Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
Charms of a Scarlet Lady
In the humble land of Flower Bud Village, two friendly figures were casually conversing.
One was an older man with brown hair tied in a ponytail, and sharp blue eyes. He wore his usual blue traveling robes and is almost never seen without his trusty, top-quality fishing pole.
The other was a young lady with chocolate brown hair tied into two curly tails by green ribbons. She wore a stylish green blazer over a black sleeveless top along with a matching green skirt. Her big green eyes sparkled with life and wit.
"So Ray, how's your search for the King Fish been going lately?" the grinning young lady asked.
The man called Ray shrugged. "Not as good as I hoped. Ever since Jack caught the infamous Jamasquid, news of the other King Fish seemed to diminish. It's like they've somehow become wary since one of their own was caught. I can only hope for the best after rainy days" he sighed.
Rothe nodded. "We must have some pretty smart fish around these parts. Still, I'm going to be rootin' for ya. Jack's too busy with some other things to get in your way, and Flower Bud Village is going to need more than unproven legends to be recognized by the outside world" she noted.
Ray nodded. "Don't worry. Just leave the angling to me!" he proclaimed.
Rothe responded with her most cheerful expression yet. "You know, you've really started to get comfortable with the ladies, lately! I mean, sure it was just luck that we clicked so easily, but you've really come out of your own lately! You've been off enjoying horse riding with Gwen for a while, and you've even managed to hold a conversation with Maria in the library! I'm even more impressed with how you've been able to handle Jill's affectionate act whenever she's around you!"
Ray went into deep thought to reflect his gradual social change. "Gwen was the first lady friend I've made because she approached me first and challenged my fear. And Jill? I'm surprised that I'm actually getting used to her. But I guess her daily cheer can rub off you. Jack must really enjoy her company as his little sister, because I think I'm starting to know how he feels as a big brother" he grinned.
He then nodded to himself as he went into deep thought. "But Maria... I sense a kindred spirit in her as we talk. She seems so confident about her knowledge of the world, but very unsure of what true joys it can offer her. She's believes so strongly in her faith, and yet I feel as if she believes so little in herself. Even knowing this, I'm still not sure if it would be fitting to be with her" he wondered aloud.
Rothe grinned. "Wow, that's pretty deep. You're starting to sound like a bona fide Wiseman!" she cried.
Ray shrugged. "People tend to learn more about the world as they travel around it. I've already seen so much in my life, but there are still times I miss my brother Cliff because of remembering the past" he confessed.
Rothe gazed in slight awe of Ray's wisdom, and thought back to one he missed dearly. "Wait a minute! Ein's off seeing the world because of his army duties right now! If Mr. Fisherman here sounds so smart because of HIS traveling days, I wonder if it's going to have the same effect on Ein? Or, is he just going to come back as his hopeful, wide-eyed, babyish self? Well, whatever happens, I hope he doesn't come back all serious and disciplined like Ledah! Only one Ledah is enough in this world!" she thought.
"Anyway..." she continued "I also hear you've been hanging out at the Moonlight Cafe and have been getting comfortable with Eve lately! I know you have that deepest respect for the Librarian, but is this thing with Eve actually getting serious, or is she just piling on the flirting in your honor?" she asked.
Ray once again nodded to himself. "Right, that outgoing woman. To my surprise, she's a very deep thinker herself. She's even willing to offer helpful advice to those who come seeking it. Yes, she's a rather flirty vixen, but she also has this earnest desire to help people with their daily lives in her own little way. It's pretty refreshing to know we have women like her and the motherly Ellen taking care of this village" he answered with a hint of facsination.
"That's nice and everything, but it still doesn't quite answer my question" Rothe frankly stated.
"You seem to know me very well, Rothe. Who do you think I care about most?" he responded smartly.
Rothe sighed. "The Librarian Chick, I guess. He always blabs on about her so fondly whenever we bring her up!" she thought to herself. Physically, the city girl in green stared back at him with a sly expression.
"Then I guess I don't need to explain myself" he calmly annouced.
Rothe groaned. "That's because you're still too embarrassed to talk about that kind of thing..." she tactfully replied.
Ray gave the young lady a suspicious glance. "I see... and I suppose by now you've already written a confessing love letter to your friend Ein?" he announced.
The humbled Rothe gagged. "W-what? Ein? That helpless, poor excuse of a man? I never said ANYTHING about loving HIM!" she cried with a tomato-red face.
The fisherman coughed. "I feel sorry that you're the kind of person to pick on someone you appreciate so much. It puts an unneeded distance between the two of you."
Embarrassed beyond belief, Rothe got on her knees and laughed bashfully.
After taking a few moments to get over her humility, the usually sassy city girl brought her hands together and slowly raised her head.
"DAMN IT, RAY! I ALREADY ARGUE ENOUGH WITH JAMIE! I DON'T NEED ANOTHER PERSON YANKING MY CHAIN!" she shouted with tears in her eyes.
Thinking quickly, Ray reached deep into a pocket and took out a handkerchief, which he immediately leant to the teary-eyed Rothe. "You asked for it, you know" he sighed.
Rothe accepted as she gently placed her eyes upon the soft cloth.
"As soon as you started getting lucky with girls, that bastard Ein is having ladies swarming all over him! He's even starting to date some blue-haired creep that threatened to beat me up on Rosalina Island!" she complained while letting her tears run over the handkerchief.
Ray glared at this sudden display in astonishment. "Wow... that came out of nowhere..." he thought to himself.
Suddenly, Rothe's ears twitched, which abruptly interrupted her crying spree.
"Hm? That's odd. I feel like something special's supposed to happen today." She said to herself.
"Really? Are you supposed to be some sort of prophet, now?" Ray asked curiously.
"Not exactly. Whenever I feel my ears twitch, it's usually a sign of things to come. I just wish that happened with the fake cat ears I wear sometimes. That would be cool!" she explained.
Caught completely off-guard by her last statement, Ray glared at her awkwardly.
"Uh, right... anyway, my "senses" tend to go either way, but it seems like this particular occasion seems to lean more towards a bad omen." she said cautiously.
Suddenly, an image that utterly disturbed the poor young lady flashed into her mind. She cringed in fright.
"Rothe! Rothe? Are you okay? You look a little---"
"I'm fine. I'm FINE! Just please leave me to my farming! I have a busy day ahead of me! Sorry to cut this short, Ray! Good bye!" she cried out in a panic as she dragged the fisherman a few yards from her home. She then speed walked straight towards the doors of her barn.
"Okay, that was odd. I've never seen Rothe freak out like that, but whatever it is, I'm sure she was just over reacting!" He said to himself. "Well then, if I remember correctly, Liz told me to meet her at the Spring Farm for something. I don't know what she wants with me, though. I'm not an expert on plants like Basil is."
After thinking to himself a little more, the wizened fisherman decided to make his way towards the Spring Farm, unaware of what awaited him there.
Author's Note: Curious who Ein and the "Blue-haired creep" is? I've just happened to write a fanfic about their first encounter in the Riviera section called, "Lacrima Castle Tour". Even if you're not a Riviera fan, check it out of you enjoy reading romantic comedy stories. I guarantee you, it's plenty of fun. Anyway, stick around for the next Chapter, where Ray finally runs into his "nemesis", the Scarlet Professor. 'Till next time, cheers!
Wow… I actually continued this hiatus-stricken fanfic…