 Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 9:46 am
Crowded festival stands were now filled with break-down crews instead of game-players and curious trolls trying to buy wares. Both moons were starting to sink in the sky; sunrise would come in about an hour or so. Best for everyone to finish up before the rays peaked over the horizon. Who knew how many trolls it would take to destroy a flock of daywalkers? Mahmud did not want to stick around that long and find out, nosiree.
Wandering around the stalls, the little boy stayed close to his mother as he tried replaying his tracks. This way was the mind honey stall, the other way was where the wrestling booth had been... not that he cared to remember that incident. Or the haystack. Really, most of the stalls were...
As he came across a souvenir booth the boy stared at the green and purple lantern and came to a realization: This was fun. This entire festival was actually fun. Meeting new trolls was terrifying, but overall without pain or fighting. Seeing all the possibilities of what people did with their time was engaging, exciting. After digging in his pocket for a few beetles, the boy purchased the lanterns with little speech or engagement, and continued on his way after attaching them to his mother. Yes, this event had been far and above one of the most fun moments in his little life, and there had been a troll he needed to speak to.
There was only an hour; he had to say good bye before she left.
Finally he came to the mooncake stall and watched as a woman he inaccurately referred to as "Fermer" was cleaning the stall with her quackbeast lusus. Various boxes were already packed into a transportation unit, and she was working on directing her oven into it as well. Come to think of it, there was something amazing about how she brought an entire oven to the event. One day he'd have to ask her how she managed to do so, but for now there was something more important he had to say.
Mahmud didn't make it far before she noticed his arrival, turning around with a bright smile. "Well I'll be! Its little Muddy Buddy! How you doin' sugar?" She laughed when his face brightened at the familiar nickname. "Come on over, ya wanna help me out?"
The boy still said nothing, but came over and started picking up some boxes of cooking supplies, waiting until the other trolls had the cooking apparatus safely tucked away in the transportation unit. It seemed to sag under the newfound weight, but it begrudgingly accepted the heavy payload. "... Is it going to break?" Shoot. This wasn't what he wanted to say to her! Not the first thing, at least. Yet it was too late to take it back... okay. Okay okay okay. Plan B had to be activated.
"Aw shucks that thing? Nah, we've done this forever and brought that oven everywhere. It's going nowhere. 'Cept home that is!" She laughed again, and some of the anxiety in his little bitty heart dissipated. Gosh, Fermer had such a lovely laugh. So did her lusus, who ended up quacking along with her. Harpommy cooed at the other bird-creature, and both hopped over to the side to start 'talking' and keep out of the way. Just like old times, despite the trolls running around them, making him a little nervous, Mahmud and Fermer talked small talk.
"Where are you going?"
"Busthind Mountains! S'far, but its worth it. Home sweet home an' all ya know?"
"Is it tough going home with all this stuff?"
"Well yeah! But I only do this once a year, its nice to get out of the hive. Where do you live?"
At first there was hesitation, the initial arrest that came with giving out too much information, but the boy gave in after some thought. "Chittentown."
"Thats pretty far too kid!"
They chatted about absolutely nothing, and for a while it felt like nothing had changed from a night or so ago. Mahmud and Fermer were going to bake mooncakes together again; she said if he ever came out to Busthind they could. Mahmud was even tempted to invite her over his hive sometime, but still couldn't bring himself to go so far.
Soon enough the truck was loaded, everything was put away save for a box of presses, and Mahmud realized he hadn't said what he wanted to say. Panic seized his heart as he watched Fermer put that last box away. How could he put into words that feeling that came around when he hung out with her? When they cooked mooncakes together? When they spoke and talked about their normally mundane lives? He was frozen, just staring as she put hands on the truck to bring down the door.
"Well thats it I suppose! Thanks Muddy Buddy, I'm glad I got to see ya again... was worried I wouldn't get to say goodbye..."
Once the words goodbye passed her lips, something in his heart snapped. There was a literal feeling like his pumpbiscuit broke, and his inabillity to move was finally broken. The boy made a mad dash to the woman and slammed himself into her, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly and snuggling.
"W-woah, Muddy! Thats--"
"T-thank y-you!"
She seemed caught off guard, given the wide eyed stare she gave the little troll attached to her. It didn't take long for that look to soften though into a smile as she wrapped his arms around her friend. "Well you're welcome, little guy! Though I don't know why..."
"F... Fr..."
"Mmm?"
"F-friends?"
Fermer burst out into laughter once more, hugging her little buddy tight while he sobbed and hugged her. "Well of COURSE we're friends! Hold on, ya gotta let me go Mahmud I gotta get somethin'!" Once she pried the child off of her, the woman went back into the final box and dug around before pulling out a press. "Here. When you can visit Busthind Mountains, y'all can bring me some mooncakes you made yourself. You know the recipe now." Mahmud gingerly took the press from her and sucked up some unceremonious snot back in his nose. "T-thank..."
The woman booped his nose and smiled, as Quackdad honked in the background. "You're welcome."
-------
"C-cooo!"
No more. Harpommy just couldn't take any more. She was willing to do many things for Mahmud, but this many mooncakes was crossing the line. Especially since plenty of them weren't exactly what one would call "good". After all, he was a little boy who was trying to remember how to make them back home. Many were too cloying, or undercooked, and the press was used way too many times in a row without washing for her liking. Most of all, her tummy was just stuffed full to the brim! No more mooncakes for her, nosiree!
... yet the way she saw her son smile while cooking them, with his hair pulled back and a big goofy grin on his face while he concentrated, A photo sat nearby; it was a selfie he had taken after receiving the present from Fermer, snotty face and all. Every time he took a look at it he'd smile a bit wider, and work a little harder. Those batches tended to taste ever so slightly better than the other ones.
Harpommy had to give in. Plus it didn't help that every time he finished a batch he'd say---
"Thank you, Ommy!"
Oh gog. Here came another batch.Edited because I forgot to mention the photo oh god
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