Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon, Karen, or any related characters or
events; to the best of my knowledge, they're all owned by Natsume. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely
coincidental. This story is based primarily on the plot of Harvest Moon 64.
Wine Red no Kokoro
by flame mage
Part 13: Dancing All Alone
**********
Jack arrived around nine, walking in with a flicker of something like nervousness on his face. Okay, so I was nervous, too. Aside from when he'd come to see me when I was sick, we hadn't talked since we left the vineyard. We were both exhausted from dancing all night--which was why I was sick the next day--but we'd parted totally jazzed, exhilarated!
He'd left just as dawn was breaking and the fairies were vanishing into the sky once more. We were standing just outside the gates of the vineyard, not wanting it to be over.
"Look..." I'd started. "...I don't know how to say this, but...thanks."
"Thanks for calling me." He grinned. "I can't believe we got to see that. It was really incredible."
"Yeah..." We were both shifting out weight around, unsure suddenly. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," I said.
"Just for now..." he whispered. And suddenly his hands were in my hair again and we were kissing.
We broke, and he looked up into the sky, shading his eyes with his hand. "It's going to rain. I'd better get the animals inside..." He turned and started for the farm, calling "See ya!" over his shoulder.
"See you later!" I called back, waving. As he got to the bottom of the hill, the first drops of rain began to fall. Suddenly I started to feel drained. I slunk up the stairs and got into bed, and I was just waking up when he returned a few hours later.
I was still remembering this when he came over. "Hey, Karen," he said cheerfully, the awkwardness melting away. "Glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks," I said, pouring a glass of the stamina juice and handing it to him. "Here. I want you to be the first one to try my stamina juice."
He examined the violet-colored liquid sloshing around in the glass carefully, then tilted his head back and took a long drink, the way he did with shots in the bar after a long day in the fields.
There was a longish pause wherein I fidgeted, watching his face, and he blinked several times and looked around, thinking. "I like it!" he finally announced, beaming. "No seconds, I guess, huh?"
He appeared to be totally serious. "Nope," I told him. "Check back at the end of the day and I'll give you the rest if there's any left." I felt Ann poke me in the back: smooth move. I had effectively given him a reason to come find me later. If you ever want a relationship in this godforsaken little village, girls, just watch and learn.
Okay, subject change. "So, who do you think is going to be king this year?" I asked.
He shrugged. "No idea. How does it work? Elli stopped by yesterday and told me she was making cakes."
"Yeah," I explained. "She bakes a big cake, and before she bakes it she puts a coin inside. Then she slices it up and gives a piece to all the guys. The one who finds the coin is the next king."
"So who all is getting a slice this year?" he asked.
I shifted again and ran a hand through my hair. "Well...because all of us girls are getting old enough to be married, it's just you, Kai, Gray, Cliff, Harris, and Jeff this year." I could just feel myself blushing. "See, they want one of us to end up with the King."
It was probably my imagination, but in the sunlight, his cheeks looked a little red too. "If she splits the cake equally six ways, then all of us have the same chance, right?"
"Don't bet on it!" Ann called. We both turned back to look at her. She started whistling innocently and paying a lot of attention to the vegetables she'd washed off in desperation that morning.
"Are you going to go around?" Jack asked.
"Maybe later. Right now I have to stay here and dish this stuff out," I told him.
"You want me to bring you anything?"
"Can you pick up a little of Popuri's herb salad for me?" I asked. "I want to see if she got it right this year."
She actually did okay, and of course Maria's cabbage dish was impeccable (and of course she was very polite and not mean about the fact that she cooked way better than we did, which just made it worse--Ann and I are culinarily challenged). Kai came over to chat for a while, too, and all in all I was having a pretty good time when Elli came out.
All the guys gathered around, looking like little kids at a birthday party, and she carefully sliced the cake six ways. She handed one piece to each guy in turn, going clockwise around the cake in her precise way.
Rick had sat down with a pencil and paper the day before and worked out the exact statistical chances of the coin being everywhere, and what chance you had if you drew first or second or fifth or whatever, and statistically where the coin had the greatest chance of being, given Elli's previous record of baking it, and so on and so forth. He'd already made a chart of the cake and was standing directly behind her, making notes as she cut it. She was starting to look annoyed.
Jeff went first, chewing his piece slowly and thoughtfully. He shook his head and stepped back, motioning for Harris to go. Harris broke the cake in his hand first, looked through it, then stepped off and ate it piece by piece. Elli was cringing as she handed Gray and Kai their pieces. Rick started muttering about tampering with statistics, but she shot him a Look and he sank back into submissive silence. Neither of them had the coin, although Kai rarely got sweets and looked like he was really enjoying his cake, and as Cliff stepped up, the crowd was starting to murmur.
"Hey, it's Cliff," I muttered to Ann.
"I know," she said. "He won't get it, though."
"How do you know?"
She pointed. "Because you were talking, your moron cousin went ahead and ate it."
I looked up. Yep, he was cleaning crumbs from his mouth, Cain on his shoulder looking disgusted--clearly thinking "how could anyone eat something COOKED?!" Elli handed Jack the last piece, and he took a big bite. He chewed for a few seconds, cheerfully saying, "Dssh ish gddd!" through a full mouth to Elli, then spitting something out into his hand. He held it up triumphantly, and I saw the glint of gold catching the sunlight.
I saw Ann and Elli exchange glances, and Rick was still fuming over his statistical failures, so I had a pretty good idea what had happened.
"It's not what you're thinking..." Ann muttered.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"You know she always gives it to the guy she likes best," she replied.
"Explain the potion shop guy," I shot back. She was about to answer when Mayor Thomas got up.
"Congratulations, Jack!" the mayor cried. "You're the next King! The King will take an active part in the Spirit, Sowing, and Flower festivals." He looked around. "All right, it's time for the dancing. Everyone find a partner!"
Jack and Cliff started heading back our way. They seemed to be involved in some major discussion that was causing Cliff to get red and wave his arms around. They had almost got there when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see Kai.
"Hey, Karen--" Jack called.
"Uhm...Mi--Karen?" asked Kai.
"Would you dance with me?" they asked at the same time.
I looked back and forth. This was one of those problems that every girl hates. I mean, what am I supposed to do when I'm faced with two good friends of mine, both of whom are intelligent, strong, funny guys and both of whom are standing there looking at me with puppy eyes?! I hate the puppy eyes. I really wanted to dance with Jack, but I didn't want to hurt Kai's feelings. The best thing to do would be not to dance with anyone, but...
I could feel the electricity crackling in the air between them. I figured I'd better do something fast.
"I guess I'll dance on my own this time," I said quietly, cutting between them to get to the center of the square. Oh, God, I did not not not want to deal with this...
I stood defiantly in the center of the square, watching as Cliff shyly came up to Ann. I noticed Maria standing on the sidelines, watching quietly, but Popuri looked almost like she was eyeing Gray. I caught Jack's eyes and mouthed a silent apology to him. He looked away and leaned glumly against the back wall. Kai's eyes were still flashing. I knew that if I'd chosen, danced with Jack, he wouldn't be angry. But because they'd fought, and there hadn't been a victory or a loss, he was angry. Not that I could really blame him.
So Ann and Cliff, the Mayor and his wife, and Stu and May were the only couples dancing, and I spun in circles in the very center, trying to forget.
Wine Red no Kokoro
by flame mage
Part 13: Dancing All Alone
**********
Jack arrived around nine, walking in with a flicker of something like nervousness on his face. Okay, so I was nervous, too. Aside from when he'd come to see me when I was sick, we hadn't talked since we left the vineyard. We were both exhausted from dancing all night--which was why I was sick the next day--but we'd parted totally jazzed, exhilarated!
He'd left just as dawn was breaking and the fairies were vanishing into the sky once more. We were standing just outside the gates of the vineyard, not wanting it to be over.
"Look..." I'd started. "...I don't know how to say this, but...thanks."
"Thanks for calling me." He grinned. "I can't believe we got to see that. It was really incredible."
"Yeah..." We were both shifting out weight around, unsure suddenly. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," I said.
"Just for now..." he whispered. And suddenly his hands were in my hair again and we were kissing.
We broke, and he looked up into the sky, shading his eyes with his hand. "It's going to rain. I'd better get the animals inside..." He turned and started for the farm, calling "See ya!" over his shoulder.
"See you later!" I called back, waving. As he got to the bottom of the hill, the first drops of rain began to fall. Suddenly I started to feel drained. I slunk up the stairs and got into bed, and I was just waking up when he returned a few hours later.
I was still remembering this when he came over. "Hey, Karen," he said cheerfully, the awkwardness melting away. "Glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks," I said, pouring a glass of the stamina juice and handing it to him. "Here. I want you to be the first one to try my stamina juice."
He examined the violet-colored liquid sloshing around in the glass carefully, then tilted his head back and took a long drink, the way he did with shots in the bar after a long day in the fields.
There was a longish pause wherein I fidgeted, watching his face, and he blinked several times and looked around, thinking. "I like it!" he finally announced, beaming. "No seconds, I guess, huh?"
He appeared to be totally serious. "Nope," I told him. "Check back at the end of the day and I'll give you the rest if there's any left." I felt Ann poke me in the back: smooth move. I had effectively given him a reason to come find me later. If you ever want a relationship in this godforsaken little village, girls, just watch and learn.
Okay, subject change. "So, who do you think is going to be king this year?" I asked.
He shrugged. "No idea. How does it work? Elli stopped by yesterday and told me she was making cakes."
"Yeah," I explained. "She bakes a big cake, and before she bakes it she puts a coin inside. Then she slices it up and gives a piece to all the guys. The one who finds the coin is the next king."
"So who all is getting a slice this year?" he asked.
I shifted again and ran a hand through my hair. "Well...because all of us girls are getting old enough to be married, it's just you, Kai, Gray, Cliff, Harris, and Jeff this year." I could just feel myself blushing. "See, they want one of us to end up with the King."
It was probably my imagination, but in the sunlight, his cheeks looked a little red too. "If she splits the cake equally six ways, then all of us have the same chance, right?"
"Don't bet on it!" Ann called. We both turned back to look at her. She started whistling innocently and paying a lot of attention to the vegetables she'd washed off in desperation that morning.
"Are you going to go around?" Jack asked.
"Maybe later. Right now I have to stay here and dish this stuff out," I told him.
"You want me to bring you anything?"
"Can you pick up a little of Popuri's herb salad for me?" I asked. "I want to see if she got it right this year."
She actually did okay, and of course Maria's cabbage dish was impeccable (and of course she was very polite and not mean about the fact that she cooked way better than we did, which just made it worse--Ann and I are culinarily challenged). Kai came over to chat for a while, too, and all in all I was having a pretty good time when Elli came out.
All the guys gathered around, looking like little kids at a birthday party, and she carefully sliced the cake six ways. She handed one piece to each guy in turn, going clockwise around the cake in her precise way.
Rick had sat down with a pencil and paper the day before and worked out the exact statistical chances of the coin being everywhere, and what chance you had if you drew first or second or fifth or whatever, and statistically where the coin had the greatest chance of being, given Elli's previous record of baking it, and so on and so forth. He'd already made a chart of the cake and was standing directly behind her, making notes as she cut it. She was starting to look annoyed.
Jeff went first, chewing his piece slowly and thoughtfully. He shook his head and stepped back, motioning for Harris to go. Harris broke the cake in his hand first, looked through it, then stepped off and ate it piece by piece. Elli was cringing as she handed Gray and Kai their pieces. Rick started muttering about tampering with statistics, but she shot him a Look and he sank back into submissive silence. Neither of them had the coin, although Kai rarely got sweets and looked like he was really enjoying his cake, and as Cliff stepped up, the crowd was starting to murmur.
"Hey, it's Cliff," I muttered to Ann.
"I know," she said. "He won't get it, though."
"How do you know?"
She pointed. "Because you were talking, your moron cousin went ahead and ate it."
I looked up. Yep, he was cleaning crumbs from his mouth, Cain on his shoulder looking disgusted--clearly thinking "how could anyone eat something COOKED?!" Elli handed Jack the last piece, and he took a big bite. He chewed for a few seconds, cheerfully saying, "Dssh ish gddd!" through a full mouth to Elli, then spitting something out into his hand. He held it up triumphantly, and I saw the glint of gold catching the sunlight.
I saw Ann and Elli exchange glances, and Rick was still fuming over his statistical failures, so I had a pretty good idea what had happened.
"It's not what you're thinking..." Ann muttered.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"You know she always gives it to the guy she likes best," she replied.
"Explain the potion shop guy," I shot back. She was about to answer when Mayor Thomas got up.
"Congratulations, Jack!" the mayor cried. "You're the next King! The King will take an active part in the Spirit, Sowing, and Flower festivals." He looked around. "All right, it's time for the dancing. Everyone find a partner!"
Jack and Cliff started heading back our way. They seemed to be involved in some major discussion that was causing Cliff to get red and wave his arms around. They had almost got there when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see Kai.
"Hey, Karen--" Jack called.
"Uhm...Mi--Karen?" asked Kai.
"Would you dance with me?" they asked at the same time.
I looked back and forth. This was one of those problems that every girl hates. I mean, what am I supposed to do when I'm faced with two good friends of mine, both of whom are intelligent, strong, funny guys and both of whom are standing there looking at me with puppy eyes?! I hate the puppy eyes. I really wanted to dance with Jack, but I didn't want to hurt Kai's feelings. The best thing to do would be not to dance with anyone, but...
I could feel the electricity crackling in the air between them. I figured I'd better do something fast.
"I guess I'll dance on my own this time," I said quietly, cutting between them to get to the center of the square. Oh, God, I did not not not want to deal with this...
I stood defiantly in the center of the square, watching as Cliff shyly came up to Ann. I noticed Maria standing on the sidelines, watching quietly, but Popuri looked almost like she was eyeing Gray. I caught Jack's eyes and mouthed a silent apology to him. He looked away and leaned glumly against the back wall. Kai's eyes were still flashing. I knew that if I'd chosen, danced with Jack, he wouldn't be angry. But because they'd fought, and there hadn't been a victory or a loss, he was angry. Not that I could really blame him.
So Ann and Cliff, the Mayor and his wife, and Stu and May were the only couples dancing, and I spun in circles in the very center, trying to forget.