"I know it probably doesn't look like much to a city dweller like you, but Forget-Me-Not Valley is one of the leaders of corn and sweet potato production for the whole region." Thomas's voice was bright and cheery that morning as he returned his gaze to the backs of his ponies' heads.

Claire was about to protest that she had been dwelling in anything but a city for the past nine months or so when she was once again awestruck by the field of vegetables on Vesta's farm as they rode past on their way to Forget-Me-Not Valley's Harvest Festival. Tidy rows of crops caught her eye, and the shiny, dark eggplants gleamed in the sunlight like jewels.

"Beautiful…"

"You'll get a chance to meet her, of course," Thomas replied with a cheery grin. "Vesta, I mean. Well, Vesta and her crew. That's how the kids would say it, right?" He gave her a playful wink. "Or is it fam?"

Claire was unable to keep the giggle from escaping her lips. She nodded as it turned into a full-blown laugh, Thomas pretending to act flustered and overly serious to make her laugh even harder.

As they caught their breath, the mayor gave her a warm gaze. "I hope you've learned by now that Mineral Town is one big extended family. We pick each other up when we're feeling down and we celebrate each other's strengths. At least, that's what I strive for as leader of Mineral Town." Thomas returned his eyes to the road. "We might not be especially close, but I'm happy to see you smile again, Claire."

She wasn't sure why his comment made her suddenly feel like crying. Her mind wandered through her memories since moving there. Being dragged around Mineral Town by a perky Karen and stammering hellos to the residents who lived there. Accidentally creating a delicious experiment and entering it in the Cooking Festival with her best friend. Waking up after coming home from the hospital and seeing a pile of offerings on her table left by visitors. Singing a song for Ann's birthday. Leaning over the table to gawk at Rick's blueprints for the Tomato Tube. Her heart pounding and her voice drowned out by the crowd as she danced the bon in the square in her yukata, observing the pure delight and freedom on Cliff's face. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

This really is home now, and there's no place I'd rather be.

"Thank you."

After all, there was much to be grateful for.

Claire quickly learned that the Harvest Festival wasn't much more than a large potluck. Thomas made a short speech about the hard work of the local farmers and Pete, along with a husky redheaded woman, a man with bright green eyes sporting a black pompadour, and a young woman around Claire's age were brought to the center of the action and applauded.

A large pot was already bubbling and Ruby quickly took over, asking the festival goers to bring their own ingredients to add to the pot. Claire removed the container of tomatoes she had carefully packed and joined the line.

"I always start this up first thing in the morning, otherwise it takes forever to boil," Ruby explained with a chuckle. She eyed up Claire's diced tomatoes with an approving nod, gesturing for her to dump them into the stew. "Pete and the others already brought their things, so we're guaranteed something delicious whether or not we have a lot of contributions. It's good to see you today. How is Cliff feeling?"

It was nice to have someone she knew in this sea of unfamiliar faces. "Thank you. He's…" She wasn't really sure how to answer Ruby's question and she knitted her brow as she struggled to find the right words.

"Wounds take time to heal," Ruby supplied gently, placing her hand over hers and giving it a squeeze. In the times the wanderer lived in the outskirts of Forget-Me-Not Valley, she hadn't seen him interact so closely with anyone. If Cliff trusted Claire enough to help change his bandages, he had changed a lot since she last saw him. "Kindness and love help all kinds of wounds, too."

The young woman placed her hand over her heart and nodded solemnly. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A very shaggy and disheveled man was hovering around the pot and adding something from a small pouch he brought along with him. He saw that she was looking at him and his dark eyes pierced hers as he flashed her a bright smile, a set of gleaming white teeth shining through his grisly beard.

"Secret ingredient, moi." He gave her a wink and scurried off, finding a comfortable place on the beach and sitting down cross legged, his hands in his lap as he waited patiently for the soup to finish. She tried to keep herself from staring.

"Murrey's actually the best cook here." Ruby's voice startled Claire, moving to a happier topic. "He really has such a natural talent for flavors. I have a feeling this batch is going to be really tasty!"

Claire moved out of the line and a touch on her shoulder caused her to jump a little.

"Ah, sorry! I hope I'm a pleasant surprise, at least!" Pete let out a good-natured laugh as she turned around.

The young woman felt her heart lift at the very sight of him. Did he ever not smile? "Always!" she chuckled, giving him a grin.

"So it looks like you get the chance to pig out at two festivals back-to-back! Aren't you lucky?" Pete teased, gazing at the soup pot with wide eyes. "I'd have to say this is one of my favorite festivals."

"Do you ever get nervous for it?" Claire asked, following him across the beach. "I mean, standing up there when Thomas talks about you and all?"

He shook his head. He might have been a little antsy his first year, but he didn't think that would be the most encouraging thing to tell Claire. He could tell she had a tendency to get flustered easily even from the limited time they had spent in each other's company. It wasn't as if he even had any reason to be nervous his first year. "There's nothing to worry about. It's really a celebration of the harvest and everyone gets the chance to sit down and have a meal together. Plus, there are leftovers, of course!" he added with a smirk.

She couldn't help herself. "Do you think that big pot will be able to feed all of us, or just you?"

His face lit up as he laughed and he had to stop himself from ruffling her hair in a teasing manner; while they were friendly with each other, they weren't that close, and he didn't want to come off too strong. His face didn't flood with color when she smiled at him anymore, but he had to admit that her more confident demeanor was quite attractive.

Whoever he is, he must make her very happy… Good for them.

"I'll choose not to answer that question. How would you like to meet the other farmers in the Valley?"

Claire found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet; Pete's excitement was contagious, as always. "Sounds great!"

Pete was already waving to the trio Thomas had congratulated along with him. "They're nice folks."

The larger woman called out to them the moment they were within range of hearing. "Howdy! Come on over! Celia's been dying to meet you!"

The brunette woman blushed and shook her head. "That's a little extreme, don't you think, Vesta?"

Claire felt her heart speed up a bit as they made their way to them. She was glad the excitement was mutual. Her eyes locked onto Celia's and Claire was taken aback. They were a different color, but the intensity and shape of them reminded her of that familiar gaze smiling back at her over her tomato plants, and more recently when her best friend spoke of hunting season. Her mouth fell agape as she blinked in surprise; the brown hair was a familiar shade as well…

"Claire Dumont, right? My cousin, Karen, told me all about you," Celia explained with a smile.

"Karen's one of my best friends," Claire replied. "She never told me she had a cousin here."

"Our relatives are all scattered around. There's apparently another set of us out there somewhere, but I'm too young to remember meeting them. My grandmother Eve had a large extended family. Anyway, Karen told me about how you moved all the way out to the city to farm. Marlin did that, too." She gestured toward the man standing beside her, staring at Claire with an unreadable expression. As he heard his name, he jumped a bit.

The man shook his head at Celia, but his expression wasn't unfriendly. "I didn't exactly come by choice, though." Marlin had a deep, smooth voice that was pleasant to listen to.

"That's right. My brother moved here from the city for his health," Vesta explained, watching Doctor Harvey add a few handfuls of greens to the large pot.

"I was pretty against it at first," he confessed. His eyes flicked to the brunette woman standing beside him and his cheeks turned rosy as he rubbed the crook of his neck. "It hasn't all been bad, though. Sometimes change can be good." As he corrected his posture, Claire realized that Marlin was actually quite tall, and as he smiled, she saw that he wasn't as intimidating as she had initially expected.

She gave him a hearty nod as her same feelings of gratitude during the ride to the Valley returned to her. "I feel the same way about farming. I felt really lost at first, but I'm starting to settle in now."

"I'm glad things worked out," Celia said. "Karen seemed a little worried about you at first." The young woman decided to leave out the details of a crying and frustrated Karen calling from the grocery store phone early in the summer when her best friend passed out from heat exhaustion. "Looks like she really didn't need to get herself worked up at all from what I've heard. Thomas says you had the largest tomato harvest out of this whole region."

Claire abashedly averted her eyes. "R-really?" Her voice came out as a bit of a squeak, even though if anyone would have been able to tell her she grew a lot of tomatoes, it would be herself.

Pete's firm hand gave her back a hearty thump. "You sound so surprised! It was all that Thomas would talk about for the past couple of weeks!"

Claire felt a fresh wave of shame for threatening her mayor with violence the first time they met. She watched Thomas adjust his top hat as he engaged in lively conversation with Ruby and a couple more residents from Forget-Me-Not Valley. They were all laughing and Claire couldn't help but smile. He was an interesting person for sure, and his support of her and her farm was unexpected.

"And I saw that you added some of the famed tomatoes to the pot as well!" Pete gave her a playful wink. "Who's ready to see if that pot's ready? I'm starving!" He eagerly took a few steps toward Ruby and Thomas, turning to see if the others had followed him.

Marlin rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry." His own stomach growled, earning a round of laughter from the group.

Celia gave him a shy smile, her hand brushing against his sleeve. "I'm looking forward to seeing how it turned out myself."

The three of them went ahead and Claire paused as Vesta turned toward her, her hands on her hips.

"You coming or what?" Pete playfully called to them.

"Be right there! Keep your shirt on!" She hollered back. "And don't eat the whole thing before we get there, either!" she added for good measure. Pete just laughed in response and focused back on the stew. Vesta gave Claire a wink. "That boy's a handful, but he means well."

The young woman nodded. "He's always so happy."

"He's always happy when there's a festival going on. I wanted to let you know that the Moon Viewing Festival is coming up, too. You do know what that means, right?" Vesta gave Claire a big grin and nudged her in the ribs.

The knock was a little rougher than the young woman was expecting and she stabilized herself with a good-natured giggle; she felt that Vesta was the kind of person it was impossible to get upset with. Vesta's eyes were twinkling and her cheeks were ruddy with excitement. It was hard not to feel the same way. "No, actually," Claire admitted, shaking her head. "I've never heard of the Moon Viewing Festival."

The farmer's jaw dropped in mock-surprise as she clucked and shook her head. "It's only one of the most important festivals for farmin' folk like us! Most people use it as an excuse to gaze at the full moon and eat dumplings… which, of course, is a great tradition itself… But it's also a traditional night to make an offering of crops to the gods in gratitude and pray for a good harvest next year."

Vesta's words held such conviction that Claire was a little surprised.

"Ah, I probably don't strike you as the religious type. Well, I can't say I'm much of a churchgoer, but I do believe in being grateful for what you've been given. Hard work never hurts, of course!"

Claire gave the woman a hearty nod as Vesta smoothed out her apron, hurrying over to Pete and the rest of her "crew." She was about to follow her when a well-manicured hand snatched her arm. Claire whirled around to see a beautiful blonde woman with curly hair that she recognized at the Fireworks Festival. There was a gleam in her green eyes.

"She's only telling you half of it," the lady said with a coy grin. "The Moon Viewing Festival is actually pretty romantic. Find a special person and a beautiful place and combine that with a full moon in the sky…" She let out a happy sigh, and Claire couldn't help but smile – the woman looked so gorgeous in her joy.

"Ah…" Claire could already feel the tickle of Cliff's hair brushing against her neck as they looked at the sky together. Maybe they could eat dumplings together and as they both reached for the food, their hands would inevitably touch… With nothing but the crickets to serenade them and the beautiful moon providing the perfect mood lighting, how lovely it would be to just lean forward and…

"So if there is someone you want to spend that evening with, you should make it clear to them. I've learned that life is too short to wait on romance, and you should never lose hope." She gave Claire a friendly wave. "I'm Muffy, by the way."

"Claire."

"Nice to meet you." She headed back out toward the shore of the beach, stepping beside a middle-aged man with a long brown ponytail. His hands were jammed into his pockets and Muffy looped her arm around his, leaning into his shoulder as they looked out at the waves together.

Claire couldn't help but smile at the lovers, her own dreams of romance blossoming in her imagination.

Does Cliff know about the Moon Viewing Festival?

She bit back a goofy grin, looping her thumbs around her overall straps before rocking on her heels and returning to the group.

There were now two festivals she couldn't wait for.

"Wow, Claire! This is going to be a tomato soup more than anything else!" Ann laughed as her father stirred the giant cauldron the next morning. The broth was already loaded with a bunch of very ripe tomatoes, and in a way, she was glad to be using up the last of them in this event – it finally felt like summer had ended and this was the perfect way to celebrate with everyone her victory over her fields of red.

Claire set down her knife and wiped the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her shirt. "Ah, i-is that bad?" She looked down at the basket of offering she had brought along with her: tomatoes, corn, and a fresh batch of peppers. She felt her confidence falter; perhaps she should have brought fewer tomatoes…

"It's going to be wonderful," Doug interjected, dicing another tomato and adding it to the pot. "Maybe it will turn out more like a chili this year."

"As long as it's spicy for the right reasons," Ann added. "Just keep an eye on Karen, okay? I found the lid to a jam jar last year in my bowl!" She attempted to give her friend a scowl.

"Which you used as a shovel to eat faster," Doug deadpanned, walking past her to begin chopping some peppers. "That being said, I hope she doesn't add anything too strange this year."

Claire couldn't help but chuckle. Karen's suggestion at using paprika instead of cinnamon for French toast still popped up in her thoughts from time to time. "It sounds like you'll eat it either way," she teased playfully.

Doug roared with laughter as Ann's eyes widened in surprise as she whirled to face her. "Claire…!" She paused, smirking. "Actually, you're probably right. It did add a strangely addictive sweetness to the whole thing…"

"As we all know, the Harvest Festival is a time to celebrate the harvest season with good food and company. The giant pot represents all of us coming together to make Mineral Town what it is. We give what we have and together we all have more. Even if you don't have a contribution, you won't be turned away. Please eat as much as you like!" Thomas gave Claire a quick grin as he looked beside him. "And today's event is a special celebration. For the first time in over twenty years, Mineral Town's very own farm, Mystic Acres, has provided many of the vegetables you will be eating today."

Claire's posture stiffened as she saw all of the eyes on her. Karen's family, the Lockards, the Browns… Harris, May, Barley, and Zack…

Thomas continued. "I think the person who should be the most proud of Claire's accomplishments…"

Duke and Manna, Carter, Gray and Saibara, Ann and Doug, Elli and her family, Trent, even Gotz and Won…

She searched the crowd for a familiar set of deep blue eyes…

"Is herself. Claire, you've done so much for this community, and in a way, you've really breathed life back into this town. As mayor of Mineral Town, and as a resident, I thank you."

Breathed… life?

His words began to blend together as the crowd clapped and cheered for her. She wished the joints in her fingers would cooperate as Thomas shook her hand, vaguely remembering how her parents would scold her for weak handshakes. He gave her a thump on the shoulder and she snapped to attention, the sounds around her becoming crisper and suddenly a little too loud, the images of all the eyes staring at her becoming crystal clear. Claire found herself blinking the mistiness out of her eyes as she was assaulted with a barrage of emotions and suddenly she felt the need to hide. Karen put her fingers in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle as Popuri cheered beside her and the sharp sound and enthusiasm from others caused her feet to remain glued to the ground.

"Everyone, please enjoy!"

The group of people instantly began chattering and making their way to get the food and Claire was left a bit disoriented, her equilibrium off. A steady arm around her waist helped her regain her balance.

Her heart leapt into her throat.

"Don't drown in this sea of people!" Karen teased, pulling her into a side hug. Claire went a bit weak in her friend's arms and Karen's hands quickly moved to her shoulders, assessing her facial expressions. "What's wrong?" Her voice was laced with panic.

"I… dunno why being singled out like that… felt… so scary." She weakly looked over her shoulder for the one set of eyes she had wanted on her…

Karen pulled her close as they got in line. "Hey, it's okay. You did great. You worked so hard and now all of us get to benefit from it. Thank you, Claire." Her emerald eyes were filled with genuine gratitude and Claire felt herself relax a bit.

"You helped, too, you know. I gave them so many tomatoes that you helped water…"

She gave her a playful grin and threw her arm around her shoulders. "Ah, then we should both be at the front of the line! Should I tell everyone to get out of the way?"

Claire shook her head, her cheeks flooding with color. "D-don't do that! We'll get our food soon enough."

Karen gave her a concerned look. Her friend's flighty behavior was reminding her a lot of when they first met. "I was just teasing… Are you sure you're alright?"

The young woman nodded before her friend's question had finished leaving her lips. "I'm just a little wound up… Being the focus of attention like that…" Her eyes scanned the crowd once more and decided to focus on something else. "H-have you heard of the Moon Viewing Festival? People were talking about it yesterday in the Valley." While still a little nervous about this subject, it gave her insides a warm glow that she wasn't about to complain about.

A smirk found its way on Karen's lips and she let out a soft chuckle. "Of course!" She looked around the sea of faces. "Huh, I bet Cliff's still hunting…"

"I'm going to ask him to go with me."

There was such determination in Claire's voice that it left Karen breathless. She gave her a nod. "Good. It's about time, don't you think?"

Karen gave her friend a smug smile as she watched the color creep across Claire's cheeks. The blonde fell silent as it became their turn to get soup from the pot. Two bowls were carefully ladled, and after Karen swore up and down that there was no jam in the concoction, they got out of line and looked down at the bowls while struggling to control their drool.

"I actually put in a bar of chocolate," Karen admitted with a mischievous laugh.

"And I actually was supposed to watch and make sure you didn't do something like that." Claire giggled harder.

The nudge she received almost made her stew slosh onto the ground. "What's the point of cooking if it's not interesting?"

"And what's the point of teaching you if you don't want to listen?" Claire quipped playfully, giving her shoulder a playful bop as her worries dissolved.

Karen gave her a happy wink. "I knew you'd be bringing tomatoes. The sugar in the chocolate will cut out some of the acidity in the tomatoes."

Claire blinked in surprise, her mouth forming a perfect letter o.

"Yeah, that just happened!" Karen grinned. "I've been watching cooking shows to get ready for our pizza party!"

Impressed wouldn't begin to describe Claire's feelings. "Still, adding regular sugar would've been safer for the flavor," Claire teased, the pride on her face unmistakable.

Her friend dismissed this with the wave of a hand, pointing her nose haughtily into the air. "Yeah, yeah… Let's go sit with Rick!" She waved at her boyfriend with her spoon.

Claire's eyes flicked to Carter, who was looking down at his bowl of stew with a big grin on his face. "Okay. I'll be right there."

Karen gave her a quick nod and headed off. Claire approached the priest, her stomach a bundle of nerves.

"Carter, have you seen Cliff?" Her mouth suddenly felt dry and she could feel her pulse in her throat.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I haven't." She couldn't help but notice that his smile looked different somehow and his eyebrows were ever so slightly furrowed. "It looks like we're going to have a lot of leftovers this year. I'm sure Ann will bring some back to the inn to make sure Cliff gets some."

Claire gave him a sad smile. "He's been really busy with hunting season. I can't help but be a little concerned with him hunting while injured."

He looked down at his bowl. "Well, I prayed that the gods would let this stew bring us all strength."

He was given a perky nod in response. "I hope it makes him feel better when he gets back." She had a question to ask Cliff when he did.

Moon Viewing Festival…

"You'd better make sure you eat your share, too…" Carter's face looked a bit paler. "For your own strength."

Claire was so busy watching Ann serve herself two heaping bowls that she didn't notice the way the joy had left the priest's voice.

Cultural Note: I am planning to model the Moon Viewing Festival after Tsukimi, the Japanese festival that takes place in fall. Offerings of sweet potatoes are made and snacks in the shapes of moons, such as sweet dumplings are shared. Chestnuts and sake are also popular. Older Tsukimi festivals involved poetry recitations by moonlight. The Moon Viewing Festival in Harvest Moon is loosely based on this, so I decided to add some of these details as well.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you're enjoying this stressful story arc, haha! I really appreciate the feedback y'all give, and it's really touched me how many people have been emotionally affected by the recent events in the story. To say I'm flattered is an understatement. Thank you again!