Hey guys! Nothing much to say. Just another Phillip x Laney moment that took place before "Sick Love" with a teaser at the end.
Read and Review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest moon and the characters.
First Encounter
"You cheated and you know it! I won't accept you as the winner of this week's Cooking Festival!" Rutger shouted angrily at Ina, who just retorted in a similar tone.
"Cheated?! How dare you! Our participants worked hard in cooking perfect dishes, and you have the nerve to say that we cheated?!" the female mayor shouted furiously.
The participants of Konohana Village and Bluebell Town watched their mayors fight intently, taking pride of their town. The three participants that represented Konohana Village were Phillip, Nori, and Yun. For Bluebell Town, the three participants were Lillian, Cam, and Laney. And as already mentioned, the participants of Konohana Village had won against Bluebell Town in the weekly Cooking Festival, which made the participants of the latter not happy... especially the mayor.
Besides Phillip, Nori and Yun were feeling grateful that they had won this year's Cooking Festival. The male farmer wanted to intervene between the two mayors and stop them, but was worried that the fight would become worse and he wouldn't know what to do.
Lillian was the only one on the Bluebell side who was worried about the conflict between the mayors, while Cam and Laney sulked for losing against the Konohana participants.
"You were only lucky because of that new farmer of yours saved you!" Rutger yelled as Phillip flinched from being mentioned by the angry Bluebell Mayor.
"Please! Didn't you get a new farmer as well?" Ina replied calmly as Lillian tensed. "Luck didn't have anything to do with it."
"Grrr...!"
Both mayors glared at each other, the atmosphere around them intimidating all the participants.
Phillip and Lillian stared at each other, hoping one of them to do something. They were still far away from uniting both towns together. The farmers weren't sure if they could succeed an almost-impossible task.
"Just you wait! We'll win next week's Cooking Festival for sure!" Rutger told Ina. "And we'll definitely be better than you and your town!"
"I'd like to see you try!" the female mayor taunted, crossing her arms. "As always, we won't EVER go easy on you!"
Both mayors scoffed before facing away from each other and walking down the mountains to their own respective towns. Some of the participants followed, though few remained to try relaxing and calm down from such an intense competition. Due to having pride in their own towns, neither side had the audacity to talk to the other.
Phillip and Lillian walked away from the remaining participants before they quietly spoke to each other.
"Oh, man... at this rate... it's gonna take a while before we actually bring the two towns together in harmony..." the male farmer complained. "Why did the Harvest Goddess give us the hard job when she technically made the situation worse?"
"H-hey, she may be arrogant and weird... despite what Nathan and Alisa say about her... but if we don't do anything, the two towns might completely isolate each other for good," the brunette girl told him with a worried expression. "Their feud is going to drive the tourists and visitors away... and they'll eventually abandon their own towns... you don't want that to happen, do you?"
Phillip only sighed as Lillian crossed her arms.
"Fine... we'll keep trying to unite them," he said, deciding to continue their goal. "I just wish it'd be easier to get along with each others' residents, though..."
Both farmers turned to see few of the participants from both sides looking at them. Some had horrified expressions, while others had confused looks.
"Yeah..." Lillian agreed, sighing.
Phillip noticed there was a blond girl who was staring him right now. She had her hair tied up in a bun. The redhead farmer assumed that she could've been a waitress. Her outfit only made it more clear. Eventually, his blue eyes met her eyes. All of a sudden, his heart skipped a beat. He began to feel attracted by her innocent yet lovely appearance.
The blond girl's eyes widened that they were staring at each other before she looked away, blushing in embarrassment and shame.
"Hey, Lil... who's that blond girl?" he asked the female farmer, still attracted to the maid.
"That's Laney," Lillian answered with a smile. "She helps out her dad at the cafe he owns in Bluebell Town." She looked at the male farmer with a mischievous expression. "Do you already have a crush on her~?"
"W-what? That's silly..." Phillip replied, his cheeks tinted pink. "She may be cute, but that doesn't mean I'd already start dating her while we're in different towns that hate each other."
"Uh-huh... right..." she said, not believing him. "Well, I better get back to Bluebell Town..." The Bluebell Farmer sighed as she rubbed her arm. "I'm gonna have to face the sulking mayor." She turned around to head down to Bluebell Town.
"Good luck with that," the redhead boy told her leave before approaching Yun, who was the only Konohana participant remaining at the Mountain Top.
"Congratulations for the both of us," Phillip said to her with a smile.
"Oh, thank you, dear," Yun replied with a kind smile. "Same to you."
"Did Nori leave already?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so... she told me that she had to make quick errand as soon as the Cooking Festival was over," the old lady explained to her.
"Oh..."
"Well, I need to get back to Konohana Village as well," Yun told him. "I have to check up on my granddaughter."
"Alright."
With that, the old lady left the mountain top and began heading down towards Konohana Village. By this time, Phillip was the only person on the top of the mountain.
"I'll just relax here for a little bit... maybe hike around the mountain," he told himself as he watched the sun set in the twilight horizon. The male farmer thought about what would happen between Konohana Village and Bluebell Town. Would they reconcile if they were introduced to each others' professional fields? Or would it just make everything worse and make it impossible to unite the two towns? Just thinking about those questions made him sigh. The red-haired boy enjoyed the slight breeze as he breathed in the fresh air.
When the sun disappeared and the sky was turning dark, Phillip began to head down and explore the mountain to kill time before heading back home. He could've went down to Konohana Village and chatted with the residents, but they were probably busy like Yun and Nori. He went to the river as he let the sound of calm streams clear his mind from stress before sitting down and watching the water reflect the moonlight that had just appeared.
A sound of a twig breaking was heard.
Phillip turned around in alert to see who it was, but it was still too dark for him to see the person... or something. He squinted his eyes to see a vague figure, which he gave a silent frightened yelp. What if it was a bear? No, they would have been asleep by now... right?
"W-who are you?" he asked the figure with a brave glare. "Show yourself...!"
The vague figure did as he was told. It suddenly became around the same size as Phillip, who started to brace himself in case it might suddenly lunge at him. But with the moonlight, the figure was revealed so easily.
It was the blond girl who was a participant from Bluebell Town. If Phillip remembered correctly from Lillian, the girl's name was Laney.
"Oh, it's you from the Cooking Festival," Phillip said, relieved that it wasn't a bear. "Wait, what are you doing here? Isn't your town the opposite way?"
"Um..." she began, feeling a little shy and nervous. "Well, you see... I got lost on the way down..."
The boy tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? But isn't it only one trail down from the Mountain Top?" he asked, surprised. "I mean... there shouldn't be any other alternatives..."
"That's what I thought... but I was going down until I accidentally stumbled into another one," Laney explained. "It was never there before..."
"Huh... Lillian must've done something to open up another path like me..." The Konohana Farmer muttered to himself.
"What was that?"
"It's nothing... so, you're lost, right?" he asked. "I know the way back to the Mountain Top... I can get you back up there, at least."
Laney just stared at the male farmer, astonished.
"What is it?" Phillip asked, confused.
"Nothing..." she replied with a smile, shaking her head with a smile. "It's just that... you're the first person from Konohana Village to ever offer me help and guidance..." Laney looked down sheepishly. "Most of the time, all of the Konohana participants just say they're too busy... or they're in a hurry to get back to their village... I didn't want to bother them..."
Phillip frowned at her response. He couldn't help but be angry at the folks back in Konohana Village. They didn't even bother to at least help a girl get back to her town? He never thought they could be so insensitive. But getting angry at them would do nothing to help bring the two towns together. He had to keep working hard...
"Um... could I ask what your name is?" Laney asked shyly. "If you don't mind, that is..."
"My name's Phillip," he introduced himself with a smile. "And you're Laney, right?"
"How did you know?" she asked, surprised at the mention of her name.
"Lillian told me," the redhead male answered. "She told me that you help your dad out at the cafe in Bluebell Town." He chuckled lightheartedly. "You're a really kind person, you know?"
Laney just blushed and turned her head to the side to hide her red face.
"Am I...? I mean, me and my dad work hard to bring in customers," she told him, smiling a bit. "... But I'm happy you really think of me like that." She looked down again. "I thought you would hate me like the other people in your town."
"I would never do that," Phillip replied with a frown. "You're too nice to be hated."
The blond girl couldn't help but smile at his response. "You really are different from them," she remarked, giggling a bit. "You're a nice person yourself."
The male farmer smiled sheepishly.
"Not really... I..." he began before he looked at her...
The moonlight made her appearance more serene and radiant. Her rosy lips had formed a smile as her green eyes sparkled in admiration. The moon made her blond hair in a bun shine from behind, giving her a divine yet innocent background.
Goddess, she's so beautiful... he thought as he stared at her with awe, blushing.
"I... always liked helping others." Phillip finished as he blushed and let out a nervous chuckle.
"That's really sweet of you," the blond maid told her with a smile, relating to him.
"A-anyways, we better get you back to Bluebell Town soon," he reminded her. "We don't want your dad to worry about you getting lost in the mountains."
"Oh, right!" she exclaimed in realization. "I got caught up in this conversation..." She cleared her throat before smiling at him again. "Thanks for helping me, Phillip."
"No problem," the male redhead said, smiling back. "Now let's get going."
With that, Phillip began to lead Laney back to the Mountain Top. It wasn't that hard for the Konohana Farmer, having explored this mountain many times ever since he came here. It was only a minute when he heard Laney let out a small yelp in pain. He turned around to see the blond girl crouched down, holding her ankle.
"You okay?" he asked her, concerned.
"I'm fine... I just sprained my ankle a little earlier before I came across you," she told him. "I can still walk..."
"Are you sure? I can always carry you," Phillip offered. "I don't want you to push yourself."
"I'm fine..." Laney replied as she tried to stand up again before pain overwhelmed her once more. "Ow..." She regretted trying to hide her pain. Now, it only became worse. She looked back at Phillip, who had a worried expression. She didn't want to slow him down for her.
"Alright... please carry me," the blond girl told him with a sigh, embarrassed. "Just... don't get any funny ideas."
Phillip chuckled before he crouched down to let Laney climb on him, which she did by putting her arms around his neck and legs around him torso. He was used to it, carrying others in the past. As soon as he buckled her legs, he began walking again.
Laney, however, was embarrassed. Aside from her dad, nobody carried her like that. Phillip was the first boy she let him carry her. And he was only doing it because he knew she was hurt. She was lucky to come across the kind boy that stood out from the other folks in Konohana Village.
"Sorry for making you carry me," she apologized with a guilty expression. "I didn't want to burden you."
"I told you already... it's fine," Phillip replied with a smile. "I don't want your sprained ankle to get worse."
Laney couldn't help but blush at his sincerity. She still couldn't believe a kind man like him was living in Konohana Village with people who were so indifferent to her.
"Phillip... why did you move to Konohana Village?" Laney asked, curious.
The male farmer tired to think of an answer, not planning to bring the Harvest Goddess up.
"Well... I guess the reason is... I want Konohana Village and Bluebell Town to end their rivalry," he told her. "And get along like they used to in the past."
"How did you know about the past between our towns?"
"Er- uh... the old folks back in my own town told me about it," Phillip lied. "But... even a few in Konohana Village told me about it."
"... I see," Laney said. "Lillian said the same thing about uniting both towns together... but I didn't believe her..." She had a guilty expression on her face. "I always saw her working hard... but it was unimaginable that she wanted to achieve that goal..." The waitress looked up at Phillip. "Are the people in Konohana Village really nice...?"
"That's a little hard to say when it involves with Bluebell Town... but yeah, they can be really nice if you get to know them," the red-haired boy answered. "The female mayor helped me settle into their area, and they taught me many things about their lifestyle."
"They don't sound like bad people at all," Laney remarked, smiling.
Phillip chuckled at her astonished response.
"Like I said, they can be nice too," he reminded her before he looked down. "I just wish they would be nice to you and the other Bluebell folks... I'll work hard to end their feud." The Konohana Farmer had a determined expression as he looked at the moon above them.
It was only a little while before they had reached the Mountain Top again. Both of them stared at the beautiful sky and view of the mountains.
"This is so serene," Laney commented, enjoying the small breeze.
"Yeah... this is one of the areas I go to when I wanna think over things or relax from stress," Phillip told her. "How's your leg?"
"It still hurts... but I think I can walk..."
"Are you sure?" he asked, concerned. "You know this mountain is too steep for your ankle."
"I'm fine..." the blond girl lied. "Besides... I don't want the townsfolk in Bluebell to see you and get so worked up."
"I don't care about that..." Phillip replied, shaking his head. "I don't want you to get hurt even more."
Laney remained silent before sighing.
"Alright... but just let me stand and walk once we reach the entrance," she told him.
"That's fine," Phillip said, nodding.
Phillip continued to carry Laney down to Bluebell Town. He was determined to bring her there safely without any harm. He felt his heart skip a beat. Why was he so determined to help her? He could have carried her silently, but he enjoyed having a conversation with her. And he didn't want to end it yet. It wasn't long before they arrived near the entrance to Bluebell Town.
Near the entrance stood a familiar girl dressed like a rancher.
"Phillip? Laney?"
Phillip smiled as he saw Lillian running towards them.
"There you are!" she said, happy and relieved to see the waitress. "Howard's been worried about you...!" The Bluebell Farmer tilted her head with curiosity. "Where were you?"
"I was actually on my way down when I fell into another path," Laney started explaining. "I was trying to find my way back, but I got lost... until I came across Phillip."
"Ohhh..."
Lillian had a smirk on her face.
"You didn't do anything... weird to her, did you?" she asked Phillip, teasing him. "I always wondered why you were carrying her..."
Phillip and Laney blushed at the same time.
"Of course not!" Phillip denied, blushing. "You should know that I would never do anything wretched to a lady!"
"Lillian, please don't get the wrong idea!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. "I sprained my ankle, so he had to carry all the way here." She looked at the male farmer with a nervous chuckle. "You can let go of me now."
Phillip did as he was told and helped Laney stand before she flinched a little in pain, which the Bluebell Farmer noticed.
"Oh... well, I better get you to the others," the female farmer told her before looking at Phillip with a grateful smile. "Thanks for bringing her back here, Phillip... I owe you one."
"Lillian...?"
She turned to Laney, who had a guilty expression.
"I'm sorry for doubting your goal..." the blond girl apologized, looking down. "I always thought the people in Konohana Village were impossible to get along with..." She looked at Phillip. "On the way, Phillip told me that they helped him settle in and taught him a lot of things..." the waitress explained. "I was wrong... I hope you wouldn't look down on me for that."
There was only silence for a few moments before Lillian stifled her laughter.
"What are you saying?" she asked, smiling at Laney. "Of course I wouldn't be cold towards you after hearing you right now... you're getting along with Phillip now, aren't you?"
Laney looked at her, surprised.
"We're still friends, right?" Lillian asked.
The waitress began to tear up before she wiped them, smiling.
"Yeah..."
"Well, I better get you in and let the others know you're safe," Lillian told her.
"Wait!" Laney stopped her. "I want to tell you and Phillip something."
Both farmers looked at her, confused.
"Um... I wish both of you good luck in uniting our towns together," she said with a shy tone. "I'll help you guys along if I can."
They smiled at her.
"You bet!" both of them replied at the same time.
Laney smiled at them before she walked to Lillian's side and looked back at Phillip.
"Thanks, Phillip," Laney told him, blushing a little bit. "You're a really great person."
"It's nothing," the male farmer replied sheepishly, blushing as well.
"Sheesh... save it when we unite the two towns, please," Lillian reminded them, disgusted with their display of affection. "Seriously, it's not fair to do it in front of me so soon."
Phillip and Laney tensed at her words before they waved at each other goodbye, their faces still red.
.
.
Ever since then, both Phillip and Laney had participated in every Cooking Festival just to see each other again... which drove Lillian nuts with every moment these star-crossed lovers shared.
Extra
.
.
Lillian was currently making dinner when she heard the door knock. She dropped her ingredients back on the table and headed for the door. She opened it to see a young man with a messenger bag. The way he dressed made her assume he was from a different town. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time he saw him.
"Hi!" the young man greeted. "Are you Lillian?"
"Yes," she replied, confused. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
He smiled as he pulled out an envelope out of his bag and handed it to her.
"A guy named Phillip wanted to send this to you," he explained to her.
"Oh, neat!" the Bluebell Farmer said as she took the letter before looking back at him. "Say... I never seen you around here before..."
He chuckled sheepishly.
"I actually just started working as a mail carrier today," the messenger boy told her. "I moved into Konohana Village yesterday."
"Oh! Where are you from?" she asked.
"Zephyr Town," he answered.
"What's your name?"
"Dirk."
"Well, Dirk... I hope the feud between the two towns doesn't bother you," she said with a small chuckle. "Good luck on your new job!"
"Thanks!" Dirk replied before he turned to head back. "I'll see you around!" With a friendly wave, he left the female farmer to continue his job.
Lillian smiled.
"Zephyr Town, huh...?" she whispered. "I wonder if he knows a certain friend of mine..." She stood outside for a few moments. "Oh, well~! I better get back inside." The Bluebell Farmer closed the door and opened the letter on the way back to the kitchen...