The Golden Month, Chapter 3
"If I have to be honest, I certainly didn't expect this to happen after a night spent at the pub..." A month to prove a point, to win a bet and... to learn about this new world. Matt seems to have it difficult, hopefully things will actually prove to be easier... right? Las Lindas Web Comic Spin-Off, OC-Insert
The characters in this story (Except the OC-Insert) are © chalodillo
Chapter 3** : Shopping and Reconciliation**
It was morning.
Birds were chirping, some sunlight was passing through the curtains of the room's window… and there was no human lying on the floor.
Randal had to blink once, then twice to finally grasp the fact Matt wasn't in the room.
Brown eyes glinting confusion as the Collie Prime got up from the bed and started to give a proper look around, further cementing the idea that the human wasn't there in his room.
Ears twitched, he noticed that the house was oddly silent at that hour.
If the young man wasn't sleeping, then he was either in the bathroom going through his usual routine or he was staying by the kitchen while doing… something.
Putting on a shirt and slowly walking by the door, the Prime peeked by the hallway, with his attention mostly directed at the area where the closest bathroom was.
There was silence. He couldn't even see any light from there, and his confusion and unknown dread started to intensify even more.
The kitchen was the only place where the human could have gone and… the Prime went to check there.
He was calm, yet while his mind contemplated the events of the day from before, he found it quite difficult to properly judge the rash behavior Matt displayed.
It was legitimate for the young man to show dedication to his new job, to be cautious with the tools and making sure to not lose them, but the way he rushed to the 'rescue' of a simple trowel?
There was devotion and then there was desperation.
Randal was surprised by the interest the human showed in making a good job, something that was mirrored by how he proceeded with his first work-shifts.
He didn't need any major advice, his knowledge regarding the 'simple' tasks proved that he was capable in accomplishing the duties at Las Lindas.
Yet it was his mother's way to address Matt's intents that made the whole watch incredibly… difficult.
There were praises, some comments about improvements required in some of his actions, but what truly turned things against Randal was…
“What do you think about it?"
The 'innocent' question about his personal input over the various topics regarding Matt proved to be a very complicated mess. He was honest, bluntly so, but most of his comments were positive.
It didn't help, much to his subsiding anger over what had happened back to the town.
He was ditched by someone he was trusting to follow his words. He was left to deal with the other tools while also trying to find the elusive human wherever he went.
The folks all around were kind enough to give him some directions, and it took him fifteen minutes to track down the young man to the local bar.
Just as Randal was about to enter the building, the small saloon-like doors were opened by the very individual he was seeking, Matt freezing instantly, eyes going wide open, at seeing his infuriated expression.
But anger was something of strange emotion Collie Prime to experience.
It was rare for him to hold a grudge for too long, sleep generally helped to cool down his fiery self and give him some clarity to his mind so he could study better the matter.
After an eight-hours long sleep, Randal was certain that they were both at fault over the predicament.
Matt could have been a little more understanding of the fact he was literally leaving someone to burden the entire arsenal of tools, while the Prime could have dealt with the situation in a less childish manner.
Anger was fine, but being partially enraged by this situation? It was a little beyond him.
He sighed, his nerves weren't certainly enjoying the minor stress of bickering with his very mother over the fact she needed to take her medicines.
Diana Linda had been quite a wall when either he or her other children tried to avoid to take the needed medicines when they were sick, so dealing with this situation where the roles had somehow inverted… was draining.
The woman was strong but not as she was just a few years ago. She was waning, ever so slowly as the sudden disappearance of Mora led to a worryingly increased pace of the illness.
It was an unknown one, something that doctors from all around were unable to truly understand the causes nor the proper medications to counter it.
The medicines she was supposed to take were meant to slow down the pace but…
He shouldn't be thinking about this!
He turned the corner that led to the kitchen, the only occupant there smiling warmly as she folded the newspaper and turned her full attention to her son.
“Good morning, Randy."
He returned the smile, nodding as he took the seat by the table and… noticed the two sandwiches lying over a simple tissue. He frowned, the woman sighing as she started to tap by the table. “You know, you could at least greet your mother before focusing on other people."
Her disappointed scoff was relayed in such a joking tone that the Collie Prime merely nodded with a tiny embarrassed smile.
“Sorry mom, and good morning to you too," He replied with a soft tone. “Just trying to understand where-"
“Oh, he isn't at the farm right now," The Bovine Prime mused calmly, far too calmly for Randal's paranoia. “He should be back in two hours from now."
The young male frowned and slowly nodded as he took the first sandwich in his hands. It was slightly cold, making him question how long has passed since it was made.
“Matt was rather considerate in making sure that you too had your breakfast ready," Diana commented her sight once more directed at the paper she had forgotten for just a moment. “The young man hopefully will deal with the farmer's market well."
Randal froze mid-bite, a strong effort required to avoid chocking on the small piece of toast. “Y-You sent him alone?!"
“As far as I'm concerned, he is old enough to be able to deal with selling the fruits and vegetables that have flourished just recently. He did mention that he had some first-hand experience on the matter, and if I have to base his truthfulness by his more recent works, then I will put my trust over it," The woman huffed in some annoyance.
“H-He- B-But there was so much that needed to be brought to town-" The Collie Prime reasoned, only to be caught silent by the amused snort of his mother.
“The cart was completely filled, very heavy… and you should have seen how many times he did slip on the mud while trying to pull it away from the starting point."
A brief giggle left her lips, then Diana sighed.
“He was rather lucky that one of his newest friends, the newcomer is… rather fascinating. Quite strong, reminds me much of… Nevermind."
Now that was a first, Randal thought silently. There were just a handful of things that got the woman to suddenly change topic nowadays and… he hoped that it wasn't anything to worry about.
There was enough placed in his plate to keep up with other developments and…
What was he supposed to do now? With Matt already in town and with his mother needing her medicines, there was little he could do to soothe the tension he had with the human.
He sighed tiredly taking a small bite at his toast and deciding to wait for the young man to return.
Hopefully, Matt really knew what he was doing…
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I should have asked for some directions.
The town nearby Las Lindas might be small compared to the city where I grew up, but the map of the place was still something that I had yet to fully memorize and…
Minos was also clueless about the place where I was supposed to commit myself for some… negotiations. I had gone to a Farmer's Market before, but I've never took part in a transaction as important like this one.
It took almost an hour to finally get to the small square purposed for the Market and, since it was still fairly early in the morning, finding an empty spot to convert into the 'Las Lindas' corner proved to be quite the easy task.
Once the cart was settled on the side, the Bull Prime decided to also help in placing down the products in a proper order. I was keen to avoid being overly-zealous over this matter, knowing that I was already stretching this 'new' friendship with the man by having him do this much already.
I was indebted to him to a certain degree… and yet I felt like he was actually having little issue over the situation. Actually, he looked very… interesting over the work itself.
It reminded me of when I would be-
Bored.
Once this second step was done and completed, I picked two of the chairs I brought to peacefully wait and endure the full day at the market. Setting them a few instances behind the products, causing Minos to look… intrigued.
“You wouldn't mind if I decided to join you for… this?" He looked partly surprised, maybe a tiny bit hesitant and… curious at the same time.
“I mean, you did say that you don't have much to do here and..." I shrugged, giving him a genuine smile. “I think we can spare some time chatting."
He raised a curious brow. “Only chatting?"
I was quick to perceive the fact he was referring to the… job itself. I didn't have the necessity, nor the intention of bringing the man in some… difficult business.
I could see a quick flinch at that prospect and, frankly enough, I couldn't help but understand him.
I guess he wasn't much of the… social guy.
“Only chatting." I replied calmly, getting a small nod from him as he sat down on the offered chair and… I almost snorted at how 'tiny' it was compared to his size. Seriously, I wonder how self-conscious is he about the particular frame he had compared to the rest of the people in this quiet town.
The discussion wasn't… as exhaustive as I did expect it to be. The issue that limited my capacity to learn a little 'more' about the Bull Prime was a similar personal bit we found each other sharing.
We were both unwilling of giving too much about ourselves to the other. It was either shyness or motivated secrecy, which drew a fine line about the topics that were allowed to those that were easily ignored or twisted with their different meanings.
It was a clever way to pass the little time before the beginning of the opening hour at the Market.
Minos was immensely acculturated in Primes' civilization, while I was keen to give snippets of Mankind the man was still unaware of.
It was a fair exchange that was soon derailed multiple times as the potential clients started to arrive.
People were drawn to the new section of the market. Some were farmers themselves that wished to gauge the crops from Las Lindas.
Some were open to recognize the care put on the growth of the products, while a small minority was quick to keep quiet while giving greedy looks at the vegetables presented to be sold.
Minos' presence did also increase for a time the number of 'clients' as many young women decided to 'storm' the stand. I could only guess that those were the kind of girls that were ready to wed and had their minds ensnared by the idea of 'the prince' kind of guy to marry.
If the Bull Prime actually noticed the collective attention he was receiving from the women, he was making some effort to not show it or at least had his sight directed to other 'interesting' stuff.
People started to buy, the prices I had set were slightly higher than a good part of the other farmers, but the quality seemed to be gaining the interest of a good chunk of the clients in the Market.
It was a lively section of the city, I realized fairly quickly.
It wasn't certainly the Market back home and… I was glad that I was receiving this much attention.
The more products I continued to sell through hard-work and careful pricing, the more the chances of restoring Las Lindas to its original glory were going to get higher.
Business was going smoothly and I think Minos was starting to get a little fascinated in the work itself too.
Not enough to ask to join, but enough to actually place some minor criticisms about the price of some of the available vegetables, pointing out either that a slight reduction or increase of the prices in some of the circumstances by evaluating the attention the specific edible food was getting.
Four hours went by without any issue, almost lifting my hopes about ending this first session without any annoyance and… I was proved wrong when I had to deal with… her.
The Mouse Prime had blonde hair and gray fur, her violet orbs were boring onto my brown ones. She was quiet and engaging in that strange staring competition, a sore figure standing out from the other folks channeling by the stand.
She stood there for forty minutes, waiting for the stand to get a little more deserted before finally speaking.
“So you work for… the old farm?" She mused quietly, her tone restrained to not show too much emotion but… I did feel some curiosity. A steel-like kind of curiosity to boot!
“There are many 'old farms' here, miss. But if you mean Las Lindas, then yes-"
“You are quite young," The girl continued with her sharp tone, slowly giving out the reason of her presence right now. “And you don't seem to have much hope to develop in this situation."
Suddenly I found myself staring at a business card and frowned at its words.
'Alexandria Dairy'?
“The largest company in Gossamer," The girl continued to explain with a confident smirk plastered on her face. “I'm Tootsie Roswell and I'm a close confident to the current CEO, Alejandra Coldthorne."
Oh… boy. This was an attempt to recruit me and… in broad daylight?
I was slightly irritated by the fact it was happening right when I was 'starting' with my job but I found myself unable to truly blame Tootsie for trying this. I can only suppose but… I think companies this big were quick to fall if a certain pace wasn't used. An aggressive pattern that allowed the containment and the weakening of potential rivals.
In a normal situation, I would have asked for more details and, if the proposal was that attractive, I would have accepted after some pondering. Yet, with a pending promise that had to be maintained, I found myself shaking my head.
“I wish to humbly apologize, Ms. Roswell, but I find myself unable to truly to consider this kind and generous proposal." My words caused her to tense, a surprised look painting her face, but I decided to continue and give a proper explanation before assumptions were given and… animosity born from this situation. “Right now, I find myself morally obliged to continue my work at Las Lindas. I've a duty of sort about making sure the farm recovers to a good shape so that it can be entrusted to the children of the current owner."
The Mouse Prime blinked, looking less tense than before and… a little annoyed. It wasn't anger at least…
“And I suppose I can't ask about those 'moral obligations', can I?" Tootsie pressed on with a curious tone.
“Sadly no." I replied curtly before giving another lengthy speech. “As a matter of fact, I can say that from the way you describe both 'Alexandria Dairy' and the CEO, the workplace seems to be rather well-planned and very respectful of its workers. I can't promise anything at the moment, but I will contact in case I find myself free from those obligations… if you can extend this offer at that point, that is."
She sighed and hummed, seemingly thinking about the last bit of my explanation. “You are asking… a lot from me but-" A smile adorned her face. “You have been quite polite, and I think you aren't that bad." Her hands reached for the very pocket where she took the business card and… handed me another. This one about… Tootsie herself.
'Tootsie Roswell, Head of the Scientific Department at Alexandria Dairy.'
She was specialized in… Engineering and Development? Now that is… actually a surprise.
“Contact me personally if you find yourself freed by the 'obligations', I will see if we can find a place for you by then." She giggled and nodded. “Thanks for sparing some words, Mr. Newcastle."
I nodded and then… my eyes snapped wide open.
'How the- How the heck does she know my name?!'
Before I could even ask about this, the Mouse Prime was seen retreating away from the Market, disappearing in the still substantial crowd of people filling the town's square. I blinked, shocked by what just happened and-
“That was quite the stimulating speech." Minos commented, reminding me of his presence and making me glance at him. “And… 'moral obligations'?"
I blinked again, momentarily contemplating if it would have been the right thing to do if I told him or not about… the 'why' of my current predicament. The Bull Prime looked extremely genuine, I would even dare to say he was as genuine as Randal was.
I had to hold back a flinch at remembering how things had turned out with the Collie Prime but… no, I had other things to focus on.
“I… I suppose I can tell you." I muttered quietly. There were just a few of people now wandering, the closing hour was getting close and there were barely few products left to sell so it was the best moment to have this kind of chatting.
“I'm… not from the Gossamer region." I said in the calmest tone possible. “I'm not even from the continent."
He blinked, tilting his head to the side and sporting a confused but interested expression on his face.
“That sounds… like it has more to it." He commented rightfully and I nodded.
“A few days ago I was… in Europe. I was spending a night by the pub and… enjoying some time alone." I narrated, getting an understanding nod as a gesture to continue. “The following morning I… woke up in Mrs. Linda's orchard."
Minos frowned. “You mean that you don't remember how you got there? I think the timing would also be quite weird."
“That is one of the reasons why I prefer to keep by Las Lindas." I replied quietly. “I think there is something… going on that caused my 'sudden re-appearance'. And then there is also the bet."
There was a pause, one that was exploited by the Prime as he went for the appropriate query.
“A bet? Can you indulge some more details?" He did ask about it, yet the slight seriousness starting to develop in his features about the curious case I was the main element.
“Mrs. Linda was kind enough to offer me food and shelter for now, but we ended up agreeing that I can't just live at the farm without doing something productive… I'm now a worker at the farm and I've a month to bring Las Lindas to good conditions." I stopped, sighing only once and then went to see what reaction Minos had.
He was silent, his red eyes showing none of the previous emotions as he thought well about the circumstance presented and… then he nodded.
“You are… an interesting individual, Matt." The Prime commented cautiously. “And I appreciate you decided to tell me this important thing. I think it shows that you-"
“You are a good friend, Minos." I interrupted with a tired voice. “Like… I didn't tell you this just to show that I trust you- it's more about the fact I can't hold things up for… for too long." I admitted with a sigh.
He blinked, a smile slowly appearing on his face as he nodded. “You are a good friend too, Matt. And while I don't think I should tell you this so soon… I understand the need of telling someone about your troubles."
I looked up at him. “Did you have your own mess?"
He merely nodded and I sighed. “I guess that we have more than a few things."
There was some silence, but it wasn't anything close to oppressive or awkward. It took me a while to recover from the heart-felt discussion and I started to think it was a good time to pack what was left on the cart and get going.
I opened my mouth, ready to call the 'day' and-
“W-Wait!" We both stopped and turned to the origin of the voice directed at us-
My sight was quickly drawn to the approaching… pink-haired bunny.
“Oh? Hi Taffy." The girl stopped by the stand, pausing a moment to catch her own breath and then… smiled.
“Sorry, I know it's closing hour but… can I browse a little?"
I blinked, glancing at Minos and nodding. “I guess we can spare some time for a last client."
She nodded happily and started to look around with a soft humming building in her throat.
“Do you have any apples left?" She asked while her eyes scanned for that specific product.
“I think we have some the-there." I pointed at the small wooden cage with the last dozen of red apples, my face getting a darker shade of pink as I noticed now that her… clothes was fairly revealing.
It was a simple, normal yellow sundress. It was her size and all, the issue being that-
Actually… it wasn't the dress. I did remember seeing the cream-white fluff coming by her cleavage back when I first met her in the saloon-bar. But now that there wasn't that much attention to any 'important' object like in that situation, I found my stare wandering to that fluff and… I noticed her bosom.
The fluff will be the cause of an early demise...
I tried to act as if nothing had happened, sure that the young bunny Prime hadn't noticed my stare… but I soon realized that someone still noticed.
Minos was giving me a teasing smirk, which caused the pink stain to become red.
He didn't speak, he didn't give any other reaction other than that smirk and-
“I will get six of those." Taffy's soft voice reached my ears, causing me to turn and nod quickly.
“I-I see." I gulped nervously as I gave her the proper pricing. Nodding, she picked up the rightful amount of money from her money pouch and… stopped a moment after giving the coins to me.
I blinked, panicking at her concerned look. “Is something wrong?"
Her question was… partly expected. But that doesn't exactly mean I was by any means prepared to answer it.
“I- uhhhh-"
“He finds your sundress lovely." Minos intervened… to save me? The comment caused the girl's green eyes to go wide and… then she blushed at the compliment.
“O-Oh?" She nodded to herself. “I-I suppose- I mean, thank you for th-the compliment, Mr. Newca- Matt!"
Her blush worsened at the brief outburst at the end but she seemed to be capable of picking the bag now containing the apple.
“S-Sorry, I think I should be going- bye!" Without hesitation the girl turned around and started to skip away from the square… but not before revealing her small and fluffy tail-
Dangit! Brain-
I'm trying to work something here, boss!
With my face burning fiercely at this unexpected encounter, I slowly turned my eyes to the Bull Prime and… frowned at the twitching smile in his face.
“I bet you are going to laugh, aren't you?" I dared him, sporting an angry look and-
He chuckled loudly. He chuckled so hard that moments later I found myself joining that laugh j-just because of how infectious it was-
Nothing else!
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Returning to Las Lindas was easier compared to the effort I had to put in getting Minos to accept some money for helping me with the cart.
As much as I wanted to save up on expenses, I couldn't seriously even think of not giving people their dues. The man had helped me with an essential bit of the job and it was only true of me to give him his rightful pay.
He left by the entrance with a minor pout, but soon smiled a little and waved as to salute before truly leaving. I waved back with a big smile and, once I was left alone and away from his sight, resumed a gloomier look.
Now it was time for another awkward lunch and… then work again. Sighing, I started to walk towards the house and… I was greeted by some loud giggling from the kitchen?
I blinked, the noise of my soft steps reinforced by the creaking wood planks making the hallway's floor. I was partly confused as to… why Diana would be out of bed right now?
The woman was generally stuck in her room at this hour, tuckered in her heavy but warm blankets and I then peeked by the entrance of the room, only to stop fixed on a specific character of the two here.
Randy looked incredibly nervous, sitting on the soft-blue carpet near the living room section of the kitchen. The reason for this attitude was related to the state of his… clothing. The shirt had been ditched, same for his pants and he was wearing only his underwear.
“It would seem like you have just a try, sweetie. You sure you want to continue?" Diana asked mirthfully from her little throne made by pillows as she was still wearing all of her clothes and looking smug.
What the heck?
Green eyes ended up spotting my peeking head and the woman's smile widened.
“Oh my, it would seem that Matt is back from his task." The announcement caused Randal to turn his attention to me, face burning a soft red as he was indeed in quite the precarious situation. “I hope the day went well."
I slowly nodded, my brain trying to catch up with the madness before my eyes. “I- We made more than planned." I replied calmly.
She blinked, looking fairly surprised. “Is that so? That's some good news." She smiled a genuine smile, breaking from the act. “Can you leave the money by the table and… come here and join Randy?" She ended up dema- requesting.
I tensed a little but nodded as I went to comply to her words and… went to sit close to the Collie Prime. He didn't greet me, and thus I didn't greet him as I focused on Diana.
His mother stared at me with a mischievous glint and I felt like I did the worst mistake ever in accepting this predicament without other hints about… what was going on.
“I can see you are wondering what is going on with my son and…" She giggled. “The answer would be quite amusing."
I don't think I will be laughing, whatever she is planning to do-
“You see, I decided to make a… game with Randy to solve the current sleeping situation. The winner will decide where you will be sleeping for the rest of your stay."
...What the fuck?
“And I was thinking about the barn." She added with a small smile. “Or the porch."
Both terrible choices as the barn had a hole in its roof and was impossible to sleep in if it started to rain, while the porch's floor was sturdy and creaky.
Why the heck was this even happening?
“It's about picking or adding clothes… or passing the turn. Randy is 'for some reason' passing all the time..."
The young man stared down, embarrassment evident in his face and… I can see the issue. Being that he was her son, of course he wouldn't go as far as have his sickly mother remove clothes to keep her warm.
It was a sensible reaction and… why was I here now?
“And, I'm here because-" I tried to ask, only to be interrupted by Diana.
“Since Randy is at his last try, I want to know if you are willing to make a little change to the game."
…I have a bad feeling about this…
“What if you picked my son's place and we switch the reward? What if the one we are deciding where he should sleep is… Randy?"
My eyes widened at where this was going and I find myself in quite the dilemma.
As much as I didn't want to sleep outdoors for… the reasons previously brought up, I wouldn't certainly do this to Randal.
We were at odds, sure, but to have him to sleep outside until… I left?
That would be cruel… but it would give me a chance to win all...
“So you want me to… play this game about-"
“Removing, adding or… do nothing about clothes." She answered quickly, starting to get annoyed by the delay. “Do you accept or not?"
I glanced once more at Randal and he stared up at me with some hesitation.
…This is gonna suck. Like really!
I sighed heavily and nodded. “I accept."
A giggle and the game began with Diana being the one beginning with the 'game'. Was this even a game to begin with?
“C'mon! Remove a piece of clothing." She demanded and I nodded by… removing one of my socks. She paused and pouted a little at the choice but… it was a legitimate pick.
Now it was my turn and I had to think quickly. I can't remove any clothes from her, nor I can pass the turn like Randy did-
Adding clothes was the only choice but… using my own clothes? It would be detrimental at best. But what-
I glanced at Randal's clothes and… I had an idea. A smile surged from my lips and I glanced back at the Collie Prime.
“Randy, I need you to… tell me if you showered yet." My request caused some frowns from both the son and his mother, but the young man replied.
“I… I didn't not. Not yet. Why?" He was so clueless…
“Pass me your shirt?" His frown deepened just as his confusion did but I ended up receiving the sweat-filled shirt and… I think I should explain what is going on.
Two days ago, I discovered from Randal himself that the reason why he showered so frequently was related to the fact he had… tons of fur. Compared to many Primes that have just a layer of fur, someone like Randal developed much more and… sweated a lot.
Thus, to avoid causing any issue with the smell, the man has to shower a lot, something that was annoying when he hit puberty but he soon learned to master in the following years.
Right now in my hands as my nose scrunched up at the smell, I was holding the key to victory!
I stood up and made just a step towards the woman and… Diana realized what was going on, dread spreading in her face.
“Y-You wouldn't-!"
My smile widened. “I do~!"
I took another step.
“It wouldn't f-fit!"
“You never said it had to be properly wore so…" I prepared a scarf-like cloth with it and her eyes widened even more. “Here is your new scarf!"
“M-Maybe w-we can talk about this-"
“Do you surrender?" I finally asked, raising an eyebrow and… waiting.
She blinked, thinking about those and… smiled. “Nope~."
“Good then~!" I replied with the same happy tone and put the 'scarf' on the proper place.
The effect was instantaneous and Diana flinched at the 'torture' she was supposed to endure for the rest of the situation.
“P-Please- We can- We can play nude monopoly?"
I frowned. “No. You wanted to play this game and-"
“N-Now you enjoy it." Both the woman and me turned to glance at Randal in surprise, the Dog Prime blushing once more at the attention. “W-What?"
The older Prime blinked and then- “I… I concede."
It was… expected actually. From both the Collie and me as we both didn't show any particular surprise at the announcement, causing the woman to look at us with a surprised look.
“W-What?" She asked and I sighed.
“Diana, I think Randal and I are old enough to recognize an attempt to get a grudge mended and… I admit I should be apologizing for-"
“I am at fault too, Matt." The younger Prime interrupted with a small smile. “I shouldn't have reacted that badly."
“Bu-But it was a correct reaction, I did mess up by ditching you like that-"
“Because you were doing it for the farm." He stated with a serious tone. “I understand that you are putting yourself on the line to bring Las Lindas up but- but you are a little over-zealous over it."
“Just a bit." I admitted with a sorry tone. “I should haven't jumped in action without thinking and… I'm sorry."
“I'm sorry too and… I forgive you."
A terribly awkward hug ensued as I noticed fairly quickly how sweaty his fur was right now. The giggles from Diana didn't help at all in enduring this all and-
“By the way, Matt, can I ask you about something?" The woman intruded in the moment, the embrace ending as I graced her with my attention.
“Did you perhaps get a… female acquaintance while you were at the Market~?" She asked teasingly, causing me to frown at first. “I saw you smiling when you entered through the gates."
“How did you-"
“She did stare a lot by the window." Randy pointed at the window by the end of the couch and the perspective it gave over the entrance.
Nodding at that reply, I returned to the main issue.
“I didn't get a female a-" I froze, my face went pale as I realized at what she was alluding to. My mind went back at Taffy and… the fluff.
The blush was unavoidable and some stuttering followed. “I might have- I mean, I know of someone- but I mean-"
More giggles ensued, followed by Randal smiling at the light teasing happening.
After trying and failing miserably to explain what really happened at the Farmer's Market, Randal and I went to prepare some lunch while the woman rested for a while in the couch, removing from herself her son's shirt from her neck.
The lunch turned in an even funnier event as poor Randy was now the subject of his mother's teasing and… a few laughs happened.
Overall, maybe this situation at the farm wasn't as terrible as expected…
_ If only I had been careful to not jinx it and confound the calm before the storm for an everlasting peace! _
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AN
Not a OcxTaffy Story. She is still going to be parried with Randal and… no, they will not met before their canon encounter. I'm trying to keep things… carefully set within Canon.
Also the fluff is… alluring.
P.S. I've been at a Farmer's Market years ago and I remember having spent hours enjoying the products there. Lots of cheap food too.
EDIT: Credits to Ant0nius for grammar corrections!