Delving Beneath the Surface

Epilogue

Verona found solace in the early hours of the morning when the sun just started to crest over the ridge of the mountain pass. Thin strips of light bathed the farm in a warm glow. A view she had come to cherish – even more than the one from the McCarthy kitchen. The smell of morning dew and freshly tilled soil soothed her soul. She took these quiet moments to bask in peace before her thoughts turned to watering crops or making the trek out to the chicken coop to greet her newly acquired army of chicks.

Thin wisps of steam curled from her coffee mug as she sat out on the porch shifting between different tabs on her laptop. A soft breeze rustled her hair, now brushing her shoulders. The air was warmer than it had been the day before. Summer had come, her second since arriving in Pelican Town a little over a year ago.

The time had flown by quickly. She settled back in her chair, enjoying the sun as it kissed her skin.

"I thought I'd find you out here."

She cracked open one eye as Sebastian stepped out on the porch, sporting his usual sweatpants and oversized sleep shirt. He took a seat in the chair across from her, raising his mug to his lips. It seemed he had no trouble helping himself to the leftover coffee.

She cracked a smile. "I planned on letting you sleep until I finished watering the crops. I know you stayed up late working on that module for your client."

"The bed was cold without you," he said with a shrug, "I figured I'd get up and help you out."

"Why? So, you can drag me back to bed when we're done?"

He hid his smile in his mug. There was no hiding his intentions from her. Not when she could read him like an open book. He motioned to her laptop and asked, "What are you working on?"

She closed it gently and pushed it aside. "I was looking up online programs."

She spent the last few weeks scouring her options. Going to a physical campus was out of the questions. Fenglow still had a lot of work to be done if she ever hoped to bring it back to its former glory. This farm was her grandfather's pride and joy and she planned to make something of it, but that didn't mean she had to put her own dreams on hold. The two things weren't mutually exclusive.

"I thought I might enroll come fall—ya know—so I can start my path and become a real archaeologist."

He smirked. "What? Is integrating a dwarf into modern society not enough for you?"

Verona rolled her eyes.

It was a tedious process, but Gunther managed to throw together a basic translation guide on the dwarven language. She studied it in her downtime, while simultaneously teaching their new dwarf companion their native language. It was slow going, but they could exchange a few simple words to get a point across.

Haley had managed to pick up on the language more quickly than she had. She could have in depth conversations with them. She was only slightly jealous.

"There's more mysteries out there for me to unearth. More stories to tell," she said, "Unless you think that's a dumb idea?"

"First of all, it's not about what I think," he flicked his bangs out of his eyes, "Second of all, I was teasing. I think going back to school is a great idea, especially since it's on your terms, doing what you want to do."

Verona beamed as she took a sip of her drink. The sweet cream melted on her tongue. "It'll be a lot of work though," she admitted with a wistful sigh, "I still plan on running the farm. Between that and online classes, I won't have any time for myself, granted, it's not like I had much to begin with."