The land's still 'wild', you know?" She sat up and wiped her forehead off, having finished clearing the row while talking. "I've been trying to read a little bit on my phone where I can, study stuff."

"So I'm not the only one in school, then. Yours is just a little... you know, dirtier." Abigail gestured to the plants and dirt across Vicky's clothes. "Are you going to come to the festival, by the way? Do you know about it yet?"

"Yeah, I got a message from Lewis this morning telling me about it. I'll have to buy a shirt or something." She looked down to her own black and pink. "I don't think a pink heart on black qualifies as festive."

"Ah, I doubt anyone in town would really care. I'm going to wear a dress I bought, though." Abigail did a little twirl, like she was already wearing it, despite wearing a denim vest and a blue shirt with purple shorts and boots.

Vicky looked up, an eyebrow raised. "Really? You in a dress?"

"Yeah!" Abigail put her hands on her hips with a soft huff. "I can wear dresses too."

"I dunno, you just didn't strike me as the dress type."

"And why not?"

"Well, it's the whole goth thing you've got going on. The vests, the dark-colored clothes, the choker, the boots. Just doesn't say "I wear dresses in public" to me, is all." Vicky vaguely waved a hand. "I don't mean any insult by it."

Abigail watched her for a moment, then shrugged. "I'd suggest you wear a dress too, but I guess it'd be a little harder to get you into one."

Vicky laughed. "Yeah. I haven't worn a dress since I was five."

"So you'd be like the 'man' in any relationship you were in, then?" Abigail asked.

Vicky pursed her lips a bit. That question always irritated her, like someone always had to take the place of the guy whenever two women were together. She wasn't sure how to answer without sounding like she was upset, though she decided to try. "No, we'd both be women. Nobody 'has to' be the man, Abigail." She glanced up to her friend, hoping she could understand. "Sometimes the dynamics work like that, but I like things equal. Both partners, nobody over anyone else, that sort of thing."

Abigail could tell she'd said something wrong, and her cheeks flushed a little bit. "Sorry. I'm still... Everyone in town's straight. Mostly."

"Mostly?" Vicky raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you hear stories. And Leah isn't. She moved here to get away from an ex, I've heard her ex was female."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that sounds about right. She's okay with people talking about it?"

"Yeah, she's never complained. I don't think she's really looking at the moment though. Focusing on her art."

"Ah, oh well. I don't know if I'm really looking either." Not because I'm not interested, I'm just... hoping. She knew she shouldn't put all her eggs in one basket, especially since she didn't know if the basket even wanted her eggs to begin with... that sounded weird in her head.

"Oh? Nobody taken your interest yet?"

"I just don't know if I'm ready yet. Too much to do, too much going on. I barely know anyone in town, I think I've talked to you more than anyone else. It's too early to make any decisions I think." Aaand question deflected. She didn't want to be too overt yet. Make sure she knew more about what was going on and whether or not Abigail would even be interested...

"Makes sense, I guess."

"So what do you do for fun around here?" Time to change the subject up a little, she thought.

"Well, before you moved in I actually used to come here and explore. Walk through the fields, the forest that sprung up, spend time to myself."

"Really?" Vicky gestured with an arm as she stood. "You still can, if you want. I don't mind, and it's not like I'm really using the land. I've hardly gotten it cleared, much less in use."

"Are you sure? I don't want to disrupt anything or be in the way."

"No it's totally fine. Knock yourself out. Have fun, do whatever it is that you do, out there." She moved to the crate where she kept the tools when she wasn't using them, then headed to the hose to start filling the watering can.

"Do you want to know?" What an odd question to ask, but Vicky shrugged.

"Yeah, sure. Just don't tell me you're doing anything illegal, at least at the moment I have deniability." Vicky laughed.

Abigail chuckled too. "No, no. I mean, if you ask my parents it probably should be illegal, but it's nothing like that."

"Alright, what is it then?"

"I practice with a sword sometimes."

"A sword!? Really?" Vicky smiled a bit, standing as she finished filling the can. No wonder Abigail was in shape, if she was training with a sword.

"Yeah." Abigail bristled, and Vicky could tell that she was used to being talked down to.

"Hey, calm down. I was just asking. I'll be the last person to tell you what you can and cannot do."

Abigail let out a sigh, then nodded. "Sorry. Everyone I tell tends to make fun of me for it. I want to join the Adventurer's Guild some day."

"There's an Adventurer's Guild?"

"Yeah. They've been closed recently because the mines were blocked off by something Joja was doing. I think they were trying to dig into it to get materials and half-collapsed the whole thing. They should be clearing it out again within a week or so. I've been training while they were closed so I can try to join after they reopen."

"Well, hey. Good luck! The way you talk about it makes it seem like you're really set on it, so hopefully you do well."

"Yeah. I think my parents might try to keep me from joining, they think it wouldn't be safe." She followed Vicky as she set about watering her plants, sprinkling each one with the liquid it'd need. "The Guild takes precautions, they come looking for you if you're gone too long, and most of the monsters we've seen in the mines aren't extremely dangerous. They're usually just after whatever materials you're carrying, that's what they eat."

"And there's monsters too? I mean, I guess I should have figured, given that you were training with a sword and there's an adventurer's guild and stuff, but... I never would have guessed stuff like this existed out here."

Abigail shrugged. "Well, you're here now, right? Things aren't the same, but they're not bad either."

Vicky smirked, glancing at her friend. "No, they're really not."

Abigail grinned back, giving Vicky an odd look. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. I'm, uh, done with my chores though." She patted her watering can. "Anything you want to do?"

"Have any food? We could go into town and get something if you don't."

Vicky grinned. "Actually, that'd be nice. I should take a shower first, get some of this funk off. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all. I'll go for a walk."

"Alright, see you in a little bit then." Vicky waved, then headed off into the house to take a shower.


The forest of Vicky's farm was quiet, peaceful, and there was a reason that Abigail had come here to wander and keep to herself. It seemed just as quiet as ever to the purple haired woman, even though the forest had shrunk somewhat through Vicky's efforts. Interestingly, she didn't think that it really seemed to mind. If Scellia was showing up to the farmer and even helping her out, that meant they were on her side, and Abigail thought that was alright. It was interesting to think about, that someone so new could make such an impact, and be confronted by things that she hadn't seen even after years of trying with Rasmodius' help.

Abigail heard a rustling behind her and turned, curious... only to see a small black head with purple hair in a little pouf and wide eyes staring back at her from around a tree.