#pmwv

She stopped, taking a deep breath and looking around. In the distance, she saw the children and that particularly loud troll having a picnic. She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether or not to go with them and say hello, but...

There was endless time for that, now, wasn't there?

She reached into her mailbag, looking for her next delivery, but was surprised to find that there were no letters left. Finished early, she thought, taking back her hand.

Her idle gaze landed on it, the delicate white fingers, and she couldn't help but use her other hand to brush her index finger. It felt like it had been so long ago since she'd worn the ring, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

She smiled, something she thankfully seemed to be doing a lot, and made her way towards the city council. After a brisk walk, only somewhat lenghtened by all the consorts and carapaces she stopped to greet, she finally reached the building, opening the doors and stepping inside.

"Oh, Miss Parcel Mayor!" one of the carapaces greeted, walking towards her. "Finished your rounds?"

"Mh-hm," she replied. Truth be told, she still wasn't quite used to her new denomination, but a certain carapace had insisted on it. She placed her bag on a nearby rack before looking around, "Do you know where--"

"The Mayor's in his office," the carapace interrupted, later cheekily adding with a grin, "That's who you were going to ask about, right?"

Perhaps, at some other time, she might have been embarrassed, but... lately she found that she didn't care what anyone thought. With that in mind, she offered the carapace a grin. "Tell anyone coming in that The Mayor will be busy for a while, then," she said, walking off and trying not to giggle at the other carapace's own rather loud giggles.

When she reached the large wooden door, she resolved on knocking three times. She never really felt like she had to knock, but he was such a stickler for protocol.

Except no answer came, so she knocked three more times... and then three more times when she had still to hear a voice letting her in.

After the 9th knock, she decided he'd probably forgive her for breaching protocol once, and opened the door, peeking her head inside.

"Vagabond?" she called out, finding his office empty. That's strange...

She stepped out, closed the door and crossed her arms. Where could he be? If he'd gone out, Trusty Advisor wouldn't have said he was in his office. Was he maybe in another room?

With that in mind, she made her way through the building, peeking into every passing room in search of the dersite. It wasn't until a full ten minutes later that she found her answer in the form of a blue chalk lying right in the middle of the hallway.

She picked it up, and as she did, she heard sounds coming from the nearby room.

Quietly, she peeked her head and had to bite down a laugh at the sight she found.

Crawling on the floor was the founder and mayor of Can Town, his suit stained with chalkmarks as he finished placing a TAB can on the top of his makeshift town. Serenity, always by his side, was busy struggling to roll a chalk around and paint a... red tree?

PM observed the scene for a moment, heart fluttering in her chest, before finally resolving to announce her presence with a loud clearing of her throat.

"Vagabond," she said. "Don't you have a real town to run?"

The reaction was instantaneous.

"Me-Mendicant!" he blurted out, his cheeks flushing red. "I am! It is the new design for... Can...Town...Two?"

PM giggled, stepping into the room. "Is it, now?"

"Yes... Yes!" WV said, clearing his throat and standing up, his official pose completely ruined by the childlike chalk scrawls all over his clothes. "We need to expand! It was Serenity's idea," he added, to which the firefly blinked in assent.

"Well, in that case, I think it's a great idea," PM said, playfully rolling her eyes when WV very quickly exclaimed that, actually, it had been his idea all along, and Serenity just wanted to take credit for it.

At his insistence, PM sat down next to Can Town Two and watched as he did the same. He started to talk about all his plans, his designs, what bright future awaited all the species living in their new planet, but PM wasn't really paying attention. There would be plenty of time for that later, because time was something they no longer lacked.

Instead, she noticed his hand pressed against the floor, and with all the care in the world, she took it in hers and entangled her fingers with his. The gesture was enough to stop his rambling, and when he looked at her, she was secretly delighted to see a blush on his cheeks.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, for a moment seeming alarmed. "Do you not like it?"

Rather than reply, PM simply leaned in, pressing her lips against his and leaving a kiss, making sure to squeeze his hand tightly as she did so. No, there was nothing wrong. In fact, for once in a very long time, everything was right, and it made her so happy to think that it would be that way from now on.

When the kiss ended, she let her lips brush against his before letting out a long sigh and, with a smile, whispering, "I love it."