Pepa slowly walked around the fields, body bent forward slightly and face tilted towards the ground as she walked along the rows. What should have been a lush field of soy beans was instead mostly brown dirt. Not that the plants weren't doing their darndest to try and grow. She knelt down and tenderly reached out with her hand to stroke the leaves of one little stalk, much as she had once caressed her babies' faces when they woke up in the morning. The poor little things were clearly fighting to try and grow big and strong and the soil had been cared for… they just lacked the water.
"You used Isabella's seeds," Pepa stated.
"Of course Senora Madrigal," one of the hobbit elders of Windmere declared, scandalized. "We hobbits take our food seriously and the Vine Weaver's seeds provide not just the largest but the juiciest fruits and heartiest of vegetables."
"I know," Pepa stated, standing back up. "And if you hadn't used them I would have left you all to find wizards who would charge you a year's worth of taxes to bring a week's worth of water to your fields. But you were smart… so I will help."
"Oh… oh thank you!" another elder declared. "The drought has been great-"
"Yes, it has been I imagine. But this will help. Mi amor!" she turned and called out to Felix, who was standing on the edge of the field, placing a small orb the size of a marble on one of the pedestals that the hobbits had been told beforehand to prepare for her. "Are we ready?"
"Are we ready?" Felix asked with a laugh, slapping his hands together. "You ask if I am ready?" He waved a hand at her. "Are you ready?"
"I am," Pepa assured him, taking his hand as he led her out of the field and over to where some hobbits had set up wooden planks on the ground. Beside the large square there was a hobbit band, readying their well worn but also well loved instruments. "Are you ready gentle sirs?"
The band nodded as two of their members quickly lifted up umbrellas.
"Senora," one elder said, "is it true that to make it rain you must feel sorrow and sadness?"
Pepa chuckled. "Once."
It had taken her only a couple years to truly understand her powers. For 45 years she had believed that each of her emotions determined what kind of storm she could create: smiles brought sunshine, tears brought rain, rage brought thunderstorms. It had been Saharah who had pointed out the truth of the matter to her.
"Oh, look at you!" Pepa said, fanning her hand in front of her face. Above her head a storm cloud was forming and she was struggling to contain her emotions as she looked at her baby girl in her wedding dress. "Oooooh."
"Breathe, Pepa, breathe," Julieta told her as she worked to help Isabella get her hair just right; ever since Pepa and Julieta's mama had used the spell to reveal everyone's true selves Isabella's hair had remained utterly curly and wild unless she styled it into one of her more… orcish… designs. Today though Isabella had decided to keep her hair down and with no dye. Dolores had assured her that it was fine but Isabella had said she didn't want anyone noticing her today. She wanted to fade into the woodwork, to be unnoticed, while Dolores was the star. It was why she had removed the nose piercing she had recently gotten and was wearing long gloves to hide the tattoos she'd sported ever since Dolores' bachelorete party (and everyone was glad Dolores' dress wasn't backless so the 'I don't hear shit!' tattoo the bride had woken up with wasn't visible). As such her dark locks were down and without any of the gels or creams she used to make the spikes or Mohawks or other styles she'd taken to liking. But that meant that she needed help getting her hair styled properly.
"Do you want me to get Nocci?" Mirabel asked, already in her dress.
"No no," Pepa told her sobrina. "Your place is here." No one had argued when Dolores made Mirabel her Maid of Honor; while Isabella had once been closer to her she admitted that the 5 years before the Party had arrived had been more of a business relationship rather than as family. And Mirabel had given Dolores the ability to get through the day without her ears bleeding. "And I want him to cast it when we are at church… I want as much time as I can get without creating a storm."
"Which will help if Bruno doesn't make references to hurricanes!" Julieta teased just as Saharah entered.
"Luisa's all ready," she said; Dolores had gone to her prima and asked her to perform the wedding march for her and Luisa, commenting with a laugh that it was probably better than her dwarfing them all at the front of the church, had agreed. She informed Pepa that she'd actually written a few new songs about Mariano and Dolores, detailing their lives before and after they had become a couple, and would be performing them for everyone in the church while they waited for Dolores to arrive. "What was that about hurricanes?"
Everyone glanced at Pepa who smiled. "It's okay… I think telling the story will be alright."
"If not then we'll get Nocci," Dolores assured her. "And even if it does rain a little Mariano won't mind… he's like papa in that way."
It was Julieta who turned to the dragonborn. "When Pepa and Felix got married Pepa was so nervous she was sweating. Bruno made a joke about it looking like rain but before he could explain it-"
"I lost my cool and created a hurricane," Pepa muttered. She smiled after a moment. "It's funny now but I was SO upset with him!"
Saharah though frowned. "Why did it make a hurricane?"
"Because I began thinking about storms and all that."
The dragonborn nodded. "But your powers are based on emotions, not thoughts."
"Right."
"So shouldn't your worry have created something… else. Thunderstorms and all that are when you were angry. But you weren't angry. You were nervous."
"Well… yes," Pepa said. "Because I wanted the day to go perfectly. I was marrying the love of my life. I was happy!"
"So shouldn't there have been sun and rain? Tears and happiness? Why a hurricane?"
Pepa pressed her lips together; she knew the dragonborn was smarter than this. "What are you trying to get me to say?"
Saharah paused. "Look at Dolores." Pepa did so. "Look at how beautiful she is. How happy she is." Pepa did so. It was easy. Her daughter was utterly beaming. The last two years had seen her grow and change in such magical and wonderful ways. Mirabel's discs allowed her to actually live in the world and Pepa had been amazed at how her daughter had grown without the stress of hearing everything. She laughed more. She sang. She made friends with people. But she also was stronger, taking command of the village. She was the one who had come up with expanding underground and when some had protested she'd shouted them down. She has such passion and love and Pepa just knew she was going to live an amazing life.
Her lip quivered.
"Rainbows," Saharah whispered in her ear, suddenly behind her.
The moment the word entered her head it was stuck there. Rainbows. That was the perfect word for Dolores. Even as Pepa's tears fell she saw her daughter bathed in rainbows.
"Whoa," Mirabel said and Pepa blinked… realizing it wasn't just her imagination.
The room was full of rainbows.
"HAHA!" Saharah exclaimed. "Suck it Nocci! I am the Magic Solver!" The dragonborn did a little jig.
"What… what did you?" Dolores said, looking about her in surprise, running her hands through the rainbows which shimmer at the disruption but then came back together.
Saharah pointed a finger at Pepa. "You people! You stupid stupid Madrigals! You get your gifts and you don't ever move beyond what a five year old would think!" She continued to gleefully dance in place. "Rain is tears and sun is smiles and that's all you ever considered because that's how a child thinks!"
"I am getting annoyed you keep calling me a child…" Pepa said darkly.
"Rainbows!" Saharah said. "Stay mad at me but think 'rainbows!'."
"I-"
"Oh do it you big tall ostrich!" Saharah taunted.
"Listen here-"
"EEEE!" Mirabel exclaimed as the rainbows began to wrap around her, clinging to her dress and making the garment a riot of colors.
"There!" Saharah exclaimed. "See?"
"I… I do!" Isabella said, grinning. "Of course!" She ran up to Pepa. "You always thought that whatever emotion you were feeling made a certain weather condition happen. But that isn't the case… its just that you put it in your head that it must be that so your powers made it that. And everyone just assumed that 'oh, the little girl cries and we get rain so that's it!' But you think of a different weather pattern and it happens!"
Pepa blinked.
"Sun," she said, focusing even as she worked to keep her annoyance at Saharah in her head.
"Whoa," Mirabel said and Pepa turned to see the rainbows gone and the room glowing with sunlight. That startled Pepa out of her anger and the light faded. "Huh… so that's a thing."
Saharah grinned. "I think after the wedding we need to talk to the mind healers… this changes everything!"
"But first…" Dolores said, grabbing Pepa's arm, "do you think you can focus on rainbows when I say my vows?"
"Now though?" She said to the elders as she grabbed onto her skirt and lifted it slightly. "Its all about passion! HIT IT!"
The band, rather than beginning to play, clapped their hands as one hobbit with a deep voice began to sing. Pepa closing her eyes as she began to sway, Felix grinning as he began to rock from side to side, wiggling his hips as he did so.
This hit, that ice cold
Lady Michelle, that white gold
This one, for them river girls
Them good girls, straight masterpieces
Stylin', wildin'
Livin' it up in the shire
Got cloaks on with Lord Oakeon
Gotta kiss myself, I never tire
Pepa stood in place, swaying as the storm clouds began to gather in the sky while Felix began to move about her, thrusting his hips and throwing his hands towards her without ever actually coming in contact. The hobbit elders moved to shelter, though they still watched from windows as the two large folk danced, the band putting on one of their best performances yet.
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called a sheriff and a elderman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire, man
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Say my name, you know who I am
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Am I bad 'bout that silver?
Break it down
In many of the houses and tented areas that had been set up for the hobbits to watch Pepa work her magic young lads got up the courage to go up to lasses and ask for a dance, the girls smiling and nodding as they watched Pepa and Felix grooving to the music. Pepa and Felix were now facing each other, dancing in place as they slowly leaned towards one another.
Girls hit your hallelujah (wooh)
Girls hit your hallelujah (wooh)
Girls hit your hallelujah (wooh)
'Cause Funk gon' give it to you (wooh)
'Cause Windmere Funk gon' give it to you
'Cause Windmere Funk gon' give it to you
Saturday night, and we in the spot
Don't believe me, just watch, come on!
The band began to play in earnest as the skies opened up and rain poured down, Felix and Pepa now dancing wildly, trying to outdo one another. While she wasn't exactly thrilled to find out that Dryft had been, for lack of tact, drugging them with magic and potions, the fact that she was 60 years old and was dancing better than she had in her 40s made her quick to forgive the silly healer.
Pepa raised an eyebrow as Felix did the splits before leaping back to his feet, eyebrow raced. She was impressed.
And needed to prove herself to be just as good.
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
As the rains came down the hobbits watched, amazed and startled as the water did NOT flow into their fields. Rather the rai n suddenly stopped about 2 and a half feet off the ground before every droplet darted to the sides, rushing sideways through the air towards the pedestals.
Hey, hey, hey, oh!
Stop
Wait a minute
Fill my cup, put some cider in it
Take a sip, sign a check
Tamio, get the stretch
Ride to Greatlend, Blackwood, Wineridge, Dale-In-Sunny
If we show up, we gon' show out
Smoother than a fresh jar of Honey
As the rains hit the marbles that Felix had set on each pedestal they began to rapidly grow, swelling in side as they condensed the water. One orb would hold a day's worth of water for all the fields… all the Halflings would have to do was set an orb (which would end up the size of a pumpkin once they were done) in the middle of their lands and have someone crack it with a hammer and chisel. The orb would shatter and create a great rain cloud that would produce steady gentle rains for about 6 hours before finally disapating.
One dance would allow her to provide rain for an entire growing season.
Which was good because she had a birthday party to attend and she was not going to miss her sweet boy turning five!
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called a sheriff and an elderman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire, man
I'm too hot (hot damn, hot damn)
Lass, say my name, you know who I am
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Am I bad 'bout that silver?
Break it down
Girls hit your hallelujah (wooh)
Girls hit your hallelujah (wooh)
Girls hit your hallelujah (wooh)
'Cause Windmere Funk gon' give it to you (wooh)
'Cause Windmere Funk gon' give it to you
'Cause Windmere Funk gon' give it to you
Saturday night, and we in the spot
Don't believe me, just watch, come on!
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
Don't believe me, just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh!
Before we leave
I'mma tell y'all a lil' something
Windmere Funk you up
Windmere Funk you up
Windmere Funk you up
Windmere Funk you up
I said Windmere Funk you up
Windmere Funk you up
Windmere Funk you up
Windmere Funk you up