-June 27th,
2014-
It was a quiet, calm day in Lavryn town. The stream rushed by in a hurry, the sound of running water and the faint humming of insects filling the air. The thickening heat made everything feel slower, sleepier. However, the pleasant ocean breeze kept the town reasonably temperate. This, alongside the surging stream and the shaded trees served to cool down the forest considerably. Everything seemed still and silent. All was well as the shadow of a fish crossed the water's path.
And then, a violent yank.
"There!" Natallia cried, reeling in her catch. She took it in hand, smiling. "Aha!"
She examined it a bit closer, humming under her breath. Then, she nodded solemnly.
"Black bass," she sighed, enthusiasm dying. "Turn up the bass…"
She considered it for a moment, before releasing it back into the water. It darted away like a flash.
"Sorry, buddy!" She called. The bass did not listen.
She settled back into her spot and cast her line again.
Natallia was not usually a very patient person. If one were to pick any adjective to describe her, coolheaded would be nowhere near the top of the list. But, alas, that was exactly what was required for fishing, so that's exactly what she would be.
Surprisingly enough, she didn't really mind it all that much. Something about fishing really appealed to her, enough to make her look past all of the things that she'd normally hate about it. The sound of the rushing stream, the thrill of the bite, the quietness of the moments in between… It all had quite the soothing effect on her. It was relaxing, in a way that made her mind go totally blank. No thoughts, no worries. Just her and nature...
… Well, and fish. A lot of fish.
When she really thought about it, she supposed her love of fishing must've gone back to her early childhood, long before she became the person she was today. She recalled long mornings on the lakeshore, fishing with her dad. No worries about any talking or arguing, or considerations of her own growing identity— such things would scare away their catches. No, just silence, and no pressure or need to break it. Quiet companionship. Warmth.
As time went on, they didn't fish together as much. He didn't really feel as much of a need to take her, after—
A sudden crunching of old leaves sounded out. She blinked, returning to the present.
What was that, exactly?
She looked towards the sound. Some bushes rustled, and quickly, she was met with a familiar silhouette. Her shoulders relaxed.
"Hey, Miss N!"
She hummed lowly under her breath, regarding him. He was smiling, waving excitedly. Far too energetic for such a peaceful afternoon, not that she had any right to comment on that— it was hypocritical enough for her to even think it, really. Still, after so long relaxing by the water, she wasn't feeling quite as amped up as she usually did.
Stil, she knew her energy would return to her in no time with him around. He had such an infectiously cheery aura to him that it was hard not to soak it in and return it tenfold.
She huffed, turning back to the water.
"You can't just sneak up on someone when they're fishing, man," she chastised lightheartedly, clicking her tongue. "Messed up."
"Oh— uh, sorry," Bones said with a sheepish smile, a paw placed on the back of his neck.
"Eh, don't worry about it," Natallia replied. "I heard you coming, so no harm done. But if I hadn't, I might've accidentally hooked ya."
"Huh?" Bones blinked. "Are you serious?"
"No, of course not," Natallia chuckled. "Buuut, there's a decent chance I could've accidentally thrown my pole in the water, if you scared me bad enough. Which also would've sucked."
"Oh. Well, I'll keep that in mind."
"Good," Natallia nodded. "... So, what brings you to this ol' neck of the woods, anyway?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, smiling broadly. "I was looking for you!"
She blinked, surprised. "Huh?"
"Well, I figured that since it's been a few hours since you usually get up, you'd probably be around somewhere. So, I wanted to come find you!" He smiled widely.
"Huh," she said again. "Well… Okay then. Hi. It's good to see you."
"Yeah, you too!" He replied.
The two went quiet for a moment.
"... You have a rod?" Natallia asked.
"What?"
"A rod. Y'know, for fishing? Fishing rod?" She clarified.
"Uh, no…" Bones said, confused. "Who just carries around a fishing rod, yip yip?"
Natallia fell quiet for a moment. She seemed embarrassed.
"... Wait—"
"Anyway, do you wanna fish with me?" She asked, producing a second rod out of nowhere.
"Wha— why do you have two?"
"In case one snaps in half when I try to reel in the catch of a lifetime, duh," she said, as though it were obvious. "But I'm willing to lend it to you for a bit, if you want."
"Hmm… Well, alright!" The canine said cheerily. He settled next to her, underneath the shade of the oak tree she was leaned against. "Sounds fun!"
"Cool," she said with a slight smile. She silently passed over the rod, and got back to it. Her eyes slipped shut for a moment, as she honed in on the feeling of the rod in her hand, alert for the slightest of twitches….
"... So… You do this a lot, huh?" Bones asked. "I've seen you out fishing pretty often."
"Bones, buddy," the fisherwoman said with a friendly grin. "You're not supposed to talk much when you're fishing. It'll scare away the fish."
"... Do fish even have ears?" He asked, noticeably quieter.
"I… Huh," Natallia blinked. "I don't know. I mean. Probably?"
"Probably?" Bones repeated.
"I mean, yeah. Why else would they say that?"
"Who's they?"
"I dunno. Fisherpeople," Natallia said. Then, after a moment, corrected herself. "Fishers."
"Huh. I see," Bones said.
With that, the conversation died out. Natallia dove right back into fishing, just as she had been before her angling protégé had appeared. Bones watched her carefully, observing the way her eyes slipped shut, and the concentration on her face. He quietly followed her lead.
They sat in silence for about seven minutes or so.
"... Hey, Natallia?" He started, breaking the peace.
"Yeah?"
"This is really, really boring, yip yip…"
She laughed. "Hah, yeah."
"How do you do this all day?"
"Honestly, I have no clue," she shrugged. "Just sorta happens. Anyway, we can do something else if you want. I've got enough for the day."
She gestured to the large bucket sitting beside her. Bones peeked inside. It was brimming with fish and river water.
"Woah!" He exclaimed. "How'd you even get that many?!"
Natallia smiled mysteriously. "Old fisherman's secret."
He gave her a look. Her grin widened under his scrutiny.
"... I get it," he nodded resolutely. "You must be a mermaid!"
She let out a surprised laugh. "What?"
"That's how you get them!" He declared, punching his open palm. "You tell them you're cool, and lure them in with fishy promises, and then… Bam!"
"That's gotta be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Natallia smiled. "You're absolutely right. That's exactly what I do."
Bones nodded. "I knew it."
The pair giggled quietly with each other.
"Anyway…" Natallia started. "What do you wanna do instead of lying to fish?"
"Hmm…" He paused briefly, thinking. "I dunno. I didn't really think that far ahead."
"Fair enough," she shrugged. "In that case…"
She glanced around the area, trying to think of an idea. It was cool and quiet, aside from the calling of distant birds and animals. The canopy provided a thick shade, making it relatively dark despite the beaming sun and lack of clouds. A few defiant rays of light danced between the gaps in the leaves, casting swaying shadows. Thick bushes dotted the area, perfect for all sorts of unseen creatures to hide in…
… That was it!
"Hide and seek," she declared confidently.
Bones blinked, then broke out into a bright expression. "Hide and seek?" He repeated.
"Hide and seek," she confirmed.
"Awesome," he said. "Who's it?"
"Wait…" Natallia muttered. "No, no, no. This is all wrong…"
"Huh?" Bones frowned. "It is?"
"It is. Very, very, very wrong," she said. "You can't play hide and seek with just two people."
She paused, then added, "Well, you can, but it's less fun that way."
"Oh… Oh!" Bones' expression lightened. "I see what you're saying."
Natallia smirked. "You know the plan, then?"
"I sure do!"
Natallia nodded. "Alright. Then let's go hunt down the others and force them to play with us."
"Alright!" Bones cheered.
"... Race you there!" Natallia cried, breaking out into a sprint.
"Wha— hey!" Bones laughed, running after her to catch up. "No fair!"
In the end, Natallia had won the impromptu race, slapping a hand against the side of Robin's house with a shout of victory, which had promptly lured her neighbor outside.
"Miss N," she greeted cooly. "Any particular reason you're assaulting my house on this lovely afternoon?"
"Robin!" She laughed, slightly out of breath. "Hi!"
"... Hello, dear," Robin replied slowly, raising a brow. "Are you going to answer my question, or—?"
At that moment, a pained gasping met the pair's ears, cutting the bird off. They turned to see Bones, in significantly worse shape than Natallia was in, stumbling to a stop in front of them. He panted out shallow, wheezing breaths.
"... How… Are you so… Fast?" He lamented between raspy gasps.
Natallia just laughed heartily. "Old fisherman's secret!"
"What does being fast have to do with fishing?" Robin asked, confused.
"Gotta chase down the fish."
"Fish don't run. They swim."
"Semantics," Natallia said with a dismissive wave of the hand.
"Hm," Robin hummed. "Well, anyway. Why were the two of you racing to my house, exactly?" She asked, looking to Bones for answers this time around despite him being keeled over.
"Hide and seek," he breathed out.
"... Hide and seek?" She repeated, baffled.
"Hide and seek!" Natallia chimed. "You're playing with us!"
"That's… Not how you're… Supposed to—" Bones tried weakly, before breaking into coughs.
"He's right," Robin replied, moving to toss one of his arms around her shoulders. He leaned into her side gratefully, groaning. "Come now. What's the magic word?"
"Abracadabra! Presto!" Natallia said with a flourish. Robin gave her an unamused look. "Saxophone?" She tried.
"Natallia."
"Alright, alright, I'm just fucking with you," she laughed. "I'd like to humbly extend to you an invitation to play hide and seek with us, dearest and most esteemed Lady Robin of Lavryn Town. I request you to join us, pretty please, with a cherry on top."
"Well, I don't suppose there's any reason not to," Robin said, shrugging. "Alright. But you better not expect me to race you to Purrl's."
Natallia pouted. "Hmm. Darn."
Robin gave a slight smile. "Tough luck, darling."
Natallia frowned. Then she paused, and added, "Hey, how'd you know we were going to Purrl's, anyway?"
"Well, I figure if you're dragging me into this, you'll probably be dragging the others into it as well. Games are more fun with more people. And aside from your place, hers is the closest," Robin explained.
"Huh. Sharp!" Natallia smiled. "Well, let's hop to it, then!"
"Oh, certainly not. Before anything, I think this one needs to come inside for a sip of water," Robin objected, raising up one of Bones' paws for emphasis.
"Oh, please," Bones whined.
"Alright, alright, fair enough," Natallia chuckled. Then, suddenly, she stopped again. She had a look of dawning horror on her face.
"... What is it?" Robin asked, growing concerned.
"My fish," Natallia realized. "I… Forgot my fish."
At this, Robin just looked more confused. Bones, on the other had, seemed to realize exactly what she was talking about.
"Oh, no! Not the fish—!" Bones cried, before keeling over into another coughing fit.
"Easy, easy…" Robin soothed, rubbing a wing along his back.
"Okay, I go back for my fish and drop them off at Nook's, he gets a drink, I come back, and then he races me to Purrl's," Natallia decided.
"Oh, no, that's a terrible idea—" Robin started.
At the same time, Bones wheezed out a pathetic, "You're on, and you won't beat me this time!"
Robin groaned, and Natallia let out a delighted laugh.
"Well, at least it's not too far away. Your mistake I suppose, la-di-da…" Robin sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Even with her opponent's rest period, the human was the first to tag Purrl's front door, whooping and pumping a fist. Despite her face being beet red from exertion, she was clearly excited.
"What're you doing?" Purrl asked, slinking out from the other side of the door. "Eww, why're you so sweaty?"
"Hide and seek!" Natallia declared confidently.
"Hide and seek?" Purrl repeated. "How has that got you so exhausted? That's supposed to be a game of stealth!"
"No, no," Natallia chuckled. "I mean, hide and seek! You're playing it! With me!" She gestured widely down the hill, and then added, "And them!"
Bones stumbled up the hill, before collapsing in the grass in front of Purrl's house with a dramatic groan.
Robin came up beside him shortly thereafter, nonplussed. She crouched by his side.
"You alright?"
He groaned again, but gave a weak thumbs up.
"Told you it was a bad idea."
"Am I sure I want to be involved in this?" Purrl asked, unsure of whether or not to be worried about her friend's current state. "Also, you came to invite me to play hide and seek? Really? What are we, five?"
"Shut up, don't be lame," Natallia glared. "I'll have you know, hide and seek is a very sophisticated and adult-ish activity."
"Adult-ish?" Purrl echoed incredulously.
"You heard me," Natallia nodded. "I would know. I'm twenty five. Incredibly adult-ish."
"Whatever you say, kitten," Purrl placated, giving the shorter woman a condescending pat on the head. Natallia pouted.
"Do you wanna play with us or not?" The shorter woman asked with an annoyed slouch.
"Oh, absolutely, darling," Purrl smirked. "I'm going to destroy you."
Natallia cheered up immediately, beaming. "That's the spirit!"
"Oh dear… You're all too competitive for your own goods…" Robin groused.
"Or, maybe you're not competitive enough!" Natallia said.
"Mhm…" Bones nodded. "Speaking of… Race you to Carmen's, go!"
With that, he burst away in a full sprint.
"Wha— hey! That's not fair! You can't just steal my moves like that!" Natallia yelped, chasing after him.
Robin sighed and shook her head. "So childish… I swear, those two never change."
Purrl just laughed. "Ah, well, what's the harm? At least they're having fun."
"That's true, I suppose," The bird said, a fond smile on her beak. "But weren't you just giving Miss N a hard time about the same thing?"
"Oh, you know I don't mean it," Purrl smiled. "I just like to be irritating~!"
Robin laughed. "My my, how cruel…"
At that moment, a loud shout of, "HA!" rung out. At the same time, a despairing wail of, "Noooo!" pierced the air.
"Well, it looks like he finally beat her," Robin grinned as she and Purrl began making their way to Carmen's house.
"So it would seem."
"My perfect record!" Natallia cried, on her knees. "Ruined!"
"Ha…! That's… That's what you get!" Bones said, breathless but with a thousand-watt beam.
"How could you do this to me?! After all we've been through?!" The loser fake-sobbed. "I thought you were my friend!"
"There is no friendship in racing!" Bones cackled. The power seemed to be getting to his head a bit.
"What's going on out here?" Carmen asked, poking her head out of the door.
"Ah, Carmen! Just in time!" Natallia said, sadness gone from her face in an instant and replaced with the same mischievous air she always carried. "Play hide and seek with us!"
"Oh. Okay!" Carmen smiled. "Sounds fun!"
"See?! That's how you do it!" Natallia pouted at Purrl and Robin, gesturing wildly to the now-confused rabbit. "No arguing, no accusing me of being childish or overly competitive! Just a solid agreement! That there is the proper response to a dear friend asking to play a game of hide and seek. That's kindness. That's friendship. That's the spirit of adventure!"
"Oh, geez…" Carmen laughed, covering her mouth with a bashful paw.
"Alright, alright, god," Purrl huffed. "Sorry for being boring, or whatever."
"It's alright, we forgive you," Natallia said, placing a hand on Bones' shoulder. He looked confused, but too out of breath to object to being dragged into her statement. "Even if you guys are boring, you're still our dear friends, and we appreciate you for that."
"Thanks, I guess…" Robin replied, bemused.
"Anyway, hide and seek time!" Natallia declared. "One, two, three, not it!"
At this, she placed her index finger on her nose. The rest scrambled to follow suit, Carmen being the fastest on the uptake and Purrl following close behind her. Robin caught on moments before it was too late, leaving Bones, out of breath and confused, as the loser.
"Oh," he realized belatedly. "Dang it."
"Hah! That's what you get for stealing my win!" Natallia barked.
"Ughhh… Fine…" Bones sighed, slouching. "Is a one-minute countdown enough?"
"Sure, sure," Natallia nodded. Then, turning to everyone else, she chimed, "And just to be clear on the rules— no hiding anywhere inside! Outdoors only! Otherwise this'll take all day."
"Fair enough," Purrl said.
"And so we don't have Bones searching all over town— cuz I think if we did, he'd collapse— we should only be able to hide within a certain boundary," the childish woman explained further, taking on a very official tone.
"Okay! And what should that boundary be?" Carmen questioned, clearly excited.
"Hmm… How's from my place to the bus stop?" Natallia asked. "Think that works, bud?"
Bones considered for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, easy peasy," the canine confirmed.
"Nice! So anywhere between those two spots is good, anything else is illegal," Natallia declared. "Are we doing hide and seek tag or just regular hide and seek?"
"Didn't you just establish a boundary because you were worried Bones would collapse otherwise?" Robin replied, deadpan. "He's had more than enough running around for the day, la-di-da."
"Right, dumb question," Natallia said with a sheepish chuckle. "Okay, okay. And does anyone who's caught join the seekers, or do we just make him do it alone?"
"Why are we taking this all so seriously? It's hide and seek," Purrl groaned.
"Anyone caught joins the seekers, otherwise this'll take forever," Robin decided at the same time.
"Rad," Natallia smiled, ignoring the former statement entirely. "I think that's all settled, then!"
"Great, then can we play now?" Purrl said impatiently.
"Aww, so excited to get started! And here I was, thinking you didn't wanna play with us!" Natallia gushed, clasping her hands together and wearing a sickly-sweet smile.
Purrl shot her an annoyed look, but didn't say anything. Carmen giggled a bit.
"Alright, I'm gonna start counting!" Bones announced. With that, everyone shut up immediately, clearly ready to burst away as soon as he started. Everyone was evidently pretty invested, more so than some of them would perhaps like to admit.
So, he didn't delay in covering his eyes with his paws. "One…"
He heard the sound of multiple sets of pounding footsteps, breaking away at high speeds. He couldn't help but chuckle, if only slightly.
He kept counting, until a minute had finally passed.
"Aaand, sixty!" He called, teeth bared devilishly. "Ready or not, here I come!"
He began searching around, unable to keep the smile off of his face. He began with Carmen's house, since it was right there anyway. He circled around it slowly, careful. He didn't find anything.
He let out a disappointed breath. He scanned the area one more time, making sure that no one was around, before moving on to Purrl's house next.
He went through the same process as before, searching the area thoroughly. But despite his best efforts, he didn't see anything there either. He huffed out a quiet breath, prepared to leave.
A quiet giggle met his ears.
He stopped, turning back around slowly.
"Ohohoh," he laughed, smile full of sharp teeth. "Is someone there?"
The only response was a tiny, strangled squeak. He gave an exaggerated, maniacal cackle.
"Where are you~?" He singsonged, taking an exaggerated step forward. He circled the house once more, but found nothing. No other sound was heard, but he didn't let it deter him.
He hummed, looking around closely. He noted some of the pine trees nearby, and began searching to make sure no one was behind their trunks. Upon approaching one in the middle of the bunch, he heard another muffled sound.
He looked up.
"Aha!" He smiled. "Got you!"
"Dang it!" Carmen whined, hopping off of the branch she'd made her way up and back onto the ground. "I was so close!"
"Haha, yeah, I almost missed you!" Bones said, proud. "You've really gotta learn to hide your nerves better."
She pouted. "Uh-huh… You can be really scary when you need to be, nougat…"
Bones laughed disbelievingly. "Heh, sure I can, Carmen."
"No, really! You've got a pretty good evil laugh, for serious!" She insisted.
"Aww, really? Thanks!" Bones grinned. "I practiced it a lot when I was younger, but no one ever took it seriously, yip yip…"
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear it. That's a shame," Carmen said sympathetically.
"Yeah… Oh, but that's besides the point! C'mon! We've gotta find the others!" Bones said, with an exaggerated beckoning gesture. Carmen brightened.
"Alright!" She smiled.
With that, the two set off, searching near the upper half of town. They stuck fairly close together, despite it not being a great strategy. They made their way northward, and soon came upon Nook 'n' Go and the museum. They gave one another a determined look and wordlessly split up, Carmen searching around the store and Bones the museum.
Shortly thereafter, a cry of triumph.
"I found you!" Carmen called, followed by a distant groan of defeat. Bones perked up a bit, making his way to the store. There, he found the rabbit with a big, gap-toothed smile, and Purrl's paw in her own.
"Nice!" Bones grinned. "Where was she hiding?"
"Just behind the store," Carmen giggled. "She really wasn't hidden too well at all."
"Give me a break, it's been a while since I've played this…" Purrl sighed. "I'll find a better spot next time."
"That's the spirit!" Bones cheered, completely genuinely. Purrl rolled her eyes a bit, but couldn't hide a small smile.
"Alright, alright. Let's get the other two, then."
The seekers nodded, and with that, they set off again. Purrl insisted they all split up fully this time around, citing that it was clearly more efficient that way. Although this meant no friendly chattering as he searched, Bones couldn't deny he was more focused, not to mention that they were covering more ground. Regardless, he looked around carefully.
As he passed by the river, he noticed a pair of townsfolk enjoying a chat. He paused, then broke out into a mischievous grin.
No one ever said gathering outsider intel was against the rules, after all.
"Hey, Rod, Groucho!" Bones called, waving. The two looked at him, attentive.
"Bones," Groucho acknowledged.
"How's it goin', ace?" Rod greeted, significantly more energetically.
"It's going good!" Bones smiled. "Say, you guys haven't seen Robin or Natallia around, have you?"
The two looked at each other.
"We're sworn to secrecy," Groucho said solemnly. "You're not getting anything out of us, grumble."
"Dang it!" Bones lamented, snapping his fingers.
"Good effort," Rod said. "But you'll need to try a little harder than that!"
"Yeah… Well, thanks anyway," Bones sighed. With that, he slunk off.
"... Is he gone?" Came a quiet whisper.
"Mhm. You're safe now," Groucho said. Robin poked her head out from a nearby bush.
"Thank you, dears," Robin said gratefully. "I really do need to find a better spot… I'm simply not very good at coming up with things like this on such short notice..."
"Maybe we can help you!" Rod offered. "I bet we could get you an awesome spot!"
"Hey, don't drag me into this," Groucho grumbled.
"As lovely as that would be, I feel it would be a tad dishonest, la-di-da…" Robin replied. "Irregardless, thank you for covering for me. It's quite appreciated."
"No prob!" Rod said, pumping his fists. "Hey, you should come work out with us sometime! I feel like we never talk, we should totally hang out soon!"
"Oh! Um…" Robin hesitated, clearly taken aback.
"... Working out is a pain," Groucho sighed. "But I gotta admit, I have been feeling better since he started dragging me out to exercise with him. You should try it. If I can manage it, I'm sure you can too."
"Oh," Robin blinked. "Well… I'll, ah, consider it. I do admit, I probably should exercise more… Thank you both."
"Of course!" Rod grinned. "The more, the merrier! I could always use new workout buddies!"
Groucho just nodded gruffly.
"As lovely as this all has been…" Said a sudden fourth voice. "I do believe I've caught you, kitten."
"Ah— darn it!" Robin frowned. Purrl chuckled.
"Oh, geez… We totally distracted you, didn't we? Sorry, man," Rod apologized.
"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who should've been paying attention," Robin sighed. "Thanks for your help anyway, boys."
"Don't mention it," Groucho nodded.
"Bye, Robin!" Rod said with a wave.
With that, the two newly-christened seekers set off, resuming the hunt. There was only one target left, now.
They searched for a good while, looking around a variety of houses, the town hall, and the bus stop, but found nothing. Eventually, they came across Bones and Carmen again.
"Hey, guys!" The dog smiled. "Purrl, you found Robin?"
"You know it," Purrl smirked. "Easy as can be."
"Alright, no need to rub it in…" Robin frowned.
"Cool! So it's just Natallia left, then…" Bones said. "I wonder where she is?"
"That's what we're here to find out, nougat!" Carmen declared. "Come on, everyone!"
The rest gave rallying cries, some more enthusiastically than others. With that, they set out again. They searched, high and low, but for a good while, none of them found any trace of Natallia. They looked all throughout the game's boundaries, once, then twice, and still couldn't see her anyplace they looked. Eventually, they regrouped by Carmen's house, where the game had started.
"I can't find her anywhere…" Carmen murmured. "Where is she?"
"I have no idea," Robin replied. "I didn't find a single sign of her."
"You would think someone so loud wouldn't be very good at hiding…" Purrl lamented.
"Alas," Robin agreed. "She was the one who suggested we play this game… Perhaps we should've seen this coming."
As the group chattered, Bones looked around, quiet and focused.
Where was she? She had to be around here somewhere… There was no way he'd admit defeat, not yet. He had to find her and win their game!
He scanned the area slowly, looking back and forth, back and forth. And yet, he didn't see anything of note. But he knew he had to be missing something. So, he wouldn't rest until he'd inspected every suspicious-looking nook and cranny!
Carmen's house stood faithfully by, at home near the cliff's edge. Purrl's abode stood tall in the distance, steadily as ever. Flowers bloomed next to each, bright and colorful. Natallia's slanted pink roof peaked just below the hill, almost able to reach them, but too far away to do so, a wisp of gold lingering just above its apex. Robin's own roof was stationed next to it, significantly shorter and colored a brilliant blue.
Wait a minute…
"Natallia?!" Bones cried suddenly. "Are you on the roof?!"
A quick pause. Then, a distant shout of, "damn it"!
The others whipped around, startled, as Natallia sat up suddenly. She gave Bones a playful glare from on top of her house's roof, looking comfortable as ever despite being two stories off of the ground.
"Wha— Natallia, get down from there! That's not safe!" Robin yelped.
"Pssh, don't worry about it, I do this all the time," Natallia waved off her concern, nonchalant. "Y'think I don't even know how to navigate my own roof?"
"That's not the point!" Robin said.
"Please get down from there, it's making me nervous…" Purrl pleaded.
Natallia blinked, surprised by the others' genuine concern. "Okay, okay, geez…"
With that, the blonde's head dipped below their line of sight as she made her way down from the roof. The group rushed down the hill and to her home, and watched her casually slip back into her attic window. A minute later, she strolled out through her front door.
"Geez, don't do that!" Carmen said. "You scared me!"
"It's fine— I know what I'm doing?" Natallia said, but seeing everyone's worried faces, she frowned, guilty. "Sorry…"
"It's alright, just please, be careful…" Bones said, knowing he couldn't exactly ban her from her own roof.
"Okay…" Natallia said.
The group fell into silence for a bit.
"Hey… Wait, wasn't that cheating?" Purrl suddenly said. "You said we couldn't go inside!"
"Nuh-uh, I never said that!" Natallia objected. "I said we couldn't hide inside, not that we couldn't pass through an indoor area to hide in an outdoor area. And the roof is definitely outside."
The group broke into murmuring then, briefly arguing over the logistics of hiding on the roof.
"How about this—" Bones interjected. "Roofs are banned now. We don't have to worry about it."
Everyone paused, then gave their collective agreement.
"Aww," Natallia frowned. She promptly received looks from everyone else. "Uh, I mean.. Yay?"
"That's more like it," Purrl nodded.
"... Sooo…" Bones started. "One, two, three, not it!"
Much more quickly than last time, everyone followed Bones' lead and declared themselves not it. Everyone except one.
"Wha—" Natallia startled, having been so distracted by everyone worrying over her roof that she hadn't processed what Bones had said right away. Then, realizing what happened, she swore. "Damn it!"
All of Natallia's friends laughed, and, after a moment, she did too. Smiles painted their faces as she began the countdown once more.
And with that, the group continued their game long into the afternoon.
A/N: Hi, everyone!
Sorry about the late update. I turned out to be surprisingly busy around the time of the last scheduled upload date. And coincidentally, with the way I planned things and wrote this chapter, it just so happened to be entirely new material and around twice the length of a normal chapter. So, I ended up just waiting until now so I'd have time to finish it up and really make sure it was in order. Which, hopefully it is. I hope the extra length makes up for the delay somewhat. I might end up doing a double upload at some point to get back on schedule, but we'll have to see about that. Sorry again, and thanks for your patience!
I should probably make a tumblr or something to post updates on, in case I'll be late uploading in-future... Plus, I've got art I can share of the characters and whatnot! But I haven't gotten around to that yet. Maybe someday.
Anyway, as for the chapter itself... It was fun to write! A bit tedious because of the length, though, and I worry that I spent too much time on buildup and not enough time actually writing everyone playing hide and seek... Ah, well. It was nice getting the characters to have more conversations, at least. If you didn't already know, I'm a sucker for dialogue and character interaction! So, I hope that was fun, and not too boring, haha. On the bright side, I think "lure them in with fishy promises" is among the funniest lines I've ever written, so that's a plus, lmao. Shoutout to the spirit of Bones for possessing me to write it!
With that, I suppose I'm out of stuff to say. So, see you all soon, hopefully! :)
