In Our Town

Elunara leaned back in her chair and, staring at the ceiling, let out a scream of frustration.

"Are you alright?" Concern crossed his face, as Elunara's aide, Derek leaned over and peered down at her.

She scrubbed her hands across her face. "These housing contracts are giving me a migraine!"

Derek shrugged. "You wanted to handle them."

With a gesture of frustration, she indicated the papers on the desk. "This ass monkey somehow managed to draw his property line through someone else's house, now they want me to settle the dispute. Who am I, Solomon?"

Picking up the papers, he chuckled. "You ran for the position, Mayor Elunara."

"If you want something done right, do it yourself..." She murmured.

"Your entire campaign speech, if I remember correctly." With another shrug, he tossed the papers on the desk in front of her. "You really should hire more employees, open up a couple more seats. This may be a small town, but it should be run like—"

"Don't tell me how to do my job." Elunara shoved back her chair and stood up. Grabbing her art board from beside the desk, she looped the strap over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going out."

"Out? But, it's barely nine."

"If I stay here any longer, I'm going to set that entire table on fire! I'm going to go draw something, someone, anyone."

"You can't just—"

Elunara closed the door in his face and kept on walking. Making her way outside, she took a deep breath of fresh air and looked around. Finding her way through the town and past the small grove of trees, she found the cottage she was looking for tucked away at the farthest point from the main town. Letting herself in, she looked around at the simply furnished one room building. Not finding her target, she stepped out the back door and found him kneeling in the dirt. Crossing her arms, she leaned on the railing, as she crossed her ankles.

"Your garden is coming along nicely, Sam."

He did not look up. "Hello, Elunara." With deft fingers, he pulled a small weed out from under a leaf of a daisy.

"You have quite the selection going."

"Some of your kinder citizens have started trading me seeds and cuttings."

"I'm especially fond of the color you got out of your tulips."

He glanced over his shoulder. "Why are you here, Elunara?"

"Am I not allowed to come for a visit?" Elunara straightened up.

"You only come to me when you have a strange request." Wiping his hands together, he stood up.

"Hmm." She considered him. "You may be right about that, but not this time." She shook her head. "I had the urge to draw today. I wanted to draw you."

"In the usual way?" He put his hands on his hips.

"Hey, it's me. But if you don't want the usual treatment, that's fine, but I haven't come drawing you in absolute ages." She pulled off her board and leaned it against the railing. "Please?"

"I'd prefer to do it inside, if you don't mind."

Elunara nodded. "I always honor requests."

As he stood in the center of his home, Elunara sat on his bed sketching. He had pushed his one table and chair to the side so he could stand in the center. She worked quietly, focusing on the pattern in his muscles, the soft light, and the shape of his body. He asked no questions and turned when she gestured.

By time he turned back around, he was fully relaxed. "I do miss..." He trailed off, hesitating.

"Miss?" Elunara continued her sketches, now focusing on his face.

"Contact with other people." Sam scratched the back of his head. "I have no people, I have no one to speak with, no one to touch..."

Elunara put her board to the side and slid off the bed. Walking over to him, she reached up and placed her hand on the side of his face. "You can come to me."

"You. Have a family."

"I. Am a friend." She laughed. "Come to me for all your needs."

"You would be a relief, but not a solution." He shook his head.

"Sam, how often do you come into town?"

He shook his head again.

"When is the last time you came into town?"

Considering, he cocked his head to the side. "When I traded some carrots for my last set of tulips. Last year some time."

"You should come by more often, we have more people flitting in and out, perhaps someone would catch your eye. Or in your case, your nose." She poked the end of his nose.

He laughed. "You are a strange one."

Backing up, she turned and went back to the bed, sitting down, she picked up her board again. "It must be tiring, the way all those smells mingle for you, but your garden is amazing, as it stands. I wish I could experience it like you do." She said as she sketched on her board. "Even the way you describe it, it's incomprehensible to me."

"It's like your drawings." He nodded to the sketch pad. "You capture the essence of a person in a few short strokes. I smell them. Not just an odor, but an essence, a personal being. A touch of a flower lingers in my nose for days. You for example, I know your power, your past. I can smell your husband, just the faintest essence of him around you. I know you had eggs and sausage for breakfast and if you didn't have grape jelly of some sort, you must have made some for one of your grandchildren."

"Caught me." Elunara laughed. "My daughter Lydia's oldest has a fondness for the stuff. I made her toast."

"I wish you could find me a mate. Bring someone here for me." His voice was so quiet, Elunara almost missed him say it.

She shrugged. "There might be options. I just have to start looking around."

"Here?" He scoffed. "Here I am an oddity, a sideshow attraction. No woman would have me. No woman would give up the town to be with me."

"Don't count yourself out so fast." Elunara winked. "Let me see what I can do."

• • •

After she finished with Sam, Elunara made her way back into the town proper. Stopping at the amphitheater, she felt a swelling of pride. She had done that. It had been her pet project for years and to see it come to fruition was something amazing to her. Her daughter had started teaching the town children to sing, and some of the older folks gathered to hold choirs there. Once a month, Elunara leant her own voice to the stage and held a performance. It was her promise to the town that it would pay off and pay off it had.

Working her way through town, she stopped and spoke with various people along the way, smiling, nodding, and feeling completely in her element. Giving up her job at the hospital in a big city and becoming a Mayor of a small town in the middle of nowhere was the best idea she'd ever had. She could still help people, without the stress of them dying on her.

Right now, she had several stops in mind, one being to see her husband at his training yard. A retired General, Jordan had set up a volunteer training yard that trained soldiers, athletes, and whoever else decided to join his regime. He whipped anyone in to shape before shipping them off to competitions or the military. Watching the yard, Elunara felt a deep sense of pride in all he had accomplished. His "brother", also a retired General from another part of the world, trained the "elite" corps. Together, they shipped out only the best, and rumors had gotten out there that this was the hot spot to be. Elunara herself held some of the course records. No one dared challenge her to a personal fight, except her own husband, even then, they were evenly matched. He loved her for many reasons, but her durability and fighting prowess had been one of those things that had driven him into her arms. Her small town was growing, leaving those obnoxious housing contract more important than ever.

Spotting her latest annoyance, Elunara narrowed her eyes. Tammy flipped her long hair over her shoulder and giggled, laying a hand on Ryan's arm. Elunara liked Ryan, but knew his interest lay elsewhere. Ryan was one of her husband's newest recruits. Though Ryan had not earned the right to train personally under Jordan, he was determined to be a good soldier. He wanted military rank, but so far, the poor boy had only made himself a nuisance to his "commanding officers". Staring at his love interest Katie had often gotten him cracked in the head during training.

Tammy on the other hand... well, last week it was a request from an old friend that Elunara take care of the girl and see her rehomed. Knowing Tammy was a prostitute was of no concern to Elunara, because she herself had done some questionable things in pursuit of getting where all she had gotten in life. So what if Elunara had lost track of how many men she had bedded, that had no bearing on Elunara's success after all. What was bugging her about the girl, was her husband's reports of Tammy distracting the men at the yard no matter how many times she was ran off.

A solution presented itself to Elunara as she made her way to the girl. Perhaps she could redirect Tammy, give her a tasty treat. Ryan was trying to edge away, but the little brunette kept scooting into his space. Cocking an eyebrow, Elunara silently made her way within ear shot.

"Oh, you're so funny." Tammy swatted Ryan on the shoulder.

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. "Sure, if you say so... Oh, sorry, there's Katie. I want to go see how she's doing, ok? I'll talk to you later."

Elunara looked around herself but could not find Katie within her line of vision.

Ryan jogged off and Tammy's eyes followed him for a moment, her eyes ever watchful, before turning to the yard and looking for another target.

"Tammy!" Elunara called.

Tammy turned her expression on a dime and looked bashful and demure. "Madam Mayor, how are you today?"

"I'm well. I had an idea for you. At the edge of the city is my friend Sam Wood. He's looking for a mate. Maybe you'd be a good fit."

"A mate?"

"Sam is ex-circus, so he says things differently, but he's a little on the large side. He needs someone a little more... durable, someone who can handle him. I was thinking with your experience..."

"Oh, no. No." Tammy held up her hands as if to ward Elunara off. "You see, I only catered to specific types. I knew some girls who liked the exotic tastes, but not me."

"Hmm." Elunara tapped her fingers on her hip. "Alright. I'll keep looking for you."

Tammy smiled nervously. "With all respect, I'd rather look for myself. Thank you for the inn room, and the protection, but that's more than enough for me for now."

"Suit yourself." With a shrug, Elunara went to visit with Jordan.

Jordan eyed his wife suspiciously. "You're supposed to be in City Hall today."

"I got bored. Wanna fight about it?" She winked.

A grin crept across his face. "Bring it, Baby."

• • •

On the way through, she spotted Katie staring off into space. Katie was more than just a project to Elunara. Just a few short months ago the girl, a mere twenty-three, had escaped from her sadistic father. Taking everything she held dear, Katie had grabbed a book, some pages, and a few articles of clothes and ran away from the farm she had stayed at with her father. Elunara knew the distance Katie had travelled, and the poor girl had to of walked for days to get to any semblance of civilization. A grandmother herself, Elunara felt compelled to care for the girl like her own child. It was so form of miracle that Katie had made it to their town with her condition.

When Katie's father found her sitting at the training yard, he had beat her so badly that he broke Katie's eye socket. Elunara had broken a few things on Katie's father. That day was somewhat of a blur to Elunara, but she did remember Jordan pulling her back. Katie's father spent some time in jail before his lawyer got him out. Oh, how the lawyer had crowed about his client being beaten so badly, but the witnesses... The cops in town knew to keep an eye out for the return of the man, but Elunara hoped he'd show up again, just once.

"Girl, what are you doing?"

Katie jolted and looked around. Bowing, her face turned pink. "I'm sorry, Miss Elunara, I was lost in a scene. I was trying to figure out how to write it."

"Well, don't stand in the street, you'll get hit by a car."

"I'm so sorry!" The blush on Katie's face deepened, and she scooted back on to the sidewalk. "I'm so clumsy."

Elunara reached out and put her fingers underneath Katie's chin. Lifting her chin, Elunara examined Katie's eyes for any sign of fainting as she wiped away a tear with the finger of her other hand. "Stop that." She whispered. "You know I don't yell or hit. You just need to watch out is all."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to cry."

"I know." Elunara dropped her hands. "Listen, how is the book coming along?"

"I've got a couple more pages of descriptions, I've been doing what you told me to. I've been walking around town and trying to describe everything in as tiny of detail as possible."

"Good girl." Elunara brushed a hand down Katie's arm. "Listen, I never asked, when is your birthday?"

"Oh, umm, in three weeks?"

"Three weeks!" Elunara gasped. "And you never told me? Twenty-four, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Elunara hugged the girl. "Listen, I'll get a party planner and wrangle up some friends and we'll have a party right in city hall. What do ya say?"

"Really?"

"Really. Come on, it'll be fun."

"I didn't have birthday parties." Katie whispered. "Daddy didn't abide by them."

"Fuck that asshole. You're my daughter now."

"I am?"

"With me, you're family."

• • •

Hungry now, Elunara made her way over to Tippy's inn. She stopped outside and considered the size and shape. While she could see the need for more space, she was personally worried that it would change the character of the place. Tippy ran her kitchen with ruthless efficiency and was almost always packed to capacity but having only eight rooms for guests would be the problem. Once inside, she stopped and smelled the amazing scents coming from the back.

"Elunara!" Tippy wiped her hands on a towel. "You're not usually here at this time."

With a laugh, Elunara stepped into the main dining area. "I had things..."

"Well, your table is free if the rest of your family comes in."

"Nah, it's just me." Elunara sat down at the counter.

"Usual?"

"Usual."

Tippy yelled into the back. Moments later, Tippy's daughter brought out a plate and sat it in front of Elunara. Grabbing a fork, Elunara cut into the slice of carrot cake and shoved it into her mouth. With a groan of ecstasy, Elunara closed her eyes and lost herself into the bite of cake. The spice, the cream, the sweetness, all perfectly balanced. "Tippy, I could kiss you."

"You say that every time." She smirked.

"No one makes this cake like you. Trust me." Elunara waved her fork. "You know, if you weren't the best damned chef in town, you wouldn't need an extension on your building."

"And let that no rank hotel have my customers? HA!"

"You're a greedy one, Tips." Licking her fork, Elunara considered. "I give you that extension and people will talk."

"You like it when people talk." Tippy snorted and took down an order.

Elunara looked around the dining area. Considering, she looked up at the railing above her. "You could rip out the bedrooms, have more space for dining."

"Do I tell you how to run city hall?"

"Yes...?" Elunara shoved another forkful of cake in her mouth. The dining area was slowly filling with people and Tippy left the counter to stroll through the restaurant to greet customers and take orders. She considered the woman, just as much of an A type as Elunara herself was. Always had her hand in one area of the inn or another, always greeting her customers personally. Elunara had known the ponytailed maniac since forever. Trying to pinpoint exactly when she'd met the entrepreneur, she chuckled at the memory of losing track of her friend, only to have her turn up in the very town that Elunara herself had decided to settle in. Together, they had taken the town by storm, Elunara with campaign promises and alteration to the town, and Tippy's amazing food and desire for her own little bed and breakfast. At this point, Elunara was convinced Tippy turned down the bed and put the mints on the pillows herself. Though only the Gods themselves knew where she found the time.

"You'll never convince momma to change." The teenager nodded towards her mother.

"Who changes the beds?"

She blinked. "We all pitch in to various steps and stages. Momma likes to keep it a family affair. But she did say that if she could get that extension, she would hire more help."

"How much?"

Enalla shook her head. "She's been taking applications, but knowing momma... maybe three? Just for housekeeping. The restaurant is all momma and papa, and me of course, but my brother and sister would finally get some help they are desperate for."

"Enalla, are you trying to sales pitch your godmother?" Tippy put her hands on her hips.

The girl bit her lip. "No, momma."

"Leave the girl be." Elunara waved a hand. "You'll have your extension."

"I'll go tell the others!" Enalla bounced off.

Tippy rolled her eyes. "What'd the girl tell you?"

"Enough. I still can't believe you named her that."

With a grin, Tippy blew a breath of air into her bangs. "I told you I was gonna."

Reaching out, Elunara tugged on Tippy's bangs. "No more variants on my name."

"Hey, I'm done, and it was only the one."

A gobble jolted them both out of their shared smirk. Elunara looked down at the massive turkey pecking at her leg. "Didn't I tell you that bird is a health hazard?"

"Ah hell, someone must have left the back door open. I'll put Dinner back in his pen."

"That's a terrible name for a pet."

A laugh escaped before she could stop herself. "You and I both know he wasn't supposed to be a pet." Tippy flapped her hands at the bird. "Shoo! Outside with you."

Dropping the fork, Elunara sighed. "Ah well, I finished my cake. Time to go set fire to my desk." Pausing at the door, she turned around. "Hey, Tips, my daughter Lydia will be at the amphitheater tomorrow afternoon holding a concert for her little class. You coming?" She grinned.

Shaking her head, Tippy grabbed an empty plate off a table and tucked it into a bucket. "You know lunch is my busiest time. Maybe some other time."

"Ah, well. Lydia is always down there teaching, so take a peek next time you haul Sam's basket down."

"Hell, I can't take Sam his basket today, you wanna get it?"

"Sorry, Tips. Hire somebody."

"I'll get someone to do it." Tippy snorted.

Elunara waved and stepped outside, taking a breath, tempted by the smells behind her, she turned for city hall. She had some contracts to approve.