Chapter 3: Rocking Around the Coast!

Alaylle hums happily to herself as she walks through the small wooded area marking the entrance to Rocker Coast. 'This trip to Geffen sure is something else!... At least I'm making good time, though...'

Alaylle stops for a moment and glances down at the map. 'Hmm... okay... there should be a hill nearby... Go up the hill... then turn right and enter Geffen Forest...' She puts the map away carefully and follows the over scuffed path to the hill and slowly works her way up...

And then abruptly stops halfway up the incline. A slight, high-pitched noise can be heard. Alaylle can't help but stop and look around confusingly. She gulps to make her ears click, but the high-pitched noise continues. Alaylle shrugs and continues up the incline, only to have the screeching noise continue to get louder as she slowly walks to the top of the hill.

Alaylle frowns and slides the basket so her arm holds it up as she covers her ears with her hands. "Kyaaahh... what is making this awful noise?" She turns right after going up the incline and starts heading into the forest when a giant green grasshopper suddenly jumps out of the nearby trees and hops over to her.

Alaylle winces as the source of the high-pitched screeching noises hops right in front of her and plays it's screeching violin notes loudly for her. "Kyaaaahh! My poor ears... please stop!"

The grasshopper stops, and glances down at the ground, looking terribly sad, looking ready to drop it's violin and bow.

Alaylle removes her hands from her ears and quickly shakes her head. "Oohh no! I didn't mean it that way!"

The grasshopper just keeps looking dejectedly at the ground and starts hopping away.

Alaylle runs after the grasshopper, "No no no! I'm sure you play the violin wonderfully!"

The grasshopper turns back around to Alaylle and readies it's violin and bow for a screeching encore.

Alaylle pales a bit and shakes her head quickly, "Wait!... Umm, Mr. Grasshopper... umm... before you play... could... umm... I see your violin and bow first?"

The grasshopper shrugs and gives the requested items to Alaylle.

Alaylle smiles happily and plucks the four strings of the violin gently... and then becoming twirlly-eyed from the terribly off-key sounds they produce. "Kyaaaaah... this violin... it's not tuned! No wonder! I'll tune it for you, okay Mr. Grasshopper?"

Alaylle slowly adjusts the knobs at the end of the violin and plucks the strings several times. "There!" She then puts the violin against her chin and tries to play a note... only to make a screeching sound very much like someone scratching a chalkboard. "Kyaaaahh... owiee... my ears... Your bow is loose!" She carefully tightens the bow, but not too much so that she doesn't break the horsehairs.

Alaylle smiles happily and plays four notes on the violin. "Perfect!" "Here you go Mr. Grasshopper!" Alaylle happily hands the violin and bow to the grasshopper.

The grasshopper blinks and then readies it's violin.

Alaylle smiles happily and sits down carefully in the grass.

The large green grasshopper starts to play... and very well at that! So much so that it almost drops the violin and bow after hearing it's first note! It quickly recovers and starts hopping in a circle around Alaylle while playing. After making three circles around Alaylle it suddenly stops and hops close to her, putting away it's violin and bow and taking out another leaf to shade Alaylle-just in time to save her from being drenched by some rain.

Alaylle claps her hands happily once the music stops. "Waii! That was wonderful!" She then looks up at the leaf shading her. "Oh... thank you!"

The grasshopper thinks for a moment and takes a book with a bookmark in it and places it onto the ground next to Alaylle.

"Hmm?... For me?"

The grasshopper quickly nods.

Alaylle carefully opens the book to the book marked page. On the page is a picture of the large green grasshopper, along with a name and description. The bookmark itself seems to be another piece of paper with a picture of the grasshopper as well. Alaylle reads out loud, "Hmm... Rocker... a large grasshopper normally with a price on it's head because of the obnoxious music that it plays. Hated by farmers, adventurers, travelers, and especially music critics." Alaylle looks at the piece of paper and the entry in the book. "So that means... you're a Rocker, huh?"

The Rocker would fall straight onto the ground right now, face-first... only it would leave it and Alaylle drenched from dropping the leaves, so it manages to simply nod instead.

"Gosh... Thank you so much, Mr. Rocker!" Alaylle smiles happily as she puts the book in her basket. The rain slows to a drizzle as Alaylle puts the book away.

The Rocker puts it's extra leaf away and pulls out it's violin and bow again, starting to play once more. It waves and starts happily hopping away, playing the violin.

Alaylle waves happily back, "Bye bye Mr. Rocker!" and slowly stands up. "Umm... now... what was I doing?... Oh yeah! Going to Geffen!" Alaylle quickly scrambles into Geffen Forest to make up her lost time.

Meanwhile, a few steps away...
The Rocker with it's newly tuned violin was about to run into the bane of it's existence... a Novice with a Knight...

"Rocker!" cried the Novice.
"I got it!" grins the Knight... and then immediately gawks and can't believe his eyes-errr... ears.
"Hey... Attack it!" grumbles the Novice.
"Nuh uh... That ain't no Rocker! Plays it's music too well... L-let's find another..." the Knight says shakily while dragging the Novice away.

The Rocker blinks and then suddenly bursts into a fresh round of happy violin music.

...and was strangely saved.

End of Chapter 3
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Chapter 4 Preview!

Alaylle: "This forest... is like a maze! Even with Daddy's map..."
"I-I don't know if I can find my way out..."

In the next Chapter! "An Abridged Forest"

Alaylle: "Can... someone help me?... Please?"
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