Chapter Text
“Alright, so,” Kina clapped her hands together, “What are you going to do today?”
“Harvest the pumpkins, clean the cauldron, polish the silverware, aaaaand,” you glanced up to the ceiling, pulling your lip between your teeth. “Oh! Rotate the firewood!”
“Wonderful!” She chirped, smiling sweetly at you. “Now, father and I won’t be back until late tonight. I trust that The Lumpy Pumpkin is in very capable hands.” Kina placed her hands gently on your shoulders. “I trust you, (Name).”
You smiled, tilting your head down to her, “Thank you, Ms. Kina. Please be safe on your travel.”
You waved until the door closed behind the girl, leaving you alone in the humbly lit inn. You were surprised that Pumm and Kina had trusted you enough with their business, even if it was just for a day, but you were determined to impress them!
“Now,” you pulled your hair back and tied it up, a few whispy strands fluttering in your face, “Look out, pumpkins!”
Humming softly, you polished the last spoon, preparing yourself to move onto the forks. The chores had gone by pleasantly fast, as you only had your remaining polishing and the firewood to rotate left. Maybe after that you could sweep the floor? The sheets surely needed laundering…
The sound of the door opening caused you to glance up, bright smile on your face as you greeted, “Hello! Welcome to The Lumpy Pumpkin!”
Upon receiving no verbal response, you leaned over the counter, intending to get a better look at your customer. A young man, maybe a little older than you, stood just inside the door. He had dirty blond hair tucked under a green, pointed hat. His blue eyes surveyed the large room before finally landing on you.
“Oh!” You hurried to right yourself, scurrying around the counter to properly greet him. “Hi! Welcome, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?”
The young man looked around the inn once more before uttering, “Is Pumm here?”
Cocking a brow, you wondered why he wanted to know. Maybe he needed to ask Pumm something? “Uh, no. No, he isn’t. It’s just me today.” You flashed him a sweet smile.
“Kina?”
You shrugged, “Like I said, just me.”
He nodded, seeming far away in his thoughts for a moment.
Clasping your hands together in front of your skirt, you still managed to smile at him. He was… Different, if you were to be honest. A little odd. You cleared your throat softly, gaining his attention, “Would you like something to eat? Perhaps a bed for the night?”
He quickly shook his head, blond locks tossing down in front of his eyes. Nervousness was evident on his face, but he tried to squash it.
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
To that, he just shrugged, offering you a lopsided smile. Huh, he was… Kinda cute.
“Well, if you need anything, please let me know.” With a short bow, you turned on your heel and made your way back to the counter, intending on finishing your chores.
Shortly after the young man had arrived, so did the regular patrons of the inn. Soon, you had even forgotten about the odd man entirely, busying yourself with making fresh pumpkin soup and servicing your customers with a smile.
So, as you were chatting with Keet, you were startled when the whole inn shook rather violently. You stumbled forward, catching yourself on the table. Keet reached out to steady you as the inn rattled again.
“What’s going on?!” He questioned, pulling himself to his feet.
“I-I don’t know!” Another shake rattled the building and you heard something snap from above you. A sharp gasp caught in your throat when you looked up and saw the huge, magnificent chandelier detach from the ceiling. “Look out!”
CRASH!
Dust and debris shot past you, and you hurriedly pulled Keet down to the floor.
And then it was silent.
Blinking through the dust, you gasped, hands flying to cover your mouth. The giant, super expensive chandelier now laid broken atop the wooden table. Pieces of glass littered the floor, some just falling off by the second. Shakily standing, you dusted off your skirt. “Is… Is everyone alright?”
A few shaken responses were your answer and you sighed. At least no one got hurt…
Footsteps caused you to look behind you and you caught the odd young man darting down the stairs. Catching his guilt stricken face and hasty exit, you fumed. “Hey!”
Casting a glance over his shoulder, he looked at you and winked. How dare he?!
“Hey! Stop!” You began to rush after him, just barely reaching the door as he leapt off the landing dock. You rushed to the edge, sputtering as he flew by on a crimson red Loftwing.
“Sorry!” He called to you, giving you that same lopsided smile as the distance between you got larger.
Tears of frustration bit at your eyes as you gripped your skirt into your fists. “Get back here and face me like a man, you jerk!!!”
But, no. The destructive young blond didn’t turn to come back. He simply flew away, as if he didn’t just completely demolish a priceless object of your boss’ affection.
“WHAT HAPPENED??”
“Mr. Pumm, if you’ll just let me-“
“MY CHANDELIER!”
“Well, you see-“
“IT’S RUINED!!!”
Shrinking down under the man’s mortified glare, you offered him a little chuckle. “Eheh… Uh… Would you believe me if I told you a boy dressed like an elf did it?”
He only glared harsher, completely turning red in the face.
“Because… Eh… That’s what,” you gulped, “That’s what happened…”
Kina stood behind her father, shock still on her gentle face at the massive amount of glass that littered the floor. She furrowed her brow suddenly, looking to you. “Wait, a boy dressed like an elf? In a green tunic?”
You straightened up, “Yes, actually. How did you-“
“Father!” Kina stepped in front of Pumm, effectively stopping him from strangling you. “Did you put another piece of heart up there?! I told you that was a bad idea!”
He shrunk down now under his daughters’ disapproved stare, “But… It looked so nice…”
“And now it’s broken. Again!”
You cocked your head to the side. Again? “Wait… This has happened before?”
Kina sighed, “Unfortunately. We thought we learned the first time not to place valuable items on the chandelier,” she crossed her arms over her chest, “But, evidently I was mistaken.”
“So… I’m… Not in trouble?”
She smiled softly at you, “Well, no.”
You let out a breath of relief. Good, you thought that-
“But we’re going to have to double our workload to fix the chandelier.”
What?
“It’ll cost about 20,000 rupees to fix.”
Drat.