Kiorif finished another lap around the farm's borders, nothing like the day before and most likely the same the day after.

“Yo, Kiorif,” Turning to see Spoon waving at him, his nose flared and faint swears grew under his breath.

“Could ya come here for a second,” tempted to continue his march, but he decided to see what he had to say. Reaching Spoon, whose focus was on his livestock he kept his composure.

“What do you want?”

“Wow, is that how you treat your host? Geeze, I expected a 'yes sir' or something, you need to learn some manners,” Spoon mocked as he tripped jumping over the fence, failing he decided to stay with the Bluorangions.

“I only have to guard till I get the data. I don’t have to give a cheapskate fool manners,”

"Oh okay, I see," Spoon turned his attention to one of the Bluorangions, approaching it calmly and scratching against its barked skin.

“You know I know a lot bout them, be pretty foolish for me to not. I can tell you right now these are the domesticated versions. Don't have thorns like the wild ones, smaller too. On the plus side, they are way calmer, except when trying to get a partner. Then things can get pretty crazy,” Spoon chuckled at his own words as Kiorif leaned on the fence, his patience running drier with Spoon's talk.

“Although, when they get pushed the wrong way they still can fight back. Got their tails, heavy kicks, and most importantly a primal instinct. So it would still be foolish for a predator to think that they could attack and annoy one, especially when they have the upper hand,” and Kiorif saw Spoon shoot a look at him, just for a moment, before turning back to his foolish grin.

“But then again you wouldn’t attack one anyways, wouldn’t gain anything from it," Spoon kept his beam while Kiorif kept his glare.

"Well, you should also know that predators still attack things when pushed the wrong way too," Successfully jumping over the fence, unlike Spoon. Kiorif looked down at Spoon, who tried to puff his chest.

"If a predator thinks it can kill, it will try," giving Spoon a true cold glare, Spoon looked away and shrunk.

"O-oh. U-u-um right. Okay, yeah. Glad we had this chat, I’ll leave you alone now,”

"Good," Kiorif left Spoon to himself, returning to his repetitive track.

Spoon took in deep breaths once Kiorif was out of sight, leaning against one of the Bluorangions.

'Holy shit that was scary. So that is what they mean when you dance with death,"

“Spoon,” Pulled out from his thoughts the burly man, now dressed for work, walked over to him.

“Yeah?”

"Can we talk for a moment?"

"Yup, of course, was just taking a little break right now. Got all the time in the moon," Spoon smiled at his own pun while the man held his temper.

“Anyways. Me and some of the others have been talking and we just wanna know. Why did you let them stay?"

"Huh?"

"The soldiers Spoon, the soldiers. You know how everyone feels about soldiers and EarthBound people. So to have both for the price of one. Like even you don't like them, it just doesn't make sense,” Spoon stopped his smirk and looked away.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Hudson, you know about our recent problem. Sprout is telling me that the VitaNavs are getting paranoid about what they saw. Don’t wanna stay as long anymore once night hits, and considering the damages it did to our barn and how we could've lost our livestock I can see why,”

“And two soldiers are meant to solve our problem?”

“Well we can’t afford anything else. Besides you said so yourself, they are EarthBound. They already hate everything here, why not let them go kill something,”

“You really are lazy,” Hudson chuckled and Spoon shrugged.

“Yeah, although you could say it was also charitable. Rookie was really friendly, thought she would’ve been like Kiorif. I mean, it would be rude to abandon a helpless lady. Especially one so cute,” Spoon looked back to Hudson with a small smile, but with a smaller blush.

“Oh, now I see why,” Hudson grew a faint smirk.

“Huh, what do you see?”

“I already knew you’re a perv, we all did. Just didn’t expect you to be that desperate,” Hudson left, and once again Spoon's words shot himself.

“Hey wait. No, it ain’t like that, Hudson wait up,” Spoon chased after Hudson.

***

Tomobi chopped away at the vegetables. This time their meal was taken outside under the sun, with umbrellas to give shade. Others were working around Tomobi, adding and changing the food around them.

And while he would’ve been fine to work by himself, his thoughts wrapped themselves towards the little gift hidden inside his pocket.

‘I think this one will suit you,’ Even out of his sight its beauty still enchanted him, a smooth pearled pink, with the faintest whiff of flowers from it. That was what had his attention as he instinctively cooked.

‘What is it?’

‘Pah if I just told you you might not use it. Many have rejected it when I have told them, could not understand its potential. Try it out yourself when given the chance, trust me when I say that it has saved my life more times than I thought imaginable,’ he had a faint glimpse of excitement dancing inside him.

“Tomobi, how's the lettuce going?” Sprout noticed him fading away, and brought him back.

‘Lucky you, first gift. I’m sure the humans will be excited,’

‘Um actually, could you not say anything about it? I’m actually meant to not have one,’

“Oh I’ve just finished,” Tomobi now had a step of confidence under him, getting along with Sprout, trusting her. But now he felt a step going down when looking at Rookie and Kiorif.

He was not only actively one of Kiorif's rules but one he actually cared about, the only mandatory rule. This guilt dug further into him when Rookie glanced at him and smiled.

“Great, cause I’m getting hungry,” Sprout carried away the salad to be added to the mix-matched buffet across the differing tables, after which another VitaNav dragged her away to some seats. The group sat together, surrounded by human farmers and a few VitaNavs.

“So what did you do today Tomobi?” Rookie hungry not just for food but for a conversation with Tomobi.

“I just worked,” Tomobi tried hiding the lie between his words.

“Really I saw you go with Sprout somewhere, all I did was run in circles. Really nice though, remembered a song while doing my 2nd lap,” Rookie's comments indirectly put Tomobi under pressure from his white lie.

“I just showed Tomobi one of the local tribes, thought he could see what life is like outside human settlements,” Sprout called out, her head barely sticking out from the rest.

“Really,” Kiorif now pushed himself into the conversation, with Rookie trying to pick her own food around Kiorif's invasive arm.

“Could you tell us a bit about i-”

“OI EVERYONE," Hudson bluntly cut Kiorif and called out to everyone.

"I’ve got some crazy things to talk about. You all hear the news? 'Parently supply runs are now gonna be rarer for us, but get this. That’s cause they are taking our stuff and giving it to the soldiers that are trying to pick another fight with an Aspissis outpost down south,” there were cries from everyone, booing and mocking laughter. Hudson grew his ego as he stood up with a drink in his hand.

“And to make matters worse, 'cause there’s been an increase in attacks on the actual roads their supposed ‘safe transport plan’ has failed. Now they want us to pay for soldiers to guard our supplies as they, get this, now use the paths that we normally use,” there was an increase in the uproar, Tomobi didn't know how to feel while Kiorif and Rookie stayed strong, both keeping their comments to themselves.

“Right? So not only did they waste our money on a road they don't even want to use, but the government that is meant to be for us is now telling us to pay extra just to make sure we can help them. Last time I checked we give you all stuff, and while we now have to pay more that bitch of a mayor sits in her office and gets paid more,” some began to arise into a riot.

Though an erupt bang roared over their chanting howl.

They all fell silent.

Tomobi had a ring in his head while Rookie looked annoyed, but Kiorif. Kiorif held the culprit of the noise.

“Excuse me, but last I checked we are eating. So take it somewhere else or shut up,” Hudson gripped tighter around his glass.

Noticing this Kiorif glanced straight at Hudson.

Now. Now everyone was silent. No one was eating.