Even when abbreviated, the recollection of everything that had happened within just the past few days was enough to make Daystar's eyes go wide.
There was, of course, the sheer quantity of the events, the confrontations against the most rotten individuals Sue had the misfortune of encountering in this world. But perhaps even more impressive was the clear emotional impact it all had left on the Forest Guardian. Even the stuff she'd avoided digging into too much had obviously affected her. Taking in a little one as your own was already taxing enough—triply so in such uncertain times.
The mentions of the ghostly child drew gasps and 'aww's from the rest of their little group, especially Snowdrop. Which then became gasps at the revelation that they were a ghost of sorts, and then fiercely held-in sobs as Sue described more of who they were. The icy performer's partner took the news in with a bit more distance, but not even she could resist the sadness at finding out about Twinkle's past. Especially with her own past having likely contributed to at least a few stories like that.
Sue was uncertain what would Snowdrop's reaction be to her bringing up Lilly, what with her having clearly tried to hit on her earlier. To her relief, it was nothing but positive. And incredibly amusing, but that was more so for Daystar. She snickered, "Wouldya look at that Snowy—who knows, maybe your attempts with them tied their fates together~?"
The suggestion was clearly said in jest, but it burned Snowdrop's cheeks no less intensely, melting the thin layer of frost built up on her face. "I—why—Daystar!" she accused, too flustered to continue.
"Present~!" the weasel giggled back as she leaned in, arm wrapped tight around her girlfriend.
Solstice's attempts to subdue her amusement at the pair's antics were going much better than Sue's, that's for sure. The latter's soft, hiccupy laugh was enough to redirect the couple's attention back onto herself. "Oh-uh, sorry—"
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Sue!" Snowdrop reassured, yellow-blue eyes more lit up than the Forest Guardian had ever seen them before.
And right beside her, the stretched weasel grew curious about one part of Sue's recollection in particular. "Now I'm wonderin' what kinda 'argument' ya got into when checking up on Sunny," she remarked—before hiding her smirk at seeing the Forest Guardian's eyes go wide at that. "You ain't striking me as an argumentative type, is all—was it Willow? Figured they'd blurt out something nasty for the occasion..."
Guess their beliefs aren't a secret for anyone but myself...
Hearing the pink healer be so offhandedly accused with something like that stung, especially when only the green and cream snake still curled up nearby was as much as taken aback at the idea. It stung to feel like a dumbass, like she was the exact last person to realize the character of the person who had likely saved her life—the character she was still so incredibly conflicted on. As was the healer themselves, to the best of her ability to piece together.
Ultimately, whether there was something more to them like she hoped for or not, it didn't matter—because they weren't the culprit here. And the actual answer was, somehow, even more uncomfortable to talk about. She almost didn't want to discuss the topic at all, especially not with Solstice within earshot. But, she also felt like she had to, specifically because Solstice was around. After all, if she got her undue affection and—and love earlier from her, got more goodness than she'd ever expected or deserved, wouldn't it only be fair to her mentor to know the full extent of just who she was, for good or ill?
It made all the sense in the world to her self-loathing, at least. Said emotion wasn't missed out on others, either. Even beyond its intensity being almost physical for the older Forest Guardian, the couple they were talking to picked up on her faltering expression. Daystar had almost found it within herself to go against her teasing nature and nudge Sue away from pursuing the topic further—but she was just slightly too late. "It's..." Sue began, her gaze sinking to the grassy dirt beneath her. "Northeast. I'm not sure if you've met her, Daystar—"
"Haven't had the pleasure yet~."
"—right. She's a healer in training, I think. She and Orchid were looking after Sundance while she was out, and they were there when I checked up on her. She asked me about what had happened, which is fine, but then just kept prying into details I had no idea about and I just... snapped," Sue shuddered. "Shouted at her and told her off, and I've been feeling awful about it since."
There we go, the ugly truth is out. Now she can hate—
"^That sounds like a rough situation for everyone involved,^" Solstice gently commented as she wrapped her arm around Sue. There was concern in her voice in mind, clear as day—and so was the fact that said emotion was aimed primarily at her pupil. "^I can't imagine you acting like that otherwise.^"
"Yeah no kiddin'. Not sure what the big issue is though," Daystar chuckled, "me and birdbrain used to shout at each other like that every other day and things were fine until she—*ow*—hey!"
As nonchalant as the weasel was about the whole situation, her girlfriend was aware of the need for a more tactful response, interrupting her with a spray of fresh, Powdery Snow to the face. "What she meant to say was," Snowdrop began, elbowing Daystar right as she was about to cut in again, "was that it's hard to imagine someone so affectionate doing something like that without a good reason."
"I wish," Sue mumbled in response. "It was just frustration, I think. Frustration and anger that built up until they had nowhere to go but out. That kind of thing happens a lot with me, *sigh*. The worst part is that I haven't apologized yet; that's what feels really awful about all this."
"When did this happen again?" Daystar asked, undeterred by her other half's intervention.
"A couple of days ago. I've run into her a few times since is the thing—"
"*Pfffffft*," the weasel snorted, "I've held grudges for much dumber stuff for much longer and things always worked ou—HEY!" she cried out after taking a second, much larger dose of fresh, freezing snow to her face.
"Please be more tactful sweetie..." Snowdrop half whispered, half hissed in Daystar's direction. It was just about the loudest whisper Sue had ever heard—only to be immediately dethroned in that category.
"She's just overthinkin' this badly, c'mon..."
Sue had no idea how seriously she ought to take the... 'advice' presented, but figured it at least deserved a chance. Especially since it did make her laugh at how blunt and direct it was, contrasting immensely with her earlier conversations about this exact issue with Daisy and Sundance. And the thing was—it wasn't wrong, either. She was overthinking this by any logical metric. She absolutely wasn't a stranger to much dumber arguments that lasted much longer before they inevitably resolved themselves nicely, and by the next week nobody involved had even remembered them. Said arguments taking place online as opposed to in person certainly had an impact, but if anything, it only made the reconciliation harder, not easier.
Because, as she had a decent grasp on by now, telling Northeast off wasn't really the issue here. It was born of insecurities long past, mental injuries that left no external scars yet turned gangrenous all the same. It all came down to how she worried she'd be perceived for it, especially compared to the person whose spot in Moonview she was inevitably sliding towards.
The Mayor had an arm wrapped around her and was pulling her close, the turbulent mess inside her pupil's head taking her aback. She froze for a second as the big picture came together and the extent of Sue's panicking internal comparisons to Aurora finally hit her. Close and affectionate as she was earlier, it was still scary to see it being reflected back at her, to see plainly what her words would only let her express indirectly.
To see just how afraid Sue was of disrespecting her daughter's memory. Because that exact same fear gripped Solstice, too.
She already had plans for it, to act on Sundance's suggestion and make a conscious effort to let Aurora rest in her mind. To free her from being invoked as a tool of her own mother's self-flagellation. It wouldn't be easy, that much was clear—but to make any active effort in that direction would be more than she had done since that tragic day combined. Aurora deserved it. She deserved it. Sue deserved it, too.
Just like she deserved to be reassured about this situation. "^Sue?^" Solstice whispered mentally, holding the younger psychic closer after feeling her subsequent shudder. "^I think I know why this situation brought and still brings you so much worry.^" Sue looked up at her from their impromptu side embrace, finding just barely enough courage within herself for her gaze to be more hopeful than afraid. "^Neither I nor Aurora would ever hold a situation like this against you, Sue. It's an unfortunate mistake, but one that I know you can fix. I believe in you, and so would she.^"
The direct reassurance rattled Sue's shaky spirit, but there were still things unsaid—things that deserved to finally be said. "^I know you've been comparing yourself to her, using her memory as a cudgel to beat yourself over with. I—I know, because I'm no different. The guilt is still there, however well I manage it.^"
Sue cut in, her whisper barely audible, "B-but you've been trying your best—"
"^And so have you, Sue. I don't doubt that even for a second. You've been trying so, so hard, and—and I'm proud of you, deeply proud.^"
Despite having already felt that pride earlier, a direct admission like that brought on a whole new intensity to Sue's emotions, many of them of the tearful variety. For once, for just a second, not even the full awareness of what she'd done to Northeast could knock her off balance, the brief glimpse of freedom from insecurity filling her with strength. As well as her tear ducts with moisture, but that she had plenty of experience in managing—
"You two doin' alright?" Daystar chimed in, eyebrow raised high after having spent the last few minutes watching the two psychics hold each other in almost total silence. Not that she minded one bit, but seeing tears creep into the picture made her decide to check in on them, just to be safe.
Which was appreciated. "^Yes, yes, apologies Daystar. You could say it's an emotionally charged topic for us two,^" Solstice explained, taking the attention away from her pupil.
"Northeast?" Snowdrop sheepishly asked.
It must look so weird on the outside when we're psychically talking like this.
The Mayor chuckled weakly, calming herself down while at it. "^No, not her specifically, though I do feel bad for her somewhat.^"
Daystar's eyebrow remained raised high. "What else, then?"
Sue answered between deep breaths, each of them helping her regain composure. "Y-you could say just confronting our mistakes in general—"
"Aye, don't I know whatcha mean, heh—no Snowy, wait!" Daystar cut in yet again, before preempting her girlfriend from trying to shush her. Said girlfriend was giving her an unamused look, with a dimly growing snowball having materialized in one of her ear-hands when Sue wasn't looking. For her own and the Forest Guardians' sake, the stretched weasel had nothing snarky to say this time. If anything, it was the one area where she could empathize much more than usual, her expression growing much more genuine. "If there's any lesson I've been tryin' to learn ever since I left my old huntin' grounds, it's that no voice that constantly reminds you of your mistakes is your friend. Remember that, both of ya."
The impromptu lesson wasn't expected, but both Sue and Solstice tried to take it to heart. Neither they nor Daystar were naïve enough to hope for it being 'the' trick to finally defeating their insecurities, but it didn't have to be. It was just one tool of many, one voice of a chorus filling their heads. And they added up, especially for preventing any further emotional spirals.
"Thank you," Sue answered, meaning that fully.
"Ya more than welcome, Sue~." Daystar followed her words with a decently good approximation of a bow. She was about to continue before a loud, hissed growl filled the clearing, catching her attention. And only hers, it seemed, with the surrounding chatter barely noticing the sound. "What?" the weasel shouted back, with her intended recipient becoming obvious once the younger Forest Guardian executed the advanced maneuver of looking around her. And, once Ginger was finished shouting his response, Daystar continued, "Move it over to the orchard path! I'll be there in a minute!"
Watching Ginger and half the builder team lift the cartful of seeds before moving it to the specified spot sounded like an absolute riot. A riot which, to her unending horror, Sue and the rest of the group were then spared from. "A-an orchard?" a quiet, hissed voice spoke up from nearby.
Bluegrass speaking up at all was an act of immense enthusiasm on his end, mighty enough to overcome the pressure of drawing the entire group's attention to him. Which was exactly what happened less than a second later. His composure strained, but ultimately held, helped somewhat by Ingraining himself in the ground to not let him run away that easily. Not this time, not from someone who did what he did, but away from home. Something he was so, so curious about.
Daystar, on her end, raised a single eyebrow. "Yup. We have a bunch of trees close to our clearing, and a few small plots of grain and vegetables elsewhere."
"I didn't know you grew food here, too," the snake sheepishly admitted.
And I thought I used to be sheltered.
Of the chuckles that went through the group afterwards, only Solstice had any luck containing hers. The tall weasel's one was by far the loudest, but also the most clearly amused instead of mocking. That latter aspect was reserved for her eyeroll, stealthily obscured from Bluegrass' point of view. "Can't imagine not doing so, frankly, hah. 'Course it's not as easy as over in Moonview. Only Juniper has the ability to speed up the progress here, and even before she had her tantrum, she was much more eager to spend her days being angry at everyone and everythin' rather than lift a wing and help us build somethin' here."
Sue was not surprised in the slightest at that remark—and neither was Solstice. The same was also true for Bluegrass himself, but for an entirely different reason; one left unvocalized as he idly nodded at Daystar.
She put the pieces together soon after. "Right—you've no clue who Juniper even is, eh?"
"N-not at all!" the snake answered cheerfully.
"^Probably for the best,^" the Mayor psychically mumbled.
"Was about to say, you ain't missing out on much, kiddo. But—about our paltry attempts at farming. It's been quite rough going at times, especially in the winters. Thank the Night Father that Ginger knew how to preserve food. If not for him, then... bad things would've happened the first year after we got exiled," Daystar shuddered. She then added, seeing the curiosity blooming on the snake's snout, "The kind of things neither I want to talk about, nor you want to listen to, kiddo."
Bluegrass blinked. "But I—"
"Nah. You really, really don't," the weasel reiterated, the long claws of her intact hand scraping against one another. The point of her comment—including her gesture—went squarely over the head of the lil' cheerful farmhand, but she didn't let that get to her. Because he sure didn't, either.
"O-okay. Where'd you find the seeds then?" the snake asked instead. Sue listened in, wondering if there was some secret technique to figuring out which plants were okay to eat in the wild—
"All over the place, really. We foraged a bunch and planted the seeds, that much was trivial. Beyond that, Ginger and Jasper had a good grasp on what's edible out here, saved our hides a bunch of times."
The secret technique: ask a guy that knows.
"Thankfully, not a concern anymore—especially with all the seeds you all brought here," Daystar chuckled. "Our few plots are gonna have more food than they know what to do with."
"Wh-why not expand your farm, then?" Bluegrass shyly suggested.
The weasel shot him a raised eyebrow, but the question was worth answering. "Why would we? We've got enough as is, plus every plant more we grow is another plant someone has to look after. I'm doing my best, as are all of us; don't doubt that one bit, but I only got so much in me. I suppose having this help will let us stop foraging altogether now—at least for a while."
Her first objection got the snake thinking—and arriving nowhere. "Oh. Mr. Root is always talking about expanding our farms and the rest of Moonview. I assumed that was just the obvious thing to do..."
Most of the gathered adults were incapable of coming up with a response that wouldn't involve some untoward vocabulary, expressing their distaste for the priest with a frown. Snowdrop wasn't burdened with a filthy mouth, however, letting her respond with only slightly strained voice, "He certainly talks about a lot of things with unfounded confidence..."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Daystar blatantly lied. "Best not listen to him, kiddo. Our farm could maybe stand to be a touch larger, but we'll figure it out."
"Could I help?" Bluegrass suggested immediately, arousing profound confusion.
"How would you help without living here?" the icy performer calmly asked, first to break through the awkward silence that followed.
As timid as her words were, the hole they punched in the farmhand's enthusiasm deflated him fast. "I—I could try coming over! B-but it is pretty far, I... aww."
"^Your enthusiasm is appreciated, Bluegrass, but I don't doubt Newmoon can figure this one out themselves,^" Solstice chimed in, lifting his spirits up, and getting a satisfied nod from Daystar.
Still, the boy wanted to help however he could, even if it wasn't through direct, physical assistance. "I remember Mr. Equinox suggested offerings to farming deities in the past. Maybe you can try that?"
The comment grew a different reaction from everyone gathered, though most of them stemmed from the central emotion of confusion. "...farming deities?" Sue shyly asked, curious more than everything—before noticing the slight unease in her mentor's mind.
Said unease wasted little time before turning into words. "^I... haven't heard of that before, admittedly,^" Solstice awkwardly commented.
"Mr. Equinox doesn't talk about it anymore because Mr. Root gets angry when he does!" Bluegrass cheerfully added.
Yep, that explains it, thought everyone.
"I'm not particularly surprised at that," Snowdrop put words to their collective thoughts.
"Oh, that gives me an idea for an offering alright," Daystar sneered. "Make a puppet of Root and set it on fire; let that be a tribute to whoever's watching. Especially the Ever-Blooming, won't ever hurt to have that one look more kindly on us."
Annoyingly for Sue, the name didn't immediately correspond to any divine presence she'd seen or heard of before in this world. A question sprung to her mind, already building up in her throat, before nearby cawed words cut in first. "Oooo, we could make that!" they excitedly chirped, just as Sue finished looking over her shoulder. Yep, the crow—Rainfall—was still there, still watching.
Godspeed, brave bird.
She wasn't the only one in that regard, but the other surprised soul was unsure of what to say. Solstice felt like she should've nipped that entire idea in the bud for being a decent bit over the line. Yes, Root was a horrible person whose actions had influenced the tragedy the two villages were just beginning to heal from, he had bigoted—or sometimes even genocidal—ambitions, and his thoughts aimed towards her were always sleazy, when they weren't outright seething. What was she thinking again?
"I'll be the damn last person to stop ya, Rainy," Daystar chuckled dryly. It was all the encouragement the night kin bird needed, taking off towards where the freshly brought supplies were being stored and sorted. Bluegrass was confused about the change in topic, and more than a bit uncomfortable at the idea of puppets of anyone alive being set on fire. But he was also very, very curious now, eagerly following Rainfall.
And then there were four, the thinning of the group represented by a comforting moment of silence. At least, external silence. The mention of deities earlier remained a topic Sue wanted to latch onto. Both to satisfy her momentary curiosity, and to let her pry into a topic she hadn't had many opportunities to ask about before. At least, not without revealing more of her hand than she was comfortable with. She stretched her legs, walking just a couple steps further away from Solstice to avoid getting her thoughts glimpsed, and asked, "What was that farming deity you mentioned, Daystar?"
"Ever-Blooming?" the weasel asked, uncertain at the source of Sue's confusion. Once the Forest Guardian answered with a firm nod, she continued, "I mean, that's one of the names I've heard thrown around when I still lived in Moonview? Admittedly, I never paid too much attention, I'm comfortable with just the Dark Lord in my heart, but the Ever-Blooming is supposed to be a grateful sort, and edible crops are said to be Its gifts to mortal creatures, given without any expectation of repayment, or even worship. It doesn't sound half bad, now that I said all that out loud, huh."
There was exactly one candidate for who 'Dark Lord' might've been referencing, but it was still some impressively unfortunate wording. Or, well, at least it was to Sue's ears. It probably didn't carry anywhere near the same connotations in Moonview's language. Sue hoped. That aside, Daystar's explanation made sense, even if it wasn't all that helpful. Something to pester Sundance about once Sue had the chance to.
And now, she could ask about the entity she really wanted to know more about. "It really does, yeah. On that topic, do you know much about the deity called Justice?" Sue asked, switching the topic with the inconspicuous elegance of a garbage truck. To her relief, most of the gathered group had no reason to interpret the question as anything but innocent curiosity. And the one person who very much had said reason didn't immediately act on it, choosing to give Sue a knowing, yet puzzled, look for the time being.
Snowdrop spoke up first, dainty ear-hand brushing her purple... chin. "The name does ring a bell, but it certainly is a small, quiet one. I imagine Sundance would know leagues more than either of us."
"No kiddin'," Daystar added. "It's the 'Judicious' one, right? Odd one to bring up all of a sudden—got a grievance with Fate, Sue, eh?"
You have no idea.
Before Sue could verbally respond to the question, a loud, hissed call pierced the din of Newmoon's clearing again, making Daystar roll her eyes as she spun on her heel towards its source. "Fine, I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted back. Unfortunate, but Sue doubted she would've gotten any more tidbits of useful information out of the weasel, even if she stayed for a few hours longer—
"One last thing—hope ya take learning the language more seriously goin' forward, Sue. Can't always rely on psychics, after all," the weasel reminded, shot her a wink, and headed out. The Forest Guardian appreciated the comment not being chiding in nature, but still couldn't help but groan at the workload such a task would demand. Her fried, scattered neurons already had a hard time keeping themselves together after everything that had happened so far, and now she also had to focus on learning things she couldn't immediately relegate to muscle memory? The injustice of it all.
Then again, it would be more helpful than just about anything else she could work on here, except for maybe her psychics. If she ever managed to miraculously stumble upon a fresh treasure trove of this heavenly material known as 'downtime'—and had any energy remaining by that point—she would consider practicing with someone. Beyond not excluding the night kin in her communication, talking would also be less draining on her psychics. Being able to communicate with people without going through that annoying spiel with her hands every time would sure be very appreciated..
"I mean, I'll try," Sue mumbled to herself, Daystar long since gone. "Maybe Lilly could be my practice partner? That'd, heheh, that'd provide some motivation..." The bright blush that took over her face at the idea was unplanned for, but no less pleasant because of it.
Solstice had her doubts about the leafy dancer being the best person to learn the language from. Though, she guessed that as long as they were still covering the basics, Lilly's disability shouldn't make learning that much harder for Sue.
Snowdrop, however, was much more focused on how much Sue obviously enjoyed her idea. "Awww~" she cooed, flustering the younger Forest Guardian even more. While Sue tried not to burn to death in embarrassment, however, a realization hit her with the grace of a ton of bricks, reminding her about the icy performer having gone missing from Moonview before today. The much less amusing topic worked wonders in sobering her up, though finding the right words to ask Snowdrop remained tricky.
No way but a direct question, Sue figured. "Actually, Snowdrop, I had a question for you." Her sky-blue eyes went wide at that, what passed for warmth thawing the tips of her ice horns. Sue had to admit her imagination was... lively. Her... fantasy? fear? hunch? that Sue was about to ask her out was so vivid even the once-human could pick up on it. Thankfully—or alas—none of that. "A few people were worried that they haven't seen you in a while. How come you were already here when we arrived?" Sue asked, trying to not make a big deal out of it. Regardless of her attempt, however, the topic was a big deal, and Snowdrop reacted appropriately, huddling closer and looking away in embarrassment.
Sue cringed, wishing she had a life-sized 'undo' button on hand. She didn't want to panic and make things worse, but wasn't sure what else she could do to clear up the situation—
"Ah, it's..." Snowdrop began, gathering all the courage she had to look Sue in the eye. "After Juniper had done what—what she did, I had lost all hope that I could ever be together with Daystar. At least, if I were to stay in Moonview. Between doing so with nobody to keep me company, and living here in harsher conditions, but with her by my side... I knew what I preferred."
Her answer made all the sense in the world. It also brought on a sad, comforting smile from Sue, together with a desire to comfort her however she could. And, right beside these two, it rekindled some of the earlier pride she'd felt soon after she'd shouted Root down on that fateful evening, letting her feel its warmth for that bit longer. Even beside the obvious factor of having done a Good Deed, trademark and copyright, she had also helped people out in far more material and immediate ways. It felt nice. She wanted to feel like this.
Just like she wanted to help Snowdrop, still clearly rattled by her question. "That's very understandable," Sue answered with a smile. "Wouldn't ever dream of holding that against you. I remember how... doomed everything felt. D-do you want me to pass it on to anyone who asks in Moonview?" Her question got a soft, relieved smile in return from both the floating lady and the Forest Guardian behind her.
The former even nodded firmly—before cutting herself off. "Actually, if—if things are okay now... I could tell them that myself! W-with Daystar! She'll be able to come visit, r-right, Solstice!?" Snowdrop excitedly asked—and beamed after the affirmative answer moments later. "Eeeee... I-I've got so much to show her!"
Her excitement was downright electric, but not even it could entirely cover up the anxiety that had caused her to run away days earlier. The heady mix of two feelings left her shaking as she floated in midair, in the superposition of relief and stress. Sue sure didn't know any emotion algebra, let alone how to disentangle a state like that—but she had a decent idea of something that could help. It was awkward to think of, let alone suggest out loud, but she felt just bold enough to go for it, motivated to help her friend.
"Care for a hug?"
Sue didn't have to ask twice. Snowdrop was predictably cold to the touch, but also nowhere near as much as Sue feared she would end up being. A part of her expected her to be so freezing she would hurt to the touch, or even leave her with frostbite—but no, she was just cold, be it pleasant or not. Just had to avoid any contact between the floating ice creature and her horns, though, as evidenced by the startled jump that went through her at the smallest brush. Ditto the other way around, but with Snowdrop's horns—these were painfully cold.
And yet, even despite that, Sue still felt warmer afterwards, her spirit bolstered at being able to help someone in such a direct and immediate way—
*GASP!*
The sound froze Sue and double-froze Snowdrop, their combined attention jumping towards its source. Lilly was there, staring at them in a state of shock so pure that even her normally hidden mouth was visibly open. The Forest Guardian's mind wasted no time suggesting the worst possible outcomes of being seen with Snowdrop like that, anything from her crush feeling rejected or like she was cheating on her, to getting so angry she would—*squeak!*
It was surprisingly hard to keep catastrophizing after having most of her air squeezed out of her lungs.
"Snowdrop, there you!" Lilly triumphantly exclaimed, twirling in place on one heel as she lifted both Sue and Snowdrop in the air, holding them tight. The extra dose of vertigo on top of Sue's already present overstimulation helped little, but the radiant joy that accompanied it had a powerful, and immediate, effect. "Much afraid, I, Equinox! Glad glad good you, I!"
"I—yes, thank you Lilly!" Snowdrop giggled once her own mind caught up to what had just happened—and then to the state of the person who had embraced her first. "I-I don't think Sue can breathe like this—" Before she could even finish her sentence, Lilly got the message, instantly letting go of both women and backing off half a step. Sue staggered backwards as she took a deep, heady inhale, shaking hands rubbing along a few particularly cold spots on her front.
"Sorry Sue, I!" Lilly shouted apologetically, taking a couple of steps closer to see if her girlfriend was okay.
Her worries weren't missed on either Forest Guardian, but only the older one was in the state to talk at all. Solstice reassured her, "^Don't worry Lilly, Sue's just getting her bearings again, she wasn't hurt.^"
"Thank, thank..." the dancer mumbled in relief, scooting closer to Sue again and offering her support. Sue didn't have to lean on her; she'd recovered enough by that point to stand again, only her head spun a bit. She sure as hell wasn't about to refuse it, though—not in a million years.
With the sudden moment defused, the only sound left to comment on the scene was Snowdrop's amused, relieved giggles. Sue wasn't rushing to say or do anything, not when she could take her sweet time leaning on her crush for as long as she wanted to, the two swaying in a moment of calm, silent bliss. The arm wrapped around Lilly's shoulders reached up, shyly stroking her cheek. Much to her delight, no less, expressed in as gentle a wiggling as the farmhand could manage.
The calm scene couldn't last forever, though. For once, instead of any external influence disrupting the momentary bliss, the impulse came from the inside. Or, to be more specific, from the older Forest Guardian. She was looking at the nearby crowd when something—someone—caught her attention, sprinkling her thoughts with growing unease. Sue didn't even have to look at who that was to guess their identity, with a quick glance confirming her hunch.
Regardless of where he'd been earlier, Jasper was showing himself this time. He was shyly discussing something with the planty medic, Orchid, next to the gathered medical supplies. He was larger than Sue remembered, certainly the largest villager living in Newmoon, and he looked just as disheveled as Sue remembered him. Pitch black hair shifted one way and the other, disrupting his silhouette to the point of being difficult to look at. And yet, Solstice felt she had to. Sue felt she had to, too. Regardless of his weird gesture towards her the other day, she wanted to know more about him.
I want to know more about Aurora's dad.
After a couple pats on Lilly's arm, Sue straightened herself back out and took a deep breath. Without saying another word, she pushed through her doubt and approached Jasper. Her crush followed close behind, more out of curiosity and wanting to keep her company than anything.
The night kin creature didn't notice her at first, only getting clued into her presence there when Orchid turned to look at her. As monstrous as his face was, it wasn't hard to see the shock written all over it at seeing her, making both him and Sue take half a step away from each other. It was only at that point that Sue realized the in-hindsight-obvious issue of translation she was about to run into, mentally kicking herself over it.
At least, before Orchid spoke up—and Sue understood her words. "Greetings Sue, Lilly, darlings, pleasure to see you both here. How has your leg been, Sue?"
Sue blinked in confusion before the pieces fell together. She glanced over her shoulder, back at Solstice, and got a nervous wink in response. Still a wink, though, reassuring the younger Forest Guardian as she turned back to the medic. "It's been healing well, thank you. Don't know if you've seen her here, but—"
"Ah yes, Snowdrop has been bonding close with her darling Daystar~. Not a pairing I would've guessed, but good for her, by the Pale Lady, good for her!" Orchid mused, sounding like she'd had anywhere from one to a dozen drinks beforehand. Sue didn't disagree, of course, but her attention was firmly away from either that topic or the medic's remarks about it.
"Oh, pardon me, don't think I've introduced her yet," the medic continued, noticing the Forest Guardian's attention shifting away from her. "Jasper, this is Sue."
"Don't worry, we've met before," Sue hurriedly added, getting the tiniest of surprised gasps out of the living bouquet. Jasper was about to say almost the exact same thing, and definitely appreciated someone freeing him from the burden of talking, at least this once.
"Oooooh, I see~," Orchid enigmatically fibbed. "Well then, don't let me hold you two up," she then chuckled, before making her way away, leaving just the somewhat baffled pair and Lilly to chat among themselves.
Now I really hope I don't come off as the kind of girl to go after divorcees.
Even with that awkward introduction over, Sue and Jasper could only anxiously look in the other's direction for a while, the words refusing to come. The Forest Guardian had no idea what to say, now that she finally had a chance to talk with him, and the night kin... didn't know how to phrase his part. The words spun inside his mind, the individual hairs around his head frizzling out in a mess of contradictory inputs and thoughts. Ultimately, the gist of what he wanted, no—needed to say was straightforward, and it was better to just go with it, perfect wording or not.
"H-hello, Sue. I-it's good to—to see you again," Jasper stammered, his powerful growl of a voice betrayed by this uncertain, palpably worried tone. Sue was about to respond, but kept herself from speaking—he wasn't done yet. He continued, "I-I must apologize a-about what had happened th-the other day, wh-when you woke up. I-it was uncouth of me, a-and I apologize f-for the discomfort th-that must've brought you."
Lilly shifted ever so slightly closer to her girlfriend at there being some kind of history between Jasper and Sue, but didn't act or speak out otherwise. Sue herself appreciated the words greatly, glad to be able to finally bury that unfortunate incident. "It's nice to—to meet you, Jasper. And it's okay, promise," she gave the most confident smile she could force out of herself.
As much as she wanted to get over the incident, it was apparent that the furry night kin himself wasn't. "No no, I-I really sh-shouldn't have done that, it was j-just wrong, I-I don't know wh-what came over me, I'm s-so sorry—"
"It's because I looked like Aurora, right?"
The words slipped out of Sue's mouth almost subconsciously, bringing both of them to an utter standstill. She watched as he stared at her with eyes so wide his anatomy wouldn't let them get any wider; maw left agape. Worry and regret filled her mind; a few tears coalesced within the corners of his eyes before finally bearing fruit that flowed down his green skin and sharp fangs. It was horror. It was misery.
It was understanding, more than anything else. "Th-that's true, yes..." Jasper finally admitted, growls so quiet they barely came out of his voice box. His posture shrank, fur curled up tighter, eyes desperately searched for anything to focus on except the Forest Guardian before him—
"I understand," Sue insisted, calm and empathetic. "I-I really do. I know what—what had happened, and I don't want to hold something as small as that against you. And, besides," she let out a mirthless chuckle, "you were hardly the only one that let my resemblance to Aurora do something you regretted." The allusion wasn't missed on the night kin, his gaze first furrowing in confusion, before jumping all the way over to Solstice, almost at the other end of the clearing. Sue wasn't sure whether the two actually ended up locking eyes, but there certainly was understanding between them.
"I-I see. That's, that's very understanding from you, S-Sue. I r-really appreciate it."
As strained as his voice still was, Sue's explanation really did melt through much of that earlier, suffocating fear. He was still uneasy, but frankly, so was she—and the only way to help with that was to get to know each other some more. Though maybe while avoiding the topic of Aurora herself for the time being. "You're welcome," Sue smiled. "I've been curious about you for a while, admittedly."
Jasper chuckled embarrassedly, fur shifting towards a spot on the back of his head. "Oh, h-heh—there's scarcely a-anything interesting about me. Just a-a humble wannabe healer. I-If anything, I'm q-quite curious about you now, Sue—if th-that's alright a-and you're okay with me asking—"
"Of course! Go right ahead." She meant it with every fiber of her being—until one of the said fibers reminded her that there were some questions she couldn't answer in anything even resembling honesty.
Such as, for example, the question that followed. "I'm a-admittedly surprised t-to see another Forest G-Guardian here. O-or rather, a Forest Guardian that wouldn't want to turn me into a trophy," he joked, draining whatever blood remained in Sue's face. "N-now I'm curious. Where did you wind up here from?"
Once she'd gotten past something as morbid as that being used as an off-the-cuff joke, the once-human dug into her memories for the excuse story Solstice gave her back when they first met. It already felt sketchy then, but now, in hindsight, it was downright laughable, leaving Sue to hope that Jasper wouldn't want to dig into it too much. "I-it's a long story, y'know. I was r-really really bad with psychics when I was little, and my people ended up tossing me out. But I survived, and now that I've met Solstice, I can finally learn how to control m-my psychics and all that."
He didn't buy a word of that, did he.
As meek and shy as he came off earlier, the doubtful look Jasper gave Sue after she'd delivered her answer chilled her to the core. He wasn't aggressive about it or anything; it wasn't hostility; it was just... he knew she wasn't saying the truth. Of course he knew, her story was laughable at best. And yet, even though he could say with confidence that Sue wasn't being honest with him, he couldn't figure out why. She was obviously treating him like a person, she wasn't even struggling with the same leftover unease from her upbringing as Solstice had when they first met. She couldn't have been trying to hide something shameful like that.
But if not that, then... what? Why else would she come up with this laughable story? Jasper was stumped, the kind of stumped that would normally have him do a quick prayer for guidance, but he figured it wasn't necessary here. Both because the last thing he wanted to do was to cause a scene by making Sue's lie a big deal, and because, to some extent, he didn't want to know either. It must've been even worse than the obvious answer, clearly, and while he'd gotten better about handling the sight of blood, he only had so much endurance when listening to stories of atrocities.
He put on a mock smile before trying to change the subject. "Th-that's interesting. Either way—I h-hope you've been enjoying s-staying in Moonview!"
Sue let out a breath she wasn't even consciously aware she was holding. Partly out of relief at not being seen through, partly because of the squeeze Lilly pulled her into afterwards, not knowing nearly enough to doubt her fake backstory. Jasper's words, even that relief aside, piqued her interest. She wouldn't have ever expected to hear the town being spoken of in such a tone by anyone that had been exiled from it. "Y-yeah, I have! I—I haven't been here for long, but I'm already quite fond of it," Sue mused, only now realizing just how much she meant her words.
Jasper was taken aback. "R-really? I-I mean—you only showed up r-recently? Of course I'm glad you're enjoying s-staying there, p-probably with Solstice, b-but with how you showed up here a-a few days ago I—I'd assumed you've b-been living there for a good while and maybe only just learned o-of our history or something..."
That was another hole in Sue's story—and this time, it was one not even she had any conceivable answers for. She'd acknowledged earlier just how much of a rush she'd been through over the past week or so, but to have someone else pick up on it, and from so little information at that, was something else altogether. To some extent, it didn't even feel like a chaotic, random Fate anymore—it was as if she was being hurriedly guided along to some preordained Destiny.
Maybe. She could've been just losing it from the frenzy of it all. Either way, she really, really hoped nothing uniquely terrible would happen tomorrow, nothing ground shattering, nothing that left her shook to the core again. She needed some time to breathe. Good gods, did she need it.
"Admittedly, it was a really spur-of-the-moment choice on my end, e-especially with that crutch, heh," Sue chuckled dryly, hoping to undermine the blatant and confusing reality. "E-either way, I'm here now, and I'm definitely planning to stay for long!" Her confidence was about as solid as spoiled yogurt, but Jasper thankfully interpreted it as her being shy.
He gave smiling his best shot and came up short. "I-I'm glad to hear! Th-thoughtful people l-like you make any place b-better."
Sue had almost mentally tripped over the compliment, cutting her off for a moment. Instead of trying to cram it into her unwilling mind, either now or later, she instead did the more appropriately avoidant move of side-stepping the words altogether, and pretending they weren't there. After all, she still had a couple of questions. "Y-yeah. I-I'm quite curious, though—wouldn't have guessed anyone here would talk about Moonview in such a... warm way after what had happened."
She was under no pretenses that this would be a serious, downright grim topic—and she was right. Jasper's posture deflated, but thankfully, he maintained some composure this time. "I-I'm not blaming you. People here were, m-maybe some still are, quite a-angry, and I d-d-don't blame them at all. I could n-never feel that, personally. It hurt, a-and even hurts now a bit still, b-but... it was still my h-home for the longest time. I-I hope it can be again."
It was a very heartfelt admission, and Sue was of half a mind to offer Jasper what she'd offered Snowdrop earlier. She decided against it, though. For as nice as it was, there were still some things unsaid there. "I hope so too," Sue beamed. "I guess I just expected you to be... more angry at people that exiled you all." Was that prejudiced to say? Sue really hoped it wasn't prejudiced to say.
Just like she hoped that the dry, pained chuckle she got in return wasn't a harbinger of anything bad. "Th-the only person I'm a-angry at f-for all that is m-myself. If I hadn't b-been a coward, if I had—hadn't—I—" he tried to explain, only for his emotions to get an upper hand before he could even try to wrest them back under control. He clenched his eyes shut, one furry hand reaching up to shield his face. Even his sobs sounded like growls, and Lilly instinctively backed a half step away.
But not Sue. She knew where the sight before her lead, just how many knock-on effects that crushing inward pain had. She wanted to do something, anything, about it. Even if she was unlikely to prevent something like what had happened to her specifically because of her dad, nobody deserved to bear such pain, such guilt—and especially not someone who was a victim in all of this.
She wasn't sure where the resolve that had filled her had come from, but she wasn't about to hide it. Without flinching, she took a step forward, and grasped Jasper's free hand with her own. His fur was thick and somewhat coarse, but surprisingly dry and clean to the touch, a far cry from its shiny look. The limb underneath all the fluff was thin and angular, the three-fingered hand underneath it eerily similar to her own.
Jasper's heart skipped a beat as he stared at her through parted fingers, stunned at being offered any touch in distress like this. The only thing more shocking than that were the words that followed, as confident as Sue was capable of in the heat of the moment. "It's not your fault, Jasper. N-none of what happened is your fault. You did everything you could back then, that much I'm certain of."
He'd heard all that before, from many voices. His mind had gotten quite decent at filtering all that reassurance out over time, always finding one reason or another to undermine what the other person had actually said. In time, the conditions for such words to be actually accepted had narrowed down to where the only person he would conceivably listen to and internalize what they'd said was long since dead.
Sue wasn't Aurora. Of course she wasn't, and thinking like that would only ever lead to terrible things happening. And yet, at that moment, when he looked at the unkempt, messed up Forest Guardian in front of her, he saw his daughter again. Just for a single blink, the briefest of glimpses of the future that could've been—and yet, it was enough to get through to him, to dent that barrier the scar on his soul had built around itself. He was unsure how to feel, left staring in shock as his racing heart calmed down, and the winding tension finally dissipated.
All that he knew was that he was hurting less now. "Th-thank you, Sue," he breathlessly responded, slowly prying his hand away from his face. "I mean it. I-I think it helped a lot."
The Forest Guardian smiled in return as the tension about having possibly made a terrible, terrible mistake by touching him drained from her body. The emotional whiplash was almost enough to make her head spin, but she held through it, pulling her hand away while drawing deep breaths. "You're welcome, Jasper—I meant it."
"Oh, I-I—" he chuckled nervously, before straightening out, "—I cannot imagine doubting you did."
The seemingly deliberate stress placed on a completely random word stumped Sue like not much else did anymore. She wanted to ask if Jasper was okay, before hearing Lilly's whistled giggling behind her, apparently brought on by his words. It made her turn that question inwards, asking herself if she was okay, or if she was losing it or having a stroke or something. It took a moment for the furry night kin to notice her mental unrest, and then three more to figure out the reason for it.
He then, quite abruptly, facepalmed, fur slapping against fur with a loud *pomf*. "I-I should've realized S-Solstice is translating f-for you. W-well, it's—it's a pun. A terrible pun."
"Funny it, think I!" Lilly cut in with her sing-song voice while her girlfriend finally processed what Jasper had said.
Heh.
The night kin certainly appreciated her stepping in. "Th-thank you! Um—"
The dancer took the cue to introduce herself. "Lilly I! Sue girlfriend I!"
Sue's mind had plenty of words to say about Lilly's choice of terminology, ranging from the mental equivalent of angelic choirs to opening up a pit straight to the hell of her own anxiety right under her feet. Alas, it wouldn't be allowed to act on either extreme reaction, or anything in between them. Not for the lack of desire to, but because of being cut off by a different sensation. Someone unnerved and afraid, approaching from right behind her—
"S-Sue?" Spark whimpered, her voice exactly matching the mood her mind was sensing. The Forest Guardian and the leafy dancer turned around to face the fiery kit, and saw that they weren't alone. Pollux and Thistle accompanied them, both of them equally uneasy—but especially the little psychic, swaying erratically from side to side under her 'hat'.
Something was wrong, that much was clear. "What's wrong, Sparkie?" Sue asked and kneeled, offering the lil' vixen a comforting hand, which she then gladly took.
"^My mom is feeling bad and hurting and—and I don't know what to do...^" Thistle answered for her, pinprick eyes looking at Sue pleadingly.
The Forest Guardian had no idea what she could even possibly say in response. She definitely wanted to help, but neither had the knowledge of how she could conceivably help the extremely emotion-sensitive, towering psychic, nor much desire to get close to her after having made a rather poor first impression. Especially when she was feeling unwell and was presumably on edge.
Jasper wasn't limited by either of those factors. "S-something wrong with Heather?" he asked, emboldened. The chorus of childish 'uh-huh's and nods was all the answer he needed, regaining composure now that he could help someone he considered a friend.
"D-don't worry," he smiled as he approached, "she's gonna be okay. Lead the way."