A/N: Every few days? Man, I'm a liar. Sorry about the lack of updates. I'll try to get into the routine of updating quickly. And now, on to the replies, which I've decided to do in the A/N.
Fororensu-chan: Thanks! I've never actually had her in my town, but she seemed to fit the personality I was looking for.
Kitsune Demon Girl: Nope. But don't worry, in another couple chapters here we'll get some info on 'em.
My feet pounded over the bridge. Once on the main part of the town, I leaned againsted a flowering apple tree to catch my breath. The air smelled notably of apple blossoms. What had happened to Goldie to make her act like that? It almost seemed as if she were... praying?
I took a deep breath to calm myself. I'll just... keep exploring. Yeah, that's right. But as I set out at a brisk pace to the other side of Crystalia, the haunting scene tugged at the back of my mind. Trees rose up and I began to recognize the terrain. I knew I was in the general area of my new home - I shoved down a wave of sadness as the thought crossed my mind - and I was about to pass the small dwelling when I heard a clear, crisp ding-dong.
Is someone ringing my doorbell? I wondered, and decided to take a small detour to see who was at my door. I turned north, in the direction of the ringing. Soon I stepped into the clearing, on the cobblestone driveway-that-isn't-really-a-driveway.
Standing rather uncertainly in my doorway was Kitt. She wore a new red-brown dress which matched perfectly with her fur and clutched the handle of a woven handbasket in her paws. A fold of cream-colored fabric covered whatever the contents of the basket were. The kangaroo's face lit up when she saw me, a smile splitting her muzzle. "Oh, Kay, I was just dropping by to see how you were doing," she explained.
"OK, I guess," I mumbled, my eyes straying to her basket with an unspoken question.
"Did you meet up with Song?" she asked sympathetically, and I nodded, trying to stay numb as anger and disappointment swelled within me. Core of ice. Core of ice. Don't think about that. I managed to suppress the feelings, mostly, and looked up at Kitt helplessly. "Well, then consider this a cheering-up present," the motherly kangaroo said, holding out the woven handbasket, which I took. I noticed the fabric was warm, heated by whatever was underneath it, and when I lifted the flap a generous batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies stared up at me. The chocolate chips were melted and inviting.
"Thank you!" I exclaimed, forgetting for a moment about my troubles. "May I have one?"
"They're all yours," the brown-furred marsupial confirmed, and I reached in for one of the cookies. The taste of gooey, chocolatey goodness and soft, brown sugar-tainted cookie dough flooded my mouth.
"These are delicious!" I murmured through a mouthful of cookie. I swallowed and reached in for another, but instead of eating it myself I offered it to Kitt.
"Thank you, child," she said politely, accepting the treat. "I'll be seeing you around, I suppose. If you need anything, my house is on the other side of the river. Now I'd better get going. I have a house to tidy up before company arrives this evening."
"Bye, Kitt," I called as she walked off in the direction I had come. "Thanks again for the cookies!" Kitt sure was a kind animal. I couldn't keep a smile off my face as I sat the basket of cookies on my bed after entering the house. The room had aired out significantly with all the fresh air circulating through it.
I didn't want to waste the warmth of the cookies, so I popped one in my mouth, and, rather guiltily, took another in my hand. Soon I was once again trekking through the woods, although I was starting to notice paths through the trees. Some were narrow and barely distinguishable from the ground around them, while others were wider and well-trodden. On a whim I took a path of the latter type just to see where it would lead, munching my cookie.
I came out in a large rectangle of grass free of trees. But it had one key feature, a large play structure like one you'd see on a playground, complete with a swing set, slides, several types of monkey bars, and a jungle gym. Laughter came from two small figures shooting down a long, curving slide. As they landed on the grass, I could get a better look at them.
One was a black-furred puppy with bright amber eyes and a white ring around one eye. The second was a young rabbit, whose fur was a light reddish-brown. She had one cream-colored paw, which she was sucking on, and a red rose tucked into her fur by her left ear. "Hi," I called tentatively. One of the bunny's long, straight ears twitched, and she turned in my direction.
Her eyes widened. "Hi!" She ran up to me, practically bounching up and down. "Oh, wow, a real live human! I'm Ginger, what's your name?"
"Um... uh... Kay." I finally managed to spit out my name, a bit flustered.
The black puppy scrambled up to us, looking equally excited. "I'm Yip!" he exclaimed, his little tail wagging back and forth from a... well, hole in his pants. I suppressed a giggle at that detail.
It was strange; both young animals seemed to be about seven or eight. In the game, every animal was an adult or at least in their late teens. But I'd seen quite a range of ages in Crystalia. There were adults like Kitt, Song, and Kapp'n in their 30's, 40's, or later, animals like Rover who seemed to be in their early 20's, and mid- to late teenagers like Kid Cat, Bob, and Kabuki. Goldie seemed to be about my age, and now I was meeting young children. However, it made sense, and I found myself wondering why the games didn't implement that sort of variety. "Do you... do your parents know you're out?" I asked.
"Yup... well... I think he does," Yip mumbled. "He doesn't really have to. I mean, I was just going to the park."
"No fair," Ginger pouted. "My mom always makes me ask her." Yip glared at her in annoyance.
"What are their names?" I said quickly, not wanting to be caught in the middle of a fight.
"My dad's Lucky," explained Yip.
"And my mom is Bunnie," Ginger added. My eyes widened. I remembered Lucky had once been in my town on the DS. He hadn't seemed the fatherly type. Bunnie I didn't recall, but I tried not to giggle at her name. Bunnie the bunny!
Yip's amber eyes lit up, and I realized he'd seen the cookie I still held. "Can... can I have a bite?" he asked tentatively, as if he knew he was being rude. I looked reluctantly down at the scrumptious cookie, then remembered I'd already eaten two and broke it in half, offering a still-warm piece to both young animals. Yip smiled widely, revealing sharp white teeth, and bit into the sweet treat.
"So what've you been up to?" Ginger asked conversationally as she nibbled daintily at the cookie.
"I was exploring Crystalia. I am pretty new here," I admitted, fiddling with my thumbs.
"Really?" Yip asked curiously, starting to get excited. "Let Ginger and I show you around! We're part of Yip's Exploration Team of Fun and Excitement. Only elite explorers can get in," he added seriously. "So? What do you say?"
I paused. What did I have to lose? These two seemed like pretty good company, for the moment. "Okay," I accepted.
"Yesss," hissed Yip, punching the air with his fist. "Let's get going!"
