"Hi Jamie!" a cheerful girl's voice cried out.
In the fields of his own purple abode, a young rancher turned around to face the source of the cry. This character was a feminine-looking rancher with lavender hair and brooding ice blue eyes and a scowl. A tilted cowboy hat rested atop the rancher's head, and most of the body was wrapped up with a poncho lined up with various shades of violet.
The lone rancher exhaled and quietly waved back, expressing subtle hints of aggravation.
His eyes met a little girl with light brown hair fixed in pigtails and expressive, chocolate brown eyes. She wore a casual pink vest over a white t-shirt and red scarf, and light blue jean shorts. She carefully held in her arms a jar of blueberry jam which was labeled with an adorable drawing of a harvest sprite in blue.
"I brought you your morning jam today! This time I decided to go along with my personal homemade brand! I even drew my own Harvest Sprite mascot on it, see?" she exclaimed.
Jamie nodded to himself and found his cheeks redden slightly. "This is new. It's the first time she actually gave me a jam she made herself. She usually reserves this sort of thing for that wandering fisherman" he thought to himself.
The quiet rancher then carefully observed the little Harvest Sprite and its bright smile. She's actually a good artist, too. It looks just like the one in the Harvest Spring" he noted. The strong, silent rancher would've cracked a smile at that moment, if only he was used to such a thing.
"T-t... Thank you again, Jill. This is... different" Jamie uttered.
The lively girl nodded vigorously. "You're welcome!" she answered with a big grin. "I heard you don't like your Jams excessively sweet, so I cut down just for you!"
The redness in Jamie's eyes increase. "I suppose... out of all the things I could complain about the jams I loved so much... it would be that the sugar cuts down on the natural flavor... this... might actually taste better thanks to to her..."
The bashful rancher simply nodded in silence as a means of thanks.
"Well, I hope you enjoy it! I'm off to go foraging in Mt. Moon now! I even heard Ray should be fishing on the waterfall; so hopefully, I'll be able to catch him in the mean time! Bye!"
The excited farmer marched gleefully towards the Mountain, leaving an exasperated Jamie sighing to himself.
"Ray... right" he thought to himself.
Once again, the young rancher found himself all alone, allowing him to focus on his usual morning work. Jamie placed his precious jar of Jam in a safe place by the main building before proceeding on watering his plants. But just as the cowboy was about to pour another drop of water...
"I suppose the girl's still after Mr. Fisherman, huh?"
Again, Jamie found himself in the presence of another "distraction". He turned once more to see a spunky young lady chocolate-brown hair was styled in two curvy ponytails held up in green ribbons. Her big, jade eyes sparkled in the day sun. She wore a trendy green blazer over a black sleeveless top, with a matching green skirt at below. Most notable of all is the big copper hammer she held in her right hand.
"Rothe..." he groaned with slight horror.
"Looks like you're still not having as much as you wanted with little Jill, huh?" the trendy woman casually teased.
"Looks like you're still in a long-distance relationship with an army boy who isn't even aware of it" Jamie smartly answered.
The lady named Rothe nodded calmly. "Yep, looks like we're two nut jobs in the same boat, huh?"
She then approached the farmer with a more sincere smile. "That Jill's a good kid, I'll admit. Despite how childish she can get, she's really dependable. Guess that's one of the qualities you have to admire about her, huh?"
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Jamie demanded in aggravation.
"Believe it or not, I'm actually concerned about your little situation. Knowing our heroine, she'll be pursuing poor Ray until he finally gets into a relationship, or until he returns her feelings." She noted. "So then, are you going to be okay with this? I would suggest not badmouthing that fisherman in front of me. I'm better friends with him than you, after all"
Jamie sighed. "You have nothing to worry about, then. We've crossed paths dozens of times in this small village, to be completely honest, he doesn't annoy me at all. For some reason, being mad at him would feel like getting mad at myself" he admitted.
"Oh, that's a surprise. I've seen you mad at yourself plenty of times!" Rothe grinned.
The agitated farmer winced. "Right..."
"Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it. Ray's been talking about how bad he's had it for Maria lately. I think it'll only be a matter of moments before he finally confesses. I don't know how much Jill will be able to handle, but I have a strong feeling she'll be running to you for comfort. It's clear you two are on very good terms" Rothe pointed out.
Jamie's expression changed to vague depression. "It... doesn't sound right. Taking advantage of something like that would be like stooping to the level of those I loathe..."
Rothe nodded in acknowledgement. "True. Wow... I've been sounding more devious lately." she laughed.
"No... I think you meant to say that with good intention. Your way of compassion is... strange..." Jamie explained.
Rothe's laughter quickly switched into a nervous tone. "Yeah... that sounds like something Ein once told me..."
The two of them exchanged peculiar glares, then quickly turned their heads like nothing happened.
"Listen. Whatever Jill does is her own business. If she still wants to pursue him, I'm not going to interfere. Besides, she's completely aware of what it is she's dealing with. I'm just gladly she's not lowering herself in the process..." he explained.
"You and your little honor system..." Rothe groaned. "Whatever. I'm off to the mines! Smashing rocks and picking up ore is a really fun morning activity for some reason! Plus, it gets me money!" she exclaimed.
The sassy city lady made an about face and was about ready to head to the mines, before a pointy-eared dog cut her off.
"Good luck... with Ein." Jamie uttered.
Rothe nodded in acknowledgement as she stared at the dog. "Right. Thanks."
She then swerved away from the black dog as she proceeded to the mines.
"That's creepy... it's like the dog can read his master's mind" she thought to herself.
Again, the concerned rancher continued to water his crops. Over time, he made considerable progress watering a few rows. He was just to finish up when he heard melodious humming approaching him. He turned around once more to see yet another visitor, who brought a plate of chestnut cake along with her.
This particular visitor had, wavy pink hair decorated with flowers on the side. She wore a dark blue dress-apron over a puffy white shirt and flowery yellow dress. She also had a consistent smile that went along with her cheerful attitude.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Jamie." the mature young lady chirped.
Jamie shrugged. "I'm surprised to see you around here, Lyla. Shouldn't you be setting up shop at this time?"
Lyla shook her head. "Actually, it's Monday, so it's my day off. I thought it would be nice to talk to you today, since we rarely ever have the time" she insisted.
The doubtful rancher gave her a glance of suspicion. "This is another one of your husband's hair-brained schemes, isn't it?" he snapped.
Again, Lyla shook her head. "Honestly, I'm doing this on my own accord. Must you always suspect my Darling Jack of plotting and scheming?" she giggled.
"... You're his partner in crime. Do you expect me to trust you?" Jamie asked.
The kindly young woman let out a wistful sigh before giving up her peace offering.
"Here. I know how much you love chestnuts, and I gave it my all to ensure a successful product" she insisted.
Jamie took a whiff of cake and blissfully took in the hint of chestnut. For one reason or another, he enjoys the taste of chestnut almost as much as Jam. After looking at it for a few more minutes, the rancher hesitantly took the plate from Lyla's grasp before heading into his main building.
"... Fine... was is it that you wanted again?" Jamie asked.
"I wanted to have a conversation with you." Lyla said.
"About what?" Jamie questioned.
Lyla's usual smile widened, but the rest of her body suggested feelings of unease.
"About your relationship...with Jill..." Lyla answered, with her voice trailing off.
The violet rancher took a few more steps closer to his home until Lyla's words suddenly sink in. Jamie then froze on the spot with his cold eyes still facing the purple door.
Lyla also remained in standing. She watched by anxiously, awaiting Jamie's response.
After a long period of eerie silence, the brooding rancher finally opened his mouth.
"Not... Another... Word..."