Chapter Text
Autumn comes early this year .
Bellhart was close enough to the surface to feel the weather changes. Cooling, drying air flows through from above.
Hornet and Lace, while no longer the newest member of Bellhart, are still relatively new. Their bellhome stood atop, they had been living here for many months while Pharloom recovery was still undergoing. It is nowhere near finished, however.
Lace was just returning from her independent wish granting trip. She was a bit late to return, as it was nearly a new day. At this hour, bugs were either yet to rise, or have just turned in at their bell homes.
A relief, she didn’t feel like greeting them overly-eager bugs at this time. She wanted rest, and perhaps some silk replenishment. A quick check at the wish board, and she found the request Hornet took had already been granted. Confirming her expectation that her mate would be done with her task. She made a beeline to their shared home, expecting to see Hornet already residing.
She turned her key to their bell home, and the first thing she saw was her mate laid still on their bed. Lace made sure not to make too much noise so as not to disturb the sleeping one. She put down her pin as light as she could.
Hornet stirred. She turned to look at her incoming mate.
“I’m sorry, dear. Go back to sleep. It’s still very early.” Lace apologized.
“...You’re very late.” Hornet replied, voice hoarse.
“And you’ve already been told. You should not have waited for me.” She grabbed a spare spool of silk - one that Hornet would usually leave for her replenishment, and spun a bit of it into her body.
Hornet didn’t reply and turned back to her resting position. Lace approached the bed, ready to join in rest.
She crawled next to her, and noticed that the bed was warmer than usual.
“That’s warm.” She said out loud
Hornet simply grunted in reply.
“Hornet, is everything alright?”
Her mate simply grunted again. It was clear she wished to converse no further. That grunt was a yes. A rather weak yes.
Perhaps the wish she granted took a lot out of her. That would not be a surprising occurrence. Lace decided to disturb her no longer, and rested as well.
—-------------------
Morning comes.
Lace rose first to the sound of Bellhart’s awakening residents.
She pushed herself up to a sitting position, and then was quite surprised to see that the town hero had not yet to rise.
Hornet was on her side, facing away from her. Their bed felt warmer than before. Something was not right. Lace touched her mate’s shoulder, and felt it burning hot.
“Hornet, you are not well.” She said quietly, in concern now.
“...This is nothing to worry about.” Her mate replied quietly, yet it betrayed her intent to pretend sleep. She was awake, might have been the whole night. “I will recover in time.”
“Your innards will cook if that time isn’t soon enough.” Lace replied, lifting their blanket along with her mate’s cloak in an attempt to let cool air flow under. Hornet startled, and pulled both clothes from her grasp to cover herself once again.
“I will recover in time.” Hornet said, more firmly this time. “Please let me rest.”
“Should I bring a physician?”
“Absolutely not.” Hornet replied, her patience thinning, “I promise you. I am not in any danger. Please let me be.”
“If you say so.” Lace gave in. She grabbed her pin and left their bell home.
—-------------------
“Ah! The white knight of Bellhart emerges!” The town resident greeted her loudly.
“Pavo! Good day to you!”
“You must have had a good hunt yesternight, yes? Another successful wish granted?”
“Do you doubt me? It was not that hard! I only took so long due to its distance.” Lace then dropped her theatrics, “Say Pavo. Would you happen to know about some sickness a weaver might have?”
“Oh? Is our great friend in an ailment? I do notice she has not yet to rise. Quite puzzling! Most unusual!”
“It appears to be so. Hornet had been running hot since yesternight. It seems to sap her strength. Although she forbade me from fetching her a physician, I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Oh.” Pavo appeared to recognize it, although he appeared slightly nervous, “Ah… Miss Lace, There is no need to worry. It is Autumn, after all. Your presence would be quite enough to ease her pains.”
“You’re not helping me very much.”
“Even the great protector of Pharloom would need some time off for her health! I shall make sure the wish board is filled with only unurgent tasks. And I will run the urgent ones to out-sourced help by myself. You both should take your private time away from serving Bellhart." That said, Pavo turned to leave,
“Wait, what is going on?”
“I am making sure Bellhart will be well cared for in the absence of both our heroes. Please excuse me to do my part for Miss Hornet’s relief.”
Lace’s confusion was not lifted. What lifted was the entire wishboard. Pavo had taken it and walked away. This bug, he was one of his word.
Lace ran to the store, right next to the recently emptied area where the wish board used to be.
“Frey, I am at a loss! Perhaps you could elucidate me better than Pavo did.” She grabbed on the store counter.
“Miss Lace! What seems to bother you?” The merchant did not drop her pleasant tone.
“It’s Hornet. She’s weakened and grew hot since yesternight. She forbade a physician, and I am unsure what I could do by myself.”
“Oh!” the merchant paused, yet again in probably recognition, “Miss Lace! You’ve come to the right place! I have just the goods that would be useful in your plight.”
“You do?”
“Yes yes, I do! This here is a Winding Tuning Fork, you see!” She grabbed her goods to show her potential customer, “Its tuning sound can be extended like so”
She turned its mechanism in demonstration, and the fork rang a steady low hum.
“What… would a tuning fork do for her condition?” Lace felt utterly lost,
“Show it to her, she will know!”
“...I don’t know, Frey… You are a good bug, but a merchant is what you’re better at.”
“This I do not deny.” Frey didn’t take the insult seriously at all, “Thus is why I intend to sell the best goods for the best bugs in need!”
“Alright, I will take it.”
“That would be 500 rosaries.”
“So COSTLY!?”
“It is really hard to come by, Miss Lace.”
“Alright, take all my spoils of hard work why don’t you.”
“Thank you for your patronage! And have a great time~!” She sang.
Lace walked out of the store with an item in hand, but no answers in mind.
The tuning fork was still humming, so Lace decided to press her fingers onto it to make it stop. To her surprise, it continued to ring through her pressure.
After a few seconds, she gave up. And just went to the next potential help that she could get - with the tuning fork ringing in her hand. She ascends through the vertical town.
Scrounge suddenly opened her bell home door on her, “I hear a tune! Is it a relic? What? What have you? What you’ve got?”
Lace yelped, nearly dropped her expensive item “Ah! Oh dear, you gave me a scare.”
“Ah, winded tune. Very new. It is no relic.”
“Wait Scrounge do you-”
“No interest!” She closed her door on her.
Lace never understood how this bug thinks. But she was not her target anyway. She decided to simply go.
She continued her ascent, her destination was the pinmaster Plinney.
“Great Pin fencer! What a sight to see! What brought you here to Plinney's bellhome?” Plinney greeted her warmly.
“Two things, pin master” She replied, putting her pin onto the working table, “My pin honed, and some information would be great.”
The pinmaster picked up the weapon and made a quick examination, “Ah, this one is not at its best state, no? A quick scrub by yours truly should do the trick.” he put it down on the table and started right away, “And what kind of information are you seeking, Fencer?”
“Neither my pin nor my mate are at their best states.” She said, holding out the other item in her hand, “It appears the bugs of Bellhart have their ideas, but none would be willing to share it with me. If you would, that would be a great help.”
“Oh.” He stopped his scrubbing mid stroke. There it was again, the nervous recognition. He did not let it stop him for longer than a second, however.
“She’s weakened and running hot, cool air brings her discomfort, and she forbade a physician. I am at a loss of what to do. - And how do you make this thing stop!?” the tuning sound was getting on her nerves
“Allow me,” Plinney took the item, separated its winding mechanism, and it slowed to a stop. “To make it hum again you simply put the two pieces back together and roll the wind.”
“Would you know why I was sold this?” She received the item back, now quiet.
“I do. It is best you present it to Miss Hornet. And I have another gift for our beloved fierce warrior.” He put down his work, and reached under his table. A vial was produced and presented to Lace.
“Is this… oil?”
“Pale Oil. This one is unopened. I happened to procure it recently and had been saving it for Miss Hornet’s needle. However I do believe that in this plight she might find other uses for it if need be.”
“I don’t understand.” Lace deadpanned,
“Ah, ha you certainly will very soon!” He finished her pin “Here is your pin, Great Fencer. Thank you for allowing me to service it.”
“The pin work is excellent, Plinney, but your information is sorely lacking.”
“Not to worry, Great Fencer. Both your plights today only need but some scrubs.” He winked.
Lace simply turned away and left his bell home.
—--------------
A bedridden Hornet tossed and turned in place.
Oh how she loathed the burden of mortal flesh. Grateful of her heritage, may she be- this annual reminder of her beastly nature is annoying at best, and crippling at worst.
This year was especially brutal. Decades spent in solitude had made her sure of her self-control. Now that she once again has another being to share her bed, this long-ignored demand of her body comes back with its full force- and then some.
Her resolve to let it pass with time was dwindling.
Her hand moved, her finger gently brushed over an opening between her pelvic scale plates. She gasped at the sharp feeling- and pulled her hand away.
No.
No.
Letting go of self control would be very dangerous. This beast shall not be unleashed.
Not on to her.
She willed herself to ignore its call - gripping into her pillow instead.
She hates Autumn.
———-
Lace climbed up the cliff next to the town. If the residents won’t help her, then perhaps someone Hornet calls her most trusted friend would.
Passing through throwing rings left here and there. She finally arrived, and rang on the ringing pole placed atop.
“Poshanka!” Shakra appeared not a moment after, “Lace wielding pin, mate of Hornet wielding needle. As pleasant to see you as it may, what wind has brought your capable self to summon me?”
“Poshanka, Shakra wielding rings.” She returned the greeting, “I seek your advice. Hornet has become ill. And no one in Bellhart had been helpful so far.”
“Gara Takana! What illness might have afflicted her?”
“I returned yesternight to find her body running hot. It has not relented and she hasn’t risen to this time. The town's bugs have given me these items but no explanation. At this rate I might fetch a physician against her wish. You are my last attempt at gaining some understanding before I cave to anxiety!”
Sharka stared at Lace with no change in her expression. Nothing was said yet recognition somehow still showed.
A breeze flowed from her behind, blowing her antennae. She looked up, turned her head windward and felt the air.
“Cool air arrives early this year. It seems.” Shakra finally broke the silence. She then turned back and crouched down to meet Lace’s eye level, “Lace wielding pin, you must return to your mate at once. Your worries are most noble, but ultimately unnecessary.”
“What do you mean?”
“At this time of year, weavers retreat. It is in their base instinct. Hornet wielding needle suffers because her body fights her own mind. Relief is simple. She needs you by her side.”
“As many bugs have been telling me to. Quite contradictory, she kicked me out this morning.”
“That is her mind and body fighting. She kicks you out, you must get closer.”
“Pardon?”
“The gifts in your hands would aid you. I, too, have a gift.” Shakra reached into her bag and produced a paper package tied with a plant-fiber rope.
“What is it?” Lace accepted it and moved her hand to pull the rope.
“Do not open the package, Silken one. This is Silkeater. And you are made of its feed.”
Lace startled, and left the rope alone.
“It will give her back most of her strength. Give it to Hornet and have her consume it. Force feed her if you must.”
“Pardon?!”
“And ready yourself. It would take you some extended endurance to relieve a weaver in Autumn heat.”
There it is. The name of her affliction.
“…What do I do next?”
“This I cannot tell you. She will tell you once you get close enough.”
“Thank you, Shakra. You are most helpful today.”
“I wish you well. Take good care of both yourselves.”
The paper wasp turned and jumped away with a shout.
And for once, she has some idea of what’s going on. Lace finally has a course of action. Time to return.