A soft deluge of pink petals by the pillar next to Olivia's home announced her return for the day as she casually walked forward while taking off her mask. "So sore," She muttered as she stretched her tired limbs.

Seriously, why did it seem like lessons were getting harder instead of easier, Olivia thought as she scratched at the back of her head through sopping wet hair. Her feet worked on their own, taking her inside so she could change and dry off as she pondered over what she might be doing wrong.

The process that used to take her maybe five or ten minutes, now took closer to thirty to make sure she was properly dry before changing.

Any other day she'd still be in the ocean but today, was the harvest festival.

Nerves ate away at her stomach as her mind raced, yet her expression remained as calm and neutral as ever as she made her way over to her fridge. After pushing past leftovers and assorted ingredients, she collected the pumpkin pie and grape juice she'd made the night before and put it in a reused shopping bag. A few foraged Figs, and black trumpet mushrooms were added to her ruck sack as well before closing up the refrigerator.

"Okay you can do this," she coached as she tried to remember what to do next through the cloud of thoughts that seemed intent on distracting her. It was fine. There was absolutely no pressure on her to do well what-so-ever. It's not like Starlet Town and the town's over all ranking felt dependent on her every action. Its fine.

Oh goddess she wanted to puke.

"Just do your best. You can do this, just do your best," she repeated as she opened a kitchen drawer to collect a pair of garden sheers. With a plastic bag in one hand and sheers in the other she made her way back out to her field.

Into her larger rucksack went two of her best-looking pumpkins, two healthy bundles of rice stalks, a bundle of radishes, a bundle of beets, a good quart's worth of cranberries, a bouquet of orchids, and a bouquet of dahlias.

Her bag was practically overflowing with the variety of crops as the rice and flowers spilled from the sides just to avoid being crushed under the weight of the remaining produce. Seeing this caused Olivia to pause and smile. It wasn't much but she grew all of this, and there was plenty more to harvest in the morning when she had more time to focus on such things.

But for now, she walked back over to the warp pillar by her home. With a reaching motion she pulled herself through space and time in the blink of an eye. Where a sheer cliff side once obscured her view, a decaying temple now stood.

"I'm back," She quietly greeted as she walked up the stairs of the lake bound temple. "I've got quite the collection for you this time as well."

Olivia walked over to the left most alter and started laying out a large spread of goods. A pumpkin, a bundle if rice stalks, the black trumpet mushrooms, figs and orchids were placed first before a fresh catch from her time at sea was placed alongside them. Fresh sea salt, king scallops, eastern oysters, blue mussels and green urchins filled any remaining gaps. The stone slab was practically over flowing.

"Hopefully this is okay. The merfolk seem to adore you, so seemed only right to bring an offering on their behalf too," She explained to the unseen entity before closing her eyes and clasping her hands together in prayer. "And if it's not too much to ask. Please watch over me and grant me a modicum of luck with the harvest festival. Amen." Wait was that how she was supposed to pray to this goddess? How did this work exactly…

A distant chuckle seemed to echo in her ears as she thought this.

Hearing it caused Olivia to open her eyes and look around. Sure enough, the alter was empty once more. A hesitant smile began to form. That was the first she'd heard of the goddess in months. "Glad you're feeling well enough for laughter. Hopefully you continue to recover."

As Olivia stood there her mind slowly wandered, remembering what Scott had said about the island's past. How it was devoid of life, the seas and streams were empty. She thought of the petrified giants in the cavern, the looming threats of corporate takeover and the island's dwindling population. She recalled the princess's claims of a time where people, merfolk and giants lived in harmony and how far from that the island now was. All three were calling for help from a goddess who needed help herself.

"I'll keep them safe for you. Rest well." Olivia turned to leave and made her way down the stairs to the sunken lake pathways. Luckily for her the festival grounds were right along side the lake.

As she made her way off the waterlogged stone path and back to the grassy fields, a distant figure caught her attention. A figure she recognized as Scott's boss, Millie, was standing by a portion of the fenced off lake and was tossing something into the water.

Curious with this, Olivia cautiously walked over. "Millie?"

Upon hearing her name, the woman turned to look in Olivia's direction. "Oh! Heyyy, funny running into you here!" She replied through a guilty smile while shifting to hide her hands behind her back.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at the suspicious behavior. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Millie winced. "You caught me," she moved to place her hands to her side once more making a hand full of wild flowers more apparent. "I was trying something out. Theres this old legend about a goddess who lives in the water on coral island. I heard it from my dad."

"U-huh," Olivia nodded while trying to keep a straight face. "Water, like the ocean?"

"No, not the ocean. I asked him that exact question. It's just the lake I think," Millie turned to look at the lake again, "Don't tell anybody but, I've been throwing flowers around this lake since… Gosh…"

"Since you were a kid?" Olivia questioned and received a nod in response.

"Yeah, I've done it in a bunch of different spots. Still nothing. I know it's silly but all fairy tales are kind of silly, right?" Millie weakly smiled as she hesitantly glanced at Olivia.

Ah, ignorance was bliss. Olivia chuckled. "So true." Her smile quickly fell. "Not that I think you're silly. I mean, I think it's rather lovely and I'm sure she appreciates the effort."

"You're sweet," Millie moved to toss the last of the flowers into the water. "When I first started doing this, I didn't know if it would actually work and I didn't want to waste flowers. I tested the idea by throwing in some grass."

"Really, that's such a cute memory to have," While Millie was quite the well-versed scholar, it surprisingly wasn't difficult to imagine her running off to test theories of folk lore. "I probably would have done the same thing."

"Yeah. Though, while I'm being honest. Today was my first day offering flowers. It had been a while but. I donno," Millie stared out at the distant structure in the middle of the lake. "Maybe that's what it takes to summon the goddess… I hope I didn't make her mad by giving her grass."

"I doubt it," Olivia moved to give Millie a gentle pat on the back. "I have a feeling she has a decent sense of humor. Honestly If I were a lake goddess and a cute little kid was leaving offerings of grass, it would make me really happy that they were trying their best. What about you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I'd feel the same way." Millie quietly agreed before putting an arm around Olivia's shoulder to pull her a bit closer for a quick side hug. "Flowers and such aside. The harvest festival is starting soon. We should probably get going. You're entering right?"

"Oh shoot, the display set up," Olivia yelped as she quickly checked the time.

Millie laughed and made a shooing motion as Olivia seemed to freeze up in her panic. "Get going! I'll catch up."

"Right, See you at the festival!" Olivia shouted back as she hurried off. She left the ocean early to specifically avoid this situation!

As Olivia hurried up the wooden stairs that separated the festival grounds from the rest of the park, she passed a few other townies who'd already arrived. It didn't take long to find the mayor by a large stage that had been set up with display tables. A raised secondary level with a podium had been set up behind the displays. One of the two displays were already filled as jars of honey surrounded neatly arranged bouquets of lilies.

"You actually showed up?" Called a distant, obnoxiously recognizable voice.

Olivia took a breath to steel her nerves before turning to face Bobby. "Yeah. I'm here."

"Here I thought you said you weren't interested in competing," The purple clad farmer pointed out as he stopped to stand between Olivia and his display.

"And here I thought you said you weren't worried about competition," Olivia countered. "Seems we were both wrong."

Bobby's nose twitched as he tried to keep a neutral expression.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a display to set up," Olivia didn't wait for a response before walking away. Not that she got very far since her display table was all of 15 feet away from his. Shipping crates with Sam's general store logo printed on the sides had been set up ahead of time for her in a decorative manor. Straw had been added to the crates as a protective layer for whatever she decided to add. Upon seeing this she looked out to the gathering crowd and found Sam in the distance talking to Sunny, the owner of the beach shack.

As soon as Sam noticed Olivia looking at him, he put the moon cake he was munching on, back onto his plate so he could offer a thumbs up.

Olivia felt a little lighter as she weakly smiled back and gave a thumbs up in response. She wasn't doing this alone. Everyone was trying their best. She gingerly placed the bottle of grape juice, on display alongside the beets, radishes, rice, cranberries, pumpkin and Dahlias. Sure, it didn't look as thematic as the other display but, Sam said that variety was important.

Once everything was set up she made her way off the stage again and over to Sam. "Hey, Thanks so much for the display. That was you right?"

"May have mentioned to the mayor that you've been busy lately and could use a hand," Sam calmly replied before taking another bite of his moon cake. "You know I was actually just telling Sunny here that if Betty's interested in selling her mooncakes at the store, I could have a business discussion with her."

"Don't be too focused on business Sam!" the mostly deaf man shouted back which clashed with his peaceful smile. "Relax and enjoy the festival!"

"Advice we should both take I suppose," Sam mused before waving off Olivia. "Go, have fun. And if you haven't already, stop by Betty's stand and try one of these. They're divine."

"Alright, I'll leave you two be then," something sweet did sound good. Olivia walked off in search of the promised moon cakes, following the sweet scent towards a puzzling sight.

Two moon cake stalls were set up right next to each other. One where Betty was standing out front to hand out the warm freshly baked treat to anyone with a few spare coins. While the other was sterile in nature. A large pufferfish shaped balloon took up most of the space while plastic wrapped mass-produced cakes with the pufferfish logo sat on a short, repurposed coffee table next to pamphlets and flyers.

Olivia did her best to ignore the second stall as she walked over to Betty.

"Hello Mrs. Betty,"

"Olivia, good to see you," Betty happily cooed. "You look relaxed dear."

"Do I? um well that's good." Olivia laughed. "Cause I'm not."

"Oh goodness," Betty walked to her stand before coming back with a moon cake on a paper plate. "Here, have a mooncake. This one's on the house."

"No, no I can pay Betty. It's okay," Olivia insisted as she accepted the offered plate with one hand while the other dug through her bag for her wallet.

"I won't hear a word otherwise. If you want a second one though, you'll have to pay for that." Betty offered before her warm smile seemed to fade.

"Well, if it isn't the ever-absent farmer! I heard you'd be competing today," Came the second voice intent on tormenting her. "I'd have thought you'd stop by my office at least once to say hello."

"Karen, I didn't hear you'd be here," Olivia replied in turn.

"Well, it's important to interact with the locals on their level," Karen seemed to glance at the plate that Olivia was holding.

Ooooh. Where to begin with that. "Well. You know... Keep trying." Olivia replied through a forced smile.

"I intend to," Karen's words held a venomous glint of a promise. "Now about that farm of yours. We're prepared to double our offer."

Olivia took a step back. "I didn't ask."

"Now let's not be rash, you haven't even heard the number yet." Karen insisted before offering one of the prepackaged cakes. "We're both women of business here. I could make sure you're set up for a very comfortable life. The land will be well used. It would be a shame if you kept getting hurt. How are you doing by the way?"

"She said, she's not interested Mrs. Pufferfish," Betty warned as she stepped between the two. "I trust you to respect that and not sour our festival. Or should I tell mayor Connor you're upsetting my customer?"

"No need Mrs. Betty," Karen looked from the matriarch back to Olivia. "You know where to find me."

"Yep, that's how I avoid you," Olivia grumbled. While part of her wanted to make a snide comment about the roots growing out of the pufferfish building, Betty gently nudged her.

"Go on deary, I'm sure you can find better company elsewhere. Just make sure to stop by the tavern some time to catch up, won't you?" She requested while a firm hand on Olivia's back helped lead her away from Karen.

Olivia took a breather to regain her inner peace before speaking. "Of course, I'd love that. Thank you."

"No problem, I'll be rooting for you later. Wave from the stage for me. Go, go."

"Yes ma'am, See you around."

Olivia walked off with moon cake in hand. An occasional townie would stop and say hi. She even managed to find Pablo and Rafael to drop off the pumpkin pie she made. Eventually, her wandering led her back to a section of tables where others were building lanterns to float on the lake. Among them was a mop of blonde hair.

"Scott, Hey," Olivia greeted as the sight of her friend brought much needed relief.

"Olivia! I was wondering when I'd find you." Scott closed the gap and pulled Olivia in for a hug before letting go and gesturing to the festival grounds. "Isn't this something?"

"Scott you've lived here for years," She reminded while amusement helped ease away the remaining frustration from earlier.

"On a technicality sure. I did a lot more traveling since the village and the museum could afford it. But this," Childlike wonder seemed ever present as he took a deep breath. As if he was finally breathing for the first time. "I've never seen anything like this before! Things are different back in the city, even though it's always crowded in the city, people there are distant."

Olivia thought back on the not-so-distant past, how she'd just go from point A to point B. surrounded by faces while knowing no one. How, even when she first got here, she'd run past people in an effort to get around as fast as possible. Only for that to slowly ease away to a more comfortable stroll. How as she looked around, she knew just about every face here aside from the visitors from Beluga Bay. "Yeah, it's definitely different. Being surrounded yet alone. It's such a strange feeling."

Scott listened and nodded while rubbing at the back of his neck. "Exactly. It's intimate here…" Scott's gaze found the confidence to focus on Olivia. "I like it."

"Yeah, it's cozy," She agreed as she felt her face grow warmer. Why was it so hard to keep eye contact all of a sudden!

"Everyone, gather around please. Let's get this ceremony underway." Called a loud masculine voice over loud speakers.

"Oh gosh I'm not ready," Olivia nervously whispered.

"You got this, we're all here to cheer you on," Scott coached.

If only that wasn't part of the problem. "Thanks," Olivia offered her plate to him. "Can you hold on to that? Just save me half okay?"

He was confused at first as he accepted the plate but eventually pieces fell into place in his mind. "Hm? Oh, sure. Get moving."

"Trying," Olivia bobbed and weaved through the growing crowd to make her way onto the stage and waved like Betty had requested. Bobby was standing by his display while some generic looking old guy in a red flannel shirt and overalls was looking over the various jars of honey.

"Mmm… Interesting…" the judge picked up one of the samples to try it before looking at Bobby. "And I assume, all of the jars on display are the same?"

"Yes sir, It's the finest honey made from our flower patch where we exclusively grow lilies. It adds a unique floral note."

The judge ran his tongue around his mouth and smacked his lips while savoring the taste. "Yes I do recognize a distinct flavor to it."

As this conversation went on Olivia tried to hurry over to her display as casually as possible. As much as everyone's well wishing and assurance was kind, stage fright was unfortunately very blinding to common sense and sentiment.

"And you're the new farmer?" the Judge greeted after making his way over.

"Yes sir, My name's Olivia. This used to be my grandfather's farm," She explained.

"I see, Well. Nice to meet you. I'm Jeff. I remember your grandfather. He was a good man, good farmer," Jeff casually glanced over the items on display before gesturing to them. "Do you mind if I try them?"

Oh, gosh she should have prepared samples. "Of course, please do."

Jeff took a small pocket knife from his overalls and picked up each vegetable trying a small slice off each one. A few cranberries were followed by a swig of grape juice. "Quite interesting indeed." He muttered as he rubbed a few of the rice stalks between his fingers to get them to release the grains so he could examine them.

Jeff walked away, making his way around the side of the stage and on to the second level above the displays where the microphone he used before was waiting.

"The harvest festival. It's not just about displaying the fruits of our labor. It's about celebrating the hard work, dedication and resilience of our farmers." Jeff gestured to both Olivia and Bobby. "Every single item on display here carries a story. A story of nurturing, of patience and of perseverance. A story that represents the spirit of our communities- Starlet Town and Beluga Bay." Cheering from the crowd forced him to stop for a moment while waiting for them to calm. "Now to introduce our competitors today. On my right representing Starlet town is Olivia," Again, everyone from town cheered. "And on my left is Bobby, proudly representing Beluga Bay." This time the visitors from Beluga bay cheered. "Now with no more dilly-dallying, lets roll onto the moment we've all been eagerly anticipating – the grand Reveal."

A slight drum roll played in the distance.

"With a score of 85 points out of a possible 160," Jeff started, causing Olivia to internally scream. "Is Olivia of Starlet town."

That was barely over half! That was an F! Olivia could feel herself turning pale as she glanced out to the crowd and to her annoyance the first face she saw, was Karen. Smiling with a knowing sense of confidence.

"The flavors were all there. Very good crops. Fresh. Good diversity on display as well. You covered four of the six categories which is impressive for a farmer's first year. You should be proud." Jeff started. "However, the over all crop size and quantity leaves something to be desired. I would have liked to see a little more cohesion for your display as well. You provided an excellent artisan good with your grape juice but no grapes. Give the full picture with your display." He continued as Olivia bowed her head in respect and an effort to avoid looking at anyone. "Giving how far you've come in a single year. I would greatly suggest you take up ranching. I'd like to see both barn and coop animal products in your next display to cover all six categories."

Yeah, sure cause she has the time and money for a barn and a chicken coop. let alone the space considering the state of her field. There was still an entire cavern of petrified baby giants. She didn't have time for cows. Yet none of that was said an instead a simple. "Thank you, sir." Was spoken as she tried to ignore the laughter coming from the other side of the stage.

"Well it can't be helped that someone with such lacking experience wou-"

"With a score of 84 points is Bobby of Beluga Bay," Jeff Interjected while glaring at the boastful competitor.

"Wait, WHAT?! No way!"

"What?" Olivia quickly looked up and around with wide eyes to see if she heard that correctly.

"Honestly, I expected more from both of you. Neither of you did exceptional. So, While your crops are top notch, and show cases what your farm is capable of, the lack of diversity was ultimately your display's downfall. Scoring twelve points where Olivia scored thirty." He explained before gesturing to the still shell-shocked Olivia. "The winner of today's harvest face-off goes to Starlet town! I look forward to seeing both of you back next year."

"There's got to be some mistake!" Bobby sneered before crossing his arms as he felt several eyes glaring at him from the crowd. "I mean, not that I care or anything, Right?" He frustratedly glanced from Olivia, to his own display and then the judge. "It's just… I thought… Well, Daddy always says…" Farmer Jeff simply stared at Bobby waiting for him to stop. "Never mind." To Bobby's continued annoyance, he watched as Jeff once more gestured to Olivia.

"All right, All right…" Bobby relented and walked over to offer his hand. "You won this round, Olivia. But don't think this means you're better than me!"

"Right. Uh," Olivia relied on a lifetime of muscle memory to accept the handshake while still processing this. she won? By one point? Maybe that little prayer really did work.

"Next time, Olivia, Next time you won't be so lucky. Just you wait and see." Bobby insisted before storming off.

As he exited the stage the crowd sprang to life. Beluga Bay's visitors hurried to follow Bobby while Starlet town was abuzz with excitement.

"Well, if I was a betting man, I'd be rather happy right now," Sam greeted as he walked on stage and put an arm over Olivia's shoulder to help lead her towards the group of townies that were waiting to celebrate with her. "Cause I would have bet on you."

"That makes one of us," Olivia joked as an undeniable smile was plastered across her face. It was still a crappy score, but she won.

Scott was the first to hurry over the second she stepped off the stage, scooping her into a tight hug with a quick spin which caused her to openly laugh as she clung to him to keep from being thrown.

Once her feet where back on the ground he gave her another tight squeeze before letting go. "Knew you had it in you. Never doubted for a second."

"Thanks Scott," She wasn't sure how he knew it, but she needed that. "Seems like I have my work cut out for me for next year." There was a ranch not too far from her farm. Maybe she could get some pointers from them and-

Scott nudged her, cutting her thoughts short. "Worry about that tomorrow. For tonight, celebrate."

Tomorrow came bright and early as the festival drew to a close. So did the next day, and the day after that as routines returned. Crops were harvested, shipped and sold. Trash was cleared and solar orbs activated. The clashing sound of metal against metal was warped by the presence of water as training continued as well.

"If I do this then you," Semeru cut short as Olivia stepped out of the way of his attack and swung in return, stopping short of hitting him. "Alright, Not bad," He affirmed as he forced back a smile. She was finally starting to think offensively not just defensively. "Now keep that momentum."

"Oh, that's big praise from you. A 'not bad' after only, what, 50 hours of training?" Olivia teased as she stepped back before stepping forward again, to take another swing. This one was quickly deflected.

"Focus," Semeru gently swatted her with his tail as she stumbled past since he dodged her attack. The cheeky reprimand caused her to chuckle and even if he wouldn't admit it, a few short snickers escaped Semeru as well.

"Right, right sorry," She replied as she corrected her posture and tried again.

Yet again it was easily dodged. She was moving slower… Semeru shook his head. What was he thinking before? She got one good hit in and some how his mouth ran off with out him to praise her for it. Make a joke of correcting her even? He was supposed to be training her! "If that didn't work last time, why do the same thing again? If you want to do the same attack over again, should we go back to drills?"

"Sorry, sorry, I can do this." Olivia insisted as she lowered her weapon to stop for a moment. "I think the cold is just getting to me."

"The winter season is quickly approaching," Semeru agreed as his frown deepened. She was running out of time… "Cold slows down the body, but not the mind. Time to train harder." He motioned for her to get back into a ready stance. "Conserve movement, think harder to move smarter."

"Got it," Olivia followed the unspoken instructions and held her sword properly.

To Semeru's frustration, she fell right back into her old habits of focusing on defensive strategy only. "Fight back damn it."

"I thought that's what I was doing!"

"You're just blocking. Try and hit me."

"What happened to conserve movement?" Olivia groused as she tried to swing at him, which was inevitably blocked.

Okay, maybe he could have been clearer. "Finishing a fight quickly is conserving movement. Not drawing it out with only dodging attacks as they come. Learn to recognize openings to attack too."

Olivia again put her sword down to signal a need to pause. "It's not that I'm not trying. Any opening I'm seeing is too small. I can't move as quick as you under water. I know you keep saying work with it not against it but we're not built the same way. I'm more likely to get hurt acting on those openings."

Semeru quietly listened. The water wasn't the problem. At least not in his eyes. He had to fight resistance too since their torsos were mostly the same. She just needed to get used to it. A fear of getting hurt though. That was pretty normal for a new recruit… At least she had some sense of self preservation.

"Choosing between safety and risk. You never get used to it…" He quietly admitted thinking it over a bit more. Her only experience has been in a very controlled environment, even if he wasn't holding back as much anymore. Fighting someone, or something that genuinely intended to do harm would be a completely different scenario for her… But for him?

"Semeru?"

"Go back to drills for now." He snapped as he tried to push back the solution his thoughts offered.

Olivia shrank back a step but after a moment's pause, she did as she was told. "One. Two."

Semeru moved to circle her and observe. Perhaps that was a bit harsh… Maybe he should apologize. "Mind your wrist." He reminded instead.

"Seven, eight, nine."

As she counted each movement his mind once more began to wander. Maybe they could find a better way to train. Take her to a portion of the sea where he'd be able to monitor her fighting off something reasonable. But what she would be fighting above would not be the same as what he'd find below. And there was no way to guarantee that they'd only find 'reasonable' challenges for her.

"Seventy-eight, seventy-nine."

"Warning, Low stamina detected!" Kible announced.

Upon hearing this Semeru held up a hand motioning for Olivia to stop. "That's enough for today. Get some rest." With that said he held out a hand.

Olivia cautiously handed over her sword and waited as Semeru put the collection of training equipment back into the barracks. He seemed upset. Maybe she should say something.

He returned and the two started swimming for some time before she finally found her words. "Thank you for helping me. I know it's asking a lot," She stopped talking for a moment to catch back up to him. "Hopefully I can reach a meaningful breakthrough before the first snowfall."

Why did that deadline feel like a dagger looming over his head. "So long as you can be here safely then you should keep training. It's hard to tell when the first snow fall will be. Your schedule shouldn't be dictated by the weather on the surface."

"If only that was true," She cautiously glanced at the soldier swimming alongside her. "I kind of wish I could stay longer. Part of me wants to see what winter is like down here," Olivia admitted.

"With winter comes quiet. It's a good time for a guard. Less happens." Semeru explained before they both stopped by the entryway for the depths. He should tell her to go on her way. He needed to stop getting attached. "What is it that you do up at the shore?"

Olivia thought it over, how to sum up an entire season's worth of activities and possibilities… "Oh. Um well. Some prefer to stay inside, curl up by the fire with warm food and drink while reading a book. Others might go outside when it's snowing to play, depending on the day there may be a festival. Some in town seem to think I'll be taking the whole season off and doing nothing since there aren't many plants that grow in the winter."

"I can see where they might get that idea. The ice above us in winter is like a barrier. But some things, like duty, can't be kept out by the cold." His smile fell. Duty. "Though, sometimes what I want goes against what I'm supposed to follow."

Olivia's jaw would have dropped if it wasn't bound in a mask. "Really?" In a way it was almost comforting to hear.

Oh shit, that was out loud. "Of course not. I suppose I need to work on telling jokes." He cleared his throat before waving for her to get moving. "And you should be going on your way. Your robot's noise must be scrambling my thoughts."

"Oh," suppose that would be odd for him. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I'll be waiting,"

Olivia shook her head and chuckled. She was late one time! "Bye," She swam off though she couldn't deny the smile behind her gear. It was nice to see he'd gotten comfortable enough to tell jokes around her.

Before long she managed to reach the surface by her boat. She contently clung to the side with one arm as the other moved her mask away from her face before reaching in to rummage around the boat's storage. Eventually a clear bottle holding a deep golden liquid was grabbed and carefully uncorked so she could down the mixture.

After a few deep breaths to wait for the drink's effect to kick in, the bottle was put back and her mask returned to her face allowing her to sink back into the ocean. "There we go, how are we looking now Kible?"

"Stamina reads show sufficient energy levels. Alert protocol override."

"Perfect," She slowly sank further into the depths, following the anchor's chain. "I'm so close to a break through. The last few solar orbs have to be around somewhere. I'm too close to give up now." It would just be a few extra hours a night until winter kicked in.

True to her self-made promise, she only stayed a few hours longer before heading back home for a full night's rest. Thanks to the shifting seasons her alarm now sounded well before the sun rose, even though it was never changed.

Olivia yawned as she got up for the day and her smile from the prior day returned.

"I'll be waiting,"

She wasn't sure why but, something about hearing that from him, joke or otherwise, It made her unreasonably happy. "What a silly thing to be flustered over." She muttered while packing her bag for the day.

She shook the thought from her head as she shouldered her bag of equipment and made her way to the door. Olivia didn't get very far though as she slowed to a stop upon reaching the last step of her patio. "Scott?" she asked as she noticed him crossing the bridge that led into town.

"Hey, Olivia, today's the day," He happily announced.

"It is?" She glanced around for some form of clue. He was wearing a grey suit jacket with a black t shirt, his usual brown slacks and hole ridden loafers.

"Yeah, Opening ceremony day. You got my letter right?" Scott asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Um" She glanced over to her mailbox that she hadn't opened in a few days. "Must have missed it."

"No worries. I guess it's a good thing I thought to stop by and see if we could go, together?" he shifted to stand more comfortably while putting his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, now?" Olivia nervously looked herself over.

"Yeah, it's a bit early for my taste too but, we're live streaming the opening for the backers that couldn't make it and a good chunk of them are on the other end of the globe so." Scott shrugged. "I'm here a little early. Figured this way we wouldn't have to rush."

She was not dressed for this. "Maybe I should change first."

"I think you look great but, if you want to," He started before his eyes widened while his hands shifted around in his pockets. They quickly left to pat himself down as silent panic etched across his face. "Oh no! I forgot something at home!" Scott looked back to Olivia with a forced smile as he nervously laughed through his teeth. "You know what, why don't you go on ahead and I'll see you at the museum."

Well, that tracked. "Alright, I'll see you there."

"Gotta rush, see you at the museum!" he repeated in his frazzled stupor while running back the way he came.

Olivia simply shook her head as she watched. Suppose it was nice that she wouldn't have to rush to change but still. Charles may have had a point when he mentioned being worried about how clumsy Scott could be. Not that she was much better.

That aside she went back inside and quickly changed into one of her old business formal work dresses that she'd reluctantly brought with her. Once she felt more properly suited for the occasion, she collected her bag for the second time that day and made her way to the museum.

The newly renovated building smelled of fresh paint, polished stone and new carpet. As the building more then doubled in size. She looked around in awe at the sheer scale of the place and the multitude of faces that she didn't recognize among those she did.

One in particular stood out as Millie glanced around the crowd standing by various recording equipment across from a large red ribbon that blocked off a portion of the museum.

"Millie, hey," Olivia waved to get her attention as she walked over.

"Olivia! Have you seen Scott? He's late! He's supposed to start the Ceremony…" Millie quickly asked in return.

Olivia held the side of her head. "Lat- He said he was early when he stopped by the farm."

"Ugh," Millie gave an exasperated sigh. "I swea-"

"Welcome Honored guests!" Scott loudly announced as he ran into the museum. His booming voice caused the crowd to turn and face him as he walked as calmly as possible over to where the recording equipment was set up.

"Is the stream on?" He whispered, seeing only a nod from Millie in response. "To the grand opening of the Founder's Hall!"

The crowd clapped and cheered in response. Once they quieted down Scott spoke up again. "We want to thank you all for coming to this grand opening. This museum is truly a collaboration between everyone here and even those that are not present." He gestured towards the camera then to the side where Olivia was standing among his co-workers. "We all would like to extend our gratitude to all the backers who are here today and who believed in us enough to contribute to the building of our museum. This room, this Founder's Hall, is the least we can do."

Again, a round of applause cut him off. This time he motioned for the crowd to calm, rather than wait for it to die down on its own.

"Now, enough blathering from me. It's time for us to finally, officially, open our Founder's Hall," Scott looked to the mayor and gestured for him to come over. "Mayor Connor, if you would do the honor?"

Mayor Connor stepped forward with a pair of oversized scissors in hand. "Thank you, Scott." He turned to face the camera for a moment. "I was skeptical that there'd be this many people from all around the world who'd want to give us their money!"

The crowd laughed along with the mayor.

"I'm glad I was proven wrong." He paused to take a breath while taking in the sight of the crowd that gathered to support the town. "I'm sure you're all impatient to see the inside of this Founder's Hall. So, with this, I declare the Founder's Hall," Mayor Connor turned to face the ribbon and, with one swift movement, cut it. "Officially open."

Another round of applause echoed through the building causing Olivia to look around and soak in the moment. By the time she looked back to the stage Scott was gone and Millie was standing in his place.

"Thank you all again. There's some catering available from local restaurants. Emma's tacos. Fishensips and pastries provided by our local baker, Eva." She extended a hand in the direction of a neatly set up food table where a few guests were already busy filling their plates. "Please enjoy and feel free to take a look around."

Once the microphone was place back on the stand, Millie walked over to Olivia and took her hand to lead her. "Follow me."

Olivia did as she was told and followed along side Millie, up a set of stairs and back through a doorway labeled "employee's only", into a much, much, larger research room.

"Hey, Sorry I just needed a minute," Scott greeted as he noticed the two walk in.

"So this is where you went," Olivia greeted in return.

"Good Job, Scott. You pulled it off," Millie praised before pulling Scott into a well-earned hug.

A hug he happily returned. "Aw shucks, Millie. Thanks for believing in me."

She chuckled upon hearing that and let go so she could jokingly swat his arm and shake a finger at him. "Minus points for being late, though. That'll go into your annual report."

"Aw C'mon, Millie, I worked so hard on this!" He argued though his smile remained as his eyes stayed ever focused on Olivia.

"You did great, but tardiness is still tardiness," Millie teased as she followed his eyes only to shake her head. "Well I'll leave you to it. Looks like Mayor Connor needs some help." She announced as if she could see through walls. She'd just made it to the doorway when she stopped to look back again. "You did good, Scott."

The tension in his shoulders slowly lessened. "Thanks." Once Millie was out of view he turned his attention back to Olivia. "And thank you for making it. I get it was last minute since you didn't get my letter but," he stopped and bobbed his head while trying to figure out where he was going with that.

"It's fine, If I had known in advance, I'd probably just over think the whole thing and show up over dressed." Olivia filled the space that scott's silence left.

Scott chuckled. "You know, I tried. Really tried, to find a formal outfit for the opening ceremony." He tugged at the black shirt under his suit jacket. "This? This is all I had."

Olivia laughed in return. "You're kidding."

"Sadly no," He scratched at the stubble on his chin. "Maybe it's time for a trip to White Flamingo. Y'know?"

"Maybe." That wasn't such a bad idea now that she thought about it. "I might do the same actually. I don't think I have a good coat for the winter."

"Well, I'll remind you, if you remind me," He offered before putting his hands in his pockets once more and fiddling with something inside. "You know, I was actually really nervous there at the opening."

"Really? I couldn't tell," Olivia gently affirmed.

"Oh, That's good then." Scott looked around the updated research room. "It's really cool when you think about it, you know? I had this dream that I wanted to make come true. Then I threw it out into the world to ask for help." One hand left its pocket to vaguely gesture around the room. "I thought Maybe a handful of people would see the magic behind my dream and help me, but I never thought this many people would want to help make my dream come true." At this point he pushed himself to look at Olivia again. "It's kinda cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Olivia smiled as she eyed the large set of bones that Scott was still working on thanks to the delays the museum construction caused. "It's not done yet. We still need to fill this place up."

This seemed to cause his eyes to light up. 'We', sounded rather nice to him."Speaking of, this is what I ran to go get earlier," Scott quickly stated as he pulled a small bundle from his pocket and offered it to Olivia. "It's for you. Just a little thank you for all you've done for the museum so far."

Olivia gently opened it to find a few small metal picks along with a large fluffy brush that looked similar to the tools Scott used. "Dig tools?"

"Yeah there's a few picks in there for detailed work," Scott shifted to stand next to Olivia to more easily point at the different tools with one hand while the other rested between her shoulder blades. "and this is a soft bristle brush. It's similar to the one I've been using to clean fossils and torn pages that we found around the island." A gentle warmth spread across his face. "I think it'll be very useful for you. Based on what I've seen from you so far, I'm sure this brush will get a lot of mileage in your hands."

"Yeah, I was thinking I'd spend more time in the cavern over the winter," Olivia admitted as she gently nudged Scott.

"Let me know if you find something exciting, Okay?" Scott nudged her back. "I can't wait to see what you'll bring to the Museum next."

"In that case. I might sneak out and get to work," Olivia suggested as she carefully closed up the cloth that held the tools. "I would hate to disappoint."

"You? Never." Scott quickly cleared his throat as his once pink face turned a deeper red from embarrassment. "But if you want to sneak out, I can take care of the rest here." Scott put a light amount of pressure on her back so they could start walking together.

"And Olivia," He paused and glanced at her lips before thinking better of his impulses. "Thank you again. For everything. It means a lot to me that you've been here for me through all of this."

"I'm glad I could help," Olivia obliviously replied. As they made it out of the research lab she picked up the pace to leave. "See you soon."

A silent observer watched as the two exited the employee only space seeing a starry-eyed Scott watch Olivia head for the museum's exit.

"Scotty, Scotty, Scotty, My friend," Pablo greeted as he walked over to the abandoned archeologist and put an arm over Scott's shoulder. "You look like you're on cloud nine."

"Me? Well. Yeah. Look around you," Scott gestured to the museum. "What's not to be happy about?"

"Mhm. Sure. So, did you make a move?" Pablo asked while the two walked further into the crowd so their conversation could get lost among the dozens of others happening at the same time.

"That. I um," Scott scratched at the back of his head since his neck was covered by Pablo's arm. "We talked for a bit and it came up how much I appreciated her support. So, I gave her a gift and I think that went well. She seemed excited about it."

Pablo's expression turned deadpan. "Tell me you're not talking about the brush set."

"Well, yeah. It seemed like an appropriate gift all things considered," Scott replied while staring at Pablo with a mixture of annoyance and confusion.

The blacksmith held his face and cursed under his breath in Spanish. "You gave her tools, for a job, and talked about work. That's not a gift to say I'm interested in you romantically."

"That's. Well. I mean," Scott stumbled over his words. "One step at a time right?"

"There were no steps taken here," Pablo bluntly countered as he removed his arm from Scott's shoulders. "She's successful, smart, ambitious, and a decently cute new face in an otherwise sleepy town where half the residents are single." Pablo listed off while counting each point made on his fingers. "She's a catch, Scott. Someone like that, coming to a place like this and kick starting the place when it's down? That's how a wave of baby fever starts. It's not going to take much for someone else to see the obvious and make a move while you're still him-hawing over if you want to or not."

Scott looked over to the museum exit. "Maybe."