A Day in Forget-Me-Not Valley
A continuation of Evening at the Blue Bar.
Marlin woke up to the smell of sweat, wood, fresh laundry and something cooking in the distance. What really cought his attention was the smell of fish and eggs. He figured Griffin was making breakfast; fish was his favorite, afterall. Before joining Griffin, Marlin took a moment to contemplate what had happened the night before. He knew for a fact that he had slept with Griffin... He felt a knot form in his stomach before he could get very far in his train of thought. He could feel himself panicking and a strong urge to flee started to nag at him. On the other hand, he knew Griffin would feel terrible if he ran away. Marlin decided to tough it out if he could.
With furrowed brows, Marlin got dressed fully aware that Griffins small appartment had no walls.
Griffin suddenly shifted from his position in front of the stove. He placed food on some plates and rinsed the pan well before dropping it into the sink. He poured some milk in some mugs and set up the breakfast for two on the table.
"Mornin, Marlin. I hope you like fish strips and eggs." He gestured for Marlin to sit next to him at the table. He could feel the panic build.
"It's fine. " Marlin sat down but slightly distanced the chair from Griffin. It wasn't that Marlin was uncomfortable around Griffin. He was only overwhelmed with the new developments their last evening brung. He ate as much as he could before his anxiety caused a bout of nausea.
"Hey Griffin, do you think I could I get my keys back?" Marlin asked.
With a smile, Griffin handed Marlin the keys. It was almost obvious Griffin knew more about the situation than he was letting on. But Marlin had a hunch he was being purposely spared from any more 'developments' for the time being. It only validated Marlin's opinion of Griffin. Griffin was a reliable, trust worthy, considerate friend and hospitable by nature. With a few words, the exchange was done. Marlin tamed his hair before exiting the bar. He stood still for a few minutes, inhaling the cool morning air and preparing himself. He had to go home and work as if nothing had happened. At least he had some time before the store opened, however, since Vesta insisted they would have late hours. Marlin was walking onto the beaten path running through the core of Forget-Me-Not when he suddenly got grabbed by the arms and shaken violently.
It was Pony and she was in a complete panic! "MARLIN. YOU HAVE TO HELP ME. ROCK SAYS HE'S TOO BEAUTIFUL TO HELP! GUSTAFA IS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! CARTER TOLD ME TO FUCK OFF UNLESS I PAID HIS SALARY... PLEASE, MOOMOO WRECKED THE FENCE ON MY FARM! I NEED SOMEONE TO HELP REBUILD THE FENCE WHILE I GATHER UP MY CATTLE!"
The Panic in her voice had Marlin's sympathies. He forgot his own problems and jumped into action. "Do you have a sledgehammer, some wire, wire cutters and rope handy?"
"Yeah! I tried to do it myself but the animals just kept running off in different directions. I couldn't even get them into the barn. All the tools are by the fence!"
Marlin nodded passionately and started walking alongside Pony. She hurriedly added: "Marlin, you are my hero. Thank you so much!"
When he arrived, Marlin could see some cows off into the bush surrounding the property, some were closer to the goddess pond and he could only spot a few sheep and goats. They had all wandered off pretty far. Pony could be seen in the corner of his eye running after them. Marlin started working as fast as he could; planting posts into the ground and wrapping them in thick wire. By the time he had fixed the fence, Pony had gathered most of her larger cattle. She was only missing a goat. Marlin was determined to help and went searching for the goat. He checked the goddess pond, the main square and even the waterfall area with no luck. Feeling worn out, Marlin leaned against the giant tree next to the goddess pond. He was tearing out blades of grass and staring at the still water. Sometime after he lost himself in the serene atmosphere; Marlin could have sworn he heard some voices coming from the mushrooms behind him.
"Psst. Hey, the goat's closer to the turtle pond, you dolt." Another high pitched voice could be heard, and another, and another. There were quite a few of them chatting.
"Decoy! What if Pony finds out? You're not supposed to talk to him!"
"Dammit, sorry Oran.." The first voice replied.
"Guys, the goat is eating some weird stuff. I think those are drugs..."
"Heh, 'bet Stony hits that shit up all the time."
"I DO NOT."
"Hey, bitches, If you don't stuff it I'll shove Pony's cooking down your throats."
Finally after that, the voices stopped momentarily and Marlin quickly lunged at the mushrooms. A few surprised yelps sounded and a small army of orange clad dwarves with pointy hats came out running behind the tree. "HEY!" When Marlin followed, he discovered the small army was no where to be seen. Upon closer inspection he noticed a small door on the one side of the tree. "How did we never notice this before?" He asked himself... After very little contemplation, Marlin quickly makes his way to the turtle pond. He retrieved the goat and returned it to Pony's farm in no time at all.
Pony led the goat to her barn and fed the gang before coming over to shake Marlins hand. "Marlin, I can't thank you enough. Please, take this money in exchange for everything you've done." Pony hands Marlin a few hundred dollars.
"This is too much, besides, we all have those days." Marlin said in the most comforting voice he could manage while shoving the money back into her hands.
"Say, If you ever need some help or just someone to talk to, come by anytime!" Pony said, looking absolutely happy and greatful.
He smiled and nodded as he headed out towards Vesta's farm. He worked in the field until four in the afternoon and then entered the shack to do inventory. This was important since Murry liked to steal crops at night.
The day passed by very quickly. Marlin decided to wash the sweat off in the hot springs, since the valley didn't have very reliable plumbing. Actually, after some thought, Marlin came to the conclusion that no one in the valley had a bathroom other than Pony... Thus, he couldn't fathom why he wasn't running into naked villagers in the river, ponds, hot springs or oceans that often. As he stripped and made his way through the narrow opening of the hot spring near the circus lot, he stood corrected. He had just realized that Romana must have had some form of bathroom tucked away in that mansion of hers. Amused by his thoughts, Marlin relaxed in the body of hot water. Letting himself sink down into the water until the upper half of his face and his nose were the only things untouched by the water's embrace. He could make out a few dark figures making their way over. It was none other than Takakura, Patrick, Kassey and Galen. Their voices became clearer and clearer the closer they got.
"Yeah, I guess there never has been much to talk about in the Valley. We're so tight knit." Galen said, sounding wise and gruff, as always.
"Well there are those dwarve things in the goddess tree-" Takakura added before he was cut off by Patrick. "No, those aren't real. You guys are probably eating the mushrooms." Kassey laughed at his brother's remark.
Galen put in another five cents. "Now, boys, I've always heard stories about the Harvest Sprites... Perhaps-" Before he could complete his sentence, Patrick started talking very loudly. "You guys know how young people are always trying drugs and stuff! Takakura's just following in Pony's foot steps."
Takakura smacked Patrick. "Don't be so judgemental, Pat." Kassey laughed at his brother, who was now rubbing his head.
Before they could make their way to the spring, Marlin grabbed his clothes and hopped out. He quickly slipped on his clothes and hid behind the small, narrow shack. He wanted some time alone and was finding it very hard to collect his thoughts, all he wanted was a peaceful bath. After hiding for some time and watching the men climb into the spring; having a jolly good time chatting, Marlin decided to start walking aimlessly. So he made his way past vesta's farm and onto the beaten path, walking around buildings. Suddenly he runs into Pony once again.
"Hey Marlin, what's up?" Upon being inspected even closer, Marlin was dragged towards the Takakura Ranch by a hyped Pony. "You are drenched! What were you doing, going out wet like that?" She added, she really sounded kind of irritated to Marlin. Which was something he'd never seen before.
"I was trying to take a bath, but Galen and the guys interupted me and I just wanted to think and take a bath..." Marlin trailed off.
Pony laughed. "You can take a bath in my house. Don't worry, I need to tend to some business for a while so you'll have lots of time to clean up."
"Thanks, Pony. That sounds great, actually." After taking a bath, Marlin sat in front of Pony's record player, listening to some record called "Marine Jazz". He wasn't as musically inclined as some of the people in Forget-Me-Not, but it was still enjoyable. Though, it reminded him of Griffin... Pony walked in on Marlin leaning onto the record player, with his eyes closed. She sat next to him, placing a basket of veggies aside.
"You've been acting sort of strange, Marlin. I don't know you that well but I can tell something's bothering you." Pony said, handing him a carrot.
He bites into it unenthusiastically. "Well, it's complicated."
Pony smirks. "Hey, I've got time to kill. Maybe I can help."
Marlin sighs and goes on about how last night had happened and his feelings towards Celia and Griffin... He goes on by explaining the panic he felt that morning.
"That's some heavy stuff." Pony remarks, placing her chin in her hand, as if she was thinking very hard. "I didn't know stuff like that happened in the Valley."
"But you pretty much just shut yourself in the ranch..." Marlin replied. It was sort of true, she just worked. He barely saw pony unless she was shopping or running some kind of errand.
"I guess you're right." She giggled. "But, back on topic. I understand why you're feeling so scared. But obviously you already decided Celia wasn't for you, right?"
Marlin nodded patiently, waiting for the point to become clear. "And you're obviously close with Griffin. Plus, he slept with you and made you breakfast and even tried to comfort you despite the fact that he obviously wanted to spend time with you..." With a short pause, she continued. "Really, why are you so scared?"
Marlin was contemplating that all day. "It's hard to explain. But I feel like I might lose the friendship I had with him. Maybe the people I love will think we're strange and outcast us... Maybe I'll never be able to relax at the blue bar, again. Maybe Griffin and I will be incompatible and fight..."
Before Marlin could give himself a heart attack, Pony shook her head. She placed herself right in front of Marlin, placing her hands firmly on his shoulders; she leaned in close, staring at him intensly. "Marlin, you need to have more faith in this! Think about how sad Griffin would be if he heard you saying all those miserable things that aren't even true! Now I know it's hard because it's new and unknown...But if you would just give it a chance, I'm sure you two could work through any obstacle and make each other happy."
With that, a wave of relief swept over Marlin. Though deep down, he knew those things from the begining. Hearing it said outloud by Pony, though, really helped him accept it. It was strange to think it only took a chat to help lift the weight off his shoulders. It wasn't like he wasn't worried at all, but he felt some sort of comfort knowing that it was all kind of nonsense.
Pony helped lift Marlin up gently. She gave him a small hug and patted him on the back. "Now, you should go talk to him before he gets worried! Since you probably just ran off like an idiot." Pony placed her hands on her over-all straps as if they were a pack, staring at Marlin. He opened his mouth in an attempt to thank her but fell short. Before he could try again she yelled. "GO!" excitedly and pushed him out the door. Swinging his arms, trying to regain his balance; Marlin fails and falls to the ground. His shirt was full of dirt. Grunting, Marlin stood up and made his way to the bar...
Upon entering, he noticed it was practically empty. Muffy was gone and as Marlin entered, Takakura left. He sat at the counter. A smiling Griffin greeted him before commenting on his shirt.
"Marlin, what happened? You're covered in dirt."
Without hesitation, Marlin replied. "I fell."
Griffin gave a sort of unsatisfied look. "Oh?"
Marlin didn't want to explain it all so plainly, seeing as it was all a hassle to begin with. "I fell... For you!" Marlin smirked, fighting back the laugh. He knew he just made a really dorky joke and he was waiting for a reaction. Like a giddy child.
Griffin burst out laughing, bent over behind the counter, he was struggling to breathe for a moment. "Oh god, Marlin. I didn't expect to hear something like that coming out of your mouth!" Trying to calm down, Griffin placed his hands on the counter and straightened himself up. Marlin couldn't help but chuckle.
"I was talking to Pony, just figuring things out. Like always she got too excited and pushed me out. I lost my balance and landed face first on the ground..."
"Oh sheesh, what a girl." Griffin beamed.
After a pause, Marlin reached into his pockets and grabbed his keys. He smirked. "Hey, Griff." As the bartender turned around, Marlin threw his keys at him. "I don't think I'll need these for a while."
Griffin tossed them into his empty jar. "Could've just told me you wanted to stay."
Marlin shrugged. "I guess I have a bad habit; making things complicated."
( I want to add. Thanks to the few people who were interested in the last fic. I hope more people discover Grifflin! Reviews are greatly appreciated and inspire more writing!)