[The alarm went off, it was 6 AM. Jason was ready to get to work around the farm. He had 39 starting actions]

[Tess’s Almanac: 1st day of Winter! 90 days until the Winter Festival. It’s a cold one today, folks! Just like fall, expect record-breaking low temperatures throughout the season. Snow should start within a few days, but for the moment at least, it’s just going to be freezing]

Jason rolled out of bed, shivering by the time that his feet hit the floor. That was what he had forgotten the night before! Logs in the fire! By the time that he and Tess had parted and he went back home, it had been late, and he had barely been able to stumble up the stairs to fall asleep. Something had been nagging at the back of his mind, though he hadn’t quite been able to figure it out. Now, he knew.

He slowly walked up to the window, wiped away the frost, and gazed out at the surrounding landscape. Sure enough, there wasn’t an ounce of snow. The prairie grass was simply a great expanse of dead, dried material that made the whole thing look like a ragged carpet. Lady’s stable was battened down tightly, and Jason sighed.

He made his way downstairs, ordered the cookbook to make him a plate of pancakes in about ten minutes, then put on his boots and marched out into the freezing cold. The sharp wind bit through this feeble clothes, as he hadn’t yet changed out of his long johns, but he didn’t really care. Soon enough, he’d pulled open the door to Lady’s stable and stepped inside. She nickered happily, and he pulled the door shut. Inside, with Lady’s body heat, it was surprisingly warm, though a cold wind did whip in through a few cracks. He poured her some oats and fluffed her bedding, then stepped back out, closed it up again, and made his way back inside.

He had only just closed the door behind him and shrugged off his boots when something rattled in the mailbox. He reached down and pulled out a small envelope, which was addressed to him in Tess’s handwriting. A grin spread across his face, and he made his way into the kitchen right as a plate of steaming eggs and spinach appeared in front of his chair.

“I see you’re already obeying Tess instead of me.” He grumbled, but ate the meal anyway. As he did, he slit open the envelope and took out the letter, which he began to read.

“Dear Jason, just wanted to let you know that your mom came into town this morning. She just bought a room at Viola’s inn. I think you’ll want to come here, and quickly.”

Jason sighed, then wadded up the letter and tossed it into the trash. He then rose and made his way back upstairs, where he changed into something a bit more presentable. It was still nothing exceptional, but he didn’t really want to appear before them in his pajamas. When he finished, he wrapped a cloak around himself and reluctantly made his way back out into the cold weather.

His mind spun as he went over the words. They certainly didn’t fill him with hope, that was for sure. Lady grumbled and stamped her hooves as he led her out into the cold weather, but she obeyed, and soon enough, they were setting off for town. What would they be wanting? Sure, his mother had told him that she would be coming, but what would the purpose be? Would she be happy for him? Angered? Disappointed? It was impossible to know, and though he wanted to find out, a large part of him rather wished that they had just stayed in Illumitir.

It wasn’t long before he came riding up into the town square. Tess stood just outside Viola’s inn, a worried look on her face. She was wrapped in a shawl, under which was the armor that Jeremiah had given her the year earlier. Jason dismounted Lady and hitched her to the post just in front of the inn, then gave her a nod.

“Have you talked to them?” He asked softly.

Tess shook her head. “No. I saw them from a distance, and I know they spoke to Hank, but that’s about all I know at this point. Your guess is as good as mine. They just looked… Annoyed.”

“Mine guess isn’t all that wonderful.” Jason sighed, then shrugged and started toward the inn. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

They stepped up to the door, and Jason slowly grabbed hold of the handle. When he twisted it open, they stepped into the warm, cheery atmosphere of Viola’s inn… And somehow still felt as though they had entered an area even more dour than before.

The inn was a cheery place, with a reception desk off to the left of the door, and a set of stairs just beyond the desk that led to the upper floors. To the right was a large banquet hall, with a blazing hearth at one end, a door to a large kitchen, and dozens of tables that the patrons could use for feasting, or even just sitting and chatting. A handful of warriors and travelers who had come into town for the Fall Festival were taking their breakfast, while a very familiar trio sat at a corner table. Jason laid his eyes on his family for the first time in over two years, and felt a pang come over him.

His mother, Lacy, was a tall and thin woman, looking rather like the spiders that she was always sweeping out of the corners of their home. She looked a good deal older than she was, made so by the pressures of keeping together such a large home. His two brothers, only a few years older than himself, sat on either side of her. They both could have easily passed for slightly bulkier versions of himself, though neither was necessarily muscular. Killian, the youngest of the two, was only a year older than Jason. Nathanial was two years older than Killian, and both of them looked as though they were already starting to show the same wear and tear as their mother.

Jason took a deep breath, then marched up to the table. The trio looked up as he approached, and he flashed a smile.

“Hi, mom. Hey, Killian and Nathanial. It’s… Ahh… It’s been awhile.”

“No thanks to you.” Lacy sniffed. “I was hoping you would come. Have a seat. We’re waiting on our breakfast, but it’s taking a very long time.”

“They do cook it all in the back.” Tess offered as she sat down next to Jason, just across from Lacy. “It’s not like all that big-city stuff, where they prepare it in advance.”

“Big city stuff is faster.” Lacy muttered.

“Do you have anywhere to be?”

Lacy regarded Jason and Tess with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged and folded a napkin on her lap. “No, I suppose not. Well, then, Jason, let us jump to business.”

“Yes, let’s?” Jason raised a quizzical eyebrow. “You aren’t even going to ask how I’ve been for the last two years?”

“You don’t seem interested in knowing how we’ve been doing, so I see little value in returning the favor.”

Jason scowled. “You know, typically, the mother is the one sending incessant letters after the son. Asking how I’m doing, wanting to know if I’m alive or not, if I’ve been eating my veggies, that sort of thing.”

“And I did.” Lacy snapped. “Dozens of them. You never bothered to reply, and I did receive notifications that they were received, so don’t you dare try to tell me that they never came through.”

A flash of annoyance went through Jason’s chest. “Did you send them to the local law office?”

“Probably!” Lacy shrugged. “I certainly didn’t have your address, so I just sent them to Jason, of Summer Shandy. As I said, they went through.”

Jason cast a knowing look at Tess, and he knew that she was having the exact same thought. Somewhere deep within Constable Hank’s office was a large pile of letters that included a great deal of his mother’s correspondence that he had never sent along. Jason scowled, but before he could press the issue, Lacy continued.

“In any case, now that we’re here, I feel as though we must discuss matters. You seem alive and healthy, though I must say that your stomach is bulging a bit. Have you been eating plenty of salad?”

“Tess has certainly been trying to make me.”

“Then I suppose that’s a point in her favor.” Lacy muttered. “Well, then. Tell me about the farm. It’s still alive?”

“It’s more than alive.” Tess cut it. “It’s thriving. He actually just purchased another eighty acres last year that he plans to start developing once we get married.”

“Very true.” Jason nodded, though, in fairness, he wasn’t exactly sure how he planned on getting anything to grow. It was still largely a barren wasteland after the deadly chemical spray. He was beginning to realize why it had been banned in so many places, though he still had a good deal of time before he needed to start worrying about developing the land.

“Interesting!” Lacy’s eyes lit up. “You’re turning a regular profit?”

“More or less.” Jason nodded. “The first year was rough, I’ll say that, and this year we’ve been dealing with a bit of a Juun bug infestation, but once that gets cleared out-”

“Wonderful, wonderful.” Lacy clapped her hands. “Have you ever thought about selling stock in your company? We could use a bit of those profits for ourselves, back in Illumitir. It’s not so easy up there, you know.”

“I do know.” Jason nodded slowly. “That’s why I was so willing to move. Down here, it’s just so-”

“Waitress!” Lacy called out. “Can I get an update on my breakfast?”

A nearby waitress turned and curtsied. “It’s coming along slower with every question you ask about it.”

Her voice was perfectly polite, even though the words were harsh. Lacy turned rather red, and began to sputter.

“Well, I never! Just imagine the nerve! You’d never see that in Illumitir, I can tell you that much. No, never. I haven’t seen much of this town, but I can assure you, I’ll be ready to leave it behind.”

“And yet you want my money.” Jason muttered softly.

“Of course! It’s a child’s born duty to support his parents in their old age.” Lacy nodded firmly. “You know how hard your father works, and he’s only had to work even harder over the last two years.”

“Do tell?” Jason asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

“Oh, yes.” Lacy nodded. “Our old business fell through, so he’s taken to working in the mines. You know, the one that mines light crystals out of the big cave underneath the city? Of course you do, everyone does. Well, he goes down inside at sunrise, and doesn’t leave until sunset, and works six days a week. I hardly see him anymore, and the children miss their father.”

“Mom, everyone is out of the house except for Killian and Nathanial here.” Jason nodded at his brothers, who seemed to be doing their best to melt into their chairs. “They wouldn’t see him anyway. Besides, if dad is working in the mines, it’s because he chose to. You know how much he loves working underground.”

“Never mind the circumstances. I’d like him to be home more, and if we were getting money from you, we might be able to do it.” Lacy sighed and folded her hands. “Now, we can discuss that matter in a more private venue. I’d like to come out to visit your… Ahh… Farm, just as soon as we can. In the meantime, though, I’d like to get settled in. Tell me, what’s there to do around this place anyway? It doesn’t seem to have a great deal in the way of recreation.”

Jason glanced at Tess, who looked to be doing everything in her power to restrain the urge to throttle Lacy. In any event, she gave no answer, and Jason sighed.

“There’s not a lot.” Jason shrugged. “Out here, you just enjoy life. You can watch the warriors coming out of the dungeon, that’s always fun. Sometimes they’ll throw you monster eyes and stuff.”

“Disgusting.”

“Or you can go over to Paulina’s store and walk around. Always a good conversation to be had over there.”

Lacy sniffed. “Pass.”

“Or you can just sit on your front porch and let the world turn around you.” Jason held up his hands. “It’s surprisingly peaceful. Jeremiah’s been trying to convince me to do it smoking a pipe, but I’ve been resisting him thus far.”

“And that seems like the one bit of good advice I’ve heard come out of this place!” Lacy declared.

Jason decided that he had never before wanted to smoke a pipe more than in that moment. Still, though, Tess interrupted before he could say anything that he would regret later.

“It’s been wonderful meeting you.” Tess rose. “Unfortunately, I have to get back to work. I have a dungeon tour later this afternoon, and I’m sure Jason has lots of work back at the farm.”

“If I don’t, I’ll come up with something.” Jason muttered under his breath as he rose. His two brothers gave him pained waves, and within a moment, Jason and Tess had made their way out into the freezing cold air once again.

Neither of them spoke a word, though Jason tried to think of a few. Tess went storming off toward Constable Hank’s office, likely to chew him out, and Jason mounted up on Lady and started riding back toward his home. As he rode down the long, winding road, he felt as though he could still hear his mother’s harsh words ringing in his ears.

He had never before known her to be so upset or cruel. Sure, she sometimes got mad when he tracked mud all over the house, but so would any mother. This was something different. Jason only hoped that he could get to the bottom of it before the wedding.