Chapter 2: A New Leaf Part 2
The next morning, Roll woke up and slowly stretched her arms. She gasped a bit once she saw the unfamiliar surroundings before everything that happened yesterday came back to her and slowly calmed down. She just sighed as she sat up from the tent floor and relaxed her muscles.
"Wow," she thought as she pulled her knees into her chest, "This ground is more comfortable than that tacky bed I used to sleep in!" Roll then began to think as she hugged her knees into her chest.
"So what am I going to do now?" said Roll, "I'm not cut out for this mayor stuff and as much as I want a house, I don't know how to make money to make the down payment! I've never had a job before. Sure I've done chores before but...I've never had a job! How can I even do this! Why am I even here? I don't know how to be a mayor! I don't even know how to talk to people either!" Roll just continued to think for a bit more before she figured.
"Maybe if I just pack up and leave, I can get out of here before anyone finds out!" said Roll. Roll looked about as to what to pack up first. Then she stopped herself and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.
"Roll, where exactly are you gonna go?" she asked herself and no the answer. It was just then she heard someone tap the entrance of her tent.
"Mail call!" said a voice. Roll groaned.
"I guess everyone is up," she muttered as she looked at her clock and saw that it was actually 9am.
"Guess I didn't wake up that early," she muttered, but she clearly had been exhausted since she fell asleep just before 9pm last night. Roll just stood up and ironed out her night shirt, which was knee length, before exiting her tent to find a pelican dressed in green was standing outside her tent, not even bothering to tie her blonde locks which were halfway down her back and a few hairs sticking out.
"Good morning, my name is Pete," he replied, "Sorry to wake you up but I thought I would introduce myself! Normally I'll just leave you any mail that you have at 9am and 5pm daily. As you can see, the mail flag on your mailbox is now blinking to show that you've got mail. Just be sure to check your mail regularly. If it gets too full, I won't be able to deliver you any new mail okay?" Roll just yawned a bit.
"Okay," she replied sheepishly with a nod.
"Have a pleasant day Mayor!" said Pete before taking flight and disappearing. Roll didn't bother to watch him leave as she opened her mailbox and found a single letter inside.
"I wonder who would sent me mail," said Roll, "I haven't even met anybody else in own other than Tom Nook and at least." She quietly opened the letter and read what was inside.
Mayor Roll
On behalf of everyone here, we welcome you here to Animal Town. We hope you'll do a great job as mayor and enjoy your new life here! We look forward to how you will shape and make this town an even happier place to live!
Animal Town counsel.
Roll just looked at the letter before she crumpled it up and tossed it into her tent.
"I don't know what to do!" Roll shouted aloud to herself as she slumped to her knees and held her head, hearing that everyone was excited to see her be the mayor made her feel more frustrated than ever. She wasn't used to being encouraged by people so it made sense that letter would make her rather stressed.
"Why do I have to be the mayor?" Roll asked aloud even though there was nobody there to answer her. She then turned to see the Town hall just a few yards away. She then sighed quietly before she ducked back inside of her tent and changed back into her orphanage dress since that was all she had to wear. She nearly put on her old pumps before kicking them away. She had been outside and her bare feet were very comfortable in the morning spring air, which she found the cool air very comfortable for her as well as refreshing. She seemed to relax a bit staying barefoot and left it at that. Soon she found her hair tie and put her hair back into its ponytail before making her way to town hall. She walked inside as Isabelle was busily working on some papers. The shi-tzu perked up when she saw Roll walk inside...until she saw how upset she looked.
"Oh Mayor Roll, is everything alright?" Isabelle asked when she saw the distressed girl walk into the town hall. Roll just quietly walked up to her bouncing on her now bare feet as she looked at Isabelle quietly. She wanted to be firm with what she wanted to say, but in the end, she just looked wishy-washy.
"Isabelle," she began quietly and also embarrassed that her voice cracked, "What...what makes you think that I can be a mayor here?" Isabelle just looked at her funny until she saw that the girl looked really upset and on the verge of tears.
"I just came here to find myself a new life," Roll pressed on, "and to make something for myself! Then I show up here and I'm being called the mayor! Isabelle, I don't know who told you I was coming or said that I was the mayor, but I know this to be true: I. AM. No. Mayor! I'm just an eleven year old girl whose looking for a place to call home." Isabelle just gave her a smile.
"You practically said the reason why you were made the mayor." she answered simply. Roll took a step back and set her hands on her hips.
"Wuh?"
"You said you came here to find yourself and make a life for yourself," said Isabelle, "what better way to do that than to become the mayor of Animal Town?"
"But I have no idea on how to be a mayor!" Roll protested, "or what to do either!"
"You'll learn in time," said Isabelle.
"How?" Roll asked upset, "I feel way over my head right now! I don't think I can do this!"
"Did you really think I was gonna just throw you into this job and expect you to know everything just like that?" Isabelle asked calmly. Roll almost said yes but then closed her mouth since it would bring up her past and that was one road she didn't not want to talk about with anyone. Isabelle just smiled.
"If you're having trouble about what to do, seeing that you just moved here, I could give you some advice," Isabelle offered. Roll just released a long deep breath before she answered. She figured she could at least hear what Isabelle had to say. Obviously the shi-tzu had more faith in her that she had in herself.
"Please do," Roll asked, nearly pleading and rubbing her bare feet together nervously.
"OK, I can give you advice on making the most of your life here!" Isabelle replied, "After all, it's my job to make sure being a resident in Animal Town is top notch, Roll! Let's see...what kind of advice would be good for you right now..." Isabelle pondered until she got an idea and her face lit up. "...Ah! Come to think of it...Have you met the other villagers yet? It is a good idea to get to know the other residents so you can build friendships with them! Don't you want to make friends Roll?"
"Friends?" said Roll, acting as if the word was so foreign to her, "friends...my own...friends...yeah...I would like to make friends." She never thought anyone would want to be friends with her. Then again, she wasn't used to having people talk to her, if at all.
"Well making friends and socializing is one of the most important aspects of being a mayor Roll," Isabelle explained, "Plus whenever their house has lights or smoke coming from the chimney, that means they are home! So you can just allow yourself in...unless they are sick or sleeping of course!"
"So...I guess that means I have to introduce myself to others?" Roll asked with a slight groan.
"I can see you're very shy," said Isabelle, "but there's nothing to be afraid of. Everyone here is really friendly. You might get some skepticism from Cranky and Snooty villagers..."
"Cranky and Snooty?" Roll asked. Isabelle giggled to herself.
"In all the years I've been here," Isabelle explained, "I've learned that villagers come in many different personality types, but it seems that they can be classified into eight different personality types. We've got at least one of each here in Animal Town and there are twelve villagers who live here. So you can just try the person's house and see if they are home. If they are, you'll be able to introduce yourself to them. Otherwise, they might be just strolling about doing their own things and such, which you can just walk up to them and say hi. Don't worry, you'll bump into everyone eventually. Now go on."
"Isabelle..."
"You'll be okay," the shi-tzu replied gently, "Don't think about it so much. Just introduce yourself and the rest of the conversation will take care of itself. The same can be said with making friendships too. It will come in its good time." Roll wanted to protest but she knew Isabelle was right. her only defense was...
"What if..."
"They'll like you," said Isabelle, as if reading the girl's mind, "I know they will." Roll just looked at her for a moment. Stunned Isabelle knew what she was about to say.
"Do you have ESP or something?" she asked. Isabelle giggled.
"No," said Isabelle, "But I am aware of your situation at the orphanage. Like I said before, the best way to get out of your shell is to go up to people and introduce yourself. Now go on. You'll feel better once you do." Roll just sighed in defeat as she dragged her bare feet across the floor and left town hall. She just walked about rather cautiously when she found two houses near the south edge of the town, but both of them were empty. While Roll was inwardly relieved a bit, it still meant she would have to look elsewhere for someone to introduce herself to. She kept walking west until she found a blue thatched house with a pink roof and matching pink door. She also saw smoke puffs in the shapes of butterflies coming out of the chimney stack, letting her know that someone was home.
"Cute house," said Roll, "wonder who lives there? (sigh) Guess I...better introduce myself..." Roll felt very nervous as she slowly approached the door and was just about to grab the door knob when the door opened, causing her to step back a bit as the blue cat exited her house and locked the door.
"Time to see what the latest gossip is!" said the blue cat with a squeal.
"Um...excuse me..." said Roll timidly and in such a small voice she thought she wouldn't be heard, but the cat did and turned to face her.
"Hey, you're the new mayor aren't you!" she exclaimed. Roll smiled shyly as the cat gasped excitedly.
"OMG!" she squealed, "The mayor herself comes to visit my humble little home! I'm so honored, silly!" She clapped happily and Roll couldn't help but giggle a little at the blue cat's peppiness.
"By the way my name is Rosie," she continued, "and I'm kind of the Animal Town's superstar, silly!" She posed triumphantly.
"What is your name?" she asked afterward, "I think I heard it from Isabelle, but I want you to tell me!"
"My name is...Roll," the girl answered, wondering what kind of reaction she would get with the name. Rosie giggled.
"That is, like, the CUTEST NAME EVER!" she squealed, "I just love your name, silly! It's totally cute like me!" Roll smiled, happy that Rosie liked her name but felt a bit embarrassed by how excited the cat was about it. Suddenly the blue cat approached her, her eyes full of anticipation.
"So why did you move here, silly?" she asked as she clearly couldn't not stay still for one second, "Are you alone? Or are you living with a friend? or how about...how about...how about..."
"I...came alone," Roll answered sheepishly. Rosie gasped excitedly.
"SHE CAME ALONE!" she exclaimed and then bounced on her feet.
"I got it!" Rosie continued, "You obviously running away from your old town in order to forget the face of that man and heal your broken heart! Naturally you're clearly on a path of discovery and so are traveling alone. And that journey brought off the beaten path and brought you into this distant town!" Rosie's eyes became glossy a bit at her own dramatic tale of Roll's journey here. Roll just looked at her strangely and while Rosie wasn't that far off from the truth, in terms of wanting to forget the past, she was still grossly exaggerating her journey here.
"That is...not quite it," said Roll calmly.
"It has to be!" Rosie retorted and sighed giddily, "I, too, wish to be carried off by a prince on a gallant steed! Oh it's so romantic, silly!" Roll just gave her a sheepish smiled as Rosie continued to gush for another minute or two before she let Roll go. Yet Rosie continued to gush about how someday her prince would come for her and they would live happily ever after. Roll couldn't help but giggle as she listened to Rosie a bit longer before heading on her way. Then she noticed another house near the town plaza that looked a bit more traditional but had light and dark shades of pink walls and roof.
"This girl must be just as hyper as Rosie," Roll muttered as she was about to make her way towards the house when someone bumped into her from the side.
"Oops!" said the voice, "Sorry, I guess I was getting a little distracted! Oh it's the new mayor! I'm Alfonso. Nice to meet you, it'sa me!" Roll was taken aback at how friendly he was for a moment before recomposing herself.
"Hello," Roll finally replied, "my...my name is Roll and y-y-es, I'm the new mayor. What were you thinking about?" Roll wasn't even sure why she asked that, but she figured it was good conversation starter. This talking to people still felt very awkward for her.
"Oh this package I picked up from Nookling Junction, it'sa me!" Alfonso replied, "I had ordered a dozen pies for my lunch!"
"Pies?" said Roll surprised.
"Uh-huh," said Alfonso, "I just love a desserts, all different kinds. Especially apple pie! It's like my favorite dessert of all time! Oh the taste is flooding back to me just from the smell from the box and it feels like I'm falling into a dream! IT'SA ME!" Alfonso went into a daze and Roll just giggled.
"Say Roll, custard or tiramisu? Which do you like better?" Alfonso asked.
"Uhh..." Roll was rather stunned at the question since she had never had pie before, but Alfonso just smiled.
"Personally, I really love them both! (sigh)" he gushed, not waiting for an answer when a yellow dog with orange eyes appeared with a bug net. He was apparently trying to catch a white butterfly, but kept missing.
"Benjamin!" Alfonso complained, "You said you were going to wait for me before we started the bug hunting!" Benjamin stopped chasing the butterfly and turned to face him.
"Sorry, but the butterflies aren't going to wait all day, alrighty!" he retorted, "and you were taking too long! I was falling asleep!"
"You always fall asleep from long waits! It'sa me!"
"Same for you bro!" Benjamin snorted before he noticed the blonde girl standing nearby.
"Say...who is the girl next to you, alrighty?" Benjamin asked curiously, "Got yourself a girlfriend Al?" Benjamin made kissing sounds and Alfonso rolled his eyes. Roll felt her cheeks turn light pink a bit in embarrassment.
"Like I am good enough to be anyone's girlfriend," she muttered, thought nobody heard her.
"Very funny, it'sa me!" said Alfonso indignantly, "This is Roll. She's the new mayor of Animal Town!" Roll waved shyly as Benjamin seemed a bit spaced out before his mind clicked.
"Oh right!" said Benjamin, "She's the blonde girl who planted that tree in the plaza yesterday. I forget things sometimes but I remember them even faster, alrighty!"
"(cough) Right," Alfonso teased and got bopped in the head with a net, "OW!"
"Anyway, nice to meet you Roll," said Benjamin, "did you wanna catch butterflies with us?" Roll just smiled at the offer but shook her head.
"No thank you Benjamin," said Roll, "I just moved in and I...well...I don't even have a net!" Benjamin looked disappointed but smiled.
"Well I hear there's one in Nookling Junction," said Benjamin, "so you better hurry there when you've got the chance, alrighty."
"Oh...ok...thanks Benjamin," said Roll.
"Now come on Al!" said Benjamin as a peacock butterfly went by, "The butterflies await!" Benjamin tried, but failed once more, to catch the butterfly and chased after it. Alfonso grew excited.
"Hang on!" said Alfonso as he instinctively shoved his package into Roll's hands and pulled out his net, "Wait for me!" Alfonso chased after his friend, leaving Roll stunned and alone.
"O...k..." said Roll trying to get her bearings when she remembered Alfonso's package in her hands and gasped, "What am I supposed to do with this now?" While the smell of the pies was making her hungry, she knew better than to eat something that wasn't hers. She didn't even have a refrigerator, or any furniture for that matter. This was quite a predicament until she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned to see that it was the calico cat from yesterday.
"If you leave the package in their mailbox, or store it in your pocket, kitten," she replied, "you can keep it stored safe and sound as well as fresh until Alfonso comes back." Roll just blinked for a moment before she smiled at the cat.
"Thank you," said Roll as she tucked the box into her pocket, "Umm...miss..."
"The name is Purrl, kitten," she answered with a smile, "it is very nice to meet you. I am eager to see what you plan to do to make this town a fun place to live!"
"I've heard..." said Roll sheepishly.
"Is something wrong, kitten?" Purrl asked.
"Just...nerves...uhh...Purrl," said Roll quietly.
"Ahh...I see...new job jitters I see, kitten," said Purrl, "well that is nothing to worry about dear. As long as you do your best, I'm sure you'll do just fine." Roll was rather touched hearing her say that and smiled.
"Thank you," said Roll, "but...how did you know?" Purrl chuckled to herself.
"I've been around...and I pick things up," she replied, not wanting to imply she was old, just experienced, "I can tell you're really nervous and clearly are not used to talking to people, but that's nothing to worry about dear. As time goes by, it will get easier, kitten."
"Thanks," said Roll, "it was nice meeting you."
"Likewise kitten," said Purrl, "now go on dear. I'm sure you've got other villagers to meet." Roll nodded before she went on her way. She still wanted to go towards the pink house she had seen earlier when she noticed another house that had a nice collection of red pansies around their house.
"Oh those are really pretty," said Roll and bent over to sniff one when...
"HEY JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" someone shouted and Roll yelped as she fell backwards into her rear. She turned towards the voice and found a tan colored cat with brown stripes and yellow eyes sounded by black eyeliner. The cat glared fiercely at Roll with her two fangs making her look even more fierce.
"Trying to steal my red pansies huh?" she snapped, "think you can sneak onto a girl's turf and help yourself when she not around, purrty?" Roll just looked at her fearfully and couldn't speak.
"This is my house and those flowers are MINE," she scolded, "and I expect them to stay there, thank you very much, so don't you forget it!" The cat very close to her face and then noticed that Roll was very close to crying. She just looked apathetic to her teary eyes until she noticed that Roll had started cry. She just sighed.
"Hey ease off, I was just messing with ya, purity," said the cat, "Just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean boys can take advantage of me you know. A girl's gotta be tough and defend her turf ya know, dude?" Roll just sniffled a bit before nodding in agreement.
"Sorry," Roll whimpered as she tried to calm down, "I just wanted to sniff the pansies. I wasn't going to take them. I was also just trying to introduce myself to the other villagers." The cat looked puzzled until she realized who she was.
"Oh, you're the new mayor!" she exclaimed, "Roll isn't it? My apologies there dude! I guess when I get on the defense I often don't realize who I'm talking to when I rant. But enough of the apologies. My name is Katt. That's Katt with a K, not a C, solo A, and two T's, not one, and don't you forget it, purrty."
"Yes maim," said Roll obediently but also with a tone of intimidation, but Katt snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Oh please Roll," said Katt indignantly, "You can call my mother maim. Just call me Katt okay."
"Okay...Katt," said Roll shyly. Katt just sighed at her timid nature.
"Girl, I'm not gonna bite," she answered in exasperation, "So chill out okay." Roll then just chuckled a little and gave her a warm smile. Katt just chuckled to herself as she helped Roll to her feet.
"That's better," said Katt, "now just take it easy and if you ever need help, this Uchi has got your back, purrty."
"Uchi?"
"Some fancy name for big sis," said Katt, "Japanese origin and something like that. Anyway, enjoy the flowers...just don't pick them." Katt laughed as she grabbed a fishing rod and headed towards the river. Roll just watched her leave as she wiped away the left over tears from her eyes. She felt so childish for crying like that and snorted to herself. She had lost her interest in sniffling the flowers and went on her way to meet her next villager.
The next three villagers were very subtle in their introductions. Lolly was busy fishing and was too busy concentrating to really offer much conversation but her friendly hello helped Roll feel less insecure after her confrontation with Katt. Roll had a hard time speaking to Rudy since he seemed to have alot of exercise on the brain and took off right after the introduction to continue his jogging, thus keeping the conversation between the two short and brief. Marshal didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to her and was very quiet. Yet for some reason he just kept staring at her, which unnerved her a bit. This only made the conversation rather awkward as he just looked at her blankly with his trademark frown before she dismissed herself and left without another word.
Soon, Roll found herself back at the south end of the event plaza where she found another villager she hadn't met was inside his wooden house with a grey roof and the very pink house she had avoided was right next door. She saw that there was chimney smoke in the wooden house, but not the pink house.
"Darn," said Roll, she had been hoping to meet the villager in the pink house but the said villager wasn't home yet, "I guess I can see who lives in the wooden house." Roll slowly approached the wooden house and found that the door was locked.
"That's odd," said Roll, "it's the afternoon and the door is locked. I hope everything is okay..." Roll bravely knocked on the door. She was quickly surprised when a light grey wolf swung open the door quickly, surprising her.
"What do you want!" he snapped angrily. Roll was a little taken aback by his tone but she plucked up courage. She didn't want to be taken as being a baby by another villager. At least that was how she thought Katt probably thought of her.
"My name is Roll and I'm the new mayor of Animal Town," said Roll, "I...I thought I would come and introduce myself to you and say hello."
"Well...hello Roll," said Fang hastily, "the name is Fang, cha-chomp. So if you're finished here. I would like to be alone!" Roll felt hurt.
"Sorry I bothered you," said Roll quietly, looking sad, but Fang said nothing and shut his door loudly. Poor Roll felt rather defeated. She decided to leave and find a place to have some time to herself for a while.
With a few minutes, she began to follow the river edge until she reached the eastern border where there was large waterfall that marked the beginning of Animal Town's river. She just decided to sit near the edge of the river, putting her bare feet into the water and splashed around for a bit.
"This is harder than I thought," said Roll to herself, "It just feels so weird talking to people. I'm so not used to it either. I haven't even made a friend either..." She sighed as she kicked the water contently for a little while. She began to look around the small pond that acted as the mouth of the eastern waterfall when she noticed another white wolf. At first she thought it was Fang, but then she took a closer look and noticed that this wolf had a different shirt on, whiter fur, and had a large curl in her hair. The wolf was also donning some makeup around her eyes, which enhanced her long eyelashes. Roll just stared at her feet and then the wolf and then back at her feet before pulling them out and standing up.
"Well guess I better introduce myself," said Roll as she ironed out the skirt of her dress. It didn't help that there was only one bridge in town and Roll had walk all the way around to get to the wolf. She had just crossed the bridge when she noticed Fang had come out of his house and was just walking around.
"Oh hello there Roll," said Fang, "Looks like you're keeping busy, cha-chomp."
"Oh hi Fang," said Roll quietly, "Are...you still mad at me?" Fang blinked a bit when he heard that.
"Excuse me, cha-chomp?" he asked, stunned by her question.
"It's just...when we meet earlier, you seemed rather annoyed about me," said Roll quietly, "I don't know what I did to upset you..." Fang looked at her blankly before he remembered their first meeting and chuckled.
"Oh, you're still worried about that," said Fang as he gave her a friendly pat on the head, "My bad! Sometimes I just wake up on the wrong side of the bed! And I get a little cranky. Sorry about that." Roll smiled and giggled a bit.
"What's up cha-chomp?" he asked regarding her giggle.
"I'm just glad it wasn't something I did," said Roll, "I really thought you didn't like me." Fang laughed.
"Of course I like you Roll," said Fang with a smile, "You're a good kid." Roll just smiled, feeling much better.
"Thank you Fang," said Roll, "I gotta meet the other villagers so take care."
"You too," said Fang, "and if anyone does say they don't like you. You just come to me. I'll straighten them out for you, cha-chomp!" Roll smiled and nodded, feeling grateful that he was looking out for her as she made her way back to the white wolf, who was just reading in a lounge chair outside of her own house .
"Umm...excuse me?" Roll asked once she was just a few feet away from the wolf. The wolf continue to read for a bit as if to seem that she was ignoring her, but the truth was she wasn't. Roll didn't realize this.
"My name is Roll," she continued shy as she rubbed her feet together, "I am the new mayor of Animal Town. I thought I would introduce myself."
"Well thank you dear," said the wolf, still keeping her eyes on her book, "My name is Whitney. I have a pitcher of iced tea could you please refill my glass please, snappy?"
"Sure thing," said Roll as she took the glass and went to refill the cup, ice included. Whitney then just slowly lifted her face out of her book and watched the blonde girl before a warm smile crept onto her face.
"You really are new to being a mayor aren't you?" she asked gently.
"Yes maim, I am," said Roll as she had just finished refilling the cup.
"You have a sparkling essence about you that is rather sweet, snappy," said Whitney. Roll looked rather stunned at the complement as Whitney got up from her chair and walked towards her.
"Well being mayor might often lead to you do not so glamorous work from time to time," said Whitney as she took her cup and stood before her, "but a polished lady can shine brightly in any circumstance."
"R-r-right," said Roll, unable to resist a soft smile.
"Come see me anytime," said Whitney, "And I'll show you how to be proper lady in any circumstance, snappy." With that, Whitney gave Roll smile and a wink before turning away with her iced tea in hand. Roll looked at her baffled for a few moments before she walked away without another word. She had not taken more than a dozen steps or so before she looked back towards Whitney's house.
"What a beautiful lady," said Roll quietly to herself.
By now it was approaching the late afternoon, and Roll was feeling rather tired. She was feeling more and more tempted to eat the pies Alfonso had left, but her conscience wouldn't let her.
"Now what do I do?" said Roll, "I'm hungry...I didn't even eat breakfast...or lunch for that matter..." Her stomach gave aloud growl and she just rubbed her stomach when Alfonso arrived.
"Hey there it'sa me!" said Alfonso, "Umm...I was wondering...I kind of left a package behind and...well..."
"You mean these?" Roll asked as she presented the package to him. Alfonso beamed excitedly as he took the package back and tucked it into his pockets. Roll groaned quietly since she was hungry and wanted a share. Alfonso went for a slice when he saw Roll just standing nearby, looking lost in thought.
"Here," said Alfonso, "I hope you like fresh apple pie!" He handed her a rather large slice to her. Roll just looked at it with watering lips before she took a large bite and savored every bit of it. She was fighting hard not to stuff her face with it since she didn't want to be given any more food related nicknames. Alfonso, however, just shoved an entire slice into his mouth and munching it happily so Roll could have done the same, but she wanted to be polite.
"Thank you for the pie slice Alfonso," said Roll with a timid but cute smile, "It was delicious." Alfonso just smiled with his mouth full and went to eat another slice whole.
"Sure thing, it'sa me," said Alfonso with his mouth still full, "and if you're still hungry you can always shake a nearby tree for some fruit. There are plenty of apples around town and no one owns any of the trees around here...or the flowers. Katt had no right to claim those red pansies. They just grew there on their own cause she waters them all the time!" Alfonso rolled his eyes as he brought up the brown cat as Roll just listened.
"Oh...I see," said Roll, "well thank you again Alfonso. I'm gonna find myself some fruit cause I'm still hungry!" Alfonso just nodded as he gobbled down a third piece of pie as Roll went to look for a nearby apple tree. It didn't take her long before she found one and noticed how the tree was filled with hundreds of juicy reddish-yellow apples just waiting to be picked and collected. Roll felt her mouth water as she noticed an apple on a low branch and tried to stretch and reach for it, but she was too short. She took a deep breath and tried again, using her toes to give herself some extra reach, even trying to jump as high as she could but her finger were just short of touching the fruit. Roll snorted.
"I might not be an athletic type of girl, but I know how to climb" she said aloud, "Most wouldn't climb a tree barefoot, but I find that I can grip the tree better using my toes. Plus I'm not afraid of scratching my feet and toes for that matter. Neither am I afraid of falling." The last part was just mostly talk before she tried getting a grip on the side of the tree with her hands and bare feet before she slowly tried to climb the tree. At first she seemed alright until her left foot slipped and Roll found herself landing on her back with a thud. Roll just sighed in defeat when she heard the sound of someone giggling behind her. Roll turned herself over so she could sit on her knees when she noticed a white elephant with yellow hair smiling at her.
"Looking to collect some apples," she asked, "I can help you out with that, tootie."
"Thank you, but I think I can get to them myself," said Roll, "I know how to climb." Roll then stood up and tried climbing the tree again. Margie just watched her for a moment with a smile.
"You know all you need to do is shake the tree, tootie," said the elephant, "I'm naturally very strong. It seems to be one of my talents. Getting the opportunity to use it...is really more efficient."
"Efficient?" Roll asked as she hung on the main tree branch upside down until she lost her grip again and yelped as she landed on her back once more. She groaned from the impact but luckily Animal Crossing trees aren't very tall. Yet that didn't mean the impact hurt any less. The elephant giggled a bit before helping Roll to feet and gently rubbed her back to soothe the stinging pain the blonde girl felt from the landing.
"Come on," the elephant encouraged, "I know something that is even better than apples!" Roll just obeyed as she rubbed her sore back. Soon her back had settled and they arrived at what was a tree filled with cherries instead of apples.
"Cherries!" Roll exclaimed as she walked up to the tree and eyed the reddish fruit hungry.
"They are from my home town, tootie," said the elephant as she walked up to Roll as the girl marveled at the fruit.
"Say," said the elephant, "Let's pretend we are making cherries pies, but the slices are circles instead of triangles okay?" Roll looked rather puzzled but nodded as the elephant took a seat on the grass in front of the tree.
"Let's think about how we would eat them by ourselves," the elephant continued as Roll sat on her knees beside her, "The first and second slices are no problem, but once I get to the third...all I wanna do is go on a diet!" Roll giggled.
"I understand that," said Roll. From her days in the orphanage, it was common for her to try to stuff her face sometimes because the food was limited and you wanted to get your share or else go hungry with all the children fighting for their share of the food. And she was also the age where she was beginning to think about her figure. She wasn't chubby, but she wasn't super skinny either. Then again...she's only eleven.
"What do you do in those situations?" the elephant asked.
"I often say to myself: I really should be eating all this pie," said Roll as she closed her eyes and then smiled, "But then I stuff them all in my mouth!"
"That's just what I would do!" the elephant chortled, "I mean...if you don't eat them, they just get tucked away in the fridge...time will pass and you'd forget about them. And it will end up in tragedy!"
"Uh-huh," Roll agreed with an enthusiastic nod.
"I believe thinking things is also a talent," the elephant continued, "just like food will go to waste if it's not eaten, the same thing goes for your talents, you have to put them to good use too."
"Put them to good use?" said Roll, not understanding the analogy.
"You see," said the elephant, "by talking about helping you, I was also able to help myself." She stood up and lightly shook the tree, not even making the tree rock an inch, but enough for a pair of cherries to fall from the tree and into the ground. She picked up one of the cherry pairs and handed them to Roll.
"Here you are!"
"Oh thank you," said Roll and bit into the fruit and munched on it happily. Margie did the same until they finished at the same time.
"Delicious!" they said together.
"I just love cherries!" said Roll, "even more than apples...I think." They both chuckled.
"Anyway, my name is Roll, I'm the new mayor of Animal Town," said Roll.
"As for me, my name is Margie," said the elephant, "it is very nice to make a new friend." Roll's eyes shrunk as she looked at the girl surprised.
"Friend?" Roll repeated.
"Of course," said Margie, "Why else would you be introducing yourself to everyone if not to make friends?" Roll just looked at her feet nervously.
"True...but..." said Roll quietly, "Isabelle said that introducing myself and meeting everyone would make me a good mayor."
"It does," said Margie, "it's good to get to know people, but don't you want to make friends?"
"Of course I do," said Roll, "it's...just...I'm..." Roll realized she was about to spill something personal and stopped herself but she knew she had to come up with something. Margie just smiled.
"Shy?" she guessed.
"Yeah," said Roll, not wanting to say more until her stomach growled again. Margie chuckled as Roll blushed a little in embarrassment.
"Come on," said Margie, "I'm invited some friends over to join me for dinner, I would be honored if you would join us."
"Oh I don't want to intrude!" said Roll sheepishly with her hands in the air.
"I insist," said Margie, "you've got a talent to socialize with people and you need to keep using it so it won't be forgotten." Roll wanted to protest but then conceded as she Margie escorted her back to her little house, which was near the lone cherry tree. Roll was careful to wipe her bare feet before walking inside and was greeted by a pair of gasps. There inside were Margie's friends: Rosie, whom she had meet, and burnt orange rabbit she had been waiting to meet since this morning.
"Hi Mayor Roll!" said Rosie, "I didn't know you were joining us for dinner, silly!"
"Oh this the mayor?!" exclaimed the bunny as she stood up to say hello, "It is really cool to meet you Mayor Roll, my name is Bunnie. We're going to be the best of friends, tee hee."
"You wanna be my friend too?" Roll asked surprised since the red bunny has just met her.
"We both do, silly," said Rosie excitedly.
"We are going to have so much fun together, tee hee!" said Bunnie giddily, "hanging out, talking about boys, reading gossip magazines, and so much more!" Bunnie hopped up and down excitedly, making Roll laugh.
"You bet Bunnie," said Rosie, "did you hear about..." The two girls just continued to share gossip between each other as Roll just smiled to herself. Margie then gestured for Roll to take a seat as she got dinner ready. Roll just listened for the most part with the conversation going on between Rosie and Bunnie, especially once dinner was served and she ate quietly. She was grateful that despite the sloppy eating nature she was used to, she had learned a thing or two about manners on her own. It was just another one of her many talents that she had taught herself since on one else bothered to teach her. As the conversation between Rosie and Bunnie continued, soon they were asking her questions so she felt included in the conversation. Roll was timid at first but after an hour of chatting, she found that she had more to say then she thought. And the foursome chatted til long after the stars came out.
While Roll still wasn't sure if she would be a good mayor, she had grown some confidence that she could make friends. She could only hope her other duties for being mayor would be this much fun. However, she knew she had just gotten started.
Yet her biggest achievement today was that she had taken her first step in making friends.
Parts of the dialogues between the villagers are based from the English translation of their dialogues from Dobutsu no Mori, otherwise known as the 2006 Animal Crossing Anime movie, which never got a US release date. (Sigh)
Stay Tuned for the next part!