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The Winter night was crisp and cold, the perfect weather for hot comfort food like what Howard and Laney served at their cafe.
What Phillip would be tucking in to enjoy right now if he wasn’t out looking for Oracle, who was supposed to be joining him for the Starry Night Festival.
She should’ve arrived a half-hour ago, a cozy get-together with not only Howard and Laney, but Cam too, as well as Mikhail, whom Howard had insisted also be a part of their evening.
Luckily, he didn’t have to venture too far; at the base of the mountains sat the church, and outside the church were benches. He’d relaxed there numerous times, whether chatting with Alisa on a sunny day or sharing lunch with Dirk as the mailman took a short respite from his deliveries. On top of that, it’d become a favorite spot for him to spend time with Oracle, a way station of sorts that didn’t take either of them too far away from their respective properties.
Oracle was there, gazing up at the sky – the starry night, as it were. He called out to her, and though she couldn’t possibly have not heard him, she didn’t give any indication of it until he was about to drop down on the bench beside her. Her rapt fixation melted away and she sprang up and threw her arms around him, causing him to stumble back onto the bench, landing on its cold wooden surface with a hollow thap!
“Philly! Hi! You came!”
“Hey...” Breathing out a shaky laugh, he hugged her back. If anyone else had thrown themselves at him so suddenly, he’d have been irritated, but with Oracle? How could he be? She was just so thrilled to see him, and was still nuzzling against him when he told her, “Y-Yeah, of course I did. Because you didn’t. We were supposed to meet at the cafe!”
Pulling back, she peered up at him, as if this was news to her. “Ohhhhh. The Starry Night thingy you told me about?”
“It’s not a ‘thingy’, it’s a festival!” he corrected her. “A chance to gather with friends. Or, you know… me. A date. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”
Which was an understatement.
All the preparation for tonight had caused Phillip to recall the days leading up to it. This felt like some sort of grand finale, when he hoped that it was only the beginning.
Phillip had only just asked Oracle to accompany him yesterday, but he’d thought about this night ever since the start of Winter. It wasn’t necessarily a romantic festival, but that didn’t stop him from seeing it that way—from seeing it as a date, when he’d been too oblivious to consider their first time at the cafe together one.
He couldn’t tell if she was cold, but he sure was, and took her hands in his. She snuggled closer against him, as Phillip continued to rub his thumbs back and forth over her knuckles, a means to comfort and warm not only her, but himself as well.
“I didn’t expect for you to be waiting out here…” He glanced up to survey the surrounding area, the bare tree limbs gently swaying from the winter winds. “Er, why are you out here, anyway? Why didn’t you come to the cafe like we planned?”
“You mortals are so weird,” she replied. “Shouldn’t something called a Starry Night Festival take place outside? You can’t see the stars be all twinkly and sparkly from inside, Silly Philly!”
Phillip laughed at her nickname for him. “Okay, that’s true, and something we can take into consideration for next year. But they’re all waiting for you! Cam went all out with the decorations, and Mikhail said he’s gonna play some songs he hasnt in a long time, just for this special occasion. And Howard and Laney cooked a ton of delicious food that I know you’re gonna love.”
Sponge cake was on the menu, both matcha and plain, a specialty Phillip often bought from the cafe for the express purpose of sharing some with Oracle. And he could still smell the rich, savory aroma of the quiches Howard had baked—one of them, even, with a variety of mushrooms, just as Phillip had asked, for Oracle to try.
“Y-You mean they’re all there? Waiting for me?” She blinked up at him. “Really?”
“Really really,” he assured her. “So, whaddya say we get going so they don’t have to wait any longer?”
Letting go of her hands, he made to stand, but Oracle grasped at the front of his coat, keeping him in place. “But…! We can’t!”
“Why not?”
“Because, I…!” She bit her lip, averting her eyes from him. “Because I’m so nervous.”
Phillip sighed. He figured as much but couldn’t exactly fault Oracle, either. Everyone being so close-knit with each other had been intimidating to him too, when he’d first arrived. And not because of anything they did, to make him feel unwelcome.
Of course, Oracle had been here—or, nearby, rather—longer than anyone in either town, even Gombe or Rose and Rutger.
“Look, we don’t have to stay late, if you don’t want. But let’s at least eat. For one thing, I’m starving, and… well, that’s probably something that should be taken care of, ASAP.”
Between tending to his Konohana fields, and saving his appetite for the spread tonight, all Phillip had managed to eat since breakfast was a tasty egg tart at Yun’s tea house. His push for Oracle to come along was just as much for his own sake as hers; since they’d started dating, he’d learned to let himself be vulnerable in front of her, but their only real argument had come when they were both, they later admitted, hangry, and Phillip was afraid that embarrassing side of him would show itself again if they didn’t get back to the cafe soon.
“What’s the other thing?” Oracle asked.
“Other thing?”
“You said ‘for one thing’!” she reminded him brightly.
“Oh. Yeah, I did.” Phillip’s smile widened. “The other thing is, if you don’t come with me, you won’t get my pre-senttt.” He stretched out the final word, a teasing lilt in his tone.
“Y-You got me a present?”
Get wasn’t the most accurate word. It was something he’d paid to have made, especially for her, but he wasn’t about to reveal that quite yet.
“Yup, that’s right, and it’s an exclusive Starry Night Festival-only gift. You’ll have to wait a whole ‘nother year if I don’t give it to you tonight, and who knows what’ll happen to it by then. I might lose it.”
This brought a gasp out of Oracle as she shot to her feet. “Y-You wouldn’t dare lose something that was meant for the Great and All-Knowing Oracle!” She frowned, in that cute pouty way that Phillip knew better than to rib her about—usually, anyway.
“Well, don’t risk it.” Phillip stood too, offered his arm, which she immediately latched on to. “Come on. As long as I’m with you, there’s nothing to be nervous about. Promise.”
She stayed huddled beside him as, slowly but surely, they made their way into Bluebell town and towards the warmth of Howard’s cafe.
As they approached the large statue at the center of town, the rich, enticing scent of dinner greeted them, causing Oracle to break away from Phillip and rush to get inside the cafe. Laney eagerly welcomed her, and Phillip too, as he pulled up several steps behind.
Phillip was relieved to see that dinner wasn’t quite ready yet, that only appetizers were being shared amongst the guests as the final minutes until meal time ticked down. It gave him the chance to not only chow down on some of the buttery herb rolls Laney had baked, but to help ease Oracle’s nerves by saying hi to everyone else.
Laney, Howard, and Cam had all met her before, although Cam’s introduction had been quite recent, when Phillip brought her to his friend’s stall to have a bouquet of her choosing arranged; another gift just because. Mikhail was the one who was likely a stranger to her, judging by the way she openly gawked at him as he neared them.
Thankfully Mikhail, gentleman that he was, didn’t seem the least bit deterred, and took the initiative to introduce himself rather than wait for Phillip to say anything.
“I take it you’re the fascinating alchemist that Phillip has told us all so much about,” he said. The three of them were together by the front counter while Laney and Cam helped with setting the table. Resting beside him was his beloved violin; Phillip guessed they had missed out on listening to him play, and hoped he’d grace everyone with an encore after their meal.
Oracle, who was also snacking on the rolls, swallowed her bite. She looked to Phillip, and then back at Mikhail, dumbfounded. “H-He’s… done what?”
“All complimentary, I assure you,” Mikhail replied. He extended his hand, presumably expecting Oracle to gently place hers in it. “My name is Mikhail. It’s a pleasure to meet you at last. I’m a musician by trade—more specifically, a violinist.”
“Oh! It’s you!” Snatching hold of his hand, she gave it a hearty shake, her sleeve whipping about wildly. “Hi!”
“Me?” he repeated, wrenching his arm away to save it from potential injury.
“Yes, you! You make all that wonderful music I’ve heard.”
Mikhail’s gaze shifted momentarily to Phillip, as if he might provide further insight to just how she was aware of this. Phillip gave a small shrug, and when Mikhail’s attention returned to Oracle, it was with a tentative smile. “Well, er… I don’t exactly make it, but if you mean that I’ve played while out amongst nature, then… yes, I suppose it would be me. I’m… I’m honored you think it’s wonderful.”
“Not just me!” Oracle said, all sorts of giddy. “The animals love-love-LOVE it, too. They told me so themselves!”
“Right, of course…” Mikhail said carefully, though Oracle seemed to be taking the statement in earnest, and nodded, giving an mm-hmm! in response. “I can’t say that I intended to play for anyone other than myself, but all the same… I’m glad it’s met such approval.”
They continued in that vein, talking about the local wildlife, with Phillip finding spots to join in. After all, he’d taken to befriending some of the animals on and around the mountain, and it was part of the reason he had started visiting Oracle so often to begin with; she was right in the heart of their home, that it’d seemed pointless to avoid her and her shrine, no matter how reclusive she made an effort to be.
He’d never expected he’d grow absolutely smitten with her, but he definitely wasn’t complaining. And seeing her interacting with his friends—first Laney, and now, Mikhail—only served to make him even more enamored of her. For all her talk of nerves, it seemed the right topic (in this case, cute animals) was the ticket to getting her to socialize with ease.
He was so proud of her, and wished he could say so, but it felt a little embarrassing to do so in front of others, and besides, he didn’t want to grind the conversation to a halt when she was so clearly enjoying herself. So, casually, as though it were the most natural thing in the world to do, he reached for her hand and wove his fingers with hers, and gave a little squeeze.
Dinner was everything Phillip hoped it to be and more. If anything, he’d undersold just how good the meal would be, and despite Oracle being pickier than him (than most people he knew, honestly), she was just as impressed. He’d never been much of a cook until he’d had to be, upon arriving in Bluebell, but with how amazing the food was, and seeing how much Oracle loved it (especially the sponge cake for dessert) it made him only want to get better.
Plus, Howard and Laney were both so effortlessly friendly and charming that their personalities alone would have convinced him of the superior taste of the quiches, of the salad made with vegetables fresh from Phillip’s farm and wild herbs collected from the mountainside.
If anything, his biggest concern going into the night had been the possibility of leaving too early, with Oracle feeling too unsettled among these people she hardly knew, or worse yet, that she would rub them the wrong way with her talk of experiments. Now, he was worried that they might end up staying too late, with how she enthusiastically pressed everyone about their various interests; she wanted to hear everything Cam had to say about his knowledge of all things flora, and Mikhail, too, in regards to his travels all over the world.
Smiles, laughter, food and warmth; it was exactly what Phillip wanted not just tonight, gathered together with all his friends, but with Oracle, too—just the two of them—for as long as he could imagine. It’d always been a given that he was in this for the long haul—he wouldn’t be dating her just for a lark—but seeing her pure delight really drove it home.
Eventually, the little bird in the cafe’s wall clock chirped eleven times, signaling the late hour.
Cam retired to his room first. Unsurprising, since Phillip had gotten the sense his social battery was entirely depleted. He offered to help Laney and Howard with the clean-up, and was promptly rebuffed. Not putting up any further argument, he politely bid everyone good night before slipping away. Not long after, Mikhail took his leave, saying he didn’t like to worry Rose and Rutger by being out too late; apparently Rose had once stayed up until midnight, waiting for him to return to his room at the town hall, and Mikhail wasn’t going to put her through that again.
Though they hadn’t accepted Cam’s help with cleaning up, Phillip’s was more than welcome once it became apparent that Howard was doing most of the job—Laney was too caught up chatting with Oracle over tea and yet another piece of sponge cake each for the two of them.
He felt like a jerk interrupting them and telling Oracle that they should get going, but Laney reluctantly agreed that it was best to part ways for the night.
“I’m so glad you were able to come!” Laney stepped forward and pulled Oracle into a quick hug. Stepping back, she held Oracle at arm’s length, and added, “Stop by any time, I mean it. I could always use another taste tester.”
Oracle looked shaken, but pleased. She wasn’t used to physical contact, Phillip knew, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like it.
Phillip started to respond, “I could always make you some—”
“Ooo, does that mean I can bring something for you to try?” Oracle asked Laney, as if Phillip weren’t there.
“I don’t know if—” Phillip tried, but this time he was swiftly cut off by Laney clapping her hands together and letting out a small yelp of excitement.
“Yes, please! It’d be so fun, trying out each other’s recipes. Actually, Georgia and I had just been talking about having a sleepover soon, a girl’s night! You could join!”
He sighed as the girls continued to ignore him, but soon they were saying their goodbyes (for real, this time).
When Phillip and Oracle stepped outside, the night air was cold, if not colder, than it’d been earlier when he’d met up with her. But he hardly registered it. He was plenty warm, inside and out, on account of a fun, fulfilling night with his friends and amazing girlfriend.
“That was the bestest meal I’ve ever had,” she told Phillip as they started their journey towards the town’s edge. “I’ve never had food as good as that, never ever!”
“Never-ever-ever?” Phillip asked, only half-joking. He had a hard time imagining that there were things Oracle, for as long as she’d been around, hadn’t done or eaten, but then, she wasn’t exactly what Phillip would describe as adventurous. One of the traits that he admired so much about her—her determination when it came to her craft—was the same one that broke his heart a little. She was so smart, and practically overflowing with positive energy, and yet she so rarely shared any of that with others.
He knew how lucky he was to be the one she did share it with, and maybe, as tonight had proven, his friends in Bluebell and even Konohana would soon be so lucky, too.
“Nope! But what’s a ‘girls’ night’, that Laney wants me to come to?” Oracle looked at him quizzically. “Is it another festival? Will it be as fun as tonight, do you think?”
“Well, I dunno, I’ve never been to a girls’ night. Laney can explain it to you. Maybe the next time you stop by for sponge cake.” With a fake, overly-dramatic pout, he added, “Since you don’t want mine.”
“I do want it! And hers too!” She shook his arm, as if he had some on him right now to give. “I want all of it!”
“See, you were all nervous about going tonight, and now you’re basically being guaranteed a never-ending supply of sponge cake.”
“Oh! That reminds me…!” Her voice pitched high, and she jostled his arm again, even harder. “Where’s your preeeeseennnt for me?”
Phillip laughed, his breath puffing out a small cloud between them. “I was gonna give it to you there, but it never seemed the right moment, and…”
“Well, hand it over!” Now Oracle was yanking on him so forcefully he feared his arm might pop out of its socket. “You promised.”
“I did, but…”
“Gimme, gimme, GIMME!”
“Uh, could we do this somewhere that I’m not freezing my butt off? Like my place?”
Finally letting go of him, Oracle crossed her arms and glared. “When the great Oracle commands you to do something, you do it!”
“You can’t just say that every time to get your way, you know.” And yet, Phillip was slipping his messenger bag off his shoulder, unlatching the leather flap. “Okay, close your eyes—and put your hands out.” She did so, and her nose wrinkled as the wind blew a few wisps of long hair in front of her face. “Hey, no peeking!”
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a small, plush alpaca. He’d commissioned Nori to make it using the unbelievably soft wool from his alpacas. They were by far Oracle’s favorite part of his farm, and it was always a struggle to pull her away from the fluffy creatures whenever she visited.
Carefully, he placed it into her waiting hands. She gasped quietly as it made contact with her skin.
“Alright,” Phillip said. “You can-”
She opened her eyes. “It’s…!” Another gasp, this one much louder and sharper. “An alpaca?!”
“Yeah.” Phillip chuckled. “One of your very own.”
She folded it against her and squeezed, burying her face against the alpaca’s cottony body. “It’s so cute, and so so so FLUFFY!”
“I take it you like it,” he said, a laugh escaping him.
“I love it! I’ll treasure it forever and ever and EVER! For as long as I live!” She hopped up and down happily, still hugging the alpaca tight. “You’re the best, Philly!”
“As long as you live, huh? That’s ah… a long time…” Phillip said, and as the words left his mouth, the reality of them sank in. Oracle would live a long time. She already had.
And he wouldn’t.
The joy he’d been filled with instantly evaporated.
This was a topic they probably should’ve discussed sooner, but Phillip had always claimed it wasn’t anything that bothered him.
Lately, though, it bothered him more and more. Mainly because every day, he found himself liking—loving—her more and more, and thoughts of what their future together would look like had become more prevalent.
“Phillip...? What’s wrong?” She shuffled closer to him, enough that he could see the stars reflecting in her pretty red eyes. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah… I’m alright. Better than alright, actually.”
“You’re not,” she said softly, a tremble in her voice.
Phillip rubbed at the back of his neck, guilt taking hold of him. His eyes stayed fixed on the alpaca plushie as he spoke, “You’ll have this longer than you’ll have me.”
He didn’t want to think about it, but it was hard not to. And while he truly did love giving gifts to all his friends, but with Oracle in particular, it felt a little like a way to compensate.
She chewed at her lip. “Would it help at all if I gave you something in return?”
“Something…? Like right now?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Oracle, listen…” He lifted a hand to tuck back another piece of pink hair that was brushing along her cheek. “I appreciate the thought, but spending time with you, helping you with your experiments… that’s more than enough.”
“But we’ve been dating for sooooooo long and I’ve never gotten you a single thing!
“So long?” Phillip echoed, a smile rounding his question. “We’ve only been dating since Summer. That’s like the blink of an eye to you.”
“But I’ve never dated anyone!” Oracle protested. “So it feels like forever!”
That got a chuckle from Phillip, but he wasn’t backing down. “You don’t have to give me something just because I got you something. Really.”
“But that’s not why—!”
“Then why—?”
“Because I love you, Phillip!”
Phillip’s mouth snapped shut. All he could do was gape, wide-eyed. She, for her part, seemed just as surprised at her outburst, and was crushing the alpaca plushie tight against herself.
“When you… when you first kissed me…” She was getting all bashful, and it was freaking adorable that she was pushing through, for him. “It was like… drinking the most magical potion in the world, even better than anything I could have created. Which is saying something! And tonight only proved how much you care for me; you were there for me the whole time, and made me feel like I could do anything. So I want to… do this. I want to give you something I’ve never given anyone. Something very, very, very important.”
She had a way of sounding so enthusiastic, that it could be dismissed as overreacting. But Phillip knew it wasn’t, that she wouldn’t declare something so bold unless she truly felt it. So he didn’t question either her proclamation of love nor her offer.
But what would she offer? Especially when nothing he gave her was really enough; when it was all the most simple of gifts: moments and memories, sponge cake and plush alpacas.
“What, um… What would that be?”
“I want to tell you my name.”
“Your… name?” From the beginning, she’d told him to address her as Oracle, and part of him had thought that, maybe, her title actually was her name. Or that she’d been around so long, she might have forgotten it. “But you… I mean, can you just do that? Just go tell me your name? Isn’t that kind of a big deal? This doesn’t seem like a fair trade.”
“It is! That’s why I wanna tell you—because you’re a big deal to me, too.”
He drew in a deep breath. “Okay, well… I’m not gonna stop you. Not that I think I could, anyway.”
“You gotta close your eyes, too! Just like I had to for you!”
So that’s what Phillip did, although he wasn’t sure how this factored into her telling him. He could hear the faint crunch of the grass as Oracle came near. He was quite a bit taller than her, and had gotten used to ducking down to kiss her, but was utterly unprepared as she tugged on his jacket sleeve, causing him to dip to the side.
And then she whispered in his ear. Her name.
“Okay…” she said quietly. “You can open your eyes now.”
He did so, turning to look at her, and though she wasn’t a different person, not in the least, it was like seeing her for the first time. And that’s when he realized…
“Oh… oh shoot…”
“What? What is it!”
“I love you too! I can't believe I didn’t even—”
“But I knew you did! I know these things, Phillip. Like I said, this was the most specialist night ever, and it wouldn’t have been if you didn’t love me too!”
“Right, right, sorry…” He was sure he didn’t look sorry. Even the strongest winter wind wouldn’t have been able to wipe the grin from his face. “Thank you, though. I… I don’t even know what to say.”
“Just say you won’t take it for granted that I told you, or share it with anyone.” It went without saying that knowing her name gave Phillip a sort of power over Oracle. Not that he’d ever exert it, of course, but it was equivalent of a vow. One that he never intended to break.
“I promise. I swear. It’s just between you and me.” His eyes flicked down to the alpaca plushie. “And Little Lord Fuzzleroy—er, the Second.” That was the name Oracle had picked out for the first baby alpaca born on his farm in the Spring, and it only made sense that the plushie be his heir.
“YAY! You really are the best, Phillip!” She lunged in for a hug, squishing the alpaca between them. Phillip’s arms circled her, and she squeezed him tight.
“It’s what you deserve,” he whispered, before pressing his lips to the crown of her head, and murmuring into her soft pink hair. “Now come on, Ulyssa. Let’s go home.”