**DISCLAIMER** I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series.
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Chapter 7: Harmless Misunderstanding
Whaaaat? 10:00? Had he really slept in that late? Sitting painfully upright in his bed, Raguna sighed heavily. Well, it's not like he didn't know it was inevitable, he supposed. Staying up past 3:00 AM tended to have that effect on a person. But then again, he hadn't really had much of a choice. First there was Iris, and then that boy…
He was just…just sitting there, in the middle of the Town Square. He wouldn't respond to me at all. It was like he was in a trance or something. And then, he actually fought with me to try and stay, even after I told him that I was just bringing him to find help. It must have had something to do with that weird monument with the music that's always coming from it. After all, he was kneeling right next to it. Maybe that was…just his favorite song or something? But no, that doesn't make any sense. …Ugh… He looked so pale and sickly, and then for him to actually pass out like that… He must have been in really bad shape.
As Raguna had been trying to pull the boy away from the haunting melody of the stone monument, the boy had suddenly lost consciousness in his arms. Not knowing what else to do, he had run off—carrying the boy—as fast as he could manage. Considering the added weight, the mere fifteen minutes which passed before he found himself standing in front of the church constituted an impressive feat. Luckily, Lara, a light sleeper, awoke at the sound of knocking at the infirmary's door. When she looked from Raguna's worried expression to the collapsed young man in his arms, she quickly ushered them in.
Once inside, Raguna did his best to explain what had happened and the state in which he had found the boy. For her part, Lara sat patiently and listened while he struggled through his fatigue in order to recount the event. After giving Raguna a sound scolding for his unhealthy sleeping habits, Lara promised she would care of the young man until he recovered. Raguna thanked her profusely and promised to return home immediately, so that he could get as much sleep as possible.
Unfortunately, by the time Raguna was able to step outside and cast a quick Return, it was already 3:00. No body of farmer, warrior, or mage—let alone a combination of the three—could function on a mere three hours of sleep. So, instead of rising bright and early as usual, Raguna had been forced to sleep in until…
10:00! If it's already this late in the morning, then I guess the mail must have come by now. Wait, then that means… If the mail's really here…!
Raguna threw off the covers and hurried down the stairs from his bedroom. He had been filled by a sudden, hopeful energy. If there was any chance at all… He had to get to that mailbox, if only to put his mind at ease.
He gathered his things quickly from the toolbox: some E Drink X, a few turnips and strawberries, his watering can, and…no, not the bouquet. It wouldn't do him any good right now, anyway. He first needed to find her; find Anette and know she was alright. He hadn't managed to find her yesterday…but hell if he was going to let that happen again today. Once he could see her again, it would be okay. Everything would be okay.
There, he thought, shutting the toolbox, I think that's everything. Now, I just need to go outside and get the mail. With deliberate confidence and barely contained excitement, he moved towards the door. Anette must have come to deliver the mail by now. She must have. She was just too proud of her duty as a mailman not to. After all, delivering mail was what she lived for… "I just love how everyone smiles when they get their mail!" she would say. "That in itself just makes me so happy." Of course she came. Of course! Raguna was ecstatic to see the mail, just to know she had come. His hand on the doorknob, Raguna prepared to step outside and be reassured once and for all that he never had anything to worry about.
But what if she hasn't come?
Raguna froze. What if… What if she hasn't come. His hand gripped tightly around the doorknob and his face flushed. He felt suddenly, overwhelmingly light-headed.
Or what if she has come, but you simply have no mail today? You wouldn't know, would you? You'd be just as lost as you were yesterday.
All of these second thoughts… They were all perfectly founded and utterly disconcerting to Raguna. What on earth would he do, he wondered, if Anette really was missing. Or even just gone from him. What if he spent the rest of his life on some wild goose chase after her? What if…? What if…?
Raguna looked down and saw that his hand, still holding the doorknob, was trembling. He had never experienced this much doubt before, not in his entire life. Shock and even sheer, unadulterated panic, sure—for instance, when Anette had failed to be at Mist's house the day before—but this…this was different. He was doubting himself, doubting what he really knew about Anette, doubting his ability to ever… No! He couldn't think so much. He just had to go out there and hope for the best. He had to trust in something, and he knew if he could trust in anything, it was Anette's passion for her work.
Raguna closed his eyes and smiled a slight smile. Then his fingers twisted around the doorknob and soon, he was standing outside, bathed in the midmorning sun. He walked, his eyes still half-closed from the bright light, toward the red mailbox that stood waiting patiently for him. The short walk over to the mailbox had never seemed so much like an eternity to him, but at last, he stood close enough to see the pink corner of an envelope protruding from the mail slot.
Raguna let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. Now, in his moment of ultimate relief, he almost felt like laughing at what a nervous wreck he'd been over this just a moment ago. It was completely absurd, now that he thought about it. Had he ever really doubted Anette. No, it wasn't possible. She was just the kind of person you couldn't help but trust, he mused. And I know I could trust her with my life if I had to.
Back to his usual self now, Raguna casually retrieved the letter from the mailbox, opening it and reading over it quickly. It was from Melody, and he was fairly certain it said something about the springs having a new type of bath soap. This was all well and good, but the content of the letter really wasn't important to him. What was really important was that his mail had been delivered; it had been delivered by Anette. She was okay; she was here. And he was going to make absolutely sure of it.
"Hey, Mist, can I talk to you about something?"
"Oh yes," Mist responded pleasantly. Her friend's voice had caused her to pop back into reality. She had been daydreaming again, as usual, but she now gave Anette her full attention. Mist turned her head from the bureau she had been dusting to face the seated mail girl. "So what did you need to say to me? Oh…does this have to do with those turnip brownies I made a few days ago? I'm sorry those didn't end up tasting all that good… And I even followed the recipe exactly. Well, I didn't have any eggs, of course, but I just used mayonnaise instead. It's made from eggs, so it's basically the same thing, right? I just don't understand it." Mist pouted confusedly.
Anette squirmed uncomfortably in the chair and planted her feet—which she had been swinging playfully underneath the table—firmly on the ground. "Oh…uh, of course not, Mist," she said cautiously. "The brownies were great. I thought they were really yummy." Anette pulled a fake smile while trying to suppress the memory of that nightmare of a dessert. Ohhh… It made me feel so sick! She fought to hold back a groan as her stomach began to churn.
"Oh, I see," Mist said, already drifting back into a state of aloofness. She turned back to her dusting as she continued to talk, but her mind was elsewhere. "What did you want to talk about, then?" Raguna should be coming any minute now, she thought. Especially after yesterday. Knowing him, he probably still feels bad about it.
Anette had begun to fidget for an entirely different reason than before. She let out a tiny, characteristic giggle and smiled embarrassedly. "Actually, I just kind of wanted your advice about something. You see…"
Well, it's okay. Of course I forgive him, Mist's thoughts continued unimpeded. But he's just always so thoughtful. I bet he'll bring a whole bagful of turnips to try and make it up to me. Maybe even an Emery Flower, or a bouquet of Emery Flowers!
"…there's this boy."
Mist started, her thoughts coming to an abrupt halt. Surely Anette didn't mean…
"I really like him. I mean, I like him a whole lot. He's really sweet and thoughtful and… Oh, and he has the most amazing eyes!" She looked up from the table to see Mist staring bemusedly at her. She blushed deeply and tugged at her pigtail, looking back down at the table. "Sorry," she laughed, "this is so embarrassing. I guess I was just kind of wondering—since you're a girl, and us being housemates—if you knew how I might be able to get him to like me." Her blush instantly deepened. "I mean, he's already really nice to me! I guess he might like me, too… B-but I need to know what to do. So, um, yeah. Hey, Mist!" she called suddenly as she looked up again only to see Mist staring off into the distance. The blonde had a glazed, unfocused look in her eyes. "Are you okay?" Anette asked. No response. She frowned, disappointed. It's not like it wasn't typical of Mist to space out like this, but still… She would have thought, given the circumstances, that Mist would be a little more atten—
Mist blinked twice, her eyes suddenly focusing. She smiled timidly at Anette and spoke in a flustered voice. "Hmmm… I suppose I don't really know if I have any advice to give you about that. Oh, I know! You should go see Rosetta. We used to play together a lot as kids, and she was always telling me that she knew everything about boys, so she'll definitely know what to do! …Or was it that I knew nothing about boys? I can't remember…"
Anette failed to pick on Mist's obvious discomfort. She merely allowed herself to relax and smiled warmly at her well-meaning friend. That sure is Mist for you. She was totally zoning out just a minute ago, too. She's such a great friend. But, wait, was I really going to ask her for…for boy advice? The very idea was enough to make Anette giggle. "Thanks so much, Mist!" she said. "I'll go do that right now." She stood up eagerly from Mist's table and, barely able to contain her enthusiasm, sprinted out the front door at full, delivery-worthy speed.
Sprinting out of Mist's house… Like Raguna did… The feather duster hung limply in Mist's grasp as she stood there, right where Raguna had left her standing yesterday. Where he had left her standing while he went off looking for Anette. Mist bit her lip and her eyes grew wide in distress. Was her Raguna…? And Anette…? She had described Raguna perfectly. Sweet? Thoughtful? And his eyes… Who else could she have been talking about? Mist stashed her feather duster away in the bureau and grabbed her blue knapsack from beside her bed. She slung it around her shoulder before following Anette out the door. She just had to see Rosetta. She'll know what to do. She always knows what to do. Oh, Raguna…
Anette, having been in such a rush upon leaving Mist's house, had headed west, in the direction of Raguna's house, on her way to Rosetta's shop, instead of following her usual route. Well, I can just go this way instead. Maybe it'll even be faster. Who knows? After all, anything and everything seemed possible when she was running like this. There was never any other time when she felt happier, freer. And to top it all off, today was special, and it was all thanks to him. Thanks to…
"Raguna!" Anette called out in delight. She had spotted the brunette farmer on the path just ahead, heading in her direction. There was that smile she knew so well and those deep sky-blue eyes that shone brightly, mirroring her sheer joy and relief. Overcome with excitement, she ran straight up to her friend to embrace him. Unfortunately, she had forgotten just how fast she was moving. With Raguna locked in Anette's arms, the two fell to the ground, carried by her momentum, tumbling and rolling, until they both landed in a tangled heap in the middle of the path. Finding Raguna in a rather uncomfortable position beneath her, Anette quickly gathered herself up and proceeded to help him to his feet. "Sorry…" she said, blushing. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm alright. Actually, you're not the only person who's fallen on top of me recently. But anyway, I'm so glad to see you!" Raguna was practically overcome with emotion. He wanted so badly to just put his arms around her in a protective embrace. There was Anette. His Anette. She was safe and sound, and as innocent and adorable as ever. He resisted the urge, but only just. Instead, he turned his affection toward concern. "Where were you yesterday, though?" he continued. "I showed up at Mist's house looking for you, but you weren't there. I was worried about you, Anette."
"Really?" Anette's face turned a deeper shade of red. "Thanks. Actually, though, I was…um…" Anette paused. Why did explaining this to Raguna feel so…awkward? She shook herself out of it quickly. Come on, Anette. You're just being silly. You can tell Raguna anything. He's your friend, after all. "Well, I was actually at the inn."
"Oh?" The inn! One of the few places he hadn't looked. He had only gone looking in places where he had always known Anette to be, like the bathhouse. "Were you visiting Eunice? I don't think I've ever seen you at the inn on a Monday before."
"Yeah, well… I was actually there to see somebody else. His name's Alpha. Maybe you've met him? He's a boy about your age, well, actually our age, and he has black hair, a red jacket, oh, and his eyes are really bright orange, just like pumpkins!"
Oh! The boy that he found next to the monument last night. "Yeah, I have met him, actually. I brought him with me to the church just last night. He—"
"Do you think…" Anette cut him off unknowingly. She looked down at her feet, her cheeks painted a deep scarlet. She was busily tugging at one of her golden braids. Raguna hadn't seen her doing this very often. Something was definitely on her mind. "I mean, do you really think that, maybe you…"…could help me? I think I really like Alpha, and I want him to like me, too. I really need your advice. What should I do? It all made perfect sense in Anette's head. So why couldn't she bring herself to say it to Raguna?
"What is it, Anette?"
"Umm…N-nothing!" she said, flustered. "Nevermind. I should probably be going now." Without another moment's hesitation, she hurried off past Raguna and his house and towards her original destination: the Business District and Rosetta. "Bye, Raguna!" she shouted behind her. "Have a great day!"
Raguna blinked in utter astonishment at the abruptness of her departure for a minute. Eventually, though, he recovered enough to think back over what Anette had said. "Do you think… I mean, do you really think that, maybe you…" Raguna thought about that. He smiled. Had Anette really been…about to ask him if he liked her? To confess her feelings, so to speak? It looked like that bouquet might come in handy, after all. With a bit of spring in his step, now, and a newfound lightness in his heart, Raguna headed back in the direction of his house, figuring there was no real reason to waste Return Magic. Suddenly, it felt like he had all the time in the world.
Oh, Anette…
AN: Oooooh! The parallelism between chapters just gives you goosebumps, doesn't it? ...It doesn't? So that's only me? ...Right, then. =.= In any case, hope you enjoyed Chapter 7. :o) I'd like to take this time to announce that I had the good fortune of meeting up with one of my good friends and betas recently, Shadows-of-Realm, and he was finally able to play RFF for the first time! :D And by play, I mean he tried desperately to figure out the control scheme as I shouted exasperated commands into his ear and complained all the while about how long it was taking him to water his crops. Let's all give this poor soul a round of applause for being a good sport and not strangling me with the Wiimote and Nunchuck! =P Okay, now for actual chapter comments. Ah Mist, Raguna, and Anette... It's a classic case of half the story leading to all of the wrong assumptions. Mist is assuming the worst; Raguna is assuming the best; Anette is blissfully unaware of the drama headed her way; and who knows what Alpha is up to? (Well, I do, but that's beside the point.) Anyway, it's a tangled web of romance with coincidence after unfortunate coincidence at the helm. Let's all see where this leads, shall we? ;]
Beta Love: LovelyxxMelody and Shadows-of-Realm, you are truly the bee's knees and the cat's meow...though not necessarily in that order. MEEEOOOW! :3
Coming Soon: Chapter 8, in which love advice is tainted by employee relations. ;-)
