Author's Note: And we're finally getting to Cropdale (and more playable character cameos!). Again, I had to split this up for length purposes, but that's fine. More stuff to do and all that. As usual, there's a bit more development for Hector here, and there are a couple scenes that I definitely had too much fun writing. :')

Chapter Seven: A Quiet Forest Town

They found a ship heading to Crackridge Anchorage, which Papa showed him on the map. The trip was a little longer than the one from New Delsta to Toto'haha, he explained: just over a week. But then they'd be very close to Cropdale, which would make walking there easier.

"And you'll like Agnea," Papa added. "She and her sister have a lot of energy, like Ochette."

"Sister?"

Hector still had a tendency of repeating concepts he wanted Papa to explain. But the word intrigued him, like all new things did. Papa had an odd look on his face as he continued: he smiled briefly, but his eyes were more serious.

"Yes, a girl who shares your parents. You have one, too. Agnea's sister is named Pala; yours is Elena."

Hector's curiosity was further piqued. This was the first time Papa had mentioned a sister. He knew that he was explaining things slowly so Hector didn't get too confused, but he wanted to hear more.

"Where is she?"

Papa shifted the map so it was between them again. Then, he pointed at a town near the bottom. Hector squinted; it didn't look too far from Toto'haha… It was much closer than Cropdale was, actually.

"Conning Creek," Papa said, and Hector softly repeated the name. "Elena is staying with another friend of mine. She's…ill and needs to rest."

Hector nodded. That explained why he hadn't seen her yet. But…

He looked up and immediately realized that this was another difficult topic. Papa glanced away, and he was slowly folding the map, as if he needed time to think. Hector squirmed as he debated whether or not to ask. Papa had said to ask him anything, but…

"What happened?"

It took him a few seconds to reply. "Harvey had her, too. It's different than what happened to you, but…" Papa sighed. "He hurt both of you."

Oh. Hector drooped as he mulled it over. He didn't know what the "different" thing was yet, but "hurt by Harvey" was something he could understand.

But Hector instinctively knew that it would definitely be too much to ask how. Not because Papa didn't want to tell him—he always answered Hector's questions. No, it was because Papa still had that strange look on his face, and Hector realized it was simply too painful to say too much at once.

There were other ways to hurt people, and something told Hector that Papa had been hurt, too. Hector didn't know how, but Papa would explain it when he was ready.

"…What do you say we try some more math?" Papa finally tucked the map away and reached for a blank sheet of paper. "I think you can try some bigger numbers now. You learn quickly."

Hector smiled as Papa put a hand on his shoulder. He knew it was a clumsy change of topics, but he also knew Papa meant the compliment. Besides, Hector was getting better with numbers. He had to count on his fingers sometimes, but he could add and subtract single-digit numbers easily enough.

So he nodded and replied, "Okay. Show me some more."

Papa smiled, too. While it was brief again, it seemed better this time. Hector leaned down as Papa wrote out a few short equations, deciding he was glad for the subject change. He did want to try new things, and he could tell it made Papa happy anyway.

So they passed a good portion of the trip with numbers and simple formulas, and Hector was pleased with his progress by the time they arrived at the harbor.

Osvald was…mostly happy when they arrived at Crackridge Anchorage. He wished there was a better way to explain Elena to Hector, but what else could he say? Besides, he was glad he'd gotten to say it while they were alone. That was personal, and, as much as he liked Ochette and Agnea, Osvald wouldn't have wanted anyone to listen in.

And at any rate, Hector was improving rapidly with numbers. Osvald hadn't gotten much higher than the teens and twenties with him yet, but Hector had gotten almost every equation correct so far. That was certainly good, and Osvald would take what he could get.

Cropdale was only a day's walk from the harbor, if they hurried. They stopped to rest a few times, but they arrived just before dark. Hector was clearly tired, however… He didn't complain, but he rubbed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in a sullen-from-exhaustion way.

"I know it's late," Osvald started, "but we can head to the inn and—"

"Hey! You're one of Agnie's friends, ain't you?"

He glanced up and saw the slightly-familiar girl crossing the bridge nearby. Pala grinned and waved at him, and she gestured at the tavern and immediately continued speaking.

"I think she's about done dancing for the night! I was just gonna collect her and take her on home, if you don't mind?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. We were going to the inn, so…"

"Don't be silly. She'd love to see you! Wait right there, you hear?"

Osvald sighed as Pala darted into the tavern. He knew she meant well, but he really wanted to get Hector to bed soon… Hector blinked up at him, clearly expecting an explanation. He remained silent, but he tugged on Osvald's arm.

"Pala," he said. "I would have introduced you to her and Agnea tomorrow, but you get to meet them early."

Hector simply nodded in response. Fortunately, it didn't take Pala long to return with Agnea in tow. Several other people wandered off in the direction of their own homes, and the tavern keeper paused to lock the door. Pala tugged Agnea along behind her, prompting Agnea to trip after a few steps.

"A-ack! Be careful, Pala—"

"Oh, come on, Agnie! You can do all those fancy moves up on stage. Surely you can walk without hurting yourself!"

"Well, yes, but…oh! Osvald!"

Agnea noticed him as she straightened up. She brushed the dirt off her knees, patted her hands clean on her apron, and then flung her arms around him. Osvald shifted and coughed awkwardly.

"…Hello, Agnea."

Agnea giggled as she pulled back. "I see you're the same as ever! And who's this?"

She leaned down to look at Hector. For once, he didn't seem nervous; Hector didn't hide behind Osvald, like he sometimes did with strangers. However, he didn't reply, instead choosing to examine Agnea in return.

"Ah…my son, Hector," Osvald explained. "I've been trying to get him some fresh air, and, well." He gestured vaguely with one hand. "But we've been walking all day, so he's tired."

Agnea didn't respond, but Osvald could tell, even with the dim lamplight, that Agnea was confused. She cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips as she processed Osvald's first statement. After a few seconds, she shook her head and straightened back up.

"Right! Well, then, we better get you home, too. Come on! I'm sure Papa won't mind."

"But we—"

Osvald sighed as Hector automatically followed them. It seemed he was due to impose on someone else, at least for tonight.

Well, he had brought Hector here to meet Agnea, and Osvald didn't want to disappoint him. Besides, it was dark enough that Agnea and Pala hadn't gotten a good look at Hector. (Osvald had fortunately reminded him to pull his hood up before they stepped into town this time.) They'd have plenty of time to observe him later, but they weren't asking too many questions when everyone was tired.

They arrived at Agnea's house soon enough. She sighed as she kicked her dancing shoes off near the door, pausing to rub her sore ankles. Then, she darted towards the kitchen and announced, "Papa, I'm home! And I brought some friends. Is that all right?"

Garud glanced up from the paper he'd been scratching away at (probably a few late-night orders) and gave Osvald an unreadable look. Osvald realized, a second too late, how strange it must've looked for Agnea to be dragging a much-older man around at this time of night. But then Garud nodded and stood up.

"You helped my girl. You can stay."

…Ah, right. They'd seen each other in passing at the Grand Gala and when Agnea had picked up the kimono for Hikari's friend. Garud disappeared into another room, and Pala quickly followed him. Agnea sat down at one of the kitchen chairs, and Osvald and Hector followed her example.

"They're getting the spare bedding, I reckon," Agnea explained. "Anyway! How long were you planning on staying?"

Osvald shrugged. "I haven't decided. Probably not too long… It's been a while since I checked in with Clarissa, and…"

He wanted Hector to run around and play, but…Osvald needed to visit Conning Creek eventually. It had been some time since he'd last been, and even if Elena wasn't ready to see him yet, he wanted to know how she was doing. And…Osvald gave a sideways glance to Hector, whose head was drooping tiredly down towards his chest. He had to think of some way to explain him to Clarissa and Elena, too…

"Well, I'm sure Papa won't mind, however long it is! Oh, I think they're back, hang on—"

Osvald heard muttering in the next room over. Agnea went over to see what was going on, which was followed by the occasional soft thumping noise. Finally, she poked her head back into the kitchen and waved at them.

"We got some beds set up in the living room! Come on."

Osvald nodded and stood up. Hector stumbled after him as they headed into the next room. A pair of small folding cots had been set up, side by side, and Pala was fluffing the pillows as she set them down.

"Y'all can make yourselves comfy!" she announced cheerfully. "And Agnie'll have breakfast ready bright and early tomorrow, so we'll wake you up when it's done."

With that, she scampered off towards the bedrooms. Garud nodded silently as he went in the same direction. Agnea smiled and shook her head as she watched them go.

"…Well, I'm sure you two are tired! We can talk some more in the morning. Good night!"

She hugged Osvald again, patted Hector on the head, and trotted into the next room. Hector watched her go, blinking sleepily. Then, he nodded and set his things down.

"Nice," he mumbled.

Osvald nodded as he slid his own bag under one of the cots. He and Hector lied down, and Osvald reached over to pat him on the arm.

"You'll like it here," Osvald agreed.

Hector was asleep seconds later, and it didn't take Osvald much longer to drift off. They'd see how this visit went in the morning, he supposed.

Pala woke them up the next day with a too-loud greeting. Osvald didn't complain, but he grunted as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He usually woke up early, but he could've done with a quieter wake up call.

Agnea had made a loaf of bread filled with diced peaches, and she hummed as she set a few slices on the table. Hector sniffed at it before eagerly taking a few bites, and Osvald smiled briefly before sipping his coffee. Fortunately, Agnea had remembered not to add sugar, and it was quite good.

"So," Agnea said, "what've you been up to lately, anyway?"

Osvald shrugged. "Well, we stayed Ochette for a few weeks. And before that, I paid a visit to Regulus."

Agnea made a curious noise as she looked over at Hector. He'd taken his hood off before bed last night and hadn't put it back on yet. Neither Garud nor Pala had commented on his appearance… Garud had eaten silently before heading into his workroom, and Pala had grabbed a few pieces of bread before announcing that she'd eat outside. Still, it was hard to believe they hadn't noticed, and Agnea was studying him intently.

"So you were in Montwise," she said casually. "And when did you, um…"

Agnea gestured at Hector and politely trailed off. He blinked up at her before turning back to his breakfast, and Osvald paused to take another sip of coffee.

"Right after I saw Regulus."

"Ah." Agnea nodded and clearly decided not to press the topic. "Anyway! We must've just missed each other in Toto'haha. I went to Tropu'hopu recently. Giselle's troupe was putting on another show, so I wanted to go see them. And, you know what? The stage manager actually recognized me…"

Oh, no. Osvald had a sneaking suspicion he knew where this was going, but he remained quiet and took another bite of his breakfast.

"…and at first I thought it was because of Giselle. But then he asked me if there was any chance we could get another performance of Osvald the Thieving Gentlemage…"

Osvald pointedly shoved some more bread into his mouth. Hector was watching Agnea with obvious interest. Out of the corner of his eye, Osvald saw Garud reenter the kitchen and pour himself another cup of coffee. Instead of greeting her father, Agnea kept babbling.

"…so I told him I wasn't sure, but I'd ask the next time I saw you," she finished cheerfully.

"You should've said no," Osvald replied bluntly.

"But you did such a wonderful job! They're still talking about it, you know!"

"No."

"Oh, don't be like that!" Agnea giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. "You really could go on stage if you wanted to."

Garud wasn't out of the kitchen yet. Osvald glanced in his direction. As a father, he knew he was about to play one of the dirtiest tricks in the book, but this was the only way he could make Agnea stop talking.

"Have you heard from Hikari lately?" he interrupted, more loudly than usual. "I'm sure he'd love to hear all about your trip."

Garud turned around, grip tightening on his mug. "Who's Hikari?"

Agnea turned a deep shade of crimson. "It ain't nothing, Papa! I mean, he ain't nobody! I'm gonna go check on Pala; she's been gone a while—bye!"

With that, she abruptly stood up and scrambled out of the kitchen. The front door slammed shut a few seconds later. Then, Garud pointedly looked at Osvald.

"You've met him before." Osvald shrugged. "He's the one who requested the kimono for his friend."

Garud rubbed his chin with his free hand. "The small one?"

"Yes. He's a good man." Osvald paused, and then added, "And he's the king of Ku."

"So don't do anything stupid" went unsaid, but it was clearly understood. Garud huffed and dropped the topic, and he went back to his workshop in silence. Still, Osvald thought he heard the various sewing tools clicking away more loudly than necessary.

Hector had quietly watched the whole exchange, but then he tugged on Osvald's arm and asked, "Papa? What's a…thieving gentlemage?"

Of course. "It's not important. Would you like some more math today?"

Hector furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but he nodded anyway. "Okay."

…After they cleaned up the kitchen. Osvald figured it was fair to rinse off the breakfast dishes so Agnea had one less thing to do later. He also decided he'd be nice and not mention Pala's blatantly obvious crush on Mikka. Osvald had some mercy.

They worked outside that morning, sitting near the stream that passed by Cropdale's festival grounds. Being outdoors was part of their routine, and it was fine for Hector to take off his hood and shoes here. Osvald wrote up a sheet of simple equations for Hector, and he read from one of his magic tomes while Hector worked through them. Eventually, Hector pulled on his sleeve for attention, and Osvald nodded as he looked over Hector's work.

"Very good," he said. "You got each of them right."

Hector smiled and leaned against Osvald's arm, as he often did when praised. "Thank you, Papa."

"How about I show you some bigger numbers? Then you can try adding them, too."

Hector nodded, but he glanced away. Osvald remained quiet; he recognized the look of thought on Hector's face. He knew Hector was listening, but he was intently watching the nearby stream. After squinting at it for several seconds, Hector looked back up at him.

"Can I…walk in that?"

He was pointing at the water, and Osvald mulled it over. There was no harm in a quick break, he supposed… Osvald nodded and set his tome aside.

"All right. Hold on a moment."

Hector was already barefoot, and Osvald slid his shoes off as well. Then, he stood up and offered Hector his hand. The water looked shallow enough close to the bank; it would be safe if they didn't go too far.

"Stay close, and don't go into the deep parts," Osvald instructed as they stepped into the water.

Hector nodded, and he held still once his feet were submerged. He cocked his head to the side, obviously considering the feel of the water flowing around his skin. Then, he smiled and took a few steps, squeezing Osvald's hand as he went.

"…It feels nice," he said.

Osvald hummed in acknowledgement, and then added, "Maybe I can teach you how to swim while we're here."

"Swim?"

"Mm. Not today, but…Conning Creek is close to the water, too. It'll be good to know how."

They could've practiced in Toto'haha, too, but there had been so much going on then. It hadn't occurred to Osvald to try. Though he realized his explanation hadn't been clear; Hector was still blinking up at him.

"It helps you get through the water."

Hector nodded in response. Before they could get too much further, they heard a familiar pair of voices nearby. They were vague at first, and cleared up as they got closer.

"…so I'm thinking raspberry jam for dessert…oh! Osvald!"

He turned around; Agnea and Pala were standing near the riverbank. They were each holding a small wooden bucket, likely full of raspberries. Osvald looked down at Hector and then nodded over at the shore. They waded back to land, somewhat reluctantly in Hector's case.

"We were just taking a break," Osvald said as he reached for his shoes.

Agnea hummed before reaching into her bucket. "I see! Well, would you like to try a raspberry, Hector?"

He immediately nodded, eager as always to try something new. Agnea handed one to him, and Hector chewed it slowly. He wrinkled his face as he swallowed, and Agnea laughed gently.

"I know, they're a bit sour raw, aren't they? But there's so much you can do with them!"

"Agnie makes the best raspberry pies you've ever eaten." Pala sighed happily. "And the best…anything, really!"

"You're exaggerating, Pala," Agnea replied modestly. "Anyway…this is good timing. Osvald, I know you said you didn't want to go on stage, but—"

Osvald grunted, pretending to be very interested in his shoelaces. Here they went again.

"—we have another festival coming up this weekend. I'm doing a duet with someone else, but he had to visit his family in Wellgrove, so he won't be back for a few days." Agnea looked up at him anxiously. "So if you wouldn't mind practicing with me…"

Oh. Well, that was significantly less awful than putting on a show. Still, Osvald's first instinct was to insist she find someone else. Agnea had mentioned the tavern keeper was a friend of hers; she could've asked him.

But…he did owe her a favor (partly for that morning, and partly for letting them stay over in general). Besides, Agnea was just as good at the puppy-dog eyes as ever. She was looking up at him so earnestly that it was hard to say no. (Osvald was never sure how intentional that was, but asking would almost certainly make intentional, if it wasn't already.)

"…All right. After we get this put away."

Agnea beamed at him. "Thank you, Osvald! Let's go, then!"

She and Pala strode back towards the village. Osvald watched them blankly for a few seconds before turning around and gathering up his and Hector's belongings. Well, it was something different to do… And he had something new to explain to Hector. As they started walking again, Hector looked up at him curiously.

"What's a 'festival,' Papa?"

"Well, they're very…loud most of the time," Osvald started. "Here, there's usually food and music and dancing. They've got a stage not far from where we were sitting."

Hector nodded thoughtfully. "What about music and dancing?"

"You've got your flute; music's like that. And dancing is…well, you can watch us, if you'd like."

Osvald knew his own experiences with dancing were nothing like Agnea's. He could dance; she was just more graceful than he was. But it would be easier to show Hector rather than tell him, so a demonstration would be more practical in this case.

Hector mulled it over, and then announced, "I'd like to."

"All right, then. Just…don't get your hopes too high."

Osvald couldn't help feeling vaguely amused at Hector's puzzled expression, hoping he didn't let him down too much.

Roughly half an hour later, Agnea and Osvald were working through Agnea's performance on the stage in the festival grounds. He was glad they were the only ones there, barring Pala and Hector, who'd both come along. The tavern would've been much too crowded and noisy, and Osvald knew Agnea had chosen the empty area in a moment of pity.

Fortunately, he didn't have to do too much. Agnea already knew most of her own steps; she just found it easier to practice with someone instead of doing it alone. Honestly, she was more leading Osvald around than anything, but he learned the rhythm quickly enough.

"You know," Agnea mused as they came to a slower part of the dance, "I don't understand why you're so reluctant to do this. You're really good!"

"I just don't understand the need to dance in front of people." Osvald obligingly took a few more steps, pausing to let Agnea spin in a half-circle. "Combative dancing is one thing; that was useful, and I learned things from it. And dancing with Rita was different, too. That was…special."

Agnea hummed thoughtfully, resting her hand on Osvald's arm as they moved through the next section. "Well, in that case, I should be even happier you agreed to help me."

"…I don't follow."

"You don't?" Agnea looked amused. "You're doing something 'special' just for me. It's even nicer of you."

Osvald grunted in annoyance as he lowered his arm and let Agnea lean backwards against it. "Why does everyone think I have nothing nice to say?"

"Maybe you should study that." Agnea grinned, held her pose for several seconds, and straightened back up. "I think the answer might surprise you. Just let me say I appreciate it!"

He still didn't follow. But Agnea seemed happy, and this really wasn't too bad…

…in small amounts, anyway.

Meanwhile, Hector had perched himself on the ground several yards away from the stage. He'd brought the blocks Papa had bought him back on Toto'haha, but he spent more time observing Papa and Agnea than playing with them. Dancing was unusual to him, but…not in a bad way. Just in a new and different way.

"I guess you ain't never seen dancing before, have you?"

He glanced over at Pala. She was sitting nearby, leaning back and propping herself up on her arms. Hector shook his head, and Pala laughed before going on.

"Well, we usually got music to go along with it, so it's even better to watch," she explained. "But I didn't expect your papa to be so good at it! He's too big to be that quick-footed, if you ask me."

Hector grinned as he looked back over at Papa and Agnea. He wasn't sure what Pala meant, but it was kind of amusing to compare the two. Agnea was so much smaller than Papa, but somehow they worked well together.

"He's never talked about it before," Hector mused.

"About dancing? Well, he does seem the type to be hunched over a book all day instead. Shame, though…I bet you'd have fun with it!"

Hector nodded, watching Papa and Agnea more intently than ever. It was strange… Agnea moved lightly yet energetically; she did look like she was having fun. Papa's steps were slightly slower and more deliberate. But while he was less "smiley," as Ochette had said, there was a kind of ease in his movements that suggested he knew what he was doing.

He didn't think this was one of those sensitive things, but Hector wondered why Papa had never mentioned dancing. There was so much Hector hadn't thought to ask, either, simply because he had no reason to. But he couldn't help being fascinated by it, scooting closer to the stage and idly tracing lines into the dirt in time with their movements.

Pala watched him, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "You know, you're kinda cute in your own little way, ain't you?"

Hector blinked at the seemingly-abrupt subject change. Had he done something cute? Then, he scratched the back of his head in thought.

"…What is cute, anyway?"

Hector could tell it was a good thing, of course, but no one had given him a definition yet. Pala raised her other eyebrow and grinned.

"Well, you know…those flowers are cute—" she waved at a few small wildflowers sprouting from the grass nearby— "you're cute, my hair clips are cute… Mikka's cute…" Pala giggled for some reason. "Well, you don't gotta worry about that kind of cute for a while. But do you get it now?"

Well, mostly. Hector leaned down to observe the flowers, and then squinted up at Pala's hair pins. They were small, bright, colorful things—not like him at all (and he didn't know who this "Mikka" person was, either). But "cute" was something you liked to look at, he decided.

"…Ochette said Papa is cute," he said, furtively glancing over at the stage.

Pala stared at him for several seconds before bursting into snorts of laughter. "This Ochette's got the strangest tastes I ever heard of! Though I guess I ain't so good at judging people like your pa…"

Now Hector was even more confused, and he pursed his lips as he tried to remember the context. "It was…when he was reading to me and the Beastlings."

"Ah." Pala straightened up and nodded sagely. "Guess he's right good with kids, then! Now it makes sense. It's the gap between his looks an' personality."

Hector didn't fully understand the last statement, either. But being good with kids made you cute, apparently. That made more sense.

…Was being good at dancing cute, too? Pala hadn't expected that, either, so maybe. Hector looked up at the stage again. Papa and Agnea seemed to be finished. They were slowing down, and Agnea sighed as she took a step back.

"Well, that was a good practice! I wouldn't mind if you helped me again."

"…I'll take that as a compliment," Papa muttered.

"You should!" Agnea grinned as she carefully stepped off the stage. "Well, what did you two think?"

"I want to try it," Hector decided.

"Maybe I'll teach you while you're here!" Agnea glanced over her shoulder at Papa. "Can I?"

"I don't see why not."

Papa climbed down from the stage, and Hector gathered up his toys as he approached. Then, he stood up and grabbed Papa's sleeve with his free hand. Pala straightened up too, absently brushing some grass off her hands as she bounded towards the path leading back to the village.

"First, we gotta do something with all those raspberries, though!" she decided.

Agnea was on Hector's other side, and she tapped her chin in thought as she looked down at him. "I could start making some jam… Would you like to watch?"

Hector nodded as everyone followed Pala. That was something new, too—he'd never watched Ochette's mother cook anything while they were in Beasting Village.

"All right, then! Let's go."

Agnea patted him on the head, and Hector smiled as they walked back to Cropdale. He was already curious to see what she would do.

Osvald frowned as he spread some paper out on the table in front of him. He was sitting in the kitchen, half-listening as Hector watched Agnea work. It was about time he got organized on something else, too: making some notes on Hector himself.

(Why hadn't he started earlier? Osvald had been too focused on teaching him to read and write to think of much else. That was important, of course, but he needed to start watching other things Hector did.)

At any rate…Osvald absently glanced over at Hector as he started writing.

I know Hector enjoys sweets and Octopuffs (hopefully not together). Does the monster blood give him any tastes in food I should know about? Need to find out.

Also, he seems curious about the water. Not sure if that's because it's something new or because of the Froggen traits. He likes everything new (which is good).

Also, he often initiates physical contact when praised. It's…cute. Elena did too at that age.

Ah…Osvald couldn't help a brief smile at his last note. It was almost certainly coincidental, and likely in part from Hector's prior lack of positive reinforcement. Still…he shook his head and tried to focus again.

Something I know is due to the monster blood: Hector appears to understand monsters (or at least Mahina). Can he talk to others besides her? Need to find that out, too. Also, Ochette says he can jump almost high enough to clear a wall on his own. I know from Harvey's notes he's good at ice magic, but I haven't pushed Hector into showing me that yet.

Osvald paused, resting his chin in his hand as he read over his notes. They seemed woefully inadequate so far, but…it was a start. He looked back up. Hector was standing on a stool, watching Agnea stir the pot of raspberries. Osvald didn't want to interrupt his fun, but…

"Hector? Can you come here for a moment?"

He nodded and reluctantly climbed down. Agnea glanced over her shoulder, but she otherwise stayed quiet. After Hector padded over to Osvald, he raised one hand, pausing halfway to Hector's face.

"May I touch your frills?"

Hector nodded again, and Osvald slowly ran his fingers over them. They felt similar to normal skin, just stiffer… So, they were like cartilage then, Osvald mused. Were they like that all the way down?

Ah. Osvald could feel a few small bones near the base, protruding from Hector's cheeks. That made sense; it gave them something of a "frame" to go off of.

Hector bit his lip the whole time, clearly trying to hold back giggles. Osvald smiled again as he pulled his hand back.

"They're ticklish," he noted fondly. "Now, your hands, please?"

Hector obediently lifted his hands, and Osvald examined his webbing. It had the same very smooth, slightly cool feeling as the rest of his skin. Also, it was thinner than it looked, and translucent enough to show some fine veins.

Osvald nodded as he leaned back. "Thank you, Hector. It'll be easier to take care of you if I know what it feels like."

He returned to his notes as Hector scampered back over to Agnea. Frills appear to be mostly cartilage with some bones, Osvald added. Webbing feels identical to the rest of his skin. Keeping him clean and hydrated is probably good enough to keep his frills and webbing healthy, but I'll have to keep checking.

There; Osvald felt better about his records now… He looked up again saw that Agnea was done with the jam. She poured the contents of the pot into two separate jars and sprinkled a little extra sugar into one of them. Then, she pulled a spoon out of a drawer and offered it to Hector.

"Here! Would you like to try some?"

Hector nodded eagerly as he dipped the spoon into the nearest jar. As he swallowed the jam, he leaned back and smiled.

"Much better," he announced.

Agnea laughed. "I'm glad! The other one's less sweet—that one's for your papa. He's got such refined tastes!"

"I'm not trying to be 'refined'," Osvald replied, raising an eyebrow. "I just…don't like sweets."

He never had, honestly… Though Osvald supposed his taste for sugar had deadened further as he got older. Even then, it was personal preference rather than a statement.

Agnea just grinned and handed him the other jar and a spoon. Osvald obligingly tried the jam, and he nodded as he swallowed.

"…'s good."

"Well, I'm glad!" Agnea plopped down on a chair across from him. "By the way…you will stay for the festival, won't you?"

"Well, yes; I did want to give Hector at least a week here."

"Good! I'll let Papa know you're staying that long."

(…And she'd just tricked him into staying at their house the whole time. Of course.)

"But…" Agnea chewed her lip for a moment. "What are you gonna do after that if, you know…"

She trailed off, but Osvald knew what she meant. He'd already told her he needed to visit Clarissa, and he didn't know what he'd do if Elena hadn't improved. Osvald gave a sideways glance to Hector, who was watching them in confusion. His head was cocked to the side, and his eyebrows had furrowed slightly.

Finally, Osvald replied, "I'm not sure. I'll have to figure that out when I get there."

Agnea watched him sympathetically for a few seconds before abruptly standing up and walking back over to Hector. She grabbed a jar of jam with one hand and offered her other one to Hector.

"Right, then! What do you say we go get Pala? I bet she wants some of this, too!"

Hector blinked, but then he grinned and nodded. "All right!"

The two of them left the kitchen and headed towards Pala's bedroom; she'd curled up with a small sewing project earlier. Osvald sighed, absently twirling his quill pen between his fingers. He needed to think of some kind of long-term plan, but…

For now, he'd let Hector enjoy their time in Cropdale. Osvald would have to cross that bridge when he reached it.