Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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“How many more stairs?!” A young woman belted while carrying a large package as she climbed her way up a set of creaking stairs. She cautiously balanced the phone she was talking through between her ear and shoulder, even when she could barely breathe and her legs felt like they were about to give up despite her best efforts. 

“I told you that hiring some extra hands would make it way faster.”  The tone of her friend’s voice sounded amused. “But you had to refuse, even when I offered to pay for it.”

“And I appreciate that, Ada! But I told you, I am more than capable of handling my move…but still, thank you for driving me to this place.” 

“No problem.” 

Soon enough, Windsong managed to get up the final set of stairs and put the final package down with the others. As she stood in front of a clean black door, struggling to catch the last breaths still escaping her, she held the phone towards her ear again.

“Okay…urgh…I have finally got all my things. Gotta unpack it too before work starts next week.”

“Best of luck with that. Remember that there are some projects coming your way.” 

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry, I won’t forget it. See you soon.” Windsong closed the call and slipped the phone back in her pocket. The multiple back-and-forths she took for each box of stuff drained all her energy, as evident by the sweat glued on her forehead and how her throat was as dry as sandpaper. 

Despite them containing her personal possessions, she sighed at the thought of needing to unpack them all. Still, Windsong steeled herself for the unavoidable. With shaky legs, she sat down on the hard yellow couch in the middle of the room – the only furniture that was set aside from her bed.

“I am beat…” she groaned. The tired woman leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes. 

Okay, moved in. Luckily, I still have a few days left before work, so I still have time to unpack…but I REALLY don’t want to! Urgh! Moving is such a pain… and I don’t know anything about this place… but that’s okay! I’ll just have to meet my coworkers again, get a nice new office, and psyche myself up to take this incoming huge work opportunity! Everything should go well, right?

“...I hope this won't go wrong.”

“Go wrong how?”

“Oh, you know, just- AAAAAAAAAHHHH?!” She jumped from her couch and stared with a horrifying look at what was next to her.

A young boy. 

A young boy with short, white hair adorning his tiny head was casually sitting there, wearing a cute shirt with a sunflower print. He looked rather young, about five, four, or even less, and he held a little toy car in his hand while looking at the startled Windsong with a bit of curiosity.

“What…w-why are you in my apartment?!” she shouted in confusion, half-willing to believe him as the ghost of a hallucination born from her exhaustion. “Who are you?!”

The young boy responded with nothing but a giggle, which was admittedly very cute but was no help at all in removing the utter shock to her system.

“Wait!” Windsong walked – almost ran, even – behind the couch to see that the door was open, letting some light from the apartment complex shine into her tiny place. The tired woman sighed and rubbed her hands against her forehead, now figuring the troubling scene was likely caused by her own exhausted ignorance. 

Did I forget to close the door? Is that how that boy came in?

Silently cursing herself, the woman wrapped her hand around the doorknob, ready to close the door, before a loud shout made her halt the action she was about to take.

“Avgust! Avgust, where are you?!” It was the voice of a woman, not too far away and clear to hear. 

The woman’s voice echoed through the hallway outside, not too high but also not too deep. Her gentle but worried tone sat somewhere in the middle, a comfortable mezzo-soprano with the delivery of someone used to projecting her voice, resonating with youth but with enough hints of maturity to clearly belong to another adult. Yet, something that stood out to Windsong was the clear traces of a strong and familiar accent.

She sounds like…

The door Windsong was holding a moment ago then swung open to the woman backlit by a bright, warm glowing light. With narrowed eyes, still waking up from their tired state, it took the apartment resident a moment to realize that the light was actually the woman’s long blonde hair, shining like pure gold.  Immediately, Windsong’s attention then drifted to the stranger’s other qualities. 

As if in slow motion, she took in the scent of her hair, smelling like a mix of linseed, seaweed, and white birch. Apart from her bright, golden hair, Windsong noted how her light face framed a pair of dazzling silver eyes and a determined pair of lips in which she could swear she saw an ivory-white fang. The stranger dressed in cold-weather-appropriate clothes. A long-sleeved cream sweater comfortably warmed even her neck and thin wrists, and a thick, earthy brown long skirt hoisted by a darker brown belt conservatively cut just above her ankles.

Windsong gawked towards the woman, her mouth unconsciously agape. Her eyes wandered from the stranger’s wavy hair to her sparkling eyes and then to her gentle face. Meanwhile, Windsong’s heart almost stopped working before it decided to beat rapidly like it wanted to eject from the trappings of her body. Then, when her mind finally managed to coordinate all her functions together again, her hand reactively clasped the doorknob even harder.

“Uh…I…ahhh…” she said breathlessly. 

“Huh?” the stranger said, noticing her.

Windsong, what the heck are you doing?

“I…I…”

“Mama!” All of a sudden, the little boy waddled from the room’s inner space and stood next to Windsong. Tiny hands grabbed onto her leg and his eyes were shining with a similarly sparkling innocence when he looked at the blonde woman.

Mama?

“Avgust?!” Now she spoke up.

“I-I can explain!” She blurted out loud enough that both people stared at her in surprise.

Oh. Oh dear. Oh no. This is not what it looks like!

“Hi! Ma’am! I swear I did not kidnap him! He just suddenly appeared in my apartment. I think I didn’t close the door properly or something, and maybe he was curious! I just wanted to bring him back!”

Nice save…?

The woman blinked twice as if patiently processing Windsong’s weak explanation before she sighed, slightly bowed down and rested her hands on her knees with a smile.

“Avgust? What have I told you about visiting other people’s homes without asking?” she asked in a sweet voice.

Avgust just started to giggle before he let go of Windsong’s leg to jump into his mother’s arms. He immediately put his head on her shoulder before closing his small toddler eyes.

“I am sorry about him,” the stranger said. “Avgust actually does that pretty often. Whenever there is a door, even a tiny bit open, he wants to get up and run in. You don’t know how many neighbours he scared like that, and making him listen doesn’t always work either.” 

“Ah…I see.” Windsong could barely muster a reply, but she started to calm down after realizing that she wasn’t being accused of kidnapping. However, the pretty woman in front of her was no help in regard to being in peace.

“Oh, I should introduce myself.” The young mother raised her hand – easily carrying her son in the other arm – for a handshake. “I’m Vila, and you know my son Avgust already. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Windsong.” 

Vila. It's a beautiful name.

Windsong finally let go of the doorknob, feeling her hand numb and cramped in pain, and she shook her neighbour's hand. She silently prayed that her weak handshake went unnoticed by the generously polite Vila.

“Hello, Ms.Vila–wait, how do you know my name??”

“I have a friend who works with the landlord, and they told me about the new resident that was coming. Apparently, you made a good impression on them, so I was curious,” Vila answered. “Also, greeting and helping new residents is something I often do! And, well, I guess my son scaring you was his way of saying hello.”

“Oh, well…” Windsong couldn’t shake the nervousness off. “It’s fine. I actually am new to this city, so I do appreciate having a nice face helping me.” 

Nice face? Seriously? That’s what you say first???

But Vila just smiled at her.

“Oh, Avgust and I have lived in this city for only a few months ourselves, but I would say that we have pretty good knowledge about where to go. I would recommend going by bike or train if you want to go around the city. It’s way better than by car, especially with all the traffic.” 

“Haha, I believe you. Just a few days ago, I visited the office, and even by train, it took me almost an hour to arrive. Traffic is a nightma–”

From Vila’s arm, Avgust’s loud yawn interrupted Windsong’s small talk, causing both women to focus on him. Eyes half closed in a more adorable manner than Windsong’s were a few minutes ago, he cuddled even closer to his mother, who demurely laughed.

“Aha! Looks like our little arctic fox wants to go to bed.” She lovingly stroked his hair before giving her neighbour an apologetic look. “I am sorry, Ms. Windsong, but I have to cut our conversation short.”

“T-that’s totally fine!” Windsong guiltily felt somewhat disappointed that she couldn’t continue talking with the pretty woman in front of her, but she didn’t let it get a hold of her. “I should go back and unpack my things anyway. Especially since work is tomorrow.”

Vila’s eyes seemed to light up at that. “I assume you will be busy then, but do you have time after work?” 

“Oh?” Windsong was surprised. “Yes, I will be free in the afternoon.”

“Perfect! Would you like to meet me at a cafe? There are lots of things you should know about this city, so I thought you would appreciate some help with getting to know it.” Windsong almost gasped over the surprising offer but managed to hold herself together. 

Going to a cafe with Ms Vila? A beautiful woman asking to meet up with her? Her!? Was she dreaming?

“I would love to!” She said, almost a little too loud – cringing at nearly disturbing the snoozing toddler. But luckily Vila didn’t react – or was she just being nice? – and little Avgust was still asleep. “I mean, I would love to meet you at the cafe and appreciate the help!” 

If Windsong were lucky, she might even get to know her better too.

“Perfect!” Vila cheered, and Windsong noted the soft way her motherly eyes closed and tilted when she smiled. “Would you like to exchange numbers? I can send you the location of the cafe too.”

Awesome!

During their exchange, Windsong noticed Vila’s phone case was done in a bright ocean blue with cartoonish stickers of mermaids and seashells attached. She thought it was very cute, especially in contrast to her plain black case.

“It’s time for us to leave now,” Vila said after they exchanged numbers. “See you tomorrow Ms. Windsong! We hope you will enjoy your new place.”

“Thank you…” Windsong resisted smiling a bit too obviously. “I’m sure I will. See you tomorrow.” Both women waved goodbye to each other, and Vila paced towards the door that was just a few meters next to Windsong’s, who watched her curiously. 

She heard the mother’s keys jingling and realized that this woman wasn’t just a neighbour; she was her next-door neighbour.

Holy shit.

She quickly closed the door and ran back into back to her apartment, leaning on the wall. Windsong buried her face deep in her hands, knowing she wasn’t able to control the deep blush that colored her face red. One could mistake the beating of her heart for a rock concert’s drum solo with how intensely it pounded against her torso. 

While her body betrayed her, Windsong’s thoughts also kept wandering back to the breathtaking woman who appeared in front of her new home.

A beautiful woman…who also wanted to exchange numbers with me so fast. This feels like a dream– Calm down! She just wants to show you the city. She probably just wants to be your friend, right? She said she did this often with the other tenants. But…she is so pretty, and she has a cute son…

A cute son…

A cute…son?

“WAIT, SHE HAS A CHILD?!” The desperate scream she let out from the realization was probably loud enough to break the sound barrier. 

She also hadn’t noticed how she stood up fast enough to knock over one of the stacked boxes.

“Does that mean she is married?!”

At that moment, the young woman did not hear the loud ping from her phone, in which a young mother had sent her the location to a cafe where they would meet again tomorrow.

Chapter Text

A monotonous series of key taps bounced off the thin walls separating each cubicle in the office space. Despite being powered by her third cup of coffee – that at this point overpowered the scent of cheap cologne, the snow-haired architect desperately tried to keep herself awake by counting each tick of the office clock and buzz of the fluorescent lights above as she finished the last of the digital paperwork that she had left to accomplish. 

11:00

“Finally!” Windsong stood up from her swivel chair, causing it to roll into the hall where her coworkers walked. “Oh, sorry–”

Breaktime – her beacon of salvation. Windsong giddily jaunted towards the staff break room to rest, preferring not to strain her already bloodshot eyes that had to endure the torture of the computer screen. She had planned to sleep early, but yesterday’s events had placed an unexpected but unwelcome strain on her otherwise carefully laid out schedule, which she couldn’t wait to share with someone she was expecting to meet again.

“Ah, there she is!” greeted her fashionable friend in green. “Welcome! There's no need to knock.”

“It’s the break room, so duh, Kakania.” Windsong chuckled at the friend and sat down at her table.

“Wow, look at you. I thought you said the move was smooth?”

“It was, it was,” Windsong assured. “I didn’t lose or drop anything along the way, I swear.”

“Then why do you look like you had to wait for hell to freeze over and thaw?” 

“That’s… entirely different,” Windsong blushed and turned her eyes to her lunch.

“Oho? Please, do tell me more.” Kakania’s catlike smirk signalled her friend’s interest.

“I wanted to talk to you because… There was this woman–”

“Hah, and you shamed me for my experience!” her friend smugly laughed.

“Shut it– but yeah,” Windsong tried to find the words. “She was really nice; greeted me about the move and she even knew I was coming.”

“I’m getting the vibe she wasn’t just nice, now was she?”

“Okay fine, she was really pretty, but that’s not all.” Windsong swallowed some food followed by a chug of water. “She invited me to a cafe, to get to know the city and stuff.”

Kakania clapped. “Aha! Our Windsong finally scored one. I knew you had it in you–”

“She’s bringing her kid too, I think.”

“Oh.”

A moment of silence passed as both women let both their food and information sink in.

“You scored a mother!? Is she married?” Kakania interrogated.

“Hey, quiet down!” Windsong nudged her. “Well, it’s not a date– and I’m not actually sure about that second one… Yeah, I need your help.”

“If this is because of those rumors that I went out with a married woman, I’m not helping.”

“No, Kakania, not that!” Windsong begged. “Vila, she’s so nice, and I don’t wanna go into this blind. You’re also the closest friend I could ask for advice and…”

“Ada would tease you to death if you asked her, right?” Kakania added.

Windsong choked but nodded.

“Alright, alright, fine.” Kakania rolled her eyes. “If this means you finally believe me when I say I’m already taken and can’t be seen fraternizing with you bachelorettes.”

“Oh come on. There’s absolutely no way it’s who you say it is–” Windsong absentmindedly commented before seeing Kakania leave her seat. “Okay, okay! Please just help me…”

Her friend smiled. “Well, if she’s already familiar with the people in this city, then we could start by asking if anyone else knows her! Information is critical if you wanna start a conversation.”

Windsong nervously laughed.

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“Okay, remind me why we’re in the engineering department?” Windsong asked.

Kakania pushed up her glasses. “Well, if there’s one thing Laplace is known for, it’s for our more…”

A loud crash of metal and wood echoes from across the office space. Several employees could be heard shouting their complaints at the one who caused it, making Windsong curious if they had the right place.

“...eccentric individuals. Working in HR has its connections, Windsong.”

“I guess I’ll trust your people skills…” Windsong gulped as they walked across the foreign department.

Laplace Architects was far from what Windsong would call a typical architecture firm. Anywhere from its employee structuring, number of jobs taken, and target clientele would have more conventional firms scratching at their heads, wondering how they’ve stayed in business. Windsong heard the stories of their engineers as too crazy to be true, but Kakania’s nonchalant approach almost made her believe the sound from earlier was just another day here.

How was this supposed to help me talk to Vila again?

“Aha, Mr X!” Kakania opened a door. “Hard at work as always, I see.”

“Kakania?” the young man replied. “Why hello to you, too. I thought our next grievances counsel was scheduled for next week.”

“Oh, I’m not here for that. I want you to meet my friend, Windsong!” the green-clad woman pulled her in by the coat. “She’s new to the city, and we’re here to ask a few questions.”

“Uhh,” Windsong awkwardly fidgeted. “Hi, I’m Windsong– you already know that… What am I supposed to say?” She turned to Kakania.

“She recently moved into the residential apartments a few blocks away,” Kakania said. “Last I heard, you had a job for it recently, correct?”

“Why yes!” X confirmed. “It was for some brief renovations. They called me in to inspect the elevator mechanisms. Thanks to me, it was back in tip-top condition!”

Actually, it was broken by the time I arrived–

“Yes yes,” Kakania continued. “Now, did you by any chance know of a woman named Vila? Windsong can describe her for me.”

“Huh?” Windsong nearly jumped. “Oh, she’s… in her twenties, I think. Long golden hair, really pretty silver eyes, about a hand shorter than me… had a kid with white hair that looked about… five?”

“Hmm,” X mumbled. “The description sounds familiar. Oh!” His excitement made Windsong hopeful. “Yes, Avgust! The child and I had a long talk about installing a Goldberg machine in the lift mechanisms. He was a very enthusiastic discussion partner.”

“Didn’t you say this kid was five?” Kakania whispered.

“Hey, I don’t actually know!” she sighed. “Anything about his mom?”

“Oh, no,” X admitted. “After ten minutes, I was so caught up in explaining perpetual motion theory that I didn’t notice when the child  had left.”

“So we don’t actually know anything more about Vila…” Windsong grumbled.

“Vila?” A foreign woman’s voice entered the room. “I know the woman.”

“Oh, you are?” Kakania didn’t recognize the visitor.

“Lilya, here to deliver a package for X”, the blonde woman in aviator goggles said while dropping a comically long cardboard box. “That woman you’re talking about; I know her. It’s not every day I meet someone from the motherland, so I’ve tried to invite her to my favorite places. Says she doesn’t drink though. Her day job involves kids or something like that.”

I knew I recognized the accent.

“Oh, interesting!” Kakania clapped. “Anything more you could tell us?”

“Nope!” Lilya shrugged. “Never seen her with anyone other than the small one. I just deliver packages.” She took a drink from her flask as X thanked her for her work.

Huh, so she might not be married?

“Thanks anyway, Ms Lilya!” Windsong waved as the delivery woman left. “I guess that’s better than nothing. Thanks Kakania.”

“Don’t celebrate too early, Windsong,” Kakania cautioned. “We know she’s good with kids, doesn’t drink, and where she’s from. Enough to start something, but you still gotta do the work yourself!”

“I guess you’re right… We should probably leave this office though.”

“Oh definitely. I don’t wanna know what was in that box.”

As both women reached for the door out of the mad engineer’s space, the handle inadvertently twisted itself to let another guest in. Before Windsong could react, Kakania immediately stood up straight as both of them gawked at the tall model of a woman with short brown hair and piercing yellow eyes whose silhouette was cloaked by a thick black jacket.

“M-Madam Lucy!” Kakania greeted her superior.

Lucy? That means she’s… THE Lucy!?

“It’s a pleasure to see you, ma’am! What brings you here?” the feather in her green hat slanted.

“Greetings, Kakania from human resources and Windsong from the architecture department,” the head boss of Laplace robotically listed their names and positions. “The latter of which I was told could be discovered here.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Windsong stiffened herself. The notion of the whole company’s boss personally requesting her woke her up faster than any cup of coffee could.

“No need to be so surprised, ha ha,” the scarily tall woman attempted a sense of humor. “I only wished to personally congratulate you for transferring to us safely, and also to give you the exact details of the projects that have been assigned to your expertise.” Lucy held out a thick envelope.

“Of course, ma’am– woah!” Windsong received the heavy stack of papers in her arms. “Just… a light day’s work…” 

“Logically speaking, it is not. I wish you good luck with the heavy tasks.”

Note to self: The boss doesn’t pick up on sarcasm.

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The irregular scraping sound of chalk against the board washed over the classroom curiously stuck in anticipation. The woman’s hands, gentle with each stroke and careful with each line, handled the crude drawing tool as if it were as graceful as painting oil on a canvas. Eventually, the lines stopped as she smiled with a proud fang on her lips before turning to the class of children.

“Wow, what a pretty mermaid!” a young child cooed.

“Is it a siren princess? I’ve read about them in storybooks!” said another.

“She’s too scary to be a princess! Look at that armor!”

The teacher smiled and then clapped. “Settle down, children! You were very close, and I’m glad you’ve taken an interest in the folklore of my people.”

Vila picked up another piece of chalk to write the mermaid's name.

“What you see here is a Rusalka warrior. Their legends inspired both fear and awe in the mythology of my people,” Vila giddily explained. “While the modern world loves calling them mermaids, they are but one of many kinds that people have come up with all around the world! Isn’t that wonderful? How many different people came up with the same stories, but different because of where they’re from.”

The entire classroom reacted with a chorus of ‘ooooo’ as Vila organized the drawing materials on her desk.  

14:00

Just in time, a bell signalled the end of her lecture. Vila clapped again to get the attention of a class excited to run home.

“Your assignment for today is to draw your own idea of a mermaid! Have fun and stay safe, children!”

As her class filtered out and her bags soon packed, Vila happily hummed a tune to herself as she prepared to head down her post. That was until one of the children, now left alone with her, pulled on her leg.

“Oh, hello there Nina.” Vila kneeled down to greet the girl in pigtails. “Is the Madam not here to come get you?”

The young Nina nodded, looking like she was holding back tears.

“Don’t worry, my child.” Vila patted the girl on the head. “I’m sure someone’s there to get you. Take my hand! Let’s go find them.”

As Vila enclosed the child’s hand in her own and stood up, the two made their way towards the door and into the hall. Luckily, they didn’t need to go far as waiting in the hallway was a familiar red-haired teen in a traveler’s coat and winter hat. Upon seeing her, Nina immediately ran towards the quiet-looking girl for a hug.

Vila chuckled. “Just you today, Yenisei?”

“Ah, Nina!” the young girl attempted to hug back. “Yes, Madam Vila… Madam Bessmert had errands today and asked me to go instead. Thank you, I hadn’t noticed she…”

“It’s fine, child. Little Nina usually waits for Bessmert inside the classroom.”

“Ah, I’m sorry Nina!” Yenisei held onto the crying child.

“She’ll come to grow on you too, Nina dearest.” Vila smiled. “And how’s Avgust, Yenisei?”

“Oh, he’s fine,” the assistant caretaker answered. “I saw him coloring today. Said you were coming to pick him up early?” 

“Yes. I’d love to go back with you right now, but I need to arrange my early timeout with the school.”

“That’s fine, ma’am!” the younger girl respectfully bowed. “I-I can handle this!”

“That’s the spirit! Cheer up!” Vila bent down to pat both Yenisei and Nina on the head.

Vila liked Yenisei. Barely old enough to be bigger than the children she looked after, even Vila saw her as one of the kids sometimes, only differentiated by the autonomy she tried to exert as assistant to her wisened guardian. Eventually, the teacher accompanied both of the young ones to the school gate before waving goodbye.

Soon after, Vila checked with the elementary school’s office to make the necessary arrangements for the afternoon’s event.

“Clocking out early, Vila?” the blonde receptionist with a feathered hat asked from the desk.

“Yes, Ms Moissan. I made plans for the afternoon with the new tenant!”

“Oh right.” the seated lady scanned Vila’s file. “Are they nice? I know you do this for everyone, but you just met them yesterday, correct?”

“Yeah. Admittedly, she was a bit too tired for me to know yet, but little Avgust seemed to like her! That boy though… I keep telling him not to greet strangers.” Vila pouted as her friend softly laughed.

“Maybe he takes after his mother too much. You should practice what you preach,” Moissan advised.

“There’s a difference when it’s an adult doing it! Though, maybe you’re right,” Vila sighed. “Still, I have a good feeling about Ms Windsong.”

“That’s her name? Windsong.”

Vila nodded. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Reminds me of when I sang melodies by the ocean breeze…”

“You still miss it?”

“...”

Neither spoke as Ms Moissan gave her the clear that their business was complete. 

“Thank you.”

“Have fun on your date.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The dainty bell of the cafe door jingled as Windsong entered the small but cozy space. In contrast to the bright white of wintery daylight outside, the small cityside cafe warmed her field of vision with gentle browns and shades of sepia alongside the instantly recognizable aroma of coffee beans and cinnamon spices. Laughter and chatter amongst friends gave the establishment a welcoming atmosphere, and it didn’t take long for her to spot a familiar friendly face waving at her from a set of plush seats placed perpendicular to the wall lined entirely by window panes.

“Hi,” Windsong sat across from Vila and her excited child. “I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

“Nonsense. We only arrived a few minutes ago,” the mother smiled, immediately threatening to break Windsong’s composure from the first minute.

“Mama, mama!” Avgust pulled on Vila’s sleeve. “I want fries! Oh, the milkshake too!”

“Settle down, little Avgust,” she calmed the child. “We shouldn’t be rude to our guest. You’ll get your food sooner if you behave.” 

Windsong chuckled. “Lively little guy. Is he always like that?”

“Hm? Oh, yes. My apologies for all the noise Avgust keeps making. I hope you slept well last night. I actually woke up to him knocking on our wall to try and talk to you.”

Ah, so that wasn’t just my heart beating–

“I slept fine! Best sleep of my life,” Windsong saved face as naturally as she breathed.

“Wonderful! You’re adjusting well already!” Vila smiled.

“Haha, yeah…” Windsong felt embarrassed. 

A short lull passed as the topic had ended. Close to panicking, Windsong started mentally recalling Kakania’s earlier advice about starting a conversation. Should she start a new topic? Maybe ask about how her day at work went? No, Vila doesn’t know that she knows about her job yet–

“Mama!” Avgust cried. “I’m hungry…”

“Alright, alright, Avgust,” Vila consoled her son. “We can get the fries or your milkshake, okay?”

“Wah, why not both?” the young boy held back a tear.

“Silly child, you know our rule about spending too much…” Vila tried to hush Avgust, who looked like he was one moment away from sobbing.

Suddenly, Windsong leaned forward. “I can get him the other one!” 

Vila then turned to Windsong with a surprised look in her eyes.

“Oh, it’s… as thanks for taking the time to do this! And… what happened yesterday. You’re just being so nice that I thought I could at least pay you back in some way.”

Very smooth, me.

“If that’s overstepping, I can just–”

Avgust giggled. “See, mama! I saw comrade Windsong’s drawings in her suitcase. She has all the money in the world with her job! She can buy us all milkshakes.”

“Avgust!” Vila playfully silenced the child by covering his mouth with her hand. “I’m really sorry. He’s normally well-behaved whenever I take him to one of these. He’s just been making up stories about you ever since yesterday.”

This time, it was Windsong who found herself genuinely laughing. “It’s fine! I guess the little snowball likes me.” She thought about what to say next. “I’m serious though. I wanna thank you in some way if that’s alright.”

Vila thought about it for a second. “If it’s fine with you, then alright. I’ll make doubly sure to tell you about all the best places in the city in exchange.”

“Hey, I thought I was the one paying you back!” Wingsong joked, causing them to both laugh.

“You really are kind, Ms Windsong. Thank you for being patient with my little one.”

“It’s no issue! And you can drop the Ms.” Windsong thought about what Kakania said about her. “And forgive me if this sounds weird but… you sound like you know how to handle kids. Do you look after others too?”

“Very perceptive, Windsong.” Vila smiled, piercing the snow-haired woman’s heart again. “You’re right. I work as a teacher for an elementary school nearby. Back where I came from–” Vila stopped. “It helped me find work when I was new to the city like you.”

“No wonder then…” the architect remembered her comment about spending. “And you take care of him with… your spouse?”

“Hm? Oh! I’m not married if that’s what you were wondering.”

THANK FUCKING GOD

“What about you, Windsong? Are you a wealthy artist like Avgust believes?”

“Oh, no no! Actually, I’m just an architect. He must’ve seen my stuff since I transferred for work recently. It’s why I moved…”

“Hmm, interesting! Maybe I could invite you to teach the kids too.” Vila joked.

“Oh, uhm, I mean… if you want to?”

Vila leaned forward. “What was that?”

“Nothing!” Windsong stood up, pulled out her wallet, and dropped several notes. “I’ll just uh, have whatever you’re having too and you can use the rest on Avgust. Bathroom, bye!”

The architect then ran to the cafe restroom to recover. Hoping it gave her enough time, Windsong soon found herself washing her face to wake up and snap back to reality, now realizing how fast her heart raced after the close proximity with Vila’s face.

She was waaayyyy too close! At least I got to talk to her… Okay, snap out of it! You still have the rest of the date… Or, not a date! Just a talk. Yeah, talk. You can do that, right?

After a moment, the architect found herself back at their table, where Avgust was seen happily chewing on his french fries and a smoothie to his side. When she sat down, Vila gave her a smile, causing Windsong’s heart to only skip one beat.

“Hope I wasn’t gone too long–”

“It’s fine, Windsong,” Vila rubbed Avgust’s head. “What do we say, little Avgust?”

“Thankh yewh comrade Whindsohng!” the boy said through a full mouth.

“Avgust!” Vila scolded.

Windsong burst into laughter. One part of her wanted to scold herself, that was until she heard Vila’s cute laughs join hers as the two reveled in one joyous moment. The only thought that crossed her mind was how much she wanted to keep seeing Vila’s face with that same happy smile…

“Oh, by the way, hold out your hand,” Vila said.

“Huh?” Windsong did so, pulling hers out of her winter glove.

Warmth then surrounded her palm as Vila’s narrow fingers wrapped around it, lingering with its gentle but rigid touch as she took in how each nerve ending sent threatened to burst out of her skin every millisecond the two kept contact. A second hand then clasped the back of her palm as Vila hugged her tired hands with their soft embrace, before letting go to reveal two bills and a dozen coins now in Windsong’s hand.

“The change,” Vila giggled.

This was starting to feel way bigger than a crush–

Chapter Text

The familiar noises of her alarm were as shrill as usual. On most days, it would have woken up a grumpy architect who would have thrown her blanket from her body, gotten ready for work, and complained about leaving so early, even when she loved her job.

However, nowadays, Windsong wakes up even before her alarm.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, she stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair and using hairspray. She was excited.

Over the last few weeks since they first met, Windsong managed to get closer to Vila. What started with their little meeting in the café (“It's a daaaaaate!” She could hear Kakania yelling.) continued with them spending more time together, going shopping or even greeting each other whenever they met outside their apartments! And just a few days ago, Vila gave her some pirozhki, which she swore tasted just amazing.

Everything was going well.

Or was it?

Hair, done. Clothes are looking fine… and I’ll be out early. Maybe I can meet Vila and Avgust after work, too… Wait, this isn’t creepy, right?

Windsong groaned, putting her head in her hands and ignoring the strands of hair that were cold from the spray.

“What am I doing…?”

The crush only got worse over the last few weeks, and she didn’t believe it would stop anytime soon. May it be from the daily meetups or the encouraging words from her friends and colleagues — the whole place will know about her crush soon, huh — or the fact that she hadn’t been in a relationship in a while, spending time with Vila was truly something else. Still, Windsong was glad that she was able to form comprehensive sentences with her now. Though, it didn’t stop Ada from making fun of her.

“You should try to ask her out!” Kakania’s words from a few days ago echoed in her head.

“It’s not that easy!” Windsong answered back then.

Crushes were never easy.

But crushes aside, she was happy to get to know Vila and her son better. Vila. The motherly woman enjoyed coffee but liked tea even more. She loved taking care of elementary school children and was apparently pretty athletic — in her own words. When she laughed, it was easy to draw others in. Then, of course, her hair was brilliant to Windong’s eyes like shining gold.

Her son Avgust sometimes acted like your average three-year-old, but Windsong observed he also had quite sharp instincts and seemed to understand the world in his own adorable way.

They were a tiny family, just two of them that helped Windsong get comfortable in this new, unfamiliar city. That was a special that she can’t say happened often. She couldn't deny that the last few weeks were pretty good.

The architect glanced at the clock, now seeing that she had to speed up.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Windsong pressed the elevator button, waiting patiently. She felt antsy, just standing there, more than she normally fidgeted. A sigh of relief escaped her when it successfully appeared before her without any issue.

 It took weeks, but she was glad that the damn thing got finally fixed (No thanks to X).

She looked back to the doors of her apartment, with Vila’s right next to it, as if she hoped that she and Avgust might step outside, which was silly because they already left minutes before her. But Windsong liked looking back there. It felt like there was something to look forward to once she returned home.

The elevator made a loud ‘ping!’ sound as the doors finally opened. But Windsong suddenly saw a little figure rush past her when she tried to step in.

It was a child with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair and silver eyes. Wearing a blue jacket and shorts, she didn’t look like she was fully dressed for the cold weather, but the kid didn’t seem to mind. With a stoic, unmoving face, she casually watched Windsong step in, who stared back with mild confusion. 

“Ah, hello…,” she said without getting an answer. She pressed a button, and after a few seconds, the elevator doors closed. They started to go down, making the silence only more awkward as the child blankly stared at the closed doors.

Windsong was glad she had lots of space inside. Although, she could feel the child staring intensely at her… for some reason. 

“You are Ms Windsong, right?” The child’s voice was quiet.

“Huh? How do you know?”

“My parents talked about you. They said you were pretty interesting, especially since you’re friends with Ms Vila.” 

Windsong raised an eyebrow. But before she could say anything, the elevator made a loud ‘ping!’ and the doors opened once more. Her new ‘friend’ casually stepped out and walked towards the exit.

“My parents are one floor under you. You’ll probably see them from time to time.”

With those words, she quickly left the building, leaving a confused architect behind.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

“Someone is in high spirits today.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” 

Vila handed her colleague a lunch box filled with some black rye bread sandwiches and syrniki, which Ms Moissan and Ulu took gratefully.

“Seems more like she has been in high spirits for weeks.” Kaalaa Baunaa, the physics teacher, arrived at the group table, easily carrying multiple coffee mugs she distributed among her colleagues before she sat down. “Probably because of the neighbour she’s dating.”

“We are not dating,” Vila sputtered before grabbing the coffee mug and taking a sip. The familiar bitter taste immediately kept her warm in the cold weather. It's not as good as tea, but that was fine.

“But you do talk about her a lot. Even if you aren’t dating, you must have a pretty good feeling about her. Don't you think so?” 

“She’s a great friend! Even though we’ve only known each other for a few weeks, Avgust immediately started to love her.” She remembered clearly how enthusiastically her son talked about his neighbour. She found it very adorable, especially the moments when Windsong noticed his affection and started to become a blubby, stuttering mess herself. It seemed like she couldn't take compliments well. “He even calls her ‘Comrade Windsong’.”

“Speaking of, you talk about her often, but do you have a picture of her?” Ms Moissan asked.

“Ah…”

“You don’t?” 

“I-I never thought to take one. But I think I can see from her profile in our messenger app.” The young teacher opened her phone and quickly scrolled through the apps until she stopped at the top of her messenger. She clicked on the familiar profile picture and showed it to her friends. “There she is.”

“Hmmmm.” Kaalaa Baunaa took the glasses that hung on her coat and put them on. “She is quite handsome.” 

“Not bad. Are you sure she isn't also young Avgust's mother? They look similar,” Ulu joked.

Vila rolled her eyes. “Honestly, seeing how he interacts with her… it wouldn’t surprise me if he wants her as his mother too. Windsong is pretty nice. She likes to buy him some sweets whenever we go out for coffee. I told her to stop, but she insisted! Though if he keeps eating sweets, Ms Tooth Fairy will start to scold us–”

Vila suddenly stopped when she realized how each of her colleagues had an amused look on their faces. A slight blush came over her cheeks, which she ignored, despite the growing smirks of her fellow faculty.

“Anyway, it’s really not what you think.”

“Mhm,” Kaalaa Baunaa answered, obviously not believing her friend. “Well, I’m sure Windsong will be having fun looking after Avgust today.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Vila, did you forget that we have a long faculty meeting today?” Ulu asked. “It's supposed to start after classes. You know, budget talk for the departments and such.”

“WHAT?” The art teacher jumped up from her seat and quickly pulled out her phone. “No! The daycare is closing early today!” 

“Maybe we can ask to keep Avgust at our meeting if it’s not too much of an issue…,” Ms Moissan said softly, but Vila had already punched down the numbers to the daycare.

“I will be right back!” She yelled and quickly left the room once her phone started to dial.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

“My back hurts!” Finally freed from the shackles of office work, Windsong got up from her chair and did some stretches.

“Well done!” As usual, Kakania arrived with a smile on her lips. “Care for some after-work coffee?”

Windsong gladly took the hot cup from her friend’s hands. “Thank God there’s a free weekend after this. I really need a break.”

“Oh ho ho, will you go on another date with your dearest Vila?” As an answer, she got a soft punch to her shoulder and a pair of rolled eyes.

“Very funny. No, we haven't planned anything for the weekend. Maybe I will-” She went quiet after a loud voice from the TV interrupted her. Both women saw an ad for a popular expensive perfume, getting used by a woman with long dark hair and light washed-blue eyes. She, a well-known celebrity, was eye-catching, and it went unsaid between them and most viewers that everyone watching was more interested in her than the product. 

“Heh.” Windsong rolled her eyes after seeing her friend's wide grin. “Yeah, sure.”

“Come on, you still don't believe me?!” Kakania cried.

“It's hard to believe that your wife is a celebrity, especially when it's Isolde von Dittarsdorf! Nobody knows if she has a girlfriend or if she’s even married!”

“I told you, it's still a secret! You can't believe your own friend?!”

“I’d love to! But at least show a picture of you two together or something!”

Before Kakania could give an answer, Windsong’s phone started to ring. Her eyes widened when she saw the now familiar name on the display. She looked at Kakania, her face mouthing the name ‘Vila’, which signaled the HR member to be quiet and listen.

“Hello?” the architect tried to sound unbothered.

“Uhm, hi, Windsong. Is now a bad time?” The architect immediately noticed the poorly hidden anxiety in her neighbour’s voice.

“Oh… oh no, I was just about to clock out. Is something wrong?”

“Ah…I am sorry, but I must ask you something strange.” Windsong heard how she took a deep breath. “You see, we have a meeting today that’s going to take longer than I expected. I seriously did not know!” 

On the other side of the phone, Windsong was frantically but silently mouthing “WHAT DO I DO!?” to Kakania, who could only throw her arms up in a shrug as the mother continued speaking.  

“This means I can't pick up Avgust from the daycare. So I am asking you…”

“Oh, to pick him up? I can gladly do that!” She answered too fast.

“Well, yes, but I am especially asking for one extra thing: Can you maybe look after him for a few hours?”

“HUH?!” Windsong yelled and dropped her mug. Yet she completely ignored the hot mess and shards at her feet and even the curious looks of her colleagues.

“Huh?!” Now, Kakania gasped in surprise at her friend's scream.

“Uhm…uhhh, can I ask for more details, please?” Windsong asked in a quieter voice, signaling Kakania to follow her into an empty room and close the door, completely ignoring the mess she had left behind.

“This might be overstepping our… current relationship, but please hear me out! The daycare where Avgust stays closes early today, so I can’t be there to pick him up. I know just asking you out of the blue to pick him up and take care of him too is more than I’d usually ask, but I just don’t have any other way right now. But if you want to refuse, I understand. I will just bring him to the meeting with me.”

Windsong’s eyes grew larger after hearing the panicked words of her neighbour. Her thoughts went back and forth, thinking about this situation. It was indeed tricky, especially considering Vila was a single mother who had to take care of such a young child. But was it appropriate for Windsong, who might be a friend but still a stranger to favors like this, to take care of a little child like him? However, Windsong also considers, would Vila have really called her if she didn’t believe that she could trust the architect to be a good enough person to look after her son?

Wouldn’t it be right to help a friend in such a tricky situation?

“That’s fine,” she said with a sudden boost of confidence. “Can you send me the location of the daycare?”

“OH HELL YEAH!-” Kakania enthusiastically shouted before being silenced with Windsong’s one free hand.

“Sorry, that was nothing. It must’ve picked up my coworker,” Windsong explained over the phone. “I’ll pick him up.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The daycare was only a 15-minute ride by train from her workplace’s nearest station. After that, it only took some walking and walking down a quiet road in the residential areas. Windsong quietly went through the small green gate of the location she had pinned on her phone’s map app and looked at the building in before her.

It wasn't remarkable — a small, pretty place of only one floor and made of red bricks. Many of the windows had paper flowers and suns on them, from what she could only assume were the kids posting their drawings, and some windows were closed by curtains that blocked her from seeing more. Next to the windows was a bicycle rack with a single sky-blue bike tied to it. Windsong thought this was definitely the daycare.

As she went past the gate, Windsong took in more of her surroundings and saw that the front yard was well-maintained with flowers decorating it, albeit the cold weather made everything look like a colorful mix of powdered sugar.

She opened the door and was immediately hit by a comfortable warmth from the heater accompanied by the laughs of young children. Walking further into what she assumed was the welcoming lobby, colorful garlands in the shape of snowflakes were hanging above her, which was lower than her office space’s ceiling. 

At her right was a small changing station where the children hung their coats and left their shoes — and they barely looked messy even — with another door pointing to the bathrooms. Then, at her left, Windsong saw a small dining area but couldn’t see more than a few tables and a microwave from her position. But from an unseen part of the room, a woman suddenly appeared.

She was older than Windsong, though probably not by much. The woman looked older than her and was wearing a long coat alongside a dark hat, which sat atop her long platinum-blonde hair that was braided into a ponytail. Still, the most remarkable thing about the woman was her eyes. They were painted in a mesmerizing silver color yet appeared completely unfocused. 

“Welcome!” The woman said. “Are you here to pick up one of the children?”

“Ah! Ah, yes!” Windsong shook off the slight feeling of familiarity she had. “I’m Windsong, and I’m here to pick up Avgust… at the request of Vila!.”

“Yes, I remember Ms Vila’s call.” The other woman said in her general direction without making eye contact, causing Windsong to be relieved she didn’t sound like someone again attempting to steal a child. “So you are Ms Windsong. Since you are unfamiliar with this place, let me bring you to Avgust.” Now, Windsong noticed the cane that the woman was carrying. “Oh, I am Bessmert, the owner of this little place.” She extended her hand with a welcoming smile, which Windsong took. “Please follow me!”

Bessmert led her to a playroom just a few meters beside them. The carpet was scattered with various toys, a small ball pit that was at the back of the room, and beside some bookshelves were full of picture books. 

Right in front of the ballpit was a young red-haired teenager who appeared to be reading aloud one of the books while surrounded by a handful of children. Windsong immediately spotted Avgust next to her, who turned to see his mother's friend and beamed.

“Comrade Windsong!” he yelled. Many pairs of eyes stared at the visitor who waved towards them, albeit slightly nervous. Yet that didn’t stop the child from jumping and running towards his friend. 

“Are you picking me up today?!” The shine in his eyes was strong enough to blind her.

“Haha, yes! Your mother couldn’t pick you up in time so now I am here. Wanna go?” He nodded enthusiastically and turned around to wave at his friends.

“Bye, guys! See you on Monday!”

“You are more energetic than ever, Avgust,” Bessmert said. She casually walked through the floor with the boy next to her, staring straight ahead. “Are you that happy to get picked up?”

“Yes! I asked Mama so much if comrade Windsong would come over, but she always said no. But now she is here, and we can play together. And I will introduce her to my best friend.”

“I am sure she will like your friend.” They stopped at the entrance, and Bessmert turned around to roughly face Windsong's direction. “Here you go. Ms Windsong, I hope you like the little place we have here. It was nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure was all mine, too! I can see why Avgust likes it here.”

“I am glad. And it was nice to finally meet Vila’s partner.” Bessmert smiled. “I hope you will be back another day, too!” 

Windsong almost gasped at the woman’s words, but all she could do was stare with a wide, open mouth. She knew that hiding her red face was impossible but prayed that the daycare boss could not hear the heartbeat with her fine hearing.

Her partner?!

She had to admit that a part of her was happy that a stranger assumed that, but the shock she received upon hearing it out loud took her out even more.

“Uh yes ah uh…I will try to be back soon! Ah… see you soon, Ms Bessmert ihavetogogogo!” She quickly grabbed the child by the hand and ran.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

“Okay, kiddo, welcome to my home.” Windsong took his jacket, bag and shoes and put them near the door, Avgust sat on her couch. “Are you hungry?”

He nodded.

“Alright, how about I make you some tasty spaghetti while you watch some TV? Mama will also be back home soon.”

His smile got bigger when Windsong turned on the TV and opened a familiar channel (“Spongebob is still fine for his age, right?”).

Windsong went to her tiny kitchen and checked her phone. Through their correspondence, Vila gave her some advice even while she was in her faculty meeting, which included having Avgust watch TV for a short while, what kind of food he enjoyed after daycare, and that she would be back before evening.

She will be back in roughly two hours… That should be fine.

Being an only child and having no kids herself, Windsong’s knowledge of babysitting was limited. She had no toys for Avgust, or even anything a child might find interesting to play with because she mainly packed essentials during the move, which was why she was glad that she had a TV.

Over in her apartment’s kitchen area, Windsong grabbed the spaghetti package, pre-made tomato sauce and minced meat. Thankfully skilled enough to cook for herself, she got ready, tied her hair into a ponytail, and put on an apron.

“Alright, Windsong, this will be fine!”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

“Avgust! Lunch is done!” Vila’s son happily jumped up from the couch and followed Windsong to the kitchen. There was a little table with plastic chairs on the wall, with barely enough space for two people. A plate of hot spaghetti sat there, causing his eyes to burst with diamond sparkles.

He grabbed the fork, but before he could take a bite, Windsong stopped him.

“Hold up! Can’t make a mess, little guy!” She put a tissue into his collar. “Just in case! And don’t forget to blow it cool before you eat.”

He nodded and followed her advice. Nevertheless, the clumsy child immediately managed to spill some sauce around his mouth, which made Windsong grin and glad that she got some extra tissues.

“It’s so good! Just like Mama’s!” 

Taking a moment to mentally pat herself on the back, in the quiet moment of Avgust cutely blowing on his food, Windsong noticed a blue pencil in his other hand.

“Huh, did you draw something?”

“A house!” Avgust proudly proclaimed.

“A house?” She didn’t remember that there was any paper in the living room.

“Yes, I saw a big house, and it looked like the one from Mama’s pictures. But it was white! Mama’s house was blue like water! Because she is a mermaid!”

“Huh, a mermaid, you say?” She asked with a giggle, but that made Avgust even more agitated.

“Yes, mama is a mermaid! But before we came here, she lived in a house with a lot of snow! She told me that she was also living in the sea every day!”

The child’s words both confused and interested her at the same time. Windsong recalled that Vila rarely ever talked about herself, especially what she did before she moved to the city. Due to the nature of their relationship, she always thought it would be too rude to ask. Still, Avgust’s words also perplexed her thanks to the childlike fantasy he often spoke with, making her wonder how much of what he said was actually based on reality.

Curiosity took over.

“I see… You and your mama lived in the blue house before coming here?” Windsong kept her words simple, playing into the child’s story to get a reaction.

“Uhhh…” Now confusion took over his face. “I don’t know… All I remember is snow! It was very cold! But mama loves snow and water. And me too!”

Snow and water, huh? Did they used to live near a lake? Or even the sea?

“Uweh!” The young woman took a tissue to clean his mouth.

It’s kind of funny…thanks to Avgust suddenly going into my home, I got to know him and his mother. Now, here he is in my home again, and I’m learning even more about those two… 

Hm… “home?” Right, he only said… “house.” What does that… No, he’s probably just too young to know the difference…

“Haha, I love snow too.” Windsong continued the conversation. “While we can’t go to the sea so easily here, how about we play in the snow once more comes down?” That seemed to cheer him up.

“Yes! Thank you, Comrade Windsong!”

Right at that moment, the doorbell started to ring.

“Ah, maybe it’s your mother!” She got up from the table and went to the living room where the door was. When she opened it, only Vila was standing in front of her, slightly out of breath.

“Windsong!” 

“Mama!” Little Avgust rushed past Windsong only to jump into his mother's open arms, who happily spun him around.

“My little arctic fox! I hope you didn’t cause Comrade Windsong any trouble!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“You better not have!” His mother ran her fingers through his hair, causing her son to giggle.

So cute.

The thought shot into Windsong’s mind. 

Seeing this mother carrying her son into her arms, both laughing and happy to see each other, even if their parting was only for a short time. She thought it was beautiful and heartwarming, not even noticing the smile the crept into her face. Windsong didn't want to admit that she wanted to see such a sight more often. 

“Windsong!” Only now did the woman notice that Vila had already put Avgust down…and wrapped her hands around Windsong’s own.

“Thank you so much! I’m sorry that I asked you on such short notice, but I’m very happy that you helped!”

“...No-no problem!” Her voice was so high-pitched it sounded like a dying goat. She cleared her throat. “Uh… uh, I mean… I’m happy to help! Anytime! Avgust was also behaving pretty well! Don't worry, it was no issue at all!”

She's holding my hands, ohmygodohmygodohmygod!

“Still! You answered my message on such a short notice. I owe you something. Would you please like to join Avgust and me for dinner tomorrow?”

“Dinner??”

“Yes! I’ve wanted to invite you for the longest time… and after you’ve done this for me, it seems only appropriate to return your kindness as a thank you. Would it be okay for you?”

“Yes, yes of course!” She answered a bit too fast.

“Great! Feel free to come over in the evening and keep an empty stomach!” To Windsong’s disappointment, the young mother let go of her hands and waved at her. “See you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow!” She waved back and closed the door after her neighbors left. 

And then she leaned her bright red head against the door, holding it between her hands. The temperature on her face could easily rival the sun.

Dinner… at her apartment…

She wanted to open her mouth to scream, but instead, she just punched the air in happiness.

This is good. So good! She invited me for dinner! Yes! YES!!

“I gotta tell the others about this.” She went to the small table she had in her living room to grab her phone, but something stuck out from the corner of her eye.

“Did Avgust leave his drawings?” She picked them up from the table. “They are- wait…” It was basically a lot of blue scribble that you would expect from a three-year-old. And there was a funnily written sunflower next to it. Yet, upon closer inspection there was something very familiar to Windsong under the colors.

“No…” Her face grimaced into a mask of pure horror. 

“NOOOOOOO! WHAT DID HE DO?!”

On this day, a young Windsong learned to never let children near her work papers ever again.