Dirty Talk/Three Brats/June 10th, 2021

The walk here wasn't as long as I remember.

The village center IS a lot bigger than I remember though. We've got the same old convenience store, the bakery next to it, the post office, the apothecary… Oh, and they do have the same old ice cream truck by the park. Does the old geezer still use his own homemade recipes? I also remember there being a little souvenir shop? If I recall correctly, the old lady made some traditional Sámi handicrafts? Oh, and wasn't there also a candy store somewhere?

At least the playground has been completely renovated. I'm not too old for the slides and swings yet, right?

I suppose I could take a little stroll through the park before I return home. Maybe I'll walk by the beach..

A stranger spotted at twelve o'clock! Target appears to be accompanied by a black, hairy beast!

Huh?

It's a boooy! Look at that! What's his name? Can I pet him?

Oh, sure. His name is Gunnar. He's my best friend.

Come 'ere, Gunnar! Oooh, he's such a good boy!

*THUD!* Hahaha, he's playing rough! Waaait, don't lick my faaaace! Hahaha, that tickles!

*giggle* He really seems to like you.

I haven't seen you before.

Yeah, I, uh… We just moved here.

Oh? That's rare. Usually, families move out of here.

My parents have been trying to sell the house for three years ever since my granny died. Now my father has a new job here, so we moved in.

Oh, now I remember! You're Mrs. Björnquist's grandkid! Emilia!

Have we met?

I'm Milka Ahlroos. Remember? My granny runs the souvenir store on the other side of the park! We used to play some summers back when we were five!

I… I'm sorry, I can't remember anything from that far back.

Ehehe, it's fine! I'm sure we're gonna be friends again, just like we were all those years back!

I hope so too.

My name's Heidi, by the way. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

They seem like nice people. I'm so glad that there are girls my age around here. I've never been friends with a boy, so that's what I was the most worried about…

Hey Hey-diii～

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

I have no idea what you're thinking, but she smells like a city kid. Got some big brand clothes too. Gucci shirt, Yeezys… This kid's parents must be loaded.

What are you even talking about? I meant she's cute!

CUTE!?

Well, that too. She's all kinds of fancy.

I feel a little embarrassed…

Oh, don't be!

But never mind that, are you busy? Do you wanna hang out? Maybe we could get to know each other better.

My parents are expecting me at home, so I'm not sure if I can hang out. I'm just taking Gunnar for a walk, but you can join me if you want to.

We'd love to. Maybe we'll get to meet your family too.

I know where you live! And I know a nice shortcut from there to the beach! Let's take the scenic route and I'll show you!

I hope it's not too long of a detour.

Not at all! Town's right by the lake! You can see it from that hilltop! Come on, let's go!

Stop running already. We're not in a hurry.

Quit your nagging, it's fine! Gunnar's running too! See?

I have no idea who these two girls are, but they seem playful! Emilia doesn't play with me nearly often enough!

Wow, the lake really is really close to the services.

It's way smaller than I remember it being, as you can actually see the details on the other end of the shore, even all the way from here… But then again, there's more than just one lake here, isn't there? Plenty of tiny little islands too, and everything's so forested. Even those little islands. Lake's kinda deep if I remember correctly though… Got to wait until it freezes over during winter if I want to see what's on those little islands…

Got a lot of cottages and holiday homes along the lake too, it seems. I remember hearing dad say tourism is big here this time of the year due to nature and those rental summer cottages…

Oh, right… I should socialize with these two more…

Yeah, it's a shortcut alright!

Speaking of shorts, I probably should've worn stockings on this trip. This damn tiny path is full of nettles! And mosquitoes too! At least Gunnar and Milka are having a blast.

See? A shortcut straight from the lady's castle to the beach!

It is nice, but how do you know about it? Do you live nearby?

We used to play together when we were younger, remember? I've been here a few times! Our grannies were great friends, so it only made sense for me to tag along!

She keeps talking about her granny, but not so much about her actual parents. Are they not around? I'm afraid to ask…

I've never actually been to this house before. It looks nice from the outside. Is your family big?

Just me, my brother and our parents. And Gunnar, of course.

Emilia! Welcome back! Oh, and what's this? You seemed to have brought friends along!

Heyo! Are you Emilia's dad?

That I would be.

Wait… I remember you from somewhere!

Oh, you do? Well, I used to play here some years back.

I almost didn't recognize you because you've grown so much!

Anyway, are you two hungry? My wife's preparing some snacks while we're still waiting for the truck.

No thanks, my mother will get mad if I eat snacks before dinnertime.

I've always got room for snack-o's!

Alright then. Just wait here for a moment. My wife will bring some sandwiches outside.

Hey Emilia, your father's kinda hot!

…Hot?

Shhhhhhh!

Don't you think so too, Milka?

I know right? Look at the size of his back～ ! He looks kinda young too… Like he's in his late twenties or something…

Errr, he's 36.

Really now? Hmmm…

And he's rich too! His wife is soooo lucky～ !

Where does he work?

He works for the national army… Military engineering, probably. I'm not actually sure… All I know is that his rank's kinda high…

Ooooh, I wanna see him in uniform!

*giggle* So he can order you around～ ?

Ehehehe, yeeeah! 💗

Geeez, you two…

How about that lanky emo-looking guy? He must be your older brother.

Oh, you're right! Let's go meet him.

These girls are out of control…

You must be Emilia's older brother.

Hm?

He really doesn't like being interrupted when he's on his phone… I hope he's at least gonna be nice…

Wait a minute. You. What's that on your arm?

Oh? It's just an armband.

No, I mean, there's something underneath it.

Oh, hahaha… Well, it does look like the band may have slipped a little…

You can't be serious…

*ahem* You do know what it means, right?

Mmmm-hm…

…I have no idea what's going on anymore…

…And now he's looking at me…

…And he looks mad for some reason…

We'll talk later.

Suuure… I'm not going anywhere… Yet…

Heidi, what was that all about?

It's a secret…

Come on, you got me all curious now…

You don't need to know, pipsqueak.

You ass! Now I really want to know!

Now, now, it's probably nothing. Heidi's just got a weird fashion sense and your brother just got curious.

It's not that weird, is it?

And now he just walks away like nothing? Didn't even bother explaining himself.

Sheesh, what's up with him?

My, my! What a couple of adorable little friends you've made!

Oooh, it's Emilia's mother! Nice to meet you!

I've got some sandwiches and redcurrant juice. Come eat, Emilia. And we've got enough for you two girls as well.

S-sorry, I'd love to! But I really need to save up space for dinner.

Oh my, well alright then.

Yeah, sorry girls, but got to run. Let's exchange contacts later. Okay, Emilia?

Yeah, see you again! It was nice to meet you!

Pleasure was all mine. Hejdå!

She's totally going in the same direction as my brother did. Is she looking for him?

I know what you're thinking, Emilia. You're curious, aren't you?

Well, yeah… Are you not then?

Hmmmmm…

Why are you looking at me like that…?

Do you really want to know?

I mean, I don't know about her, but my brother's acting weird, so it got me all curious…

Ehehe, I have a feeling Heidi's not gone like this～

But I just can't help myself～

Do you really know what's going on?

Yeah, I do! If you're curious, come with me! We're gonna eavesdrop on them!

Wait, so are they talking? How do you know that?

*giggle* Just come with me and I'll show you!

Alright, alright…

Errr, sorry mom, we'll join you at the table soon.

Okay, sweetie. Bring your brother along if you see him!

Milka was right. They really are talking to each other, but I can't hear anything…

I wonder how close we can get without being noticed? This yard is open right here in the back, and they're whispering, so not very…

I just wanna know what's this about. I mean, they've never even met. Why are they acting so buddy-buddy?

I think they are exchanging contacts.

And now it looks like Heidi's leaving for real.