The Bridge of L'Manberg

Chapter Four -- 🥧🔮

"Also, why has Wilbur waited until the last minute to prepare a speech? None of us got a speech."

Niki turns her attention to them as well, seeming confused.

"What do you mean? I got a speech..."

"Me too," Fundy agrees, clenching his fists loosely.

Everyone --aside from Tommy--- murmurs in agreement. I chuckle, meeting Tommy's gaze,

"Seems like you're the black sheep, bucko."

He scowls at me, crossing his arms, "That figures. Of course I'm the only one who didn't get a speech from Wilbur. I bet you that even ERET got one...!"

Tommy goes on to complain softly under his breath.

Fundy's ears perk up as he flips his attention around to see Wilbur on top of the van, waving his arm through the air at us.

He turns me around before I even know what's going on and ushers me towards the druggie-van. My heels drag through the dirt as Fundy pushes me all the way over. Once we're behind the sketchy vehicle, Fundy kneels down to give me a boost, as Wilbur tucks his speech into his coat and lends me down his hand. I let Fundy assist me on the climb up, only for him to practically throw me into the air and up to the top. I crash into Wilbur, falling against him, which honestly takes us both by surprise.

I feel his arms wrap around me, preventing me from bouncing off of him and falling back down to Fundy. In a split second of fret, Wilbur pulls me away from the ledge, closer to him as a whole. I let out a squeak and grip onto his coat tightly, feeling my boot grip fail as Wilbur attempts to back off from the edge.

We center on the vehicle, and carefully separate. A very faint breeze drifts past the two of us as Wilbur lets out an awkward chuckle. I look up and see that his cheeks are lightly dusted pink with blush. Right. I guess that makes sense, though, I mean he had to catch me in his arms -- for my own safety, of course--- but I was held in his arms, nevertheless.

I rub the back of my head and lower my gaze to the roof of the tips of my boots.

"Uhm, I suppose it would only be right to thank you for the catch, right?" I joke, keeping my attention down off of him.

"Happy to help," He says, as Fundy did this morning.

I catch a brief scent of something that diverts my attention. It's a strong smell of two things---fresh and clean -- something that I feel is sour being half of the solution. Sort of like, like...

--Like a lemon!

Yes, there's a distinct lemon-y smell in the catch.

Wilbur calling my name snaps me out of my daze. I look up at him, refocused, and see his eyebrows furrowed, his expression slightly concerned.

"What's wrong?" I ask, curving my expression to match his,

"You seem spacey-- are you feeling up to this?"

I give him a flat stare, "Wilbur, you can't cancel an entire gathering over me feeling spacey," I chuckle at the end, shaking my head.

He stuffs his hands in his coat pockets and shrugs, "Actually, I can, if I felt like it."

"Have you done that before?"

He raises his right shoulder, "Maybe once or twice in the past."

I gasp, "Scandalous!!"

This makes both of us laugh. He pulls out his last-minute speech and looks towards the crowd of people huddled around the druggie-van.

Oh wait... a druggie-van.