Yuna wouldn't see Alice for a few weeks. Lopez kept her plenty company, bringing her with him to pick fruit and go fishing while filling her in on all the town gossip. Elvis and Gala apparently had some sort of history in an old town, but had left it all there to form a friendship here over the leftover coals. Cheri had lived in a dozen other places before settling in Paradise. Rumors abounded why she'd left each place, but otherwise everyone was happy to have her. Then there was Frobert, who was always bragging about his running regimen that no one had ever seen him do. Spork was sort of a weirdo, to be honest, but he's nothing but nice and can make you laugh. Lopez said Spork was the first person he met when he moved to town, which was even before Alice was in charge. Tutu was everyone's big sister who seemed a little restless. Lopez said it might not be long before she talks to Alice about moving.

A few people had come and gone according to Lopez. Rod, Moe, Ankha, and Static were just a notable handful of all the villagers that had cycled through Paradise. They still came back to the mall, sometimes, to see what's changed and visit old friends and Alice. It was never the town's fault when someone moved. Not anymore, anyways. It was always the travelling bug that got into the animal's fur and urged them to see some other things, and Paradise would always be there. So people left, sometimes. Lopez told Yuna not to take it too hard when it happens.

Yuna received a letter from her mom before the end of her first week. It was comforting to see her handwriting again. As far as letters go, it was fairly simple: dad and I miss you, hope you're doing well, have a great time in your new home. Yuna immediately wrote a reply that took up pages and pages of stationary, but when she took it to Pelly at the post office it was denied.

"Denied? Why?" Yuna demanded. "This letter is important."

Pelly looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, we can't send letters to this address. Pete can't get that far."

"Could we send them by train? Maybe Kapp'n could take them by boat?"

Pelly shook her head. "We really can't, I'm sorry. I can reimburse you for the stationary, if you'd like."

Yuna did catch a glimpse of Alice once that month, on a late Sunday night walk looking for beetles. Alice was sitting in front of a large, white marble fountain with the figure of a slender dog looking up to the sky. Alice's mouth moved in small murmurs; it reminded Yuna of the way her mother used to pray. After a little while, Alice stood and approached the fountain, gently placed a 100 Bell coin in the water, and turned to the east to leave. Yuna scurried home before Alice could spot her.

Alice was at her door the next evening. She nearly scared Yuna out of her skin when she answered the knocking. Alice had become more of a ghost in her mind than a mayor.

"Didn't mean to surprise you," apologized Alice. "I realized I hadn't seen you in a while. I've been pretty busy."

Yuna moved to let Alice in, then noticed a bunch of pink roses in her hands. She'd planted the flowers in a little woven basket instead of cutting them, like boys in Yuna's old town had, where they'd clutch them between their fingers or smother them.

Alice followed Yuna's gaze and smiled. "I thought you might like these. I've been breeding flowers on the beach for a while, so I have plenty extra."

Yuna took them without looking away from Alice. "Thank you."

"Also," Alice said after clearing her throat, "KK is here tonight. I mean, he's here every night, but tonight he's actually playing. Would you like to come see him with me?"

You don't even have to ask. "That sounds like fun, yeah."

Yuna almost forget to set the flowers down before leaving.

Club LOL was the busiest Yuna had ever seen it. She'd popped in a few times with Lopez when KK was DJ, where she'd dance with whomever was there for a little while and laugh at Spork's fumbly moves. There weren't any flashing lights or pounding beats tonight, though; the chairs that usually sat at the sides for tired dancers or wallflowers were lined up in two orderly rows in front of the stage, where KK sat on a stool tuning his guitar. He looks awfully different without the cap and glasses.

Alice dragged Yuna out of her reverie to the middle of the front row. The warm, rough calluses in Alice's hands got Yuna's attention awfully quickly, and she smoothed her dress over and over when they sat down, something Lopez teased her for as a nervous quirk.

"Welcome back, Miss Mayor," KK said. Yuna realized she'd never heard KK speak before; his voice was low and smooth, reminded her a little of Brewster.

"It's nice to be back, Slider," Alice replied. "Can I request something tonight?"

"As always."

"Could you play 'Forest Life,' please?"

KK nodded. "Your old favorite, yeah. I can dig it."

The rest of the lights in the club dimmed and the rest of the animals in the room went to their seats. KK began playing once everyone was settled. Once he started to sing, Yuna's eyes widened as she recognized the song as the one playing in Alice's house, the one from the room she'd slept in. Yuna chanced a glimpse at Alice, who was still looking up at KK, but the corners of her mouth turned up a little when Yuna's head turned.

Everyone clapped when KK finished. Gala requested another song, and KK was more than happy to oblige. It seemed they were all in for a show that night. Somewhere along the way, Alice's hand ended up clasped around Yuna's, cradling the last two fingers in a gentle, unassuming gesture. Yuna prided herself on not flying out of her seat.

Alice walked her home late, late that evening. Besides the hiss of evening cicadas and the quiet, constant sighs from the river, the night was silent. They exchanged a few opinions about the show. Yuna was delighted when Alice offered to take her again, maybe with more notice beforehand. Yuna teased that that almost sounded like a date.

And when they got to Yuna's house, she looked at Alice outlined in the moonlight, red hair aglow and silhouette glowing, and thought that she'd never seen anything so perfect in her life. Alice squeezed her hand one last time, said she'd see Yuna around, and walked back to her home.

Yuna couldn't remember when she'd forgotten her hand was being held in the first place.