Noelle, Newt, & Cricket (private)

    They should head back to the field they were supposed to be working in, though neither of the two oddly-paired twins were eager to do so. After all, a couple of their other siblings were already finishing up, meaning they didn't really need to be there. At least that's what Newt reassured both Cricket and themself as they continued to meander farther off their property. They'd worked all day with non-stop bickering between the few of their brothers, many of which had nearly resulted in a brawl or two. At that point, Newt figured they wouldn't be missed, though being ratted out was a likely possibility.

    Still, even as the sun was beginning to fade from the sky and the temperate slowly continued to drop, it was a nice evening, and they didn't want to waste it. Surely a moment's peace for their own sanity could be considered healthy, even though their father usually failed to see it that way.

    Cricket had been quiet and nervous all day, as he often was around most of their family. The loud arguments between brothers and unsurprisingly rough horseplay did little to settle his constant headaches, instead, making them grow more rapidly. However, with the quieted change-of-pace and only his twin to keep him company, he was slowly returning to his kind, chattery self a step at a time.

    Newt flicked their ears back and forth as they made their way over crunchy leaves, slowly steering both of them on the secluded dirt road as Cricket's voice began to grow more and more comfortable. It was rare that he brought up anything besides pleasant ramblings of odd trinkets or colorful book pages, but for the moment, he was hammering out the oddities of their siblings' temperaments. It wasn't mean and his voice wasn't aggressive, but matter-of-fact and considering, like a puzzle he hadn't quite worked through yet.

    "I know, you're right." Newt mumbled dryly in response to Cricket's leisure words. They usually expressed the same opinions, but with more of a bite and less empathy, Cricket's optimism was refreshing, if not a bit frustrating. Newt would much rather rattle off curses and complaints when it came to their brothers, yet they mellowed their tongue tonight, for Cricket's sake. They didn't feel like arguing with him.

    The air around them was quiet besides their own chatter, so far empty farmland roads splitting and winding around fields they didn't own. The sun was falling in bright hues of orange and purple, autumn leaves scattering the ground as the wind breathed. They ought to head back home, but the mere thought made Newt groan.


first post, 438 words.