"Alya this whole place is so beautiful," Marinette said, her voice awed as she pulled her bag down a dirt path winding next to a Cliffside overlooking the ocean. "You really live right next to the sea!"
"We live next to the sea," she reminded her friend with a laugh, shifting the bags in her arms as she started to fish in her pocket for her keys. "It's not right on the cliff but you can hear the ocean at night and you're on the second floor so you can see it too."
Marinette couldn't help the giggle as it tumbled out, picking up the pace and forcing Alya to walk faster. "I can't believe this is real! I'm so excited!"
"Wait up girl!" Alya said with a teasing tone, fast walking too now as she found her friend's excitement to be infectious.
Marinette was smiling so wide it was starting to hurt her cheeks, her heart swelling every time she looked out over the ocean and back at the vibrant forest. It was so… natural, small boulders decorating the side of the cliff and marking the turns in the paths that lead back to the forest, one thinner one continuing on and she knew it lead to her new home. She walked faster still, unable to keep from gasping as she moved through the trees lining strewn in the front yard, revealing a modest but gorgeous two story Oceanside cottage.
"Alya," she breathed out, pulling up to a sharp stop as she looked up the soft blue gray paneled walls with white trim, stepping forward to place a hand on the white painted wood railing leading up the few short steps to the front door. The railing felt warm from the sun as she moved her hand across the smooth finish, words failing her as she looked up at the dark blue door. The trees created scattered shadows that fell over the front yard, the shifting sunlight making the few groups of colorful flowers glow against the rich color of the grass. The home stood firm, well built and complete with a small white mailbox that was surrounded by a ring of dark blue orchids crawling up the support and swaying along with everything else in the gentle ocean breeze.
It was gorgeous…
"Welcome to your new home Mari," Alya said softly, respecting the moment and letting her friend take it in. She watched as the designer raised a hand to her mouth, eyes watering as she took a slow breath. "Want to use your key?" Alya asked, unsurprised when Marinette nodded her head and fished out the small silver key Alya had given her on the way there. She took the steps slowly, looking over every inch of the short white wood deck as she approached the front door, taking another deep breath as she unlocked the door with a click.
The thick dark wood door swung open obediently when Marinette pushed against it, the girl stepped over the threshold and felt momentarily overwhelmed.
It was simple, it was warm. The front door opened into a large area used as a sitting room off to the left with long white wood paneled windows looking out into the front yard. There were many windows, making every space feel open and connected, the stone tiled kitchen floor visible beyond the bend of a wall. A round table placed squarely before the largest of the windows pointing out towards the back of the house, the ocean visible beyond and its pale wood face scattered with papers and all the small things that made a space feel lived in.
Alya was making a comment about how she did clean before Mari had arrived but it just seemed to get messy again, but Marinette didn't care. She pulled her bag inside and set it to the side of the entrance before turning back towards her friend, grappling her into a tight hug.
"It's perfect," she said quietly, her voice hoarse with emotion. "It's so perfect… thank you."
"Oh Mari…" Alya said in reply, fondly patting her friend's hair before separating to close the door. "Alright girl, let's get your bags in your room. The stairs are to the right, you got the bag?"
"Yeah," she said quickly, sniffing to keep from actually crying and grinning again before picking her heavy bag clear off the floor in her enthusiasm and turning to head up the stairs.
Alya was following up behind, explaining briefly where bathrooms were and which sinks sort of leaked and how there was one nail somewhere along the baseboard that stuck up from the carpet so be careful. There had been rugs downstairs but for the most part things were either hardwood or stone. Upstairs, except for the bathrooms, everything was soft light colored carpet.
Marinette gasped when she reached the top, another window looking out over Alya's sizable backyard with a perfect view of the crystal blue ocean over the cliff edge.
"You're on the left," Alya informed her, moving ahead of her friend to push the already ajar door with her hip. "I'll put this near your dresser so you can unpack later, but we are showing you main street first before you wear yourself out."
"Oh," Mari breathed again, bouncing a little and nearly squeaking in excitement as she looked around her bedroom.
The walls were painted white, most likely by Alya since she knew the spare room had been blue before, and a comfortable looking queen bed with dark wood frame was pushed up along the far wall beneath a long flat glass window. Puffy white curtains hung around it and sunlight poured through the freshly cleaned glass, illuminating the fair sized room and simple dark wood dresser.
"We still need a mirror and stuff for in here but it's got the basics," Alya continued. "We can check the furniture available in town today when we go in. You don't have a bathroom in here but I have one in mine so the one in the hall can be yours. That's the one with the tub so you might need to share occasionally," she said with a laugh, feeling her own heart swell as she watched Marinette bounce around. Seeing her there felt… better than she could describe.
"It's perfect, it's perfect! I need a desk, a long one and a moving chair and a mirror, it can go over here! By the closet, and a few garment bags and a small table for my sewing things! And I'll need a waste basket… hm, a small one, what color should I paint? Or I could do a mural! Ooh Alya!" she cheered, jumping fully now and squealing happily as she finally overloaded. "I love it, I love this!"
"I told you!" Alya said happily, grabbing her friend for another hug as they both bounced in place and squealed in their excitement.
The two girls, chattered happily, Marinette dashing around and pointing out where things could go. Alya was making a mental list and flipping through her phone for catalogs even as she trailed behind her friend. Mari explored the whole house, peering in cabinets and running out into the backyard to twirl in place, giggling nearly nonstop.
Now that she was here? Now that she was home? She couldn't understand how she had ever been nervous. It was perfect.
Her ecstatic dancing was interrupted a short while later when Alya called out from the doorway, phone in her hands.
"Hey girl it looks like we actually do need to go to town," To Mari's surprise she was rolling her eyes. "We've got dinner guests. Apparently Nino didn't actually get enough food for him and Adrien, so instead of going to the store he just wants to bum off us. Normally I'd tell him I'm not his mom, buuuut," she chuckled, winking at her friend who watched her in confusion. "He'd be bringing model boy over so I said yes. We need to go to the store to pick up some food for four."
"Alya!" Marinette chastised weakly, slightly warm in the face. "I've been here for an hour can you stop trying to set me up with someone?"
"Not just someone," she said, waving a finger. "An incredibly hot very nice someone who just moved to town. You'll thank me later, but come with me! I don't want to carry it all by myself and you need to see town anyways."
Marinette pouted, sighing and shaking her head but unable to keep the smile away for long. Soon enough she was giggling again, running forward to dash through the door way and up the stairs.
"I'm grabbing my purse hang on!"
"Soo," Alya drawled, happily watching her friend skip ahead on the simple dirt path as they headed to town. "Main Street has a bunch of little things. Not really much in the way of name brand anything or big shop names, but I like what we've got better anyhow. We've got T.I.Y which is like a home center run but Nook's nephews." Alya's brow furrowed as she thought, tapping a slender finger to her chin. "There are two of them, twins I think? I don't really know how it works with Villagers but uh, I can't tell them apart so take from that what you will. Timmy and Tommy, which is equally as unhelpful." Marinette chuckled up ahead as Alya continued. "We've got Able Sisters, as you know, and the attachment accessory shop. Kicks, which is the store name and the name of the skunk who runs it. Kicks is friends with Nino, you'll see him around he's cool. Shampoodle, she's the salon type thing we have. She'll do whatever, her combined with the Able Sisters keeps everyone looking good. You've got Nook's home renovation place, that's the place you'd go for hinges or mailboxes or fencing. A grocery store, a sort of hoodooiey Fortune shop, a club which Nino works at, aaand the Museum. That's pretty much everything there. Off of Main Street and in town you have a few other little things run by Villagers like the Bait shop and stuff like that."
Marinette made an 'oooh' type sound, looking back at her friend. "A museum! That's awesome!"
Alya nodded, navigating the pair of them at a split in the road. "Most everything in it has been donated by people who live here, I've got a few things under my name. Pretty much every single fish in the aquarium section has been donated by Nino, he's the resident angler. I'm sure you'll get your name in there at some point too."
Marinette hummed, drawing back a little and looking off the side of the path into the trees that bordered it. Alya walked beside her, looking over and raising an eyebrow at the marked downplay in enthusiasm.
"What's up?" Alya asked, unhesitating when her friend was so transparent. They were almost there.
Marinette hummed again, fidgeting with her overalls and Alya rolled her eyes.
"Don't be nervous! They'll love you, the Able sisters are really sweet. I'll go in with you if you want."
"No no," Marinette quickly shook her head, squaring her shoulders and looking ahead. "I can do it, I should meet them on my own since they have only known me through you so far really. I can do it I'm just nervous, I love it here. It would be so heartbreaking if I got fried before I even started and… and had to-"
"Work at the bait shop?" Alya said with a chuckle, not even entertaining the idea of Marinette having to leave for work reasons. She'd pick up a second job herself if she had to.
Marinette smiled, her anxiety still in her eyes but her stance as a whole a bit stronger. A good thing as well, the dirt beneath their feet had been traded for cobbled road and the signs of the first few shops were finally close enough to read.
"Miracle Village Museum," Marinette read aloud as they approached the large Greek styled building, it's columns gleaming and well kept. There were ponds winding around its corners like misshapen jelly beans, tiny lily pads decorating it's surface with Dragon flies buzzing around lazily.
The doors were ajar as she passed them, a studious looking owl with a bowtie standing in its opening happily talking to a blue furred mouse like creature holding a teetering pile of boxes. The owl was hopping in place, taking his delivery from the top of the pile and vanishing inside the delivery mouse readjusting his burden and trotting off to continue his work. As he jogged passed them the mouse craned his neck awkwardly to regard them, giving a happy "'Ello there!" before heading down the path they had just left.
"That's Eddie, he works as an errand boy. And the owl is Blathers, he runs the museum," Alya informed her, looking down at her phone again before sighing heavily. "I can't believe him! Nino is making requests for what I make tonight, he is unbelievable."
Marinette giggled, still looking at the light foot traffic ahead of them as she said, "He's nice isn't he? You say he annoys you but you're cooking for him anyways."
"Well," Alya grumbled, "he'd show up no matter what I did, and as much as I'd like to tell him to make his own food I'd rather not starve Adrien too."
Marinette rolled her eyes, seeing through her friend like glass but electing not to say anything as they walked up on the sidewalk in front of the majority of the stores.
She looked up when a bell chimed and the door a little ways ahead of her opened to show a large but pleasant rhinoceros happily checking her shoes as she was escorted out by a sharp looking skunk.
"Fit's ya well miss," he was saying, leaning against the doorframe as his customer strutted off to show her new shoes to her friends nearby. The skunk adjusted his paperboy cap before looking over and catching sight of the women approaching and grinning. "Hey there Ms. Alya," he said smoothly, nodding his head before locking his gaze on Marinette. "And another miss, hello there."
"Hi! I'm Marinette, you must be," she glanced up at the store's sign, "Kicks right?"
Kicks gave that same smooth smile before extending a paw as Marinette approached, shaking her hand and nodding. "Yes mam." He glanced down and leaned back with a chuckle. "Though I've got to say I like your shoes as is they've got travel wear on em. You must be the one moving in, one of em anyways. Welcome to town miss."
"Thank you!" Marinette said happily, fond of the charming animal already as he gestured back into his store.
"I sell shoes and socks and things, but even if you aien't buying I'd like to see you around all the same. Free shoe shines for friends, and free pair on your first visit. As a welcome gift."
Marinette gasped, smiling as she thanked him again, Alya starting to gently pull her along. "Goodbye Kicks! I'll stop by your store before heading home, but I have to go to Able Sisters to meet my new bosses."
"Good luck to you," he said simply, giving a short wave goodbye before heading inside, letting Alya pull away the new comer with a chuckle.
"He's nice!" Marinette exclaimed, cheerfully, distracted as Alya suddenly pulled them to a stop.
"Told you he's cool," Alya chuckled, glancing up at the store sign they had paused under before looking back at her phone. "Okay, I'll leave you here I've got to pick up the shopping. Just relax and you'll be alright."
Marinette didn't react at first, confused and still reflecting on her new friend before she tensed, looking up at to see the artfully painted wooden sign declare the store to be-
"Ah! Able Sisters!" she panicked, gripping her overalls in sudden self-conscious impulse. "I didn't know we were so close!"
Alya didn't even look up from her phone, she just snickered. "You'll be alright Mari, you already have the job remember?" She glanced up over the edges of her glasses and smiled supportively. "You got it girl. Just go in, and before you ask yes you look fine!"
Marinette froze with her mouth open, her nervous question snatched from her mouth and leaving her to scowl grumpily as Alya laughed and started to walk away.
Alya called a cheerful, "Good luck!" before she turned a corner and was out of sigh, leaving Marinette in front of her new place of employment.
She swallowed, smoothing her shirt and adjusting her pigtails before hesitantly walking to the door, about to open it when it suddenly swung outward and threatened to knock her over.
The sound of the storefront bell clanking against the glass of the door was jarring, more so than the actual impact which didn't have much force behind it, it was the scare that almost tripped her up. She heard a tiny 'oof!' and looked up to see a large mound of fabric with two paws clutching at them to keep them from falling. There was a shift in the cloth before sudden a small black nose popped through, sniffing busily as a female voice said, "O-oh excuse me! Excuse me sorry, um, whomever."
A brown furred hedgehog face peeked around the pile, mostly looking for the door but passing over Marinette, stopping suddenly as she took her in.
"Um, do you need help Miss Sable?" Marinette asked hesitantly, chuckling a little nervously but the hedgehog blinked once before calling over her shoulder.
"Mable!" she called, shuffling passed "Marinette is here!" She turned back, struggling to hold open the door with her foot and managing a soft smile. "Hello dear, welcome. Um, Mable will help you. I'll be back."
"Oh of course!" Marinette hurried to say, relieved to have been expected but she gasped when she was suddenly pulled inside by two firm well worked paws gripping her arm.
Sable let the door swing shut and shuffled away on her errand, leaving her slightly more energetic sister to greet the new employee. She seemed sweet, the girl. She had made a good impression in her interview, her designs lovely. Still though, Sable kept mostly to herself.
Inside the store Marinette was faced with a younger, blue furred hedgehog, obviously Mable, who smiled at her warmly.
"So nice to see you made it alright!" Mable was saying, gesturing for Marinette to follow. "Sorry about my sister, she's not much for conversation with new people but she'll warm up eventually. Your outfit is adorable! One of yours I'm assuming? Welcome welcome!"
Marinette laughed a little breathlessly though she hadn't been doing the talking, bowing her head a little. "Thank you for the opportunity! I know I'm not meant to start till tomorrow but I wanted to check in and let you know I had arrived."
"So responsible!" Mable commended her, smoothing her green lined apron with her paws and grimacing a little when her claws cause the frayed edges. "So much work lately," she sighed, continuing a conversation Marinette could only guess at. Mable huffed, looking around the pleasant clothing store and finding some kind of fault with it. "So busy, that's why we've hired you. Even between the three of us it's been too much lately what with the orders from the city now. Labelle never helps much in the main store, keeps to her pretty things and you saw Sable," Mable huffed good-naturedly but there was weariness behind it. "Amazing seamstress but hardly ever talks with the customers, always shooing them over to me. And of course it's too much to expect her to take the phone orders! Humph," she huffed, her small tail swishing slightly as she turned about with one paw on her hip and the other smoothing her spines. Then she turned to beam at Marinette again, saying happily "But now we have the extra set of paws! Hehe or rather hands! Nibble things, you'll fit right in I promise. You can meet Labelle later, for now let's show you the store! We've got a machine all ready for you."
Mable set off, walking towards the back suddenly and forcing Marinette to follow her. She stifled a chuckle, seeing that Mable easily made up for any lack of enthusiasm her older sister presented. All business it seemed.
As she walked Marinette trailed a hand over a loose and supple mound of fabrics and smiled, all but skipping after her new boss.
She had a feeling she'd be alright after all.
