Lighnting-Dono: Yeah! I have tons of inspiration for this fanfic. The rating is for future chapters just in case I decide to add things into it that would furthermore innapropriate for younger viewers. Uh, yeah. End of the brief description. Now on with the 2nd chapter! (R&R? gets on hands and knees)
Just to let you all know--not everything in here is definate and I made up most of it. Or rather, some parts. The Winery NEVER sold beer in the game. EVER.
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About five minutes later, Elli called me to the front desk. I stood up, raking my hair with one hand.
"Rick, I have Karen's files and I think there might be a way to help her," Elli told me impatiently as I dragged my feet across the shining tiles. Noticing what I was doing, I caught myself in mid-step, grinned at her sheepishly and started to walk normally.
When I got to the desk, I leaned over to look at her records slowly. Elli's breathing was clouding my glasses because I was leaning so close to her. She didn't seem to notice how much I was straining to see the sheets of paper attached to the wooden clipboard.
"She's just 15...But she turns 16 on the 14th day of Fall, correct?" Elli ran her finger along the neat rows of typed-up information.
"Yes," I replied, relaxing my shoulders.
"That's a serious problem. She hasn't reached the legal age to drink yet."
/Uh, oh/ I thought briefly, wondering how much trouble I had gotten Karen into. Maybe I should've just let it go. Elli continued to talk, not noticing that my eyes were straying to a spot in the ceiling and that I wasn't really hearing what she was saying.
"...find a help center," Elli finished importantly.
"Huh?" I said stupidly, shoving a hand into my pocket.
"You need to find a help center for her," Elli repeated, sounding irritated. "If you don't, she WILL become dependant on the alchohol as an escape from pain."
My eyes widened. I felt my right eye twitching in a very strange way.
"O-of course," I said quickly, searching through my brain for things I could do with Karen to get her off her beer addiction other than taking her to a help center.
"Yes." Elli fished an informational packet on help centers for certain addictions from one of the piles on the desk. "This is for your reference if you ever need help in finding the right one." She handed it to me kindly, winked and treaded back to the office, closing the door quietly behind her.
As I sauntered outside, Stu ran by. He was one of the most energetic kids I had ever met. The best thing about him was that he always had a cheerful smile plastered onto his face.
"Hiyah, Rick!" He shouted, as though we were old friends.
"Good morning, Stu," I said, fishing around in my pockets in search of something to give him. I pulled out a paperclip that had been bent out of shape and handed it to him. He tucked it safely behind one ear and ran off, waving back at me all the while. I waved back, smiling.
I found Karen inside the store, talking to her dad. I could tell that the alchohol still affected her from the fake smile she wore on her face and the drunken look in her eyes.
"So, dad, would you like to go fish for some Cherry Salmon upstream this afternoon?" By the look on her face, it would appear that she was infatuated with her own father, but if you looked closely, it'd be the eyes of a young girl being posessed by the powers of something she couldn't control. If only she knew how to stop drinking...
"But Karen, you never liked fishing," her father, Jeff, said, looking quite puzzled. He obviously didn't know that it wasn't really his daughter speaking. More like an innocent-looking substance that was canned. It had recently been imported in from somewhere else and was now being produced in the very town itself by Duke and Manna at the Winery.
Karen hastily hoisted herself onto the counter, her hair flying every which way.
"Oh, but dad, I would love it so much if we could just spend some more time together," she told him dazedly. I stood there by the wall, looking at them with unknown jealousy. Although I knew she was talking to her dad, I couldn't help but wonder why she had never said that to me.
"Later, sweetheart. I really must get to serving these people." He looked lost and confused. Customers glanced at her nervously, as though hoping to rush out of the store as quickly as possible.
Karen hopped clumsily off the counter, landing with a loud thud on the ground. She then lifted herself up like a zombie and strutted up to me.
"Hallo, Rickeh." She combed my hair with her fingers roughly. I winced slightly as she attempted to keep combing even though there was a large mass of tangled of hair, which resulted in serveral of my hairs being torn out. I was just amazed that she even recognized who I was.
"So...How many cans did you down while I was gone?" He muttered at her, not wanted her father to hear about it. I somehow just wanted to keep all of this personal. As if I already didn't have enough to be responsible for.
In reply, Karen shrugged, making it look like she had just been zapped by something and was scrunching up her shoulders.
"You really need to get to bed..." I led her towards the backdoor where her bedroom was.
"Wait a second, Rick. Where are you taking Karen?" Karen's father called, carefully counting the change in his hand before handing it to the restless young boy who was purchasing some bread.
"She needs rest. I'll lead her to her bed," I replied, feeling a great sense of urgency.
"All right." Jeff punched some buttons on the cash register, turned, and nodded his head at me.
When I opened the bedroom door, I was shocked to find it all tidied up. Her clothes were stacked in an orderly heap. I pushed it gently aside and set Karen on the bed. She instantly fell backwards, her head landing softly onto the pillow.
"Is there something you need to tell me, Karen?" I asked her hopefully.
"No," she repled contumaciously, turning onto her side. So, the effects were wearing off.
"I'm serious. I just found out that I should be taking you to a help center for help on how to stop drinking." I pulled out the packet of information from my front pocket and handed it to her. Karen bolted up and grabbed it violently.
"I don't need people to direct my life for me," she said simply, ripping the papers into shreds and disposing of them. I watched in horror as the pieces of paper floated into the trash can.
"But you have to admit that you need help!" I exclaimed loudly. Then, realizing that there were still people out in the store, I lowered my voice slightly. "You can't deny that forever."
Karen raised her head gracefully and looked up at the ceiling.
"You know, Rick, when I first met you as a child...I always thought you were carrying too much weight on your shoulders. Everything someone said about someone you cared about you made your own problem. You never seemed to be enjoying things as much as you should've been." Karen's voice sounded like it had been caught in her throat from tightness and had just been released. "You looked out for me when you didn't have to." Karen laughed derisively. "But I never thought it'd come to this! My drinking beer isn't your problem!" Her face flushed crimson from anger. The tension was breaking. I knew it. Now it would come. She probably hated me now, for trying to help her. She buried face into her pillow.
"...I was just-,"
"Just leave!"
That evening, I sat there with my mom, eating dinner.
"So what happened today, Rick?" Lillia asked kindly, skewering a piece of broccoli with her fork. I thought for a moment, remembering what Karen had said to me.
"Well, today I learned how much it hurt just to try and help a friend."
Just to let you all know--not everything in here is definate and I made up most of it. Or rather, some parts. The Winery NEVER sold beer in the game. EVER.
---------------------
About five minutes later, Elli called me to the front desk. I stood up, raking my hair with one hand.
"Rick, I have Karen's files and I think there might be a way to help her," Elli told me impatiently as I dragged my feet across the shining tiles. Noticing what I was doing, I caught myself in mid-step, grinned at her sheepishly and started to walk normally.
When I got to the desk, I leaned over to look at her records slowly. Elli's breathing was clouding my glasses because I was leaning so close to her. She didn't seem to notice how much I was straining to see the sheets of paper attached to the wooden clipboard.
"She's just 15...But she turns 16 on the 14th day of Fall, correct?" Elli ran her finger along the neat rows of typed-up information.
"Yes," I replied, relaxing my shoulders.
"That's a serious problem. She hasn't reached the legal age to drink yet."
/Uh, oh/ I thought briefly, wondering how much trouble I had gotten Karen into. Maybe I should've just let it go. Elli continued to talk, not noticing that my eyes were straying to a spot in the ceiling and that I wasn't really hearing what she was saying.
"...find a help center," Elli finished importantly.
"Huh?" I said stupidly, shoving a hand into my pocket.
"You need to find a help center for her," Elli repeated, sounding irritated. "If you don't, she WILL become dependant on the alchohol as an escape from pain."
My eyes widened. I felt my right eye twitching in a very strange way.
"O-of course," I said quickly, searching through my brain for things I could do with Karen to get her off her beer addiction other than taking her to a help center.
"Yes." Elli fished an informational packet on help centers for certain addictions from one of the piles on the desk. "This is for your reference if you ever need help in finding the right one." She handed it to me kindly, winked and treaded back to the office, closing the door quietly behind her.
As I sauntered outside, Stu ran by. He was one of the most energetic kids I had ever met. The best thing about him was that he always had a cheerful smile plastered onto his face.
"Hiyah, Rick!" He shouted, as though we were old friends.
"Good morning, Stu," I said, fishing around in my pockets in search of something to give him. I pulled out a paperclip that had been bent out of shape and handed it to him. He tucked it safely behind one ear and ran off, waving back at me all the while. I waved back, smiling.
I found Karen inside the store, talking to her dad. I could tell that the alchohol still affected her from the fake smile she wore on her face and the drunken look in her eyes.
"So, dad, would you like to go fish for some Cherry Salmon upstream this afternoon?" By the look on her face, it would appear that she was infatuated with her own father, but if you looked closely, it'd be the eyes of a young girl being posessed by the powers of something she couldn't control. If only she knew how to stop drinking...
"But Karen, you never liked fishing," her father, Jeff, said, looking quite puzzled. He obviously didn't know that it wasn't really his daughter speaking. More like an innocent-looking substance that was canned. It had recently been imported in from somewhere else and was now being produced in the very town itself by Duke and Manna at the Winery.
Karen hastily hoisted herself onto the counter, her hair flying every which way.
"Oh, but dad, I would love it so much if we could just spend some more time together," she told him dazedly. I stood there by the wall, looking at them with unknown jealousy. Although I knew she was talking to her dad, I couldn't help but wonder why she had never said that to me.
"Later, sweetheart. I really must get to serving these people." He looked lost and confused. Customers glanced at her nervously, as though hoping to rush out of the store as quickly as possible.
Karen hopped clumsily off the counter, landing with a loud thud on the ground. She then lifted herself up like a zombie and strutted up to me.
"Hallo, Rickeh." She combed my hair with her fingers roughly. I winced slightly as she attempted to keep combing even though there was a large mass of tangled of hair, which resulted in serveral of my hairs being torn out. I was just amazed that she even recognized who I was.
"So...How many cans did you down while I was gone?" He muttered at her, not wanted her father to hear about it. I somehow just wanted to keep all of this personal. As if I already didn't have enough to be responsible for.
In reply, Karen shrugged, making it look like she had just been zapped by something and was scrunching up her shoulders.
"You really need to get to bed..." I led her towards the backdoor where her bedroom was.
"Wait a second, Rick. Where are you taking Karen?" Karen's father called, carefully counting the change in his hand before handing it to the restless young boy who was purchasing some bread.
"She needs rest. I'll lead her to her bed," I replied, feeling a great sense of urgency.
"All right." Jeff punched some buttons on the cash register, turned, and nodded his head at me.
When I opened the bedroom door, I was shocked to find it all tidied up. Her clothes were stacked in an orderly heap. I pushed it gently aside and set Karen on the bed. She instantly fell backwards, her head landing softly onto the pillow.
"Is there something you need to tell me, Karen?" I asked her hopefully.
"No," she repled contumaciously, turning onto her side. So, the effects were wearing off.
"I'm serious. I just found out that I should be taking you to a help center for help on how to stop drinking." I pulled out the packet of information from my front pocket and handed it to her. Karen bolted up and grabbed it violently.
"I don't need people to direct my life for me," she said simply, ripping the papers into shreds and disposing of them. I watched in horror as the pieces of paper floated into the trash can.
"But you have to admit that you need help!" I exclaimed loudly. Then, realizing that there were still people out in the store, I lowered my voice slightly. "You can't deny that forever."
Karen raised her head gracefully and looked up at the ceiling.
"You know, Rick, when I first met you as a child...I always thought you were carrying too much weight on your shoulders. Everything someone said about someone you cared about you made your own problem. You never seemed to be enjoying things as much as you should've been." Karen's voice sounded like it had been caught in her throat from tightness and had just been released. "You looked out for me when you didn't have to." Karen laughed derisively. "But I never thought it'd come to this! My drinking beer isn't your problem!" Her face flushed crimson from anger. The tension was breaking. I knew it. Now it would come. She probably hated me now, for trying to help her. She buried face into her pillow.
"...I was just-,"
"Just leave!"
That evening, I sat there with my mom, eating dinner.
"So what happened today, Rick?" Lillia asked kindly, skewering a piece of broccoli with her fork. I thought for a moment, remembering what Karen had said to me.
"Well, today I learned how much it hurt just to try and help a friend."