#arania webb

Bless her heart, though, Beth was perhaps the most oblivious person ever when it came to someone’s affections. Suitor after suitor had attempted to court her in ways more comical than the last. One farmer tried to woo her with a giant cabbage, but all Beth did was gush over what lovely cabbage rolls they would make. Another invited her to go horseback riding with him, but Beth took it upon herself to invite the other girls of Mermaid Heel, dashing his hopes of a romantic gallop in the countryside. Yet another poor fool had knitted a quilt for Beth, but she’d just taken the blanket and jabbered about how it would make the perfect gift for her neighbor’s nursing cow. 

Poor fools, but Araña had no care to enlighten Beth to their simpering. After all, she was in the market for a cute little farm girl, and it was about time she started flirting herself. After all, she was one of the dolls of Mermaid Heel, and flirting was a game that Araña knew well. 

The pale-haired woman watched Beth for a few moments longer before peeling herself away from the table. Her heels clicked against the floor with each swing of her hips as she strode across the guild hall to drape herself over the bar, leaning one cheek in her hand while the other arm slipped under her bust. At her appearance, Beth looked up from her cutting board and offered her a charming smile. 

“Hey, Araña! What’s up?” 

“Nothing,” the woman smiled, watching as Beth continued cutting the carrots without looking. “I just wanted to see what you were up to. Vegetable soup?” 

“That’s right!” Beth beamed, and Araña couldn’t help but smile at the radiance of her sunny grin. She had always marveled at the girl’s ability to find such immense joy in such simple aspects of life, whether that was cooking for others or talking about her days on the farm before Mermaid Heel or teaching them games she used to play. Nothing could damper Beth’s spirits, and that was one of the many things Araña adored about her. 

Beth finished cutting the last of the carrots and walked over to the bubbling pot on the stove, using the knife to slide them in. The circular chunks of carrot plunked down into the dark brown broth. Beth grabbed two onions on her way back to the counter. After setting the cutting board back down on the polished granite, she began peeling the skin away from one of the round root vegetables. 

“So, I heard that a young man gifted you some wild dewberries growing on his farm the other day,” Araña said. Beth smiled sunnily again, continuing to peel the onion while looking up at her. 

“Yes! I thought that was so nice. They’re going to make some delicious tarts, but I had to sneak some of them on the way home; they really were delicious!” Beth chirped, and Araña couldn’t help but shake her head at how completely oblivious she was. The action caught Beth’s attention, prompting her to tilt her head to the side and ask, “What is it?” 

“Beth, dear,” Araña sighed. She reached across the bar to pet Beth’s hand with the tips of her fingers, manicured nails gleaming under the fluorescents. “Honey, that boy has a crush on you.” 

Beth dropped the onion she was peeling with a dramatic gasp. Araña scrunched her eyebrows in slight disbelief; did Beth really have no earthly idea of the effect she had on all those poor farm boys at the local market? Araña caught the peeled onion before it could roll off the counter and fall down to the floor, then set it safely back on the cutting board. Beth looked at her with an unsure pout, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. 

“Surely that can’t be true. I mean, he just gave me some dewberries.” 

“Beth. Men do not just give women gifts or invite them out places just for fun. They do it when they are interested,” Araña chuckled, plucking up a wisp of the onion peel to twirl it back and forth between her thumb and forefinger. This made Beth scratch at her freckled cheek with the nail of her first finger. 

“So you mean the man who made me the quilt...?”

“Yes.” 

“And the man who wanted to go horseback riding...?” 

“Yes.” 

“And the guy with the really big cabbage…?” 

“Afraid so, my dear.” 

“Oh, my,” Beth groaned, placing her hands on her cheeks as a mortified blush spread over them. “I just thought they were being nice.” This made Araña tip her head back in a loud laugh. Oh, she’s just so pure. Bless her heart. 

“Honey, men aren’t nice without a reason, and usually that reason is to get you out on a date.” 

Beth finally picked up the onion again and started chopping it into wedges, then peeling the layers apart to form little slivers that she then began to mince. Araña noticed that her usually quick, precise movements had slowed, a testament to the shock that she had no doubt suffered to her system with the sudden revelation that she was quite the popular young lady among all these country boys. Beth then looked over her shoulder, watching as the cook walked to the far end of the bar to converse with another one of the mages. She then looked at Araña nervously while chewing on the inside of her cheek. 

“Araña, can I tell you a secret?” 

This made Araña raise an eyebrow. Beth looked very distraught, and she wasn’t sure how talking about all her potential suitors would affect her in such a way. Of course, she didn’t want Beth to be upset. She tossed the bit of onion peel aside and leaned forward a little, smiling reassuringly. 

“Of course, honey. You know you can tell me anything.” 

Beth continued to chew on her cheek for a minute, gaze dropping to the minced onion. She made no move to grab the next one. She then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned close to Araña so she could murmur, “I don’t even like boys.” 

Araña was thankful that Beth’s eyes were still scrunched shut because Araña wasn’t able to suppress the stupid grin that splayed across her lips. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” she responded, and Beth opened her eyes to look at her quizzically. She reached out to pinch Beth’s freckled cheek and then said in a sultry croon, “I don’t, either.” 

Beth’s face immediately turned as red as a tomato. She opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. She didn’t say anything, just let out a sound somewhere between a whine and a groan. She really was too adorable, Araña marveled with a laugh, and stopped pinching her cheek to instead give it a few gentle taps. 

“You’re too cute, honey.” This made Beth smile shyly. She swayed her hips from side to side while she picked up the second onion, peeling it with nimble fingers. Araña was just content to watch her, allowing her flirting to simmer, as it were— but it seemed Beth was finally catching on. She grinned coyly before poking Araña with the flat of the knife. 

“So, um… Would you like to go to the farmer’s market with me next week, Araña?” she inquired in a saccharine sweet, hopeful voice. Araña’s lips spread into a surprised and delighted smirk, not having expected such forwardness from sweet little Beth— but like hell she was going to refuse. This is what she had been waiting for, after all. 

“I’d love to.” Once again, that bright, beautiful smile lit up Beth’s face, making Araña’s entire body melt. She leaned into the counter to watch as Beth began working on cutting the vegetables for the soup again. She’d come to market for a cute little farm girl, and it was beginning to look like she would check out with just what she had come for. But, she’s a delicate thing, she reminded herself, watching as that giddy, girlish smile played over Beth’s lips while she minced the onions. And so, so oblivious. I have my work cut out for me!

But, fortunately, Araña had plenty of time to browse.