Surprise surprise, personal issues and a heavy courseload means I don't update much… Somehow, especially during Spring semesters. Go figure. :/ Hey, I thought of this story like every day! Don't go thinking it'll die on you! Anyways, here's your new chapter, shetbags.
Summer 24th
Though he was loathe to confess that anything in the world excited him, Jamie had to admit that he did very much enjoy fireworks. There was something indescribably satisfying in watching them explode on the backdrop of a glittering sky, trails of rainbow light falling like stars and bathing the world in color. They were loud; they demanded attention and wonder. Usually loud things were a complete and utter nuisance. But fireworks- fireworks had a triumphant air of celebration to them, and the almost deafening pops and crackles that heralded them seemed to shout out to some unspoken victory. It seemed like such a whimsical thing to be fond of, and grudgingly, Jamie acknowledged this, but found himself unable to stifle the way his spirits lifted every Summer 24th. Unsurprisingly, it was the first thing on his mind when he slipped out of bed in the early morning to work. Jamie was surprised, however, that his enthusiasm for the festival had preoccupied his thoughts to the point where he'd almost spent half a day without remembering something far more important—his rival.
It was impossible for him not to notice the slight, but steady progress she was making in the regional status report. Ever since he'd noticed the peculiar shift two days ago, it had been eating away at his brain. What had spurred the sudden seriousness with owning a ranch? Or was she simply unable to begin enacting some plot until now? He speared a green bean on his plate with a swell of anger, and glanced from his window in the direction of his rival's home with a glare. Cooking up a scheme to defeat him was unlike her; she was too unintelligent to anticipate or even consider the future, unlike he was. Tina was simply the type to follow her gut and let the pieces fall where they may. A daring strategy, but one that would prove fatal to her ranch's success. She was up against him, after all, and she'd have to do a lot better than just going with the flow. But her simplicity made it all the more easy for Jamie to guess her next move. With the increase in profit, there was probably an increase in the amount of crops she would be buying. Maybe even another chicken or two. After that yielded substantial results, a small barn with her first cow would likely follow soon after. It was a typical pattern, one that most, if not all, ranchers followed. Of course, the downfall of it was that it often left ranchers with too much to deal with. The added time spent caring for more crops, the new chickens to keep track of, along with the burden of worrying for a cow and paying off the feed for the new animals would undoubtedly leave her dog tired and very, very broke. If her little operation stayed afloat until next Spring he would honestly be impressed. But even with this assurance, he found himself still perturbed by a nagging feeling the back of his mind that there was another unanswered trouble in his life. He'd almost shrugged it off until something caught his eye as he deposited his plate into the kitchen sink. It was his radio, sitting in the same place as it always had, looking the same as it always had. But it wasn't the machine that jump started his recollection, rather its function.
With a grim look on his face, he couldn't suppress the urge to turn and scan his living room, almost feeling as though he was being watched. It was just the night before that he'd encountered the frightening vision; a strange phantom wandering near the river, singing out into the night. He shivered at the thought of what horrors would have met him had he followed the beckoning call. It had seemed so familiar, so comforting and inviting at the time, but something about the entire experience was eerie. He still hadn't the slightest idea of who or what was singing, or why it appeared. Was it singing for him, or someone else? For no one? Why was the song so hypnotic?
'Maybe it was a dream', he contemplated, rubbing his tired eyes. Though he wished he could believe it, the memories of the previous night were too fresh, too vivid, to be waved off as a fantasy. And besides, he'd seen stranger things. For goodness sake, the most important person in his life was a deity who he regularly had spoken to and befriended, until she was untimely cursed to a stone form due to a lack of believers. Spirits singing in the night surrounded by lights? It was probably some kind of fairy. He stopped his pace to the door suddenly.
'Wait… but whatever it is, if it's something supernatural, then it must be connected to the Harvest Goddess!' he surmised.
For a moment, he was full of hope at the possibilities, but then deflated into frustration once more. His questions were still unanswered, really, and now he had even more than before. As if having a brain-dead rival constantly snipping at his heels wasn't enough…
The summer sun in Flower Bud could get unbearably hot, even in the last few days of the season, and Jamie was now dead-set on making a trip to a nearby city to purchase more appropriate clothing for the hot months. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he took a moment to take stock of the day's work. Despite all his precautions, the monsoon that hit earlier in the season did have the unfortunate effect of scaring some of his animals; namely, one of his cows that was expecting a calf soon and was just starting to calm down. Such things were unavoidable, but still a nuisance and he hoped it wouldn't produce any problems in the future. His crops remained miraculously unscathed, though the young man attributed that to his skill at being able to properly plant crops and grow them into sturdy produce that could withstand even the strongest of storms. He grinned at his own excellency as he entered the Moonlight Cave. Though the air remained stuffy, the shade was a wonderful respite from the blinding sun, and Jamie decided that this was going to be a very good day nonetheless. Monsoons, singing phantoms; anything thrown at him was just another chance to prove his greatness.
And on that note, Jamie became acutely aware of another such opportunity as it was hunched over in the corner of the ground floor, hacking away at the soil feverishly with her hoe.
"I would have thought even you would know there's no ores or jewels to find on the first floor. Apparently you're dumber than I thought. Astounding," he taunted.
Tina whipped around from her spot at the voice, knowing immediately who it was. She'd known it was only a matter of time before they crossed paths again— but this time, she was looking forward to the challenge.
"Well shows what you know, because I'm not digging for jewels or anything! I'm looking for Pontata Root, so ha," she snubbed back.
The next thing she knew, her hoe was yanked from her hands. "Hey! Give that back!" she cried indignantly.
"You're not even doing it right," he scoffed, completely ignoring her attempts to swipe it away.
"If you keep hacking at the ground that hard, you're going to cleave right into the roots. And if you bust them open like that, they're going to dry out and go bad; meaning, you don't make any profit," he explained. Once he finished, he handed the tool back to her.
"Watch someone who knows what they're doing," he smirked, and tucked into the soil with his own tool, eager to show off his knowledge—especially if it would put his rival in her place.
Within a few minutes, Tina was following by example, looking back at her rival every now and then to make sure she was mimicking him properly. Jamie seemed to actually enjoy educating her. Or at least, it was the only deduction Tina could gather from the way he would explain various tips about digging in soil for different types of plants every now and then, and pointing out things like how to assess soil quality to see what could be growing in it naturally. She'd never known that Jamie was so knowledgeable, and his sudden relaxed nature was a shock. Had she ever even seen him so close to smiling before? The fact that Jamie had an innate passion for teaching others was almost enough for Tina to rethink her opinion of him, until she sourly concluded it was probably more to do with the idiot loving the sound of his own voice more than anything else. That, and proving he was smarter than everyone.
"Are you even listening to me?" he scowled.
She frowned. "Why are you telling me all this stuff, anyway?"
He tossed his head to the side with a sigh. "Because maybe you don't hurt yourself being reckless like that, but you're harming the soil and the natural life here. You say you're here to save this land and the Goddess, and yet you treat both of these duties so frivolously! I won't stand for it."
"I was not being frivolous!"
"Then what? If it's not that, then maybe this is just too difficult for you to grasp."
"Are you kidding me? This is nothing!"
"And yet you needed me to show you how to do it," he countered.
"I just needed a pointer or two," she waved him off. "Now that I know how to do it, I'm sure it can't be all that hard."
He balked. "I've been doing this for years. Trust me, there's a skill to this, and you don't have it."
"Wanna bet?" she dared, her voice dropping conspiratorially.
Jamie returned her enthusiasm, his own eyes narrowing in calculation. After a moment or two, he grinned himself, already feeling a rush of adrenaline from the prospect of having one more thing to lord over his rival.
"Gladly," he purred. "The sun sets in two hours. Whoever has the most intact Pontata Roots by then wins," he stated simply. Hopefully even she could remember those rules.
She held a finger up in protest. "Winner takes all!" she cried spiritedly.
It seemed that his rival had become much more serious and a bit more cunning in the last few weeks. Perhaps he had been wrong about her lack of competitiveness; she wasn't quite so lazy, she just needed a plausible motivation. And finally, she recognized him as that motivation. He felt his blood race even faster.
"I think that's the first vaguely intelligent thing I've ever heard you say," he murmured, nothing short of utterly amused.
For the first few minutes of the impromptu match, Tina couldn't help but sneak surreptitious peeks at Jamie's steadily increasing pile and compare it to her own. It was twice as big as hers at this point and she scowled. Realizing that she was wasting time and probably only harming herself by monitoring him, she turned back to her own work a final time and doubled her efforts. There was no way she was going to let him have this win. As the sky began to turn orange and pink, Tina became even more aware of the approaching night, and pushed herself even more.
'Faster, dig faster,' she chanted to herself. When her hoe chopped straight through the middle of a root, and a large one at that, she almost gasped aloud. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it aside into the shadows bitterly. But her mistake hadn't escaped Jamie's eyes.
"What was all that you said before? It "can't be all that hard"?" he smirked.
"Hah! I just wanted to make things fair for you, Jamie, that's all," she said with fake innocence dripping from every syllable. "Since you'll probably lose this match anyways."
He rolled his eyes. "I've got twice as much as you, Pigtails. Did you forget how to count? Oh wait, you probably never knew in the first place!"
She fumed at her own ineptitude, and even more so at Jamie's unending snark. It was silent for a few more moments, then Jamie chuckled softly.
"Of course, we wouldn't want this match to be unfair, would we?" he asked, and a chunk of Pontata went sailing through the air, striking Tina above her ear.
"Ow! Jamie, you jerk, that hurt!" she shrieked.
"Did that hit you? I can barely see a thing in here. Sorry," he said, not feeling one bit remorseful and making no effort to hide it. In a fit of rage, Tina grabbed one of her own roots, and returned the gesture. Unfortunately, Jamie either foresaw this possibility or had keen instincts, as he dodged the root without having to give it more than a glance.
"I thought you said you couldn't see in here," she mocked.
"You make more noise than a troll," he shot back.
She pivoted from her spot in the dirt to face him. "Says the guy who won't shut up!"
"Excuse me?" he asked incredulously, turning to face her as well. "Nonononono. If anyone's a loudmouth, it is definitely you. Ever since you got here, all you do is talk, talk, talk! You spend so much time goofing off and gossiping with everyone that you barely put any time into your ranch, and probably even less into getting Notes! Just how many do you have by now? Five?"
"Don't you dare start with me on that, Jamie!" she bristled, throwing her hoe aside to tower above him. "I've been working hard, okay?! Not that I even have to answer to you! It's none of your business anyway!"
He threw his own tool aside, drawing himself up to match her height.
"It's my business because the Harvest Goddess is my business! And if you're endangering her with your reckless antics as usual, then I need to know! Besides, what happened to all that "let's be friends and work together" crap you used to give me?"
"That was before I realized what a complete blockhead you are!"
"Well while you're out playing socialite, this blockhead," he spat, "is trying to figure out a way to actually do what he's supposed to! What about you? You never answered my question from before, and don't think I didn't notice."
Of course, Tina did have a plan; or rather, she and the Harvest Sprites had a plan. But telling Jamie would be useless. Knowing him, he'd probably just wave off the ideas she and the Harvest Sprites came up with as silly and stupid unless they could show some actual proof they worked. And she'd rather not deal with another lecture from Jamie today.
"If it'll make you quiet, then fine, I'll tell you! I've got 7 Notes, okay? And maybe that's not a lot, but trust me, I am working on it, and I do think about the Harvest Goddess a lot," she said sincerely, trying to make Jamie take her seriously for once.
"You're not the only one trying to save her!" she cried.
"True. But I am the only one who will save her," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
There was a dangerous edge of stillness in his voice that made Tina falter; an iron-clad declaration of solitude that she'd always sensed in his words, but never really absorbed until now. Instead of being beside herself with anger, Tina could feel nothing but sympathy and sadness for Jamie. For the first time in a long while she remembered just how lonely he probably was. What was his life like, with no one else to keep him company or be his friend, and only his hopes of saving the Harvest Goddess to keep him going? How long had he beenalone like this? In the dim light of the cave, Jamie didn't look menacing or cold anymore. He just looked weary.
"Jamie…" she said softly, but he was no longer looking at her.
"It's already sundown," he said, looking from the piles of roots and back into her eyes. "And I think we both know who won this one."
As he made his way to the mouth of the cave, rucksack full of Pontata Root, Tina extended a hand.
"Jamie, wait!" she cried without thinking.
He turned back wordlessly, his unflinching gaze an unspoken query. Tina twisted her hands together. She wasn't sure why, but she just felt like the last thing Jamie needed was to be alone tonight. He needed to be around people more. Maybe then he'd actually make some friends, and he wouldn't be so stressed out and angry all the time. For the past few weeks, she'd told herself over and over again that Jamie was just no good, but in that moment she couldn't help but feel that maybe it would make a world of difference in his life if at least one person tried to reach out.
"Um… Are you going to the Fireworks Festival tonight?"
"Yes," he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh. Really?" she said.
"What's so weird about it?" he asked defensively.
"I dunno, I guess I just always figured you'd think something like that was stupid," she shrugged.
He was still for a moment, then rose his gaze to the sky, a faraway look in his eyes.
"Of the things people have made, fireworks are bearable," he stated simply.
"Maybe we could watch them together," she suggested hopefully.
Apparently, this was probably the worst thing she could have said to him, though she wasn't sure why. But by the way his face flushed scarlet and he glared at her like he wanted her to drop dead, she guessed why he was angry didn't really matter at the moment.
"What?" he ground out slowly.
"I… thought maybe we could watch the fireworks together?" she blinked owlishly, still not comprehending what made him so indescribably furious.
"Do you think that's funny?" he asked lowly, making every effort possible to contain his temper. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Jamie, I'm really not following you here! All I did was ask you to come with me to the festival. Why are you so angry about that?" she asked, looking at him like he'd grown two heads.
It took him a minute to sort it out in his brain, but when he finally did, he could have slapped himself. And maybe her, too, just for good measure. The girl had only lived here half a year, so it should go without saying that she was unaware of many of the strange… customsthis village had, one of the most important being the custom surrounding the Fireworks Festival.
"No one told you?" he tested.
"Told me what?" she asked impatiently.
Jamie felt heat return to his face all over again; though this time, not because of Tina's rather forward question. Having to explain the gravity of what she just said was far more mortifying.
"Right. Well, in this town…" he swallowed, averting his eyes, "Asking someone to watch the fireworks with you has a unique connotation."
"Huh?" she said dumbly. It took all the self-reserve he had not to bite through his lip.
"What I mean is, asking someone… that… Implies a more," he hesitated, floundering for the right word above the sudden pumping of his heart. "R-romantic relationship," he stuttered, dying a little inside at the mere thought of a relationship like that with his rival.
When her eyes widened like saucers, he knew he didn't have to torture himself explaining it anymore, and almost sighed aloud in relief.
"Ohhhh," she gasped, horror dawning on her features. "Oh Goddess. Yeah, um, that was definitely not what I meant. Uh… I'm just gonna go," she fumbled, throwing him a spastic wave before practically running towards her farm.
He shook his head in annoyance. "Idiot…"
By the time Jamie made his way for the beach on the south side of town, the sun had fully sunk below the horizon, and a myriad of stars came out to join the festival. It was such a clear night, he noted briefly, that it was almost a shame the stars would be overshadowed by the fireworks. He wasn't sure exactly why he looked forward to it so much. He hadn't even lived in Flower Bud that long, yet there was something that escaped him; a strange, captivating sense of wonder that he felt when he saw those colors in the sky, calling to him. But at the same time, it felt ridiculous to even think of something so unnecessary with such sentimentality. The young man winced at his own hypocritical nature, and berated himself even further for letting his whimsy get the better of him. A coil of doubt wrapped its way around his stomach, whispering that he was indulging in folly and forgetting his duties. It chilled him with guilt and anxiety and he wondered if he should even come this year or ever again. There was a Goddess to revive, after all; every second was precious. Spending an evening doing something so unproductive wouldn't help is ambitions in the least bit. As he weighed his options, he found his resolve to attend the festival waning. But the other half of his mind replied an argument of its own— the revival of the Goddess hinged on Notes. The fireworks display itself was a festival, so perhaps a note could be found with it? Though he never received one for attending before, it didn't hurt to check. Maybe there was something he wasn't doing right, some qualification he hadn't met.
A bubbling of voices and noise rushed into his senses, breaking his thoughts. Ahead of him on the path to the beach was a gaggle of the younger inhabitants of the village, with his rival sticking out in the middle like a big, pink thumb. Their lighthearted conversation caught his ears, and whether out of plain curiosity or some deep-seated masochism, he listened.
"Huh?" Tina peeped. "But he said it was supposed to be like, a date thing or something!"
Katie's hands flew in front of her, palms facing the sky. "Well, it is, but only when it's just two people alone! It's different when you're with a big group friends."
"Yeah, then it's a party!" Joe cheered.
"Unless you wanna go on a date with all of us, Tina?" Blue chuckled.
"Uh oh, Tina's secret plot finally comes to light!" Ann teased. "She's been trying to make us into her harem the entire time!"
The group of boys and girls burst into laughter, some of them stumbling and reaching out to grab one another as they attempted to keep themselves upright as they walked. Unable to stop it, he felt a bitter pang of jealousy at the spectacle. It almost blinded Jamie, the happiness and joy they exuded just at being able to talk with one another; the way they looked like some perfect scene from the happy ending to a teen romcom despite the fact that it's just another summer night, and they've probably had dozens of— no— countless conversations like this. It made him sick. Then it made him even more sick that in spite of all he'd learned in life about not believing in lies like friendship and happily ever after, suddenly he was craving the same sappy companionship that he'd spit at on any other day. And all because he let his guard down for one night to gawk at some flowers in the sky. The sickness rising in him soured his already unstable mood. He should have known letting himself get caught up in foolishness would only lead to pain. The rancher resolved to attend the festival, but for her sake only. He knew he wouldn't be enjoying it, and maybe that was for the best. If he wanted to rise above the folly of human nature, steeping himself in pointless emotions would only hinder that.
"But wait," Tina added, gaining back her breath. "Well, if it's okay to go with a group and that's not weird and stuff, why don't we ask Jamie to join us?"
And Sweet Goddess, he could have sworn his heart stopped then and there. In fact, he almost fell straight over. And he knew, he knew, damn it all, that he should've been furious at her for even considering such a thing. Wrathful at such a display of pity, that she would look so lowly on him that she had to take it upon her oh-so-saintly soul to ease poor Jamie's crippling loneliness. As if he needed anything those idiots could offer. He wasn't like them. He didn't want their acceptance, not if it meant being sucked away from his duty. This was ridiculous, he had more self-control than to let himself be shaken by one little comment! …But in that moment, the wretched sincerity in her voice was undeniable. She actually wanted him there? No one in the village hade ever wanted that. No one in his life had ever wanted that. Why would his rival, of all people?
His concentration shattered as Tina's question was met with the astonished cry of, "Invite that jerk?! No way!" from Nina.
"It might not be a wise idea," Maria nodded thoughtfully.
"Seriously," Kurt interjected, "If we invite Jamie he'll probably start foaming at the mouth."
"He's always so angry," Eve commented. "And no matter what you say to him, he just gets angrier. Honestly, Tina, kindness is lost on him."
Nina nodded. "I remember when he first moved to the village. Mom tried to give him some seeds for free, but he yelled at her and told her he didn't need her charity. Over some turnip seeds! Can you believe the nerve?!"
"I tried to help him untangle his fishing line one time, and he yanked it away from me and asked if I thought he was stupid," Ray said.
"He pretty much did the same thing when we tried to give him a milker and a pair of reins," Ellen added.
Carl frowned. "It's great that you want to believe in him, Tina, but there's just no getting along with a guy like Jamie."
Tina sighed, her head lowering towards the ground. "Well… Yeah, I guess so… He just looks so lonely all the time."
Katie scoffed. "Well if he does, it's his own fault! We've tried being nice to the guy but all he ever does is try to bite our heads off. I mean what else are we supposed to do?"
The others murmured in agreement, and Tina let the issue drop. It wasn't too long before the light atmosphere had returned, and the conversation trickled over into some trivial matter that was lost on Jamie, who was listlessly staring at his feet. The stories of the other villages echoed through his head, bouncing off the walls of his skull. Was that really how things were? The memories he had of the people in Flower Bud—the memories of their infuriating pity, of their subtle pricks at his competence, of being looked down upon—were they truly misunderstood generosity?
'No, that's impossible,' he cynically countered, shaking his head. 'People are not benevolent for no reason. Humans only help each other when they think they can get something out of it!'
Yes, that must have been it. The idiots in this village had deluded themselves into believing they were kind, compassionate creatures. But of course, that was impossible. It was so obvious! After all, as soon as he'd made it clear to them he wouldn't be playing along with their silly games of friendship, what had happened? They shunned him. They were only being nice so he'd grovel at their feet and owe them a debt! He ground his teeth. If that was the way they were going to be, then all the better. What did he care if some selfish weaklings didn't want him around? Pulling his hat tighter over his head so it wouldn't fly off in the strong evening breeze, he changed his course for an even more secluded area of the beach.
He found his anger abate in the slightest as he came upon the shore, the waves sloshing against the sand in a rough tempo that seemed to share in his irritation. Settling into the ground, he checked his watch. The fireworks would start soon. Down the beach towards the west, he could hear the lively chatter of the villagers, and straining his eyes he could see the Mayor hopping into a small motorboat on the sea. It was a crucial part of the festival; there was a small, rocky island further out into the ocean that was just big enough to set up the myriad of pyrotechnics, and Flower Bud had been using it for this night for many years. The crowd hushed in anticipation. Jamie felt his own fists clenching, and it wasn't long before the first steak of color shot up into the sky.
He couldn't help it; the way his heart skipped a beat, his eyes immediately locking on the vivid burst of blue. Two more followed after; red, then yellow. The amount of explosions in the sky steadily increased, some with special effects and colors that he recalled not seeing last year. The villagers cheered out wildly, the shore being illuminated by each flash and fizzle as the rainbow eruptions scattered across the sky. Every year, there was something a little special that made it different from the previous rendition of the display. It was interesting, he admitted, to witness what crafters could invent as they honed their skills of the trade. His mind traveled back through time, remembering the first time he saw a simpler version of the festival. It was shortly after moving to Flower Bud in the spring, and that year he had, without thinking, decided to join the rest of the village to watch the fireworks. He ended up getting harassed to almost no end, and ever since then had been viewing the display alone. It was a disappointing experience, but something about the picture in his mind didn't seem right. Somehow, he also remembered his first Fireworks Festival as an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience. Jamie furrowed his brow; his own logic made no sense. Yes, he specifically remembered being annoyed by all of the people. So why did he come back? He hated the fireworks display that first time in Flower Bud, but he'd gone to begin with that night because he knew he liked fireworks. It was confusing him to no end. Wasn't that year the first time he'd ever seen them? So how could he have known he liked fireworks if he never saw them before? His eyes unfocused suddenly, and the scenery hazed and blurred into a smear of sparkling colors and stars.
"Jamie, look, you see 'em?!" a phantom voice called with excitement, coming from nowhere and everywhere. There was a laugh ringing behind his ear. Warm hands over his shoulders. And— and…? He blinked, the haze and the voice and the laughter suddenly evaporating.
'What is the world was that?' he wondered. A memory? He closed his eyes, clawing at the rapidly retreating vision in hopes that it would come back, but as soon as it appeared, it slipped away. The sound of that voice and the feeling of those hands were both long, long gone.
As the final shimmers of fireworks faded into a black sky, only Jamie remained on the darkened coast.
Oh no, now I've made myself sad D;;;:
In this chapter, we see a bit more of how screwed up Jamie is—he really does have a major obsession with the concept of rivalry. Jamie's someone who's only struggled his whole life, so it makes sense that he'd try to classify most of his relationships in that way if he could. Some of you may recall in an earlier chapter, Jamie sort of has this internal rant about how rivalry and competition is sort of human nature, and drives human history. So he sort of just sees the world this way, and when Tina decides to engage in rivalry with him, it's like she accepts it in his eyes. She's willing to adhere to his view of the world, to be part of his world and part of his history. And even though he still more or less hates her, she's the first person in his life who's ever entertained this notion. And it just makes him terribly excited.
Jamie, on a psychological level, needs a rival to prove himself against. It's something he's always wanted. So in a twistedly romantic sense, he's been waiting for her all his life.