Chapter Text
The air felt so much clearer up at the Spring; the water of the Goddess Pond reflected the fiery, dying sunlight like a crystal clear mirror. Celia admittedly felt much calmer among the flowers and trees. Much calmer than she was at the farm earlier that day. She took in a deep breath of the fresh air and let her worries leave as she exhaled. She knelt by the pond, watching fish swim underwater. And she couldn’t help but smile as they circled the pool. They looked so free, so calm. She felt the same as she looked at them.
Celia took a moment to listen to the sound of the critters nearby. The big lizard running through the grass by the river, the squirrels dashing up and down the trees, the birds singing their sunset lullabies. She closed her eyes as a breeze flowed in, the air passing through the strands of her hair and allowing the bandana around them to slip ever so slightly. She couldn’t help but giggle, feeling the first chills of autumn creep down her spine.
How peaceful this was. Celia walked around the Goddess Pond, watching leaves fall into the water. It looked like a painting, like the ones she heard people speak of in galleries. But Celia didn’t need any paintings or galleries. Not when she had the muse right in front of her.
Her moment of peace was interrupted by the sound of footsteps against the ground. She looked up to see Vesta walking her way. Celia began to walk over to her, tightening her bandana.
“I’m sorry, Vesta, I’ll be back in a moment,” She cleared her throat as she brushed off her skirt.
“No, no, I only came to check on you!” Vesta said with a toothy grin. “You left so abruptly, and I couldn’t help but be worried.”
“Oh! Oh,” Celia blushed. “It’s nothing to worry about. I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed.” She started to walk back down the path towards the farm, Vesta walking by her side.
“It wasn’t about what Marlin said, was it?” Vesta’s brow furrowed.
Celia tried to reassure Vesta with a small smile. “No. Not necessarily. It was just the conversation, that's all.”
Vesta raised a brow, walking silently until they crossed the bridge over to the farm. The fields were filled with new crops for the season, each one growing just as it should. Steadily and strongly. Vesta beamed as she looked over at them.
“It’s going to be a bountiful harvest this season!” She said, puffing out her chest, “It’s a shame they won’t be ready in time for the Harvest Festival, though.”
“We still have a lot to share with our friends this year anyway,” Celia smiled. “It will be a nice festival even without fresh carrots or yams.”
They walked into the house, Celia giving Marlin a smile when he turned to them.
“You’re back,” He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I hope you thought about what I said.”
“Marlin, Celia doesn’t need to think about this right now!” Vesta scolded.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Celia said. She walked up to Marlin and gave him a soft smile, her eyes warm as ever. “I know you’re just looking out for me. There’s a lot of, well, like you said, pigheaded men out there, and I deserve to find the right one.”
Marlin’s stern expression didn’t change, but he still nodded. “You understand, then.”
Celia turned back to Vesta. “And Vesta, I see where you’re coming from, too! I’m getting older, and there comes a time when I have to spread my wings. I can’t stay here on the farm forever. I’d love to find someone to settle down with at some point.”
Vesta crossed her arms and grinned. “That’s good to know.”
“I’ll stay here for now. You two are family to me, and I don’t want to let go of you just yet. Maybe in a year or two we can have this conversation again?”
“Agreed!” Vesta said, drowning out Marlin’s groan in the background.
Celia nodded before heading upstairs to her room. She let out a sigh of relief, once again exhaling her worries. She picked up her diary from her bedside before sitting down, beginning to flip through the pages. Then, she found her place and picked up her pen to write.
She chewed her lip as she wrote, pausing to tap her pen against them to think. Words spilled from her soul, one by one. About Vesta’s proposition, about the Spring, about what their neighbor had said not too long ago. The old owner of that farm had an heir, someone to take over the land for him. Takakura wouldn’t have to be alone. Vesta would have a new customer. Celia smiled as she thought about it. A new life in the valley, a new beginning for someone.
“Celia!” Vesta’s voice called from down the stairs. “Will you help with dinner?”
“Yes! I can come down in a moment!” Celia hurried up her entry and set her diary back down on her table.
A new life, yes, Celia couldn’t help but dream of it as she thought of the farm across the river. She returned to the kitchen and helped put together a dinner, smiling and laughing along with Vesta. As she sat and ate with Vesta and Marlin, she hoped her future neighbor would know family as well as she did.