Web of Blessings: Chapter 1

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Summary: Sier is surprised to find an enormous arachne, Vanelope, hiding out in his greenhouse. She intends to raise her clutch of spiderlings inside over the cold winter, but they have to elude detection first.

[Story Listing]

Web of Blessings

Chapter 1

"AH! A BEE!!"

Biology 101 at Wersthaus University was thrown into chaos as students scrambled to get away from an unwelcome guest. They rose from their seats and hurried down the aisles to put some distance. Others ducked their heads, trying to avoid the swaying and buzzing of the disoriented bee. The professor at the front sighed, adjusting his glasses as he watched the chaos unfold. 

"Jesus Christ, it's just a bug. We don't need to drop everything to run amok in peril." A bespectacled student near the front groaned, his eyes not lifting from his notebook. 

"I don't wanna get stung! My face is at the right amount of perkiness, I can't stand the swelling!!" A posh-looking girl scrambled to the far walls, taking a doily from her pocket to dab off the beads of sweat forming around her face. 

"C-Calm down, it's just a bumblebee! They don't sting people, it's... I-I got it!" One boy declared, hurrying towards the bee, rather than away from it. He had a plastic cup and a book in hand. He raised the cup...

...And missed the bee. He waved the cup at it again, and missed. This went on a few times, as all eyes were on the lanky boy in question. A few sniggers arose as he flailed to capture the bee. 

"...Gotcha!" But with another emphatic jump, Sier secured the bee, getting the bee in the cup and using a book to cover the lip. "Can someone get the window?"

"Oh good. Somebody did something about it." The drole student near the front muttered, glancing back. 

Sier chuckled anxiously, his eyes looked up. "O-Oh no Arthur, I couldn't do that. They're lovable bumbly pollinators, and you know there's something of a bee crisis..."

"If they wander into classes and agitate the students, we can chalk it up to simple Darwinism." Arthur scoffed, turning to the front of the class.

"Fleurs! Be a chap and let the bee out through the window, yes? I'd rather get back to the lesson." The professor sighed, turning his back as he scribbled some chemical symbols on the whiteboard. 

"R, right, I..." Sier swallowed, glancing down to the cup. The bumblebee sat at the bottom of the cup, unmoving. A look of concern washed over his face. His eyes rose to the window; they were on the third floor, and he didn't much like the idea of dumping an unconscious bumblebee over the side of a building! The grim possibilities played out in his mind; the bee could've landed on a sidewalk, carried off by the wind into a river, or into a car's windshield!

"A-Actually, now that I think about it, I..." Sier grimaced, his eyes looking up to the teacher. "I'll just... give me a moment, sir!"

Before waiting for a response, Sier dipped out the door to the classroom, attracting the attention of the rest of the student body. An awkward silence hung in the air, before the professor gingerly tapped the whiteboard. 

"Let's... get to the lesson, everyone. We have to review the fundamental building blocks of life..."

The lesson proceeded on in Sier Fleurs' absence.  Sier Fleurs was a rather unassuming looking university student. He was a bit lanky and gangly, and his messy brown hair made for bangs that often got in his eyes. He had a decidedly nerdy look to him, constantly adjusting the way his glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. He was taller than the average student, which would draw some attention his way... but he was somewhat awkward around people; usually people sizing him up would simply move on without a second thought. 

Sier did have a particular passion that he didn't let people on about. He got enough weird looks already, but... in a crisis situation such as this, he couldn't help himself but stick his neck out for a fellow creature of this earth. Sier hurried down the flights of steps, eyes flashing between where he was going and the bumblebee in the clasped cup. He grit his teeth, hurrying for the doors after the final flight...

He didn't have to go far to find a flowerbed, off to the side of the sidewalks leading up to the science building. Sier lowered himself to the ground, spotting a tulip into which he could deposit the harmless bumblebee. 

"Eeeeasy little guy..." Sier cooed, gently coaxing the bumblebee from the cup. He winced as it tumbled from the cup and into the open petals of the tulip. He peered over to see if the bee was moving again.

He waited. And waited. He thought about making a run to make some sugar water, but...

A twitch of a leg! A rustle of the abdomen! It righted itself back onto its feet. Sier let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Ah jeez... you were just in a state of shock, huh? Don't blame you one bit..." Sier's voice was low and gentle, chuckling to himself. 

The bee fluttered its wings, bobbing about on the stem of the tulip. Sier watched the bumblebee's decidedly energetic movement, almost entranced by its sudden return to health. 

"Alright, you get everything you need from there, I... ah shoot, I gotta get back to class!" 

Sier jumped to his feet and sprinted for the doors, clambering back up the stairwells. It wasn't long before he was back at the front door to the class.

"Everything's okay! The bee's gone!" Sier declared, rather short of breath. 

"...and I believe that will wrap up our lesson for today- oh, Fleurs. You're back." The professor dully glanced at him, before turning to the class. "I recommend reading chapter 5 from your textbooks in anticipation for next week, and..."

Sier stood pat, dumbstruck by what just happened. Class was already over, and everyone was already scrambling to get their things; some of the students had other classes to get to today, after all. 

"A word of advice, Fleurs." Arthur passed by with a judgmental glare directed squarely at him. "If you intend to waste your time faffing about, the least you could do is stay home so the rest of the student body and faculty won't suffer your inanities." 

"...But, I..." Sier was speechless, trying to gather any sort of retort. Arthur merely scoffed and brushed past him.

"Keep the doorway clear, Fleurs." Arthur got the last word in, before disappearing into the hall. Sier bit his lip. With a sigh, he headed to his spot, and gathered his things...

---

Sier didn't have any more classes that day. But there was another obligation he had to prepare for, mentally and physically. And part of that preparation involved hitting up the nearest cafe on school property. 

The cafe had a laid-back atmosphere, a storied tradition as a place for prospecting student playwrights to gather their muse, for gal pals to take selfies, and for responsible academic to crunch away at their last minute papers. Of course, the laidback atmosphere had been drumming up more energy as of late with the recent hiring of one girl at the counter.

"Omigosh it's Sier! Heeeeeeey!~" A short girl manning the cash waved, immediately alerted by the jingle-jangle of the bell above the door. She was very short, about 4'8; it was a marvel that she was able to reach the things on the countertops at all, but she found ways to manage. Her black hair was tied back into two large hairbuns that bounced with every erratic movement she made. 

"Ah... hi Mei." Sier chuckled, shrinking a little under the jubilant attention. His eyes drifted to the various cafe patrons that cringed as a collective; Sier was aware that Mei made a habit of greeting everything just as enthusiastically, and memorizing their names. Nobody could fault Mei for her enthusiasm, at least. 

"Can I get a large black? I'll add the rest myself, thanks." Sier motioned to Mei. "Long night ahead."

"Hehe, no biggie! Cram session tonight? Awww, Sier, I thought you'd be on top of that kinda thing!~" Mei made small talk as she hurried on his order. 

"N-Nothing like that, just got a night shift at the greenhouse." Sier sighed. "Grandpa insists." 

"Ooogh, night shifts. That's roooooough, I feel ya! I got a security job gig tonight after this!"

"S-Sheesh... do you ever stop to breathe?" Sier blurted. "How many jobs do you have, Mei?"

"Mmmmmmmmmmm... I could give you a number, but I think I'd be violating some kind of NDA. Sorry!~" Mei laughed. "It's all about the hustle! Textbooks are expensive, dontchaknow?" 

"...You have a point..." Sier muttered. 

"Night shift at the greenhouse, huh?" Mei made small talk, finishing up the drink. "Security detail? I'unno who'd break into a greenhouse..."

"No no, nothing like that. Thankfully." Sier shook his head. "It's mostly weeding, beautifying the plants, maintenance on the irrigation system... dealing with pests." Sier wasn't too hot about the last point. 

"Ooooh, nifty!" Mei replied. "And you're by yourself, huh? Must be lonely work." 

"Well, grandpa's getting up in the years... he doesn't like doing the dirty work while people are visiting, so I'm picking things up. It's... fine." 

"How good's the pay?" Mei turned her head curiously.

"Heheh... "pay", good joke..." Sier shook his head. "It's a family business, so..."

"Ohhh, you take out family bonds!" Mei smirked. "I get it, I get it. Back at our restaurant, my pay's a warm bed and a roof over my bed. And leftover stirfry ain't bad either, ihihi!~" Mei snickered, hurrying over.

"Got your black here!" Mei had to hop to pass the enormous cup of coffee to Sier. She gripped the countertop, looking over to him.

"You sure you're gonna be okay with that? Your heart's not gonna go pow right out of your chest cavity?" Mei cocked her head to the side. 

"I'll get by, don't worry." Sier chuckled, opening the cap and reaching for the sugar and cream. "I'm sure you've drank sharper stuff in your gauntlets."

"Mmmmm, truuuuuuuuue." Mei chuckled. 

"I'm a little worried, though." Sier titled his head pensively. "My grandfather was looking into some more potent pesticides for the flowers, but..."

"Eh? Isn't that a good thing?" Mei tilted her head. "If the pests are gone, the flowers can grow better, yeah?"

"It's not really that easy..." Sier rubbed his head. "Some bugs aren't really pests at all, and if you take a scorched-earth approach... it causes an imbalance in the ecosystem. And then you lose a colour in the palette of nature..." 

Sier stared off into the distance with a pensive look as silence hovered between the two of them. It took a moment for Sier to remember himself. 

"...A-ah, sorry, I... got lost in my head for a second there." With a start, he adjusted his glasses anxiously.

"Whoooa...." Mei stared forward. "That's like, I dunno, poetic and stuff! Are you in the Art department??" 

"Ah... biology." Sier rubbed the back of his head. "I'm hoping a few of my credits can transfer to a school that specializes in entomology." 

"Everyone needs a hobby! I wish there was a clown college within spitting distance, but I'd end up having to pack up and move to the next town over..."

"...You not thinking of hitchhiking on any trains, right...?"

"Naaah, too dangerous. I'd probably shut myself in some airplane luggage first." Mei tilted her head thoughtfully. 

Sier briefly imagined how Mei would fit inside the average suitcase. With a brief look of realized terror, he concluded that it would be all too easy. 

"...Well, I just need to unwind. It was nice to catch up." Sier smiled. "Good luck with the barista shift." 

"What do you mean 'catch up'? You're in here every day!" Mei tilted her head.

"...True..." Sier admitted. "Well... we're catch up some more tomorrow?" 

"It's a marathon, not a spring!" Mei concurred. "See you around, Sier!~" 

Mei was bright, sunny, and enthusiastic. It was almost enough to distract Sier from the bags under her eyes. Operating on all cylinders must've been supremely stressful. 

...But she was an adult, she'd be fine. Sier had his own busywork to attend to. He needed his small siesta before the nightly shift at the greenhouse...

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