Claire worked with renewed gusto at the very thought of the help from Rick's invention. The next day, he arrived with the repaired wheelbarrow, and that alone made things move a lot more smoother on the farm. Determined to save all the tomatoes she could, she zoomed through the rows of crops, dumping basket after basket into her bin.
Rick spent some time on the farm to take some measurements and would excitedly run to Claire with his notepad, showing how he could streamline the design. For the next couple of days, Claire spent lunch in the shade with Cliff and Rick and they munched on their food, staring up at the bizarre device that would hopefully save Claire's farm.
"The concept is really simple," Rick had explained to Cliff, pointing to the blueprints with a flourish. "Once these are installed, Claire will be able to use them to transport her crops right into the shipping bin."
Cliff tilted his head a few times at different angles, trying to make sense of the design. "Maybe it will make more sense to me once it's been put together, but I'm glad that it will make work easier for Claire."
When Claire stepped inside for a moment, Cliff turned toward Rick. "I can't thank you enough for doing this for her."
The emotion in Cliff's eyes took Rick off-guard for a brief moment before he smiled at him warmly. "No thanks needed. We all look out for each other here. And it's not like what I'm doing is charity work – she's giving me a deal on her corn crop so that I don't have to outsource for feed. Popuri told me that you've been sharing your catches with Claire."
"Yeah, we're sharing what we have with each other so we can both eat better."
Rick finished chewing his sandwich. "Oh, that reminds me – speaking of eating better – I take it your catches are keeping your… partner fed? Or do you need to buy anything from us?"
"He's getting enough to eat." Cliff knew that going into further detail would only raise alarm at how close a falcon was living near his poultry farm. "This fall, I'm hoping to bring more reliable meat resources for Doug."
"Oh?" There was a spark in Rick's eye. "So you're competition, then?"
Cliff laughed, warm and playful. A well of confidence overtook him as he recalled all of the cheering on Claire had done for him. "If that's how you want to see it, but I'm just a one-man operation."
Rick's posture straightened. "I can say practically the same thing."
Before Cliff could reply, Claire bounded back with some herbal tea she was eager to share.
"Let's not talk about work anymore," Rick interjected quickly.
"You don't want to talk about work?" Claire feigned surprise.
"Karen's rubbing off on you, I see," Rick replied wryly. "I was just going to ask where you all want to meet before the fireworks."
Cliff's shoulders relaxed at the very mention of the festival, and Claire bounced in her seat with excitement.
"Oh, right! I can't wait!" she chirped.
"It's tradition to wear yukata during the festival. Cliff, do you need me to lend you one?"
A confident grin played at Cliff's lips as he shook his head. "I have my own."
Once more, Claire was reminded of the outgoing boy Cliff described himself as. Her cheeks became rosy as she tried to imagine what he looked like in his festival clothes.
"What color is it?" Claire breathed.
"You'll just have to wait until the festival to find out."
The cheeky wink he gave her caused her heart to jump into her throat.
Claire stood in front of her mirror as she tied her red obi, her hands trembling. She hadn't donned traditional festival wear since she was a child and it took her a few times to get the tying right. Smoothing out the fabric, she inspected her reflection in the mirror. She pushed away concern that she might look like she didn't know how to properly dress for a festival; from what she remembered, these affairs were pretty informal. She hadn't attended a proper fireworks festival for several years and she could hardly contain her excitement. She had pulled her hair back into a low bun off to one side and adorned it with some flowers she had picked in the mountains earlier that afternoon; she was going all out. Claire fussed with the sleeves of her yukata and allowed herself to admire her appearance for a brief moment. She realized she wasn't trying to impress anyone but herself and grinned at her reflection.
Claire had removed the tags of the garment that day feeling a sense of victory. She had proven her friends in the city wrong – she hadn't returned the yukata to the store and she was wearing it to an event. It had been stashed among her things for over a couple of years now and had never been worn, having been purchased with some friends from the city with the plans to attend a festival in a group. Claire had made a special shopping trip to find the perfect outfit months before the event. She could still remember falling in love with the soft cherry blossom pattern on the yukata, going back to it time and time again after trying on several others.
She hadn't gone out with her friends for quite some time and she had counted down the days until the festival. When a sudden project with a strict deadline came up at work, she had been sent home with boxes of paperwork. She had tried to explain to her friends why she couldn't attend the festival, but they didn't understand why one night off was so hard to do. A majority of them stopped inviting her to their outings, complaining that she was never available. She had stewed for months after the event, wondering if she should have shuffled her time differently to make time for both things, but it did no good to dwell on it at that point.
Claire swallowed the lump in her throat as she slid on her footwear and looked at her reflection in the mirror one last time. Mineral Town had a new set of friends. She had a different kind of job, and the way of life out here was nothing like what she had left behind in the city. She liked to think that she had also begun to adopt a new way of thinking about balancing her life. New wasn't always bad, she realized. She might not be attending a city fireworks festival in her yukata, but she was attending one with her friends, and that was good enough.
Claire was listening to the clattering of her geta on the cobblestones when she heard the sound of the crowd on the beach. Her heart pounded in anticipation as she quickened her walking pace.
She didn't see Karen immediately, but she spotted a laughing Ann rushing out by the tide as Cliff chased after her. The redhead stumbled a bit in the clunky footwear, but she noticed that he easily caught up to her; he was accustomed to wearing geta.
"Ann-!" He let out a sigh as she continued to scurry away.
A smile crept across Claire's face and she followed their direction. The square was full of tents and stands that were still in the final stages of setting up, and she wanted to be surprised by the full effect of everything operational at once. She averted her eyes and focused on the beach.
"Good evening, Mayor Thomas!"
"Hello, Ann. Hello, Cliff." He still wore his formal red suit and top hat despite the festive atmosphere.
"Great evening for a festival, huh?" Ann nodded her head. She was used to feeling her braid bounce, but she had replaced it with two braided buns for the evening. "You always appreciate the feedback on the festivals, Mayor." She played with her pale green yukata sleeves.
"Of course." He looked up from his work. Thomas and Saibara had been gathering the crates of fireworks for the display later. He was getting a sore back and was eager for an interruption.
"Cliff says that this festival isn't rowdy enough," Ann stated with a giggle. "He says we need taiko and yelling and screaming and dancing. He thinks this festival is weak!"
Cliff blushed and shook his head emphatically. "Th-that's not what-!"
Thomas shrugged and spoke over him. The mayor wasn't keen on critical remarks about his job at the best of times. Dancing had never been the highlight of the Fireworks Festival, after all. From a financial standpoint, the vendors' fees for reserving stalls and tents paid for the fireworks, and very little money was carried over to pay for the next year's festival. The dancing was simply a formality that the older townsfolk demanded, although participation was usually pretty low. Unless quite a few people actually expressed an interest, additional funds had more important places to go. "Well, I did bring my record player for the line dancing. If you're hoping to dance, Cliff, we'll have that before the fireworks." His voice was friendly, but there was a subtle note of annoyance in his facial expressions.
Ann was blind to this. "He wants live music," she continued with a laugh. "Surely you'd appreciate some feedback from a newcomer," she insisted, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Thomas stiffened at her touch. He had many things he wanted to say to her, but since his son was interested in her, he held his tongue out of politeness. Ann had no idea how much work went into planning a festival like this; surely she meant well… Thomas tried to explain to her that Cliff's request for live music was a steep one. "Well, for starters, I don't know where we're going to acquire all those drums, let alone someone to play them."
These didn't appear to be issues to her at all. "Cliff will play! I'll play!" Ann immediately volunteered excitedly.
Thomas cocked an eyebrow, avoiding a scoff. He knew her well enough to know that she often acted before she thought. "Do you even know how to play?"
"Not at all!" Ann grinned; this fact seemed trivial to her. She spun on her geta, burrowing a perfectly round hole in the damp sand. Cliff ducked his head in embarrassment that the conversation had ballooned into what it now was.
"I'd play." Saibara looked up from his crate of fireworks and he had an eager gleam in his eye.
Thomas and Saibara's relationship was often strained even under the best circumstances, and this was the evening of their annual argument over fireworks. Every year they struggled over how they should be arranged and what order they should be lit. Thomas had his own schedule to adhere to, he would explain to Saibara year after year. The stubborn old man didn't mince words with him; he thought Thomas's ideas were terrible. Thomas was eager to avoid any further confrontations with him this evening. "I-I think they need my help over at the booth over there," he laughed nervously. He hurried away from them, eager to drop the subject. He was willing to let the fireworks discussion go for the moment if he could avoid getting roped into doing more work for the music and dancing next year. The way he saw it, he already had enough on his plate with his daily duties between Mineral Town and Forget Me Not Valley.
"Which one?" Ann and Saibara asked in unison.
Thomas gestured wildly with his arms at nowhere in particular and they both laughed at him; he was a terrible liar. Ann chased him back to the booths, teasing him much to his annoyance.
"Hiya, Claire, you look awesome!" Ann winked at her and dashed off after Thomas before she could respond.
"Good evening, Miss Claire." Saibara bowed to her politely as she approached them. "You are a true vision of beauty this evening."
"Th-thank you," she stammered. She noticed that he had dressed for the occasion as well. His slate yukata was smoothed out nicely and he had tamed his normally wild snowy white locks and beard. There was a playful twinkle in his eye that she had seen at the Midsummer's Dance and it brought a smile to her face. "You look great, too, Saibara."
He cackled and some color rose in his cheeks. "Even an old man like me can look nice once in a while." He was deeply flattered by her compliment – most people assumed he didn't like hearing praise because he rarely gave it.
"Hi, Claire…" Cliff's eyes widened when he saw her. His heart throbbed in his ears as he took in his friend's appearance. All of her hair was swept back and adorned with fresh flowers except for her bangs and some loose strands that hung by her face. Her cheeks had a cheery glow that was accentuated by her rosy yukata and the clothes reminded him once more how attractive she was. "Y-you look gorgeous," he breathed. He had surprised himself by using such a bold word and blushed deeply, quickly turning his gaze to the sand.
Claire's heart gave a funny jolt and she fought her instincts to push it down; this relatively new jumpy feeling around Cliff was interesting, and she found she wasn't completely opposed to it. "Thanks… You look really handsome." He was clad in traditional festival wear as well and he looked very comfortable and at home in his dark blue yukata. She smiled when she saw he had rolled up and tied back his sleeves with a tasuki – it suited him as he didn't strike her as the type to wear sleeves very often. The shade of blue brought out the color in his eyes. She reddened and caught herself playing with the wisps of her hair that couldn't fit into her bun. She swiftly clasped her hands. If she wasn't careful, she was going to mess up the hair she had so carefully styled.
Saibara looked at both of them and bit back a smile. There was an innocence around the two of them that reminded him of years gone by. He could almost hear the music playing as he nervously offered his hand to dance with his future wife so many years ago. "You're right about earlier, Cliff." His gruff voice startled both of them. "This festival is just a shadow of what it should be. People like us who work hard deserve to play hard as well."
Cliff gave him a confused look. "Us? B-but I'm not even employed… W-well, I mean outside from helping out Kai with his supply of fish for… tonight's festival..."
Right, after tonight, he's not going to need it anymore and will probably be trying to use up his stock...
A familiar wave of shame washed over him and he tried to fight the frown that was threatening to take over his face. This was a happy time, he reminded himself, and it wasn't an occasion for gloomy behavior.
"All three of us know how hard you work and how dedicated you are, permanent job or not. I wish that quality of yours would rub off on my grandson." Saibara's face was expressionless as he went back to unpacking his crates of fireworks.
Cliff knew it wouldn't be wise to bring up the argument that he and Gray recently shared, and in the company of Claire, it would likely only make her feel worse. Even though they had both made up since then, Cliff had a feeling their previous drama up in the mountains had only been exacerbating Gray's stress, causing him to lash out during Kai's party. Cliff had been avoiding spending too much time around Saibara since the mountain ordeal, but he didn't really feel it was fair for him to have to stay away from someone he saw as a friend in order to keep from hurting Gray's feelings. Cliff blinked in surprise at his own thought process – it hadn't been that long ago when he truly believed that he wasn't meant to have any friends, let alone feel like he deserved to nurture any blooming friendships. Despite his frustration at Gray's past behavior, Cliff would be lying if he said that things hadn't been improving. "Ah… he's trying; he really is," he replied uncomfortably. Whether this was really true or not remained to be seen, but his roommate had called him his best friend the other evening, and he wasn't soon to forget it. He felt that the least he could do for him was defend him a bit when it came to his work ethic.
At the mention of Gray, a sharp ringing of a bell pierced the air. The trio looked up to see Gray in the square stretching his arms and setting down a large sledgehammer, nodding to the operator of the High Striker game as he offered Mary to choose a prize. Her face lit up as she gawked at the stuffed animals and she suddenly became aware of her childish behavior, burying her face in the sleeves of her beautiful teal yukata. His pale blue eyes gazed at her warmly as she giggled, accepting a large stuffed pony in her arms before deciding it was much easier to carry over her shoulders like a backpack. Claire noticed Gray had stubbornly worn his usual garb – a khaki-colored set of coveralls accompanied by his signature blue cap.
It seemed she wasn't the only one aware of his attire. "What does that boy think he's wearing at a festival like this?!" Saibara fumed, dropping a few firework casings noisily into the wooden crate beside him. Both of his companions jumped in surprise at the sudden loud sound. "He looks like a fool!" Saibara stomped across the beach in the direction of the couple.
"Time to put some distance between us and them," Cliff whispered into her ear as he gave her a playful smile. Claire found that she was eager to follow him. His friendly eyes coupled with his lighthearted chuckle had quickly drawn her in; seeing Cliff so happy made her heart soar as it always did. Her eyes traveled over him while he looked forward – his yukata really did look good on him, and she wondered if it was something he wore a lot back at his home village, as he moved so comfortably and naturally in it.
They headed to the opposite side of the beach, where they saw that Ann had circled back around and found Karen and Rick.
"Claire!" Karen waved to her with her yakitori. Her black yukata was covered with a colorful butterfly print. Her brown hair was pulled back into a bun, her blonde streaks hanging down around her face. She looked every part the festival goer, and Claire smiled at her friend's beauty. She was about to say so when Karen's sudden voice startled her. "Ah, you're finally wearing it! You look so stinking cute! Give me a twirl!"
Claire blushed and did a little spin for her friend. She felt a little embarrassed being on display, but everyone was busy staring at each others' outfits, so she tried her best to take it in stride.
"I told her she looked amazing earlier," Ann told Karen with a nod..
"Everyone looks very nice tonight." Claire smiled and shyly took a spot between her friends, eager to be out of the circle they had naturally formed around her. She looked over noticed Karen was holding hands with Rick, who was clad in a muted green yukata. He was wearing his usual white hachimaki around his head – it seemed he was dressed to go all out whether it came to work or play.
Karen was a bit surprised to see that Cliff not only owned clothing for wearing to such an event, but he wore it confidently. "And look at you, Cliff! All decked out! Twirl!" she commanded, motioning with her finger.
Her friend silently obliged. Claire felt a smile creeping across her face as she watched him. She noticed his hair was pulled back with a strip of dark blue fabric that matched his outfit. The tie around his waist was the same slate gray material as his tasuki that was knotted at his shoulder, further cementing his air of experience with such clothing.
"Very nice." Karen nodded with approval as she gave his arm a playful punch. His face slightly flushed at all the attention on him, but he rolled his eyes to play off his discomfort. She could tell that she had made him a little self-conscious so she turned toward Ann. "And, as always, our Ann looks adorable!"
She snorted at her. "Call me cute one more time and I'll pour vinegar in your coffee. I got enough of it from Dad this afternoon. He showed me off to the guests at the inn like I was some kind of mascot and he wanted to take my photo and everything," she groaned, sloppily rolling up her green sleeves. "Come on, guys, let's buy some soda and have a belching contest; I've got to negate this outfit I'm wearing. I'm only doing it because it was my mom's!"
The group aimlessly made their way back to the entrance of the square.
"You know, there are worse things in this world than being called cute," Rick teased, giving Ann a smirk. "What would you do if you had a partner that called you cute?"
Her eyes snapped to Harris, who was in uniform standing watch at the entrance to the square, her cheeks glowing pink as she gave him a quick wave. She turned back toward Rick and forced a pout on her face. "Well, I'd punch pour vinegar in their coffee, too!"
Karen shrugged. "At least she's consistent."
"Have y'all hit up any of the booths yet?" Cliff asked softly, changing the subject.
Karen shook her head. "We were just going for a quick walk on the beach while people were opening their stalls."
Claire looked around eagerly as they entered the square. The normally abandoned plaza was packed with tents and stands, and the sounds of food sizzling, laughter, music, and carnival games filled their ears. The bright strings of lights and paper lanterns caught Claire's eyes as her breath caught in her throat; it was more beautiful than she could have imagined. She had vague memories of what the festivals looked like in the city as a kid, but this had a much more authentic, rustic feel to it. "It looks like there's so much to do!" Her heart was still pounding with excitement.
"Well, why don't we just walk the strip?" Rick suggested, leading the way and taking his girlfriend's hand. He nearly tripped over his geta as Kai's cart came into view. Kai was busily filling orders while Popuri, who had an apron clad over her blue yukata, was calling out orders for him and taking the money. Rick's muscles tensed up.
"What's wrong?" Ann asked innocently.
"Did Kai seriously trick my sister into working for him?!"
Karen's soft touch at his arm caught his attention. "She volunteered to help, Rick. He's paying her for her help."
Rick pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "So she's working on a holiday when she gets on my case all the time about working too hard?"
Karen averted her eyes, uncomfortable. "Well… it wouldn't hurt you to take a break every now and then, you now…"
Rick wasn't listening. "And this was supposed to be one of the few times I allowed himself not to think about all the things I'm behind on! Now I have to worry about her or Kai doing something stupid!" Furious, he took a step toward them, but Karen held his arm fast. He froze in place and gritted his teeth as he watched Ann hurry forward to order from them.
"No, you don't. She's choosing to do this because she wants to. Let her, Rick," Karen murmured into his ear.
His fight left him as his shoulders slouched. Karen gave him a peck on the cheek, and he leaned into her slightly.
"Two takoyakis, Poppy!" Ann cheerfully handed over some coins, salivating at the sounds and smells of the crispy, deep fried food.
"Got it!" Popuri turned around. "TWO TAKOYAKIS!" she bellowed right into his ear. Kai jumped, but gave her a playful nudge with his side. All three of them laughed.
Ann bounced up and down in her noisy footwear, her eyes scanning other stalls for more snacks to eat in the near future. In truth, this was her favorite part of the whole day, and she intended on fully enjoying it. "So how are you two liking the festival scene? Pretty crazy, right?" She bobbed her head, eyeing up the various snacks behind Popuri. Cotton candy, baked corn, snow cones… She would have to hurry if she was going to get to eat them all before the night was over.
"Busy but fun! I never get to be in charge of stuff back at home. I love helping Kai!" Her face lit up. "Plus, I'm calling dibs on leftover cheese curds!" She motioned for the woman behind Ann to order and she shyly shook her head, murmuring in a soft voice that she was still deciding as she twirled a long strand of navy hair around her pale fingers.
"She's really good at spinning cotton candy," Kai chimed in, plating the takoyaki and garnishing it with sauce and bonito flakes. "Natural perfect technique. She's the cotton candy queen!"
"Cotton candy princess!" she corrected, folding her arms. "Queen makes me sound old!"
Ann snickered as Kai rolled his eyes behind Popuri's back.
Popuri turned back toward her customer, who was staring back at their group of friends with wide brown eyes. "Are you ready to order, Miss?"
The woman blinked and jumped in surprise, not without giving them one last curious look. "Ah, my apologies! I'll have two roasted corns, please." She bowed apologetically, rifling through her coin purse. "Ah, I-I mean one!" she laughed a little too loudly. "Just me today!" She twisted the gold ring on her left hand with another apologetic bow, her cheeks glowing pink as she paid for her food.
"That doesn't stop our Ann," Kai laughed, handing his customer an ear of corn.
"Oh, hush! You're just jealous because I could beat you in an eating contest any day!" she retorted, popping an entire takoyaki in her mouth. She cradled both paper trays in the crook of her arm and playfully turned her nose at him, returning to the group.
"You guys ready to move on?" Karen was watching Rick, whose eyes were glued to his sister. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"… Yeah. I am ready to move on," he replied softly, the hint of a smile playing at his lips as he watched Popuri wave goodbye to their customer. She turned back toward Kai and rested a hand on his arm and they fell silent as their eyes locked. Rick abruptly turned back toward his friends. "Anyway…"
"Oooh! Hey! It's that guy who makes the awesome omelettes and draws portraits on them with ketchup!" Ann exclaimed, her mouth full. She pointed over to a stand where a burly man was expertly flipping a couple of skillets with a flourish. He looked up and caught the young woman's eye.
"Oh, Ann, sweetie~! Do come over, darling~!" his deep syrupy voice sang out as he winked at her. "I've got a yummy omelette with your face on it~! Your father's, too!"
Her eyes widened. "What, you do? Howard, that's super creepy!" Despite the unsettling piece of news, she laughed as she bounded over to him, her takoyaki still in her hands. She took a seat at his counter. "Don't you be selling that to people! Now you're going to have to let me dispose of it! Catch you guys later!" she yelled over her shoulder, dismissing them with the wave of a hand as her eyes remained glued to the food in Howard's frying pans. "Wow… that's… actually a pretty good rendering of Dad's mustache…"
"Who is up for some games?" Karen asked. There were some murmurs of agreement as they followed her along the walk.
Claire had a hard time focusing on where they were going. There were so many people and different activities that she found herself falling behind. There was a High Striker game where a woman with long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail was talking to Saibara.
"Yes, the mechanisms were quite tricky, but I was able to make it after all…" she heard the woman reply as she adjusted the large hammer resting on her shoulder. "Well, with your guidance, of course. Your suggestions on my blueprints really helped."
The old man let out a delighted cackle and Claire gasped as a woman sporting silky golden hair slammed into her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Claire.
"Ah, looks like we both need to be a little more careful, huh?" She gave the farmer a quick smirk. Giving the baby sea turtle in her bag a quick check, the beginnings of a scowl could be seen on her face at the potential disaster that could have happened.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Claire replied bashfully, bowing in apology. "I'm glad your turtle's okay!" She found herself unable to stop staring. As the girl dusted off her aqua yukata and her face softened, Claire found herself staring at the woman's well-manicured nails and looked down at her own calloused hands with a sigh. Farming wasn't exactly the profession for those going into beauty, after all. The frown on her face continued to grow. She hadn't planned on impressing anyone with her looks tonight, but she was now wishing she had taken more care in how she looked. Claire gazed at her distinctive lacy headband adorned with pink ribbons and she nearly tripped over her own feet. If she wasn't mistaken, the young woman looked just like the pop idol she had gone to see in the city four or five years ago… This woman was everything Claire had always wished she could look like herself – stylish and confident while still managing to look cute and feminine. That couldn't possibly be the famous Lanna. Either way, the young woman was gorgeous. Claire blinked as she cleared her dry throat. "Y-you wouldn't happen to be-"
"Lanna, the one and only!" The singer gave Claire her signature wink and pouted her lips.
She forgot about her friends walking on ahead and gave an excited little hop, her geta clanking loudly. She could still hear Lanna's voice during the credits as she sat in the movie theatre. "Oh, w-wow! I-I r-remember when you sang that song at the opening of-"
"I sang more than just that one, you know!" her voice cracked as she balled her hands into fists, her eyes hardening as she swung the bag with the turtle a little more roughly than she meant to. She quickly checked on the sack, muttering apologies to the creature under her breath. She turned back toward Claire with a sulk. "I-I am just on a break laying low for a while, that's all! I'm not some lousy one-hit wonder!"
The harshness in Lanna's voice surprised Claire. She felt as if the bottom of her stomach had dropped out. She was meeting one of her idols and was blowing it. "I-I never meant to imply that…"
"Well, I'd hope not. Come on, Squirt. Let's get you to the inn before I drop you," she cooed to the bag, making her way to the exit of the square.
Claire jumped as she felt an arm gently wrap around hers.
"Ah, I'm sorry; didn't mean to scare you. Was she someone you knew back in the city?" Cliff watched the back of the woman's head.
"I wish," Claire snorted, smoothing out her yukata and straightening up her posture, reminding herself she should try to be more attractive like Lanna. "She was a pop star out in the city. I always thought she would be much more… bubbly in person."
"Performing for a living can make people adopt different personas," her friend replied sagely as they began to head back to catch up to the others. He found that it didn't hurt him to say this.
The whole ordeal had been so unnerving she didn't have a desire to ask for an autograph. "Maybe she was just having a bad day," Claire added with a shrug. After all, Lanna had probably been concerned about her turtle, she reasoned. "I wanted to be just like her for a while. She sure was pretty, huh?" She stopped so they could get a better look at her. "I wanted her hair and her style…" She let out a wistful sigh as she followed Lanna's golden locks with her eyes.
Cliff's gaze was locked onto a different blonde. He brushed his hand against her arm and swallowed the lump in his throat, his stomach jittery. "Well, I-I think…"
I think you're amazing just the way you are…
"I thought we lost you two dorks! Find something cool?" Karen walked back toward them, Rick in tow.
Claire let out a nervous chuckle. "Ah, I just bumped into someone who was pretty famous in the city. Literally. I need to be more careful; I could have hurt the turtle she was carrying…" Her anxiety only increased as she saw the worry lines deepen on Cliff's forehead in response.
"Well, watch where you're going, silly!" Karen teased, seizing her friend's arm and pulling her forward. Claire's stomach stopped tightening as she felt that Cliff still had a loose hold on her other arm. "Let's find something to keep you out of trouble!"
As they walked along, Claire let out a sigh, releasing her tension. Tonight was for fun, after all. Food, music, games and fireworks, she reminded herself, renewing her excitement for the evening. No work, no stress…
Karen smiled over at her friends and noticed their arms were still intertwined. This had been more common lately, she realized, and she was tickled that both of them seemed progressively happier. They were absolutely adorable in her eyes and she loved watching them enjoy each other's company. She found herself biting her tongue once more; Karen was determined not to interfere in any way with their affairs.
A loud voice cut through the din of the crowd and startled them all. "Hey, step right up, folks! Play my apple game! You can win a Hyper Miracle Sweet Gorgeous Beautiful Apple!" A red, polished, but otherwise very normal-looking apple sat on a pedestal behind the counter in front of a garish striped background. The hand-painted targets adorned the back wall, a little unevenly spaced. Won leaned forward on his counter flashing his teeth at them in what Claire recognized as the grin that awakened a great well of anger from within her.
She was a bit comforted to see that her friends weren't impressed. Rick rolled his eyes. "I know what that swindler's all about," he muttered under his breath. "He tried to sell Mom some expired vitamins."
Karen shrugged. "I don't even like apples."
Claire was more than eager to continue along and when they picked up their walking pace, she felt a sense of relief. She still felt a little sore over the whole deal with Won. As promised, Zack had come by Mystic Acres with his cart to haul off the tomatoes and he was more than polite, but she couldn't help but replay the conversation she had with Won in her head. She didn't want to think about that at all tonight and she was glad that no one looked like they wanted to hang around his stand.
"Hey, there, little lady! I've got a target game, too! Anyone can play!" Won didn't relent. "Five hundred to play – top prize is five thousand! You could be a big winner!" he proclaimed in his best announcer voice.
At this, the group stopped in its tracks. Claire looked ahead at her friends, wondering if they were actually interested. "That sounds awful steep," Rick commented, adjusting his glasses before shaking his head.
She let out a silent sigh of relief at the fact that they had stopped in sheer surprise at how impractical his attraction was. This was short-lived, however. "You know, I've been supporting your friend over there." Won nodded at Claire and put half a dozen overripe tomatoes in a basket on the counter as if these words alone had sealed their fate – they had no choice but to pay the exorbitant price of the game. He cocked an eyebrow at her as if to dare her to protest.
Claire found herself gritting her teeth. How dare he act as if they owed him anything! She most certainly wasn't going to talk up his stall, even if that meant he wouldn't buy her blemished produce next year. Her frustrations from their initial deal threatened to bubble back to the surface; she didn't want anything to do with Won and hoped that her friends felt the same.
"You've been helping Claire?" Karen stopped and turned toward the merchant. Claire realized that with all of the things going on at the farm, she had been too busy to remember to tell her about Won's agreement.
He lowered his sunglasses and smirked at Karen as his eyes shamelessly moved up and down her body. A beautiful woman and a great business opportunity were too hard to pass up. Ignoring the poisonous looks he was getting from Rick, the man stroked his mustache and a soft chuckle escaped his lips. "Well, what do you know? It's golden service time! Lovely ladies get a free game! Plus, I'll give you one hundred gold for each one you hit." Won gave her a flirty smile and folded his arms across his chest.
She was half ready to aim one of the tomatoes at his face for the look he was giving her, but even she knew that wouldn't solve anything. "Aw, what the heck?" She ignored Rick's incredulous stare and stepped up to his kiosk. "Come on, let's all have a good laugh. That's what tonight is all about, huh?"
Won slid the basket of fruit toward her. "You get six tomatoes. If you hit all five targets, you win the jackpot! See how generous I am? I've even given you a spare." The grin on his face grew as her friends moved closer to observe.
Karen grabbed a tomato and threw it as hard as she could. It splattered on the back wall, nowhere near any of the targets.
Everyone collectively took a step back, preparing to shield themselves from tomato juice and seeds.
After two more tomatoes plopped on the ground, one flew behind her, and two exploded against the wall far away from the targets, Won peered out from behind the support beam of his stall, his makeshift shelter. The whole ordeal had been much more violent than he was expecting, but there was one thing he had predicted correctly – that he wouldn't have to pay her anything. "Oh, too bad~!" Won laughed a little too eagerly as he gave Karen an overly friendly grin.
Claire stepped up to the counter, bouncing with excitement; she had been eagerly awaiting her turn and was determined to hit a target or two. Yes, two! I can surely hit two! All I have to do is concentrate and aim! I'm going to surprise everyone! And then I'll use the prize money to share some rock candy with everyone! She stifled an eager giggle.
She was so busy thinking about what color of candy to buy that she hadn't noticed Won's eyes lingering on her feminine curves as she leaned forward to smooth out her obi. "Hmmm…." He inspected her and raised his eyebrows when she came back up and he saw her wide innocent eyes. "Eh, not my type," he muttered under his breath.
"Huh?" Claire looked up at him curiously, wondering why he hadn't filled the basket of tomatoes while she was getting ready.
"A game is five hundred gold." He grinned at her brightly, reaching out an open palm to her as he awaited payment.
"Oh… I-I thought…"
Her jaw dropped, along with the rest of her friends'. She was too stunned to say anything as her heart fell. She blinked as she stared at the counter of the stand, her knees going weak. She attempted to regain her composure and mentally repeated the mantras her mother had given her as a girl: don't be a crybaby – there's no need for tears. Stop being embarrassing and just let it slide off… it's no big deal…
It seemed not everyone was of the same mindset. "Hey, that's not fair!" Karen slammed the flimsy counter with her fists, the wood wobbling a bit against her weight.
Won shrugged nonchalantly. "Golden service time is over."
"Not only is that incredibly rude, but that's poor business tactics!" Rick started, poking a finger in Won's face as he leaned on the counter. Claire quickly learned that the two of them combined were a force to be reckoned with.
Won simply shook his head and smirked at them, refusing to be swayed. Aggression didn't work well on him. He didn't get where he was because he had been a pushover, after all. "Golden service time is over," he repeated firmly.
Claire used this opportunity to step back from the counter without being noticed. Whether or not Won had intended on hurting her, the words still stung deeply. She thought of the breathtaking Lanna she had bumped into earlier and glanced at Karen. Despite her furrowed eyebrows and flushed face, Karen was still gorgeous. Claire returned her gaze to the ground in shame; surely she had an ugly look on her own face right now. She hated being reminded how plain she looked compared others. She forgot about the fireworks and the music and the snacks. All she wanted was to go home and find a place to cry lick her wounds in privacy. She didn't want anyone to look at her – a homely girl attempting to fool everyone in pretty clothes…
"Let her play." Cliff's voice was low in volume but firm and it made Won's hair stand up on end. Everyone fell silent and focused their attention on the young man. Claire looked over and could see that her friend was shaking with rage. She wasn't happy that he was upset, but something about seeing him irritated over the whole situation made her feel more validated in her own feelings. Still, witnessing him angry was so startling that the mistiness had faded from her eyes and she felt a little steadier.
He laughed it off. "I'm not barring her from playing. I never said she couldn't buy a game. I've already done her a favor by buying off her surplus tomatoes. She has to pay like everyone else." He cocked an eyebrow.
"It's alright…" Claire forced a small smile on her face; she wasn't really in the mood for games anymore. The fact that her friends had been willing to stand up for her should have been plenty to cheer her up, she scolded herself. Embarrassed that this had not been enough, she felt the urge to run back to Mystic Acres and refuse to show her face. "I didn't really want to play, anyway…" At this lie, her voice cracked and her cheeks blazed in humiliation, her brief moment of stability crumbling away.
Cliff's eyes flew to the targets on the wall and rested on a bucket of cracked tomatoes behind the counter. He reached into his leather pouch and slammed a large fistful of coins on the counter. "I'll play."
Won smirked; his plan had succeeded. He didn't care who played – he had lured in a paying customer. Riled up customers brought in the most money, after all. With their hot tempers and stubbornness, Won could practically see the stacks of gold pieces. Heckling just added to the fun.
"Are you sure, Cliff?" Karen looked at her friend in concern and was surprised at his determined nod. He didn't strike her as a betting man, and she knew he was very careful with his money.
"Cliff… don't play if you don't want to." Claire frowned. He wasn't the type to get reckless. She blushed with embarrassment and hoped he wasn't doing this for her sake. Part of her had wished that they would just walk away from Won and move on to something else. She had never seen him like this before; Won had obviously struck a nerve.
His eyes softened a bit as he turned toward her and gave her a small smile, gently patting her shoulder. "I want to." He leaned in to whisper softly into her ear. "He deserves this – you'll see. This won't last long."
Her eyes popped open in surprise and she wondered for a brief moment if he was intending on throwing the tomatoes at something other than the intended targets. Part of her was completely okay with this as she took a small step backward, a little numb from all of the emotions being thrown at her.
Rick's gaze flicked between the Claire and Karen. They obviously didn't understand the need for Cliff to protect Claire's honor. Won had practically challenged Cliff the moment he scoffed at Claire and the way Rick saw it, he didn't have much else of a choice but to retaliate. "You've got this, man. Do what you gotta do." His eyes flashed and he nodded at him, giving the young man a slap on the back as he took a step back to spectate beside Karen.
"That's the spirit!" Won scooped up the coins before the Cliff's friends could talk him out of it. "You know the rules. Five targets will give you the jackpot. Good luck, kid." He leaned on the counter and leered up at him as he shoved a basket of produce in his direction.
Cliff sorted through the basket of tomatoes he was given. He spent a few moments getting a feel for the different weights of the fruits. He was immediately reminded of the tomato festivals he had told Claire about. His cheeks flashed pink as he remembered their night at the bar together, recalling the way she leaned forward at the table in her cute dress and looked up at him with coy eyes. Maybe he should ask her out for a drink again sometime… He quickly shook the thought from his head, focusing back on the tomatoes. He remembered that throwing them took a little getting used to at first, but fortunately he had a lot of practice.
"Any time now…" Won heckled Cliff, eager for him to start losing money faster.
The first tomato whizzed right past the merchant's head and landed a bull's-eye in response.
"That was pretty cool!" Karen cheered, but Cliff made no acknowledgment to her compliment; his eyes were focused on the targets as he weighed out a couple more tomatoes in his hands.
Biting back an obscenity, Won laughed. "Anyone can get lucky, I guess…" He watched Cliff shuffle through the fruit once more and sort them out by size. "Did I mention that the one hundred gold per target bonus was only during golden service time?"
"Of course it was," Rick groaned, shooting Won a dirty look.
Cliff wasn't paying attention to them. Claire watched curiously as he eyed up the targets, reminded of the concentration she saw while he was spear fishing in the shallows of the Kappa Lake. He threw the next two rapidly in succession and Won ducked behind the counter in surprise. His frown grew as he saw the fruit splatter on two more bull's-eyes. "Yeah, so what? You think you're hot stuff?" He gritted his teeth with a sneer.
When Cliff hit another target, Won knew he had to do something about it; he had hardly any customers tonight, and he was not about to lose money.
"Easy there, kid! You don't want to mess up and embarrass yourself in front of your girlfriend!"
Cliff's face flushed, but he waited silently for a few moments to regain himself; he knew better than to throw while he was emotional. Won's jaw dropped as the fifth tomato hit the target, and his friends burst into cheers. Cliff held the final tomato in both hands and looked up at the merchant. Won flinched, and Cliff smirked at him as he gently set the final fruit back down on the countertop.
Won grumbled as he counted out the coins and dropped them into Cliff's leather wallet.
Cliff had thought about what to say while he was playing the game and he turned to him with a kind smile. "Treat my friends with more respect next time, okay?" His voice was surprisingly friendly. "I think we started off on the wrong foot. You might not recognize me from earlier this year. I hope to do a lot of business with you come fall; I'll have some furs to sell you." He closed his money pouch and bowed his head politely at the merchant. He hoped that he had managed to gain a little bit of respect from him as a potential trader.
Won's eyes lit up; there had been a greater demand for furs in the Castanet area and the selling price had increased in the Zephyr Town market. "What kinds of furs? Anything rare?" His face immediately fell as he put the pieces together. "You slippery little sneak! You look like you're green tea, but you're actually alcohol, aren't you?!"
Cliff ignored this snide comment, hoping to focus on the profit for both of them in the future. He found it harder to hide the nerves in his voice as he feared that he had already damaged his relationship with Won. Cliff mentally scolded himself; he had lost his temper when he saw that Claire's feelings had been hurt and he had been too eager to teach Won a lesson. "I'm h-hoping to have some fox, rabbit, and buckskin for you. You see, I do bow hunting and throwing knives-"
Won was distracted by his current reversal of fortune. At this rate, he was going to lose money tonight. "Throwing knives?! I bet that game wasn't even a challenge for you! Give me that money back, you loathsome little dog whelp!"
Cliff's eyes flashed dangerously, his posture stiffening. "Kindly keep my mother out of this. You did say, 'Anyone can play'."
Won gnashed his teeth; he would have to be more careful with his words from now on. On top of that, he had to worry about losing a fur trader on top of his loss tonight. He let out a sigh, adjusting his sunglasses. "Well… you can't play any more of my games! Get out of here!" Won shooed them away. Despite his frustration, he knew that closing the door on Cliff would be foolish for future business. "Young man, come back to my place when you have some pelts and furs and we'll talk. I'll give you the best price in town. Best of fortune in your hunting!"
As the group headed along the strip, Karen turned around and looked at Won curiously. "That was the same guy who was just heckling Cliff a second ago, right?"
"Don't worry about it," he replied, feeling an overwhelming sense of victory that he had just earned an entire month's rent in a few minutes. He had been called worse by other merchants who tried to pressure him into selling his furs for a lower price than what was fair.
Claire was both surprised and relieved that he didn't let Won push him into submission, especially after his cutting insults. "I'm glad you stood up to Won."
Cliff looked over at her with furrowed brows and a slight frown. "Well, I wasn't going to let him be rude to you and get away with it. Let's play some games together and have fun tonight."
Her nerves began to settle and she gazed up at him with admiration, a blush coming over her cheeks as she realized he had played the game to stand up for her. "Well, I guess you weren't lying about those tomato festivals," she giggled. "That was really impressive."
He was flattered she remembered his stories about throwing tomatoes. "Th-thanks. It was no big deal, really…" Color rushed to the young man's cheeks, but the beginnings of a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Well, it's about time someone made him look like a fool," Rick commented, rolling up his sleeves. "He makes the hard workers in Mineral Town look bad with his swindling ways and some of the other towns refuse to do business with him. I'm glad you put him in his place; you made that game look too easy."
In truth, it had been fairly simple for Cliff and he had played the game with the secondary intention of winning money from Won. Seeing him lose profits on his game had been a bit satisfying in its own way, but saying this out loud didn't sound like the most mature thing to do. "I'm really sorry Won was so rude to you, Claire. He had no right to speak to you like that."
"I was ready to kick his ass!" Karen clenched her jaw at the memory.
"And I'm not crazy about the way he treated you, either." Rick frowned at his girlfriend as they passed a few snack carts. "Don't let what Won said get to you, Claire; I think you're a knockout."
"He's right, you know," Karen winked at her, throwing an arm around her shoulder.
"Thanks!" Claire laughed weakly. She had hoped they had forgotten about what Won implied about her appearance and she had found herself wishing once again that her hair had the same unique sheen that Lanna's did. However, it did feel good to hear compliments from people who had nothing to gain from saying it. She found that she was waiting hopefully for a response from Cliff as well, but he was staring up dreamily at the sunset as they walked side by side. She found herself getting flustered, realizing he had complimented her appearance when they met earlier. Fishing for compliments was not attractive, she reminded herself. Her attention was quickly grabbed by a cart selling rock candy and she hurried off to purchase some, oblivious to a blushing Cliff looking down from the sky, grappling with the right words that would be appropriate to say in a group.
He watched the young woman admire the crystal shards of sugar in various colors and a smile broke across his face as he saw her bite her cute lips in concentration; she looked as if deciding on a color of candy was a life-altering decision.
"Well, what do you think, Cliff?" Karen whispered into his ear with a smirk. She noticed he hadn't complimented Claire on her appearance when he had been given an open opportunity to do so.
"Huh?" His cheeks blazed as he realized he had been caught staring at her.
Karen sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "You're impossible." She kept herself from saying more; she could see that both of them were starting to test the waters a bit and didn't want to disturb that.
He scowled at her as she playfully ruffled his hair and Claire turned around with a cheery grin, four small wooden sticks of rock candy held between her fingers. "My mum used to get these for us kids way back when as a treat! They're color-coded for each person! … Well, mostly!" she giggled, handing them out. There was green for Rick, clear for Karen, blue for Cliff, and pink for herself to match their outfits. While thankful, they looked at her curiously. "I wanted to thank everyone," she admitted with a smile. "I'm glad I'm friends with such nice people…" Her throat hitched without warning and she looked at the ground, abashed that she felt like suddenly crying. It seemed every time she tried to focus on others, she had a horrible habit of accidentally making everything about herself.
Karen cooed and kissed her cheeks, squeezing her friend. "Oh my goodness, you are the sweetest thing! Claire, you kill me sometimes, you know that? We all love you to pieces!"
Cliff walked more slowly so that Karen and Rick moved ahead. "Won really is a nasty piece of work," he told Claire quietly. "Unfortunately, I'll have to stay friendly with him for business purposes, but… well… d-don't let him make you believe you're not beautiful," he stammered. He gave her a sincere smile and shyly weaved his arm around hers.
She could hear her heart hammering in her ears as they continued along, their geta musically clattering on the cobblestones. Love from her friends surrounded her and as she looked at the handsome, sweet-hearted young man beside her, that jittery feeling had returned in her stomach and spread throughout her body in waves, leaving her a little unbalanced. Steadying her breath, she took this opportunity to lean into Cliff a little. He seemed more than happy to oblige and when he saw the smile on her lips, his hold on her increased a bit. She decided with a wave of lightheadedness that she kind of liked it.
"You're really kind," Claire replied. She tightened her arm around his, vaguely fearing she would float away if she didn't.
Cultural Notes: I'm thinking some of you are familiar with some of the types of clothing described in this chapter, but here's an overview:
A yukata is a light summer kimono, typically made of cotton. They're often worn to Japanese festivals, and people even use them as loungewear. All genders wear yukata.
A tasuki is a sash that is used to tie back the sleeves of a kimono or yukata. Sometimes you will see people at festivals or archers sport such styles. A person can tie their own tasuki and it's actually pretty fascinating to watch; I don't think I'd be coordinated enough, haha!
A hachimaki is a headband that is tied around the forehead. You might have seen them in anime with kanji written on them, saying things like "Japan is number 1" or "Fighting Spirit". Students wear them when studying for exams, or people wear them during martial arts.
Geta are raised sandals that are worn to keep clothing from dragging on the ground. They are worn by all genders and are known for their loud distinctive clopping sound. They can take a while to get used to wearing.
One last cultural note: I did some research on Chinese insults just for Won, haha! His comment about green tea and alcohol is an explanation of the insult "green tea bitch" that refers to a woman who pretends to be innocent when she is secretly, well, not. "Dog whelp" sounds silly, but it is a pretty big insult in Chinese, and I'm pretty sure Cliff's reaction explained that one pretty well.
This chapter name is in homage to the silly little random event in MFoMT featuring Won essentially doing the same thing to Claire and Karen in his shop.
In other news, there were four cameos in this chapter with more to come.
In all honesty, I haven't played any of the games with Lanna in them, but I did a bit of research on her character. She strikes me as the type of person to be very sweet until someone says something to irritate her. I tried to paint her as a bit insecure about her floundering career, and, yes, she named her baby turtle after Squirt in Finding Nemo.
Thank you all for your patience during my delay in writing. I hope you all enjoyed!