Hello again! I just wanted to quickly say that I'm not sure when I'm going to post Chapter 4, as until this point I've had a rough idea of where I want the story to go. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and enjoy!

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Claire observed the valley in peace while she sat on the small hill by Aunt Vesta's farm. Supposedly an old man used to live here a long time ago, but now only two gravestones remain there. Claire recalled many stories that her mother had told her about Nina and…who was it again? Galen. Yes, Galen. She remembered quiet clearly the admiration Pony had shown for their strong relationship with each other as a couple, and while Claire hated to admit it, she wished for just as strong of a relationship as well. Her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of another person.

"Hello, Claire." The boy said.

Claire looked at him thoughtfully, "Hi, Rick, what brings you here?" Rick sat down beside Claire.

"I saw you sitting here alone, so I thought I'd come join you." Claire was slightly taken aback by his explanation.

"Well…that was very thoughtful of you," she commented. Rick grinned slightly.

Claire tried to rack her mind for anything to talk about. "So, how did it go yesterday? My mom said that your father wasn't sure of what was going on and said that the both of you would be staying here over the summer."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, you've got a unique case that we've never seen before." Claire nodded, unsure of what to say next. Luckily Rick spared her.

"So, I guess to start off with the basics, how old are you?" He asked, cocking his eyebrow slightly.

"15," Claire replied automatically. She turned to him, "You?"

He laid back, "Just turned 16 a couple days ago."

"Well, happy belated birthday, I guess," Claire responded awkwardly. Rick laughed.

"Thanks."

A minute of silence dominated their conversation. "W-what's your favorite color?" Claire stuttered. Rick gave her a puzzled look. "Well, you asked me my age, I figured it was my turn to ask a question."

"Touché," Rick replied, sitting back up. "I guess it would have to be green. It reminds me of the plants the local farmer in Mineral Town grows." Rick seemed distant as he spoke, quickly snapping back to reality when he finished. "How about you?"

Claire blushed slightly. "Blue. It makes me think of the ocean. I often go to the beach to gaze at it in my free time."

Rick nodded. "I'm not surprised, the ocean looks beautiful here. It makes me think of the ocean back home." Claire nodded.

"What's Mineral Town like? I've heard a lot about it, but I've never been there." Rick raised his eyebrows.

"Well, it's pretty big compared to Forget-Me-Not. I mean, the town is more developed. There's also access to a mine there. Two mines during the winter." Rick paused.

"There's only an excavation site here," Claire observed, slightly in awe of what she was hearing.

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I met the professor and his assistant when I was exploring today." He chuckled lightly. "I got a little confused when the professor introduced himself as he has the same name as the priest in Mineral Town." Claire laughed along with him.

"Tell me more about Mineral Town," she said eagerly.

"Well, there's a big farm there that has a lot of cows, sheep, and chickens. The owner there has an award-winning horse too. I can't count how many festivals he's won with his animals. And his crops! They're truly amazing! They're practically sold out once they reach the shelves!" Claire frowned slightly, turning away from Rick.

"What's wrong?" Sudden realization dawned upon him. "Oh, I'm sorry." He blushed, feeling bad about what he said. He didn't intend to make Claire feel that her family's farm was lesser than the one in his hometown. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way." Claire shook her head.

"It's fine, I guess I'm just an overly competitive person!" She said, giggling. Rick chuckled.

"You wouldn't be alone, I'm terrible when it comes to competition!" The both of them laughed.

As the sun continued to set in Forget-Me-Not Valley, Rick and Claire continued to converse, getting to know every quirk and secret about each other. Before they knew it, it was twilight, and Claire's worried mother was calling out for her daughter. "CLAIIIRRRE! CLAIRE!" She called out. Claire checked her watch and gasped. It was 9:00 pm. She scrambled up from the ground and blushed deeply.

"I'm sorry, I gotta go!" At that, Claire rushed away to meet her mom, leaving Rick alone.

He didn't know why, but he grinned at the small scene, and couldn't help but think Claire looked cute when she—wait what? Rick shook his head. That was an odd thought. He carefully got up and headed to the Inn with Claire in his mind the entire time. Rick couldn't help but anticipate his next meeting with her, as she turned out to be a very interesting and kind girl, not to mention she was pretty easy on the eyes. Well, looks weren't too important to Rick, but he had to admit she looked very cute. When he reached his room, his father was already asleep. He tiptoed to his bed and fell asleep once his head touched the pillow.

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"Claire, we were worried sick! You must be more responsible about checking the time!" Pony scolded as she walked a distracted Claire back to the house. "Claire, are you even listening to me?!" She demanded. Claire seemed to snap back to reality.

"Hmm? Yes, I am." Pony folded her arms.

"Then what did I just say?" Claire blushed.

"Uhh, could you repeat that for me? You were talking so fast…" Claire's voice faded as Pony sighed.

"Just don't let this happen again. If you want to stay out late, that's fine just tell us first." At that, Pony walked back into the log house. Claire lingered, glancing behind her.

Claire felt a little guilty about lying to her mom, but she couldn't help but be distracted the entire time. For some reason that darn boy wouldn't leave her mind, and she had no idea why. Not only that, but she was praying that they would meet again soon. Claire was completely and utterly puzzled at her thoughts. Finally, she shook her head, deciding to sleep on it. As she ate her cold dinner, she couldn't help but smile as she thought of the conversation the two shared, wondering if there was something more that would happen between them.