User blog:MockingJester/A long harvest

He prayed.

For the first ten minutes, he prayed "Please, oh goddess, let me be caught in a nightmare"

For the first hour, he prayed "Please, oh goddess, let me be caught in a horrific nightmare".

For the first day...he prayed "Please...let me be caught in a harrowing nightmare...

...so that...I may wake from its clutches..."

The night's coming shades the outskirts of the island in a deep orange, the evening tuning as the twilight between dawn and dusk, washing Joshua in its ominous glow. His suitcase assorted with the basic necessity of water, food and self-defense weaponry. Twin pistols reminiscent of harvesting scythes in his farming days.

Their lusters shine in silver, the weapons, robbed of their ability to murder such creatures dwelling in this place. His only means to stay in the living world.

His hands graze them, reluctant to pick them. The case holstered on his back, Joshua's mind was left with its prayers unanswered "Good gracious..."

The rest of the people had left, the glint of their silver weapons left long burning in his gaze when the day was still present. Men and women, pious in their hearts, yet, left to their own devices as it was back in their own cities. As ever, as now.

Joshua is no different, looking for no man, no woman, none with who to band with against the incoming days. He plunges deep in the bushes looking for anywhere to hide in. Already his ears are perturbed by screams and violence. Clashes in the night to which he was not interested in. The screams, once of terror and dread, quick to simmer down, dethroned by another.

The first individuals had fallen prey to the wandering creatures, emphasized by a voice that would ring in his ears for the rest of the night ~It looks like our first contestants have fallen to very lovely ladies. Hear how much fun they're having~ The screams and shouts peel from the terror that briefly afflicted the losers, instead, ushering to a nascent pleasure taking home in their throats.

~Perhaps it'll motivate some of you to strive harder to keep those shackles on. Or, hopefully, many more of you'll want nothing more than to plunge in the arms of a lonely lady looking to love someone very dearly~

The shouts do not relent, inexperienced in the rapture they now bathe in ~So many lonely women just teeming with the anticipation of joining to this chorus of chants. You best double your efforts, boys. Ta~ta~ The microphones now lay dormant, awakening Joshua to a torrent of moans he wished he could ignore instead of being distracted by the woman's voice forcefully acknowledging the cursed chorus.

He flees deeper, the grass and trees falling rare, left to the beginning of roads and paths. Bridges and roadblocks "The old kingdom..." Joshua whispers, muffling the glint of his akimbo pistols to the growls and snares of the night. A very small shed sets to his sight, accompanied by an even larger farm.

he flees to the shed, hidden to the dark of the night. Immediate survival is his primary thought. And so, he bars himself within, one of the few places many would forget to check, even wondering entities. - Having wedged the only door to a close, Joshua effectively isolated himself from the outside world, privy to the unending moans scorching the land of the fallen kingdom, his hands on his pistols. His pistols...on his knees, holding vigil for one until the first peering of the sun went to greet him.

He sighs in relief "Thank the goddess, it's finally day". Again, he mounts his suitcase to his back and moves the wedge from the door, welcoming his sight to blinding light, forcing his hand to intervene in-between.

The forest looked and sounded much less threatening under the inspection of the morning usurping the evening. A fallacy he was none to fall for, still stranded on an island with beasts.

His first act is to gather wood and flint. His time as a farmer had long opened his mind to possibility, allowing him to know the ins and outs of basic materials. With those, two scythes and a spear become his to wield alongside his pistol.

All the while, he was alone, the feeling not unlike that of the industrial farms he worked in. Amidst many, yet in solitude with no sense of camaraderie to ease the days in scorching heat at the prey of mosquitos seeking a quick feed to his blood or the shivering trails of rain pelting his unsheathed limbs often prone to freeze. They were many, yet they were alone as he was, such is the way of the city where he labored.

Being literally alone in this endeavor, despite having so many of his fellow reminded him of those soulless endeavors. Basking once more in the bland recreational of his eating moment, Joshua utters no word, the straw hat he bears masking his lightless gaze.

This approach steels him to the dangers of the land, now prone to go look around the dilapidated farm. The edge of the island teems with sand, periodically leaving empty cone shells and crabs ashore. Looking further, the farmer can see fishes dancing at the edge of the sand, looking to scavenge as well "Probably should set a fishing line later. Right now..."

He turns, making sure to burn the memory of his visual picture in his mind. Food and shelter were already close, water, however, demanded a deeper venture in the forest "...well, unless I can find something to boil the seawater".

Joshua moves deeper to the forest, soon finding a lake of pure water with many animals lapping at its borders, a few minutes from his abandoned farm. His water bottle would have to serve as a container.

He moves to the water, drinking deeply with his bamboo hat by his knees "...good. Now, to scavenge--

"Help! Please, someone--help!" A voice comes screeching through the surrounding, scaring the animals away. Joshua's head quickly rushes from the water, his twin pistols brought to bear. The other side of the river sees the branches rustle and buck under the weight of a terrified man running from the dark. Shirtless and his pants, on the brink of tearing apart.

"Somebody, help, please!" Louder stomps destabilize his footing, with furious acceleration. The branches break in pieces in mere contact with a body leaving them no chance.

"I'll help you, honey~ A loud voice boasts from behind him, presenting the heated advance of a Minotaur swinging her ax near the terrified man.

"No! NO! Stay away! Stay away--ARGH!" The tip of her weapon brushes against the tip of his ankle. Joshua had the first sight of what spirit energy looked in its condensed state, bleeding as a wound would. Weakening him as it would as well.

His fall is predictable, turned to stretch his hands against the beast already looking to disrobe herself from the bare minimum one can constitute as clothing ~Now, now, that is no way to speak to your darling, honey. Ohh...~

Her hands plant around his arms. Glistening lips licked away by her tongue in a blatant sensuality ~Silly me. You don't know the name of your new wife, do you? Well, mine is--

Her forehead is pelted away. Dense powder festers around Joshua as he unloads a few rounds from his right-handed pistol. The bullets blow in pieces over her head, this time, making her bleed a bleak purple aura. Her speech pattern is cut away by the siphoning silver, leaving her to stumble and fall over the man, now struggling to move under the behemoth of a woman.

Making little of safety, Joshua runs to the man, tearing a piece of leaf midway. He shoves it on the Minotaur's side and promptly kicks it, pushing her aside for the man to breath easy "Huff...! Huff...! Thanks!"

"Hmm..." Joshua moves away from the man, leaving him to his own endeavor. The latter, however, "Hold on..."

"What is it?"

"Well, you know a place to stay for a bit? If you do, well, I have a few things I was scavenging in this dreaded place before it came running".

Joshua sheathes his pistols and points to a direction "Really? Well, I found an abandoned farm not far. It can host a few people".

"Alright! Hold on a moment, let me..." The man runs back to the deep fo the forest, making sure to sidestep the downed and dozing Minotaur. Minutes later, the topless man was running back with an improvised backpack filled with things washed up the shore. Fish, clams, crabs, anything edible, now theirs to eat.

Watching him run like some excited infant gives a spark in Joshua. The remnant of a fellow willing to partake with his belonging a rare sight, passing beyond its mere way of thanking him. He just wishes he had met someone like that anywhere but here... --- "So, you were a farmer, then?" The runner, Eric, shifts his sight to Joshua amidst the guise of a rising sun. A night with another had been graceful, a blessing, even, in spite of his constant barrage of questions. One of his mechanisms to forget the harrowing place where they are stranded.

"As much as you are a courier". The farmer proffers away a stick with fried fish on the end to his fellow, the latter none the wiser, yet recovering from danger close. On his hip rests a firearm, one of Joshua's. His suitcase mocked him with the short end of the draw, providing nothing more than a silver dagger.

"Yea. I'm surprised we haven't really met yet". His voice's pitch heightens and lowers nervously, now toiling with masticating his sea catch.

"Maybe we did..." Joshua takes a bite as well, thinking of his time prior. A lonely world whilst surrounded by others, all blinded to their own duties. --- "Wow, this place is larger than I thought!" Eric runs across the broken farm's remains, often moving around to avoid tripping.

"Yes". Joshua walks to the large court where harvest was to be done. A land with neglect stranded on the soil. Like a cart afflicted with a broken wheel left unmoved for years. Decades. Centuries, perhaps.

He starts moving it, looking to push it from the fields. "Ohh, we're renovating this place then?" Eric knows all-too-well of Joshua's intention with a mere glance, as pale and emotionless it is. He was a farmer standing in front of a farm needing basic maintenance.

In response, Eric runs across the yards, picking up the unimportant rabble. If he was close to being caught by a Minotaur yesterday, then today reflected his mere need to rest and eat, his courier spirit shining through the obstacles with as much grace he can muster.

The yards now merely need the seeds to blossom to a bountiful harvest. Acre after acre of empty soil waiting to be germinated. Eric sprints back to Joshua, panting and raving "Ok...it's a bit larger...than expected".

Joshua can feel the anxiety in his tone, quick to rectify the shot "We're not going to fertilize all of it. The farm won't allow it".

"Oh thank goodness!" The runner falls to his butt, panting still "That would have been a nightmare to upkeep, especially with those things walking the island".

His eyes trace to Joshua, the later walking up to the closest patch of ground. His makeshift scythes slice up the ground like a pumpkin, cutting away a designated area int he center, blessed by the sun and any rain falling. He lifts his head in trying to see the place batter "Ohh, so we're working on this patch alone?"

"Close to the farm, good sun and rain spots. Reasonably large enough. It will suffice. Now, we need seeds". Joshua turns away to be met with Eric presenting him a few vegetables he once gathered. The man briefly widens his eyes, not expecting his new guest to be so accommodating "...yes. This will suffice".

"Bet you're really glad to have picked me up, huh? I can find us some more in case we need".

"The seed for these will suffice, but, I appreciate. For now, we build and observe". -- ~The participants have been reduced to eighty percent!~ A large voice broadcast itself to the whole of the island, teeming with excitement ~Steadfast, ladies. You'll get them. Boys, you better pick up some more, more ladies looking to join their voice to a pleasurable time~

"Urgh...she's annoying". Eric and Joshua sit by the table of the dilapidated farm, it and many other ancient tools still of use moved to its center. Coincidently, a kitchen. An overwhelming around of machinery are crafted in wood and stones, be it ladles, knives or otherwise. Things such as the stove are instead molded by day-consuming labors. All worth the effort as the duo now awaited their own settlement.

Unfortunately, the lilim's voice had dampened Eric's mood. A sentiment shared by the farmer "Yes. She is. Now eat up. We need strength before fishing".

"Oh yea, today is fishing day. Well, alright". Fruit and vegetable fill a bowl of clay, quickly emptied by the two, making the best efforts to ignore the constant shrieks of pleasure echoing through the trees. --- Another spear made from stone and wood. Two men, improvised fishermen, course the salt ocean at the beach alongside a few traps of their making. A moderate harvest is claimed within their timber cages.

"You know, I haven't seen any of them in a while". Eric speaks as he jabs a spear down the tranquil course of water. The ripples twist his visual features, scorning his face with a missed attempt.

"Yes". Joshua knew many would be attracted to the immediate harvest of questionable fruits teeming in the island. Many times was he found slapping a dubious fruit from Eric's hand. Their suitcase's supplies had immediately withered in quantity, explaining his advanced haste to pick what looked edible.

Alas, as the two finally finished their fishing trip for the time, trouble brew close. Another group running bare feet to the hot sands of the beach. Their weapons, drawn and eager, lacking the silver temper on their edges. Hand-made, obviously, with little seeing the use of a sword or knife that cannot kill.

Behind them, monsters. Many monsters. Their facials feature brought to lust. Gaining to the group of five men struggling to see their pants remain intact.

Eric moves from the water, alerted by this unwanted attention "Oh shoot--

"Run". Joshua acts with dexterity, grabbing two fo the four cages teeming with fish, followed quickly by Eric and his singular cage in hand. They flee from the place, refusing to turn, blind to the five turning to face their aggressors with the hope of winning or at least fending the mob off.

Their screams of pleasure give naught but a boost to Eric and Joshua running back to their farm.

"Holy moly! That was close!" Joshua climbs the improvised gate to their safe place, placing the still moisten cage to the table, wiggling with fish.

"Yes". Joshua is behind, already moving to harvest and prepare the fish to conserve. A smaller pot had the exclusivity of saltwater boiled and evaporated for the salt itself. He looks to it...and drops the wiggling fish.

"Your gun". Joshua speaks calmly, pulling out his pistol.

"Huh? Why--HOLY!!" Eric startles himself and pulls out his pice as well, pointing it at...something. Someone.

A bug secluded over another nearby table. Her legs waver in a suggestive fashion, clothed with a simple black robe thoroughly relevant of her ample shapes. Dark chitin wings rest on her back, afflicted with the icon of death itself as well as thorned antlers produced on her head lost in her hair.

Three fingers claw at an apple, squeezing the ripe fruit oozing in its juice. Her hungry lips latch on the flesh of the fruit, lavishly munching on it as her eyes glance their way. Her face turns seductive ~Hey, what's up?~

"Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it!" Bullets fly from Eric's gun, the first to open hostilities toward this intruder. Joshua joins in, opening fire on the insect. Their bullets don't even come close to incapacitating as she flips away from the table, taken to the air.

~Oh, come on, boys, don't you order peeps know how rude it is to shoot at a guest?~ Her avian step is a graceful one in spite of her disposition, prone to speak again "I honestly just came to see who was able to push Jackie so easily, but now I see...~

The incessant smoke of gun powder continues to expand to the whole of the only room slightly labored by their hands, occasionally stopping only for the hunger of the pistols for fresh castings, spitting away the used one aside from a barren clip.

"One handsome man coming to aid another. And so self-reliant, no less. With the cherry of agriculture on top~ Dazzling still amidst the rounds, the insectoid rubs her hands across the corresponding cheeks, almost drooling was she not trying to impart some impression on the duo.

"Coming back here is going to be so much fun. I'm filled for the day, though. Ta-ta, boys~ Her purple lips imprint a kiss on her chitin palm, shaded in a deeper variant of the same color, then blows it in their direction, prompting the two to dodge under the assumption of a hidden attack.

"I'll be sure to drop here often. Better prepare a table for my next visit. Maybe a little more fish, though~ Her flight drives her forward to a broken window frame.

Their pistols fall silent with countless rounds spent, the silence leaving the two to ponder her words "More fish? Whatever could she--

"Our cabinet's empty". Joshua had since turned to see the state of their meager supply, cutting a singular beat of Eric's heart.

"Wait...what?!" He rushes to see their cupboard, made expressively to let their gathering breathe. Empty, all of it "No, no, no! Come on, those were two days of scavenging! What are we going to--"

"Hey, hey, it's alright" Joshua's palms seem to calm the distressed runner, watching in dread at their emptied boards and cupboards. Pain-tasking days of stealth and runbacks, ruined. Perhaps not utterly, his sight set on a hidden compartment of food, scarce by its stoking size.

"We'll get some more" He continues, taking what little they have.

"But, I'm too tired right now, sir".

"It's alright, we'll rest for the day. It's getting dark anyway".

"Right...right..." Eric turns to the one space where they slept. Small, barely in the way of comfort. It also had the uncanny value of looking broken enough that no one, be they human or monster would think of getting anything from it, let alone sparing it a glance, deeper in the forest.

This is where they eat...

...and sleep. --- "Sir?" Another day had risen in this dreaded island, ushering again in the distorted chants of moans and shrieks, forcing the two to blot their ears.

However, this moment is ripe with a welcoming neither expected. Their courtyard, invested with but the seed to their harvest, had worked tirelessly to grow and spur, skipping the entire cycle that would see their slow growth.

"I must admit, I am uncertain of what occurred here..." Joshua' boot steps cleave the soil as he approaches the grown stacks. Lettuce, pumpkins and other vegetables are grown to a side

Apples, tomatoes and other fruits take the other side, stepping far from Joshua's designated spot, judged as the only segment worth cultivating over. Bonus, all of it, bonus.

Eric's eyes are widened in awe, kept in check only bit the thought that would, with others, see him scorned and made a pariah "Sir? That...thing. Do you think that..."

"No. No way. Why would it even presume to aid us, less so after breaking in our hideout?" Joshua shoots down his quivering question...a syllable late, toned in the slight undertone of uncertainty... --- ~Hey boys. I'm back~ The evening is strong at the moment, a true twilight between the descent of the day and the ascendency of the night. Accompanying the bitter onslaught of the night, a dark shade bellows to the sky, lowering to the hole punctured on the farm's ceiling, affiliated with a black robe ~I hope you have something extra meaty for me...Ohh?~

Landing atop a table, the Beelzebub's sight is besieged by the presentation of a table bearing all the aroma of fish and soup, intermingled into one. It and other plates of salads of all vegetable.

~Oh, oh, oh. Quite the bounty you offer me, lads. Don't mind if I do~ With that said, looking around to see and hear no one, the insect woman begins to feast on a table seemingly dressed for others, caring not for who it really was destined to.

Further, from the farm, the two watched. Hidden beneath a shattered cart once removed from the fields.

"Sir, it seems taken by this meal. But..." Eric's stomach grumbles and snaps his sentence in half. The dishes were supposed to be theirs, now carelessly devoured by a monster.

"I know. But, this bug looks content enough to feast on whatever we scrounge up. If it means leaving us alone, then, let it be".

"I guess". --- ~Fifty percent of the participants have now joined in the arms of our lovely ladies~ A loud broadcasting voice propels to the ends of the island at the very morning, spurning the two awake from their improvised shed. Eric, in particular, didn't sound all too glad to be hearing of this "Why does she have to yell it so loudly?"

~Whoever happens to still be running solo better buckle up. A scarce amount of men means fiercer ladies. Good luck hunks~ The radio falls silent, leaving them in their thoughts.

Joshua has no worry about him and his trusty companion, the only creature remotely aware o content with dining at their table. Always eating by herself, garnished somehow, with the grace of a lady. Joshua's slow apprehension to her gradually shifts, her departing dance with a satiated belly spurning a beautiful radiance of purple and white dust, coating her wings in a way contrarian to the death sigil marked upon them.

Her voice, speaking as if she knew of their place, yet left in ambiguity ~Thanks for the grub, boys. A little bitter, though. Perhaps more smooth and sweet. Ta-ta~

Joshua's mind often fabricating whatever they could ground up for tomorrow as he and Eric prepared for their true meal, much lesser in quantity compared to the Beelzebub, their hunger, satiated quicker.

As well as the boon of tomorrow, no less, brought about by what was long hypothesized to be her satisfaction. Catching her flight from the farm, the farm would be caught in a glimpse of the insectoid sparing her own glance from the back, looking down, almost...serene? In their direction...his spot... --- The night, for those still untouched by beasts, robbed them of will to move further, confining them to their one spot. Joshua and Eric, one in many to be such victims of the dark, forced to remain hidden.

The farmer was no one man with a struggle to keep himself afloat, brought to slowly yearn to admire the insect that would rob them once and bless them twice. Eric's sleep remained forever disturbed since the advent of that Minotaur. Her touch, rough, raw, rugged...

Smooth, soft and serene. All at the same time, leaving more than an impression on his very self... --- "Sir?" Eric, once more, the first to note the grown harvest of vegetable and fruit. Each piece, each fragment, each bit, flawless in their ripe stature.

"Yes". Joshua's voice has a note of sincere surprise witnessing the fields filled with bounties "I am as surprised as you are with every sight of these. Even with how much is spent feeding her".

He hands twin buckets to Eric, a feeble simper on his face "We'll deal with this later. Right now, water supplies are low".

"Ohh! Of course!" Taking the buckets in hand, Eric's footwork already spans meters from the farmer, the latter, reasonably impressed with the man's unending yoke of spirit. He follows, re-adjusting his bamboo hat. --- Their gathering session, quiet. Well, as quiet as the screams of battle and moans allowed them. Water pooled splendidly in their buckets, shiny and reflective in the deep wooden pots.

Joshua watches over Eric play with the liquid, sometimes drinking to the shimmering of their silver pants filtering out the harmful aura surrounding them. He had his entire processed halted, his pistol out on the lookout as a vigil. --- Their march back to their hideout, besieged, halted. Far from them, dots line on the beach, yielding to another clash. Men with scraps of weapons, tipped in rock and wood as opposed to the glint of silver from demonic aspects offered to them. Their wishes of avoiding fatality seemed to have come on deaf ears. Or perhaps did the unending wailing stretching to the island finally rent them insane with the prospect of death...

However, as Eric and Joshua cautiously approached, their grins twisted to that of zealot sadism unveiled the reason they clung to their weapons that forsake the self-restraint as silver. One of them, taking a step forward another cluster of dots, monsters, brands his weapon as the leader of this makeshift band "Survive? Nah, we're going to cleanse this place from all of y'all, you hear?"

On the other side, monsters that would be considered foul even for their enemies' standards. Primarily inhabited by beast-kind, their opposition is decked with were bats, manticores, Arachnes and the sort. The kind to actively seek out the worst of their opposition.

One of them takes a few steps forward, punctuated by sharp limbs drenched in black biting into the sand, a razor-sharp finger wagged airborne "Now, now, now, boys. This is supposed to be a fun event. Stabbing your hosts..." Her finger stops...

...and so do their weapons, snatched in the sudden flight of gravitational defiance, lasting for but a second as it seeks them back at the spider woman's many feet. Their inert motion reveals a web of web attached to them. Her eye, gentle in her first sentence, slits, and growls "...is a no-no. Ladies, let's show them the...error of their ways~

Instantly, the ravenous lasses jump upon the men deprived of their only means of defense. Their silvery pants, their targets. Ripped apart like confetti to the wind, making away with the second layer constituting their underwears.

Their time under the monsters' hunger is evidently going rougher than most, as Eric and Joshua can see. The men's curse spitting, doing little to desist their aggressors.

Taking in the diversion of their caught preys, the beasts' awareness is narrowed to a tunnel vision, leaving the runner and farmer to flee the place, returning to their broken farm, expecting the unexpected.

They were...not expecting what came. The Beelzebub, ever with the gaping maw, feasting at their table as a by-product of their foresight to set up as to avoid any unexpected outcome.

Walking, creeping to the improvised spider hole dug in days, Joshua's leading footsteps stop, prompting Eric to voice his inquiry "Sir?"

A hand of silence is echoed back, exacerbated by his hands clamped on his mouth, reverberating the twin buckets. Slowly, Josua opens the panel to their hole. Slowly, they crawl within, once again, the runner voicing concern "Sir?"

"There's another one..." Joshua's voice falls on a flat line.

"Another one? Huh?--!!!" Daring a peek, he pushes on the panel committing the two to the earth. A sliver of sight allowed him a fulfilled seat where he would be eating. Large, with horns reaching way over his head. Skimpy clothed by a massive cleaver.

"Oh sh--it's that Minotaur from before!" His whisper betrays the panic in his voice.

"Really? That may prove problematic..." Joshua closes down the hidden spot "Brace yourself. We're going in prolonged hiding". --- "Wow! This is some good grub!" Eating without reserve, the Minotaur continuously empties bowl after bowl. Fruits, vegetables, others, re-modeled by the occupants' hands, all fall under the yoke of her hunger, almost as strong as the Beelzebub's piling plates of clay.

"Right? The guy here's a wizard with this stuff, even stocking up on the whole".

Her lecherous maw gulps down on a freshly grown apple, a benign respite from the overwhelming vegetable-based culinary "Shame they don't have much in the meat department".

"Hmm, sounds like something you'd give them if capable".

"Obviously after getting some 'meat'~ The Minotaur laughs, its broadcast prejudiced by envy. Crossing many fellows with a man in their arms will do that "Though, perhaps not as hastily as before...I want to take it a bit slower"

The Beelzebub's eating motion stops for a second, reminisced of the two's frontal reaction. A brightened sense of empathy double by an idea shines in her eyes "Yea, I get that. Which is why you should join in. You know, drop-in, get some good eating and go".

"You mean like we're doing right now?"

"Yea, yea. Get them used to us. I mean, the farmer has been sending a few glances here and here..." Heat builds in her cheeks, her body giggly and tickling "At least before this game end. It's...fun to have someone looking forward to...". --- ~Twenty-five percent, ladies. Better get your enthusiast in gear. They drop like hot bread~ The voice speaks in the den of blissful night, aching those still wandering in search of prey.

Wrestling those in the like of Joshua and Eric, hiding still in their shed. A struggle of relief and tension disputes on each's mind. Relief at the thought of returning. Tension at the thought of dealing with much more ravenous monsters looking not to miss out by fear of remaining single for yet longer.

A background thought left dethroned by the current contradiction. Joshua stood awake at the dark of the night, burned with the image of the Beelzebub spreading her wings, radiant with the dust of mysticism, seemingly nourishing the ground wherever she went.

This glow, taking over in the aftermath of her feeding, apparently made off with the hungering insect, instead, shifting her to a more delicate woman glittering in the moonlight over a rapturous purple breathing bounty to where it spreads.

Even hidden deep in their small shed, his eyes carried to the stars, the spot where her ambient magic glitters still. Blind to the shadow briefly moving before the shed's narrow vision. Deaf to the metallic clank from a heavy body landing over it.

"Sir? Sir?!" A cacophony of tearing metal sets Joshua's thoughts away, his first action, turning to see Eric grasped by a shadowy arm from the top, where metal bucked and gave.

"What?!" The farmer takes to his pistol, immediately unloading every ounce of metal it can still spit from its magazine. The dense place fills up with silver filament and choking dust. However, the clicks from after the fifth shot became hollow, empty.

"Your gun!" Urgency dances in Joshua's voice, snatching the feeble hand Eric offered with the silver piece on it, to which he also empties on the arm with seemingly no true effect. It rattles and trembles, but loses no grasp on the runner, soon pulled upward.

"No, no, no! Hold on!" He clings to his legs, looking to hold on to his companion. His attempt...fails as the upward slide of the struggling Eric bumps Joshua's head against the metal, knocking his senses in disarray.

"Sir! It's...! It's the same one--" His voice blurs in the distance to an ailing Joshua recovering from the harsher bump, looking to run after his only trusted man amidst the darkness. Confusion besets him his voice, snuffed out.

"Eric! Eric! Where are you?!" He screams, his dual pistols standing feebly in hands, their top recoiled on the back. Their meaning? Revealed as another voice whispers in the night "Ohh, you're out, huh? Sweet--"

Immediately turning, the man unloads rivets on the darting Beelzebub. Or he would be, were his pistols not empty, wasted on the other's arm. Dread...finally afflicts his expression, lately following his voice.

"Ohh, oh, oh, so you're done with those distasteful things. Cool, now we can--hold on. Where are you going?"

The loss of his only friend in a hostile island had severed what little will Joshua held. Opened to the chorus he so long learned to cope with, the farmer darted back to his humble place, followed in short fashion "Hey, hey now...I know you're a bit distraught by that buddy of yours, but--wait, hold on".

Distress afflicts the insect's voice, accelerated in her flight pattern, and yet, still missing the man by centimeters as he isolates himself in the depth of his broken shed. Busted in the prevention of openings. The hole forcefully blotted for the same.

He crawls to the furthest corner, his scythes of stone and wood in hands following the sudden tossing of empty pistols. Broken in pieces, the stone now laid by his arms, under his throat. They jitter in his grasp, threatening to puncture the fragile neck.

Her collision on the top of the shed is done with hurry, gazing down through narrow visions "I hope you're not thinking of doing what I think you're doing..."

She sees it, the sharp stone improvised as a dagger, waiting to penetrate his throat. Eyes burning out the last filter of light in them, a reaction common among those losing their will to live... --- "Hey..." The Beelzebub clings to the broken door closing the man within from the outer world. The sun peered everywhere its rays touched, save for the innards of the dilapidated cabin, leaving Joshua in the darkness and unmoving.

"I hope you know it's morning. Looks kind of hard to see it from where you're standing". Her knees hug her arms, as her whole self hugged the stubbed door. Her voice, whispering in hope of ushering a response, any response. Nothing... --- "Hey...it's me again..." Her purple form returned to the shed's door, the bathing light of the day shimmering in orange tides "It's evening now..." Her eyes briefly turn to the field, a harvest left untouched "I...I hope you know of the implicit deal we had...right?" Glancing inward again, her purple irises spot the man in the same corner, unresponsive... --- "Hey...ol' Laurie again..." Her hands cling on a bowl filled with fruits and a bottle of water "I see you haven't moved in a while. Though I'd...leave some things for you. You know, a cheerful belly brings a cheerful mind..."

No answer from within. Her antennas fall limp on either side "I see you're still pondering. They're...they're at the door if you need them".

Her wings flap in the distance, leaving once more under the encroaching darkness of the night, mattering little to Joshua, keeping close to a swift end. A repetition spaning days... --- ~Final stretch, boys. Ten percent left~ The voice broadcasts to the whole of the island, falling as a glimmer of hope for those still keeping to themselves. A center of interest for those inadvertently coupled with the island's denizens. A hurried pace for those still single.

Far from the rising sun, the dark of the farm, sheltered by trees and shades. A knock echoes on the silence of the broken shed as it did days before. Only...

"Sir...you here?" The tone is a radical shift to the quivering feminity of Laurie. Familiarity attempts to reach Joshua's shelter. No response in spite of Eric standing by the other side, staring down at the withered bowl of meals once fresh.

"You said he didn't move from here?"

Another voice speaks back "N-no...he's hasn't been breaking form since Vicky decided to try again between you two".

"Well then--" The door grinds and forcefully opens under his effort, to the dismay of the other voice.

"No, no, please! He's been threatening to end himself--

"Sir?" The light flashes inside, illuminating the dim shed, seemingly intent on surrounding Joshua's shriveled shape still holding a pair of jagged stones to his throat, overlapped by his legs. He could barely move, much less stand up. His hands, however...

...stood still, recognizing his kidnapped companion returned in a jay of worry.

"Yes, yes! It's me, sir. I'm...I'm unharmed, look". Rising to the extent of the shed's roof, his pants shine with luster, reflecting the sun's ray with a silver twist across the reasonably small space.

"She just wanted a second chance. I mean, yes, I've been dragged through the roof..." His eyes glance upward, shuddering at the gaping hole of days prior "...admittedly that was somewhat questionable, but, we just talked and she, she wanted to share a few moments in stargazing. Sir...friend, they don't seem so..."

Amidst Eric, the Beelzebub creeps from the left corner of the shed's opening. From the other side, the Minotaur, quick to voice her opinion "Jeez, he REALLY didn't take to it, did he?"

Slowly, Eric approaches his former friend, the latter, still shaking with stones in grips. Slowly, he pulls his wrists from his throat, so close to puncturing it with promises of an agonizing death. Slowly, he unfastens his fingers from the sharp gravel "It's alright. We...we don't need to worry anymore. Turns out, they kind of had a close radar on us--

"Kind of? No, no, no, no. As stealthy as you would love to think yourself..." Vicky moves with callous disregard for the shed, tearing it asunder by the mere pressure of her nimble body betraying its resilience, yearning to rope an arm around Eric's shoulder. Her lips come close, whispering in a more tactful manner "I had my eye on you for quite a while. I just...wanted an opportunity to try again~

Quickly, Eric's form falls in shamble, trying to upkeep his composure "Wha--

"Later, later! Come on! We have much time to catch up to! Leave these two their chance as well, right?"

"Well..." Eric is promptly guided by the hefty Minotaur decked by a cleaver on her back, shameless of whatever blush brushes on her cheeks, far from the two aboard the shameful remains of whatever hideout the shed used to be.

Laurie, the Beelzebub, approaches cautiously, unfastening a hat behind her. His hat "Hey...thought I'd give this back to you..."

The days spent avoid nourishment had spurned a slow reaction from the once farmer, lax at taking to his head to acknowledge the loss of his hat, to her simper giggling "You kind of dropped it when you bolted. Hold on, let me..."

Approaching more so, the insect woman drops to her knees, face-to-face to the man. A plop insertion is overheard on his ears as the docile sensation of his bamboo hat sits comfortably on his head, resulting in much more giggling from the insectoid "I actually prefer you with your hat".

"Heh...so do I". Chortle fails to follow, the lack of basic motor function making it impossible.

"Ohh, right! I've brought a few things..." Her wings spread and buzz, dragging her outward for the span of seconds. Her return is heftier, adorned with a makeshift plate holding bowls. "I got a bit hungry in the way and took a bit from your harvest. Well, a lot. But seeing you willing to partake in some prompted me to..."

Her hands lay the assortment before him, accompanied with a glass of water "I'm nowhere good as shifting all of this as you are, but--

"Heh, it's fine..." Joshua's shriveled hand makes the attempt to grab a piece. An apple, easily clutched by Laurie who approaches further, taken to sit on his lap.

"Now hold on a moment. You need to take it easy". Her amethyst irises concisely shut, glimmering behind a smile. Her tri-fingered hand seamlessly slices the apple to smaller pieces, presenting one to Joshua "Now, let's take this slow, alright?"

The pants he still bore work to their utmost, shackling all but the most grievous of demonic aura from inhabiting his own self. However, they could do little to filter the array of sensuality tickling his entire body. Even as its weakened state, her smooth touch refused any and all denial, the result of Laurie's deliberate act to make him an accomplice to this simple moment.

The image of her wings radiant in the encroaching night returns ten-fold to his mind, burned within as they spread at this moment, pulsating in the bright violet "Hehe, I thought you would enjoy something while eating. Something to visually feast on while eating sounds like a fine deal to me~ --- "What" Joshua had his head in scratches, standing at the front of his dilapidated farm. On his hips, two scythes to harvest and cut away the bad weed made from stone and wood.

"As I said; we had no idea someone took this withered place over to make a harvest of it". Standing in front of him is a group of few monsters featuring Manticores, werewolves, and giant ants.

"Ok, I would have expected some of you to have stumbled here at the very least. How is it that only now you knock?" Days passed since his recovery. The maintenance of the harvest turned more enjoyable for the farmer with the bottomless stomach of Laurie giving her aid to cut most of it and piling it on reserves...with a substantial dish for her by the end of the day, of course. Her gluttony

"A giant ant walks closer, herself in ponderation "We didn't know there was a guy here at all, hon'. We just came here because that purple fog finally receded. Considering what you lot seemed to have deported here for, we didn't think any of you had it in them to risk venturing inside".

"Purple fog? Wait--

"Oh, hey, visits". Laurie's buzzing stops on top of Joshua, her legs quite comfortable sitting at the base of his nape with an apple stew in hand. A wooden spoon slips through her lips, searching for more. Looking down to the group, she lets it go for a brief moment "What's up? You here for some grub as well?"

"Ohh, that explains it" The ant shrugs the impromptu appearance of the plague insect casually sitting on the farmer's shoulders "Actually, we did hear someone is cultivating around here and we thought we could get some as well. For our new spouses".

"Yea! Same here! I want that yellow thing standing over the dirt" A wurm tremble with anticipation "One for me, one for hubby~.

"Corn?-

"Corn, yes! Corn!"

"Hold on" Joshua lifts a finger, only for his sitter to waves an arm toward their improvised farm "Be my guest".

A torrent of monsters comes flooding through the small entrance to the place where Vicky and Eric were dressing the plates for dinner, the former, vocal in the unexpected sight "What in tarnation?!---

"Wait, wait--" The farmer's voice is drowned in the endless steps of creatures looking through today's harvest, seemingly picking up the best to their eyes.

"Ohh, don't worry about that. I've made sure to hide some elsewhere. Now, on we go! We have dinner to consume~ Her voice grows slurpy, tense with hunger in her tone while her chitin feet clip-on Joshua's torso like a cowboy would a horse. --- "And we have our winners. Hands off ladies, they've earned their reward" A voice broadcasts throughout the entire island. Many of the inhabitants cared little, having their eyes set on one they made their own.

A hologram flashes both in front of Joshua, cropping up today's reserves and Eric, the latter watching over the dozens of fish snares set about "Congratulations, gentlemen, you have survived with your pants intact. As a reward, you each get a treasure chest full of gold and an exit back to wherever your homes are. Ready up".

Laurie, buzzing close to Joshua, turns melancholic at the prospect. So enthralled at staying by his side, eating and aiding in his endeavor that the notion of his temporary stay long eluded her.

Her eyes mystified, she takes on his hand, a goodbye that never sought it "Well, here it is. I guess this is farewell, huh? I'm glad, though. We had good grub and managed to get some night time at the very least".

He looks back at her "Yes, we did". His voice no longer breathes the temper of neutrality. To leave a place, bizarre and so lively for a dull and monotonous industry felt no more like freedom. Especially with someone who could literally give twice what she took. Her form, dancing at the night in a majestic purple, a nightmare of fleeting memory once away.

He takes a step forward the hologram of a lilim waiting on him "It is possible to get just the chest? And a phone, I need to make a few calls".

"Ohh, thinking of something else, are we?" Looking back, it was obvious for her how enchanted the farmer had become with his companion at his side.

"Well, yes. That and, there's a dilapidated farm that needs renovations..." Laurie's somber tone greatly brightens at the outcome of hearing his stay. Hands joined together, her body can barely hold still, buzzing with all the curiosity she can muster, all the while he speaks "...and a house. Preferably a large one. Whatever treasure you offer is likely going to finance it and then some".

~Well now, you've got yourself a deal, farmer. Consider it done. Funny how a second one speaks the same tones. Guess you boys really took to our denizens.~

"You can say that, yes".

~Ohh, oh, oh, it only gets better, I promise~ The hologram withers and dies, leaving Laurie to finally lunge at Joshua, gleaming with uncontained joy ~You're staying?! I didn't think you would stay so earnestly! I'm so happy!~

"Alright, calm down, you're suffocating me" With that strength pressuring him down, the man was at a loss at how she never bothered making a move on him until this very moment.

~Can't help it! I'm so happy~ Her cheek rubs off on his, tossing the hat away in the process. Buzzing resumes with no stop, spreading a voluminous amount of dust clinging to everything around them.

Making a surplus of effort, Joshua lifts the two of them to feet again. Well, he tried, but could only muster sitting. Obviously, she was on his lap, arms joined behind his neck. The wings gradually decrease momentum to a crawl, her eyes twinkling in devoted love.

Time halts to a grind, blurred in their surrounding as the other took the attention. Shining in teary touch, her eyes close in exchange of her lips barely opening, now colliding with his. Unprepared for this sudden embrace, Joshua jolts to no avail. Even with his pants still holding, every ounce of fiery devotion flooded through this intimate communication.

Like her preference of nourishment, her lips, and breath dance with the sweet aroma of fruit nectars. All of them and each of them at the same time, and one by one. The flavor, compounded by the smooth touch of said lips, as enthralling as they looked in spite of their ceaseless eating. Even then, her process had become more refined, less rushed, seeking to preserve their lustrious nature. For this very act.

~Will you look at that?~Laurie slowly moves her lips from Joshua's, instead, blotting her head on his shoulder in the upkeep of his fierce emotion and as a way to look back to the direction of an overly familiar voice ~Someone else is ushering in good news~

Vicky standing by Eric's side, equally as flustered. A hand resting on his frontal shoulder, his other, occupied by her head. Her horns are made far from poking him in any manner. The man has his mitten occupying her waist, bursting in an equilibrium of timidity and excitement.

~Yea...~ A brimming smile stretches on her marroon complexity ~Guess who decided to stick with dear ol' Vicky?~

~So, you too, huh?~ Two fingers rise from the devilishly-named insectoid, giggling while she does.

~That and a chest as a bonus. All courtesy of handsome over here~ Her hand fondle and caresses his chest, forcing more blush on Eric's poor face.

~Hehe, that makes two of us then...~ Laurie fiercely blushes, equalized with Vicky's own cheeks ~Though that's just a slight bonus compared to my true treasure here~

Joshua and Eric share a look, one that would spill envy were none of them in arms with another. The glimmer in their gaze speaks of instant gratification to their choice with no lingering regret having the time to even set in their minds. A glance of the runner's hefty grin stretched on his face reflecting the farmer's simper modest as he ever was. --- The start of their new lives among this island is ripe with work. Having sampled a taste of their grown harvests, the overwhelming majority of the land's denizens came asking for seconds.

And thirds.

And fourths.

"Hum, you know the island teems with things we grow here...right?" Joshua scratches his head, again, at a loss for the ridiculous line of monsters and men impatiently waiting to get a piece of said harvest.

"Yes, but, how many times do we get to eat hand-picked from a place that literally offers a surplus in its small portion?" A giant ant speaks "Really, here, we have more with less. The girls back really appreciate it".

"Yea, why pick something from the forest when there is a guy making things distinction out of a Beelzebub's blessing? Seriously, eating one of those here is like taking ten in the forest".

"Yea!" Shouts a voice from somewhere within the crowd.

"Totally!" A chorus of agreement strings to his ears and dismay, further enhanced by Laurie casually landing on his shoulders, sitting comfortably. In her hand, a piece of celery, a 'light' lunch for her "Oh hey, y'all back huh? I can appreciate that" A sly smile travels across her lips free of any celery residue "Go right in, we have a lot".

Again, to his dismay, the crowd literally runs over the feeble fence set up, picking away at their harvest. Again, Eric and Vicky, setting up the table, the latter, spitting out a surprise at the encroaching crowd "By Lilith's grace, not this again!"

"Hrrrrrr....." Once again, Joshua groans at the pickings crossed at arms. The quiet purr of Laurie's wings pulls her from her living seat, now blotting his sight with a recomforting smile "Hey, hey, it's alright. They just love the grub here, really".

Her mouth opens to reveal a full set of teeth bright in the sun's rays "I'd reckon that as a particular success, honestly, to have people literally pick the place apart over the same two feet from home".

"I guess. It's still annoying to be left with little to poach away with reserves". A teeming simper forms on his face, infested by the sight of his dearest, the latter, prone to gently take his hands into hers.

"Ohh, you're worried about that". Her voice approaches his ears in a whisper melting his concern the way only a lover could "That's why I made sure to hide it in that spot. A bit to bag away. A bit for some 'us' time~

"Ohh...you little glutton, you" His voice catches on her intent, now absolved from concern, fully devoted to her pull.

"Hehe, that's me. Now come on, think we can consider this break time. I want to savor every second of it~ Her wings unfold, their idle dark amethyst now affiliated with a sublime glitter, now buzzing in all their might.

Her chest cushions his back, anchored on him as her chitin arms coil around his torso from under the armpits, effortlessly making him airborne, now flying away to a more private spot where they could rest surrounded by all the food they wished for...

...followed closely by Eric guided with hurry by Vicky, looking to take on the view as well as opposed as trying to organize any sort of order atop the farm "Hey, hey, hey, save a spot for us!"

"Can you slow down a second? My footing barely keeps up in this position". --- The night falls from an orange ambiance like a curtain pulling itself over the sky. Joshua picks up the last package assembled by Laurie taken to the air. Looking closely, she can be seen carrying a perished bit of string once bloated in appearance and a slice of orange wedged and slurped in her violet lips. Her wings radiate with the pulsating ambiance of amethyst glow, speaking of her satiated status. Filled with happiness, they spread twinkling dust of the same color, mistaking the shine for stars.

All of it deliberately glides down to the very much fertile grounds of the farm, spreading and burying itself deep to give the soil a drink of its boon.

All the while the farmer had the last package now clustered in an orderly fashion with the rest of the ever-growing reserves of food and seeds "Well, that's that".

"I'll say" Laurie promptly returns to him, her hands joining on his torso "That was a fine day if I say so. Got lots to eat and more to await tomorrow".

His cheek is sidelined by hers, the man amply able to feel her smile. He can't help but do as well. Moving about, the man shifts in a manner as to have the Beelzebub docked docile in his arms "Actually, you haven't eaten that much today".

"Well...about that..." A blush seeps to her cheeks as he walks back to the back of the farm, where a very small tiny establishment lays. The preview to their true house's skeleton a mew meters further, close to a lake. As it is, the preview could only host the equivalent of a room.

A room featuring a glass ceiling where they could grace the stars with their gazing. A room surrounded by typical four walls. Inside, a functioning toilet affiliated in its own room, making it two rooms as opposed to one. A small fridge to impart immediate food. And...

...a bed. This was a bedroom with one bed. The lilim knew they were two and issued one bed. For obvious reasons. A bed big enough for two but manufactured in a way that it would encourage the sleepers' 'interaction'.

Opening the door for him, Laurie moves around in the air, stretching "Ahh. Home, sweet home".

"Room, really". His stare goes beyond the windows to the structure laid by the lake, where their true home was to be built.

"Hmm, same thing. It works anyway because..." Her flight lays her by the bed's side, once again, afflicted by a blush on her cheeks "Well..."

"Hmm?" He looks back at her, twiddling her fingers around, imparted from further speech. Joshua normally had little time to shape bonds with others back in his town. And yet, just looking at her spoke of timidity clear as day in his eyes. A timid insectoid who's antennas slim down forward to further exacerbate that feeling.

He walks and sits by her side, removing the leather jacket he wore since his arrival. His finger cups her chin, prompting her to stare deeply in his eyes "So...there was something wrong with you. Tell me..."

He didn't need to ask, knowing full well how yearning she became in this instant. Food could only fill a spot reserved for affection for so long. Famished she was, since their first kiss.

"It's a good thing farm work is so demanding then. Gives me an excuse for this..."

"Huh??--Hmm~ Her lips are unprepared for a kiss but delighted no less, expressed by the joining of her arms around his neck for a firm anchor. Softly moaning between breaths, her stature proverbially melts in his arms, trembling with every second joined the way they were.

They separate, breathless. This second deep embrace stirred the farmer in the depths of revelation. Looking at Laurie, softly striving for air, her lips still lingering nearby, licking them thoroughly.

~Hey...~ Her body leans close, squeezing her chest directly on his torso.

"Yea?" He watches her, waiting to hear. However, her tongue freezing, unwilling to continue further in vocalizing itself.

It didn't need to, seeing as the light bulb in his mind lit. She still hungers. For him. Their minds and heart joined in the short span of weeks he was stuck here, flushing envy from her body, aching to be fondled in the timidity of closed doors.

"Hmm? Confident in front of others but timid with me, are you?" He spreads a hand to her cheek, ushering a feeble whimper from her ~Uuu~ Her eyes convey nothing more than docility, waiting on his movement.

"Hehe, can't say I'm surprised, really. You always do simmer down when alone. Well then..."

--

Day after day.

Week after week.

Year after year.

This first of many nights joined in each other's arms, a true cementing of their prospect. Harvests the size of a court's garden capable of feeding an entire town, growing and waiting past the most of two days.

The dishes produced by said collection prone to bloat an individual for the remainder of the day be it apples, lettuces, and more. Their taste, enthralling. Their nutriment, twice that of the natural variant. Thrice beyond those in industrial farms.

This, Joshua's gift, a blessing given by a woman once thought to be no more than a glutton. The potency of her returned blessing, permeated by her skull-faced wings is leagues above what she could muster before. The affection of another, more than enough to usher her in the most she could share, wanted to share.

A boon of small nutriments of quality she provided was bound to whisper beyond that of the island, prompting many to come seek them out, see the veracity of their worth... --- Over a fence, sits a woman. Her wings fold on her back, prop in their rest. A fledging of powder seeping from them directly on the soil under them, guiding a tiny grouping of grass to grow.

Her chitin legs periodically bang on the sign bearing her weight, reading 'Plague farms'. An ironic name for a farm devoid of any filth with Laurie at the reigns, prone to scrub the place clean of anything that does not belong.

She hums in a docile tone, her eyes closed as to feel the winds better crossing the short cut on her hair. A hat permeates over, shedding the rays of the sun far from her face. Her body, since long changed, improved. From her face to her hands. Hips and bust, all accommodated from the amount of affection long nested within her, like an ever-growing patch of life in a once arid land.

The soothing whispers of the breeze are sometimes broken in their peace by the crackling sound of dying celery. her humming mounts the stairs to a chuckle as her lowering expression picks up the traits of a mother purring to her young ~Oh dear, that's your fifth one, my little pupa~

Her joined arms at the center of her chest carries and swings a pair of eyes looking back to her mother. A newborn crossing her first year in her life, joyous and spreading her tiny arms at said mother. Little Sophie.

Laurie, giggling with her child, lays a palm on her cheek, producing a heightened return in childish laughter ~You already have the stomach of your mother at such a young age, hmm? Don't worry, we'll get you another one, how's that?~

The infant's eyes shine in the prospect of getting yet another piece to munch on, causing an erupted laughter from Laurie ~My, oh my, truly looking forward to it. Soon enough, I'll--Hmm?"

Her long stare reaches the shore of the beach, the section affiliated with a docking, where many individuals enjoy the privileges of the sand and water. Some play exchanges with the denizens of the sea, having themselves taken by the food among it. Others are simply content at laying by the sand over a thin piece of cloth, leaving their bodies to rest under the warm rays of the sun.

Further still, however, a gigantic boat rises from the beyond. An all-too-familiar boat to Laurie "This soon, huh? Darling is going to be astonished...again".

"Uhhh?" Little Sophie is permeated in curiosity, watching her mother watching something, trying to lift her head merely to see what she sees.

~Worry not, my pupa, it's just people looking to get some of what you enjoy so much. Speaking of which...~ Her legs push with persistence on the board, leaving her to fall only for her wings to spread outward with grace following her flight to the ground, close to a man done with the task of ripping out one of the few bad herbs somehow passing her radar.

~Darling~ she shouts with utmost joy in her tone, welcoming the man with a kiss just as he slides his oxygen mask down. His hands quickly grasp her from underneath in a ballerina spin.

"Hey there". He lands her on her feet, promptly welcomed with the holding of their giggling daughter, clearly taken by the sight of her father "Hey, my little munch. Mommy let you eat a bunch, did she?"

"Actually, mommy is going back to the docks. They're here again". Her voice conveys an enormous amount of pride, all to Joshua's confusion.

"Wait...they're here...this soon? Is there some penury back there?"

"Yep! ". Laurie leans in, pecking her little one with a kiss on her forehead ~Be back later, alright?~ With that said, she takes to the skies once more, the glimmer of dust adorning her insectoid wings, flying away from a confused husband "I was under the impression they would make this a niche instead of running around every week or so. Aw well..."

He turns, looking to the deeper part of the farm, long renovated to accommodate a vegetable and fruity style. Within, hundreds of preciously constructed boxes holding the overflowing cargo of nutriments waiting to be shipped. --- "Hey, Laurie, this soon, huh?" A familiar voice calls to her landing, stretching a hand to shake.

"Yep! Didn't think it would take this deeply to them, really". She accepts, shaking the hand of her long-standing Minotaur friend "Meaning you're probably going to need lending them a hand or so".

"Of course!" boasts the bull, the two now walking to the wooden panels of the dock, watching the ship approach "Can't have them break their backs carrying this place's stuff, can I? Shame my Eric is busy with our little one, I'll have to contend with telling them how to lift".

"Ohh, I'm sure it won't be that bad. She did say she brought a few extras".

"Yea...we'll see". The bloated horn of the boat strikes at their earlobes, its screeching brake keeping its deck from beaching. As the prowl drops, a legion of Ogres dressed in short uniforms walks in casual disorder, all promptly going for the mentioned place. Most of them turn to Vicky, obviously admirative of another honing her strength. A legion of 'heys!' comes to greet her, replied with a 'what's up?' from the woman herself.

At the end of the line, a raccoon affiliated woman adorned with rounded glasses and a secretary attire, which is presented with a metallic piece, signed 'Daria'. A piece of a blue tooth is fixed on her left ear, the blue light died down as she approaches with a smile "Well met, again".

"Again, yep". Vicky stretches her arms behind, currently in her easy-going.

"Yes, that is a little sooner than we expected, honestly. Especially my farmer". Laurie docks her straw hat on her back, letting her hair flow in the increased draft from the mere presence of the massive ship.

"Indeed, a little bit from my end as well. You can take that as a positive from those willing to buy. They want more of what you're delivering". Her hands whoosh with a stack of bills appearing between her fingers "The bills speak for themselves".

"Oh, trust me, this is just a bonus to me--

"And pretty much everyone here" Interjects the Minotaur, busy gazing at the tides.

"But, I would have thought they would merely make up a way to get themselves some of that, really. I mean, if they want to throw more money at us, be my guest, I guess".

"Industrial farms scarcely bother to make any lasting arrangements. None of them know to make space for anything more than monetary gains." Daria shrugs under a malicious smile, flashing yellow eyes "Not that I'm complaining, really. As you say, they spend a very pretty penny for this rarity. Speaking of them, however..."

Daria approaches Laurie, a picture in hand, depicting the sign of their farm "Many have been curious about the name. Clearly, some are wondering why the 'Plague farms'".

"Ohh, that..." Laurie shrugs "My husband has been taking to wearing a gas mask as of late while in the fields".

"Ok...is there a story behind that? I'm rather curious".

Hearing of this, Vicky takes to wrap an arm around the Danuki, a massive grin on her face "Ohh, that's a long story. An inside joke for the outsiders, if you prefer the shorter version".

"No, no...please..." The raccoon woman's ears twitch with interest "...do tell. It'll be plenty of fun making the others simmer in envy about something as small as the story behind the name".

"Well then..."