Claire was surprised at the number of people who showed up for the event – nearly the entire town was packed into the room. To her surprise, her friend was right – it seemed a lot of people had shown up by themselves. Harris, the local constable, was attending the party in a rather nice navy blue suit, but Claire couldn't tell if he was attending the party or chaperoning for safety reasons. Zack was sitting at the bar, stuffed into a dress shirt and bow tie, looking hopelessly out of place. Mayor Thomas was doing a little jig beside the record player, and Rick seemed to be in deep conversation with Ann. Karen's first stop was the bar, and Claire followed closely behind, unsure of where to go.

"Lotta people here, huh?" the brunette turned to her friend with a grin as she ordered a beer.

Claire was immediately reminded of her experiences in the city at the nightclub. This was so very different yet similar at the same time. It was similar in that the single people were all hanging around together in hopes of getting a dance, and the couples were established. But she noticed something different - the pairs would break off and switch for a dance or two. Manna danced with the doctor, Elli was with Harris, Duke was paired with Popuri. The farmer noticed right away that this party had a much more open, friendly atmosphere, and she realized she wouldn't feel too afraid to dance with anyone here. Not that anyone would request her company, of course, and she had no intentions of asking anyone herself. She wasn't in the mood for embarrassing herself, after all. All she needed was a comfy seat and she was more than happy to be a spectator for the evening. The thought left her a little wistful, but she was content enough people-watching. It didn't hurt that everyone had dressed nicely for the event.

While Karen polished off her first beer, Claire spotted Mary on the opposite side of the room. She wore a floor-length mint green dress with wildflowers strewn in her hair, tucked into the twists of her long braid. It was a simple adornment, but she looked gorgeous. Surely her date was enjoying the view, she thought sourly to herself. Claire suddenly felt self-conscious about her already modest neckline and the mid-calf hem of her dress. This was one of her first public debuts in clothing other than her flannel and overalls, and she suddenly felt like a harlot. She silently cursed herself for letting her friend dress her. Karen was allowed to wear such things because, well, she was beautiful. It was quite different for someone as plain as herself, Claire thought miserably. She felt so out of place. It took all of her willpower to stay in the room and not leave the party.

The bar was offering free punch for the night, which the farmer happily accepted. Claire decided right away to avoid alcohol. She didn't need to feel sleepy just yet, and her night of drinking with her male friend the other evening reminded her how low her alcohol tolerance was.

"Hi, Claire." Cliff looked up from his glass of punch and gave her a friendly smile. She had been so focused looking for him in the crowd that she didn't notice he was sitting quietly beside her. The young man was dressed in a simple clean tunic with dark blue stitching along the trim and his hair was loosely tied back with a coordinating ribbon. It looked like traditional clothing of a culture she wasn't familiar with, and he looked rather comfortable in it. He looked quite formal yet he still had his characteristic rustic charm and Claire was reminded with a jolt in the stomach how handsome he was.

"Hello, Cliff." As she silently approved his cleaned up appearance, Claire suddenly became afraid she would not pass his inspection. The young man said nothing about the way she looked, although she could feel his eyes on her as well.

Her friend noticed her staring at him and his face reddened. He knew his attire was probably very different than what the men in the city wore. He already dressed in stark contrast to everyone here – perhaps his clothing looked strange to her. His gaze quickly shifted back to his drink as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Quite a turnout, eh? Ann and Doug are pretty happy."

"Yeah." Claire saw Gray among the crowd talking to Mary and the farmer felt that there were suddenly too many people at the party. She noticed Cliff didn't seem to have a nervous aura in this group like he did at the Cooking Festival, despite the fact that there were many more people in attendance in a smaller area.

"We used to have a lot of summer festivals in my old village," the young man had a nostalgic smile on his face. "Lots of dancing and music… not quite like this, though," he finished off his punch and pushed the empty glass off to the side.

Claire's ears perked up. Her friend had been talking about his home a little bit more lately, and it was apparent he missed it dearly. Claire was hesitant to bring up the subject herself because she had all too often caught him with a sad wistful look in his eyes when he sat alone at the church. She figured when the time was right, he would tell her why he had moved away from a home he obviously loved so much.

"What kind of music?" Claire was intrigued. She wondered if he played his pan flute at such events; she recalled him saying his mother had taught him how to play.

"Hey, are we dancing or what?" Karen had finished her drink. She grabbed Cliff by the wrist and dragged him out to the dance floor before the young man could answer his friend's question. The farmer giggled as she watched her two friends waltz together. She was surprised at how adept a dancer Cliff was despite his initial reluctance; he moved even more gracefully than his partner. The young woman scanned the dance floor. Dancing in Mineral Town was a lot different than the school dances she attended in the city. It looked a lot more involved, and they were using actual steps. Claire was accustomed to seeing pairs slowly rotating in a circle and listening to girls whining about wanting to participate in a "slow dance". She realized this was just another quirk of living in a small podunk village that seemed frozen in time.

She watched the dancers more closely. Kai and Popuri were paired off, with Rick glaring at them over by the other end of the bar. Kai was fairly skilled, and Claire wasn't surprised at all – the outgoing young man seemed to excel in activities that would be considered romantic. Manna and Duke, the couple that owned the winery next door to the inn, were dancing together, although it was apparent Manna was doing more talking than dancing. Her husband quickly joined the bar, and Manna simply walked over to a dancing couple and continued her conversation with them, much to their chagrin.

"Well, you look lovely tonight, Miss Resident Farmer," Duke nodded to Claire and motioned Doug for a drink as he took a seat in the stool beside her.

"Oh! Thank you!" She had already forgotten she wasn't wearing overalls. "You do as well."

The winery owner laughed softly. "So polite. The town could use more young people like you." He accepted his brandy with a brightened grin and took a long drink.

A cough came from the other side of Claire. "Tell me about it. Kids these days have no manners."

Claire whirled around to see Saibara a few seats down from her in the corner. He looked so natural sitting there with his sake that he looked more like an installation of the bar rather than a patron.

Her other companion clattered his glass on the bar counter as he let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, Saibara, you know that you love your grandson dearly," Duke chided.

The old man made no acknowledgement of this comment. He took the final sip from his sake glass, set it down carefully and turned toward Claire, bowing politely.

"May I have the honor of this dance, young miss?"

Someone wanted to dance with her? The blonde's head began to spin. She knew she was going to make a fool of herself, but Claire was so caught off guard by the old man's formality that she dumbly nodded and took his arm.

The music was much louder on the dance floor. The live band struck up a traditional folk song, and Claire immediately felt out of place. She suddenly remembered she had no idea how to dance, she was from nowhere near here, and she was intimidated by her dance partner's old-fashioned ways. She was, surprisingly enough, overwhelmed with loneliness.

Saibara could see that she was nervous. "City kid, huh?" he let out a playful cackle.

Claire didn't think she could feel more embarrassed. She simply nodded again, her face feeling hot. She looked around them nervously. She had never seen this dance before, but everyone else in the room seemed rather familiar with it. Claire wished she had stayed at home…

"Hey." His voice softened and she whirled around, nervously wringing her hands. "But you still want to learn, right?" Claire caught a mischievous glint in his grin and felt her tension release. Someone was willing to help her try to fit in.

"Of course!"

Saibara was a good teacher and very patient with her. She nearly kicked him in the shins a couple of times, but the old man gave her a warm smile she had never seen before. Claire's heart lifted. Halfway through the song, she was able to fake the dance well enough that he didn't have to call out instructions anymore. The song had a loud downbeat, and it was easy to move to.

Now that they didn't have to focus solely on coordinating their moves, Saibara moved to conversation. He was curious about this young woman who was calling on his grandson and the boy's roommate very often as of late. This was hardly a polite topic for conversation, however. "Did you garden much as a kid?" the old blacksmith asked, deciding to stick to a topic he felt she would be comfortable with.

"Honestly, I bought the property on a whim, Sir. I have no farming experience," Claire admitted sheepishly as she twirled shyly. Her dress flared out beautifully and the old man watched her carefully – it seemed she didn't allow herself a chance to be confident in anything.

Saibara laughed; the young woman really did come into this town without a clue, but he could hardly dislike her for that. He decided to give her a lesson for the evening. "Well, if you have enough spirit, you can do anything. My grandson says you came to this town with not much more than the clothes on your back. I admire that you gave up everything to come here, even if the real estate company did trick you."

Claire's blood ran cold and she nearly stumbled as she missed the beat of the music. "Oh, dear… Then you know, too-"

"That you gave Thomas a good walloping?" The old blacksmith grinned from ear to ear. "Heck, I admire you even more for it. He's been asking for one for years."

She hoped that no one else in the room had heard. The subject of their conversation was in this very bar tonight. "But, Sir-!"

The elderly blacksmith shook his head and let out a gruff chuckle. "Call me Saibara. When you call me Sir, it makes me sound even older than I already am."

"O-Okay, Saibara," she blushed, giving him a polite nod.

He let out a hearty laugh as the music ended. "I like you, Claire. You're a good kid," he patted her shoulder and made his way back to the bar.

Claire basked in the glow of the old man's praise for a moment before she snapped back to reality. Karen was making her way to her, Cliff in tow.

"Look at you, Claire! You're not half bad, you know," Karen whistled at her. She was relieved that her strategy to let Claire take control of her own evening, even for a few minutes, worked in the farmer's favor. The blonde looked looser; she was carrying herself with a little more confidence.

Her friend laughed. "You mean flailing around? I suppose I'm not too bad at it."

"That last song reminded me a lot of home," Cliff was glowing.

"Well, you must be from real backwater country, because you certainly knew that dance," Karen laughed at him. "They only play that music for the old folks here." She couldn't remember the last time she danced with someone like that – the two had similar styles and she was used to being a better dancer than her partner. The brunette saw Cliff's skill as a challenge. Karen was half-tempted to steal him for another song but she stopped herself. She wanted to make sure that Claire was comfortable before she left her again, and she was certain that her male friend wanted some time with the blonde.

Claire shrugged. "It was pretty fun. I'm not very graceful, but Saibara was pretty patient with me." She playfully swung back and forth, watching her skirt fan out. The grocer's daughter could tell that her best friend's spirits had been lifted.

Karen was smirking at her dance partner. He was shyly watching their friend play with her dress, but the young woman decided not to call him out on it. "Who knew you'd be such a hoot to dance with, Cliff? Claire, you wouldn't think it, but this guy can move!"

"W-Well, I… uh…" The young man's face was bright pink. "I-I used to lead the dancing and music in the festivals back home…" His voice faded to nearly a whisper as he shyly fussed with the laces on his tunic.

The brunette woman stared at him in disbelief. Someone as shy as Cliff, instructing? Did he really expect her to believe that? "Whose leg are you trying to pull? You're in a playful mood tonight, you jokester!"

The young man looked wounded. "Wh-Why would I-?"

Karen wasn't paying attention; she was busy scouring the dance floor. Now that her girl friend seemed to be actively participating in the party, she didn't want to become a crutch for Claire to lean on. She scanned the room for the poultry farmer.

Cliff took this opportunity to focus his attention on his other friend. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and wished his cheeks didn't feel so hot. "S-So… uh…" He looked up at her with wide blue eyes and the farmer felt her own face flush. The combination of her friend's shy demeanor and seeing him dressed so nicely made her stomach feel strange.

"Y-Yes…?" She encouraged him, timidly taking a step closer to him. Claire wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say, but she wanted to hear it.

"Has anyone seen Rick?" Karen let out a loud sigh in exasperation.

Claire blinked in surprise and shook her head. "Not lately. Maybe he stepped outside?"

Karen laughed. "Claire, you think you are so sneaky. Alright, I'll let you two be and find him myself." She walked away from the pair, a smug expression plastered across her face.

"Karen sure can be weird sometimes," Cliff looked frustrated as he rolled his eyes at her.

Claire continued to survey the dance floor, unsure of what to do. Perhaps she could see if Gray was available… After all, if other couples were switching partners, why wouldn't Mary?

"Claire?"

Her friend's soft voice brought her back to reality. "Yeah?"

"Want to… get something to drink?" he let out a nervous chuckle as his face flushed.

"Sure." She was relieved and disappointed at the same time as she followed the young man to the bar. "S-So… is it really true that you used lead the festival dancing back at home?" She was pleasantly surprised when her friend pulled out a stool for her and helped her up before climbing on the one beside her.

He nodded shyly as Doug passed the two glasses of punch. "Yeah. You see, Ma was-"

Claire almost spit out her drink in surprise when she heard the old blacksmith's sudden gruff voice. "What are you doing back here already, Claire?" Saibara already had another sake and was at his usual seat.

"Good evening, Saibara," Cliff smiled at the old man, masking his frustration at being constantly cut off this evening. He was aware that his voice had a tendency to blend into the background as he rarely projected when he spoke anymore, and the live band was rather loud. The young man gave the blacksmith the benefit of the doubt; Saibara probably hadn't heard him speaking to Claire.

"Good evening, Cliff. Good to see you as always. I hope my grandson isn't causing you too much trouble?" He stated this last sentence as more of a question.

"Not at all, Sir," Cliff answered courteously, his eyes traveling across his fully-healed left forearm.

"Such a polite young man… but also a bit rude."

The young man felt his blood run cold. Saibara wouldn't scold him right in front of Claire, would he? He wasn't even sure what the old man was driving at. "P-pardon?" Cliff stammered.

"You haven't asked the young lady to dance yet," the old man's face didn't change expression as he took a thoughtful drink from his glass.

The brunette gave the blacksmith a strained smile. If he wasn't constantly being interrupted…

"Oh, quit teasing them," Ann popped up as if from nowhere, clearing the empty glasses on the counter beside them. "That's my job. Come on, Cliff, you promised me a dance."

He gave the blonde an apologetic bow of the head as his friend grabbed his arm with a playful giggle and pulled him toward the dance floor. "I know, b-but-!" he hesitated, but didn't want to cause a scene. "O-okay…. See you in a bit, Claire." Claire's friend was dragged off yet again as he gave her another repentant look.

Seeing those deep blue eyes pulled away from her caused a surge of a emotion within the blonde. She sat quietly for a moment, furrowing her brow as she tried to make sense of it.

"The young man is still a nomad in a few ways; he lacks direction," Saibara said to no one in particular as he finished of his glass, staring into it thoughtfully. "He needs a woman who can nurture his confidence, not boss him around." He poured himself another sake and gave the young woman a nod as he tilted his steaming glass toward her.

Claire reddened as she was distracted from her thoughts. Gray had complained to her several times about his grandfather's obstinacy. Who was Saibara to talk about bossiness? Yet, despite her slight agitation, she didn't move from her seat. She had never really thought of Cliff as a man looking for a mate, and her heart pounded noisily as her stomach did an odd flip at the notion. She found herself quite unable to move from her seat at the moment. Uncomfortable, Claire looked behind the bar and sought Doug's gaze. The barkeeper walked over.

"What would you like, little lady?"

The blonde shyly pointed to the flask of sake her companion was pouring from, keenly aware that her face was crimson.

He rolled up his sleeves. "Want me to heat it up for you?"

It was sweltering earlier that afternoon; Claire stared at Doug incredulously and shook her head.

The two men gave each other knowing looks and bit back chuckles. After all, Claire was trying her very best to look every part the mature adult. "Alright." He swiftly filled a flask for her hand handed over a small earthenware cup. "Here, I'll pour the first one for you." He deftly filled the cup and gave her a friendly wink as she paid him.

Claire touched the alcohol to her lips and she immediately decided she didn't like it. She couldn't even pretend to sip at it – the fumes hit her nose and made her eyes water.

Saibara roared with laughter when he observed the young woman's face at the first taste. He was glad that he decided not to stay in tonight; the young people were putting on quite an entertaining show. "What are you doing here drinking, anyway? Get out there and dance while you're still young! I will make sure the drink doesn't go to waste," The old man winked at her.

Claire nodded numbly as she stood up, her feet carrying the unwilling farmer across the floor. As soon as she was out of earshot, the old man raised the sake glass and flask to the barkeeper. "Doug, heat this up for me, eh?"

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Sake (rice wine) is traditionally served in a flask that holds around a cup of liquid. A sake glass is around an ounce. There are different varieties of sake, but it is traditionally served hot as opposed to cold, and the flask keeps the beverage warm as you pour yourself small glasses. The warmth releases the flavors and takes a lot of the initial "bite" out of it, I suppose you could say. I personally can't stand cold sake, and it looks like Claire can't, either.

Thank you all for taking the time to read, review, follow, and favorite! You guys are the best! Let me know what you think of this chapter!