(Fall 27)
After waking up, and doing chores around the farm, I decide to text the trio to talk about what we're gonna do tonight.
(Text chat with the trio)
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Yooooooo! It's almost Spirit's Eve! What are we doing?!
🪨Rock.Nibbler😋: Oh, I forgot. You never celebrated Spirit's Eve, have you?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Nah. I've celebrated Halloween, and ya told me it was kinda similar... Soooo...
🎵He-Was-A-Skater-Boi🛹: Yeah, except no costumes, no going door to door for candy, a big maze in the middle of town... Y'know... "Fun" stuff.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: No candy?...🥺
🐸Frog_King👑: you are such a child...
🔇🇳🐝🤠: ... Anyway... I'm dressing up whether y'all want me to or not, so... What should I dress up as?
🐸Frog_King👑: you're... actually doing that?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Yeah. It could be fun.
🐸Frog_King👑: or the whole town will pick on you...
🎵He-Was-A-Skater-Boi🛹: Seb! Let the farmer have some fun. Jeez.
🪨Rock.Nibbler😋: Yeah, Seb. Come on, man. Your default look is "Vampire". Don't make fun of someone else for wanting to look a little spooky.
🐸Frog_King👑: ...
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Sooooooooooooo... Does anyone have any ideas?
🎵He-Was-A-Skater-Boi🛹: How about the scariest thing of all?... A Joja employee.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Dude... I wanted to go as something spooky, or even just cute. I didn't wanna scare the entire town...
🎵He-Was-A-Skater-Boi🛹: Ok... Fair.
🪨Rock.Nibbler😋: Wait!... I think I have an idea.😏
🔇🇳🐝🤠: And that... Is?...
🪨Rock.Nibbler😋: How about a black cat? I'm sure Seb would be into that.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Excuse me?!
🐸Frog_King👑: WHAT?!
🪨Rock.Nibbler😋: Don't act all confused as if Sam didn't tell me about the way you two have been acting around each other lately.
🐸Frog_King👑: sam?... you told her?!
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Told her what?!
🎵He-Was-A-Skater-Boi🛹: I... Wasn't supposed to?
🐸Frog_King👑: YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE!
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Wouldn't tell anyone what?!
[🐸Frog_King👑 has left the chat]
🎵He-Was-A-Skater-Boi🛹: Oh no...
🪨Rock.Nibbler😋: Way to go, Sam...
🎵He-Was-A-Skater-Boi🛹: Hey! You had a part in this too!
🪨Rock.Nibbler😋: I didn't know he didn't want me knowing. This is on you, Buddy boi.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: What is going on?...
(End text chat)
After the chat, I just stare at my phone, wide eyed, trying to figure out what just happened...
"What the heck was that about? Seb and I haven't been... Wait... He didn't tell them about what's been going on with my return scepter... Did he?" I say to myself, trying to think of any reason why he'd do that.
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait... He doesn't think we're dating or something, does he?... Are we?! I mean... After what happened at that day on the dock, I-... What even are we?!" I say in a panic, unable to think of a good way to explain this.
After a short pause, I decided to quickly get my Spirit's Eve costume ready. Without really thinking, I went to my drawer, and pulled out a bunch of black clothes, and cat ears, and simply dropped them on top of the drawer for later tonight, before deciding to go out and take a walk, hoping to either figure this whole thing out, or forget about it completely.
Unfortunately, unlike a lot of things, this wasn't something I was gonna be forgetting about easily...
Eventually, after a bit of walking, I ended up at the train tracks, so I decided to sit under the shade of a nearby tree, and just watch a train go by. Maybe taking a moment to just laugh at the funny graffiti on it would help to get my mind off things, and for a while, it did... But eventually, the thoughts in my head got too loud to ignore.
"Does Seb think I have feelings for him or something?... Do I?!... Dang, what's he gonna think when I show up to the Spirit's Eve party, wearing cat ears-? Shut up right now!" I think to myself, as my face turns red. I covered my mouth after that last thought, not wanting my mind to go anywhere near that... At least for now.
(Miniscule time skip)
As the day got later, I was dreading having to go into town, and possibly be the only person wearing a Spirit's Eve costume. But I already told my friends that that's what I was doing, so I couldn't back down now. So, I got up, and out from under the tree, did a little stretch, and started making my way home.
Once I got there, I awkwardly walked into my room, and decided to take my sweet ol' time getting my costume on. First the shirt, then the pants, then the shoes, and finally, the piece that tied the whole costume together... The cat ears. "Tell me you're a furry without telling me you're a furry. I say jokingly to myself, laughing at my own stupid joke, while looking in the mirror."
"What would Seb even like about this costume, other than the fact that it's... Well... A black cat, which... I guess, kinda fits with his whole aesthetic. I'm not really sure what Abigail was talking about, unless... Oh... Oh... She was thinkin' something a little different... Wasn't she?..." I say awkwardly, as my face suddenly turns bright red. "Yeah, Seb would probably like something like that, but... Not on someone like me..." I say in an awkward, quiet tone, looking at my slight sad expression in the mirror.
(Author: Body dysphoria has entered the chat... Kindly ignore it.)
"I'm not wearing something like that, no matter how funny Abby would think Seb's reaction would be... I don't even own clothes like that, so I'm just sticking with the good ol' T-shirt and pants." I say with a huff, crossing my arms.
I then grab the back of my shirt, pull it back slightly, while glaring at the mirror, before covering my face with my hands and angrily mumbling "Yoba, why did I have to be born in a girl's body?... Ugh... Luckily this shirt is kinda baggy."
Then, a few seconds later, as I stand there, wallowing in self hatred, I get a text... From Sebastian... A part of me doesn't wanna answer it, after what happened earlier, but another part wants me to get out of my own head for a bit... So, I check my phone, to see what he has to say.
(Text chat with Seb)
🐸Frog_King👑: hey.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Hey. You doing ok?
🐸Frog_King👑: a little better than i was earlier. what's up with you?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Getting ready for Spirit's Eve. I got my costume on already, but...
🐸Frog_King👑: but what?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Nothing...
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Just... Forget about it.
🐸Frog_King👑: you doing okay?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Yeah, it's just... Social anxiety, and the constant reminder that I'm gonna be the only one in a costume tonight.
🐸Frog_King👑: you still have time to change your mind about that, y'know.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: I know... But I've already got the cat costume on, so there's no point in turning back now.
🐸Frog_King👑: you're actually going with abby's idea?
🐸Frog_King👑: the...Black cat costume?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Yeah? Why?
(Pause chat)
(Seb's POV)
I could immediately feel my face heating up after reading the last text from the farmer. "They're the only person in town dressing up, and they're gonna dress like that?!" I thought to myself, before shaking my head, and trying to get my mind out of the gutter.
"Boy, if I wasn't sure about my feelings for them before, I'm pretty sure this might change a few things." I quietly mumble to myself, just staring at my computer, trying to think of how to respond.
(Back to the chat)
🐸Frog_King👑: uh... no reason. i was just wondering.
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Oh... Kay?
🔇🇳🐝🤠: Um... See ya tonight, I guess.
🐸Frog_King👑: see ya.
(End text chat)
(Willow's POV)
"Well, I don't know what that was about." I say awkwardly, just blankly looking at my phone, before slowly putting it into my pocket.
I then glance over at a nearby clock to check what time I need to go to town for the Spirit's Eve festival. I let out an annoyed sigh, as I notice I've still got a few hours to go. I then let out a small sigh and annoyedly said "Well... I guess I could do some chores around the farm before the festival." before walking out of the house, and towards the chicken coop.
After feeding the hens, I just sat in the coop with them, listening to the soft clucks as they pecked away at their food. And eventually, one of them even decided to sit on my lap. "Hey, Sebby~" I said softly to the dark bird, as she made herself comfortable, fluffing up her feathers.
I just sat there for a while, petting the dark little hen, and not really paying attention to the time, until I noticed that it had gotten quite a bit darker in the coop, and some of the hens were falling asleep. "Crap. What time is it?!" I quietly mutter to myself, before checking my watch. My eyes went wide when I noticed that it was almost time for the festival. I then carefully took the sleeping hen off my lap, put her next to one of the others, so she could stay cozy, then quietly made my way out of the coop, before making a beeline towards town, with my cat ears flopping in the wind as I ran.
Once I got there, even after knowing what to expect, my heart still sank a bit when I noticed I was the only one in a costume. "Well, this sucks..." I quietly mutter to myself, as I awkwardly walk through town, trying to ignore the few people who happened to look my way.
Eventually, I happened to run into Sebastian, who was just staring at a skeleton that was trapped in a cage. Apparently, he didn't notice I was there at first, because when he saw me, he jumped a bit. He then looked at the cat ears I was wearing, and then down at me.
Even if it was slightly dark out, I did notice that his face had a slight pink tint to it, before he awkwardly cleared his throat, looked back at the skeleton, and quietly said "Hey."
"Hi." I quietly said back, feeling more awkward about the situation by the second.
Even with people all over the town square, talking, and having a good time, the silence in this one specific spot was painfully loud.
"Soooo... Nice... Costume..." Sebastian said awkwardly, looking more like he was talking to the skeleton in the cage, rather than me. In all honesty, I didn't blame him. I could probably burn a hole in the ground from how hard I was staring at it. "Thanks... I, uh... Take it it's... Not what you expected?" I say awkwardly, almost immediately regretting what I said, as soon as it came out.
I then slightly glanced up at Sebastian, only to see that his face was beet red. But luckily, he still wasn't looking at me... Or maybe that was unlucky... Maybe I made things super awkward... As if they weren't already.
After more painful silence, an awkward smile showed up on my face, as I said "So... That maze over there looks... Kinda fun... Have ya... Been in there yet?"
Sebastian stayed silent for a moment, as if he had forgotten how to speak, before eventually saying "Nah, it's... Kinda boring, to be honest with ya... That old dude with the purple beard makes it every year, but he never thinks to change it up that much... Or even change the prize at the end... I mean, sure, the go- uh... The thing is pretty expensive, so I guess you could get a lot of gold from it, but... Still."
"Is there a reason ya didn't wanna tell me what it was?" I ask with an awkward little smirk, while nudging Seb's arm.
"Pfft-. I didn't wanna ruin it for ya, in case you actually wanted to go in the maze." Sebastian said with a shrug.
"Aaawwww~ Ya wanted to keep it a surprise for lil ol' me?" I say in a sweet, but obviously teasing voice, causing Sebastian to lightly push me.
"Shut up. You're new to this festival. If I told ya what was at the end of the maze, ya probably wouldn't even wanna go in, because of how boring it is." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
After a short pause, I awkwardly said "Well... Honestly, I probably won't even go in anyway... The last time I went to a haunted house, or anything similar, I was just a little kid, and... I was with an adult, and it still scared the crud out of me... And it was just one of those little blow up haunted houses!"
Sebastian just stood there, with his hand covering his mouth, looking like he was trying to keep himself from laughing, before quietly chuckling, and saying "Y-... You were scared... Of a haunted bouncy house?!"
"It wasn't a bouncy house, dummy! It was just a little inflatable haunted house... There was creepy music, jumpscares and everything..." I quietly mumble, with an awkward little pout.
Sebastian was still trying to keep his laughter inside, as he quietly said "So, your weird fear of bouncy houses aside... Ya gonna go in the maze, or what?"
"Not. A bouncy house... And I'm only going in if you go with me." I say in a quiet, awkward tone, while glaring at the ground.
For a moment, Sebastian just stared at me, wide eyes, with a red face, as he tried to figure out how to respond to that. "I- uh... Wha-... I- never said I-... What made you think I'd-... I never planned to-... UGH. Fine... I'll go... You're such a child." He mumbled in an annoyed tone, crossing his arms.
I just smirked at him, before I began making my way towards the maze, with Seb following a few feet behind.
"After you." He said with a smirk, gesturing to the entrance to the maze.
"No, no, I insist that you go first, since you obviously know your way around here better than I do." I say back, in a sarcastic tone, making a similar gesture, before Seb glared at me, rolled his eyes, and started walking into the maze.
(Seb's POV)
As Wisp and I walked into the maze, I noticed they were walking quite close behind, as if they were trying not to get us separated... Were they really that scared of this stupid little maze?
"Wimp." I quietly muttered with a smirk, as I looked back at them, fearfully eyeing the green hands that were sticking out of the ground. "They won't hurt ya. See?" I say teasingly, as I walk past all the squirming hands.
Willow just looked at them, then up at me, before slowly, carefully walking towards where I was standing, trying not to even look at the hand... That is, until they suddenly stopped, with their face going pale.
They slowly looked down, only to notice that one of the hands had grabbed them.
They then looked back at me, eyes full of fear, and silently mouthed the word "Help." while moving their foot a bit, as I noticed that gross green hand didn't seem to want to let go.
I just stood there, looking confused for a moment, remembering that this had never happened to me, the last time I went into the maze. "Ew. What the-?" I quietly muttered, as I walked towards the farmer, grabbed their hand, and started trying to make my way further into the maze, only to be stopped by the hand that still had a grip on Wisp's foot.
"What the crap?!" I angrily whispered, before pulling a little harder on the farmer's hand, hoping that the hand in the ground would eventually lose its grip...
But I stopped, when I heard Wisp quietly mutter "Ow! My leg."
I looked down at the hand in the ground, suddenly going pale myself, as I noticed that it had its nails in Willow's boot.
"Get off them!" I said in a quiet, angry tone, before kicking the hand as hard as I could, then making a run for it.
Once Wisp and I got away from the rest of those creepy hands, the farmer quietly mumbled "D- does that... Usually happen?" while holding onto their wounded foot.
I slowly shook my head, trying not to show that I was also a little creeped out by that.
"If you're okay, we can... Keep going." I say with an awkward shrug, to which they nod, still tightly gripping my hand.
"Okay.. Let's go." I say quietly, as I slowly continue walking through the maze.
We then ran into Abby, who I stuck my tongue out at, when we passed her... To which, she flipped me off, as the farmer and I continued through the maze. Both of us seemed noticeably happier that those giant spiders weren't real.
Eventually, after a bit more walking, we eventually ran into Sam.
"That's odd... It's just a dead end up ahead. I could've sworn there was someone ahead of me when I went through the maze, though. Where'd they go?" He said, looking around at the maze, and poking around the hedge, hoping to find a way to continue.
I just glanced around a bit, before awkwardly shrugging. It's been a while since I've been in the maze, and I didn't exactly remember every little detail about it.
(Willow's POV)
Since Seb and Sam seemed to be of little to no help, I figured I'd try to look around a bit on my own.
After a bit of searching, I found a sign, with a big red question mark on it.
"Hm... I wonder what that's for." I think to myself, before leaning on the shrub to think for a moment, only to end up falling through it, and onto the other side.
For a moment, I just stayed put, laying in the grass, with a few twigs and leaves on me, silently wondering what the heck just happened.
"Ugh. Why does everything bad that happens tonight have to happen to me?" I think to myself, seeming annoyed about the whole situation, until I look around, and notice a cave entrance in the nearby cliff, that definitely wasn't there before.
Then, feeling as though I'm being watched, I look up, above the cave, on top of the cliff, only to notice Linus and Rasmodius sitting on top of the cliff, seemingly watching what's going on around the maze.
Linus looked down at me, when he noticed I was looking at him, before silently chuckling at me, before going back to whatever he was doing.
I just rolled my eyes, assuming that he was just laughing about the fact that I fell through the hedge like an idiot, before standing up, dusting myself off, and slowly making my way towards the cave.
(Seb's POV)
"Hey, uh... Wasn't the farmer with you a little bit ago?" Sam asked, looking slightly confused.
"Yeah, they're right he-" I pause mid sentence, looking around, and noticing that Wisp was no longer behind me.
A look of panic suddenly covers my face, as I look at Sam, and worriedly whisper "Where the crap did they go?!"
"Well, you're worried all of a sudden. Since when do you have feelings?" Sam jokingly said with a laugh.
"Shut up, this isn't funny. They got hurt earlier, and now they've just gone missing... This is what I get for agreeing to go into the maze with them. Nothing but freakin' stress." I say in a quiet, worried tone, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Seb, calm down, man. This is a small town, and an even smaller maze. They couldn't have gotten far... We'll find them. It's just... Weird to see you so worried about other people, y'know?" Sam said in a calming tone, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Fine... Let's just find them so we can get out of here." I mumble in an annoyed tone, before walking further into the maze.
(Willow's POV)
"Okay... Just... Ignore your fear of the dark. It'll be fine. It's just part of the maze. It won't hurt you... The sooner ya get through that cave, the sooner you can get out of this maze, right?" I think to myself, while standing in front of the dark cave, trying to convince myself to go into it.
"Okay... One... Two... Three... Go." I quietly whisper to myself, before walking into the dark entrance.
I hated every second of it. The tunnel was small, and I couldn't see a thing, but eventually, I made it to the end... Only to find out that it was a dead end.
"Oh, come on..." I quietly mumble, before noticing the treasure chest in the middle of the floor.
"Ohhhh~ I wonder what this is." I say with a smirk, before walking towards the chest.
(Seb's POV)
"We've been searching for hours, Seb..." Sam said in a tired tone, while looking around the dead end.
"Sam... We've only been searching for them for a few minutes, and found nothing." I say blankly, feeling around the hedge, hoping to find an exit or something. Luckily, I eventually found a hole in the hedge, and said "Sam, get over here. I found something." before going through the hole, with Sam eventually following behind.
Once we were on the other side, we saw a cave, with eyes peeking out from the inside.
After a short pause, Sam quickly turned around, and said "Nope. You're on your own on this one, Seb. It's been real... Wait, can I have your Solarion Chronicles: The Game set if you die?" to which I just stare at him, wide eyed, and simply ask "What the actual crap?" before he awkwardly smiled, and ran off towards the beginning of the maze.
For a moment, I just stood there, in disbelief that my best friend had just abandoned me in the middle of a freaky maze, before turning back to look at the cave, then nearly jumping out of my skin when I saw the farmer standing right in front of me.
"Hey." They quietly said with an awkward smile, while holding a golden pumpkin.
After taking a few seconds to catch my breath I let out a quiet sigh, before a small smile showed up on my face, and I softly said "I see ya got to the end... Nice job." while they held the pumpkin close, looking proud of themself.
(Small time skip)
(Willow's POV)
I finally felt more at ease once we were finally out of the maze.
"So, kitty, ya gonna sell that golden pumpkin of yours? You could get quite a lot of money for that thing." Seb said, while nudging my arm.
After a short pause, I bluntly asked "What in Yoba's name did you just call me?" with a big smirk, causing Sebastian's face to turn bright red again.
"Uh- nothing... Ya gonna sell the pumpkin or not?" Seb said quickly, glaring at the ground, and shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I guess so... And heck, I'll split the money with ya, since ya did kinda help me get through the maze." I say with a shrug.
Seb just looks at me, with a surprised expression, before saying "Nonono, y- you don't need to do that."
"But... You needed to save up some money to go to the city, didn't ya? Wouldn't this help?" I say with an awkward smile.
Sebastian's expression suddenly changes, as he sadly looks at the ground, and quietly says "Uh... Y- yeah, I... I guess it would, but... You still don't need to do that. I'm fine with getting the money for that on my own... Sure, it might take a while, but... I'm fine with that."
"Seb. I'm giving you the money whether ya like it or not. I'll give it to ya tomorrow... Sucks that it ain't nearly enough for your life in the city, but it's a nice start, right?"
Seb stayed silent for a moment, before quietly saying "Uh... Yeah... Sure... Thanks, I guess." while still keeping his eyes on the ground.
"You... Doing okay, Sebby?" I ask softly, slightly confused about the sudden mood change.
"Y- yeah, I'm... I'm fine... So, I, uh... I'll see ya tomorrow?" Seb said, awkwardly glancing up at me.
"Ya planning on heading home already? You're usually more of a night owl." I respond with an awkward chuckle.
"Um... I have work to do... Y'know... Programming..." Seb said quietly, scratching the neck of his neck.
"Oh, right. Well, see ya tomorrow, I guess." I say with an awkward smile, before slowly walking towards home.
"Well, that was awkward." I think to myself, as I make my way out of the town square.
(Sam's POV)
While I was enjoying my time at the festival, I noticed that Seb and Willow seemed to be going home early. "I wonder what that's about." I think to myself, before running over to Seb, to see what's up.
"Hey, man. You good?" I ask once I catch up with him.
"I've got work to do." He quietly responded, not even looking at me. His hood was up, so I couldn't really see his face that well, especially with how dark it was.
"That's not what I asked, dude. Are you okay?" I said bluntly, as I continued walking next to him.
"I'm fine. Just leave me alone." He said in an annoyed tone. But I couldn't help but notice the slight crack in his voice as he spoke.
"Uh... You sure, Seb-?" I said, before being cut off, as Sebastian suddenly started running home.
I just stood there silently for a moment, before awkwardly saying "Alrighty then." before heading back to the festival, deeply confused.
(Author: Man, it's been a bit since I wrote the last chapter. It's spooky month, so I figured writing a Spirit's Eve chapter was a good idea. I've been dealing with a lot of stuff, so it's short, but it's better than nothing... Anyway... Happy Halloween to those who celebrate!🎃 And if ya don't, have a nice day/night. I'll see ya in the next chapter... Whenever the heck that's posted.)