"Ethos, you're a terrible meanie," Rana whined like a child as she held on his arms. "How come you baked the pie without me?"
"Oh, be quiet, Enara. You're too loud," said Ethos as they walked to the side porch of their house.
Rana followed him and Ethiara to the seat. Shane a forgotten existence behind them.
"But I said I'm helping you out to make them."
She said as they settled down on the seat.
"This isn't for the Harvest Festival, woman."
He said looking at her.
"Still…" Rana said pouting.
Ethiara gave her a saucer and a fork while Ethos helped himself first.
"Ethiara, would you please shut your sister up?" he asked turning to her. "She is so noisy."
"Why don't you silence her?" she asked back as she filled her plate with the peach pie.
"That's why I'm asking you to do it," said Ethos with an annoyed voice.
"You know I can't when she's thrown a tantrum, right?" said Ethiara, her voice laughing.
"You two are horrible meanies."
Rana said as she scoop a pie on her plate.
"You should have told me so I could have joined you," she kept complaining as she forked a piece of the pie into her mouth and touched her cheeks with her fingers. "Gee…this is so delicious."
Shane partook his share and quietly took a bite of the pie itself. Rana was right. Ethos baking a peach pie tasted like heaven. The tart and the sweetness of the peach were carefully blended and it almost melted once the food touched the tongue. He could open his own pie shop with just the peach pie. It would definitely sell.
No wonder Rana was pressing him to sell the peach pie.
"This is so good," Shane commented as he forked another peach pie in his mouth. "I didn't know you could really bake this well, brother."
"Isn't it?" Rana asked looking at him with her blue eyes that were sparkling. She turned to look back at Ethos. "See, I told you, even Shane loves it."
She finished her first slice of share and went to get another helping.
"So, why did you not tell me you were doing this, Ethos?" Rana persisted her question.
"Ethiara and I were on the way from the council when I saw Asoka's mom selling these peaches in their shop. I told Ethiara I'll be making peach pies for the Harvest Festival and she said I can start making a sample before the Festival starts."
Rana looked at her sister with narrowed eyes.
"Ethiara can be so convincing," she said while flicking a gaze at her sister. "He didn't even say yes outright to me, you know?"
Rana said as she watched her sister eat the peach pie.
"Are you going to help us make peach pies for the Harvest Festival?" she asked expectantly.
"So long as we're done with the Council's tasks."
Ethiara said as she forked another piece into her mouth. She reached for the glass juice.
"Ethos and I have a lot to do before and during the Harvest Festival, Rana," she said looking at her sister in an admonishing tone. "And yet you still asked him to make peach pies for the Harvest Festival? How irresponsible of you."
Rana sipped the lemon orange juice before replying to her sister.
"I didn't know that," she said surprised by her information. She turned to look at Ethos who ate his pie with quiet satisfaction. "I'm sorry, Ethos. I didn't know that you have lots of work to do in the Council."
"I do," he said briefly.
"But I don't regret asking you to make peach pies," Rana added deliberately. "I know the people of Lunara will buy it like pancakes. It will be gone before you know it."
"You little —" Ethos started almost glowering at her.
"But we can make it two days before and a day before the actual day," Rana said excitedly. "We can make a hundred peach pies to sell at most."
Ethos looked darkly at her.
"Then, maybe eighty," she said averting her eyes from him to the remaining peach pie in the plate.
"I'm not a bakery, you know," he said sounding irritated.
"Oh, come on, Ethos," she looked at him with pleading eyes. Rana knew that her eyes pleading before him always know how to do the trick that makes Ethos agree easily even if he didn't want to. "Please…"
She pleaded more looking at him.
"Asoka is even helping us and Shane and Ethiara."
Ethos quietly finished his pie before agreeing with her.
"Alright."
He said gruffly.
"Thanks, Ethos," said Rana smiling widely and brightly at him.
They finished the pie when Eron, Ethos, and Shane's father joined them on the porch. There was only one remaining pie slice when he joined in.
"At least, you still save one for me," Enos said smiling as he put the slice on his plate.
He veered his head to look at Rana with knowing eyes. "Enara, don't tell me you ate almost all the pies in here."
"Guilty as charged, uncle," said Rana showing an embarrassed smile at him.
"You really have a huge stomach when it comes to Ethos' pies," said the old man laughing.
"I can't help it, uncle," said Rana beaming at him. "They're just so good. So, of course, I ate a lot."
"Enara is a pig when it comes to Ethos' pies, uncle."
Ethiara added joining the conversation. Rana frowned at her.
"I can't help it since it's the miracle food for me when I got sick then," she added with nostalgia.
Eron turned to look at his son Enos who quietly ate his peach pie but was listening silently to them.
"You should have seen, Enara, then, Enos, when you disappeared," said Eron remembering the memory. "She barely uttered a word for a month and barely touched her food, too, until Asoka visited their house and brought her peaches which she still didn't touch until Ethos asked Asoka to teach him to bake a peach pie for her. And she miraculously returned her appetite."
"I bet she only ate the peaches then when her appetite returned," said Shane teasing Rana.
Rana felt her cheeks turn pink. Shane could be so astute and direct to the point.
Ethiara laughed when Shane made that comment.
"You are so right, Enos," she said laughing and smiling widely. "This girl only ever ate peach pies for two weeks until mom and I completely convinced her to eat other food aside from the peach pies. She was practically devouring them anything but it."
"Dad, don't worry," said Ethos looking at his father. "There's still a pan left in the kitchen for you to eat if you would like another slice."
He cast a glance at Rana.
"And there's still another pan left for you and Ethiara to bring back home."
He said in a crisp voice.
"Really?" Rana's eyes went round with excitement. "Thank you, Ethos. I love you, big brother."
She said smiling widely at him.
Rana seldom smiled at Ethos because she was trifled scared of him when she was younger but when he showed his gentler side of him to her, especially when she got sick after she lost Enos, some things changed.
Ethiara stood up from her seat. Rana followed her.
"Where are you two going?" asked Eron as he finished his plate. "Going home so soon? Why don't you join us for dinner?"
"Uncle Eron, I told mom I'm cooking for dinner tonight. Anisa went home because her child was sick," explained Ethiara.
Ethos rose from his seat and disappeared from the room. He soon returned carrying a wrapped covered pan on his left arm and another plate of pie for his father.
"We'll take our leave now, uncle. See you tomorrow."
Rana said as she and Ethiara bid their goodbyes to the three men.
The next succeeding days, at least the next two weeks before the Harvest Festival, Rana would always receive a bouquet and a peach pie in a box from Ethos.
"He's really rained his peach pies on you, Enara," said Ethiara giving her the flowers and the box of pies. "He makes this much of an effort for you but he wouldn't even see me."
She said with a touch of annoyance in her voice.
"Jealous, sister?" Rana asked her sister with a straight face.
"You will not choose him over Enos, will you?"
She asked staring at her face.
Rana looked at her sister. Much as she would like to dismiss the idea that Ethos sending her flowers and his personally baked peach pies supposedly an annoying action, she was secretly happy that he made the peach pies just for her though she shared it with Ethiara and her parents.
"What if I choose him this time?"
Rana answered in an emotionless tone.
"Enara, did you turn him down when he asked to marry you before because of me?" she asked slowly.
Rana nodded her head slowly.
"So, that's the reason you never said yes because of me…?" Ethiara asked uncertainly.
"You might know, sister, Ethos loves you more than me. He only sees me as his little sister."
Ethiara's face turned serious this time.
"Enara, have you fallen for Ethos when you were younger?"
Rana averted her gaze from her older sister.
"Why did you not tell me?"
She looked back at Ethiara with a dead look.
"Why? Would it have mattered?" she asked throwing back the question at her coldly.
"I thought you were only just plainly sad with Enos already gone, so he also took care of you."
Rana breathed back a sigh.
"That's the problem with little sisters who have big sisters that the older brother liked first," she murmured.
"You could have told me, Enara, about it," Ethiara said biting her lower lip. "I didn't know how you felt back then. I would have easily let go of my feelings then."
Rana moved back to the living room and put the bouquet in the vase.
"I wanted him to like me for me not because I'm your sister."
She said darkly to Ethiara.
"How do you feel about receiving these things now, Enara?" she asked looking cautiously at her face.
"He obviously developed a fondness for me after the incident. He didn't give me flowers before or this peach pie box," Rana answered showing her the white carton.
"Things have changed since then. I'm no longer the little sister in his eyes."
"What would you tell, Enos?" she asked in a worried tone.
She finished putting the flowers in the vase.
"Let's just cross the bridge when we cross there, won't we?"
Rana answered in mystery.
Ethiara studied her face quietly. Then, she spoke again.
"Whatever you say, Rana," she said and turned her back from her. She looked back at Rana before leaving. "I'll see you later at Ethos' house so we can start on the peach pies."
Rana was taken aback by Ethiara's response. Ethiara never once called her Rana only until today. Her sister always called her with her original name Enara.
She touched the white box with fondness. Ethos could be really sweet when he wanted to. And him doing this is one of the rarest sides that showed his gentle personality though only a few caught a glimpse of that.
The people of Lunara saw Ethos as the quiet if not the fierce and strong man that he was. He was more seen as a stoic and grumpy guy. Though women fall at his feet wherever he goes. And he discards one for another as his reputation goes.
But Rana knew most whom he loved best. Even if he didn't say it.
She grabbed her bag from the seat and went out of the house. She visited her shop first where the furniture were already in place. She fixed the room of the shop for the past few days. Only a day more before its opening day.
Rana left the shop and entered Shane's house. She found Ethos and Ethiara already starting with the dough of the pie. Shane like his usual quiet self was peeling the peaches.
She observed them in silence. A misty look passed over her eyes.
And Shane saw that look.