This is a Doctor X Character story. Our farmer's name was Lei, but I changed it to Claire (might find both names, I'll try to fix that), and her personality is very... um... different from average farmers. Her style is sorta unic, but this is basically based on the Doctor, since I feel that not many people are giving him proper credit on the game... or maybe's because I just love him! XD R&R please.
As spring rolled in, bringing the newly colored green leaves into the trees, everyone in Mineral Town were happy; well, almost everyone. It was the day after New Years, and as far as they were concerned, things were going okay. On top of Mother's Hill sat a young man, trying to clear his mind from so much trouble and work. His life wasn't exactly perfect, perhaps close, but never perfect. He had troubles like everybody else, even though no one cared about him unless he was needed.
"That's the pay of being a doctor." He sighed as his jet black hair kept blowing toward all directions. "No matter, I'm here to save lives, not to live them."
He looked down, just below his feet, at the deep cliff that seemed to end in an ocean of green. A small village could be spotted from up there, especially at this time at night. It was beautiful, small stars shinning brightly on the dark silk sky mixed with the wonderful smell of nature. It was wonderful on Mineral Town.
That much he knew. What he couldn't figure out was why in the world he felt so uncomftable there; he felt like something was missing. Everyday was a routine to him; get up, go to work, go to sleep. It was the same thing everyday. There weren't even many patients to begin with! His work had been reduced to only research for cures and new medicines; only on rare occasions people other than Jeff and Lillia visited the clinic for a checkup.
His life wasn't that perfect.
He stood up from the peak of the hill where he's been sitting since the afternoon until now and stretched, feeling relaxation wash over his sore back muscles. With a small yawn, he walked down Mother's Hill and made his way into the thick forest. He knew the path back to the clinic by heart, and could get there even if he was blindfolded. He decided to take a shortcut through the abandoned farm which at some point was beautiful and filled with life.
On the ground where beautiful crops were supposed to be, now laid weeds and branches. Where tall grass used to grow to feed the poultry and livestock, now laid boulders, stones and tree stumps. It wasn't even the shadow of what it used to be a few years ago, just when he had come into town.
Old Jack was the previous farmer and he had passed away in less than a week after Alex had come to work on Mineral Town. He had seen the farm before the loss and it was wonderful, perfect for relaxation after a hard day of work. Now it only send chills up his spine.
He hurriedly walked through the old farm, feeling growls behind him. He walked faster; he knew that wild dogs liked to come out at night and attack strangers, such as him. Not that he had a phobia toward dogs, but they were still dangerous. Not wanting to risk getting hurt, he ran out through the front gates of the farm, looking back and seeing a big brown dog barking loudly.
Fortunately, the dog stayed in the same spot threateningly as the doctor walked away. He breathed in relief, wiping small drops of sweat from his forehead. After taking a few steps forward, he heard his name being called. He turned around, but no one was there. A second time his name was called, this time with much more strength, and with a little hurry and urgency.
"Doctor! Please, we need you to come over!" A pink haired woman called after him, making him nod and rush to her.
"What's wrong Lillia?" He asked worriedly, knowing that she had an incurable condition of heath.
"Oh, it's not me dear, it's Rick. He's been in bed all day and has a high fever." She explained quickly. "Can you check on him?"
"Certainly." He nodded while letting Lillia pull him to her house and up the stairs into the room where her son, Rick, laid on the bed.
He walked by Popuri, Lillia's daughter, who sat on a chair next to Rick with a worried glance.
"Don't worry; I'm sure it's nothing serious." He said convincingly.
"Thanks Alex." Popuri smiled weakly, only to get a small frown from the man. "I mean… doctor."
He didn't want to be called by his first name; he thought that only those who knew him well and gain enough of his trust had the right to. After nodding at her response, he walked beside Rick and gave him a quick examination. After a few minutes, he had figured out what the problem was.
"It looks like Rick here has a cold. I suggest lots of liquids and rest." He said simply, receiving the thanks from everyone in the room. "Drink these, my treat."
He handed Rick a bottle of medicine, getting a thankful look from the blond boy. Alex knew that their family business wasn't going too good, especially since all of their chickens were cramped into a small coop because of the lack of space, which meant that not all of them got to eat properly.
"If only the farm next door was in good conditions with a responsible farmer, they wouldn't be so trouble filled." He thought with a sigh, telling the family of three that he had to get going if he wanted to get home early.
After walking out of the warm home into the cold streets, he found out that it was raining slightly, making him shiver. He sighed again while walking pass the blacksmith's shop and turned on the Aja winery. After walking pass the Inner In, he turned once more, feeling relieved as he saw the big sign that said: "Mineral Clinic".
He lived on the small house on top of the clinic, letting him being closer in case of an emergency, with his assistant Elli. They studied together for many years and now they worked together and even lived together. Although this might seem strange to some people, they weren't in a relationship; at least he wasn't interested in a relationship other than friend and work partner.
He finally got inside, smiling at the warm feeling of being under the roof. He could smell chocolate from upstairs, which meant that Elli was still awake. After removing his coat, he walked up the stairs and knocked on her bedroom door, smiling as she answered with a cup of hot cocoa on her hand.
"Hi, Alex!" She smiled. She was the only one in town that he allowed to call him that way. It was pretty obvious that they were close friends, even though the town didn't seem to understand that there was nothing more.
"Hello, Elli. I couldn't help but notice that nice and hot cup of chocolate that you have in your hands…" He smiled hinting her that he wanted some, which she understood with perfection.
"Come on in, I already have your cup ready." She smiled with a small nod.
After warming up with cocoa, he decided that it was late and that he had to go to bed soon, for he had work tomorrow. Elli, as much as well as the priest Carter, thought that he was overworking himself but they decided that he could work as much as he wanted, as long as he was happy and things were under control.
The next morning, everything was just like any other day. While Alex cleared up his office from expired documents, Elli was on the front counter, checking the town folk's health records. Nothing was out of the ordinary until….
"Hey Elli!" Karen yelled as she bursted open the door. "Aren't you coming to the beach?"
"What for?" She asked curiously while noticing the black haired man that popped his head out of his office.
"Yes Karen, why would we want to go to the beach on a busy day like today and interrupt work?" He asked without much enthusiasm.
"Aw… don't tell me you don't know! Someone new is coming to town!" She said with a smile. "Come on! Let's go together!"
Elli looked to the floor and then to her desk. "Well… I'm not sure if I-"
"Elli, if you want to go, you can go. I'll stay here in case anybody needs me." Alex said quietly while giving Karen a weak smile.
"Oh no you won't! We're all coming together!" Karen said with a frown. "You're too anti-social for your own good."
With that said Karen took Alex by his whisks and dragged him out of the office, Elli smiling brightly not too far behind. When they finally got to the beach, Alex was surprised to find the whole village there, all staring at the tiny shadow of a boat on the ocean.
"Who's coming Karen?" He asked impatiently as he pulled his hand free.
"I'm not sure; the mayor said that it was going to be a new farmer for that old piece of junk they used to call a farm." She shrugged. "I hope that he's strong, we won't be needing another wimp like Rick to work on the farms.
"That's no way to talk about your boyfriend, Karen." Elli interrupted with a small frown. "He doesn't deserve it."
"Yeah, well, I just hope that this new farmer has good muscles just were he needs them." She said hopefully.
"How can you be so sure that it's a man?" Alex asked frowning too. "It can be a woman farmer you know."
"Yeah, but… what are the odds, right? Besides, if it's a girl farmer, I'm gonna make new friends!" She said simply.
"Wow, you sure are social." Elli said with a nod.
"Unlike you two!" She responded with a smile. "What do you say I go and check out if it's a girl or a boy farmer?"
"Fine by me." Elli said with a shrug. The doctor did the same which made Karen leave and walk straight to the mayor, Thomas.
They could hear small parts of their conversation and in less than a minute, Karen came with a small disappointed look.
"It's a girl farmer." She said. "Oh well, let's just hope that she's not a weirdo."
"Oh Karen, grow up." Alex rolled his eyes with a sigh.
Karen glared at him angrily. "We all know that not everyone's cool, doctor. I just want to know if she's a normal girl or if she's a freak of nature."
"There's no use arguing with immature teenagers, is there?" He murmured to Elli.
"I heard that!" Karen yelled. "What are you talking about, you're not that old!"
"Um… the boat-"
"Quiet Elli, stay out of this."
"But Karen, the boat-"
"The boat what?" She asked with anger.
There was a loud thump and everyone turned around to face whoever came out of the huge ferry.
"…is here." Elli finished in a murmur, feeling a little angry.
The pale gray boat was on the beach for a while, making everyone anxious to see the new farmer. Mayor Tomas was sitting on a bench, his little legs at least two feet above the ground. He gave the boat another look after five minutes, and smiled weakly as he heard the small 'creak' sound that it made.
Leaping into the floor, his smile grew wider when he noticed the young blonde woman that exited the boat with luggage. Something about her made him cock his head, but he didn't know what. Maybe it was the fact that she was wearing a black shirt that said "You All Suck", or maybe it was the long black jeans that she was wearing with many chains, or who knows, perhaps even that look in her face that clearly said "I wish I was anywhere but here".
When she finally made it to the sand on her combat boots, everyone frowned. Thomas made his way to her quickly, and noticed now how light her blue eyes were. They were a sky blue that wasn't very common, defined by a thick black line of makeup.
"Uh… are you the new farmer?" He asked looking up at her.
"Yeah." She responded with a faint smile. "Where's the farm? I really need to put these someplace safe."
He was surprised to hear her talk, his first impression was a quiet and rude person; this was somewhat strange for him. She kept staring at him and he noticed that he didn't even know her name, so he just asked.
"I'll take you to the farm, miss…?"
"Claire." She responded seriously. "So… are we going?"
"Of course!" He said happily while offering to take her bags.
She shook her head no and just followed while giving a confused glare at the town folk. "What are you looking at? Never seen a newcomer? Sheesh!"
Her tone wasn't angry; in fact, it was friendly to most of them. She came across many girls who gave her weird looks, but one that made her frown was from a certain blond girl next to a nurse and a doctor.
"Um… why are you glaring at me?" She asked directly while walking to where Karen was standing.
"No reason. Here, we have the right to look at weirdoes anyway we want." She answered coolly.
"Oh, so that means that I can glare at you all day and it'll be alright, right?" Claire said with a raised eyebrow.
"Why… how dare you talk to me like that!? I don't even know you!" Karen spat angrily.
"Does it look like I care?" Claire shrugged and decided to stop this argument before it got too serious.
Claire noticed how uncomftable the other two look, so she just ignored Karen and walked toward them. The nurse looked to the floor shyly and sighed. "I'm sorry, Karen sometimes can't control herself and says the first thing that comes to mind."
"It's alright; she didn't do anything, right?" She shrugged and smiled slightly. "So, what are your names? I'm Claire."
"I'm Elli, and this is Doctor Alex." She responded while smiling.
"…It's just Doctor." He murmured and just looked at her with a sheepish grin.
"Okay, Doctor. I've better get going, nice meeting you." She said and walked away with the mayor, ignoring the confused looks from the group of girls on the other side of the beach where Karen had walked over to.
"Can you guys believe that!? She just comes and thinks that she can do whatever she wants here!" Karen yelled to the other girls who just rolled their eyes.
"Karen," Popuri said calmly "she just defended herself."
"Yeah Karen, no big deal." Ann, the red haired girl said with a shrug. "I think that you were too harsh on her, I mean, she just got here."
Karen considered it and sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. I'll go and apologize after she's all set on her new home."
On the town's streets, the mayor was talking about the historic festivals at Mineral Town, and how he would like to see her there. She said that she'll think about it, and then something popped on her mind.
"Oh, Thomas? I was wondering… this farm, is in good conditions, isn't it?" She asked hoping that it would be.
"Uh… about that…" The mayor scratched the back of his neck as they finally arrived to the farm's grounds. "It… has strong buildings…?"
Claire sighed in rage and just glared at the mayor for a couple of minutes. "I received a letter that clearly said that it was in GOOD CONDITIONS! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!?"
"Uh… Please, forgive me, but the previous farm owner passed away a couple of years ago and-"
"Just go. I'll start working tomorrow." She growled.
"But…" He said feeling rather guilty.
"What!? You convince me that this is going to be a great vacation; a job that wouldn't make me sweat and instead THIS is what I came for!? I had to drive 2 hours to go to work on the city! My life was a disaster, and now you just tricked me to take care of your freaking farm!?" She yelled to the top of his lungs in complete anger.
Thomas couldn't take it any longer, he had a big pressure in his stomach, so he let all of his chuckles and laughs drown him up. He laughed hard and loudly, not caring that Claire was so mad that she picked up a rock; and threw it at him, missing by a mere inch.
"No… please… stop! Murder is a crime here too… even if it's my fault that you're angry for tricking you in the cruelest way possible!" He yelled while covering himself.
"WELL, MAYBE IF YOU STOP LAUGHING I'LL CONSIDER IT!" She yelled grabbing another rock.
"Please! I'm sorry!" He begged as he walked backward, tripping on a rock and falling backward, getting himself all dirty. Claire laughed at his scared face as he landed, making him cough up dirt. "I guess you're not still mad, are you?"
"Nah, I was kidding." Claire said while reaching after his small hands and helping him stand up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get ready for tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll be on my way! If you need any help, talk to the villagers." He said while tipping his hat.
"Uh huh. Bye!" She called after and got inside her house. "…short little plum man…"
She noticed after many hours of unpacking that it was getting late, so she decided to go around for a walk, before it got too dark. On her way out, she noticed many trees to the south of her farm, so that was the first place that she went to.
Many small animals were around, birds chirping and wind blowing fresh air. She smiled as the wild wind blew her golden locks backward as she continued to walk. After a couple of minutes she found herself in front of a big crystal clear lake. She sighed in happiness and walked through a rather small bridge, finding herself on the peak of a mountain.
"…Mother's Hill." She read from a wooden sign. "Wow, this sure is nice up here."
She stood on the edge of the peak and looked down at the small lights that came from the village. Her view found the sky and all those many small stars that shone brightly, making her smile. Those were the prettiest lights that she'd ever seen, covered with thin transparent clouds that passed by slowly.
"It's beautiful… isn't it?" A man said from behind her, who startled her and made her loose balance, causing her fall backward into his chest and into the ground.
After being able to breathe properly, she opened her eyes, only to come face to face with big black eyes.
There ya' go, the begginging. Tell me what you think! Anonimous reviewers are welcomed, although all flames are not. Constructive comments are welcomed. Oh, and well, thanks for reading the first chapter!