The first time he sees her she's struggling to carry a ridiculously large crate that's overflowing with bags of seeds. It's obvious that she can't see over the top due to that fact that she bumps into him, in turn dropping it.
She mutters something under her breath while scrambling to pick the bags up. Finally finished she stands up and places her hands on her hips, apparently pleased with the outcome.
"Need some help with that?" he asks, not entirely sure why he even bothers. After all, if she's who he thinks she is, there's no way she'll accept.
He watches her face drain of color, causing the stark contrast of violet eyes and the darkness caramel brown hair to intensify. "Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't think it was a person I bumped into."
That deserves a quirk of an eyebrow before he can respond, "And what exactly did you think I was?"
"A tree?" she says, more question than answer filling her response.
"A tree in the middle of the road?" he asks, a low undertone of amusement that he hasn't felt in a long time bubbling forth.
"Well I uh, after nobody said anything right away, you know what fuck it I have places to be alright? If you're going to be an ass then I'll be on my way."
He takes notice of the fact that her cheeks have suddenly become stained with what appears to be blush, but decides not to mention it. Instead, he stands arms crossed as he watches her try to lift the box.
He contemplates leaving her be but he knows that if she doesn't move it soon then Galen will notice. And he'll be damned if he lets the old man help her. Dealing with Vesta's constant insisting after is tiresome enough without having the added blow of Galen of all people helping her instead of him.
"My offer to help still stands," he calls out, his gravely voice carrying just far enough for her to hear.
She's currently dragging the box along the ground and he can't help but finally understand why Jack always used a rucksack to carry his seeds. At least, back when Jack was still planting crops.
She starts to deny the need for help before finally sighing a defeatist's sigh. "That'd be great actually," she concedes, drawing herself to full height in what appears to be an attempt retain her image of strength.
He doesn't blame her, he understands that feeling a little too well.
He panics for a split second when he goes to pick up the box, because what if he can't lift it and Galen really does have to help them. Now that'd be embarrassing, he thinks to himself before realizing that the crate is already in the air and he had nothing to worry about in the first place.
And so they walk in comfortable? Uncomfortable? (he's never been good with social subtleties) silence. At least until they reach the end of the bridge that connects the main part of town and his & Vesta's farm. That's when she apparently can't take it anymore and launches into a series of rambles that are rather hard to follow.
"The crate was easier to lift off the counter," she announces.
It takes everything in him not to respond with well, obviously, otherwise you would have been able to have picked it up off the ground out in front of the shop. But he doesn't say it out loud, partly because he doesn't want to come off as a rude asshole to her but mostly because she's already moved on in the conversation without his input.
"Physics," she says with a shrug, swinging her arms by her side, as though she's a child who's just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar and in need of a solid defense. She shoves a bunch of more information that he can't really grasp, mostly because he's only half listening now- are they heading towards Jack's farm? So he was correct then about her identity then. He grimaces to himself as he catches the end of her high-pitched, "It's just physics, really."
Turning to face her because they've reached the mouth of Jack's final he attempts to hide his unease in the form of a smartass comment and a smirk. "Physics you say? And what exactly does physics have to do with farming?"
He expects her to turn into a blushing mess that trips over her words but instead is rewarded with a dark glare and narrow gaze. "I just fucking told you what it had to do with it." There's a bite to her words that he hadn't been there earlier when she had sworn in her slip up. He's taken aback to the point that he almost drops the crate of seeds that he had been lowering to the ground at the moment. Luckily he's saved by a very pregnant Celia making her way towards them through the orchard pathway.
"Oh Marlin," she exclaims, a hand on her stomach as though it's a way to steady herself, "your help is greatly appreciated you know." Her tone is so earnest, smooth and sweet he'd believe her reading a list of known lies.
"So that's your name," the caramel brunette remarks breezily.
"Marlin," Celia admonishes in a tone that forces him to feel guilt wash over him in waves. "You never even introduced yourself to her? No wonder she let you carry the seeds for her."
She doesn't continue with that line of thought but he knows where this conversation is going and he's already internally groaning. It's not even like it's raining, he's perfectly capable in this kind of weather. He ignores the reminder his brain provides of the time he passed out on a cool sunny autumn day and instead focuses on the current issue.
If it had been literally anybody else he would have given them a piece of his mind- but this is Celia he's dealing with currently. He's already on bad enough standing with her and Jack as is without adding a yelling match into the mix, so he remains silent and instead sends his glower towards the other girl beside him.
"This is Jill," Celia announces tugging her towards him in a manner that suggests she wants them to shake hands. "And this is Marlin, but you already knew that," she finishes with a giggle.
He expects Jill to refuse to shake his hand so he sticks his out in an attempt to get Celia to turn against her. Instead Jill's meets his a fraction of a second later and the look in her eyes isn't pity- he'd despise her if it was that- but instead empathy. A look of understanding passes between her and him, a look that states that they hate having to rely on others and don't look forward to it like someone like Celia. He let's her hand go when he realizes it's probably been an awkward amount of time to have spent shaking hands.
"I should probably go till the land," Jill proclaims in a manner that he personally feels is too loud for their current setting. "You know, so that I can plant these seeds tomorrow."
"Oh, do stay for dinner Marlin," Celia presses turning her attention towards him, apparently uninterested in what Jill has to say now. "The tilling can wait until tomorrow, can't it Jill?"
One glance at Jill has him noticing that while Celia is not paying attention to her sister-in-law she is currently glaring daggers at the back of Celia's head. So the tilling can't wait until tomorrow then. This should be interesting to watch, he thinks to himself.
Except Jill grinds her teeth and in a false tone manages to spit out "I suppose it can wait until tomorrow."
And that's his cue to leave, because if anybody understands when it's time to make their exit- it's not him, not in the least. However, in this situation the direction he should take is palpable in the air and if somebody as daft as him can decipher that, then that is most definitely the course of action he should follow.
"Actually I have a standing appointment at the Blue Bar, what with it being Monday and all."
Jill sends him a look of relief that Celia either misses or ignores as he's instead rewarded with a flash of disappointment crossing Celia's face. "Oh that's right, Monday's were our days off." She shares a soft smile that's meant for him and him only, and he can tell that Jill's bristling.
He doesn't blame her, not really, Celia used to spend her days working for a living and now spends her days swaddled in the lap of luxury. Or as much of the lap of luxury that a farmer's wife can live. He knows that she doesn't have to work if she doesn't want to and yet here she is acting as though she still faces the same struggles that him and Vesta face every day. It would irk him, he supposes, if it weren't for the fact that it's Celia and that alone is enough to excuse her of any crime in his eyes.
Suddenly Jill is being dragged away by a Celia that shows incredible strength for someone of her stature towards Jack's ostentatious residence. Turning her head towards him in a way that puts her just out of the view of Celia's peripheral vision she mouths a thank you before being snapped forward again by Celia.
He can just make out, "I made the most lovely stew for dinner tonight."
Followed by a, "But it's Spring, not Winter."
Which is then responded to with, "Exactly, which means there's still a nip in the air."
The conversation ceases when they enter the front door and that's when he makes his way towards the bar. It takes about three drinks in for him to realize that he left the seeds in the middle of the entrance to the farm. Four to remember that this is Forget-Me-Not Valley and that theft isn't exactly a problem. Five to remember the thank you Jill mouthed as she was carted away as he tries to puzzle out what exactly she was thankful for. The carrying the seeds? The trying to get her out of dinner? Everything's currently fuzzy and if his memory is blurred that must mean his speech is close to if not already slurred. After the sixth drink he wakes up on Tuesday morning with a hangover and an all to unhappy Vesta glaring at him.
"You know I don't mind you enjoying your day off, but…" She pauses and the lengthy silence holds a plethora of possibilities. He's heard them all, the you should know better, the what about your health?, the it's embarrassing.
Instead he's receives a heavy sigh in place of a lengthy reprimand. "You're an adult and also my brother, which means that I only want to protect you but I also recognize that I have no direct control over your actions." She leaves him be after that, more than likely to get started on taking care of the crops.
That's when he notices the heavy, distinctive patter of rain hitting the roof above him. He pinches the bridge of his nose with the hand that's not currently splayed underneath his pillow in attempt to lessen the pounding that's encompassed every essence of him.
He rolls over to check the alarm clock located on the night stand next to his bed. It's already eight, meaning that he should probably fall out of bed and scrounge around for something acceptable to wear before starting in on the inventory in the store. And yet he can't bring himself to do so because he's currently exasperated at a myriad of events. His encounter with Jill and Celia for one, himself for getting blackout drunk and for Vesta for not following their typical pattern. And so with that he flops back down and falls asleep- because really, what else could go wrong at this point?
Ayyyyyyyeeeee, so for people that are fans of my other I work I will eventually finish them but I've been busy with life. Hopefully this one will actually get finished in a timely manner xD But yeah, please no getting mad if it doesn't I'm currently a Chemical Engineering major at a major university so my time is kind of spread thin. Over Christmas break I started playing Harvest Moon DS again and I felt really bad that I always married Celia and Marlin was always left forever alone :( So I decided to write a fanfiction dedicated to him :D But anyway feel free to leave, comments and/or criticism. I'll try my best to answer them and I'm planning on doing a once a week thing with this but sometimes life gets in the way~