You know, I know none of this really matters and no one's going to call me out on it but I have to let this off my chest. The way they found water last chapter with the geyser and everything was just so incorrect. I mean, geysers are super rare and you'd certainly never use one to build a well, that doesn't even make sense. I guess I didn't quite know exactly how to build a well (although I knew it wasn't with geysers) so I just referenced the Sandshrew mini game in pokemon stadium, off course the next day in class had to be all about how to make wells and locate groundwater.
That being said a geyser wasn't really that unlikely. After all, there's one on the farm in the game so all the necessary geologic conditions are met...
Oh well I'm probably the only person seriously bothered by this. Well, if we're going to accept mushrooms large enough and bouncy enough to jump on, interconnecting log tunnels and mines with every type of ore we're kind of throwing a lot of science out the window.
For this chapter I got some help from Spicy the Fox, a couple months ago she inboxed me with a suggestion which will be featured here... I can't say exactly what it was though or it will spoil the chapter. I'll say it at the end.
"Forty years, I've worked forty years and suddenly I have all this time." Lamented the man on the couch. He reached down for the tv remote, accidentally knocking over an empty bottle that then rolled away. Who would blame it?
Neil grimaced from the kitchen. It was noon and the man was already drunk. It never used to be this bad. Sure he had little love for his guardian in the past but the man was a total wreck now. He almost pitied the guy. Maybe his retirement really was getting to him. It was the one thing the two used to have in common, they were both completely dedicated to their jobs. Then again Neil was not a patient man and just glancing at the freeloader made his blood boil.
It didn't help that his head had been feeling oddly fuzzy since the moment he woke up. A momentary dizzy spell overcame him and he gripped the granite counter top clutching at his temples until the sensation receded.
Todd didn't notice and continued to rant. His voice echoed and pounded against the back of Neil's head in an annoying throb.
Every little thing the man said irritated him in ways he didn't think possible, how did Todd not realize how flipping annoying he was. Neil held it all in, trembling slightly from suppressed anger as he brought the two plates to the dining table.
The man joined a second later and scoffed, "No bacon?"
Something snapped.
"That's it!" Neil snarled, "I'm done."
"What?" Asked the older man a little taken aback.
"I have had it! I'm going out!" The animal dealer growled and stormed out the door, grabbing his coat as he went.
0o0o0o
"Did you hear?" Asked Tina, leaning casually, propped up on one elbow, slurping any residual orange sherbert from the bottom of her empty glass.
"Hear what?" Iroha asked on the other side of the table.
"There's going to be a storm today." Tina responded.
"How scary!" Exclaimed Michelle in a cutesy tone.
Felicity politely interrupted the group while taking their finished dishes, "Oh right I heard about that. You wrote about it in the newspaper yes?" She asked Tina.
"Yep, storm of the season. Brought on by the tropics, nearby cities are even in code red for potential flooding." The reporter had worn herself out from the long preceding conversation. and kept the explanation to a minimal. The girls were all just a little relieved, they loved her to death but weren't sure they could handle another one of her long and excited rants, though clearly she was at her limit to.
The warm bells at the front door of the shop rung as Rod stepped in looking around worriedly. He stopped as the noticed the small collection at the corner table and headed over. The fact that he didn't immediately break out into his signature grin had them all on alert. Something had to really be wrong.
"Hey guys." He greeted, "You haven't seen Neil have you?"
They shook their heads no. "Then again," said Iroha, "No one ever sees that man."
"He's not very social. It's such a waste 'cause he's kinda cute." Michelle sighed deeply at the tragedy.
"Right I guess none of you know him that well." Rod frowned.
"What's wrong?" Asked Rio.
"It seems he had a fight with his old man." Said Rod.
"What else is new?" Tina rolled her eyes.
"It's not… unusual." Yuri agreed.
"Well he's not back yet from when he stormed out of his home earlier and the weather is going to turn bad soon… He told me he was at his tolerance limit. You don't think he just left do you?" The pet seller fidgeted and glanced out the window, if Rio wasn't so worried about what he was talking about she might have smiled, Neil really did have a good friend.
"He wouldn't leave here." Rio said and everyone turned to her, she blushed under the attention.
"How do you know?" Asked Iroha.
"He just wouldn't." Rio said in absolute sureness. "I can't really explain it... I just know."
"I think so too," Rod nodded. "but doesn't that mean he's out there somewhere? Do you think he knows there's going to be a storm?"
Rio sighed, "just leave him be... " She frowned remembering the way he snapped at her the last time she tried to cheer him up. If he couldn't be found it probably meant he didn't want to be found. "He's probably sorting through some stuff right now." She saw Rod's head droop a little and she did her best to smile, "don't worry, he'll be home before the rain, he's got work tomorrow, he'd never neglect his job. In fact, maybe he's at the sanctuary, there's shelter there."
Rod smiled at her, "You really are such a nice person Rio, I feel much better now. Thanks a lot." His cheeks tinted a slightly darker shade and he looked away in embarrassment, "if your ever feeling anxious I'll be sure to pay it forward."
Rio tilted her head before giving a soft smile. "Thank you."
He said good bye to the group and left.
"Oh my gosh." Tina gawked.
"What?" Asked Rio innocently.
"He totally likes you." Tina grinned smugly.
"W-what? No way that can't be true." She waved her hands in front of her.
"You two would be so cute." Felicity gushed having joined them at the table after all of the other customers left.
"I couldn't possibly!" Rio turned bright red.
"Well you are getting better around males. Maybe this would be good for you." Commented Iroha.
The group squealed. Rio shook her head vigorously. Seriously, Rio felt exhausted. Be it animal or human, it seemed everyone only ever had one thing on their mind and that was who Rio should hook up with. "Can we just drop it?" She said unexpectedly flat.
The girls frowned. "Uh yeah, I didn't think it would bug you that much, sorry." Said Tina.
"Have you guys every been to Germany?" Asked Michelle changing the topic. "I went there once with the troupe, and the craziest thing happened!"
As they switched into a very different heated conversation Rio blinked and could feel the corners of her mouth twist up. There was a clear difference between human and animals it seemed. It was kind on refreshing talking to people who understood and were considerate of her feelings.
Iroha crossed her arms and nodded at a statement Yuri made while Rio was blissfully spacing out, "That's true. What do you think Rio?"
Rio hopped in her seat and quickly replayed the conversation before grinning, "Oh, well I-"
O0o0o0o
The farmer finished putting her animals away and frowned, glancing over at her rows of crops, it was unlikely they'd be able to survive an extreme storm. If she had thought ahead, she would have bought tarps.
As it was, there was nothing she could do so she returned to the old farm house and collapsed on the couch.
Her mind wandered back to the events of the day. Suddenly she thought of Neil, the storm was starting soon, was he back home yet? Despite the reassurances she gave Rod, something wasn't right. Neil wouldn't skip town, she just knew it. He also wouldn't ditch his job, even if his father was being a pain… but then, where could he be?
Her head snapped to the window and she walked over thoughtfully, watching the dark clouds rolling in over the horizon. Mrs. Clutterbuck had once told her something about Neil. That as a kid, when he still lived with his dad he would always escape into the forest. With the old stresses back in his life, would he have returned to his old releases? Then he surely would have returned home by now. One would only have to look at the sky now to tell that the oncoming storm was now apparent.
Unsure why, she threw on her rain jacket and sprinted out the door. Cold, violent winds buffeted her. The flimsy hood of her coat refusing to stay up over her head. She knew she did not want to be out when the rain started. She would have to be fast.
She just needed to check, to make sure he was home safe. She ran ignoring any tiredness or voice of reason all the way to his front door. She would just check on him, to get some peace of mind. She knocked heavily and waited. The door slowly opened and she sighed in relief, but then, the man on the other side was not Neil.
His father stood at the door in a greasy wife-beater and boxers. He looked her up and down. "What?" He asked flatly taking a swig of his beer.
She stepped back in terror, "Is Neil home yet?" She squeaked out, her throat and chest constricting out of fear.
"Coming to a man's house right before a storm." He whistled, "How manipulative, you were hoping to get stuck with him weren't you? His mom was like that too. Sorry princess, that dead-beat son never came back."
"You aren't worried?" She asked.
The man scoffed, "He's always been good at taking care of himself."
Rio balled her fists under the coat's long sleeves, poor Neil, his father really was the worst sort of man. He leered, "There's really quite the storm coming, do you still want in blondie?"
She shivered once then mustered up all the the courage she had stored, somewhat drunk on the panic and heat of the moment, to glare at him. "What is wrong with you?" She asked, "Neil could be it danger! It would be all your fault because you're the one who drove him out of his home! Why did you even come here? You're only inconvienancing everyone!"
She felt a little guilty about everything she said, she was never the confrontational type, more accustomed to keeping everything supressed deep down but then, she had never really been this angry. If Neil couldn't stand up for himself then she would.
The man looked a little surprised, for a moment he looked like he wanted to say something but another strong wind hit them and she was reminded of the much more urgent issue, where was Neil?
Now completely ignoring Todd, she began to run again. Neil was an adult and logic would dictate that he would have found somewhere safe and yet this gnawing feeling inside of her wouldn't go away. Her steps only faltered a moment when she remembered the last time she approached him and he got mad. She shook her head, this time was different. She didn't even care if he yelled at her, at least then she'd know he was ok.
Her hair blew in every which direction untameably and she looked around in disorientation, a mixture of the dark and wind was causing her to become a little overwhelmed but she headed toward the mountain of green that was undoubtedly the forest.
She hurried up the path to the plaza and continued over the wide cement clearing until she entered through the fencing to the forest area.
"Rio!" Said an alarmed voice. She swiveled to a strange collection of forest animals.
You can understand us right?" Asked a rabbit. Rio nodded. "You have to come quick!" It said, "Neil's in trouble!"
A fox waved its tail, "This way!" The fox lead her down a twisting path, occasionally a branch would snap in her face painfully or she'd slip and slide down an eroding patch of dirt but she continued with purpose, eyes watering from the strain until she saw a patch of red below a steep decline. She stumbled down falling to her knees in the moist dirt and crawled urgently to where the animal dealer lay.
"Neil." She asked in a panicked tone, rustling his shoulder. "Neil!" She turned him over onto his back. The first thing she noticed was that he definitely was breathing, albeit in short laboured pants. His face was illuminated in a sickly feverish glow. Neil was very sick, and they were in the middle of the forest. She felt the wind cut through the trees and hit her face and along with it, a single cold droplet. The rain would be upon them any moment.
Panic.
"What do I do? What do I do?!" She asked frantically to the surrounding animals. They said nothing, if they knew they wouldn't have brought her. Slowly they receded back into foliage and burrows as there was a clap of thunder.
"This way." Growled a deep voice. Rio turned slowly, Sampson. The massive grizzly stalked over and nudged Neil with his muzzle. "I have a cave that will keep him dry."
"You really want to help?" She asked suspiciously.
"If I wanted to eat you I wouldn't have to lure you to my cave to do it now would I?" He asked. Rio nodded. Grizzly's weren't sly, if he had any intentions of hurting them then he already would have.
She frowned and turned to Neil finally deciding to hook him by the arms and drag him. The cave was not far and she laid him down gently on the stone floor. The grizzly looped around behind her and settled down against the cave wall.
She knelled down at the man's side, feeling more confidence than normal as he was sedated. This was the closest she had ever been while feeling comfortable next to a boy. Experimentally she brushed the bangs out of his face. His brows were slightly more prominent than hers, and his nose, a little longer. Other than that it was surprisingly and beautifully feminine- although she knew he'd never appreciate hearing that.
He shuddered and winced as his head bounced of the cold stone ground, still not hard enough to wake him though. She looked around in worry and finally sighed, sliding his head to rest on her lap. It was hard to tell but she thought he looked a little more comfortable.
As if a switch was suddenly turned on, the whole world outside became drenched in rain. The sounds of it hitting the roof caused the whole cave to echo and a flash of lightning caused her to flinch. Rio looked outside and in alarm realized that the rain was so thick she couldn't even see what lay beyond the cave entrance as it waterfalled off the cave roof.
"Why did you help us?" She asked, addressing the bear.
"He's a special person to me." The bear yawned.
"Special?" She asked.
The bear edged closer allowing her to lean on his pelt, "My mother died when I was still a young cub. At that time he was a young boy who would often wander the forest. He would always bring me milk in weird holders and colourful, warm pelts." The bear began to tell his story. Rio looked down at the man on her lap and absentmindedly stroked his hair. She then realized this must be the real reason he was always 'stealing' milk as a kid.
"He'd come back every day. Then I got older and he'd catch me fish in a really weird way with a funny stick. He'd tried a couple times to do it like a bear, telling me to 'watch closely' but never succeeded." Rio giggled despite the circumstances imagining a small blond boy standing waist deep in water trying to swipe at fish. It just seemed so unlike the current Neil. "I eventually figured it out though. Then one day he just stopped coming." The bear said sadly.
"His family moved away." She said.
"So that's why." The bear breathed, a weight lifted off his shoulder, "I remember always thinking I must have done something wrong. He was so sad the last time I saw him."
Rio frowned Neil really had been such a sweet boy. If she knew boys like him as a child perhaps she wouldn't be the way she was now. It was a tragedy he grew up to be so cold and lonley. Again she felt inexplicable anger, not just at Todd but his whole family, no, the whole village. What about his real parents, how could they have left him like that? Why did nobody try to help him as a kid? Again she looked down at the poor animal dealer.
She suddenly realized Neil's condition had gotten even worse since she and Sampson had begun talking. His breathing sounded even more laboured and his face twisted with discomfort. She needed to help him but didn't know the first thing about nursing sick people. She put a hand on his oily forehead and quickly pulled it back in alarm, he was running a high fever! People didn't die from fevers did they?
A tear fell onto the animal dealer's cheek and his face crunched with grogginess. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked momentarily dazed. He rose a hand with some effort to the side of his face, wiping away the moisture and he looked at it in confusion. Then his eyes drifted up to Rio. "You're crying." He said. "Again." He tried to sit up but fell immediately back onto her lap, groaned and he grasped at his hair, "My head feels like it's going to split."
"You're sick Neil." She said with a shaken voice, "You're sick and I don't know what to do."
"Well you don't need to get upset over someone like me." He sighed.
"Someone like you?" She asked.
"A jerk, a screwup, a mistake from a spoiled gene pool." He mumbled.
"That's not right!" She protested, "You're a really nice person!"
"How do you figure?" He asked with an empty laugh, "I might be the sick one here, yet you're the one with the delusions."
She shook her head fervently. "Every animal I've ever gotten from you worshiped the ground you stood on. You'd be surprised, animals are great judges of character. How do I put it? Your so gentle with them. People are nice to people when there's something to gain. People are nice to animals because they're nice."
Neil almost half smiled, "You're really weird."
She chuckled, "I guess."
He frowned, brow creasing, "Actually maybe I am the delusional one, I-" his eyelids dropped from fatigue, "I see a bear behind you."
"There-" She started and stopped, he had fallen back to sleep. Her gaze softened, "there is a bear." She said quietly and looked back to the cave entrance. It would be a long night.
Anyway Spicy wolf suggested the Neil getting sick thing and the storm: "it's raining hard outside and Rio is eating, there's a knock at the door and it's Neil's friend Rod and he says that Neil went into the forest to do something and he has not come back yet, he asks Rio to go find him, so she dose, one of the forest animals helps her, she takes him to her house, he wakes up... and you can go from there" Is what she told me. I made a few changes but I'm so happy she suggested it. To be honest when I was thinking about where to put it in it's when I thought of this whole Todd arc and Sampson the bear.
CheetosPotato- *Body block* Nooo don't kill him! He's just stressed out that's all. I kind of need Neil for this story. LOL. Jogging while on fanfiction, isn't that a novel idea? Maybe I should try that next time I go to the gym... or maybe not, though I guess it would kind of resolve the boredom you start to feel after the first fifteen minutes. "CheetosPotato" is surprising responsible with their health.
XxBlue and CrimsonxX- I'm not sure what to say here 'cause I don't want to spoil anything but... you'll see. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing. Let's hope Neil is now past being a butthead.
Spicy the fox- Eeeeyyyyy! I finally used part of your suggestion! I've been wanting to put it in for so long! Yeah the bear first appeared a couple chapters ago when Rio accidentally went into his territory. Todd is a sort of alcoholic, but, lol, I wouldn't really say he's a stalker. Thank you so much for everything, you really influenced a lot of this story. :) :)
CAPJHMPA girl- :) I'm happy you like her relationship with the village girls because there will be a lot more of them from here on out. I figure it's important to show other things then just her time with Neil or the animals, and I figure she could really use some female companionship.
SkySpitter12- Hehe thank you very much.
Sealing Mistress- :) :) I can't say anything without giving the next chapter away so I'll have to comment more on your suggestion at a later time. :) :) I totally agree on the repetitiveness of the animals which is why I'm showing other aspects of Rio's life. There will some chapters in the future where the animals are doing something other than trying to pair her. I guess I'm also sort of showing the differences between animals and humans though, like animals have a one-track mind centered around eating, sleeping, playing and reproducing, where as characters like Neil and the girls are more similar to Rio if that makes sense. I would never be offended by someone giving me good advice! Please anything you have to say I really appreciate!