Generated word of the day - Season!
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Autumn had made it's arrival. As the temperatures slowly began to plummet, Beacontown started to transform. The usually lush green fields and forests surrounding its walls were changing into warm toned colours of red, orange and brown. Leaves began to fall, covering the ground where the grass used to grow, in a thick and colourful carpet.

Even the behaviour of the Beacontowners started to change. They began emerging from their houses later than usual, dressed in cosy sweaters and scarves. Less people were seen buying themselves a cold drink or ice cream to start the day with, instead walking around with warm mugs of hot cocoa and coffee. The air smelled of pumpkin and cinnamon.

It was almost magical, watching everything slowly transform.

It was early morning, a crisp autumn breeze tugging at Radar's thick jacket as he made his way down the brick road. As much as Radar loved how beautiful autumn was, he wasn't fond of the cold at all. So he had pulled a thick jacket on over two sweaters and stuck his hands into two woolly gloves. Still, the moment he opened his door and the icy breeze met his face, he had turned right back around to get a hat as well.

Fortunately the walk between his house and the Order hall wasn't long at all. Radar rubbed his hands together as he approached the large building, eager to get inside where it was warm. When it was cold out, Jesse almost always had a mug of hot cocoa waiting for him.

As he reached the door, Radar stopped to look up at the building in front of him again. It's been almost two entire years, but sometimes it still felt like a dream. He couldn't fathom how lucky he was to work for a member of the Order, their leader at that! And not only did he work for Jesse, but he had been along for the ride on one of her craziest adventures yet.

Radar smiled to himself as he reached for the door, stepping into the welcoming warmth that awaited inside. He still got butterflies when he thought back to that day after the battle, when Jesse told him he was no longer just an intern in her eyes. He was her friend.

"Oh, Radar! Is that you?" A voice called from somewhere in the building when Radar pulled the door closed behind him. "Come take a look at this!"

Radar quickly pulled off his jacket and hat, hanging both beside the door. He took a deep breath of the warm indoor air, making his way down in the hallway in the direction Jesse's voice had come from.

The Hero in Residence stood bent slighting over her desk. Her dark brown eyes were fixed on a large piece of paper that was spread over her desk, amongst all the other files and documents that were strewn about. The messiness of Jesse's workspace still sometimes got on Radar's nerves, but he had given up on trying to rid her of the habit.

"Hey." Jesse greeted, looking up at him and smiling. She let out a short puff of breath, blowing a strand of chestnut hair that had fallen over her face out of the way.

"Good morning, boss! What's up?" Radar asked, walking over to see what Jesse was looking at.

She stepped to the side, making space for Radar to stand beside her and take in what was in front of them as well. He let out a soft "Woah" as his eyes scanned the building plans that were laid out on the desk.

"You like it?" Jesse asked, glancing over at Radar with a smile. "I stayed up almost all night working on these."

"You designed this?" Radar asked, unable to hide the amazement in his voice. He never knew Jesse had such a talent for architecture.

"Lukas taught me a thing or two." Jesse said with a soft chuckle, pulling a chair closer and taking a seat. She grabbed a pencil out of the drawer, beginning to sketch a few details onto the plans. "I've been wanting to have some new, bigger stables built, closer to the entrance of town. We could look into getting some new horses for the place, so less citizens have to travel on foot."

"How long have you had this project in mind?" Radar asked, curiously looking over at Jesse. It sounded like it's been something she's had on her mind for a lot longer than one late night.

"A... few weeks now, I guess?" Jesse said, scratching her head with the back of her pencil as she thought for a moment. "I came up with it one night I couldn't sleep."

"Well, I think it's going to look really nice." Radar said, focusing his attention back on the plans. "What were you thinking for materials?"

"Simple bricks for the flooring and base." Jesse said, tapping part of the plans with her pencil. "Then a combination of spruce and dark oak for the walls and beams, and thatch for the roof. I feel like a rusty look is suited for stables."

"That does sound really nice." Radar agreed, nodding his head. "Should I get somebody to collect the resources for it? When are we going to get this built?"

"Actually, about that." Jesse leaned back in her chair, chewing the end of her pencil.

"Is something wrong?" Radar asked, frowning.

"No." Jesse chuckled, shaking her head. "Nothing's wrong. But now that autumn is here, we've been getting beautiful weather day after day."

Radar disagreed with the statement entirely, but didn't voice his opinion.

"I want to get out there, stretch my legs a bit and make myself usef- uh, do some things." Jesse said, hastily shifting her wording. She shrugged, smiling. "I think we should go out and collect some of these resources ourselves, or a portion of it at least."

"Wait, excuse me, what?" Radar asked, his brown eyes widening behind the lenses of his glasses. "You want to go out there, in this cold, and chop wood?"

"Yeah." Jesse responded, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "I haven't gotten out nearly enough since... since the whole Admin catastrophe." She seemed to be picking her words carefully. "I'm not used to being cooped up like this all the time."

Radar grimaced, glancing over at the window. As if on cue, the breeze gusted a few soggy red leaves against the frosted glass pane, seeming to want to emphasise how cold it was outside.

"Relax, buddy." Jesse said, chuckling as she noticed Radar's downcast expression. "You don't have to come, you can stay here where it's nice, warm and dry."

"No." Radar gave a determined shake of his head. "A little cold doesn't frighten me, I'll come with you."

"If you're sure." Jesse smiled. "It'll be nice to have you there. And don't worry." She winked. "I'll bring a large flask of hot cocoa to keep us warm."

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Part of Radar wished he never agreed to go along, the outside air crisp an icy despite the many layers he came in that morning. The cold breeze picked up as he and Jesse made their way through Beacontown, managing to chill every part of skin Radar couldn't cover.

Jesse wasn't phased by the cold in the slightest, or at least she didn't show it. There was a spring in her step as she strode down the brick road a few feet in front of Radar, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket. Occasionally she pulled one out to wave to citizens who called her name. There was a smile plastered across her face.

Radar wondered how Jesse managed to stay so cheerful. He could tell that the past few months hadn't exactly been easy for her, after the Order broke up. Before the fight with Romeo, Jesse had often mentioned how much she wished she could've hung out with her friends more. Even though she hid it completely, Radar knew things had to be really hard for her without them.

After paying a quick visit to the town's current, less impressive, stables, Radar and Jesse made their way out of the large red gates on two horses. Radar bounced slightly in the saddle, still fairly new to riding, while Jesse had a comfortable and steady seat.

They travelled mostly in silence, simply enjoying the nature around them. Even though he was certain the tip of his nose would freeze off, Radar was still mesmerized by the warm toned world around him. Leaves crunched beneath the horses' hooves, a sturdy breeze playing with their manes and tails.

Finally, after a short ride, Jesse and Radar began to approach one of Beacontown's many tree plantations. When Beacontown was still young and Jesse had only just taken on the leader role, she had decided that they would no longer disturb nature by gathering their wood from the surrounding forests. It had taken years for them to get the many tree farms all up and running, but the project was a success.

"Here we are." Jesse said as they rode through the many trees. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. "Smell that fresh air, it's magical."

Radar took a deep breath, realising that Jesse was right. So far away from Beacontown and Champion City, and surrounded by trees, the air was clean and fresh. He could understand why Jesse loved to get out of town so much.

"It's been months since I last came here." Jesse said, slipping from the saddle and taking her horse's reins. She looked around, her formerly excited gaze almost appearing sad. "Scrounging for resources did have its advantages."

Radar didn't know exactly what Jesse meant, but he decided against asking. Instead he carefully took out the roll of plans from his saddle bag, scanning over them.

"We should probably start with the spruce, since that's what we'll need the most of." He said, looking up from the plans when he didn't receive a response. "Jesse? Do you have a different preference?"

"Yeah, actually." Jesse said, smiling to herself. "I kind of just... want to take a moment to appreciate being out here, before we start to work."

"Okay." Radar uncertainly put the plans away again, walking over to her.

"Let's warm up." Jesse said, slipping her bag from her shoulder and taking the flask of hot cocoa from it.

Radar didn't object, gratefully accepting the warm drink Jesse poured for him. He wrapped his chilled fingers around the mug, breathing out a soft sigh as the warmth seeped into his hands.

Jesse took a small sip from her own mug as she strolled away from Radar and the horses, walking into the trees. Radar watched as she stopped, tilting her head back to look up at the branches that criss-crossed the cloudy sky. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off that morning.

"Jesse?"

Turning her head, Jesse looked back over her shoulder when she heard her name. She was smiling, but the excitement that had sparkled in her brown eyes earlier that morning had gone. If Radar had still been doubting his suspicions, he no longer did. Something was definitely off.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, walking over to her with his hands still wrapped around the mug. "I feel like something's troubling you.

Jesse's smile faltered for a second. Radar watched she directed her gaze down at the ground, hesitating. For a moment he wasn't sure if he should have asked, but then Jesse smiled again.

"You know me too well, huh?" She asked softly, still not looking up. "The Order used to be the only ones who could ever see through this smile."

For a moment, Radar was silent, almost taken aback by Jesse's words. He had expected her to either just admit that she was feeling a little down, or brush off his worries and say that everything was fine. He didn't expect the despondent response he got instead.

"I... uh... what's wrong?" He asked softly, his tone stuttering with uncertainty.

"Nothing, it's just memories." Jesse said softly, taking a small sip from her mug as she returned to gazing up at the branches above them.

Her tone didn't match her dismissive statement. While she held back from speaking about what truly bothered her, Radar sensed that she actually needed to talk.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" He whispered, walking over to stand beside Jesse, before giving her a gentle8 nudge with his elbow. "You promoted me to friend, after all."

Jesse chuckled at Radar's statement, and he smiled. Even if he didn't have much experience with situations like that, he was glad something he said had cheered Jesse up a tad.

"I'm fine, really." Jesse said, looking over at Radar and giving him a small smile. "Sometimes, little things just remind me of... different times." She looked back down at the ground. "Times when the Order was still together."

Jesse took a deep, almost shaky breath, before returning her gaze to the branches above. Radar didn't push her to keep talking. He wasn't used to seeing Beacontown's Hero in Residence, the famous Wither Slayer, looking so... emotional.

"I'm happy that we all found our own things that make us who we are." Jesse went on, not tearing her gaze from the sky. "Olivia's dream of working together with Ellegaard finally came true, and Axel's happier than ever in Boomtown. Lukas found the perfect place to write out in the woods, and Petra's following her passion for exploring." She smiled faintly. "And I get to help Beacontown grow, watch the place evolve into the utopia I always dreamed it could be."

Radar watched as took another small drink from her mug, before strolling deeper into the trees. He followed after her, watching as she gazed at all the nature surrounding them. It was like she was searching for a distraction, something to help her retain the faint smile on her lips.

"It felt like just yesterday I wondered through a forest much like this one." Jesse was saying softly, her voice almost inaudible. "The others were there too, we were all laughing and joking, not knowing what life would bring us. After all what could be worse than a living storm, or an endless hallway of portals? Things were perfect just the way they were, we were all so happy."

Jesse stopped, dipping her head slightly. The glint from a held back tear shone in one of her eyes as she reached out a hand, her fingers brushing against a large, orange leaf. Her touch caused the dying leaf to drop from it's position, slowly floating to the ground where it joined all the others.

"But I guess perfect never lasts, as the seasons will always keep changing."

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Sad one shot that left me feeling sad? Sad one shot that left me feeling sad.

I cut it really close with this one shot, didn't know if I was going to finish it in time! I pretty much just started too late, having gotten completely carried away doing art- So if I skipped over some mistakes in the editing, that's my excuse!

My first thought for the prompt Season, was change. I decided to give Radar some spotlight, since I've definitely been neglecting the poor bean a bit, especially considering how often I wrote about him in past challenges!

And hey, since I'm in autumn right now, what better season to set this in?

I really like how I was able to approach this. Usually when I write Jesse missing her friends, I have her handling her emotions very differently. In this she's actually happy staying in Beacontown, but thinking about her friends can easily shift her mood. And of course there's the subtle hints that everything isn't as fine as she says it is, like all her late night projects.

I don't know, putting it into words sounds wrong, but I definitely approached this differently and I like it-

Honestly this whole topic about the order splitting up hurts me so bad- And yet it's probably one of my most written about topics.

Okay, I'm tired, it's late, and I think I'm starting to ramble because of it XD

I hope you all enjoyed this one shot, and I'll see you tomorrow with whatever the word generator spits out for the final day!