Delta

"Hey Evelyn, sorry if we're a bit late..!" Delta called out, still lugging both pigs on her shoulders and full-on sprinting, Pomella not far behind both breathing heavily. Evelyn, one of the town's well-known cooks was an arachnid, long black legs clicking softly as she turned to look from the pot she was currently stirring to look at the two with a neutral gaze.

"Don't worry you got here just in time... although you were cutting it close, getting here only half an hour till a town meal..."

"eheheh... sorry, we got distracted and had a few problems procuring these fine specimens," Delta explained sheepishly, laying the two pigs before Evelyn, enjoying as her eyes widened in surprise.

"Well with something like this I think it could certainly be excused..." an eyebrow lifted slowly as she looked up at them, her blood-red eyes - all six of them - seeming skeptical. "Although for something so big, it will take more than thirty minutes to cook them..."

Delta's cheeks tinted with color as embarrassment welled up from her chest before she shook her head, simply shrugging. "Can't be helped now, can it? Is there any way we could assist to possibly speed things up?" Delta asked, changing the subject while walking forward to peer into the pot that Evelyn was still stirring slowly. It smelled like a meaty stew, and she swore she could smell freshly baked bread from another nearby cooking station, her mouth beginning to water.

"Yes, actually... if you could start to cut off strips off the meat for cooking it would help speed up the process a fair amount..."

"Alright, we'll get right too it! Right Pom?"

"Mhmm!"

Selena

Selena sat at one of the long tables next to Biovera, head resting on her propped up arm as she impatiently waited for the food, foot tapping under the table in a quick rhythm of its own. Bio seemed a lot more patient, hands intertwined in front of her as she stared up into the sky, seeming deep in thought. Selena could only guess she was trying to figure out what Fobus had warned them about, she herself feeling the tiniest bit worried about his words - although she was currently a bit busy.

"Rock, paper, scissors..." both her and Gemini chanted, Gemini having been just as bored as Selena herself, suggesting they play the simple game to pass the time. Since Selena could talk to her without being considered a freak by everyone else sitting with them she agreed, and so they had started. So far the score was 2 to 5, Gemini starting to get annoyed as she fell further and further behind.

"Rock!"

"Scissors!" Gemini crowed confidently, only for the smile stretching across her lips to falter as it turned into a grimace. "Rrgh, you must be cheating somehow!"

"All I hear is a sore loser~" Selena sing-songed happily, smirking over at her double as Gemini stomped not unlike that of a small child. Then, as if a switch had been flipped she smirked evilly and put her hands out, one clenched on an open palm in the usual style.

"I am going to do rock," Gemini declared confidently, staring Selena in the eyes as doubt immediately sprung up in her mind. If she was telling the truth then Selena would have to do paper, but she was so shifty she could easily be planning scissors to cut the paper she tried to do - but she was also clever, so maybe she was even ahead of that and would actually do paper to cover the rock I could do instead. That, or she would actually do rock. Selena felt some Deja Vu at the thought, a vague memory of an assassin and 'wise man' discussing poison flashing through her mind as she began the usual chant.

"Rock, paper, scissors..."

"Rock!"

"Scissors!" Selena exclaimed, before smacking herself in the forehead as Gemini began to laugh.

"Haha! I knew I could get you with that one!"

"Well yeah, your too clever to do what you actually said you would do!"

"But what If I knew that because you knew I was clever that you would plan a step ahead and therefore make what I said I would do the clever move?"

"Ehh... that was a step ahead of where I was," Selena admitted, turning her head to pout over at Bio who was looking at her slightly strangely. "My subconscious is being mean to meeee!"

"Mhm I'm sure..." Bio chuckled softly, Selena getting the impression she sounded like a whiney child - but she didn't care.

"Could you maaaybe hold me and comfort me? Protect me from my evil mind?"

"Oh? And how would I do that, helpless princess?" Bio teased softly, raising an eyebrow as Selena's cheeks turned a bit red.

"W-well, I'm sure your arms would protect my quite well noble knight..."

"Say no more..." Bio purred, Selena perking up as Bio's arms gently wrapped around her, resting her head on Bio's shoulder. "Are you safe now?"

"Mhmm... my hero~"

"Oy, everyone! Food's ready and I hope yall's stomachs are too!" Clint's voiced boomed across the town square, eliciting a cheer from those gathered my own voice joining in. Before long a few assistants were dishing out food, the aroma of freshly baked bread and meaty stew reaching their nostrils. Both she and Bio breathed in deep, her mouth already watering from the scent - wait a minute, it couldn't be... was that the smell of...

"Bacon!" Selena cried out happily, squeezing Bio tight in her excitement. "I smell bacon!"

"Mmm, your right - it smells great too..." Bio commented, breathing in even deeper only for a wide smile to stretch across her face. In a matter of minutes, everyone was digging in, utensils placed before each town member before some of the helpers began to run along, bringing people drinks - either a light ale or simple water it seemed. Selena personally asked for water when the cat lady came by, head still aching slightly from the previous night and watching as Bio took the same.

They were already well into their first plates when a voice caught their attention, looking up to smile - cheeks still full of food or she would have called back - and waving wildly as Pomella and Delta jogged over, the two joining them at the table. "Hey you two! Where have you been all morning?" Selena asked happily, watching the two as they sat down on the opposite side of them.

"Oh ya know not much, just a bit of hunting... some nice, big, meaty pigs," Delta explained slowly, a smile stretching across her face as Selena's eyes widened.

"Wait, are you who we have to thank for this?" she held up one of the many pieces of bacon stashed onto her plate, both Delta and Pomella giving a proud nod. "Ohmygodyoutwoarethebest!" Selena squeed happily, reaching over the table to give the two a crushing hug.

"G-glad to be of s-service - urgh! U-uhm, air please!" Pomella choked out, pawing at Selena's grip.

"Oh right, sorry," Selena apologized sheepishly, touching the tips of her fingers together.

"More importantly... how was your night?" Pom asked innocently, although her smile was anything but innocent - her young seeming face wearing an expression that did not fit her features. Selena felt like her cheeks suddenly burst into flames, and a quick glance to her left confirmed her suspicions that Bio was in a similar state.

"U-uhm, well it was..."

"Steamy?" Delta supplied with a small smirk, only causing her to blush harder. She swore any minute and her head would turn into a bright red tomato.

"N-not so much steamy as just hot..." Bio murmured, her own face a mirror of Selena's.

"B-bio!"

"W-what? It was really hot in the room..."

"I don't think it was the room," Pomella commented with a devilish smile before stuffing a piece of bacon into her face. Delta only laughed as the two glared at the small bird-girl, starting on her own plateful of food as she began to tell the story of their hunt.

It was eleven-thirty when the town finished the feast, Clint standing in front of a table especially dedicated to the Arachnid folk who had requested the meal in the first place. "Are all of you satisfied?" he asked formally, looking into the eyes of one of the larger arachne. She simply nodded, Clint breaking into a smile. "Then with that, I declare this feast officially finished! You may all return to your daily duties, thank you all for participating," he called loudly to all those present, the tables almost immediately beginning to disperse as everyone went to complete their own individual jobs.

"Aww, you're leaving already? But we finally just got a chance to meet up again!" Selena complained loudly as Delta and Pom stood up, an apologetic smile on their faces.

"Sorry, but we have to tell Clint about something disturbing we found out in the woods," Delta explained, Bio looking up sharply.

"Something disturbing?"

"mhm, one of the pigs we killed had become suddenly infested and rotting without warning, we want to let him know just in case he has any knowledge on the subject,"

"I see..." Bio murmured softly, she and Selena exchanging a look as Fobus' words came to the forefront of their minds. "Well then you two should be off, we will most likely retreat back to the hotel since we lack anything to really do..."

The two nodded, then both groups split off in their separate directions, Selena's mind racing at the implications. Something was, without a doubt, going on. The only question was - what?

Delta

Delta finished her explanation of their discovery quickly to Clint who stood silent, a hand slowly rubbing his chin as he thought.

"Well I have never heard of something like this happening before, it is quite disturbing news indeed..." he murmured just loud enough for the two of them to hear, Pomella simply nodding.

"That's what we thought, although we had been hoping you might have some idea as to what the cause is?"

"No, no idea honestly... I just suggest you two be careful just in case though. A mystery is afoot in my town of Grassy Cross, and I don't like it - not one bit..."

Author's Note

I'm quite proud of my little trick personally, wasn't I so clever? - Gemini
Yes yes, now could you quite talking about it?
Oh but I performed so well! She fell so easily for my trap it was like child's play~ - Gemini
That just means she doesn't trust a word you say...
.... - Gemini
.. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!