Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon: Animal Parade. Just a copy of the game. The rights belong to Marvelous Interactive & Natsume.
A Filling Fugue
Castanet Island: a land slowly losing its former splendor.
These tragic effects have affected the quality of food forged and cooked on the island. However, this matters little to its worst student chef.
Nonetheless, the sad chef remains persistent in her goal to improve, a goal aided by her close friend and newfound lover.
In the Carpentry of the Western-esque Garmon Mines District, the hopeful cook and her friend are tied into deep discussion.
"I think I finally got the answer as to why your cooking hasn't been turning out so well!" cried a bandana-wearing, blue-haired man.
A red-head girl in a pink dressed looked on apprehensively.
"Listen, Luke-honey, I'm not looking for an excuse. I know I just need to practice more and---"
"It's the ingredients! Everything's been going so bad lately on the island that it MUST be affecting your cooking as well! Heck, the lackluster fire was practically putting a dent in Chase's cooking, too, and he's supposed to be a cooking ace!"
The red-head sighed.
"I really don't think it's the ingredients. I haven't been doing much better with the flame back in good shape. Besides, I still got the same criticisms with or without a good cooking fire." She explained.
"Then we simply need better ingredients!" cried the excitable young man.
"Luke, honey. Thank you… thank you for believing in me. But really, you don't have to go out of your way to gather things for me. We have plenty back at the inn, and if I just got better, I can make them work just fine." The red-head insisted.
"Nonsense, Maya! I'm not going to do this by myself!", he proclaimed, apparently missing the point of his girlfriend's rejection, "We're going to do this together, of course! And with this being your time-off, the timing is perfect! And I know just the perfect place to go forage for stuff!"
The girlish cook looked touched, yet anxious at the same time.
"Luke, honey… I---"
"Fugue Forest!" he exclaimed. "There are plenty of mushrooms in there that aren't actually half bad! And, every so often, I see this shiny dark purple mushroom that smells extra good and tastes just as delicious! I think they're called Fugue Mushrooms! It's kinda funny, because the first time I saw one, I got really worried they were like the funny mushrooms that made me feel because of their different color! Boy was I glad I was wrong---"
"F-Fugue Mushroom?" Maya asked.
"Yeah. I see at least one of those suckers every day! Maybe the dim sunlight and the soil help them thrive there more than anywhere else?" he theorized.
"I heard… you can make some gourmet-class dishes… with those…" uttered Maya.
"Oh really? Then sweet! I'm sure those are just the thing to take your cooking up a notch!" Luke cried.
"That's what I heard, but, I don't want to ruin such a valuable ingredient with my terrible skills. Such a delicacy should be handled by a real chef, like Chase, or Grandma---"
"Nonsense!" Luke cried with authority, "A high-tier ingredient is JUST the thing to show a cook like you your true mettle! And that mettle is of an awesome caliber!"
"L-Luke---"
"Let us be off, sweet chef!" he declared.
No sooner had he uttered those words, he grabbed his beloved by the hand and took off towards the Fugue Forest while humming an adventurous melody he made up on the spot. To the surprise of anyone listening, the tune was actually quite catchy. Eventually, Maya was caught in the enthusiasm and hummed along with him through Flute Fields and into the forest. There they spent a good amount of time tasting and gathering mushrooms while humming a more mysterious, peaceful tune. Unfortunately, they spent more time on the tasting then the gathering, but they did preserve a decent portion of their bounty. Luckily, they have had yet to come across a stray toadstool, but even then, the earnest couple had enough experience in being able to identify one. Eventually, Luke got impatient in finding a rare Fugue Mushroom and recklessly scoured the forest, forcing the nervous Maya to keep up with his blistering pace. Eventually, their search rewarded them with the soothing sight of a brilliant purple fungus.
"At last! A Fugue Mushroom! With this, our quest in now complete!" Luke declared as he shot a fiery fist into the dark, damp air.
"Hooray!" Maya cried as she leapt up along with Luke's fist.
"With this shiny mushroom of godly deliciousness, I just know your next dish will be top-notch!" cried Luke.
"That's great, honey! But now that we found it, we really should get out of here. I have a feeling it's getting dark outside, and not just here…" Maya suggested.
"Alright then, Maya! Just stick by my side once more, and we should be out of here quicker than you can say--- oh man, I don't recognize this neck of the woods." Gulped Luke.
"L-Luke?"
"Not a problem, Maya! I can just take this trusty axe of mine and use my devastating techniques to cut our way out!" he declared.
An hour later, Luke became absolutely exhausted while cutting away at about a yard's worth of dense forestry.
"Oh…great… not even my legendary techniques… could power through… this measly forest…" a sweaty Luke wheezed.
"Please, honey! Just rest! It won't do us any good if you just pass out! There isn't even a doctor here!" she begged.
"Oh, hey! That's… a good idea… maybe…if I pass out… I'll just wake up… in the clinic!" he proposed.
"What are you talking about?" asked Maya.
"Apparently… it happens… to Angela… all the time! She passed out… in the forest once… too…" he explained.
"That was because you found her here and took her there yourself. There was always someone around wherever she passed out, you know. And since we're lost, I don't think we'll get that special treatment." explained Maya.
"Oh crud. Scratch… that idea… then."
Suddenly, there was some rustling in nearby bushes, which caused Maya to let out a huge scream, and Luke to get over his fatigue and leap into action.
"Luke, I'm scared…" Maya quivered.
"That's alright, baby! Forget the energy I wasted trying to cut ourselves out, Luke is back in action! And he's here to protect you with his 100+ techniques he mastered with his axe! They don't just chop down trees, you know! They also cut down evil like a wicked cool weapon of justice!" he boasted.
"Luke…" Maya cooed.
The cook in pink embraced her hero lovingly as he braced himself for danger. The bushes rustled again, and this time he made out a shadowy figure.
"Luke? Maya?" a familiar voice called out.
"TASTE MY WRATH, FOUL FI---Wait, Angie?" Luke replied.
"Yes, it's me." Their friend's soft voice called back.
The brown-haired farmer stepped out of the shadows to reveal herself. Apparently, she decided to dress in gothic lolita style for the occasion.
"Angie!" Maya squealed before proceeding to smother her in hugs.
"Oh my! I'm so sorry! A-Am I interrupting something important?" Angela asked awkwardly.
"Heck no, girl! We were lost here! We should be thanking you! By the way, what are you doing here?" Luke asked.
"I was just back from a visit to the witch. I mean, she's a frog right now, but I'm pretty sure she used to be a witch. Or she's still a witch now, but she's just… a… pink frog?" she tried to explain awkward.
"I get it, don't worry." Luke smirked. "We're just glad to see you. We were gathering quality ingredients for my sweet chef here, and we sorta got… lost. Yeah."
"Oh! I'll be glad to help the two of you out, then! I know the paths get confusing at times, but I've kept notes, and even done some map-making to help avoid the confusion!" Angela explained.
"Wow, Angie. That makes you sound like… some geography nerd or something." Luke teased.
Angela's face turned a crimson hue as she fell to her knees from embarrassment.
"Luke!" Maya scolded.
"Sorry, sorry! Now Please! Use those nerdy skills of yours to help us with our great escape!" Luke instructed.
"Luke!" Maya shouted again.
"Er, sorry." He apologized.
At the very least, Angela got back on her feet and recovered her composure.
"Gladly." She accepted with a soft smile.
And thus did Angela guide them out of the dark maze of a forest, and decided to accompany them to Harmonica Town before she resumed her previous business. Back at the inn, Maya organized all the mushrooms and herbs she found during her foraging, before she slowly took out the coveted purple mushroom. She was still felt anxious in going through with her cooking, however.
"I don't know, Luke. I can tell this mushroom has plenty of tasty-making qualities to it, but I still don't' feel worthy!" she gulped.
"Never despair, Maya! There is only defeat in admitting to it! Especially when it's not a war! And I don't see any spear-wielding foes pointing their weapons at our throats, so I see no reason to surrender! Go, Maya! Fight! Cook! And Win!"
The red-haired cook took a deep breath to relax herself, then readied some nearby cooking utensils.
"Right! Thank you for support, Luke." She replied with a sweet smile to her hubby.
"No problem!" Luke cried with a thumbs-up, just before unleashing a hearty laugh only he was capable of.
After ridding herself of all hesitation, Maya started on her next cooking attempt with cookbook in hand.
No one knew if Maya succeeded on making her intended Fugue dish on that specific day except Luke and Maya themselves, but somehow it didn't matter so much. In the end, Maya's enthusiasm for life and cooking was restored thanks to the faith of a fiery friend and special someone. It also helped that they had plenty of fun that day…