I want to welcome you all in to what I call the "not-that-funny-but-eww,-is-that-a-hair-in-my-mouth-no-nevermind-that-is-FLUFF" experience. Meaning, from here on out, I may just go full steam ahead on this ChasexAkari boat.
Akari realized something.
Akari realized something that would change her entire life if she were to overcome it.
Akari realized that she was clumsy.
Since arriving in Waffle Town, Akari noted that she had walked into multiple doors (and chests), landed on her ass countless times and fallen into sixty-four potholes.
Tilling her fields and watering the crops for the day, she sluggishly made her way to her animals. She went about her daily routine until accidently sticking her foot in a bucket. Akari spent a good portion of time (and swear words) trying to get it off. Finally, the bucket flew off her foot hitting the wooden walls before noisily landing on the ground in front of her.
Akari sighed, pushing back her hair and patting dirt from her jeans.
"Fu—," Akari attempted to swear only to be cut off by an unexpected face-plant to the ground courtesy of the aforementioned bucket.
She writhed on the dirt floor for a while before lazily pushing herself off and thinking that she needed time away from the farm.
Walking into her tattered home, she grabbed her satchel, cleaned herself off, and paraded to town looking for an answer to her woes.
Walking into bright town, she sullenly pasted the building until her eye caught the very curvaceous figure of the tan belly dancer of the island. Akari quirked her head to the side and contemplated saying 'hello' to the woman; she wasn't close friends with the dancer, but she did have some pleasant conversations with her. Selena was the type of sassy woman that Akari looked up to, mostly because she felt intimidated by her, but also because she found woman with confidence to be powerfully inspiring. With her working on a farm as a female in a male-dominated profession, Akari reveled in having more passionately driven people in her life.
"Selena! May I ask a favour of you, please?"
"No."
"But Selena, you don't even know what—"
"I don't care."
Akari watched as the tan woman swayed away. The farmer met the dancer at one of the spring festivals where the woman demanded that Akari should buy her a flower. Akari didn't have enough money at the time so she didn't buy the dancer what she wanted. Ever since the Flower Festival, Selena was less-than-friendly to the brunette, save for a couple of chance conversations.
Akari began to traipse back to her shack until she decided to try her luck with one of her best friends on the island and quickly hopped her way to the Town Hall.
She threw open the doors to the Town Hall and whipped her head around, "Elli, I need your help."
"I believe it is better for everyone's health if you were to shut up," Gill stated matter-of-factly as he leveled papers in his hand.
"Where's Elli? I need her."
"What you need is to be put down."
"... Har, har."
"Elli is out to lunch. Please take a seat and wait for her if you must, but you must remain quiet."
Akari fell back on the wall and slunk herself onto the floor. She waited for the brunette to arrive as she fiddled with her hair, braiding it and curling it around her index finger. She kept looking over to the counter where Gill was sternly signing papers. Occasionally, the blond would lift a hand to his head, close his eyes and rub his temples. He would then sigh and fall back into the routine of doing work.
He did this five times.
Akari had a "thing" for counting when she was bored.
A light humming was heard from outside the door until the squeaking sound of the hinges drowned the sound. Elli's foot passed over the threshold. The young brunette, stocked with groceries in her arms, made her way over to the counter and daintily placed the items on the wooden panels.
"I have everything for tonight," Elli giggled and looked over at the heir to the town. Gill coughed and looked over at his co-worker.
"Yes. Thank you. Akari is here for you."
Elli gasped, feeling like she had been rude to not notice the farmer. "Oh. Yes. Thank you. Hello, Akari. What's new?"
"I'm clumsy," Akari breathed out.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's horrible."
"... And?"
"Am I suppose to have an 'and'?"
"Well, you're graceful and feminine! I think with my being a farmer, I'm not."
"Do you even work on your farm? I only see you completing your daily shenanigans," Gill interjected.
"Shut up, Gill."
"Akari, don't be mean," Elli chastised. She maneuvered her way around the counters, trailing her hands on Gill's shoulders and stood at her typical position. Her face wrinkled as a bright smile graced her features.
"I have an idea, actually. But you may not like it."
"Please, I'll try anything! Being clumsy is starting to affect my work! You don't even know how many times I've fallen face first into manure!"
"Well, that's disgusting... But I'm not much of a teacher so I wouldn't be able to help you. However, I do know someone that could."
"Really? Who is she?"
"Actually, it's Gill."
"No... No. Absolutely not. I will never let that woman teach me!" Akari yelled, flailing about and making 'x's with her limbs.
"Like I would teach an incompetent thing like Akari!" Gill raised his voice and slammed his pen down on the countertop.
"Oh, you two. Can you please stop? Wouldn't it be best for everyone? Gill, you want to be a teacher. What else is a better test of your abilities? And Akari, you want to be graceful and elegant, right? Or at least not... um, fall into manure any more. Well, if you can be graceful while dealing with Gill's strict teaching and still regain your composure, then you've succeeded! And besides, I think that if Gill taught you how to dance, you'd learn a bit of grace.
"Y'know, I guess you're correct... So, Gill? What about it?"
"While I am against this, if it is affecting your work, then it is affecting our town. However, I will only teach you for one day, no more but possibly less. You just need to learn the basics and practice them yourself. Understood?" Gill exasperated, "Give me a demonstration of your talents, or lack thereof."
"Alright!"
The blond went into the back of the town hall to fetch an antique record player and some old Lazy Discs. Positioning the player onto the counter he had Akari choose an LP. Akari placed a record containing a minuet onto the phonograph. The two figures hypnotically watched the farmer set up until she positioned herself upstage of the pair. As the music record began to turn, and the music filled the room Akari began to flail her limbs wildly off count.
A vein in Gill's head throbbed as he stared at the thrashing farmer who was currently knocking over books and potted plants. His hand plucked the needle of the gramophone up to put an end to the music, although Akari's dancing lingered for a couple seconds after.
"So, do you think you can fix me?"
"..."
"Gill?"
"Elli, can you please teach her yourself?"
The brunette looked up at the young heir to the city who was pinching the bridge of his nose and was dejectedly positioned at the counter. She giggled at the blond before answering.
"Sorry, Gill, but you're the only person who is right for the job. Besides, you want to be a teacher, right? Think of this as teaching experience."
"Ha. Fine! Fine!" Gill exclaimed, "But you are not permitted to dance in the office. We will go outside. You've done enough destruction already."
"What! I haven't done...," Akari had begun her argument until she started to look around the room, "...Oh."
Papers were scattered everywhere and plants were tipped over. Some groceries that Elli had bought were thrown on the floor and smashed open. Gill tip-toed his way towards the sound system and maneuvered his way to Akari, who hadn't noticed how graceful the blond actually was. Gill stood in front of the farmer and craned his head to Elli.
"I will be stepping out for a moment. Please excuse me."
"Alright. Have fun, you two!"
Akari waved a 'goodbye' to the weather girl and ran after the blond who had picked up the phonograph with the record and was holding the door open for the farmer. He nodded a goodbye and followed Akari into the town square.
"So Gill, where shall we practise?"
"Here."
"... What?"
"We're practising here," Gill stated, crossing his arms and leering at the young woman.
"But anyone can see us!"
"It's the only place that can harbour your unique style of dancing."
Akari pouted as Gill turned on the music and a classical piano sonata filled the square. He raised his arms and motioned for the farmer to dance with him. Akari hesitatingly made her way to Gill and attempted to mirror his moves.
"You just need to remember a basic box step. Once you practise the box step more, you'll eventually be able to improve. Once you improve you can add more advanced steps."
Akari silently nodded as she glared holes into her feet in an attempt to stop stepping on Gill's shoes.
"Look up. Be confident in yourself."
"But I'm—"
"—A horrible dancer? Yes, you are. However, you will improve."
Akari smiled inwardly at Gill's honest version of encouragement. After an hour, the rancher began moving more fluidly with some slight slip-ups.
"I told you that you would get the hang of it. Just think of this as quick, quick, slow in a box step," Gill explained and dropped his arms from the farmer, "Do you understand?"
"Yes. Slightly, I'm still horrible though, aren't I?"
"Quite."
"But I've improved."
"Quite."
"Well, thank you, then. I really appreciate it!"
"You are welcome. You just need to remember the basics and you will be fine. You can use the phonograph for now, but please return it to the Town Hall after you are finished. I shall be off, now. Good luck."
Akari bid thanks to the heir of the city and waved him a farewell. She picked up the record player and made her way home, happily.
Reaching her house Akari waltzed around her farm completing her tasks using the steps Gill had taught her. The rancher felt more confident and began dancing in a more exaggerated style to match the dramatic crescendos and adagios which were riddled in the music. Akari spun too fast and ended up falling backwards into her well.
"That was so bad," a voice chuckled behind her.
"Like you can do any better!" Akari screeched back, thoroughly embarrassed at her major slip up.
"True. I am pretty white," Chase smiled, walking over to the farmer and pulling her out of her well.
"Then why are you insulting me?"
"Because after watching that I was this close to getting a corkscrew and giving myself a frontal lobotomy."
"Well... Maybe... Maybe you should go die from that... Yeah."
"That was genius," Chase deadpanned and smirked, "I think the centrifugal force must have spun out some IQ points."
"Look, I'm just trying to dance the way Gill taught me."
"Clearly, Gill is a false prophet if that's what he calls dancing."
Akari heavily sighed and turned off the antique stereo. She straightened up and sighed once more before making her way to her rucksack.
A light piano score emitted behind Akari. She cautiously turned around to see Chase, bowing, with an arm outstretched.
"Milady, may I have this dance?"
Akari blinked.
"... No."
Akari bent down and began placing things in her bag until she heard leaves crumple behind her. She craned her head over her left shoulder and watched the patissier dance.
Chase's arms were lifted as if he were dancing with an imaginary woman. Akari assumed that the woman, if she wasn't imaginary and was very much real, would've been horridly annoyed by the cook. He fumbled helplessly and tripped multiple times. Akari began chuckling until the chef overheard her laughter and stopped.
"What's so funny?"
"You're a horrible dancer."
"So are you, princess."
"Excuse me, I'm far better than you!"
"Nope. Don't think so. If you were better, you would've offered me a pity dance. Oh well," Chase shrugged and started walking away from the annoyed farmer.
"Fine! Fine! One dance!"
"Nah, no thanks."
"Chase," Akari said sternly.
"If you put it that way I guess I have to," he smirked and walked over to the farmer. Chase snaked an arm around her waist and took one of Akari's hands in his and lifted it up.
A poignant opus enveloped the pair as they clumsily tripped over each other. Akari noticed a faint blush on Chase's face. She smiled as she noticed Chase leaving a large gap between their bodies so he could glance at his feet. She tried to refrain herself from chastising him as Gill did with her and instead moved a bit closer to block his vision. As Akari did, Chase got flustered and stepped on her foot.
"Sorry," Chase whispered.
"It's fine. You're learning," Akari encouraged as the music died.
Chase quickly withdrew his arms from the farmer and tensely stared at her. Akari responded by rubbing the back of her head and chuckling before going over to the gramophone and turning it off.
"Well, Chase, that was alright."
"Yeah. That... That was pretty alright," Chase said with a straight face to which Akari pouted.
"What's with your face? I told you I was a better dancer than you! You're just star-struck, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Yeah."
"Chase?"
"Akari. We should do something like this again. It was nice," Chase airily said and quickly turned around and hurriedly walked back to his house leaving Akari confused.
WOOOO. ONE MORE EXAM. TAKE THAT UNIVERSITY.
Which plot of land do you guys always choose? I always choose the Hillside plot since I'm a stickler for the whole mining/foraging/fishing dealio. Plus, I find it to be the best location when I want to woo everyone. Which I do. Because I can in fictional universes. Virtual high-five anyone?
And for the LOLZ: I have never read any Harry Potter books, nor have a seen a single Harry Potter movie. But I can say that I've seen "A Very Potter Musical" which is on youtube. I suggest everyone to watch it. Even if you aren't an avid HP fan you'll find it hysterical.