Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Word spread like wildfire. King had gone missing. No one was sure when they’d seen her last and if they had everything seemed normal. King had been seen doing their usual rounds as a Godpoke up until a week ago. No word. No clues. Nothing. 

Until the letter came. 

Inspekta had temporarily taken over handing out mail ever since King disappeared. He had received a letter from King addressed to Miss Mitternatch. 

Oyron hadn’t learned what the letter read, but knew it wasn’t good. The events following the letter from Mitternatch's supposed lover was catastrophic. The God was completely heartbroken and had been crying nonstop, drowning the Grove Cove in her tears. No one could even enter the Cove because of the flood of tears. 

More letters came from King, now targeted at all of Milldread. 

Oyron found their own letter on their doorstep. It hesitated to open the envelope, slowly reading through it. 

“What the Drain?!” They crumpled up the letter and tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. 

‘Blood Harvest?’ ‘Human sacrifice?’ Did King really believe this? Why would she send a letter like this? Oyron couldn’t believe this was actually from the former Godpoke. The writing didn’t even sound like them. 

They shook their head and left the fake letter behind. It needed to see Cobigail right away. 

Passing by Cobigail’s statue, Saul was there with a letter of his own. It seemed other Milldread residents also got the same letter from King. Did all of Milldread get the same letter of lies? Cobigail must’ve gotten her own. 

The schoolhouse was still empty by the time Oyron arrived. Pollina and the students wouldn’t be there for a bit longer. They pushed past the bookshelf and entered the Harvest God’s domain. It felt unusually cold. 

“Cobbi?” Oyron slowly approached the God, finding she did have her own letter. “Cobigail, I think you should stop reading that.” 

Cobigail looked away from the letter, meeting Oyron’s eyes. “Did you also get one of these?”

“…I did,” It shook its head, moving closer to Cobigail. “But it’s not real. It’s fake.”

“But it’s from King,” She frowned, setting aside the letter. “King has never lied and never would. Maybe…maybe they’re right?”

“What?!” Oyron’s tail puffed out. “Lift me up. Right now, please.” They gently tugged on her. 

Cobigail obliged, carefully picking up the mortal. “She must be right, Ory. I don’t remember anything from before and the more I forgot, so did my people. Maybe King found some information or something! They wouldn’t lie tah me.” 

“Why would she say something so cruel though? She’s gotta be wrong or it’s some type of horrid joke!” Oyron’s tail started to lash. “You can’t actually believe this, Cobbi.”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember. I never thought of that bein’ a possibility,” Cobigail scratched at her head, an uncertain look on her face. “But maybe I am? I remember, I think a splash of red? Laughter? Or maybe it was screaming…?” 

“This is ridiculous, Cobigail! There’s no way a human sacrifice is what brings the Harvest,” Oyron felt their heart racing, emotion building up. “Please listen to me, ma moitié…” 

“I don’t think I’m some blood gobbler. But I just don’t remember. So I can’t be sure.” Cobigail went to set down Oyron, but it held onto her hand to keep that from happening. She sighed and plucked them off of her, setting it down. “Maybe I need to think about it for a moment. I’m sure it’ll be fine though. Don’t worry yer pretty little head.” She gently patted their head and scooted them towards the exit. 

Oyron reluctantly left, finding Pollina had finally arrived at the school along with a couple students. 

“Woah, you look, uh, not well?” Pollina raised an eyebrow. “Ya read that weird letter? Almost all of Milldread got it.” 

“It’s fake!” Oyron huffed, its tail still lashing with anger. “It has to be! It’s so stupid!” They stormed out of the schoolhouse, leaving behind the teacher and students. 

They suddenly stopped in their tracks when they found a bunch of Inspekta posters strewn about along with cardboard cutouts. They moved further into the middle of Milldread, finding a piece of paper slapped on the face of the King statue made of hay. Some kind of angry face was drawn on the piece of paper. Even a couple of the missing person posters, handed out after King’s disappearance, were written on. 

When did this even happen? How had it not noticed? Oyron assumed it was Inspekta’s Bizzyboys that did all this. The God of Leadership had bad mouthed King the moment Mitternatch received that letter and flooded the Cove. More of his Bizzyboys had been seen around. They must have set up more of his stupid posters. 

Oyron tried not to care what Inspekta or the Bizzyboys got up to. They just cared about Gr. Though it hadn’t seen him in awhile. They just assumed he was busy. Maybe they should’ve paid attention more or even asked Gr what he was up to last when they saw him. Though Gr wasn’t all that vocal about his Bizzy work. 

They shook their head as they turned away from King’s statue. Maybe if they spoke with Ol’ Bloom again. There’s a chance he remembered something because of the fake letter. 

Oyron stopped before they passed Cobigail’s statue. Saul was gone now, the letter he had been reading now on the ground. They wondered what he thought of the letter, being one of few people who really worshiped Cobigail. And where had he gone?

Chapter Text

Oyron approached the entrance of Ol’ Bloom’s cata-home, suddenly pausing just outside when echoes from inside reached their ears. 

“Howdy, Oyron!” Bronch the scarecrow greeted when Oyron approached. “Geez, Ol’ Bloom has got a lotta visitors today!”

“Huh?” Oyron stepped away from the entrance, recognizing the echoes from inside as shouting. They recognized the voices as Saul’s and Budd’s. “Visitors?”

“Well, you an’ Saul! Though he seemed upset? He scared away my pals!” Bronch pouted. 

“Uh, well, I wanted to talk to Ol’ Bloom, but…” It tucked its tail between their legs. “Saul was upset?”

“Or frantic? Not sure? Hey, do ya think you could find my crow pals?” 

“Uh, can’t right now. Sorry, Bronch. I’ll be back!” Oyron ran off before Bronch could respond. They had an uneasy feeling in their stomach. From what they heard from the cata-home, Budd sounded upset, angry even. They weren’t sure about Saul though. Desperate? They didn’t like it though. 

Oyron reached the Baykery, swinging the door open with a little too much force. It was a surprise the bell didn’t get knocked off. 

“Oyron?” Bayker looked up from throwing away a crumpled piece of paper. “You okay?”

“No!” Oyron huffed. “I’m upset and my stomach feels queasy! Have you seen Saul?” 

“I haven’t,” Bayker frowned and quickly grabbed a glass of water, offering it to Oyron. “Ith he okay? Did thomething happen to him?” 

It accepted the water, taking a few small sips. “I’m not sure. Did you also see that letter from King?”

“Yeah, I got my own…”

“Saul got one too. I saw him reading it on my way to the schoolhouse,” Oyron started picking at its tail, Bayker’s worried expression making them more nervous. “When I left, he was gone, but I found out he went to Ol’ Bloom’s cata-home. I heard arguing from inside and Bronch said Saul seemed upset.”

“Oh no…” Bayker turned away, starting to wipe down their prized pumpkin to try to calm their nerves. “That doethn’t thound good.”

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“Not entirely,” Bayker sighed and picked off a dead leaf from the pumpkin stem. “But Thaul can get like thith thometimeth. Thith letter mutht have done something…” 

“Maybe you could talk to him?” Oyron suggested, stepping closer. “I know you two don’t talk much, but maybe you could try? Sorry if I’m overstepping, from what I know, you two used to be really close. Same with Goody.”

Bayker’s shoulders slumped, clearly troubled. “I-“ They dropped their rag when sudden commotion from outside startled them. They exchanged a look with Oyron before the pair rushed outside. 

The scene could only be described as weird chaos. 

“My dear friends!” Saul greeted the gathering crowd around, a sick grin on his face. He wielded a cleaver in one hand and a knife in the other. “A sign has finally come to us! A chance! A blessing! I, Saul Boggle, your devoted priest, have a plan to resurrect our crops!”

Oyron ran forward and pushed through the small crowd to the front. 

“With a blood sacrifice, I will single handedly bring back the Harvest!” Saul turned to the cage behind him, pointing his knife at the prisoner. 

“Cob’s sake…” Ol’ Bloom sat tiredly in the cage, seeming more annoyed than scared about the threat to his life. “Blood ain’t gonna bring back the Harvest, Saul.” 

“Quiet, prisoner! You don’t have a say in this-“

“Are ya crazy?!”

Saul flinched, turning back to the crowd. Oyron stood in front, looking like a frazzled cat. Their tail lashed back and forth, teeth bared. 

“Of course not, my dear Oyron! I’m just doing the duties of a good leader!” Saul raised his weapons with a grin on his face. Despite his words, his shakiness could easily be seen. 

“Killing someone ain’t gonna bring the Harvest back!” Bayker came up behind Oyron, placing a hand on its shoulder. It didn’t acknowledge them. “Do you really believe that dumb letter?” 

“It only makes sense! Years we’ve suffered with no Harvest! W-We must have displeased Cobigail to have taken away our crops and I’m taking the stand to fix that!” Saul waved his weapons around. 

Oyron turned to Bayker, urging them to say something. They just shrugged and turned their head away. They wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came out. 

“Oh, Cob’s sake! You’re wrong, Saul-“

“Hush now! If you are not in support of this, you can leave,” Saul crossed his arms. “I will be the one to bring back the Harvest!” 

Oyron huffed, reluctantly accepting Saul wouldn’t listen to it. “You ought to be wacked over the head for this shit.” They stomped off, pushing past people back to the schoolhouse. 

“What’s with all this noise?” Pollina asked, standing outside. She pinched at the bridge of her nose. “All the kids rushed out to see what was happening. I was only able to get Brink and Tripp to stay.”

“Saul is gonna commit murder.” Oyron said simply, their growing headache becoming too much for it to care to explain. It heard only a defeated sigh come from the teacher as they entered the classroom. 

They went to go back to Cobigail’s domain, but froze, their tail wrapping around their leg. The bookshelf that blocked the God’s domain were now wrapped in black roots, making it impossible to push past. 

“What the Drain happened?!” It looked between the only two students their, each on either side of the room. 

Tripp just shrugged, not bothering to answer. 

“Uh, they just suddenly sprouted from the ground,” Brink answered nervously. “What’s happening outside, Mx. Oyron?” 

Oyron didn’t answer as their dragged their feet over to one of the student’s desks, slumping into the small chair. “The apocalypse…” 

“Dramatic much?” Tripp rolled his eyes, not carding for the crisis going on. “I’m outta here.” He tried to push open the front doors, but it seemed something from outside blocked them. 

“O-Oyron?!” Oyron’s ear twitched as Pollina’s voice came from outside. “There’s a bunch of nasty roots blocking the door… Oh dear Cob, they’re gonna kill each other.”

They slumped further down the chair, half of its body falling off of it. They dragged their paws down their face, ignoring the annoyed complaints from Tripp and the panic from Brink. 

How could this be happening? It all felt unreal. 

A few tears escaped their eyes, frustration overcoming Oyron. Its head was pounding as angry and confused thoughts danced around their brain. It was all too much for them. It’s like all of Milldread was having a mental breakdown. All because of a letter. They had no clue what to do. Oyron loved Milldread and Cobigail, but now everything was falling apart. 

Saul truly believed what he was doing was right. Since no one remembered what truly brought the Harvest, no one was sure if it was right or wrong. What consequences would follow if he was wrong?

Oyron closed its eyes, resigning to their trapped fate. They prayed to the whole Grove for something, anything to stop this chaos. 

Chapter Text

“Mx. Oyron?”

Oyron snapped their eyes open to the sound of Brink’s voice. He gently tugged on its sweater to get their attention. “Yes, Brink?” They responded, keeping their head pointed towards the ceiling. 

“The library isn’t blocked. Could you, um, come with me to grab a book?” He still held onto their sweater. “I dunno how long we’ll be stuck here.”

Oyron sucked in a long breath. “Okay.” They breathed out as it pushed itself up from the small desk and chair with some struggle. 

Brink still held onto Oyron’s sweater as they led him to the library. Their mind drifted to Saul, despite not wanting to think about him and what he’s done. 

They thought about their first proper interaction with the preacher. 

…

“May I join you?” 

Oyron’s head snapped up from their notebook, finding Saul, Milldread’s preacher, standing over them. He smiled kindly at it, his hands clasped together. 

“Uh, sure.” Oyron shrugged. They scooted slightly from their spot in front of Cobigail’s statue, making room for Saul. 

He sat beside them, his soft robe pooling around him as he made himself comfortable. “What brings you to our God’s statue today, Oyron?” 

“Oh, um,” Oyron closed their notebook, leaning back to look up at the statue. “Just wanted to relax and try writing. The statue is oddly comforting.” Of course, they only visited the statue if they couldn’t visit Cobigail. The school was closed today, so this was its way of visiting the lonely god. It’s been a couple weeks and they kept their promise to visit her everyday. 

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Saul hummed. “I’m glad you worship our dear God. You should come visit the church during one of my sermons! I’m quite the smooth talker.” He smiled proudly, puffing out his chest. Though with the raise of an eyebrow from Oyron, he instantly faltered. 

“I think I’ll pass. Thank you though. That’s kind of you.” They flipped open their notebook. “It’s nice you’re still so vocal about Cobigail. I don’t really hear enough people here talk about her.”

“Shame really. But I promise you, everyone here still loves and worships Cobigail! Don’t you doubt it!” Despite his words, Saul didn’t sound so sure of them. 

“Uh huh. Hey, when was the last time you visited her?” Oyron looked back over at him, tilting its head. 

“Oh? Well, um…” Saul trailed off, not sure of an answer. “I can’t quite remember…”

“Right.” The tip of Oyron’s tail twitched. That seemed to be the answer they hear a lot. 

“No matter! I still pray to her everyday and show my worship!” Saul pressed his hands together. “I must do what I can to lead Milldread.” 

“Hm. Yet you don’t visit her.”

“W-Well, uh,” Saul’s poster faltered. “No one does.”

“Yeah, no one does,” Oyron fully turned to look at the preacher. “Isn’t that weird? And no one remembers why. Are you really doing all you can as a preacher?” They usually didn’t talk to other people like this. They wouldn’t have the courage to. Just the combination of their friendship with Cobigail and Saul talking about her set them off. Anger briefly crossed its mind, but quickly replaced it with annoyance. 

Saul stumbled over his words and flailed his hands around, clearly taken aback by Oyron’s accusation. 

Oyron huffed and stood up. “Never mind. Sorry, Saul.” It stuffed their notebook into their bag and walked off, leaving behind the preacher. 

Saul silently watched them walk off. He sniffled as he pulled his knees up to his chest and looked up at the Cobigail statue. “I’m doing the best I can... Right?” 

…

Oyron reached up for a certain book and handed it to Brink. “You go back to the classroom. I’ll be here. Don’t kill Tripp.” 

“Got it.” Brink held the book close to him as he walked off. 

Oyron sighed as they sat down at its desk. 

Their interactions with Saul weren’t much different after their initial meeting. They never understood the preacher. They never took the time. Maybe they should have at some point. 

Thinking more on it, were they jealous of Saul? Angry at him? He’s the preacher and yet has forgotten everything along with the rest of Milldread. Yet he still acts above it all. Still the main worshipper in Milldread. 

Angry. For sure. Maybe? He doesn’t even visit Cobigail. He hasn’t even tried! 

Oyron sighed, wondering how much more there was to that silly preacher. It laid their head down and closed their eyes, allowing their mind to go blank. 

Before that could happen however, a loud crash sounded from outside. 

Oyron’s head shot up. They stared wide eyed at the open library doors. They half expected one of the students to appear, possibly covered in blood, but all went quiet. 

Footsteps eventually came from down the small hall and reached the library. There stood what looked like a small cowboy, their face covered and a small tail flicking behind them. 

Oyron pushed itself up from their desk. “Uh, hey?” 

The short person waved and walked over and Oyron noticed they wielded King’s megapon. 

“Oh, um, new Godpoke?” They asked, stepping out from behind its desk. 

The Godpoke nodded and held up the Megapon, shooting out dialogue. 

“Ya should talk to Oyron, our librarian. They know more about Cobigail than anyone else here.” 

They flipped through their Megapon again to shoot out more dialogue. 

“Maybe ya could keep it away from Saul. You shoulda seen ‘em earlier.” 

Oyron’s ears drooped, rolling their eyes as they recognized Pollina’s voice. “You would understand if you knew how I felt.”

Godpoke tilted their head, urging the librarian to continue. 

“I’m the only one in Milldread who visits Cobigail. I came from HobbyHoo originally and found it weird no one visited her,” Oyron started to share their time in Milldread with the Godpoke. “I visited her and now we’re close. Really close. It was all calm for so long until that stupid letter came! Cobigail isn’t some blood drinker. She’s sweet and loving and cares so much for Milldread. She doesn’t have a good memory.”

Godpoke listened patiently, subtly sucking up Oyron’s praise of Cobigail with Megapon. 

“Can you help her, Godpoke? Maybe you could figure out what happened? I never could…” Oyron’s ears drooped before shaking its head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t ask that of you so suddenly. Maybe you could just talk to her?” 

Godpoke held out a thumbs up and their mask lifted slightly, indicating a smile underneath. 

“Thank you, Godpoke. Oh, uh, the way to her domain is blocked off,” They moved behind its desk and brought out a very large book they struggled to carry. “Take this! Giant ass phone book. We have tons of them. Please. Take it.”

Godpoke nodded and sucked up the large book with Megapon. They waved as they ran out to go see the God of the Harvest. 

Oyron let out a long breath, sitting back at their desk and praying for the best to happen. “Good luck.” 

Chapter Text

Oyron decided to stick to the library, keeping themself busy with the books. They really didn’t want to deal with the chaos happening outside. Its mind would spiral. They didn’t even want to risk visiting Cobigail. They’d leave that to Godpoke. 

As they placed another book on a shelf, they heard the pitter patter of paws approaching. They were quickly blinded by orange as paws grabbed onto their leg. 

“Gr!” Oyron instantly abandoned their books and kneeled down to the Bizzyboy’s level. “I haven’t seen ya in so long!” They allowed him to hug them for a moment before gently pushing him away. 

Gr made no verbal response, not a single muffle. This worried Oyron slightly, but they just assumed he was overwhelmed from all the noise outside. 

“Are you-“

“Where are ya, you lazy pup!” 

Oyron and Gr each flinched at the shout from a familiar voice. 

“Ey, is this where you ran off ta?” 

Gr turned to face Capochin as he approached the pair. 

“Of course! Runnin off ta ya friend.” Capochin crossed his arms, looking unimpressed at the two. 

Oyron had rarely met the boss of the Bizzyboys. They already knew they didn’t like him. He was loud, crass, and acted like the cock of the walk with being Inspekta’s favorite. It especially didn’t like how he treated Gr. 

They stood as Gr remained silent. “The hell you want? Last I checked, I ain’t invite you in here.” 

“HEY! I was just seein where MY soldier went off ta! I don’t even gots to explain myself to yous anyway.” Capochin snorted, his tail lashing. 

Oyron just rolled their eyes at the aggressive behavior. “There’s nothing of interest here for you anyway. Get out.”

“I ain’t leavin cause you told me to,” Capochin turned away. “I'M LEAVING CAUSE I WANT TO.”

Oyron just crossed its arms as they watched him leave. “That guy is ridiculous.” They carefully led Gr over to its desk, letting him sit in their chair. He happily kicked his feet and looked around the space. “Let’s relax here for a bit. I don’t think I can handle going outside right now.” 

Gr muffled something as he nodded in agreement, settling into the comfy chair. 

…

It wasn’t too long until Godpoke returned to the library, waving to the pair. They seemed put off seeing Gr there, but one look from Oyron and they shrugged it off. They shot out some dialogue about Saul. 

“Saul? Well, that little-“ Oyron cut themself off, keeping its tail from lashing. They thought back to a conversation they had with Bayker and they visibly slumped. “If you asked me half an hour ago, I’d go off about Saul, but I honestly can’t right now. What is doing is fucking stupid, but he’s not a bad guy.”

Godpoke sighed, their tail drooping. 

“Sorry, Godpoke.” 

They waved it off, but were obviously disappointed. They really thought they’d get an insult from Oyron. Tail dragging, they left the library once more.

“Mmphh mmh?” Gr pushed himself up from the chair. 

Oyron shrugged. “Something with Budd, I guess. Maybe he knows something.” 

Rapid footsteps came towards the library and Oyron assumed it was Godpoke again, but was surprised to see Pollina. She was out of breath and looking more than her usual anger. “Pollina?”

“H-Have you seen the kids?” She huffed, reaching up to fix her hair. 

“No, I haven’t. I’ve been here the whole time.” Oyron frowned and moved towards Pollina. “What happened?” 

Pollina sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging. “I look away for one second and they run off! Can you stay in the classroom in case they come back? I’m gonna go look for ‘em.” 

“Yeah, of course. Be careful.” They waved her off. She motioned for Gr to follow it back to the classroom. They groaned upon seeing Capochin. “What the hell is he still doing here?” 

“Mphh.” Gr shrugged as the two moved closer to the head of the Bizzyboys. 

“Gr! Yous been hidin’ here the whole time?!” Capochin glared at the soldier, crossing his arms. 

Oyron spoke out before Gr could. “It seems like you’ve been hiding out here the whole time too. Have you even been helpin’ the Godpoke? They’re actually going out and trying to figure stuff out and help.” 

“They report back tah me! I’m in control of the whole situation!” Capochin pointed at Oyron, his tail lashing. It seemed he got easily angered by the other. “I ain’t here for yous anyways! Gr, as yer baws, I order you head back tah the campaign van! We’s got important work, ya know.” He huffed, crossing his arms. 

Oyron went to defend Gr again, but was stopped by him. He saluted Capochin before leaving the school, a small wave to his friend as he left. 

Oyron’s tail drooped as it watched him leave. They turned to glare at Capochin and he was already smiling smugly at them. He flicked his tail as he followed after Gr. 

They sighed, moving over to Pollina’s desk and sitting down. It was about to lay their hair down when someone barged into the classroom. They watched as Godpoke ran past into Cobigail’s domain. 

They came back out a moment later, not sparing a glance to Oyron as they ran out. 

Oyron blinked, barely processing what just happened. They pushed up from the desk and moved over to the entrance of Cobigail’s domain. They stood for a moment before entering. 

It yelped as they were instantly scooped up by all four of Cobigail’s hands, being pressed against her. “Cobbi?!” It pushed itself back slightly to look up at the god. 

“I remember, Ory! I remember everything!” She held them up, grinning up at them. “Godpoke found somethin’ in Ol’ Bloom’s catahome and led them to figuring out what I was missin’!” 

“Really?” Oyron’s tail started to wag. “That’s great! What was it?” 

“Milldread berries! Those memories I had, the red, it was jam! Not blood!” Cobigail shook her head slightly and quickly set Oyron down. “But you need to go! Something bad might happen soon. Go!” 

“Uh, o-okay! I’ll be back! Promise!” Oyron ran out of the domain, following in Godpoke’s footsteps. They quickly made its way to the middle of Milldread where everyone else was gathered. 

They hurried over to where Pollina was gathered with the kids. Brink instantly attached himself to their leg. “Pollina?” 

Pollina motioned over to Saul, where he seemed to be getting ready to sacrifice Ol’ Bloom. He was visibly shaking. Everyone gathered around could tell he was nervous. 

Oyron looked around for Godpoke. Where had they gone? They stepped forward as Saul raised his butcher knife when something suddenly shot from the crowd. 

A jar filled with something red crashed into Saul’s head and shattered, covering his head and gown. He dropped his knives and stumbled back onto the ground. “H-huh?” 

Everyone went quiet as a red substance rained from the sky. It seemed all at once the residents of Milldread remembered the meaning of the Harvest. What they were missing and what they used to do. 

Oyron kept to themself as they watched the heartwarming scene. After twenty years, Milldread was whole again. They looked over at Saul. He was still on the ground, but now Goody and Bayker were with him. They seemed to be comforting him as Bayker picked glass from his hair. 

They gently pulled Brink off of them, who had been attached to their leg the entire time and walked over to the trio. “Hey, Saul.”

Saul glanced up at them before looking down at the ground in shame. “Hello, Oyron.”

“Are you okay?” They kneeled down in front of him. “Godpoke threw that jar pretty hard at you.” 

“I wath honethtly not expecting them to do that,” Bayker snorted, picking another piece of glass from Saul’s hair. “I thought they were jutht gonna thplash in hith fathe.” 

“They had to act quick,” Goody laughed, reaching over to gently wipe some jam from Saul’s face. “Things could’ve gotten bad.” 

Saul whined, hanging his head. Luckily the jam still covering him hid his embarrassed blush. 

“I’m glad it worked out.” Oyron gently patted Saul’s shoulder, slightly surprising the preacher. They left the trio alone and found Godpoke who finished talking with Ol’ Bloom and Budd. “Hey, Godpoke.”

Godpoke waved, their tail wagging. 

“Thank you so much for helping us,” Oyron kneeled down, softly purring. “I wasn’t sure what was gonna happen and I felt so useless. Maybe you could visit Cobigail before you head out?” 

Godpoke held out a thumbs up and headed back to school. 

Oyron watched them walk away before fully flopping onto the ground. They felt so emotionally exhausted, but also relieved that it was all over. At least for Milldread. It looked up at the Rift in the sky. It was already bigger than it was this morning. They felt its heartbeat pick up, threatening to burst out of its chest. 

They started to play with its tail when Brink joined them, sitting with them. “Are you okay, Mx Oyron?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay, Brink.” Oyron smiled slightly, their attention luckily being taken away from the Rift. It looked up again when Godpoke returned. They held up the Megapon and shot out some dialogue. 

“Jus’ one more favor, Cowpoke? Can ya send Oyron my way before you head out? Please.” 

Oyron blinked, slightly surprised at the tone in Cobigail’s voice. “Oh, yeah. I’ll head over. Thanks, Godpoke.” 

Godpoke nodded and waved, continuing on their way through the Grove. 

Oyron pushed up from the ground and instructed Brink to stay with Pollina. They made its way back to the school to see Cobigail. They could already notice a difference in the land of Milldread. The black roots were completely gone and new plants and flowers were already grown. It was already the start of a new and better harvest. 

Chapter Text

Oyron stopped just outside the school. Despite coming here almost everyday and visiting Cobigail constantly, this time felt different. They couldn’t help the sudden anxiety that washed over them. They turned on their heel and took a few steps away from the doors. They couldn’t focus on the many racing thoughts in its head with its heart pounding in their ears. They forced themself to turn back around, letting out a shaky breath. The many cornflowers starting to bloom around them caught its eyes. They carefully picked one before entering the school. 

Because of its nerves, Oyron pushed the doors open roughly, causing them to slam. This made them jump, spiking their already high anxiety. 

They stood at the entrance of Cobigail’s domain. The bookshelf was gone now, bits and pieces of it lying around from when Godpoke destroyed it. Its tail wrapped tightly around their leg. 

They took in a breath and stepped inside. 

The atmosphere felt different. It still held that usual warm and comforting feel, but something had changed. 

Oyron and Cobigail greeted each other with a smile. The god instantly scooped up the mortal in her hands. 

They weren’t sure what to say. Their voice escaped them, so Oyron just held out the cornflower to Cobigail. 

“Aw, fer li’l ol’ me?” Cobigail happily accepted the flower and put it in her hair where other buds were starting to bloom. It reminded them of Thespius. 

“Th-there were tons of them,” Oyron cringed at the crack in its voice, clutching at their sleeves. “There were tons of plants growing outside. Is that what it usually looked like during a Harvest?” 

“Oh, yes!” Cobigail clapped. “Oh, I can’t wait for ya to try the food! Everyone puts so much effort into what they make usin’ my crops!” 

Oyron chuckled, their tail loosening from around its leg. “I’m sure it’s lovely. Ahem, anyway, Godpoke said you wanted to see me? I know I already promised to come back, but was there something else..?” 

Cobigail chuckled, suddenly seeming nervous and starting to tug at her bow. “Ah, yes! Well, um…” She looked away for a moment, making Oyron more curious. They wanted to tell her something as well, but let her go first. 

“Is it serious? Something you remembered?” They reached out, able to grab onto one of her hands. 

Cobigail jolted slightly, looking back at them. “N-not exactly! Let’s see, well…” She cleared her throat and smiled at Oyron. “Do you know what ‘mon bonheur’ means? You asked me once, but I don’t think ya heard me. Well, it means ‘my happiness’. ‘Cause you truly make me happy. I know I have the other gods, but yer the first person in so long to really see me. To make me truly happy.”

Oyron remained silent and still held onto Cobigail’s hand as they listened. They had a feeling where this was going and made their heart to crazy jumps in their chest. It tried to not dwell too much on it though to not get their hopes up. They remained patient and quiet as Cobigail continued. 

“And I know I said I love you before, but I truly mean it. Not in a casual I love you way. B-but,” Cobigail’s lip wobbled and Oyron could see her eyes start to glisten. “In a ‘I’m deeply in love with you’ way. If that makes sense. Heh.” She sniffled and quickly wiped away a stray tear. Oyron wanted to reassure her, to do something. The overbearing emotions kept them still, unsure exactly how to act. 

“I’ve dated before, sure. When I was human. But I ain’t never been in love before! It’s so weird, but so lovely. Oh, if Thespius were here, he’d know the words,” Cobigail kept wiping at her face as more tears fell, now noticing just how quiet Oyron has been. “Oh, would ya say somethin’ please? Before I burst into a million kernels? I don’t think I could joke myself outta this one.” She sniffled, going quiet as she stared at the stunned mortal. 

“I-I, y-you, oh.” Oyron still held onto Cobigail’s hand, their grip tightening slightly. Its tail had wrapped back around their leg, the tip of it wagging. “You l-love me? You’re in love with me?” 

Cobigail silently nodded. 

“Oh, wow. You are in love. With me.” Oyron had to repeat it even though it didn’t really help them fully come to terms with it. This was their first time being in love and to have that love reciprocated? They couldn’t find the words for what they were feeling. 

“Yes! Are ya really gonna make me say it again? I already struggled the first time,” Cobigail rubbed at her eye, itchy from the tears. “I didn’t wanna say anythin’ until I got my memory back. Ya deserve someone who has their brain all together.” 

“You’re a god though!” Oyron suddenly blurted out, startling Cobigail. “S-sorry. But it’s true! You’re a god and you’re the one that deserves someone amazing. I didn’t want to say anything because I was scared. Mortals fall in love with the gods all the time and I thought I was just another mortal in your life. I even thought the feelings would go away, but they didn’t. 

You’re just so sweet and amazing and silly. I wanted to tell you, really. I didn’t know how and I especially didn’t want to do it with the Rift still open and King missing.” Oyron sighed, their body drooping. It finally looked up at Cobigail, fresh tears falling from her eyes. She wanted to interrupt and tell them just how important they were to her, but she let them finish what they wanted to say. 

“It just felt selfish to put my feelings above all what was happening. But now,” Their tail unwrapped from their leg and it started to wag. “You love me. You’re in love with me?”

Cobigail couldn’t fight the smile on her face as she nodded. “I am. A-are you in love with me? Is-is that what yer tryin’ to say?”

Oyron nodded. “I’m not that good at this. Sorry.” They sniffled, blinking away the tears in their eyes. 

“Hey, neither am I.” Cobigail gave a watery chuckle. She pulled Oyron closer, blushing slightly when they gently cupped her face. 

“Maybe, but you said you’ve dated before. I’ve never dated anyone,” Oyron laughed. “At least we can learn more together.” 

Cobigail giggled, her leaves shaking from excitement. “So, since you’ve never dated anyone before, it’s safe ta say you’ve never been kissed before?” 

Oyron’s tail suddenly puffed out, their eyes widening. They slowly shook their head. Even through their long sleeves, it could feel the heat from Cobigail’s face. 

“Would it be okay if we kissed? I don’t really remember how to though. I won’t be able to guide you much.” Cobigail pulled Oyron closer. They could feel her breath on their entire face. 

“W-well, considering your lips are a lot bigger than mine, shouldn’t be too hard.” They chuckled. It felt like their tail might sprain from the amount of wagging it was doing. 

“Oh! Right. Heh. Um, I-I could shrink down if that’d be easier?” Cobigail lifted Oyron to eye level. 

“Nah. I wanna kiss you like this. You just gotta hold me still. Okay?”

“Kay.” Cobigail felt giddy as she lowered Oyron slightly. 

It felt awkward. Of course it did. Cobigail was basically kissing Oyron’s face. It was a bit difficult to breathe for the mortal, but they honestly didn’t mind. They were pretty much kissing Cobigail. 

It pulled away when Cobigail started to laugh. It started out as a chuckle, but it soon grew into full laughter. She covered her mouth, but it didn’t hide how red her face was. Oyron just stared up at her in awe, its own face feeling hot. 

“S-sorry! Hehe. It felt a little weird.” She lifted Oyron up again, smiling at them. 

“But, uh, good?” They nervously bit their lip. 

“More th’n good! Perfect! Poifect! Amazing!” Cobigail pecked their face. “Ya better get used to this! I don’t think I can get enough of kissing you.” 

All Oyron could do was laugh and press a kiss in between Cobigail’s eyes. “I love you. I’m in love with you.” 

Cobigail giggled and pressed several kisses to Oyron’s face, literally taking their breath away since they could barely breathe when they kissed. 

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I just love you and I’m so happy,” She went to put down Oyron, ignoring their protest. “You should go! Go spend time with the town and enjoy the Harvest. I want you to have the full Harvest experience! You gotta taste the milldreadberry jam! I think I gotta go soon anyway. The Rift is gettin’ a little big.” 

Oyron frowned slightly. It had almost completely forgotten about the Rift. 

“Hey, no frownin’. It’ll be alright. Okay?” Cobigail gave them one more quick kiss. “Now get goin’. I’ll see you soon. Promise.”

Oyron nodded a little and reluctantly made their way out. “See you soon.”