Chapter Text
As she scratched her eyes, Hat Kid couldn't help but wonder.
Was it wise to actually accept their offer and leave on her own, with Rumbi and the ship left behind?
Considering the town they were slowly approaching, the only thing she was sure about was that it definitely was too late to have second thoughts.
After letting out a small yawn, Hat Kid stood up on the wooden bench above Bessie and straightened her back, then she tried to get a proper look at Wartwood. They were moving down a slight slope currently, so while part of Wartwood was hidden by its portal and the old, ruined-down walls that were present on that side of the town Hat Kid was still able to view most of the buildings beyond and the town square. It was late in the afternoon, but there was still enough light to look around well enough.
She didn't get much time to look at the town without disturbance, though. Her movements were a source of disturbance that didn't go unnoticed, as something suddenly appeared right above her head, leaning out of the edge of the top of her hat.
"Hey, watch it!" Polly shouted, agitating one of her small arms. "I was taking a nap!"
"Well, I was napping as well, but you know..." Hat Kid replied, gesturing towards the town in the distance. "We kinda have arrived."
"And you kinda could've tried not to throw me off!"
"The fact you're up there in the first place is already barely tolerable, you know!"
"Kids, kids!" Hop-Pop gave them a side look as he continued to lead Bessie further down the path to Wartwood. "Try not to start an argument now of all times, when we're almost home"
Both Hat Kid and Polly grunted with disapproval, but they didn't speak any further.
As it turned out, co-existence with the Plantars had proved problematic, Polly being one of the main culprits. Her claim on the surprisingly comfortable position that the denim of her hat provided had caused a lot of arguments in the previous two days.
Unfortunately, it was not an easily solved issue. The passenger bench fixed on Bessie's shell was too small to fit Anne, Polly, Sprig and Hat Kid side-by-side, so either one of them spent the journey hanging out of a bag stuck on the snail's shell along with the rest of their baggage, or an alternative needed to be found. Hop-Pop, who at the very least had no issue with sitting on the saddle, had eventually decided to get Polly to be carried around by the four of them.
As it turned out, neither Anne nor Sprig were particularly thrilled due to Polly's unwillingness to stay put for too long. It was fine to carry her when she wanted to get to a higher point of view or hang out, but that rarely lasted more than a few minutes. Her being on your head for hours proved to be much easier said than done.
And when Polly discovered how incredibly relaxing it was to lie over Hat Kid's head garment, her preference had fast become a point of contention between the two.
Despite everything, Hat Kid had tried her best not to lose her patience. She already knew that compromises would be common during her time spent with the Plantars, from the very moment when she left the spaceship behind to follow them into the unknown.
Thus, most of their journey from the crash site up to Wartwood was spent with the four kids trying to fight for space and doing their best to tolerate each other. Hat Kid had taken the place in the centre, while Anne and Sprig sat respectively to her right and her left.
All in all, she thought she was pretty good at handling Polly. It wasn't like carrying small babies was something she never did.
However, when that was added to the fact that Sprig and Anne were exceptionally curious about her and her past and kept bombarding her with questions despite her refusal to properly reply, well...
That's why she kinda lost her patience a couple of times.
Hat Kid sighed, then tried her best to adjust the placement of her hat over head despite the added weight provided by the tadpole sitting right on the top. There were moments where the hat came down far enough that it completely covered her eyes, so it was a necessary step.
Then, she narrowed her eyes to look again at Wartwood. They were getting closer, and the details around the frog town were now clearer to her as well.
"So... that's Wartwood, I guess?" she tentatively asked.
"Yup, that's our town alright!" Sprig chirped, perking up at the fact she had finally opened her mouth to ask a question on her own. "It might look like there isn't much to check out at first glance, but believe me, Wartwood can be full of surprises, and so do its inhabitants. You'll like it here, Hat Kid!"
"...I still can't believe you're telling us you're called 'Hat Kid'. Come on..." came a grumble from Hat Kid's right, opposite of Sprig. "How can I take that seriously? That's a nickname at best."
Hat Kid couldn't help it as a small smirk appeared on her face. "Well, I like it, so you'll just have to get used to it, Anne."
Anne made a grimace. "I'll get your real name sooner or later... 'Hat Kid'. Just you wait..."
The hatted child merely kept smiling wryly, then looked away to check out the town again. If Anne was going to pout all the time because of that, so be it.
On the Planet where she spent a lengthy amount of time before showing up in Amphibia, no one had batted a eye concerning the fact she'd never shared an actual name with the colourful folks who lived in there. She was mostly known as the 'hatted kid' and variations of that, and in the end she'd decided to go along with it.
It was appropriate anyway—she loved her hats! So, why not sticking with it here as well?
"Well, for what it's worth, I don't mind, though it does feel somewhat weird," Sprig said. He glanced at Anne's sulking expression before adding, "I'm sure you'll share some proper name at some point, if you like."
Hat Kid raised a dubious eyebrow at him, but Sprig simply ignored the signals and moved on.
"Soooo, changing subjects to Wartwood again. How does it look to you? First impressions?"
"Well..." she started hesitatingly, looking over the town again. "It's... smaller than Lily Paddington?"
"Wow, and I thought you were fun sometimes," Polly sarcastically commented.
"Hey, there isn't much I can see from here!" she explained. "It looks like another town of frogs, and I could name a few things, like that square, a couple of shops, and maybe that large villa that looks like a mayor's house. But other than that... well, yeah, it looks nice enough, but that's it..."
"Well, that's kinda like most towns in the Valley look, so I'm not surprised," Hop-Pop noted. "And Lily Paddington, that lair of scammers and rapscallions, as much as I dislike the place it is in fact one of the largest town this part of Amphibia."
"Well, but Lily's got those stilt house of sorts, over the giant fungi," Anne added. "I didn't see them but Sprig told me about those. Wartwood is more like your typical European suburban medieval settlement—but frog."
Sprig, Polly and even Hat Kid glanced at her with puzzled faces.
"Could you please repeat that in a way that makes sense, Anne?" Hop-Pop voiced their thoughts.
"What? I'm referring to Earth towns. I can understand technology differences, but I thought that would've been understandable at the very least!"
"Amphibia's got its own history, Anne," Hop-Pop noted. "You'd have to tell us a bit more about the history of your own world if we wanted to catch those references."
"That, I noticed..." Anne's speech trailed off as she glanced at Hat Kid. She could understand the frog's confusion, but the fact she looked lost after hearing her brief mention of Europe and the Middle Ages as well was much more striking.
Her extremely familiar look as a human-like person often misled her, but considering she didn't know much about her she probably shouldn't forget about the fact that she was technically, for real, an alien of sorts. To both Amphibia and Earth.
"Okay then, in that case you'll have to pay a visit to the town yourself to see what I mean!" Sprig replied.
"I'm afraid that's not gonna happen for a while, Sprig," Hop-Pop corrected. "I have to warn you, Hat Kid. Any plans you have in town will have to be postponed for a while... you should not come anywhere close the square and the other frogs for some time."
Well, that was new.
And absolutely not what she wanted.
"W-Wait, what?!"
Hop-Pop patted Bessie, checking if she was paying attention and could go on for a while without his input, then turned around to face Hat Kid. "My apologies, but getting any closer to the town with you just being there in plain sight is not a good idea at all. The town raised the pitchforks just because they heard there was a monster lurking around the woods near Wartwood who looked different than your usual Amphibian, and when they saw it was Anne, well..."
"They wanted to kill me!" Anne finished, using an oddly jovial tone that didn't fit with the content of her exclamation.
"...that," Hop-Pop confirmed, not without a snide glance thrown in Anne's direction. "In any case, we'll need some time to get the town acquainted to the idea of another humanoid creature co-existing with them, and until we deal with that it's better to keep you out of sight"
Hat Kid frowned, hands on her hips. "It doesn't sound any different than those people at Lily Paddington, and I was free to go around for a while there at first. Why isn't that the same here!?"
"'Cause the frauds that live in that thieves' den have a thirst for money that outclasses any wariness they might have for foreigners. We Warwoodians have no such qualms: if you're a stranger, you're not to be trusted... and when on top of that you add that you have that weird look, with the face bump, smooth skin and everything, well, I mea no offense—you might as well be public enemy number one."
Hop-Pop's point might've been understandable, but that didn't mean Hat Kid was going to consent to self-applied isolation.
"If you think I'll just let you lock me up in a room and be happy—"
She stopped herself in mid-speech as Hop-Pop raised a finger to silence her. "Slow down there kid! I'm not saying you're a prisoner, but this is seriously your best bet if you don't want the entire town out for your blood in the span of a few minutes!"
"Yeah, I don't think people will need that much time to get used to the idea of you being around, Hat Kid," Sprig added. "It took Anne a while, but by now she grew on everyone. I'm sure you'll be able to get over their aversion due to how you look much faster. Besides, you're not as skinny and lanky as her!"
"That's right—boy you don't want to know how many times I've been called a scarecrow just for the height difference..." Anne grumbled.
Sprig hummed in agreement. "I'll tell you what, three to four days, maybe even less, and by then we'll get everyone in town to know you're around and not throw a fuss as soon as they see you."
Polly, still firmly holding on to Hat Kid's hat, leaned over to give Sprig an unimpressed frown. "Yeah, that ain't happening bro. You might sweet that up with words all you want, and Anne's influence helps, but as soon they hear about her, they won't be happy. That without considering the fact that she's a stranger to us as well!"
"Well, she was," Anne said, a hand on her chin, "but we kinda managed to make it to Wartwood together, right?"
"Barely..."
"Oh, come on, it's just that we didn't plan ahead since we didn't know what we were going to find back in the north," Anne replied. "And even so, you are downplaying my influence skills, girl. I was a pretty good first impression for a human—and since you're also a human, that's gonna help a lot!"
Then, she blinked. "Or maybe you're not a human, and some alien type that looks like one. I dunnno... seriously, are you a human?"
"...maybe" Hat Kid shrugged. "That's the first time I heard that word, but... we do look alike, so I guess I am?"
"...this would be a lot simpler if you just were a bit more talkative about who you are, you know?"
Hat Kid crossed her arms and pouted, which was all Anne got as a reply.
"Well, all of you might be right, even if only partly, but I'm the elder one among you, and I still stand by what I said. At least for now, we better not traumatize the town without a forewarning. So, off we go!"
With a pull of the brims, Hop-Pop turned Bessie around, who chirped in acknowledgement as she changed her trajectory to take the longer path that circled around Wartwood.
Too bad there was a person standing right in her way.
"Hopediah?"
Hop-Pop let out a yelp of surprise and brought Bessie to a sudden halt. Anne, Hat Kid and Sprig immediately grabbed hold of the bench's edges to avoid being thrown off, but Polly didn't have the same luck as her small arms slipped and she flew out of her position over Hat Kid's hat.
She ended up striking Hop-Pop's back with a yelp, but Hop-Pop was too much worried about the fact they were caught to care.
Sadie Croaker didn't look angry at first; in fact, she looked more confused than anything.
"U-Uh, why, hello Mrs. Croaker!" Hop-Pop coughed out.
"Hopediah, good to see you're still in one piece! Forgive me for stopping you here, I know you and the kids over there might be in a hurry to get back home after that trip of yours, but why are you going around Wartwood?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Your farm's on the other side of the town, you're taking quite the detour to get there."
"Well, uuh, b-because—" Hop-Pop babbled, unable to come up with a last-ditch save. He gasped, then stood up, in a poor attempt to hide the person who was sitting right behind him.
It was too late. Mrs. Croaker might not have had the greatest of sights, but she could tell immediately that there were three people on the bench instead of two. Considering how Hop-Pop's granddaughter had managed to recover from her short flight and had climbed up to his head. Anne, Sprig and...
Someone else.
Hat Kid didn't know Mrs. Croaker yet, but the way her features hardened as soon as she laid eyes on her was meaningful enough.
"...who's the newcomer?" she resumed with a far less friendly-sounding tone.
"W-Well, huh, funny story," Hop-Pop let out an awkward chuckle. "You know how Anne was looking for that person that the toad merchant who came to town from a few days ago mentioned, right? Well, we found her, one thing led to another and—"
"Hopediah Plantar, did you really bring another monster to Wartwood?"
"Hey!" Anne protested. "I thought you were over the monster stuff!"
"Sorry, dearie," Ms. Croaker gave an apologetic shrug to Anne. "You grew on me and you're a nice girl, but you're still kinda hideous all things considered. No harm feelings."
"...it kinda still feels insulting."
"But that's not my issue, not really," Ms. Croaker resumed. "You Plantars were planning to bring a stranger into town without us knowing in the first place? I thought you were travelling just to meet this 'alien' of sorts. I expected better from you, Hopediah!"
"I-I was going to tell you all!" Hop-Pop exclaimed with dismay. "But I thought that easing you up to the idea first would've helped, so that's why I didn't want to get into town immediately. I'd get you up to speed and then I'd let our guest here introduce herself."
"Besides," Sprig chimed up, "this new girl is not half bad, Mrs. Croaker! She doesn't plan to stay for long, either."
Mrs. Croaker arched an eyebrow. "Anne didn't plan to stay for long at first as well, if I recall correctly."
"Well, things got complicated!" Anne rebutted.
"And who says that won't be the same for this new kid as well?"
The old lady frog was now looking at Hat Kid, who didn't reply. She couldn't outright say that her stay in Wartwood would be short.
She wanted it to be short, sure, but if there were a lot of Time Pieces around this part of the valley, and they were dispersed far apart or hidden, then the length of her permanence in town would increase significantly for sure. No matter whether she liked it or not.
"Look, Mrs. Croaker," Hop-Pop resumed, "I assure you that this young girl here means no harm to you or any of the townsfolk. We agreed to let her come because of a mutually beneficial agreement; we help with her business here while she herself could help us out, mainly with Anne's problem in finding a way to get back home. It doesn't sound that bad now, don't ya' think?"
"Depends on way too many factors for me to not remain doubtful, Hopediah," Mrs. Croaker flatly replied.
"Which you have any right to be, and we'll do our best to make you change ideas. In any case... could you please avoid to mention anything about the girl here until me and the kids have filled everyone in about her ourselves? It's just a way to take things slowly, we won't hide her the entire time."
"Hmm..." Mrs. Croaker was looking at Hat Kid again. "Young lady, how about you state your intentions out-loud instead of letting the Plantars talk in your place? What exactly is your business in Wartwood?"
The sudden appearance of the old lady frog had definitely taken aback Hat Kid. After her initial shock, though, she realized that this could provide an opportunity to convince the Plantars and Hop-Pop in particular that there was no need to make her stick at home for a while.
She just needed to play her cards right with this Mrs. Croaker.
However, that didn't mean that she wanted to explain her motives thoroughly, not yet at least. She had remained vague when talking to the people who were going to host her, so when it came to the other town's inhabitants who were strangers, she had no reason to not remain vague as well.
"I lost... uhh, I lost some of my things, and to get back from where I came I need to find and collect them again," she said.
Perhaps she didn't need to be this vague?
For the second time that day, Hat Kid mentally concluded that it was too late to have second thoughts. Though this time, the thought didn't occur to her right after waking up from a short nap.
Now, she was standing on the ground and fully awake. It would've been hard to doze off anyway, considering she was surrounded by a crowd of angry frogs.
They were all in the central square of Wartwood, coincidentally in the same area where days earlier Paul Silvertoad had come to show his wares and inadvertently starting the events that brought Hat Kid to Wartwood in the first place. This time, though, the frogs were not waiting for her to speak—instead, most of them were shouting colourful invitations to 'get out' at the stranger, while others confabulated with each other to share their disdain and unwillingness to just let another 'human' in.
"Now, simmer down, simmer down!" the commanding voice of a toad came as the Amphibian made his way through the crowd. His eyes widened as soon as he realized who Hat Kid was.
"Frog heavens, did you bring another one of those, Plantar?!" he wheezed out. "We just barely managed to get used to the first one and you start getting more of them already?"
"I swear this isn't like it looks!" Hop-Pop exclaimed. The Plantars were right beside Hat Kid, along with Bessie and Anne—at the very least Hat Kid wasn't going to be alone in case the frogs decided to pummel on her.
She had to hand it to the Plantars, in fact. She felt kinda flattered by the way the frogs—and the human girl—had stuck with her even after the old lady had basically forced them to march into town to face the collective judgement of Wartwood.
For a moment she thought that Hop-Pop was going to leave her on her own, but instead the old frog had spent the entire time trying to convince Mrs. Croaker to re-think about her decision to make them reveal Hat Kid to everyone immediately.
He didn't succeed, but it's the thought that counts, right?
"Then explain this, Plantar!" Mayor Toadstool commanded, agitating a trembling hand towards the hatted girl. His thoughts were echoed by other frogs nearby.
"We never asked about another one of these creatures, why not asking about our opinion first, huh?!"
"Give us a reason why we shouldn't make it scram right here and now!"
"And what's with this sudden interest of yours with monsters?!"
"Guys, guys!" Anne intervened, gaining the attention of a portion of the crowd. "First thing first, what the heck?! I thought you were done judging people by how they looked since I came here! There's literally zero difference between me and this girl—if not for the fact that she did nothing to scare you off. She literally was brought to you by other frogs, she didn't just come out of the forest. And despite all that, you still keep acting like this?! I expected better from you!"
A blue-skinned frog marched forward, one that caught Hat Kid's attention if only because of the pintoresque hat he was wearing.
"You made a reputation for yar'self, Anne. That isn't quite the case yet for this new person you invited over," One-Eyed Wally replied. "I'd say that compared to how we used to do things around here in the past, we just don't assume she wants to kill us and have us for dinner. Otherwise we have no reason to not remain wary."
The fact that Wally kinda accused her of having an innate taste for Amphibian flesh was lost to her as his thoughts were caught by a feature of his voice.
Huh. His accent... it very broadly reminded her of the Con—
Nope! She was getting side-tracked, she needed to keep her attention to the exchange between the frogs and Anne.
"Well, maybe you should change your attitude!" Anne stubbornly insisted. She put a hand over Hat Kid's shoulder, not asking for permission first—Anne tended to be physical, she had noticed—and scanned over the crowd. "So okay then, let's say you do have a right to be suspicious or whatever. If you cannot trust the girl outright, then try to trust me! This girl means no harm to you... Hat Kid means no harm to you!"
"...that's her name?" a confused One-Eyed Wally asked.
"Yup," Sprig helpfully offered.
"You're free to question her if you want about it," Anne quickly archived the subject despite her previous grievances with it. "Still, she has no intention on wreaking havoc, or hurting anyone, or anything like that. All she wants is to retrieve the things she lost when she arrived in Amphibia, her... uh..."
"Hourglasses," Hat Kid elaborated further. "I lost my hourglasses."
"Yeah, those,and once she got them back, she'll be on her way back. She's got her own plan, and unlike me, she kinda has it all planned, she doesn't have to find a way back."
"How does that makes things any better?" another frog, a slim woman with a fiery red hair, questioned. "Let's say you're telling us the truth, Anne. Maybe she's also thinking to do things behind your back!"
"That's easy, Felicia," Anne replied. "Why would she try to cause a mess around Wartwood if she has to find things she lost in the first place? She would be just slowing herself down that way, and she would have to get her stuff back on her own as well."
"You might also keep in mind that she's not going to stick around town a lot at first," Hop-Pop added. "She's gonna stay at the farm, and she'll have to work to earn her place in the Plantar household of course. If she really is a problem, she'll be one there before any of you even come to know about that."
"Hopefully this won't end like a repeat of Cousin Stanley's fate when he left..." Polly commented drily.
"What happened to Cousin Stanley?" Hat Kid asked.
Polly merely shrugged. "Trust me, you don't want to know. But hopefully that won't be the case."
Hat Kid was somewhat weirded out, but decided not to investigate further, not yet at least.
It was already good enough that the Plantars were doing so much to put in a good word for her, even if that meant possibly underestimating her skills in mischievous deeds.
They didn't need to know that now, though.
"Well, it sounds wonderful. Yet, it's all words you're giving us, Anne, and the same goes for you Plantars," Toadstool rebutted. "We'll need more than that, especially when it comes in the way of the well-being of my voters—I mean, fellow citizen."
Hat Kid decided that she might as well take the initiative. Waving to get the large toad's attention, she puffed her cheeks. "I am here to get my stuff back and nothing else, Mayor. Believe me, I wouldn't be here if I wanted to cause trouble, that you can be sure about."
"...is that a threat?"
"No, just honesty."
"...I'm not sure how that's supposed to reassure me, child, but regardless, those are still just words!" Toadstool continued frowning.
"I vouch for her!" Anne interjected.
"Me too!" Sprig added.
"Oh, I might as well join in as well," Polly raised her short arms to give her own contribution as well, albeit without the same enthusiasm as Sprig and Anne.
...why they were all fighting for her that vehemently, Hat Kid had no clue.
Toadstool wasn't convinced yet, so Hop-Pop decided to chime in again. "Mayor, listen, if you want more than words, then let the girl's actions speak for herself. We already agreed to keep her in the farm for a few days while we let the town get adjusted to the idea of another monste—I mean, alien—urr, human-like person being around, as I told you earlier."
He narrowed his eyes to her. "Didn't we?"
Hat Kid glared back. She never agreed to anything, but she could guess that her answer would probably decide whether she was going to be chased off by an angry mob of frogs in a few seconds or not.
"Yeah, we talked about it," she conceded.
Hop-Pop turned back to face the Mayor. "Give her a few days or so, and I'm sure you'll realize she won't be anything different than Anne and that she'll settle in just fine. And who knows, you might be surprised by what things she might be able to do to help around Wartwood."
Mayor Toadstool scratched his chin as he studied Hat Kid. He probably thought that he looked imposing, but Hat Kid had endured the sight of a much more menacing man who with an expertise in law (who also tried to make her head pop off), so she simply glared back.
Toadstool then glanced at the crowd and took in how most of the anger from the most fervent frogs had abated.
He let out a sigh. "...I don't know what it is with you Plantars, or even you, Boonchuy, but you got me. Very well then, if you seriously think she won't cause any trouble, the new kid can stay at your farm until we understand what the deal is with her."
He then glared at Hop-Pop before Sprig could let out an exclamation of victory. "But this better be the first and only time we let you get an additional stranger to settle in town without properly warning us first in advance. If you start turning your farm into some foster house for lost monsters or anything like that, there'll be consequences, Plantar!"
"Well, you might have to get used to the idea, there are still my friends that are—mmmgh!"
Sprig had hopped to Anne's face, blocking her mouth with a hand. "One step at a time, Anne! We don't want to test our luck with the townsfolk!"
Anne removed Sprig from her body with a grumble. "Sheesh. You guys can be so stubborn."
Hop-Pop ignored the exchange between the two as he kept facing Toadstool. "You won't regret this, Mayor, that you can be sure about. You have my word."
"The word of a Plantar... I'm already regretting this," Toadstool retorted, before turning around. "Toadie! We need to start writing down all the Earth-lings Plantar is bringing into town."
"I'm actually not from E—" Hat Kid's mouth was abruptly shut by a slimy Amphibian hand.
"That goes for you too, Hat Kid!" Sprig warned. "Let's leave the corrections for later!"
Hat Kid pushed him off, an eye twitching as she glared at the frog. "I seriously hope you guys aren't going to spend your time trying to control me."
"Regardless," Hop-Pop continued as he turned back to regard her, "I hope you now understand why I thought it was wise to lay low. We barely managed to get them to give you a chance!"
"No kidding..." Hat Kid didn't fail to notice how most of the frogs were still throwing side-glances in her directions even as most of crowd was dispersing. "I'm still not going to like it. I need to actually take a look myself to find the stuff I lost!"
"You'll get the chance to do that. In due time."
Hat Kid let out a groan. Nope, Hop-Pop was still very much convinced of his idea.
Before she could protest any further, though, an Amphibian came out of the dispersing crowd to approach the group. This frog was a young child, perhaps around Sprig's age.
And evidently they already knew each other as Sprig's eyes beamed at the sight. "Ivy!"
"Hya, Sprig," she waved. "You better keep in mind that our training sessions are resuming starting tomorrow. This little break of yours with this trip to the north has already lasted long enough!"
"But it lasted only two days...?" Polly said.
"Exactly," Ivy said matter-of-factly. Then, she regarded Hat Kid.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you look half-bad. I like the look, at least. You kinda remind me of some old photos my mother keeps around her tea shop."
Hat Kid couldn't help snorting. "That's what some people told me back at Lily Paddington as well."
"Yeah, but I hope you aren't some city-born, stuck-up noble or something." She raised a fist. "I could use another sparring partner, one with a different fighting style than Sprig but a similar size."
Hat Kid raised an eyebrow. "Sparring?"
"What? You think you can't handle yourself?" Ivy used a small hint of taunting in her tone.
"Actually, she clubbed a giant stick-bug until it ran back into the forest crying, Ivy," Polly said.
Ivy definitely didn't expect that. "S-She did?"
"Yep, and she used an umbrella to do that," Sprig added. "She's a force to be reckoned with!"
"Don't underestimate the umbrella. I should know," Anne grumbled, instinctively reaching out towards her knees and shin as she was reminded of their not-so-friendly first encounter with Hat Kid.
Hat Kid nodded, a grin morphing on her mouth. "Not the first time I handled a giant monster, I'd even add!" she boasted.
Ivy looked ready to squeak, but she recomposed herself. "Well, hopefully you handle yourself fine enough with someone your own size as well. I'll see you around, uuh... Hat Kid?"
Hat Kid nodded in acknowledgement.
"You get used to her name, Ivy, don't worry," Sprig explained.
"Or you won't," Anne countered.
"Well, okay then. See ya, hat girl! See you soon, Sprig! Polly, Hop-Pop, Anne, good evening to you!"
With that, Ivy was gone, leaving Hat Kid with a smile that she wasn't able to stop forming on her face.
While the general first impression of Wartwood was possibly even worse than Lily Paddington when it came to reception from its inhabitants, Ivy's surprisingly friendly introduction was leagues ahead of anything the toads and frogs from the town in the north had showed her in terms of welcoming. And that without even mentioning the fact that she had the Plantars helping out.
Things were actually looking up, somehow. Maybe accepting their offer wasn't an error, after all.
Then, she recalled why she was here in the first place.
She needed to keep her focus. She needed to find her Time Pieces, as soon as possible, and possibly without anyone here knowing about what the deal was with the hourglasses she needed to find.
And most importantly, she needed to avoid accidentally making friends.
Not again.
"Well, that was something," Polly said. "Still, how about we get home? I'm kinda done with travelling and I could use a nap."
"You've been napping the whole time!" Sprig shouted.
"On a hat, a hairdo, and a beanie! That's different than my usual bucket, dummy!"
"Calm down you two!" Hop-Pop intervened. He worriedly looked around himself, checking the town and stopping his eyes for a moment on a frog who was observing them from the distance. The crowd might have dispersed, but a lot of people were still looking at them, it seemed.
"We really should back on Bessie and move, we already did way more than we should by sticking around this long. Kids, try to keep patient for a while longer, will ya'?"
He glanced at Hat Kid. "The farm is not that far."
"Sooo... what do you think?" Sprig asked.
After jumping off Bessie to follow him, Hat Kid took in the profile of the building that now stood before her. The Plantar abode in all of its farming-focused design wasn't new to her per se, since she'd already had the chance to see other Amphibian farmhouses in the distance on the way to Wartwood. Though that didn't mean that the overall mushroom-like look and shape were any less pintoresque.
However, she wasn't exactly an expert in architecture.
"It looks... nice, I think?" she shrugged.
"Ya' kidding? Is 'nice' everything you have to say all the time?!" Polly shouted unceremoniously.
"Now kids, let's give her some time to get acquainted with the new setting, shall we? I'm sure she'll need some time to get used to life around here, just like Anne did."
"Tell me about it... I used to have nightmares about what kind of creatures crawled below my bed." Anne shuddered at the memory.
"You still do." Sprig noted.
"Well now at least those are about the giant monsters—I can live with fears based on reality," Anne explained.
"Fair point."
"I... I didn't mean to say this is boring," Hat Kid elaborated. She scratched the back of her head. "I just, well... it's a bit odd-looking, like other houses and places in this world, but not in a bad way. I... I don't know what else to say about it, though."
"You'll have plenty of time to make your own opinions, don't you worry," Hop-Pop finished. "Now all four of you, come on with those bags. Home sweet home awaits."
Each of the travellers picked some bags and suitcases hanging beside Bessie's shell, leftover provisions and other supplies that were used during their travel up and from Lily Paddington.
Hat Kid also went to pick her things. First, she glanced for a moment at a suitcase that was almost as big as her, and looked pretty heavy.
"You need a hand?"
Hat Kid shook her head as she regarded Anne. "I can do things on my own."
"You know, you can always accept some small help for a change..."
She simply frowned and didn't try to reply to her any further, keeping her eyes fixed on the suitcase.
Hat Kid had decided to stick to moderation when it came to what she needed to bring to Wartwood. The contents of her suitcase were mostly composed of clothes, including a selection of her hats, multiple exchanges for her main dress plus cape combination and her raincoat. There also were a few packaged food provisions—she still didn't look forward to switch to the arthropod-based diet she knew the inhabitants of this world were used to, so she figured she would at least slow down the transition—and some crafting tools just in case she needed to make something on her own. All in all, it wasn't that heavy to begin with, even if it wasn't light either.
However, she didn't try to unlatch the suitcase from Bessie's shell.
Instead, she went for a smaller object, a case encased in metal that was shut with a visible padlock protecting its contents. With a huff, she dragged the thing up to the main door to the farmhouse.
Up there, Sprig and Polly were eagerly waiting for Hop-Pop to open up the way to the inside, carrying appropriately-sized bags themselves.
Hat Kid's thoughts wandered again as she looked at the family of three frogs. She thought about the way the kids had pushed for her to accept Anne's offer, and how Hop-Pop had been surprisingly kind and helpful despite the fact he didn't like the idea of Hat Kid joining them at first.
She was still wary of them due to her past experiences, but perhaps...
Perhaps she just needed some time to adjust herself around them.
"Here we are!" Hop-Pop announced as he opened the door, the two frog kids rushing inside. He turned around, gesturing for Hat Kid to come in next, and she complied, dragging the suitcase into the main hall of the Plantar house.
Hop-Pop followed her up close as she looked around the new place.
"So, that's the kitchen," he started explaining, pointing with a hand as he spoke. Polly and Sprig had already disappeared up the stairs, while Anne passed by them, slowly dragging another bag towards the far side of the living room.
"Breakfast is early in the morning—and we'll have dinner later. We kinda change lunch time every day depending on work but don't worry, you'll get used to it. Bathroom's up on the first floor, as are the kids' bedrooms. Me and Anne sleep there... and there."
"Wait, that's a bedroom?"
"Basement turned bedroom, but yes," Anne confirmed as she proceeded to open the hatch that led to the lower level of the farmhouse.
"Uhh... okay," Hat Kid looked with some surprise as Anne disappeared under the trapdoor, all while she could hear the frog kids' shouting from the upper floor. Huh, this house definitely was more complex that she thought.
Then again, he'd met people who lived in the weirdest of places, so she shouldn't be surprised.
"Very well then! Remember, you're free to stay as long as you need to handle that... business of yours you mentioned, with your missing hourglasses," Hop-Pop continued, "but while you're a guest, you'll also have to work and contribute to the farm. Three mouths to feed was doable for me, four was difficult but manageable... but with five, we'll have to work harder to get food on the table, you follow?"
Hat Kid nodded. "Just tell me and I'll do whatever you think is useful. It's not the first time I do work anyway."
"Oh, really?" Hop-Pop asked with genuine interest. "What did you use to do back then?"
Partisan. Fire, err, lava fighter. Actor. Errand runner. Haunted house invader. Postman. Explorer. Plant exterminator. Stowaway. Assistant crewmate. Ship hijacker. Gang member.
"...stuff," Hat Kid cryptically replied.
Hop-Pop arched an eyebrow. "Well, we'll see how that experience with 'stuff' fares when it comes to cultivations then."
"Hey, HP, it just occurred to me," Anne lifted the trapdoor back, peeking from the edge. "Where is she staying exactly?"
Hop-Pop brought a hand to his forehead. "Oh curse me, I completely forgot about that! That's not an easy one, bedrooms around here are pretty much all filled up."
"Well, why not let her bunk in the basement with me? There's plenty of space!"
Hat Kid gave a quizzical look at Anne, who simply made a thumbs-up sing in return. Every time Hat Kid tried to distance herself from her, she always seemed to become more and more persistent in getting to know her.
She almost felt flattered by her continuous attempts at connecting with her, but Hat Kid had already taken a decision and she didn't plan to change her mind anytime soon.
Until she was here, she was not going to let things go the same way they went back on the Planet.
"Anne, do I have to remind you how things worked out last time you bunked with someone?" Hop-Pop deadpanned.
"Hey, that was me bunking with someone else. Besides, that didn't go well just because Sprig and me are kinda incompatible when it comes to bedroom habits—but maybe that isn't going to be the case with Hat Kid!"
Hop-Pop shook his head. "I'm still unconvinced this is a good idea, more so considering these are the first days she'll spend here—she'll already have her plate filled just trying to fit in... though... I admit I don't have much in mind as an alternative."
"Hey... maybe I could stay here?"
Hop-Pop and Anne were surprised to see Hat Kid pointing at the couch.
"...uh, yeah, but we do have another spare mattress somewhere upstairs," Hop-Pop replied. "That couch is older than me, ya' sure you could stick a good sleep on there over multiple days?"
"I... I'll make do, Hopediah," Hat Kid replied, face showing no sign of second thoughts despite the warning she received.
She also evaded Anne's almost offended gaze.
She knew she was going miss very, very fast her large, canopy-covered, pillow-filled bed from the spaceship.
Unfortunately, all she could grab from herself from her bedroom, besides clothes and tools, was a single pillow from her pile. Eek.
But if it meant being able to rest with her thoughts only and without the constant feeling of being watched, well, she'd take that.
"Well... if it suits you, I don't see why not. We could start like this, but if you change ideas at some point in the next few days, don't be shy to ask for an alternative. You might have to work, but working with a bad night's sleep and a aching back is not a pleasant experience. I would know... my back hurts regardless of how well I sleep," Hop-Pop said, patting his spine as if to highlight the point.
"And my offer still stands, you know!" Anne added.
"...I'll think about it," Hat Kid replied neutrally, cutting down on any chance for the conversation to continue. Anne simply threw her a quick glare, then walked out again to fetch more bags from Bessie.
"Kids, don't be slow up there! We still need to finish getting things off Bessie!" Hop-Pop called out, before following Anne outside.
However, he stopped himself at the edge of the door, and glanced back at Hat Kid. "Oh, and one more thing. Please try to remember what I said about sticking to the farm for a couple of days. You saw how the citizen back in town can be quite the characters, and I'd rather we don't risk getting them worked up more than they already are."
"Uh... does that mean it's just a suggestion and not a rule?"
Hop-Pop frowned. "I don't make you... but dang it kid, just try to be reasonable and don't make me establish harsher house rules if I can help it! And don't look at me like that!"
Hat Kid harrumphed.
"Just... all I ask is to wait for a day or two or a bit more than that for things to die down a little bit, that's all," he resumed. "That isn't too much, right? You can do that?"
"...I guess," Hat Kid said without conviction. Hop-Pop narrowed his eyes, but he luckily decided to let it go as he sighed, then disappeared beyond the main door.
Hat Kid found herself alone, for the very first time in almost a full day of travel. Without the pressure of the Plantars' presence, she found herself thinking over her new situation.
She'd made it here, after all.
And at the very least, she could see that her choice maybe wasn't going to be a glaring mistake.
She glanced at the case that she'd left beside her and she let out a small hum.
Well, she might as well see what was the situation concerning the main reason she came all the way to Wartwood in the first place.
She brought the case close to the couch that was going to act as her temporary bed for the time being. Then, she sat down in front of it and grabbed the rim of her hat.
Shutting her eyes, Hat Kid concentrated, trying her best to clear her thoughts and focus on her senses.
And soon, she could feel them.
Her locked case was probably her most valuable possession, considering that it stored all the Time Pieces that she'd managed to collect around the crash site and Lily Paddington in the north.
She couldn't just leave them in the vault inside the spaceship. It wasn't like she didn't trust Rumbi—who was still tasked with looking over the ship while she was gone—but after last time someone invaded the ship and how easy it was for them to steal from the vault, her trust in her ship's security measures had dwindled by a notable amount.
And that was when the ship was working and active, not crashed and unpowered.
The only option to make sure nothing bad happened was to bring the pieces along. Thankfully, the power of the hourglasses was enough that storing even dozens of them in a small space wasn't really a problem, but it still meant that she had to carry them around. It was hard not to check every ten minutes Bessie's shell to make sure the case was still there, without arising suspicion from her travelling companions. And even now, the case was still something that people could steal if they decided to do so.
That was one of the reasons why she couldn't trust the Plantars fully yet, despite their overall friendliness.
Yet, on the other hand, this also meant that Hat Kid had the Time Pieces close and under her control. If something happened to them, she'd know immediately.
It was a compromise, but she started making compromises ever since her ship malfunctioned and sent her in a crashing course with this new planet.
So here she was, able to feel the Pieces' power through the surface of the locked case.
However, that was merely a check. Hat Kid frowned as she concentrated further.
And beyond the room, and even the Plantar Farm's area, she felt them.
Time Pieces were around Wartwood!
There weren't a lot of them, but it still made her excited. It was exactly what she wanted—she only had to find them, grab them, and then she'd be a large step closer to her goal.
It wasn't going to be easy. For some reason, the Time Pieces weren't as easy to locate as they were when she was on the Planet. Amphibia had something weird going on, and Hat Kid had started to think that more and more ever since she arrived there.
There were no Time Rifts she could feel either... either now or back in the north. Which was weird as well.
The way she crashed had left her still unsure about what happened, and even her ability to feel the power of the Time Pieces was reduced. It was the whole reason why she'd stuck around Lily Paddington for so long—she needed help from the local toads and frogs to locate where some of her things had dropped.
And that meant that she'd likely have to ask for help and directions in Wartwood as well.
Which meant both testing Hop-Pop's patience, and risking to incite the town's hire, unless she decided to wait it out as she was instructed to do.
And that was without considering the fact she might have to fight for the Time Pieces in case some of the locals had already retrieved them for their own possession.
She was positive that they hadn't discovered yet about their true power (she would know otherwise), but she knew it was only a matter of time before someone accidentally dropped it and then...
No, she couldn't spare that time.
Hat Kid stopped to feel for the Time Pieces and stood up, opening her eyes to glance towards the door.
The suitcase she had yet to retrieve from Bessie had a lot of provisions, but most of it inside was actually hidden below a surface layer of pretty important objects.
This time, Hat Kid had thought ahead and had brought quite a lot of yarn.
She couldn't help grinning to herself as an idea materialized in her mind.
All she needed to do was to get a yarn piece from one of the locals to combine with her own... even a small lint from the Plantar house would do.
And then... she'd be able to avoid both disappointment from the Plantars and more attention from the townsfolk than needed.
Her grin faltered a little as she thought about Hop-Pop, but then she shook her head.
'Sorry, guys, but I really can't afford to wait.'
...
Huh... just a few minutes inside the new house, and the next day already looked interesting enough.