Tim leant back against a stand in South Clock Town and sipped his drink. It was the night of the festival, and he had closed the Curiosity Shop today in favour of going to the wedding of his childhood friend, Kafei. Despite his looks, he was only five years older than the other male. He was, however, going prematurely bald.
As he watched the crowd, the happy couple came into view. Anju looked stunning in her long white dress and Moon Mask while Kafei looked handsome in his Sun Mask. Tim himself was wearing his All-Night Mask with his sunglasses taped to the front of it.
Suddenly, Kafei leant over and kissed Anju. The crowd around them started to laugh, Madame Aroma in particular shooting a wistful look at Mayor Dotour. Tim smirked. It was nice to see his pal so happy after all the stuff he'd been through in the last while. He knew that Anju would treat Kafei well.
While he was thinking this, though, he noticed a girl break away from the crowd and come towards him. She looked quite downhearted and sad, almost like she was going to cry. The ears of her Bunny Mask flopped around her bright red hair. Tim didn't know her all that well, but he did recognize her. She was the girl from the ranch. What was her name? Cremia.
As she approached, he reached out a hand and took her by the shoulder. "Hey now," he said, putting on his cheerful voice, "Leaving so soon? What's wrong?"
She looked up at him with a venomous glare. "Don't touch me," she hissed.
Tim put his hands in the air. "Sorry, sorry," he said easily, trying to appear as harmless as he could. "I just couldn't help but notice that the bridesmaid was leaving the wedding. Care to talk? I won't tell the dynamic duo what you said," he coaxed.
The girl seemed to relax. She sat on the stand beside him, hanging her head. He waited while she wrestled with herself over whether or not to talk.
Finally, she did speak. "I loved him," she said.
Tim waited longer.
"But I have to move on now. Anju is my best friend. I'm happy that she's happy. I know she's going to be able to give him all the things I never could. And I live too far away for it to have worked, anyhow," she continued.
Her voice had gained some resolution and strength back. Tim sipped his Chateau Romani. "Sounds like you've got things figured out, then," he said.
She looked up at him. "I noticed you were Kafei's best man. Who are you, anyway?" she asked.
"I run the Curiosity Shop. I've been Kafei's pal ever since he was little. You're the owner of Romani Ranch, right?" he inquired.
"Yeah," she responded. "Cremia." She was quiet for a moment before talking again. "What's it like running the shop?"
Tim grinned. "I have to drive a hard bargain. Lots of business sense needed for the job. It used to be that when a person was down on their luck, they'd come to a pawn shop and sell what they didn't need. I'd give them their Rupees and that would be that. Or maybe I'd buy something from another country or a traveling salesman. But nowadays, people like to try to sell what they don't rightfully own. Now, I don't approve of thievery, but I have to eat, too. If the guard comes by, I help where I can. Like that Sakon guy they put in jail tonight. I'm not going to rat anyone out unless I can prove they're a thief, but I'm not going to compromise my business because someone's been sloppy. If I talk first, maybe I get some compensation," he said.
"That doesn't sound like a very strong moral stance one way or another. It just sounds like you agree with whoever comes in your door," Cremia stated.
"And I've never been late on my bills," he answered. To his surprise, the redhead gave him a faint, amused smile and looked back out at the crowd.
"You sound like you could do a pretty good job of running a ranch," she said in a weary tone. "I love doing the farm work, but there's always too much for me to do enough paperwork, let alone take good care of my sister. The other people try to help where they can, but everything's so tight right now. I do my best, but it's hard to have it all resting on me," she admitted.
Tim looked her over appraisingly. "Don't see why a lady like you couldn't find a man to help her," he said in what he hoped was a delicate manner.
She sighed. "I thought I had."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think it'd be a great job, owning on a ranch. There's a solid demand there. The tourism would probably be steady, too, given the proper advertising. Of course, a guy like me doesn't really like to get his hands dirty in the fields," he replied, fluffing his vest a bit.
"Too bad you're busy with the store," she remarked.
"A curiosity shop could be opened anywhere, even a farm," he said back. Now she looked at him, deeply, and he looked back at her. Her blue eyes probed deeply into his dark ones for honesty. When no deceit was found, she broke into a genuine smile. He lingered, too, keeping his gaze on her for a few seconds longer than normal, though he couldn't really explain why. She was honest and strong, and there was something about a girl who could hold back her tears while her heart was being broken that was inexplicably captivating.