Author's Note: Chapter name? Pun intended! Don't worry; there will be plenty more groan-worthy chapter title puns to come!

P.S. I know I just posted a chapter yesterday, but that chapter was originally going to be part of this one. As you can see, that would've been a loooong chapter. Enjoy!

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"Over here, Claire."

The young woman followed her friend to a grassy patch where Cliff showed her some wild strawberries. They were a little ways off of the main mountain trail, and Claire had never noticed them before.

"Oh, how pretty. Can we actually eat those?" She thought of the wild grapes she had been snacking on when she could find them.

"Yeah. I do all the time." He began picking dandelions and tying the bundles with long pieces of grass before putting them in his bag. He handed her one and she twirled it in her fingers like a child. "You can eat those, too, but they wilt fast. You'll want to eat them the day you pick them."

Claire suddenly realized how Cliff was able to make his money last. She remembered Ann's comment about how he rarely ate the food at the inn. Claire popped a leaf into her mouth. It was bitter, but not terrible. The farmer looked around her; there were dandelions everywhere… there was food growing everywhere, free for her to eat… She hastily began picking some and copied her friend's bundles.

"Cliff."

Claire jumped at the sudden deep voice behind them.

Cliff turned around. "Ah, hello, Gotz."

"So this is her, huh?" Although his tone was what the farmer believed to be friendly, the man's baritone voice seemed to rumble the entire ground as he spoke.

Claire observed the man. That farmer knew that she had never met him before; the young woman was certain that she would remember someone like him. If she had one word to describe his appearance, it would be intimidating – the middle-aged man was very tall and solidly-built, and Claire vaguely wondered if he could fit through a doorway. The male had a heavy-looking axe resting on one shoulder and a hunting rifle slung across his back. Claire wasn't used to seeing people carry weapons so openly and instinctively felt a little nervous; people in the city didn't carry around firearms or blades through the streets for the purpose of hunting deer or pheasants, after all.

The young man stood up to greet him, and she noticed that her friend only came up to the man's shoulders. Gotz had a mess of thick brown hair, a bushy beard, and heavy eyebrows, but the farmer noticed that his dark eyes had a quiet warmth to them; he was no one to be afraid of. After all, if Gotz was someone that Cliff already was on friendly terms with, he must be a good person and have a gentler side.

"Gotz, this is Claire. She's running Mystic Acres, the farm just to the north of your place," Cliff explained, and the young woman was surprised at how someone who was typically so quiet and shy still knew how to make a proper introduction. "Claire, this is Gotz. He lives a bit to the southwest of here and he is a master at carpentry."

The farmer had stood up quickly as the introductions were made and she brushed off her overalls, hoping that she was making a decent first impression. "Hello. Pleased to meet you," Claire bowed politely and wasn't taken aback to see that the man chose not to mirror her gesture. He folded his muscular arms across his chest and grunted.

"You make me sound much more impressive than I am," Gotz let out a gravelly laugh as he looked over at his friend. "I cut wood and build stuff. I also patrol around here." His dark eyes bored into Claire's and his expression turned serious. "Don't waste resources."

To the young woman's surprise, Cliff let out a friendly laugh. "Of course she won't! I'm going to be her guide this afternoon, and I'll show her how to properly forage around here."

Claire's eyes travelled curiously between the two; she wondered how long the two had known each other, and if they spent a lot of time up here together.

"Well, alright. Show her how to do it right. You should show her the burdock. They're growing like crazy over by the lake. You know where I keep my shovel back at my place." The woodcutter gave Cliff a slight nod, and Claire realized that this was not a suggestion, it was a command.

"I'll be right back," the young man gave his female friend a kind smile and hurried over to the cottage. The farmer noticed that he looked back over his shoulder at them a couple of times as he jogged away.

"He's a good kid..." Gotz's deep voice startled her. He was staring up the path toward the mountaintop.

"Y-yeah…" Claire's voice faltered; she wasn't expecting to be left alone with a stranger today and he hardly seemed like the type that enjoyed small talk, not that she was an expert on the subject herself.

"The mountains can be dangerous. Don't go up the trail if the weather's bad." His eyes didn't move from the peak of Mother's Hill, and Claire noticed his eyebrows were furrowed in what almost looked like regret. They stood in silence for a few uncomfortable minutes, staring at the top of the mountain together.

"I'm back." Cliff's sudden voice made the pair jump.

Gotz swore under his breath; he obviously wasn't the type that enjoyed being surprised, but Claire noticed that there was still kindness in his eyes. "Alright... I'll be around if you need me." He hoisted his axe over his shoulder and headed out into the deep woods.

Claire never went far off the trail; she watched as the large man loudly crunched sticks and twigs under his boots. Honestly, she was a little afraid to venture too deep into the forest; she had no idea what was living out there, and the fact that Gotz was walking around with a rifle didn't make her feel any more confident about doing her own exploring out there.

Cliff bit back a laugh. Koro was staring at the woodcutter with wide eyes the same way his master was. They both looked a little unsure of how they felt about him. "Gotz is a nice guy; he's just not crazy about people in general. Don't take it personally." The young man didn't feel that it was his place to explain why Gotz preferred to spend his time away from others.

The pair followed the trail to the pond, Koro in tow. They spent some time digging up burdock roots and Claire quickly found that it was hard work. The roots were very deep and much harder to get out of the ground than her turnips or potatoes; tilled soil made a huge difference.

"So I guess you kind of know how it feels to harvest crops, then," Claire smiled, leaning on the shovel while they took a quick break.

"A burdock plant here or there is nothing compared to a field of turnips," her friend returned, cutting the leaves off of the roots and storing them in a separate pile.

"Someday I'll have an actual field… Right now, I just have a few pathetic plots," the farmer let out a sigh and took a seat in the grass. She stared out at the lake and frowned. "There's so much more I can be doing with that land, but I just don't have the resources right now."

Cliff was staring out at the water as well. "Give it time."

Claire knew he was right. She pulled her knees to her chest and admired the crystal blue lake for a few minutes. Summer would be here before she knew it. A new season meant new crops she would be able to plant, and a chance to start out fresh. She wouldn't waste the first chunk of the season wallowing in self-pity like she had done this spring; the farmer was determined to improve.

Her eyes moved to the greenery around them, and they lit up when she saw a few thin green sprouts popping out of the ground. She pulled herself up to her feet, eager to show her friend that she wasn't completely clueless when it came to wild plants.

"Ha!" Claire exclaimed proudly, "I know what these are!" She excitedly began tearing at a bamboo shoot with her bare hands. She looked up and saw that Cliff had joined her and was harvesting a few of his own; he was able to do so quickly with the aid of the knife he brought with him. The natural way his hand moved with the blade told Claire that this was something he had been doing for years.

He presented her with a few of them. "I bet Zack would even pay you for these. People cook with them, and there are so many here already. Honestly, you can probably cut as many as you want; they grow so quickly, anyway."

"Thank you." He was really fast at gathering things, she noticed. She paused. She suddenly knew how she could help the young man. The farmer didn't know why she had never thought of this before, and the idea made her giddy. "Hey, Cliff!"

"Y-yeah?" He shuffled the bamboo shoots in his arms and looked at her curiously. He saw the smile on her face and found that he was mirroring her.

"Why don't you keep these bamboo shoots for yourself? You know, you can use my box to ship some things any time you want. Just give me a list of what's yours and I'll bring you the money." It was so simple; there was no reason why she couldn't share her bin with him.

His eyes widened at the notion of guaranteed money for things he found growing up in the mountains. Finding a steady buyer in Mineral Town had been his main struggle with hunting; Doug wasn't too keen on serving possum and raccoon on the inn's menu. Gotz was happy to take it off of his hands, but for a very low price. Hunting wasn't reliable in this season, anyway; despite the lush beauty of Mother's Hill, there was not nearly as much wildlife as he had expected. He wondered how the hunting season in the fall would be, but this was a worry for another day.

"You'd really do that for me?" He was so surprised at Claire's generous offer that he had to sit down, and the farmer quickly realized that there was a good chance he was exaggerating about how much money he had in savings. He sat silently for a moment, taking it all in. "In exchange, I can show you how to prepare the things we forage today."

"Sounds fair enough." She cooked well with familiar ingredients, and was eager to learn about some new ones. "But… I don't even have a kitchen in my house." She was reminded of how meager her house was when Karen had practiced cooking with her. "I don't even have plumbing." She slumped down beside him.

Cliff shrugged. "That doesn't make any difference." He placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and gave her a small leaf, "Here, taste this."

"Okay." This time last year, she couldn't imagine herself sitting on the ground, tasting wild plants with a man clad in animal hides. At that time, she had been busy trying to catch the train to work while shuffling her bags of paperwork she had taken home to catch up on. Life was so different now. She closed her eyes and focused on the herb. She was sure she knew the flavor. "Rosemary."

Cliff nodded. "One of my favorites." He picked a cluster, inhaled the fragrance, and put it in his bag.

She watched him gather more herbs and noticed how much more confident he was acting today. He had a gentle spirit, and Claire had always seen him as painfully shy and anxious, but he seemed so relaxed at the moment. The farmer noticed how she often felt a bit intimidated by Karen's strong personality, and realized that there was a good chance he felt the same way around the grocer's daughter. Claire snapped out of her reverie and looked back down at the rosemary.

"Do you just eat it plain?" She asked.

"It's quite strong by itself; I mix it with things," Cliff explained, "But every night I tuck some in my pillow for the smell." He handed her a small sprig and she took a whiff. She almost instantly felt her muscles relax.

"Stress relief. It helps you to sleep, doesn't it, Cliff?" The words and solemn tone came out of her mouth before she could stop them. She had often seen him with dark circles under his eyes when she had visited Carter at the church.

He looked up at her, surprised she had been so blunt with him. "Yes. Yes it does," he answered honestly.

"Then I'll try it, too," Claire stated, smiling at him.

They spent the next couple of hours collecting herbs, berries, and the like. Claire had a lot of questions about foraging, and Cliff answered all of them in an encouraging way. She got a strong sense that he had been doing this for a long time, but he never came off as proud or boastful; he was eager to be useful to someone. Gotz took a quick break from his work and identified some poisonous plants to Claire and showed her what was safe to eat. The woodcutter gave them a grunt goodbye and took the shovel along with him, and Claire thought that she saw a small smile under that bushy brown beard.

"Let's go back to the inn and I can show you how to prepare some of these things."

"Alright." Claire's bag was getting pretty heavy.

Gray was on his way up the stairs carrying a book when he saw the pair lugging their packs behind them.

"Oh, you made a nice haul today, Cliff," Gray noted, eyeing up Claire. A smug look was plastered across his face.

Cliff didn't notice his roommate's teasing; he was eager to get started.

"H-hi, Gray. How are you doing?" Claire stammered. The rest of the world disappeared; there were only the two of them walking up the stairs together.

"Same crap, different day," he shrugged good-naturedly.

Ah, he is in good spirits again today… Claire had a feeling her good day was about to get a lot better. Cliff opened the door for them and set his bag on the table. Claire found herself hesitating before following Cliff to the table; she suddenly realized she would much rather spend time with the other young man in the room.

Gray had a book in his hand and threw himself on his bed, getting straight to his reading. Claire noticed that he had a much more casual air about him tonight. It looked like he was reading a war novel.

Cliff was sorting through the burdock roots. He shuffled them around to get his friend's attention. "Claire," he said her name kindly, but not without a little bit of sternness.

The farmer realized she had been caught staring at the blacksmith and whirled around. She blushed. "I'm sorry. What did you want to show me first?"

"The burdock." He reached at his waist and removed his hunting knife from its leather sheath. The blade was sharp, but the handle was well-worn; Claire could tell that it was one of his prized possessions. The farmer had watched the young man work with the tool, and he used it so naturally he acted as if it were simply an extension of his hand. She watched as her friend deftly peeled the root with his knife. "You can eat the outside, but it doesn't really taste as good, and it can be a pain to clean. It's the inside you want." An earthy smell filled the room. Claire was initially caught off guard by the scent, but quickly found that it grew on her.

The young man taught her how to string up herbs for drying and showed her how to combine the fresh herbs with the dandelions to make salads and teas. He told her that she could eat the burdock buds raw if she wanted to, but told her a couple of other ways to prepare the root over a fire. They were simple things, and Claire felt a bit silly she hadn't thought to do them before. Cliff had even brought some burdock leaves in his bag to wrap up the wild strawberries. They cleaned up the table and shared a snack of wild fruit.

"Well, I should probably be heading out," Claire finally said; her eyes had moved to the window and she saw that it was sunset. She half-expected Gray to recite his line about her needing to go back to the farm, and she realized with disappointment that she had cut the visit short herself.

"I will walk you home," Cliff jumped up eagerly, helping her get her things together.

Gray put down his book, stretched, and walked over to the table where the two were sitting.

"Have a good night, Claire." His pale blue eyes were focused on the piles of goods they had acquired up in the mountains.

"Thanks, you too." Claire's heart pounded; he rarely said goodbye to her in such a friendly manner. She turned toward him, trying to think of something more to say. "… Tucker's doing well," she added brightly.

"Oh, good. You'll get used to having him," Gray gave her a nod, but his eyes didn't move from the table.

She was disappointed he didn't say more on the subject.

Cliff pushed a bundle of roots toward Gray. "For your grandfather."

Gray took a seat next to his roommate with and wore an emotionless expression; he had been expecting this. "More burdock for him." Gray sighed and rested his chin on his hand. "I don't get it. Gramps fell in love with you the moment he met you. What am I doing wrong?"

Claire was shocked by his candidness.

"Saibara loves you very much," Cliff stated with a warm smile. He tied up an extra bunch and set it off to the side to keep for himself. "You just need to see it in the everyday things he does with you."

Gray rolled his eyes. "You've been hanging out with Carter too much." He tugged on his hat. "Go on, get out of here. Get Claire home safely before it gets too dark."

Their walk to her house was a quiet one. Claire was dying to ask Cliff more about Gray and Saibara. She wanted to know more about the blacksmith's apprentice, anything, really. She had seen a gentler, friendlier side of him again this evening and it intrigued her even more. She opened her mouth and quickly closed it again, realizing that ever since they had returned to the inn her focus had quickly narrowed to Cliff's roommate. She was a bit embarrassed, realizing how brushed off Cliff must have felt when he was only trying to help her. She was reminded of the times she first met Cliff in the church and when he brought the basket of apples from Carter; she had been very rude to the young man then, too. They finally arrived at her house. They had dropped Koro off at the farm on their way back to the inn, and the puppy was sleeping beside his doghouse.

Claire hesitated at the front door. That awkward dilemma had come up again. "Well, here we are," Claire smiled nervously, fidgeting with her rucksack.

"I had a great time with you today," Cliff said a little too quickly, looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet.

She remembered their conversation from the other day. "You do have things you're good at, Cliff," the farmer murmured.

"Huh?" He looked at her curiously and cocked an eyebrow.

The young woman smiled at him. "Remember when we were at the grocery store together with Karen? You said you didn't have any special skills. You lied; you've got really good survival skills."

He gave her a friendly laugh and she was surprised he didn't stammer or deflect her compliment. "Thank you for thinking so. I was happy to be able to help you today."

Cliff took Claire's hands in his and gave them a squeeze. His hands, like Gray's, were a bit rough. They were warm and comforting, and Claire noticed that this attribute wasn't confined to his hands. Claire looked up at her friend. His cheeks were rosy, but he didn't look embarrassed or shy. His eyes were wide and glowing, and his mouth was turned up in a bright smile.

Claire felt her heart throb with joy; she was seeing her friend completely unshackled from his negative emotions and memories for the first time. Strangely enough, she felt a lump form in her throat and her eyes felt misty. Why couldn't he always be this way?

"Let's both keep working our hardest, okay?" His blue eyes were lit up. "You'll be the best farmer around here before you know it!"

His excitement was exhilarating; the young woman couldn't keep herself from grinning. "Maybe. Now that I won't be starving all the time, I'll be able to work harder!" She paused. She really did owe him a lot for today. "Thanks again for lunch and thank you for all of your help today. Please remember you can use my shipping bin any time you need." Claire felt the gratitude from the bottom of her heart; so many options were suddenly open to her.

Their eyes locked, and Claire was pleased to see the genuine happiness and gratitude reflected back at her. They both knew there was no way he would forget to ship things. "And I thank you as well. I'll see you again soon." He gave her hands one last squeeze and turned back toward town.

She realized that he had finally shown his true personality today. "Okay, have a good night, Cliff."

"You, too." He gave her a friendly wave as he left.

The farmer dragged her heavy bag into the room and sorted out what she wanted to eat and what she wanted to sell. Gray was right; they did get a nice haul. Claire wouldn't have to worry quite as much about food. She could sell most of her crops instead of eating them. Moreover, she could take some excess things she found in the mountains, such as the bamboo shoots, and make a little extra money off of them.

Satisfied with these new options, the farmer flopped onto her bed and got ready for sleeping. She took a sprig of rosemary and tucked it in her pillowcase. It smelled wonderful. As sleep began to take her, she thought of Cliff and was wondering if he, too, was falling asleep to the same smell. She made a prayer to the gods to bless her friend with a restful sleep, but she ended up falling asleep before she had finished.

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Author's Note: I hope y'all enjoyed Gotz. He's one of my favorite villagers and I've been excited to include him in the story. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think so far!