Insert Clever Title Here (hyacinth + cinnamonshards)

[hyakinthos]

(I wasn't sure whether to tag it with 'fandom' or not, seeing as how we're only using the setting... Oh, well. I won't get sued. Probably.)


Aaron stretched his back out, crossed his legs at the ankle, let them fall back. He took a sip from his sweating bottle of beer, he set it back down on the table. It was another quiet Friday afternoon at the creaky old duplex, just past five and without any plans until at least eight.


He always did like this sort of time, when he could put his feet up and relax without worrying about it being wasted. After all, what are you going to do before the bars open up? He wasn't the type for dinner dates. The creaky wooden deck chair and the daily newspaper were as good a diversion as any.


He was just settling into the sports section when he heard it-- an odd rustling in the woods behind the back garden. He thought little of it, probably some sort of deer. There was a pretty big group of them living in the woods back there, always getting into the overgrown tomatoes in back-- he supposed it'd go away, and turned right back to his paper. He was having a minor crisis of conscience, anyway-- the local team had just obliterated his hometown team in the playoffs.


Aaron was in the middle of wondering whether or not he should be pleased about this when the brush rustled again-- this time louder, and out popped...


A couple kids?


"Um," he managed, laying the paper aside. "Hey, there, ah... Are you lost?"

 

[CinnamonShards]

The dishes were clean. The garden was tended. The wine was uncorked. Miranda poured slowly, savouring the colourful splashes and the wafting fragrance. She'd been saving it for just such a peaceful evening. The sky ran with shades of pale blue, salmon pink, and violet. Ribbons of cirrus clouds whispered their way between colours. They could expect either a storm or a warm front over the next few days, assuming she remembered tenth grade science correctly.


She lifted her wine glass in one hand, and took her novel from the counter with the other. Its was one she'd read a dozen times over. It had no surprises left, but reading it was like visiting an old friend. She only made it two paces out of the kitchen before she heard what sounded like a voice coming from the garden. She frowned, walked to the kitchen window, and set down her evening companions in order to push it open.


"Aaron?" She called down, surprised to see it was him. He was usually such a quiet neighbour. It was one of the things she liked about him. That, and his killer jawline.


"Is everything all right down there?" She added, not quite sure what else to ask. It seemed obvious that everything was okay, but she was sure she'd heard him talking to someone. Her eyes went to the treelike a the edge of the property, and then she spotted them. Two ragged, scrawny children stood at the edge of the wood. She didn't recognize them, which was odd, considering how well everyone in town knew one another. Maybe they were visiting with someone down the road?