#vidcundcuriousfh

[lallyinthesims]

Christmas morning brings flurries of snow and frost clings to the windowpanes. Camryn, still in her nightgown, looks over to find Wyatt already awake, standing in his crib and gripping the rail with both hands. She lifts him into her arms and carries him into the kitchen for breakfast, not even bothering to dress him for the day. 

After breakfast they gather in the parlor, and Lazlo adds another log to the fire while Vidcund stands near the window, stealing the occasional glance toward the sky. At Camryn's encouragement, Wyatt toddles toward the small pile of presents beneath the tree, and unwraps a lovely little carved wooden horse. He gasps. .

"Horse!" 

Once Wyatt has preoccupied himself playing with the toy, Lazlo reaches beneath the tree. 

"I believe this one is yours."

Camryn accepts the carefully wrapped parcel with curious eyes. Inside is a polished silver dressing set; a hairbrush, comb, hand mirror, and a graceful tray to hold them all. She carefully lifts the brush into the light, watching the fire dance across the silver. She gasps, insisting he’s spoiled her and that her gift is incomparable as she retrieves his own gift. 

Lazlo unwraps it to find a finely embroidered linen handkerchief, stitched by Camryn herself with neat blue thread. 

“This is too pretty to use. I suppose I'll just carry it around to show everyone." Camryn laughs and shakes her head. 

As afternoon settles over Freedom Hollow, Vidcund pulls on his coat, promising to be back before supper. He returns shortly thereafter with Florence on his arm, but Florence frets. 

"I'm rather nervous. I feel like I’m intruding." Vidcund smiles in a quiet, reassuring way. 

"They'll love you, and I won’t let you spend Christmas alone.”  

Any lingering worries disappear almost as soon as she steps through the Curious front door. Camryn embraces her as though welcoming an old friend, while Lazlo takes her coat and insists she warm herself by the fire. Even little Wyatt toddles over clutching his wooden horse.

"Horse," he announces proudly. 

By evening, the family gathers around the supper table, partaking in a platter of fried chicken accompanied by various vegetables they’d purchased from the Burb farm. Camryn quiuetly ensures everyone’s plate stays full, while Lazlo tells exaggerated stories. 

Later, after the dishes have been cleared away and Wyatt settled to sleep, the fire burns low in the parlor, and Florence stands before the hearth, Vidcund beside her. For a long moment, neither speaks, and then Vidcund clears his throat.

"I spend most of my nights looking at the stars; discovered planets even. But none of it has ever made quite as much sense as you. If you need more time, I understand but…” 

He looks into her eyes, and Florence forgets to breathe. 

"Will you marry me instead?"

Her answer comes out as a whisper.

"Yes, Vidcund." He laughs a rare, genuine laugh, and pulls her into an embrace before kissing her in the warmth of the hearth.

Bundled in heavy coats, Vidcund and Florence wander to the back garden. They lie side by side in the untouched blanket of snow, shoulders brushing as they gaze toward the winter sky. Above them, countless stars glitter in the darkness, among them the tiny point of light Vidcund believes to be his planet. He points toward it and Florence follows his finger until she finds it.

"There. I told them to call it Florence.”

[lallyinthesims]

Long before the first hint of sunrise comes close to the horizon, Vidcund is already awake, staring toward the heavens, carefully recording the movements of familiar stars. The Curious family has always insisted the night sky holds secrets that most folk are too busy to notice, and Vidcund has never seen any reason to disagree. Then, a a tiny point of light catches his attention. For the next hour, he checks and rechecks his charts until there can be little doubt in his mind.

Whether it is truly a new planet or simply a wandering heavenly body, Vidcund cannot say. Word of the discovery eventually reaches the regional scientific society, who reward his careful observations with a handsome sum; and as others in town would later complain, “Five-Hundred for looking at the sky.” 

While Vidcund busies himself with the mysteries above, Lazlo concerns himself with much more earthly matters. With an axe over one shoulder, he heads into the woods in search of a Christmas tree, and after wandering for some time, he settles upon a tidy little pine, no taller than his shoulder. By midday, the tree stands proudly in a corner beside the fireplace, waiting to be decorated. 

That evening, little Wyatt makes his way into toddlerhood, and his appearance immediately begins to resemble that of (some of) the Curious men. Dark curls tumble across his forehead, refusing every attempt to be tamed, and Lazlo is already peering thoughtfully into the child's eyes.

"He squints." Camryn sighs.

"He's only just become a toddler."

"I'm fairly certain he'll need spectacles."

Wyatt spends the following day toddling about the farmhouse in a pair of little brown linen overalls, enthusiastically investigating every cupboard, chair leg, and loose floorboard he can find, yet no matter how many baths Camryn and Lazlo give him, the child simply refuses to remain clean for very long.

"I swear I just washed him."

"So did I.” 

Wyatt sits before the hearth, happily stacking a few metal cups from the kitchen into an impressive tower before knocking the whole thing over with a delighted squeal. His little brown overalls are already dusty once again despite the bath he'd had not an hour earlier.

Camryn watches from her chair, a bit of mending forgotten in her lap. She smiles to herself as Wyatt babbles away to no one in particular, entirely absorbed in rebuilding his masterpiece.

The front door opens, and Lazlo stamps in, fresh from bottling vinegar that’s been fermenting since fall. The moment Wyatt hears him, his head snaps toward the doorway, and his face lights up. 

"Dada! Up!" Lazlo cannot help but laugh, and he bends down and sweeps Wyatt into his arms in one smooth motion. The little boy immediately nestles against his father, one tiny hand absentmindedly playing with Lazlo's shirt collar while the other pats at his beard as though making sure it is still there. Camryn watches the two of them from across the room, her heart swelling at the sight. Most of Freedom Hollow considers the Curious family an odd lot, forever looking to the stars, yet they are just as ordinary as any other family; a father returning home and a toddler racing to greet him.

[lallyinthesims]

Christmas Day dawns cold and quiet for Florence. The schoolhouse is empty, of course. No lessons need planning, no papers require grading. The broken engagement still lingers in her thoughts despite her efforts to put it aside. She spends the morning tidying, brewing tea she barely drinks, and pretending not to notice how silent everything feels .

Then there is a knock at the door. Florence blinks; visitors are not exactly common on Christmas morning. When she opens the door, she finds herself staring at Vidcund Curious, and for a moment, neither speaks. 

"Hello, Florence."

"Vidcund. What are you doing here?"

"I..." He pauses; for a man capable of discussing chemistry for hours, ordinary conversation sometimes remains surprisingly difficult.

"I heard rumors and…thought you might be alone for Christmas." Florence's smile softens and  Vidcund shifts his weight, and then, apparently deciding he has already committed himself to this endeavor, he steps forward.Before Florence can quite process what is happening, he gently cups her cheek and kisses her.

For several moments they simply smile at one another, and then Vidcund clears his throat.

"Doc Lothario insisted I shouldn't spend Christmas working. If I am not permitted to spend the day working, I thought perhaps..." He hesitates. "Perhaps you might join my brothers and I.."

"Join you?"

"For Christmas dinner." The corners of Vidcund's mouth twitch upward. "I would very much like it if you came." The loneliness Florence had expected to carry all day seems to melt away almost instantly.

A short while later, bundled warmly against the cold, Florence finds herself walking beside Vidcund through the snowy streets of Freedom Hollow, the day she expected to spend alone turned into something entirely different.

[lallyinthesims]

Early winter comes quick, cold slipping between the white slats of the schoolhouse.Children practice their letters on slates or stumble through arithmetic, and some require constant reminders to pay attention. A spelling lesson occupies much of the afternoon, followed by reading aloud from a well-worn primer.

By the time the last student bundles themselves into a coat and disappears into the snowy evening, Florence is grateful for the silence. She busies herself with a book, but shortly after, hears the door open. Looking up, she is surprised to find Toby Bruenig standing in the doorway; he has never visited her at work before. 

For a moment, her face brightens, but something in his expression immediately tells her this is not a traditional social call, and her smile fades.

"Toby?"

"I won't keep you long." Florence sets down her book, and she already knows. She has known for weeks, or perhaps longer.

"I cannot marry you."

Still, hearing it aloud hurts, and for several moments neither speaks.

"I never meant to hurt you."

"No," she says quietly. "I don't suppose you did." 

She has seen the way Toby looks at Melody Tinker, and the truth is somehow more painful because she understands it. Long conversations and stolen moments and a person who sees the world differently than anyone else she has ever known.

Florence closes her eyes briefly, knowing  she cannot honestly claim betrayal when her own heart has not been entirely faithful. When she finally looks back up, there are tears in her eyes despite her best efforts.

"I think," she says softly, "that perhaps we both knew this wasn't meant to be."

Relief flickers across Toby's face, though it is soon replaced by guilt, and he leaves without another word, disappearing into the approaching evening. 

Finally, the tears come, not because Florence truly believes Toby belongs with her, but because all endings hurt, yet somewhere beneath the heartache is quiet excitement she is not yet ready to examine too closely.

[lallyinthesims]

Winter is creeping close the night Camryn goes into labor. It begins as a tightening that wakes her from sleep as she sits upright, one hand braced at her belly, and Lazlo is awake in an instant when she cries out his name. Outside, frost gathers at the windowpanes while inside the small home fills with steady encouragement, and just before dawn, as the first light brushes the horizon, a cry pierces the room.

Wyatt Curious arrives red-faced, fists clenched tight as though already prepared to argue with the world. When he is placed against Camryn’s chest, her exhaustion dissolves into a radiant grin, while Lazlo stares down at his son as if confronted with a puzzle he cannot quite comprehend but cannot wait to decipher. 

Sunday evening finds the schoolhouse dim and quiet. Vidcund arrives first, shrugging off his coat and crossing to the potbelly stove in the center of the room. He kneels to add fresh logs, coaxing the embers back to life. Florence slips in not long after, cheeks pink from the cold.

The schoolhouse feels different at night; somehow even smaller, if that were possible. The stove casts a gentle glow across the wooden desks and chalkboard. Vidcund straightens, offering Florence a smile that is all charm and quiet confidence.

“I understand you are promised to Mr. Bruenig,” Vidcund says quietly, his voice steady. “But a promise made is not yet a vow spoken before God. And I would not surrender the field without first proving myself worthy of it.”

Florence studies him in the stove’s glow, her expression unreadable — but she does not step away. He tells her he has been thinking about her; her wit, her keen eye for detail, the way she sees things others overlook. She laughs softly but does not deflect; instead she meets his praise with a steady gaze that invites more.

They sit close, speaking in low voices that drift easily from theology to town gossip to shared ambitions. Then, warmth builds; from the fire, from the closeness, from something unspoken. The kiss that follows is unhurried, deeper than the stolen one behind the barn. Their affection grows bold in the privacy of the empty room and is tender, eager, and entirely mutual.

[lallyinthesims]

Camryn’s new dress quickly fits as it was meant to, with the soft blue cotton let out carefully at the seams, curving gently over her growing belly. She sits near the hearth in the evenings, knitting needles clicking steadily while the fire sends gold across the room. A small pile of tiny garments gathers beside her; impossibly small socks, a cap no larger than Lazlo’s palm, a small receiving blanket.

Lazlo occupies the chair beside her with a book open but long forgotten. Every so often, he glances over the top of the pages at her; especially when she pauses to rest a hand when the baby shifts. Eventually he sets the book aside entirely and stands before her, his hand spread carefully over the curve of her belly. 

“Well now,” he murmurs softly, as though addressing someone already very capable of listening. “We’re quite looking forward to meeting you.” Camryn smiles down at him while he continues speaking in low, earnest tones and begins telling stories about the house, the town, and all the things waiting just beyond the hearthlight.

On Saturday Camryn stays home to rest while Lazlo meets Pascal near the wagons. Between them they’ve brought several jugs of vinegar, carefully corked and sealed, as well as heaps of wheat and flour. The vinegar will do well for cheese-making, so Peter Ottomas purchases a fair share on the spot. Not long after, Herb Oldie arranges to take vinegar and several sacks of flour back to the general store shelves. Pascal claps Lazlo on the shoulder afterward, pleased. 

That evening, while Camryn and Lazlo settle in for the night and Pascal returns to Cassandra and his girls, music spills into the cool air through the open windows of the barn dance. Vidcund arrives later than most, dust brushed from his coat. He steps up to and orders a drink from the bartender, accepting the cup with a nod before scanning the crowd.

He finds Florence Delarosa near the edge of the dance floor, lamplight catching in her hair, and she smiles when she sees him. Vidcund approaches with a composure that doesn’t quite mask his anticipation. He takes her hand carefully and, with deliberate old-world courtesy, presses a kiss to her knuckles. The gesture earns him a softened look and the faintest blush, before they booth join the others, turning and laughing beneath the rafters. 

Later, when the dance floor grows crowded and warm, they slip outside, where the night air is cooler and scented with hay and smoke. What begins as a stolen glance and simple conversation becomes something more, and behind the barn beneath a spill of starlight, they kiss without hurry. Finally, Florence smooths her skirts, and Vidcund adjusts his collar, both a little breathless and smiling. They agree quietly to meet the following evening at Florence’s schoolhouse after church.

[lallyinthesims]

Across town, in the Curious household, the evening begins as it often does; with too many thoughts and not quite enough chairs. Camryn is midway through supper when her fork dips, her eyelids flutter once, twice; and then she folds forward into sleep, forehead into her meat and potatoes. 

Pascal stops mid-sentence, while Vidcund stares and Lazlo is on his feet in an instant. They guide her carefully back in her chair, Lazlo brushing a crumb from her cheek with quiet fondness as Camryn startles.

And that's when it clicks for Camryn – the missed moon cycle, the extra naps, the sudden distaste for the smell of onions. Later, as she straightens up the kitchen after supper, not a moment too soon, she pops.  

The next morning, sunlight spills across the small kitchen table where Camryn sits with a slice of toast growing cold between her fingers. She tells Lazlo simply: she has missed her moon cycle, and she thinks she knows why. For a breath, he can only stare, and then his expression shifts into joy.  He reaches for her hands across the table, delighted to begin the next step of their adventure together. 

By afternoon, Camryn makes her way into town to visit the tailor. She moves more carefully now as she makes her way up the creaking wood stairs of the shop. Inside, bolts of fabric line the walls in orderly rows, and the tailor listens with a knowing nod when Camryn requests a dress with room to grow.

The tailor promises the dress will be let out carefully as needed, seams prepared for the time ahead. A soft navy and floral cotton is chosen; sturdy, breathable, and forgiving.

[lallyinthesims]

Freedom Hollow Town Record, Vidcund, Lazlo, and Camryn Curious

The Curious Boys have always been a peculiar bunch; they were raised to believe the wind carries messages, their crops grow best under a full moon, and that the strange lights seen over Freedom Hollow’s fields aren’t just lanterns. Most folks just smile, nod, and buy their grain anyway.

Vidcund Curious spends his days concocting tonics, remedies, and the occasional mysterious elixir alongside Doc Lothario. He is, true to his namesake, curious; a thinker who measures both the properties of plants and the mysteries of the world around him.

Though dedicated to his work, Vidcund’s heart bears a quiet ache for a love lost long ago. As a teen he hoped to share his life and studies with a bright and spirited woman named Circe, who instead took a path he could not follow. Yet the memory of her and what might have been lingers in his thoughts, tempered now by the warmth and steadiness of Florence Delarosa, Freedom Hollow’s schoolteacher, leaving some to wonder if the curious alchemist is learning the most unpredictable science of all: the human heart.

Lazlo Curious has taken the lead in managing the family’s wheat farm, ensuring that Freedom Hollow’s grain and vinegar is plentiful, healthy, and delivered on time. Practical, grounded, and patient, Lazlo’s focus is on hard work and maintaining the family legacy of peculiar yet fruitful agriculture. Though less given to odd theories than his brothers, Lazlo does have his own quirks: he believes that certain moons favor planting, that strange patterns in the clouds are warnings, and that the wind carries secrets if you are patient enough to listen.

Lazlo married Camryn, a simple and steady woman who complements him well. Together, they maintain the farm and raise a household amidst the windswept fields, earning the respect of townsfolk who rely on the Curious wheat for their bread and winter stores.