Author's Note: It's a chilly day here in Michigan, but let's pretend it's a nice, hot summer day in Mineral Town! Enjoy the new chapter!
"And don't forget about the fanservice!" Isn't that what they always said in Evangelion for episode previews? XD
Anyways, enjoy!
0o0o0o0
"It's summertime, and you know what that means-!" Karen sang with a flourish as she walked with Claire to the grocery store.
"Noooo! Stop it!" The blonde groaned as she gave her friend a rough shove and got a giggle in reply; the grocer's daughter had been singing that annoying song all morning as the farmer showed off her field plans and it was more than stuck in both of their heads. "Technically, it's the last day of spring; it's not summer yet," Claire corrected her. She eagerly shuffled her rucksack on her shoulders. She had emptied it so that she could stuff it with seeds for the upcoming season.
"Yeah, but I saw Kai earlier today, so it is officially summer!" The brunette explained, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She shot her friend a grin.
"Who is Kai?" Claire recalled Rick mentioning that name the day before and wasn't about to forget the frightening look on his face when he did.
"He comes here every summer to open his snack shack on the beach. He stays at the inn. He's…" Karen looked around the two of them suspiciously before continuing. "He's actually pretty cute and friendly; he's a really good guy. Popuri's kinda got a thing for him, but don't say anything to Rick about it – Kai unleashes his papa bear alter ego…"
"Ah…" So Rick was a rather protective older brother… Claire understood a little better now, or at least she thought…
"There… is something sweet about it, though," Karen smiled as she looked ahead, and the farmer noticed that the brunette's cheeks were slightly pink.
"What, Popuri and Kai's relationship?" Claire teased, and gave her friend a playful punched her arm. They opened the door to the shop.
"Hey, Dad! I brought us a customer!" Jeff's daughter announced loudly as the door swung open.
The proprietor was straightening a shelf of dry goods when he turned around and greeted them. "Hi, Claire! What are you looking to buy?"
"A ton of seeds!" Claire answered excitedly. She looked around for the colorful sacks but her grin faded when she didn't see any new ones yet.
The shopkeeper shook his head. "I usually don't put out the next season's seeds until it has started. They're still in the back room. We'll be closed tomorrow for the holiday, and I'll be taking a couple days off after that for my health."
The farmer frowned. Closed? On the first day of the season?! She panicked; she was going to lose precious time with her intricate plans… The young woman did a terrible job of hiding her uneasiness at this turn of events.
"But we can make an exception, huh, Dad? You can sell them to her today, right?" Karen grinned, casually leaning on the countertop, looking at her father with pleading eyes. "She's going all in with her savings, after all..."
"S-so you'll be paying… cash?" Jeff's eyes widened as they moved to the blonde.
Claire nodded proudly and her face lit up; she had been saving carefully so that she could invest a lot.
The grocer stared at the floor pensively for a moment. "Alright, then, pick out what you want from the stockroom," he finally said with a sigh. "I usually only sell seeds early for big order customers like Pete…"
Karen grinned. "Thanks, Dad!"
Claire bought so many seeds she couldn't fit anything else into her rucksack. That was probably for the best; she didn't have much money left for anything but her house payment. It was going to be a very lean early summer, but if she stayed disciplined, it would prove to be a very profitable season. Claire figured she should get accustomed to the flavor of dandelions once again…
The shopkeeper looked at his full cash register and did not regret his decision to give in to his daughter's demands. "Pleasure doing business with you!" Jeff grinned.
The grocer's daughter caught a hold of her friend's arm before she left the shop. "So, you're coming with me to Beach Day tomorrow, right?" Karen asked.
"Beach Day?" Claire cocked her head and wondered if that was the holiday Jeff had mentioned.
"Yeah! I keep telling you to keep an eye on the bulletin board in town! There's a festival tomorrow! Dog frisbee competitions, swimming, and free junk food. You can plant your seeds the next day. Come on!" Karen grabbed her friend's wrist and pulled her to the back room of the shop, locking the door behind them.
"I guess I could go." Claire felt she had little choice with her friend's enthusiasm about the event, but some time near the water did sound refreshing.
"You're going," Karen said firmly as Claire set down her heavy bag and stretched her back. "And I can guarantee you will die out there in denim and flannel on the beach. You don't own a swimsuit, do you?"
Claire's heart fell. Everyone was going to be able to cool off and have fun except for her. She bit her lip, silently cursing herself for being so self-pitying, but it didn't seem to help much. "Well, no." It had been getting hotter, and now that Karen mentioned the beach, she wanted nothing more than to play in the waves.
"Well, then you're lucky I have spares," Karen pulled open her dresser. She pulled out a bright purple bikini and hugged it to her chest. "Except this one. It's mine."
Claire played off her elation with a casual shrug, but again, she must have done a terrible job of hiding her emotions, because she was met with a grin from Karen. "Okay, I'll take whatever you're willing to lend out." The thought of jumping into cool water sounded like a wonderful treat.
The brunette laid out a few choices for her friend. Claire's face felt hot; she had never worn something so revealing. The farmer was tempted to ask Karen if she had a one-piece suit, or at the very least something more modest, but didn't want to sound ungrateful or rude.
"Well, go on! Try one on and see if it's comfortable," Karen dug through her closet for some sandals, laughing. "They're all cute ones!"
That was the problem; they were all eye-catching. The blonde wasn't too keen on the idea of people seeing her in a swimsuit. Claire felt more awkward than she did at the hot spring. She stared at her choices and opted for a more cutesy design than a sexy one. The teal bathing suit covered only slightly more skin than the others and the demure ruffles on the garment made her feel a little more covered up. She changed as quickly as she could while her friend's back was turned. "Alright, this one fits!" She announced as she adjusted the straps to fit more properly. Claire was relieved that she would be able to go swimming and that she hadn't been stuck with the most revealing of the choices.
"I see you picked the one my mom bought me," Karen laughed; she knew Claire would select that suit the moment she set it on her bed. "The most modest one, naturally. You look good in teal."
"Thanks," Claire had never worn a bikini in her life and felt like she might as well wear her underwear to the beach. She felt her face grow warm; she would just jump into the water when she got there. That was what Beach Day was all about, anyway.
Karen let out a low whistle at her friend. "Maybe I should take up farming. Do you think I could get abs like that?" She tossed some cutoff shorts and an oversized t shirt on the bed for her friend to wear over the bikini.
Claire could feel her friend's eyes on her and reddened, realizing she was very likely roped into Sexual Tension: The Festival. And here she thought it would revolve around the Frisbee competition… "Well, I guess lugging baskets of turnips around has its advantages," She laughed weakly, pulling on the shorts. Claire frowned; even the shorts were a bit higher cut than she was used to. They were a bit loose, but they'd work just fine; she had a length of rope in her stable that she could use as a belt.
"You know, you really could get away with something more like this," Karen held up a more daring suit with a smirk.
"This one's good. Thank you for lending me a swimsuit." Claire replied politely, buttoning up the shorts. She knew Karen was trying to embarrass her on purpose at this point.
Karen laughed and slapped her shoulder. "You are adorable."
0o0o0o0
"I know Koro won't be able to compete; he's still a puppy, but I thought he would have fun at the beach with us," Claire explained to Karen as they made their way to the festival the next morning. Koro's paws tapped against the cobblestones as he trotted to keep up with the two friends.
"Well, maybe he can learn from the pros this year," Karen replied, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. "It's crazy what some people's dogs can do. Some people from outside of town and the Valley stop by to compete."
While Claire was eager to see the dog stunts, she was most excited to go swimming in the ocean. She had grown up in a fairly urban area, and her family didn't have much money to use on vacations, so she spent a lot of her summers on hot concrete. And now that it was finally warm enough, the young woman was very excited to relax in some cold water. She had been tempted to skinny dip in the river that ran along her house after working a couple of times, but her nerves always got the better of her; she became increasingly aware of how many people used the path through her property to go to Mother's Hill.
They arrived at the beach and Claire stared at the glittering ocean. It took all the willpower she could muster not to run across the beach and jump at the incoming waves. The beach was already in use – it looked like the Frisbee Competition had already started. The two young women watched as the dogs leapt into the air to catch the flying disks.
A young man wearing a backwards blue cap seemed to be the star of the show. He tossed the frisbee across the beach and his dog did a flip to catch it. The crowd cheered.
"Wow, that's pretty cool, huh?" Karen whistled as the young man threw his second disc.
"Yeah… I wish my dog could obey orders I give him…" Claire looked over at Koro, who was alternating between barking at the surf and chasing his own tail. "He's pretty hopeless, isn't he?" The farmer laughed.
"Yeah, but he's the cutest dog here," Karen called the puppy over and scratched his chin. Claire was grateful that Koro was a pretty well-behaved pet; she had been paranoid her dog would bite people after the number he did on Mayor Thomas.
The young man claimed his prize and the people on the beach began to chant. "Pete… Pete… Pete…"
Karen's eyes widened. "Oh, Goddess, that's Pete?!" She stood up to get a better view. "He's just a kid!"
"Huh?" Claire squinted and shaded her eyes with her hand.
"The farmer from Forget-Me-Not-Valley! He's in the next town over! He orders stuff from our shop all the time, but I've never met him in person before. Either that, or I never caught on that it was him," Karen let out a delighted laugh. "We gotta say hi to him!"
The crowd from the frisbee competition broke up, and the winner of the contest made his way toward the exit of the beach, his dog proudly prancing behind him.
"Pete!" Karen waved her arms at him.
The young man appeared startled. He looked at the young woman and pointed at himself quizzically.
Karen beckoned him to come over with a finger, laughing. "Pete, it's me, Karen! Congrats on your win!"
"Thanks!" He grinned and jogged over to them. "Karen, hi! Wow… How are you?" His large brown eyes immediately traveled over her in a curious manner.
"It's nice to put a face to a voice, huh?" Karen giggled; she was accustomed to stares.
"Wow… I didn't realize I was talking to such a beautiful lady all this time," Pete gave her a playful grin.
Karen cocked an eyebrow; she was used to men's reactions to her physical appearance. "Nice try, but flattery won't give you a discount. You'll have to pay full price for your seeds and groceries just like everyone else."
The young man roared with laughter. "No good, huh? I thought I was being smooth…" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, but the blonde got the distinct feeling that this shyness was feigned.
"Claire, Pete's been a farmer in Forget-Me-Not Valley for... How long have you been there now?" She looked over at him, biting her lip. "I know I've been taking your phone orders since I was a teenager…"
"Oh, man…" The young man took off his hat and tossed it back and forth between his hands before placing it back on his head thoughtfully. "Since I was eighteen… How many years now…?"
"Oh, please! You're so old that you can't remember your age! Or are you really that bad at math?" Karen giggled.
"Seven! Seven years!" He yelled over her, and the two of them laughed harder.
"You've been a farmer for seven years?" Claire looked up at him in awe. He was only a few years older than her and had already been so established...
"Yep. I inherited the place from my grandfather, so I took it over as soon as I was legally able to. Claire, was it?" His eyes moved to the young woman sitting down on the beach blanket. She had been so quiet he didn't even notice her until Karen had mentioned Claire's name.
"Yes," The young woman stood up, smoothing out her wrinkled t shirt. "Pleased to meet you," she bowed politely. "I just started running the farm here back in spring. It's called Mystic Acres."
He bit back a smirk at the strong city accent; she was definitely a greenhorn. "Ah, a newbie, eh?" He gave her a kind smile and she was surprised when he reached out to shake her hand. "Well, you got a great piece of property; great location. Work hard and you'll do great! We farmers gotta support each other."
"Th-thanks!" Claire hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Her heart leapt with joy. Pete saw her as one of his kind; it felt good to be included. His hands were calloused but warm - they were farmer's hands. Claire wondered if her own hands would feel like this someday…
"I stop by Mineral Town from time to time… Mostly to party at festivals," he admitted with a mischievous grin. "See you guys around. And Claire, I want a report on your farm next time!" He winked at her as he left the beach with his dog.
They waved goodbye to him.
"He seemed really friendly," Claire commented, realizing that she was more fired up than ever to get to work in her fields.
"He's a hoot," Karen laughed.
Claire noticed more people entering the beach and congregating near the front of the white beach hut that had been vacant up to now.
"Looks like Kai's opening. Free food! … Aaaand here come the vultures," Karen laughed, taking a seat under an umbrella. "Let's wait for everyone to calm down for a while before we go over."
Claire was reminded that they were right by the ocean. Her eyes were focused on the blue waves. "Do you want to go swimming?"
"Eh, maybe in a little bit," Karen removed her cover-up and put on some sunglasses. "I think I'll just chill here for a while. Go on ahead."
The farmer practically jumped out of her borrowed shorts and baggy t-shirt and forgot that she was embarrassed to wear a swimsuit in public. She hopped across the hot beach to the edge of the water and Koro barked, following her. The young woman buried her toes in the wet sand and her puppy sniffed around her feet. She looked out at the ocean and wondered why she had never come here before to relax. Koro began playing in the shallows of the water, and his master joined him. Claire laughed as the waves shoved at the both of them. She had never seen her dog so happy.
Karen was putting on some sunscreen when she saw Gray and Cliff entering the beach together. She waved to them, and they came over.
"Took you guys long enough," Karen laughed.
Both young men had very strained smiles on their faces.
"Hey," Gray nodded and tugged on his hat by way of greeting.
"Hi, Karen," Cliff greeted her politely enough, but his eyes were already drawn to the farmer, who was attempting to do battle against the incoming waves, laughing like a child.
"She's cute, huh? Just like a little kid on vacation." Karen giggled, but wasn't blind to the way both men were looking at her friend out in the water.
"Why aren't you out there with her?" Gray asked the young woman.
"I don't feel like getting wet," Karen shrugged. "And I'm waiting for the crowd to die down so I can get some free food."
"Well, if you want this afternoon to be a peaceful one, you'll finish your business with Kai before you speak to Rick," Gray stared at the line of people around the beach hut.
Karen rolled her eyes. She looked over at Cliff, who was still watching Claire; his whole face was lit up and flushed. "Well, go on!" She teased. To her surprise, he didn't get flustered at all; he threw off his sandals, ran to the edge of water and called for his friend.
Gray let out a loud sigh.
"So was he a handful this morning, or was it you?" Karen asked. "I'm sensing a 'first fight' vibe from the two of you."
Gray snorted. "This is not our first fight." He groaned and took a seat beside her. "I told him about this festival last week and asked him if he had something to wear for it. He said that he did, so I thought nothing of it. But this morning when we were getting ready to leave, guess what he was wearing?"
Karen stared at the young man out in the water. "Don't tell me; a fundoshi." She laughed heartily, looking at the well-worn geta Cliff had left behind in the sand beside her. "He looks the type, no? Very old school and traditional."
Gray buried his face in his hands and reddened. "Identical to my Grandpa's," He shuddered at the image of Saibara. "I didn't know anyone still wore them. I told Cliff if he wanted to be allowed to leave the room, he would change. I even offered him a spare pair of trunks, but he didn't see what was wrong with what he was wearing. He actually put up a bit of a fight about it and said I was making a big deal out of nothing."
"Whoa… I would have paid money to see that whole argument," Karen roared. She couldn't picture the quiet brunette standing up to the temperamental apprentice about anything, let alone an argument about him showing too much skin.
Gray frowned. She was not helping. "He'd never been to a social event that required swimwear since he left home. Where on earth would people still walk around in those things?" he folded his arms across his chest.
"Well, he's probably going through a bit of culture shock," Karen offered. "Don't get mad at him."
"I finally told him that Claire might make fun of him. He changed immediately." Gray sighed again, staring at his roommate as Cliff bent over to pick up something in the sand, becoming even more grateful he had won the argument. "Yeesh…"
Karen giggled and shoved his shoulder; she had seen the same thing. "Oh, you're so mean, Gray."
The apprentice's scowl faded. "… Do you think that I was too rough? Maybe I shouldn't have laid into him so hard…" He frowned as he pulled off his t shirt, reaching for Karen's sunscreen. "Hey, share... I burn easily."
The brunette rolled her eyes. Typical Gray; he probably didn't even own a bottle of sunscreen. "Mineral Town has a high percentage of redheads with fair skin, huh?" The young woman laughed, handing him the bottle.
Gray shrugged. "I never really thought about it."
"Well, what exactly did you say to Cliff that even someone like you is concerned about how it sounded?" Karen looked at the apprentice curiously. "And while you're at it, get my back; I can't reach."
Gray blushed as he rubbed some sunscreen on his arms. "Get Claire to do it."
Karen abandoned her friendly tone and replaced it with a brusque one. "Claire's busy. Give me back my sunscreen if you refuse to help. Don't be a baby; Mary's not here today, and even if she were, we both know she's mature enough that she wouldn't give a shit. She's tolerant about other things, if you catch my drift," She raised her eyebrows at him suspiciously before draping her long hair over one shoulder, shifting her sitting position so that she was in front of him.
"… Fine," The young man grumbled, applying the lotion to her back, mouthing a few choice words at the back of her head. He was eager to change the topic of conversation away from women. "I swear Cliff doesn't try hard enough to try to fit in with people here."
She jumped at how cold the lotion was and wished she had left the bottle in the sun. "What do you mean? He's got a few friends; you, me, Claire, and Ann," Karen replied, her eyes focused on the subject of their conversation. Cliff was petting a damp Koro and laughed when the dog shook himself dry and splattered him. He responded by splashing the puppy back and was met with an eager bark.
"Well, yeah, but… He makes no attempts to relate to people," Gray closed the cap on the bottle and handed it back to the brunette.
Karen shook her head. The farmer had been unknowingly rambling about their mutual friend lately, whether it was regarding their church visits, foraging trips, or bragging about his survival skills. Claire always spoke of her male friend with great admiration. "That's not true. Hey… If I end up with burn streaks on my back, your ass is grass. Alright; you turn around and I'll do you now."
The apprentice obeyed, but jumped when her hands landed on his skin. He cursed loudly. "Goddess, that's cold!" He turned around and gave her an icy glare.
Karen pulled her sunglasses over her eyes. "Deal with it. I wanna hear what you said to make Cliff mad." She stuck her tongue out at him. The brunette was aching to hear the conversation that started all of the drama. She motioned for him to turn back around and he complied with a sigh. Karen was much more businesslike in her application of the sunscreen. Her eyes were half-glued to the blonde out in the water; after all, the last thing she needed was a jealous Claire. "Well?"
The apprentice made no threats for her slapdash job of covering his back. The color drained from Gray's face. "I told him that he was acting like an obstinate fool, just like Grandpa, and that if he didn't want Claire to tease him for being old fashioned and stubborn, he'd better change." It sounded much worse when he said it aloud.
"That is… a little harsh," Karen felt a wave of guilt as stared out at the deep blue water; perhaps she had made Claire uncomfortable as well. She had only given her friend choices of swimwear that she thought would grant the farmer the most attention. She absentmindedly closed the bottle of sunscreen and watched Claire and Cliff jump in the waves; neither of them seemed focused on what they were wearing at the moment. Ann had joined them and brought a beach ball, and they were attempting some sort of variation on volleyball.
"Well, what was I supposed to do? Could you imagine someone showing up on this beach wearing a fundoshi?" Gray rolled his eyes. "He would have been teased by someone, and then he'd clam himself up like he always does and go hide in the mountains or the church."
"Hmmm… Not necessarily. I mean, did he look good in it?" Karen wriggled her eyebrows. "Some people here might be into it…" She cocked her head in the direction of the demure nurse. Doctor Trent put a thick layer of zinc oxide on his nose, and Elli was giggling at her little brother, Stu, who was streaking it on his own face like war paint.
Gray snorted. "Are you having fun creating non-existent drama?"
"Tons." She smirked at him shamelessly as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, smacking him in the face with it. She was met with a loud curse in reply, and her smirk grew.
"Really, though… He would have been teased for sure; what choices did I have?"
"I dunno," Karen admitted. Gray was right; it was likely someone would have made fun of Cliff if he had shown up in his intended attire. Karen realized with a twinge of guilt that she it was likely she would have been the culprit. The grocer's daughter would have been playful about it, of course, but surely the young man would have made himself scarce after her teasing remarks. "Well… I had a struggle with Claire about swimwear, too. She worries too much about what everyone else thinks."
"Well, that's dumb." His eyes were focused on their friends playing in the water.
Karen stared at him incredulously; she had half a mind to slap him for being so insensitive. "Well, not everyone is as confident as we are."
"I just meant… She looks quite… different… right now than she does in her bulky work clothes," he pulled down on his hat as he watched Claire in the waves. The volleyball game had inevitably turned into a violent game where the ball was thrown at the opponents' faces.
"You mean you think she's got nothing to be ashamed of?" A mischievous grin spread across Karen's face. "… There's nothing wrong with thinking a girl is attractive, so long as you don't pursue each one you see unless you're actually interested in them," She chose her words carefully as she nudged him a little harder than he was comfortable with.
He scowled at the young woman. "I know that! Do you honestly think I see you as ugly?" He cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest in a huff.
A grin spread across the brunette's face. "I'll take that as a compliment," Karen laughed, "But I'm not interested."
"And neither am I," Gray rolled his eyes.
Karen looked out at the water. Her friends were still engaged in violent sport. Ann threw the ball at Cliff's face so aggressively it bounced back and hit her own and they both flew backward. Claire was laughing so hard she was nearly in tears. "Well, it looks like they're both having fun, despite us making things hard for them," Karen's voice softened.
"Yeah…" The pair watched their friends stumble out of the water and back onto the beach.
"Please tell me you saw that!" Ann pleaded to Karen and Gray as her friends followed. The three of them were giggling so much they were out of breath and having a hard time walking through the sand, staggering like a trio of drunks. Koro was following the three, barking happily. Claire was carrying the beach ball and playfully bopped Karen on the head with it.
"Oh, I saw," Karen beamed.
"Last one to Kai's gets a beach ball to the face!" Ann yelled, dashing to the hut; as always, she was eager for free food.
Claire set down the ball and Karen seized her wrist. "Come on; let's go," Karen smiled warmly at her friend and took her hand, seizing the opportunity to keep Claire's mind focused on the lighthearted fun of the festival rather than any tension that would surely arise if she noticed a half-naked Gray.
Cliff turned to follow them.
"Hey…"
He stopped in his tracks and turned toward his roommate.
Gray's features softened. "Cliff… I'm sorry about earlier. I … I didn't mean to be so harsh with you," He stammered.
There wasn't a trace of stress left in Cliff's face. "Don't worry about it." The apprentice was surprised that his roommate wasn't upset anymore; his time with Claire and Ann seemed to have released all of his pent up frustration at Gray. The brunette looked down at his borrowed red swim trunks with a rueful smile. "I guess I was kind of stubborn, too. I didn't want to listen to advice from a city kid."
Gray almost commented how much Cliff sounded like Saibara right then, but held his tongue. He stood up and tugged on the bill of his cap. "So are you coming with us to get some roasted corn or what? Kai's an awesome cook."
"Sure."
0o0o0o0
Author's Note: For those of you who recognize the song Karen is singing at the beginning of the chapter, I'm sorry that I'm not sorry; it's still playing in my own head! Summertime summertime loooooovin'/ Lovin' in the summertime! :)
I was eager to write a scene that delves a little more of Gray's interactions with people other than Claire. I wanted to focus on varying degrees of friendship and how the characters interact differently with each other depending on who they are spending time with.