I'm just a chick, so answer me quick
I love Jethro Tull's song'Thick as a Brick'
But is he Crescent Fresh?
Please I'm so distressed
"Uuugh…"
I slowly regained consciousness as the music continued. The source was unknown, and I was quite annoyed by it. Deciding to pay no heed to it, I shut my eyes yet again.
Tullity-tool his flutity-flute
Though it seems un-cress, he rocks with the best
So, yes he's Crescent Fresh
Aqualung, my friend
I finally got up in annoyance. Kasey was sitting there by the computer, humming along with the song.
"What the hell is up with that song?" I asked in irritation.
"It's just the internet, Vaughn." Kasey chuckled. "Had a good sleep?"
"How long was I out?" I rubbed my eyes as I let out a yawn.
"3 hours. It's 3 PM now."
"Slept like a baby." I muttered.
I feel quite refreshed now. I suppose taking a walk would be best in this time of the day.
"I'm gonna have a walk around town." I announced, putting on my hat.
"Got it. I have a question before you go, though." Kasey stated, his eyes still nailed at the computer screen.
"What?"
"Are you crescent fresh?"
After a cup of coffee, I left the Smith residence. The sun was beginning to set, rendering the whole place in an orange colored glow. I slowly strode my legs towards the town, enjoying every second of the journey.
As I reached the town, though, not a single person was seen. It was like a dead town, with ghosts that come out at night to haunt the people who decided to disturb their peace. I pondered on my mind whether these people are anti-social or just plain don't like outsiders.
Preposterous. The folks at the bar are a contradiction to that theory. This silence isn't natural. It feels… staged somehow.
"Ah, got one!"
The ringing voice snapped me out of my dreams. I turned my head towards the source to see a girl by the docks.
She was a bit short, a little less than average. She had a short brown hair, complete with brown eyes to match it. She wore a simple rancher's outfit that went down to her knees. I'm no fashion counselor, but that outfit fits her pretty well for some reason. It just clicks.
I noticed that she was holding a fishing pole made out of bamboo in her hands, and quite a huge basket sat there beside her feet.
I contemplated whether to greet her or just leave her be. The latter might be best. I don't know much about fishing, but I know it takes quite a bit of concentration to pull. Talking to her would make her-
"AH! A big one!"
Does this girl always have to announce what she has in mind? For Goddess' sake!
I watched her struggle for quite a while. It was quite an amusing sight, to see someone working so hard to get what they want.
"Gah… Help!"
Okay… so much for working hard.
I sighed and walked over to her. As she noticed my presence, though, a disaster happened.
Due to turning her attention away from the line for a brief second, she lost her balance and was pulled in by the fish. I let out a gasp of surprise before my reflex acted up. I managed to wrap my arm around her small waist and pulled her. I fell on my back, bringing her with me. The girl let out an 'oof' as her head bumped my chest.
"Grrhhh…" I groaned. "You alright?"
"I… I'm fine."
The girl got up, inspecting herself for any injuries. Thankfully, there were none. I let out a sigh of relief as I sat straight, fixing my hat to its usual position.
"Thanks for saving me, Mister!" The rancher girl bowed a bit, smiling cheerfully at me.
Ugh… being called 'Mister' seems so wrong.
"It's nothing." I stood up, dusting my pants. "You really need to pay attention at what you're doing."
She laughed nervously, rubbing her head. "Yeah, it's just that the fish is too big-" she turned her head towards the previous spot she had fished. "AAH! My fishing rod!"
I shifted my eyes towards the floating bamboo. It was dragged away towards the center of the sea, slowly and beautifully sailing into the unknown. Bye-bye, fishing rod. May you find peace in the afterlife.
"It's just a bamboo rod." I stated.
"Well, yeah… but." She sighed, shaking her head. "Ah, well… maybe it's finally time for us to part. Destiny is cruel sometimes."
I'm starting to think that I should get this girl to an asylum.
"By the way, I haven't seen you around here before, sir." She turned to me, showing a small smile.
"I'll be the animal dealer starting next week. And for your information, I'm not as old as you think." I said, getting a bit annoyed at what she called me.
"You can't fool me." She leaned closer, inspecting my face with narrowed eyes. Her lips pursed in concentration. "You're in denial, mister."
"I'm 21." I pressed the palm of my hand to my face. "My hair is naturally white."
"Oh, I see." She raised both of her eyebrows. "Sorry for that." She laughed.
"Glad to have that straightened out."
"I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Renee Marston." Renee offered her hand.
"Vaughn. Vaughn Wesson." I shook her hand. It was pretty small for a rancher, and it felt comfortingly warm for some reason. "I've heard you got a ranch."
"Yes. Actually, my parents own it. I'm just helping out. But enough about me, tell me about yourself."
"I'd rather not." I refused.
"Come on, I'm curious." Renee nagged.
"I'm just an old friend of the Smiths. Kasey called me over. That's all you need to know."
"Ooh, the mysterious type, huh?" The rancher girl leaned closer to me. "What's your secret? Yakuza? CIA? A son of a mercenary with a musical talent?"
Where the hell did that last bit came from?
"I just don't think it's interesting to talk about. And I'm not quite the talker, either."
"Okay, I understand." She pulled back, nodding her head.
Renee turned away towards the sea, her eyes fixed at the beautiful sunset ahead of her. I stared at her face from the side for quite a while.
That smile of hers… it feels very comforting for some reason. I can't take my eyes off her that easily. It feels like I got sucked in – hypnotized. The soft glow from the sun helped the sight pretty well, it amplified the gentle feeling this girl had in her smile.
After a few seconds, it seemed she noticed that a pair of eyes was monitoring her like a hawk. She turned her head to me, to which I reacted by looking away quickly.
"What, is there something on my face?" She asked innocently.
"No, nothing." I muttered, slightly pulling down the brim of my hat.
"Hmm." She hummed. I kept my eyes fixed at the ocean, crossing my arms whilst shifting uncomfortably.
"Yoink!"
Before I knew it, my hat was gone from my head. I snapped out of my dreams and turned my back quickly. Renee stood there, sticking her tongue out with my hat on her head.
"Give that back." I made an attempt at intimidation, threatening her with a glare.
"If you can catch me." She taunted before running off towards the town.
"Goddamnit!" I chased after her, going as fast as my boots would take me.
Renee let out a playful laugh as she ran around the town, keeping one hand at the hat to keep it from falling off. It took me a while to realize that all of my attempts at overtaking her were futile. Her boots were lighter, her stamina was undoubtedly nearly infinite, and she certainly didn't smoke during her teenage years.
I'm fighting a losing battle.
Looks like I have to get a bit creative. One thing I always have since I was born is the natural talent of sneaking. I'm going to use that to my advantage. I took a look around for some props I could use. It didn't take a second before I found something… classy.
I stopped for a while to catch my breath. While the hat stealer wasn't looking, I quickly hid myself in an empty cardboard box located in front of the bar.
I could hear Renee's footsteps slowing down. I took a peek to see her turning her head around, looking confused.
"Where did he…"
She crossed her arms, her eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to figure out where I went. After a few seconds, she turned her head to the bar.
"Hmm."
I nearly smirked in victory as I saw her walking to the building. As she opened the door, I quietly made my way out of the safest haven ever created – the cardboard box.
"Kathy, have you seen a white haired guy dressed in black anywhere?" Renee asked the waitress.
"You mean Vaughn?" Kathy raised an eyebrow as she saw me. "He's right behind you."
The rancher quickly made a 180° turn. I saw a glimpse of her surprised face before I snatched my hat away from her.
"Gotcha now." I said, placing my hat back to its place.
"You cheated!" Renee exclaimed.
"It's called 'critical thinking'." I corrected her.
"You guys mind explaining what the hell is going on?" Kathy interrupted, placing a hand on her hip.
We took a seat and explained the previous events at the waitress. The bar was quiet, Hayden said that the patrons usually showed up at night. I ordered a beer to regain my lost stamina, while Renee got herself a cranberry juice.
"So let me get this straight…" Kathy closed her eyes, her eyebrows locked. "What you two did, was running around town chasing after each other, while you both just met a few minutes ago."
"And you're both adults." Chase commented.
"She started it." I said, taking a swig.
"I guess not." The chef shrugged.
"Well, it's alright to be childish once in a while, don't you think?" Renee smiled cheerfully.
"As long as you don't cry for candy, I guess it's alright." Kathy scoffed.
I continued my drink in silence. Renee was having small chats with Chase, talking about various fishes and how they taste. I stared at the rancher for a few seconds before a voice interrupted me.
"That's Renee for you."
I turned my head to see Kathy in front of me, leaning at the bar. She smiled softly as her eyes were fixed at the eccentric girl.
"She's always cheerful, no matter where and when. She could have fun with everything, and she could make the others around her feel at ease. Quite the interesting girl, isn't she?"
"Couldn't agree more." I answered shortly.
"There's just something in her that can't be explained with words." The blonde chuckled. "So what do you think of her?"
"She's…" I paused as I racked my brain to find the right words to describe her. After a while, though, I found a suitable one.
"Crescent Fresh."