So, apologies to all Kana fans, but he's not my favorite and I needed him to play this part in order to make this scene…sorry!
Riding along the well-worn dirt path, Lillian decided that she rather liked Bluebell and all its eccentric yet friendly residents. Laney and Howard seemed rather forward, but it was all in good fun, and Lillian chuckled to herself remembering how the two had talked for hours upon hours, Howard more like a gossipy old woman than the strong, well-muscled man he appeared to be. She wasn't entirely sure about Cam, but something told her that he was quiet and shy and wasn't trying to come off as cold on purpose. Cheryl was adorable but seemed naughty, and Jessica was strong and self-assured. Rose and Rutger were kind, if not doddering elderly folk. Too busy thinking to herself, Lillian almost failed to notice a young man who was passing by her on foot. Storm on the other hand, noticed just fine and gave a snort at the newcomer. Snapping out of her daze, Lillian stopped the pony and looked down at the stranger. Clothed in what appeared to be the color fuchsia (Lillian wasn't actually positive on this color either) the boy carried a satchel stuffed to the brim with letters. On his head was a matching beret with a small feather on a pin sticking out, and his dark golden hair poked out messily from beneath the hat. His green eyes looked up curiously into her violet ones. Making the first move, he raised his hand in salute and stated, "Hi there! My name's Dirk, and I'm the letter carrier for Konohana and Bluebell!" His whole attitude was childish, especially compared to Ash's sensibility and Cam's poise, but Lillian couldn't help but smile at it. "Hey there, Dirk. I'm the new farmer at Bluebell, Lillian. Nice to meet you!" Dirk smiled, looking for all the world like a happy child, and snapped his feet together. "So where are you off to today then, Miss Lillian?" Dirk asked, lowering his hand to pat his satchel. Tossing her unruly hair out of her face, she pointed in the direction he'd just come from. "I'm headed to Konohana. I thought it would be nice to meet the residents of the other town and see what it's like over there." Dirk smiled and saluted her one last time, then they went in their separate directions.
"Wow…this is really something else." Lillian mumbled under her breath as she took in the traditional Japanese buildings and lanterns strewn about the town. Leaving Storm tied to a tree near the entrance of the village, Lillian walked about, conscious of how she stood out like a sore thumb in her traditional European style clothes. A girl her age in a long, flowing pink kimono with beautiful features and elegant black hair that fell far past her shoulders was busy tending to a large field of crops. As Lillian stopped to gape at this, the girl looked up and noticed her. With a gentle smile, she seemed to glide over until she was at the edge of the bush that fenced off her yard. "Welcome, stranger." The girl spoke in a soft, feminine voice, and her mannerisms were so graceful and refined that Lillian felt a small pang of shame at the boyish and clumsy way she often acted. "H-hello," Lillian stuttered, humbled in the presence of the sophisticated girl. Continuing to smile welcomingly, the girl extended her hand gently and said, "My name is Nori; my grandfather Gombe and I raise many crops and sell seeds to those who may need them. You seem lost, and I was wondering if there was any way I might be of assistance?" Finished with her introduction, Nori's hand slowly lowered to join her other hand, and she stood respectfully with her hands held in front of her. Lillian, in her nervousness, became even more brash than usual. "Oh hey there, it's awful nice to meet you! I'm Lillian and I moved into the farm over at Bluebell. I'm just exploring is all, don't mind me!" Much to Lillian's surprise, Nori raised a hand to her mouth and covered it as she laughed softly. Done laughing, she smiled even more warmly at the newcomer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lillian. Please come visit with me again someday, when you have any spare time. I would like to continue to make your acquaintance, and it would be pleasant to have you over for tea." Lillian, understanding that Nori found her amusing, smiled self-consciously and waved as she set off to what appeared to be the clinic.
Inside the clinic, Lillian's wide eyes observed the books and the clean atmosphere. "Can I help you, kid?" A woman's voice rang through the air, and Lillian swirled to see a tall beauty with short black hair and a doctor's coat standing behind her in a casual stance. "I'm fine thanks, just looking," Lillian said with a smile, and the doctor's eyes widened before she leaned her head back and burst into loud laughter. "You've got a voice of your own, kid. I like that." Walking over to the counter, the doctor grabbed the cup of coffee which had been sitting on it and chugged it in one gulp. "Tch, pity I can't have wine to wake me up rather than coffee," she muttered, then tossed the mug carelessly over her shoulder where it landed with a thunk on the floor. Offering a hand while leaning against the counter, the doctor smirked at Lillian's surprised expression. "Name's Ayame. I'm the doc around here, but don't let that fool ya into thinking I'm all proper like that girl Nori is. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just I like to see a little more spirit in kids. Anyways, who are you, and what brings you here?" Lillian smirked back and took the hand, gripping it enthusiastically. "I'm Lillian, the new farmer at Bluebell. I just thought I'd come over here and explore, considering my brother's going to be moving in over here." Ayame's grin grew bigger. "What a grip!" Then, turning to the staircase she screamed up the stairs, "HEY! HIRO! GET DOWN HERE, THERE'S SOMEONE YA NEED TO MEET!" A boy came running down the stairs, nearly tripping over himself in the process. "Doctor A-a-ayame! What's wrong?! Why are you yelling?!" Before noticing Lillian, the boy noticed the discarded coffee mug on the floor and rushed around the counter to pick it up. He then snatched a handkerchief from his pocket and rubbed vigorously at the floor. Standing up, he began to admonish the doctor, who just rolled her eyes. "Doctor Ayame! What have I told you about being so careless around the clinic? What if the mug had broken and a patient had stepped on one of the chips? What if-" Ayame waved her hand, cutting off the boy and beckoning him to where Lillian was. "It's fine, isn't it? That mug's damn indestructible; you know that as well as I do. Anyways, get over here, you should meet this girl. She's got a fantastic grip!" Ayame grabbed the boy by the scruff of the neck and dragged him in front of Lillian. He blushed, then held his hand out bashfully. "Hello, my name's Hiro." He said, avoiding eye contact with her as his cheeks were slightly flushed. Lillian grabbed his hand gently and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Hiro. My name's Lillian! What do you do around here?" Hiro perked up at the mention of his job, and smiled brightly. "I'm Doctor Ayame's apprentice! I take care of the cooking, and the washing, and the filing, and I clean, and I study on my free time!" Ayame laughed, "He's my little slave boy." Laughing at Hiro's mortified expression, Ayame walked off into the hospital room waving. "Come visit me sometime, kid. We'll have lots of fun!" Lillian giggled at Ayame, then turned to Hiro. "Haha, you know, she doesn't seem very serious for someone who's a doctor." Hiro sighed and slumped against the reception desk. "When someone genuinely needs help, she's the best doctor I've ever met. She worked with my dad, who's a doctor over in the city, and he said that she was the top of the class, a prodigy even! That's why I requested to apprentice to her and came here, but she's crazy! Most of the time, she's like that." Lillian thought about it, then put a comforting hand on Hiro's shoulder, causing him to freeze up. "Don't stress about it! I bet Ayame's just like that because she doesn't want to obsess over how many patients and all the terrible things she's probably seen as a doctor." Lillian said thoughtfully. Hiro unfroze at this thought and nodded slowly. "Huh…never thought of that. Thanks, Lillian!" Hiro smiled happily, then realized her hand was still on his shoulder and began to blush furiously. Without noticing it, Lillian dropped her hand and began walking out the door. "Bye, Hiro! I'll see you next time I come to town!" She said, waving good-bye as a crash from the hospital room sent Hiro rushing to clean up.
It was finally dusk. Having explored all of Konohana and having met all the villagers and said her greetings to Ina, Lillian was exhausted. Climbing onto Storm, she set off at a brisk pace, hoping to get home in time to put her animals up. As she began to pass down the road towards the mountain path, she noticed a small shop with a stable on the side that she had somehow missed that morning. Driving her pony near, she got off and peered at the stable, hoping to catch a glimpse of the horses that were kept over in Konohana and compare it with those kept in Bluebell. Just as she was getting ready to mount her pony again, a well-built young man with dark eyes and dark hair tied back in a small ponytail walked out of the stable. As soon as he saw her, he grinned and sauntered over with the air of someone who knows how cool they are. Leaning up against the fence, he flashed a million dollar smile. "Well, well, if I knew that tonight I was going to have such a pretty customer I wouldn't have closed up shop so early. Care to give me a name, doll?" Taken aback by such a forward boy, Lillian cautiously held her hand out and said, "I'm Lillian, the new farmer over in the other town. And you are?" After taking her hand, he didn't shake it; instead he grasped it tightly and gazed into her eyes. "The name's Kana. I run the horse shop over here. What brings you to this side of the mountain, little lamb?" Starting to get slightly freaked out by the weird names, Lillian tugged at her hand but to no avail. "Um, I was just exploring. It was nice to meet another new person but I should get going now-" Kana, not letting go, leaned in closer. "What's the rush, doll? I'm just talkin', that's all." As he was so close, she could smell that his breath reeked of alcohol. "P-please let go!" Although strong herself, Lillian was still a girl and against a guy like Kana she had no chance of pulling free. Just as Kana was about to lean in closer, a hand appeared and grabbed Lillian's wrist, pulling her free. Before Kana or Lillian could react, the hand let go, and an arm grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto the back of a horse. Without a second glance back, her savior began riding off towards the mountain.
As the sky darkened, Lillian was able to make out the rider's face. Much to her surprise, it was Ash. "Ash!? What are you doing?" The shock of knowing that Ash had saved her had Lillian's mouth hanging open. Looking down, Ash smiled bashfully. "Sorry, Lilly. I know you said not to follow and that you'd be fine but I had a feeling you'd encounter trouble, and I was right wasn't I? Besides that, I know that Kana likes to drink on Mondays because those are his days off, and so I figured that if you met him and were alone you'd be in a heap of trouble." Lillian, trying to hide her blush, looked away from Ash's face. "No, it's okay." Then, turning to look up at him she smiled gently, nearly causing Ash to fall off the horse as he lost his concentration. "Thank you for saving me," her big violet eyes looked up at him earnestly, and for the first time ever Ash was glad that it was dark outside; it hid his blush. His voice gruff as he tried to hide his embaressment that he was blushing, he said, "I'm sorry we left your pony behind. We can go and get it tomorrow if you'd like."
That night, after both had dismounted the horse Lillian gave Ash another kind smile, causing his face to reheat all over again. "Well um…guess I'll be getting back to my farm then," Ash said, trying awkwardly to hide his shyness at being with the pretty girl. As he turned to go, Lillian suddenly rushed at him and threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much Ash!" cried Lillian, while Ash's temperature sky-rocketed. "Ah…" without seeming to know why, Ash put his hands gently around her shoulders and hugged her back lifting a hand to stroke her hair. "It wasn't that big a deal," he whispered gently, before realizing just how close the two of them were and how quickly his heart was beating. Abruptly, he broke off the hug by grabbing her and pulling her away. With another sheepish smile, he quickly got back on his horse and said, "Good night then, I'll come around tomorrow sometime to pick you up so we can go get your pony back!" Riding off to town as quickly as he could, Ash took a deep breath, only slowing down once he was off her property. "Something's wrong with me," he grumbled, letting his horse walk the rest of the way back to his home.
