Carrying a bag filled with a flannel shirt she’d taken from her husbands closet, some hay and all of the things she needed to make a scarecrow. She found a good spot in the open space near the family housing houses.
After tying together some of the different pieces of hay for the arms and legs she was shoving more hay into where the stomach would be when she heard someone clear their throat from behind her.
“One second, I have to get this-” she heard the cleared throat again.
“What?” She asked turning her head.
“Did I miss something?” Stefan knew the compulsion of Atlantis when he saw it; some of the more random encounters he’d ever had with his wife had something to do with this strange and wonderful island. “Are we skipping the hottest part of summer? Because ..” he paused, bending to hand her two more handfuls of straw.
“Because if that’s the case I think a fat Scarecrow is the best kind.”
“We really need this scarecrow, to scare off the crows and maybe there are other birds out there that need to be kept away, we can add what is it?” She thought for a moment. “Soap, is it soap that scares off or prevents deer from coming around and eating everything?” She asked.
“Wait, what does skipping the hottest part of summer has to do with a fat or skinny scarecrow?” Caroline knew a lot of things, but her knowledge of scarecrows ranged from they were creepy, there were bad movies about them, and they were great to have around Halloween. She did however gratefully take the straw from Stefan.
“Why are we scaring crows? Are there crops I don’t know about it?” But there were rose bushes, so the next comment about deer made more sense. His response, however? “I thought it was human hair.” Creepy. Not that Stefan meant to be creepy … just informative.
“Because the heat would thin the scarecrow down since he’s outside working. I was just thinking about realistic conditions.” He handed her another armful of straw.
“What?” Caroline completely ignored the question about crops, she had been about to answer but the human hair part got her full attention and she practically stopped what she was doing. “Human hair?” She scrunched up her nose. “No, I’m not putting human hair on him.”
Laughing she took the straw and kept stuffing. “Stefan, since when do scarecrows need to be of realistic size when the goal is to just be, well, a creepy half stuffed thing that is supposed to scare birds away?” She paused. “You’re,” she laughed throwing a bit of straw at him.
He ducked her bit of straw and decided to retaliate - not by throwing straw at her, but by stuffing him extra for the long fall ahead. “Fair enough, then let’s make him good and fat. It’ll be a lonely time scaring the birds and he needs all the carbs he can get.”
He waited for a moment, watching Caroline out of the corner of his eye, before he moved the scarecrow’s arm and gestured with it. “Oh, I wish I had some avocado toast!”
Laughing she reached out and bat at his hand holding the scarecrow's arm, she was doing everything in her power not to look amused despite being ver amused. “You are not helping and since when do scarecrows eat avocado toast! Shouldn’t they eat, I don’t know, straw, or hay, or bird seed?”
“I thought scarecrows would have a very hipster aesthetic - look at all the flannel! - and would appreciate the high fat content of avocado toast.” He smirked. “I guess we’ll just have to make it for Josie.” The arm moved well out of Caroline’s way before he positioned it on the crossbeam once again.
“Bird seed and corn kernels for our scarecrow.”
Frowning as she looked at the scarecrow she tilted her head. “I was going for lumberjack, not hipster, he doesn’t have a man bun or a stupidly long beard, really what is it with that trend?” She scrunched her nose up.
“And that’s fitting food, and scarecrows don’t eat!”
“ … that’s fair. Vampires don’t eat either,” he told her with a laugh, and stepped up to the scarecrow’s face. Pulling a pen from his pocket, he drew two little fangs on either side of the creature’s large mouth. “Now that’s the right kind of scarecrow. Better than a hipster with a manbun and a beard.”
“We totally eat!” She countered. “We just don’t have to eat, I happen to love it when you cook,” she laughed as he drew the fangs. “So much better, a little sexier too, if scarecrows can be sexy.” That was probably not something she really thought but oh well, it was better than a manbun.
“ … then let’s go? I can make pancakes and be far sexier than I have any right to be.” He turned back to his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Let the sexy scarecrow do his job.”
With the scarecrow made, standing and doing it’s job she didn’t feel the need to make it anymore. “Oh, you think you can be sexier than a scarecrow do you?” She teased putter her arms around his neck.
Feigning a good, solid wounding -- “Really? I’m hurt. My ego will never see the end of Stefan versus the Scarecrow.” He smiled, though, unable to help himself. “ … pancakes win over all, though?”
Caroline played thinking about it. “No, pancakes don’t win.” She paused for just a moment, “You, win.”
“ … good answer.” He grasped her chin gently, tilting her lips upward for a kiss. (He could almost imagine the scarecrow in question grimacing a little harder behind them.) He was willing - enough - to chalk it up to his imagination and focus on his completely lovely wife.