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As soon as Adeline told him about the adventurer about to move in, March was already destined to hate her.
Adeline’s eyes shone like stars, filled to the brim with hope about what this could mean for their town. She was a sweet kid growing up, always saw the best and brightest in things. Despite her favorite hobby being tax forms, she’d retained that soft, bright naivete.
Her brother Eiland was better, but not by much. Reina was hospitable down to her bones, and Celine was as shy and soft as the flowers she grew. Olric…well, his brother would make friends with a boulder if it would let him.
So, someone had to hold the line.
Someone had to not be taken in by the flashy, fancy new adventurer coming in from the guild to “fix their town”. He was even more certain when he saw her; impractically long turquoise hair and a flowing white sundress that drifted like clouds over the sky.
Ciel was everything he thought she’d be; self-absorbed, flighty, and the kind of person who’d move on to something new before the year was through. An adventurer wouldn’t be satisfied with the genuine hospitality of the town, or the barely-touched wildlife that Mistria boasted. She wouldn’t be the kind to put effort into her farm, or spend a muscle-aching day at a hot forge.
So when she wandered down the cobblestone streets on her first day, stepping light and carefree as a bird, March kept his eyes on his anvil.
When she called out to him, he only blew out an irritated breath.
Of course, Olric apologized for his “behavior” and of course, she twittered some lighthearted thing about not being bothered in the slightest.
March didn’t look up. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and brought the hammer back down. Hayden’s gate hinge wasn’t going to get fixed by itself.
-----
“Wait!”
Her airy voice was even more annoying when it was a hushed whisper. March gritted his teeth. The sun had just set, and he had places to be.
“March! Please?”
Irritation boiled in his stomach, but he paused, grimacing. “What?”
Ciel crept into his field of vision, eyes fixed on his back. “Don’t move. Just a little more--AHA!”
Something flimsy and wooden smacked his back. March rolled his eyes. “And what exactly--”
Ciel spun in a little circle as she came in front of him, proudly holding the entrance to her bug net closed. “You had a friend hitching a ride!”
The wingspan of the moth in her net was wider than his hand, and the reflective skitter of its eyes made him want to lose his lunch right then and there. He sucked on his teeth, jerking his head in a nod.
“It’s a Hummingbird Hawk Moth!” She declared, clearly so pleased with herself for finding a disgusting insect. “The museum’s been needing one of these!”
March very carefully lifted his eyes off of the horrifying creature.
I hope that net’s a decent grade.
“So that’s what you’ve been doing with your time?” He said flatly, pulling himself back together. “Catching butterflies?”
Ciel either didn’t catch his tone, or didn’t care to. “Valen said I can only do light exercise for right now. I broke a few toes when I was down in the mine, and--”
March’s eyes widened. “In the mines?! What were you doing down there?” he snapped.
Ciel blinked, humor starting to color her tone. “Um…mining?”
It took every ounce of willpower to not walk away right there, but the rusted, cheap sword at her hip made him stand his ground.
“Those mines are full of monsters! You’d have to be an idiot to go down there alone.”
Ciel’s lips dipped into a frown. “It’s just a couple of broken toes. The doctor says I’ll be fine to resume regular activity next week.”
March let out a slow, uneven breath. “How did you even break your toes? Did you drop some stone on them?”
Ciel shook her head, having the grace to finally look even a little embarrassed. “There’s these rock creatures down there…immune to pretty much any weapon, except the rock projectiles it spits out. Buuuut, I kind of got disarmed, and I didn’t have anything in my hands to parry the stone back. And…well, I played a lot of soccer back at my guild--”
“You kicked,” March said slowly. “A magical rock hurtled at you by a monster.”
Ciel’s face flushed “You make it sound stupid when you say it like that!”
“Because it was stupid! You’re lucky you only walked away with a few broken toes!”
“Well, if I hadn’t kicked it, it would have hit me in the stomach, and I would have been much worse off!” she countered.
“Not if you’d prepared.” March gripped his red locks at the roots, scowling at her. “That sword looks like you’ve been bashing it into rocks, and you can’t go down into the mines without proper equipment.”
“Well…” Ciel’s face started to flush again. “Like I said, the only way to kill the rock monster is to…well, that’s beside the point! Where should I find equipment, then?”
March eyed her up and down. She was willowy, tall for a woman. Most armor off a rack wouldn’t fit her well, and no armor she bought second hand would be good enough for monster fighting.
Besides, her crops will have just started sprouting, and she doesn’t have the kind of money to drop on a sword, a breastplate and boots…
He let out a sharp sigh, shaking his head. Hopeless. Everyone would fawn over her even more if she got seriously hurt.
“The forge. 7 am sharp. Don’t keep me waiting.”
March stormed off, leaving her with her gross bug and a confused expression.
---
The copper and iron that was now being regularly delivered was…well, it was quality enough. Of course it was, it was Mistria’s veins of metal. Ciel pulling them from the earth wasn’t anything special. When he saw her from his window, heading home with dirt smudged on her face and her armor gleaming in the moonlight, he was at least satisfied to know that she was putting his good craftsmanship to some use.
She was probably back in the mines now. March had seen her flittering around the market booths, buying rose tea for Celine and petting Dozy’s golden fur as he ambled by. She’d gone missing though, just as the rain had started to fall.
She wasn’t wearing her armor, though. So she’s somewhere else…unless she isn’t wearing it to the mines? Could she seriously be that stupid?
March grimaced. He felt a weird tug in his stomach, an urge to go check the mines. Stupid. They went down for dozens of levels, and he’d have no idea where she was. Besides, Olric was the miner of the family, not him.
I don’t even know if she’s there. Why am I--
“March!”
Adeline’s hair was being swept by the spring storm winds, blowing around her face. “Can I have a hand?”
She and Hendric were putting up tents over the stalls, keeping the goods and people nice and dry. March blinked, nodding and rushing over to help.
See, Adeline? I’m here helping, not her.
…except, she’d normally be here to help. So where is she?
It was annoying. SHE was annoying.
Soon, the comforting patter of rain filled the town square. But even with the rain taken care of, several villagers headed into the inn to eat soup and chat, driven in by the sudden chill and the arrival of lunchtime.
March found Adeline chattering away with Darcy at her booth.
“Ciel’s been fitting in so well! She’s such a go-getter, she’s doing everything she can for this place! Repairing roads, growing specific ingredients for the townsfolk, even taking on the jobs the kids put up! I saw her digging in the sand for a conch shell for--oh! March!”
Adeline had the good grace to look embarrassed. All this fawning over what Ciel was doing, when no one had even asked him to help.
“I’ve got the shipment of silver ingots you want for the reserve.” he tried not to make his voice too flat. Tried.
Adeline’s eyes lit up. “Oh--thank you! Can you leave them at the manor door? Thanks so much!”
“Anytime.” He managed to soften his voice enough. She hadn’t completely forgotten who was the useful one around here.
“Here, stay warm.” Darcy slid him a to-go cup, warm against his fingers. He dipped a slight nod of thanks, grabbing his bag of ingots in the other hand and heading north.
He was just setting down the bag under the mansion’s overhang when movement caught his eye from the garden gazing pool.
A familiar turquoise-haired head slipping under the water.
March let out a string of words Olric would have scolded him for, dashing across the wet pavement to the side of the pond.
A flicker of white fabric was just visible. March grimaced, taking a few steps back and getting ready to dive in.
A second later, a pale face appeared from under the water, then surfaced with a gasp of air and a triumphant laugh.
Ciel’s hand slammed down on the edge of the pool to anchor herself, and held the other aloft in triumph.
March stared.“What. Are you. Doing?!”
Ciel blinked up at him, propping her elbow on the paved side of the pool. She scraped the sodden hair out of her face, squinting up at him against the rain.
“Elsie said she lost her favorite necklace near the gazing pool last week.” She grinned. “So, I figured today was the perfect day to find it!”
“By diving in fully clothed?!”
Ciel’s nose wrinkled. “I was already wet,” she pointed out. “And I did find the necklace.”
March opened his mouth. He closed it. “Get out.”
Thankfully, she didn’t try to argue the point. She rolled out onto the pavement, following him as he ushered her into the little stone gazebo.
She plopped down on the bench, starting to wring water out of her dress and hair.
March watched, genuinely unsure where to even begin.
“...your foot’s healed, right? You weren’t dumb enough to go swimming with broken toes?”
Ciel’s eyebrows raised indignantly. “They’ve been healed for weeks! That’s why I’ve been back in the caves--did you get my note?”
March grimaced. He had; a pretty piece of blue stationary with a sweet little message of thanks for the armor and new sword. He hadn’t brought it up, and he’d figured enough time had passed that she wouldn’t either.
“The people around here would be upset if you got killed by a cave monster.” he said flatly. “Or drowned.”
Ciel wrinkled her nose again, but there was a gleam of amusement in her eyes. “I’ll have you know I’m an excellent sw--ah-CHOO!”
March stepped back with a tsk, then sighed. “Here. You’ll catch a cold.”
He handed her the to-go cup, still warm to the touch. Ciel wrapped her hands around it gratefully, taking a deep drink.
Her eyes widened. “Delicious!”
March shrugged. “It’s from Darcy.” She’d always slip in a small treat or drink, ever since he started repairing her baking equipment for a better price than she’d find anywhere else.
“I didn’t take you as a hot cocoa type.” Ciel murmured into the cup.
March glared, and she held up her free hand. “Not a dig at you! I can see why you like it.”
He shrugged, ignoring the warmth spreading over his ears. “I like other stuff. Coffee, mostly. It’s good to be as awake as possible at the forge.”
Ciel hummed, taking another drink. “That makes sense.” She rose, giving him a deep nod.
“March, thanks a ton. Genuinely. I think I’m going to go to the bathhouse before I bring Elsie her necklace back.” Her grin grew. “You can’t forge me armor to keep me from catching a cold!”
It took a shocking amount of restraint not to argue that he probably could, magical enhancements in armor were child’s play and…
Her eyes were shining. She was making a joke. What did he look like, Olric? Why were her eyes so warm and soft and--
“Get warm,” he said finally. With a quick turn, he trudged through the sodden streets back to his house.
His ears were still burning.
----
Olric leapt in front of the door, just as March’s hand reached for the knob. “Hey! March! Hold on a second!”
March frowned. “What is it now?”
Olric’s eyes swept to the side, then the other. “Well, I was thinking we could spend some time doing some brotherly bonding!” he rushed out quickly.
March scowled. Raising Olric when he himself was barely out of his teens hadn’t been easy, but it was aided by the fact that his brother was a horrible liar.
“Where’s the box of kittens you’re hiding?” he asked flatly. It was an easy guess, because it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.
Olric let out a quick, startled laugh. “What? Kittens? No, I’m not hiding any animals, silly.”
March’s scowl deepened. “So what are you hiding?”
Olric’s big, beefy arm circled around him. “Not my love for my bro, I’ll tell you that! Come on, Rhis is going to come over and we’re going to have a big, bro-kfast together! That’s a bro-breakfast, by the way!”
March frowned, lifting his head and taking in the air. “Is the forge on? I can smell--”
Rhis walked in, plate in hand. He shut the door firmly behind him. “I made toast, that’s what you’re smelling!”
He was a better liar, but being partnered with Olric wasn’t doing him any favors. March barely held in a sigh. “I’ve got work to do before the shooting stars festival tonight.” he deadpanned. “So whatever it is you two are planning--”
“Can’t be planning something if it’s already happening!” Rhis said cheerfully, placing his plate down. Olric took a pan off the stove where it had been warming, laden full of fluffy golden eggs.
March sighed. His stomach grumbled.
“You have me for an hour.” he conceded.
---
By the time he came out, Ciel was sweaty, streaked lightly in soot, and looking all too proud of herself. She held something metal and blue-tinted in her hands, carefully putting the pieces together. Her hair curtained her face, flowing around it like pouring water.
Her teeth worried her lip, soft eyes narrowed in concentration.
March leaned against the wall, watching her. When she finally finished, she shot to her feet. She turned, finally noticing him.
“March!” she grinned. “Hey, good morning!”
“Morning.” he returned. “Got a project?”
She nodded. “I honestly thought I was going to screw it up.” She admitted. “But…” she lifted the finished piece. A star lantern, carefully constructed and fitted together. It gleamed soft blue in the sunlight, but he was sure it would, as always, be stunning as soon as the sun set.
“I’ve got a good teacher.” She grinned.
March felt his ears start to burn. The summer heat was annoying, he was glad it was almost over. “Yeah, you do. So, Josephine and Elsie filled you in on…traditions, and stuff?”
Elsie probably talked about all the romantic stuff, even though that hadn’t really happened much in the last few years. Then again, with the newer people, he was sure Elsie had jumped at the chance.
Ciel gently placed the lantern down. “Mmhmm! And even if she hadn’t, Balor already came and told me all about them. He had this star broach, and--”
March’s chest felt like a hammer had been swung against it. “Well, have fun.” he pushed off the wall, storming back inside before she could call after him.
The Shooting Star festival was for everyone, of course. But it was a stupid couple’s thing, too. The last thing March wanted to hear about was how Balor had swept her off her feet with his invitation. Pretty boy city kid, who was always making jokes to make her laugh, and helping her with trading materials and--
“Hey, woah. What’s going on?” Olric frowned as March slammed the door behind him.
“Nothing.” he ground out. “Nothing at all.”
Olric’s brow furrowed. “Did someone…ask something to make you upset?” he hedged.
March frowned. “Ask me--no? I just didn’t want to hear Ciel blab my ear off about Balor all morning. Like I said--” He grabbed his tools, trying to settle his heartrate. “I’ve got stuff to do today.”
Olric and Rhis shared a glance, but March was done with whatever game they were playing. Knowing the two of them, and how taken they were with little Miss Adventerer, they were going to ask her out to the Shooting Stars festival too.
Ciel would have a whole line of broken hearts by the end of the night. Because everyone else was stupid enough to get taken in by her.
Well, whatever. It wasn’t like she’d even be here next year. He was holding to his prediction. By next summer, things would be back to normal. They’d all be better for it.
----
His heart had finally calmed down by the time he and Olric set out their blanket. It was an old, patched thing; Mom had made it years ago for the four of them to share. Big enough for everyone to stretch out comfortably, but they’d always end up pressed up against each other, in the end.
March let out a slow breath, laying down on his back to gaze up into the perfect black expanse of the night. It would be like every other year. Sitting with his brother, listening to Adeline and Celine chatter and laugh. Hearing Balor crack his jokes and--
March sat up, propping his elbows underneath him.
Balor?! What was Balor doing here?
Sure enough, the purple-haired trader was keeping Reina entranced with one of his stories. March ground his teeth as she laughed, clear as a bell.
Is this guy trying to go after all the women in Mistria? He should at least be consistent tonight, he’s the one who asked Ciel!
“March?”
A scatter of star-shaped lights fell on the blanket beside him, dusting across his face and overalls. Little perfectly pockmarked stars, shining from a brand-new lantern held at Ciel’s side.
He looked up at her. His head jerked in a nod.
“Hey. Balor’s over there.”
She tilted her head. The lights from her lantern glowed in her soft blue hair. Starlight in the afternoon sky. Pretty.
March blinked, then scowled. “Well?”
“I…know he’s over there.” She laughed a little. “I can see him. But, well…you seemed busy earlier, and you ran off before I could ask you.”
Her other hand came up, clutching a soft, golden pin in the shape of a star. “Do you want to go watch the stars with me?”
March stared. His eyes shot back to Balor, his arm now around Reina’s shoulders. He hadn’t spared Ciel a second glance, besides a small wave when she’d arrived.
Did I really misunderstand her so badly?
March wanted to be annoyed. If he hadn’t understood, why hadn’t she just said something?
Probably because I stormed off and slammed a door in her face.
She was starting to look a little nervous--March realized he’d been staring at her, stonefaced. Well, probably stonefaced. His face was feeling hot again, that stupid summer night air.
“F-fine. I’ll go with you.” he stood, shrugging. “Olric will probably badger me if I say no.”
Her face lit up, brighter still for the lanternlight spilling across it. “Yes! Alright, let’s go! I made us some coffee and cocoa, I’m all set up at the summit!”
Her hand grasped his, and she began to pull him along.
March reached for the boiling irritation in his chest. At her childishness, at the fact she’d waited until the last minute to even ask, at…something. Anything.
He didn’t find any.
The annoyance was replaced by something new; fluttering and warm and growing every moment, as he watched her bouncing hair leading him deep into the wooded night.
Face burning, the cool wind pushing against it, March smiled.