The Garden of Heathen

The Goat?

The Garden knew one day of true peace, one that Aussie felt might last for a while. Sure, the order the note had given them to go at some point always kind of loomed on the horizon, but there was a little over a week left until the next newbie was supposed to arrive so she figured she had enough time to be a little hopeful.

Hedy had avoided her as much as possible, and when they were forced to interact on the counsel they were both civil to each other. Gally seemed to be getting stronger everyday, that or Aussie was just paying more attention. Either way it kept her blissfully unaware of the trouble that had started brewing in the Garden over the past few days.

Aussie was in the vegetable garden doing a terrible job because she was distracted by Gally practicing his archery skills under Joan's tutelage. His muscles, her shears missed the vine and snipped empty air. His veins, her shears clipped something they definitely shouldn't have. How long were his legs? And why did he look so good in Capri length pants?!

"What are you doing to that poor tomato plant?"

Aussie jumped at the voice behind her, the shears slipping from her hand and falling in the dirt. She whipped her head around to find Georgia looming over her with a smirk just short of lecherous. Aussie grimaced as she struggled with the large segment she'd accidentally severed off their 10 foot tall plant.

"Don't take those shears near Gally, you might take off something he won't forgive you for."

"Can I help you with something? Do you need the gutters in your brain cleaned?" Aussie asked, earning a chuckle from her.

"I was just wondering if you've noticed anything weird today?"

Aussie looked up at her with a quirked brow.
"As a matter of fact, yes! We're all in a giant maze! And, I don't know if it's the same for you, but I can't remember anything from before I got here," Aussie said sarcastically before giving a good natured smile to show she was just teasing.

"Oh hurr hurr, yes, I mean besides that, smart Alec," Georgia almost laughed as she made a stupid face at her.

"No, what's up?" Aussie asked as she attempted to cover up her tomato misdeed.

"Well, I've been suspicious of Hedy's uncharacteristically good behavior of the past few days," Georgia began pacing. "At first I thought that maybe she'd come to her senses, but now I think she's up to something... and she's just been trying to stay under the radar about it, ya know?"

Maybe it's because I blackmailed her into behaving herself, Aussie thought to herself.
"Mmm, and what is she up to? Supposedly?" She asked aloud.

"I don't know. But one of the goats is missing."

Aussie had opened her mouth before she realized what exactly Georgia had said. Her brows furrowed as she turned to look at her again.

"One of the goats is missing?" She repeated as she stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees. "And... how do you know this? Do you daily count the goats?"

"Unnecessary. It's the most demonic one there is, hard to miss. But she is missing."

Aussie frowned almost offended. She happened to have a great relationship with all the goats and couldn't think of any one of them as being demonic. Still, she could gather which one Georgia was talking about since there was one particularly large goat with mismatched and wonky horns. Honestly it was Aussie's favorite goat, but only Moo knew that.

"Big Veronica?" Aussie asked. "Are you sure she didn't get her horns stuck in the trough again?"

"Pretty darn," Georgia nodded.