OoO( 10 )OoO
He was there again. It seemed like these dreams had become more frequent to try and torture him. At the very least, just being in Mineral Town seemed to have almost entirely eliminated his previous nightmares. He wasn't sure if there was some kind of spell cast over the town, but whatever the cause, he was extremely grateful.
This time was different however. Instead of reliving his childhood, he was watching it from another perspective. At the edge of the Goddess Pond was him and the girl again. This time, she was sitting on her knees, and he was laying with his head in her lap. She reached down and gently stroked his hair as Little Jack sighed happily with his eyes closed.
"You're going away soon, aren't you?" asked the girl, a sad tone to her voice.
Little Jack opened his eyes and looked up at her sadly. "Yeah."
"Will you miss me?" she asked as she finally took her eyes away from the pond and looked down into his dark eyes.
"Yeah! I will! I promise!" he said confidently.
"Will you come back someday?" she asked, brushing his cheek with her hand.
"I will." he responded simply, assuring her with his resolute gaze.
The young girl smiled sweetly, before leaning down and kissing him directly on his lips. Jack's eyes widened slightly before he pushed forward and returned the affection. Finally, the two pulled away and looked at each other with flushed cheeks. "My mom wants me to go to school on the mainland. So I'll be leaving when I get older too."
"Maybe we'll meet out there." he said with a warm smile.
She giggled quietly. "I hope so. But I want you to promise me that one day you'll come back here so that we can meet again." she said, taking his hand on holding it over her heart. "Promise me on this."
Jack, who was flushing intensely now, nodded. "I promise, someday I'll come back to you."
The girl smiled and pushed his head back into her lap again. "Good, now sleep."
"Sing me a song again!" he begged as he nestled himself into her lap.
She nodded, her smile at his eagerness as big as it could get. "Of course." Clearing her throat, she began to sing in a heavenly melodic voice.
"So far away from my home, sweet home.
Day by day from land to land I roam.
Though told by the wind which way to go,
Oh how I long for my home, sweet home…"
Little Jack took in her voice, that lovely voice that made him feel so pleasant that he eventually nodded off. Jack watched the pair from behind as the younger him fell asleep. He too took in the familiar song from his past, her voice like that of a siren.
"Fragrant blossoms blooming far away.
Do my folks see them as I did long ago?
Are they still joyful? Are they young at heart?
Will I see them again as I did that day?"
Eventually, he sighed and fell back into the grass, he too feeling tired from the melody. But his eyes shot open as he realized that his head was laying in someone's lap. Looking up, he couldn't see her face because the sun behind her was glaring directly into his eyes. "I missed you Jack." she said sweetly as she stroked his head.
"I…" he started, the tiredness taking him. "I missed you too. I've been...looking for you." he mumbled as he closed his tired eyes.
"You'll find me soon Jack." she said, then she leaned down and kissed him.
OoOoO
Jack's eyes snapped open to find himself back in his bed. Looking around erratically, he confirmed that he was indeed in his own house. Finally, he sat up and just stared at the floor with his feet hanging off the bed. That was the first time he'd actually had a dream where she spoke to him. When he had gotten the call about Mr. Alexander's will back in the hotel, his first thought had been her and his promise. But he didn't expect her to actually be here.
Even so, the girl from his dreams was starkly different from the other girls here. He couldn't quite recall her hair or eye color, and her voice would have changed since then. So the only lead he had on who she was was the song. He knew this was a sore issue. He couldn't just outright ask any of the girls if they knew it. Then again, it was just a dream. The girl in question could very well be long gone from here, even dead for all he knew. Ten years was a long time for things to go wrong.
As he was throwing his mind into turmoil, the puppy came up to his feet and nudged his leg. Looking down at the canine, he smiled and reached down to scratch his ears. The pup had grown quite a bit since their arrival, and was a proper dog rather than a puppy now. His ribs were no longer showing, and as if to cement the fact that he was a wolf pup, his tail hung between his legs rather than arching over his back like huskies and malamutes. He found it odd that a wild animal could be so easily domesticated. Then again, a consistent meal was a powerful motivator.
Jack smiled as he stood up and walked out of his room and over to the front door of his house. Opening the wooden door, the dog bolted out with his tongue dangling from his mouth, straight across the bridge and into the woods. "He might not come back one of these times." came a soft voice from outside the door. Jack stepped outside and looked at the visitor, seeing an old man who was dressed oddly. He wore a red tunic paired with green shorts, and had sandals on his feet.
Jack looked into the man's spectacled eyes as the visitor nodded in greeting. "If he does find a mate out there, then I'm happy for him. He was practically starving to death when I found him."
"What's his name?" asked the old man.
Jack scratched his head thoughtfully. "I haven't really given him one yet." he remarked, then a thought flew into his head that made too much sense. Everyone knew about the correlation anyway, so he might as well run with it. "I think I'll name him Ares."
"Ha! A good name if I've ever heard one!" shouted the bald man with a wide smile.
Jack chuckled and leaned against the door frame. "So, what can I do for you Barley?"
"Well young'n, I was hopin' you could do me a favor." said the old man as he stepped up to the farmer. "See, I've got this whippersnapper of a young colt that won't listen to a dern word I say! Unfortunately, I'm a bit to old to be breaking in horses anymore, and May is too young. So I was hopin' you could take him and help him burn his excess energy."
Jack went wide eyed for a moment. "You want to give me a horse?" he asked in awe.
"Yer dern right! He's a good horse, and I'd hate to see him taken to some pony show where they would stagnate his potential by makin' him do menial dog tricks." he snapped, clearly emotional about the horse shows.
"Well, since you put it that way, I guess I could take him." said Jack as he scratched his head nervously. He had ridden horses before, and even tamed a few. But most of those were adults, and were meek to begin with. This one sounded like a problem child.
"Good! Me and may will bring him over later and stable him!" said Barley happily as he slapped Jack on the shoulder.
The young man nodded and smiled. "Any time old'n."
Barley eyed him with a challenging grin. "I ain't old! I've got another hundred years in me!" he said as he hobbled back towards the entrance to the farm.
Jack chuckled as the old timer left, then looked over to his crops. His eyes widened slightly as he walked over to the stalks and sprouts sticking out of the ground. He and Cliff had harvested several times before and never had trouble. But as he knelt down and looked at the plants, it looked like they were dying from the roots. Grabbing one of his turnips, he pulled it out of the ground and stared wide-eyed as he saw it was shriveled up.
"What the hell?" he asked as he looked down the row. Most of the plants showed similar signs of petrification, their green leaves turning grey with death. "I might have to get Basil out here…" Sighing and dropping the turnip, he went back to the house and closed the door behind him.
OoOoO
Popuri was outside of her house, with a full bag of seed as she fed the chickens. It was her favorite thing about working on a chicken ranch. All of them with their feathers flocking around to happily eat the seed that she scattered.
She was so lost in her activity that she didn't even notice the visitor that now stood behind her. "Hey Pinkie." said Jack with a smile.
Startled, Popuri dropped the seed bag and it spilled on the ground, causing the chickens to rush her feet for access. She quickly jumped out of the way, then turned to Jack. "Hey Jack! Sorry, you scared me a bit." she said as she held her hand over her heart like she was trying to slow it down.
"Sorry about that. I'll call you from the gate next time." he promised as he reached in and picked up her seed bag from the scrabble of chickens. Once he freed it from the mass of pecking birds, he handed it to her with an apologetic smile.
Popuri smiled and took it, blushing slightly as she looked at the ground. "So, what did you come here for?" she asked questioningly.
Jack reached up, resting his hand on his head with a sigh. "Unfortunately, my crops are going downhill, so I'll have to start investing in livestock."
Popuri's face lit up at the comment. "So you want some chickens?" she asked, getting a nod from the farmer. "Alright, let's go get you some!" She grabbed Jack by the hand and led him into the coop to help him pick.
"There was also another reason." he said as they entered the small enclosure.
She turned to him questioningly. "What is it Jack?"
He looked at the ground nervously. "I...was hoping you could teach me how to dance."
Her face was bright when he mentioned needing chickens. But her expression now could have lit the room with its glow. Reaching out, she hugged the farmer tightly, squealing with happiness. "Of course of course! I'd love to Jack!"
He patted her on the back gently, smiling at her happiness. When she finally pulled away, she began wiping her eyes and sniffling. He looked at her oddly. "What's the matter?"
"It's just that...I've always wanted to be a dancer and a dance instructor. But...I'm stuck here and nobody in the town wants to dance." she said with a heavy sigh.
"So, you have to dance alone…" he said, his mind painting the picture clear enough. She nodded sadly, and he stepped forward and lifted her chin so that she was looking directly at him. "You can dance with me any time you like Pinkie."
She looked like she was about to break down crying again, but she held it in and held her hands tightly to her chest. "Thank you Jack." she said and sniffled again.
"Now, about those chickens…" he said with a bright smile.
She stared at him for a moment before going wide eyed. "Oh! Right! Let's see what you need!" she said as she pulled him towards the many sleeping coves they had within the coop.
OoOoO
"So, it was in relation to Mars...or Ares, the god of war from Greek mythology, and the circle represented Mars the planet?" asked Elli curiously, getting a small nod from Mary.
"Ares was said to transform into a wolf and roam the battlefields he created. So the tattoo definitely has a correlation to the Greek god. But why?" asked the librarian as she scratched her chin thoughtfully.
After a moment, Elli had a thought pop into her head. "So...if he's Ares, that means there are others, right?" she asked as she looked at her friend.
Mary's eyes widened. "Of course! It's highly probable that there are others with similar tattoos. Which means he was a part of a group that signified the pantheon!"
"But, what does that mean about his job?" asked the nurse worriedly.
"It means one of two things. Either he was part of a cult devoted to worshiping the Greek pantheon, or the more likely scenario is a mercenary group who used it as code names. If that's the case, I could definitely see why he was given the pseudonym Ares, given his...attempt to break the boulder." she said as the pieces slide together in her mind.
"That definitely sounds dangerous." said Elli sadly as she looked down at her desk.
But Mary stood and put a hand on her shoulder, eyeing her solemnly. "You know why I'm sharing this info with you. I haven't told anyone else because I promised him I wouldn't. So you have to keep this to yourself."
Elli nodded firmly. "Of course. I'll take it to my grave."
Mary just smiled as she relaxed. "Hopefully you won't have to." she said solemnly as she turned away from her close friend. "I've gotta go help my dad catalogue some stuff now. So I'll see you later!" she said as she waved.
Elli waved back happily. "Have a good rest of your day!"
As Mary exited the building, her face immediately went red. As if the devil himself had heard her talking, Jack appeared, walking down the road in front of the clinic just as she was leaving. Turning to look at her, he smiled widely. "Hey Sherlock. Any updates?" he asked with a smirk.
"Uhh...no...not as of yet. B-But if I do find out anything else, I-I'll let you know." she said, fidgeting wildly.
He cocked a curious eyebrow at her odd behavior. "Mary? Are you alright?" he asked, stopping his moving in front of her. Then, when he remembered her visit to his home, he relaxed slightly. "Is this about the kiss?"
"N-No!" she said sharply.
"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have surprised you like that. It just...seemed appropriate." he said lowering his head apologetically.
"No! It...it was nice! I enjoyed it!" she said in slight panic. Taking a second, she calmed herself down and took a deep breath. "Look, even though it was surprising, I did in fact enjoy it. It's just, it happened so fast, and I never expected I would kiss you back. So I...left." she explained, still red faced at the encounter.
"Oh…" was all Jack said at the moment.
"We're great friends Jack. And if we want to be more, I'd like to take things a bit slower. We've got all the time in the world, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the only heart seeking your attention in the village." she said with a small smirk, making him return the playful remark.
"So you want me to be 100% sure before kissing you again?" he asked curiously.
She nodded. "In case you aren't aware sir, I happen to be a monogamous girl. And I believe Ann, Karen, Popuri, and Elli may also have hopes in their hearts. So until their hearts are secure and safe, I won't put mine at risk either." she remarked smartly.
He just nodded to her in a friendly manner. "Alright then. No more kisses for me from the lovely Miss Mary."
Now that the air had been cleared, they stood in awkward silence gazing at one another for a few moments before Mary finally spoke with a change of subject. "S-So, what are you up to?"
"Oh...right. I was actually on my way to visit your dad and see if he could help me with my crops. They seem to be dying off for some odd reason." he stated grimly.
"Oh! Then I'll go with you!" she offered as she stepped up to him.
Together the pair left and went to Mary's home next to the library. When the young woman opened the door, her mother Anna greeted them from the other side. "Oh, welcome back Mary! And...hello Jack." she said with a sparkling smile. "I was just thinking that Mary should invite you over for dinner sometime."
Basil in the back turned and smiled at Jack. "It seems that Mary isn't the only heart you've captured in the town." he said with a playful smile.
"Dad!" shouted Mary in embarrassment.
"Calm down dear, your father was just joking." said Anna as she took Jack's hand and led him over to their table. "Here, have a seat! We were actually about to eat!"
"Oh...uh, thank you." he remarked, a small, amused smile on his face at Mary's grumbling.
"Prepare yourself. My parents are weird." said the young woman as she sat at the table with them.
Both parents chuckled to themselves before Basil came over and set the first plate in front of Jack. "Here you are."
Jack looked down at the plate and examined the food curiously. It looked like a typical burger, but the patty was orange instead of the typical red or black of meat. On top of the mysterious patty were slices of avocado, lettuce, onion, and tomato. "Out of curiosity, is this a vegetarian burger?" he asked, looking up at Mary's father.
The botanist nodded with a grin. "Good eye. It's butternut squash cooked by yours truly. You see, the wife and I are vegan."
Jack's eyes widened at the claim, now understanding the food in front of him. He looked back and forth between the parents, first at Basil, then to Anna. He'd heard plenty of times from other people that vegans and vegetarians always suffered from lack of nutrients because they didn't eat meat. But as he looked at them both, he noticed nothing of the sort. Basil, while he wasn't as muscular as himself, was built as sturdy as anyone else. And Anna was...more than filled out.
Then he looked over at Mary curiously. "So, does that mean…?" he started, but the librarian shook her head.
"I mostly eat vegan food, but I don't have any issues with getting a kebab or burger from Kai's place." she remarked as she laid her head in her hand, her annoyed expression still present.
"Kai?" he asked, a bit confused at the name.
"Oh, he runs a restaurant on the beach every summer. You probably saw it closed down when you first came here." said Basil as he served up everyone else's dinner as well.
"He's cute." said Anna playfully as she continued staring at Jack. "Not as cute as you, but I'd take a bite out of him."
Jack's eyebrows shot up, still confused at the remarks from the woman. Mary, seeing his bewildered expression simply sighed to herself. "My parents are also polyamorous." she said with annoyance.
Suddenly the puzzle pieces slid together in his head. "Oh! I see." he said quietly as he looked back at Anna, who had a hungry look in her eye.
"Don't worry Jack. I'll keep my hands to myself. After all, my daughter doesn't share most of our ideals, so it would be unfair to her." said Anna as she picked up a fork and knife and started to cut her burger into pieces.
"Thanks I guess?" said Jack, slightly amused now as Mary groaned in apparent agony. He had yet to see the girl ever fall apart like she was now, and to be honest it was slightly funny. Then, he looked down at his plate as he realized that he was having fun, sitting at a table with a family and eating dinner. His own parents had never really had time to stop and eat with him, as their own work was far too important. The only close experience he'd had with this was with Mister Alexander, who welcomed him with open arms.
"Everything alright Jack?" asked Basil as he sat down with them to eat.
The farmer looked up at the family and nodded. "Yeah...I've just...never had this before."
"Well, it's great. Give it a taste!" assured Basil as he took a massive bite from his own.
Jack picked the sandwich up from his plate and took a bite as well, surprised by the taste. It was almost indescribable, but amazing regardless. He had yet to eat anything besides a bowl of cereal, so biting into the amazing burger was almost revitalizing. He ate it vigorously, finishing it within a couple bites before looking up and seeing the family looking at him in awe.
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment." said Basil in amusement as he set his burger down. "I take it you've never eaten vegan food before?"
Jack shook his head. "I had a strict diet that involved a lot of protein for muscle building. Plus to food was...less than flavorful." he said with a sigh. "Rarely did I have a chance to ever actually have a dinner like this, with either friends or family."
"Why is that?" asked Basil curiously, seemingly having forgotten his own food.
Jack sat in his seat, almost paralyzed by the question. If he answered truthfully, he'd have to tell them about his previous life. Instead, he opted to just offer them a small nugget of information to feed their curiosity. "Shortly after I left Mister Alexander's care and went with my parents out of country, my parents passed away. I had no brothers, sisters, aunts or uncles that I knew about. So I had to eat alone."
Looking up at them after telling the story made his eyes widen. All of them looked like they were about to cry, "Well…" started Anna as she sighed heavily to relieve the weight of her sorrow. "You're always welcome to come and eat with us. Besides, once your farm gets going full steam, you'll be our main supplier anyway." she said with a happy grin.
Jack sat back, slightly overwhelmed by the offer. "Thank you…" was all he could get out. Then, her statement reminded him of his original goal in coming here. "By the way, Basil?" At the mention of his name, the man perked up. "Something odd is going on with my crops, and I was hoping you could help me find out what's going on."
The botanist smiled and nodded. "Sure thing! That's what I do best after all." he claimed as he continued eating.
OoOoO
"I'm sorry about that." said Mary as the pair walked down the path away from the home.
"It's alright. I was happy to get to know you and your family better." said the farmer with a smile as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Well, if it weren't for me, I'm sure my mother would be all over getting to know you too." she said with a bit of snark in her voice. But when Jack chuckled at the joke, she couldn't help but smile. But the smile disappeared when she heard his next question.
"What do you think? Do I have a chance with her?" he asked with a cheeky grin.
She spun around and glared at him. "Jaaaaaaaaaack!" she growled as she balled her fists.
Immediately, Jack began running down the cobbled path away from her, shouting, "Just a joke! Bye!" as he passed her. She quickly followed, glaring at him the whole way.