The farmer had grown accustomed to the daily travelers that made their way through Mystic Acres to go up into the mountains. A small strip running through her land was public property and a dirt path had been worn through the grass over the years from people passing back and forth between Mother's Hill and Mineral Town. Karen had also explained to her that people from Forget-Me-Not Valley were also confined to this path if they wanted to make their way into town. The notion had made Claire a little uncomfortable at first – it left a certain lack of solitude on her farm, but over time, she hardly noticed it at all. After all, if she looked behind her barn, she could often see Rick and Popuri tending to their hens outside. The country, while more spread out, didn't have that same sense of confined privacy that the city did.
Occasionally, one of the siblings would lean on the wooden fence and Claire would approach them, engaging in small talk. She had learned that her property had been abandoned for at least twenty-five years and had once been run by a friendly old man. Of course, neither sibling had much to say about the old farmer because they hadn't yet been born when he passed away.
She never stood around to talk much to those walking along the path; most people looked pretty busy. The notion didn't bother Claire too much today as she hadn't been much in the mood for socializing. While her heart had healed a little over the past couple of days, it still hurt quite a bit. Karen, Popuri, and Ann passed through almost daily at the same time every morning. Basil and Cliff had erratic timings with their trips – the botanist often mumbling to himself about the various plant life in the area, and Cliff frequently passing through well before the heat of the day with a nod, a friendly wave, and a bunch of empty sacks strapped to his body. Earlier in the summer they'd stop and speak a while, but lately the increasing number of bundles he left in her shipping bin told the farmer that her friend was busy and had a lot of work to do. She'd never keep him for long, and they hadn't gotten a chance to speak much since the dance. Gotz would pass through around once a week to make a trip to the supermarket and head right back. He'd greet the young woman with a grunt and nod. This last Thursday morning, Claire had stayed inside while Saibara and his grandson made their weekly trip up to the mountains for their hike and meditation session.
Needless to say, Claire wasn't shocked when she saw Ann milling about on her farm when she left the house that morning, but the waitress wasn't due for her morning trip to the Goddess Spring for a while.
"Hiya, Claire!" the perky redhead gave her a playful grin. "What are the plans for today?"
The young woman dipped her watering can into her little pond and spoke over the glugging noise of the container rushing into it. "Same old, same old. Watering, then harvesting. I'd do it the other way around, but stuff starts wilting by noon if I don't water earlier." She didn't have to look up from her work to realize how carefully she was being watched. "What about you?"
The waitress thought she'd never ask. "Well, I thought that maybe you'd like some help today," Ann stretched her arms and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Dad gave me the day off, and I thought I'd see how you're doing."
She wondered if there was a specific reason why Ann wanted to check on her. Surely news must have traveled that Gray and Mary were dating, and it seemed as if everyone had known Claire had a crush on him. She was determined not to look pathetic, and she didn't want any sympathy. Karen had showered her in it that first day and even Claire knew that she would get coddled if she asked for more. "Oh, I'm doing okay," she gave the young woman a weak smile. She wondered if she really did look fine. Sometimes she felt alright, but other times, she relived that conversation with Gray in her over and over and got upset once again. She suddenly felt very depressed. "Really, you don't have to feel the need to help. I'm the one who signed up for all of this," she chuckled hollowly, setting the heavy watering can on the grass beside her feet.
"I know. You're lucky!" she beamed as she grabbed the can and eagerly began showering her crops before the farmer could stop her. Koro wandered over toward the redhead and sniffed curiously. Ann crouched down. "Hey, there, pup! Do you smell my cat on me?" The young dog wagged his tail in response. "What do you call the little guy?"
"Koro. I know, real original, right?" the blonde giggled. "But he just looks like a Koro, no?"
The puppy let out a happy yip at the sound of his name.
"Hey, little Koro!" Ann's voice unknowingly raised an octave as she patted his golden head.
A smirk crossed Claire's lips. "That dog is a glutton for attention. You have been warned."
"Oh, please," Ann rolled her eyes as the canine flopped on his back to get his belly scratched, "I bet you cuddle with him every night!"
She watched the pair play and realized that Ann was exactly right; the dog was very spoiled. "Maybe…" the young woman's face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm trying to get better about it, though. He only sleeps with me sometimes. I make him sleep outside if the weather's nice."
"Poor Koro!" Ann cooed. "Does that mean, nasty farmer make you sleep outside in the cold?"
"Hey, I'm doing him a favor!" Claire folded her arms across her chest. "That house is sweltering! It feels much better outside!"
"Yeah, yeah… Oh, you know what would be fun? We should camp out here under the stars! I bet you'd get an awesome view!" Ann shaded her forehead with her hand as she looked up at the clear blue sky.
"Ooooh, yeah!" Claire's face lit up. "And we can set up a campfire and pretend we're roughing it!" she giggled. The blonde's eyes widened at her own statement. It hadn't been that long ago that she had actually felt like she was 'roughing it' in her own home. At what point had life gotten easier for her? She still had to bathe in the hot springs daily, and her makeshift outhouse was anything but glamorous. The clothing she had ordered from Won was due any day now, but she was still dressed in her initial set of work clothes she wore when she moved to Mineral Town. Nevertheless, this had become the norm for her somewhere along the way. A slight smile crossed the farmer's face. She had come a long way since she lived in the city.
Claire saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and noticed a familiar young man headed to the mountains. Either she and Ann were both too deep in conversation to hear his greeting, or he had quietly snuck past them, not wanting to interrupt. Claire assumed the latter; he looked focused on the task at hand. The sun's rays played at his long brown hair as he reached into a leather satchel strapped to his back to don his falconer's gauntlet. He definitely had his own unique flair, but that was what made him who he was. Claire felt a smile spread across her face as she watched his lean muscles flex as he pulled on the arm wear. She jumped when Ann stepped over toward her, crunching a stick under her sneakers with a loud snap.
She saw the way the blonde had been watching their friend and bit back a snicker. Poking fun of her helped Ann cement her own feelings about the young man. "You back from dreamland?" she asked with a smirk.
Claire's face felt hot as she inwardly punished herself for staring; it was a bad habit, and one that she had trouble shaking since she was a child. Her parents often scolded her for doing it when they were in public and someone caught her eye. She had gotten better about it as she grew older, but she still caught herself now and then staring at people.
She always found it a little strange that Ann teased her about their mutual friend. The farmer whirled toward her companion and cocked her head in the direction of Cliff. "So, are you feeling better than you were the other day?" she gave Ann a concerned look.
The farmer waited for her to speak, but Ann stretched her back, her vertebrae crackling and popping as she did so. Claire wondered if her friend was simply refusing to answer the question. Ann looked deep in thought for a moment, and Claire was surprised when she was finally met with an indifferent shrug. "If you're asking if I still have a thing for him… I thought I did once."
Ann let out a sigh as Cliff disappeared out of sight and grabbed an empty basket to collect ears of corn. Falling out of love was a new experience for her, but her emotions had gradually been changing for quite some time now. She was still becoming acquainted with the lack of tightening in her chest whenever he walked by her or when they hung out together for breakfast. Her final attempts at flirting the week before had been the nail in the coffin; she felt like she was teasing a younger sibling more than anything else, and it had embarrassed her. She'd even pushed the flirting a bit extra that day at Kai's, a little frustrated that she didn't get that flutter in her stomach like she used to. "He's cute and that accent's adorable, but all he ever gave me in return was a brotherly vibe…" she admitted sheepishly, twisting off an ear of corn and placing it in the basket. The waitress was surprised that a weight lifted from her heart as she admitted this aloud. "He's a good friend, though," she continued. Ann was learning new things about her own heart every day. "I wouldn't change that for anything," she realized.
Claire watered the plant and noticed that Ann had been going through her own personal heartbreak in a way, and she felt a wave of guilt for not really reaching out to her about it more. The farmer had been too wrapped up in her own silly love affairs to think that her friend might be going through something similar. She remembered earlier when the young woman had burst into tears over her lack of luck with romance. Ann had been very hard to read – she acted like she wanted to talk about it, but she was so guarded at the same time. The redhead hadn't really brought the subject back up ever since.
The two worked in silence for a few minutes, each focusing on the work they were doing rather than any issues regarding romance they were facing. "Well, I think you're a good friend, too," Claire pointed out kindly. "Thanks again for your help with the farm today."
Ann emptied her haul into the shipping bin and began filling another basket with corn. "No problem. I just wanted a fun day to focus on simple stuff."
Claire realized she had been craving the same thing. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'll have to keep in mind that you think farm chores are fun," she laughed, moving down to a row of tomato plants.
"I'm a little jealous. I always thought that it would be really cool to live on a farm." Ann picked up an old dried-out cucumber vine and tossed it out on the grass. Koro barked and tore after the vine, attacking it with a playful yip. Both women laughed; it seemed the puppy hadn't quite learned the concept of fetch just yet. She returned to her harvesting. "When I was a kid, I used to play here all the time. Well, technically I wasn't supposed to because we were trespassing, but that's what made it more fun!" she beamed at her friend. "I used to pull up the weeds. They were my crops! Rick refused to eat them, though. Sometimes Karen force-fed him some dandelions that we had 'harvested'."
Claire laughed. She could easily picture this whole scenario in her mind. When she came back from refilling her watering can, she noticed Ann standing up straight, gazing out at the fields.
"… And now there actually is a farm here," she murmured. She stood there silently for a moment, taking it all in. "It's kind of crazy," Ann let out a small laugh as she went back to work. "I mean, most of us younger folk have never actually seen anything other than weeds out here." She paused and stood back up, whirling around to meet the farmer. "You should be real proud of yourself, Claire."
She felt a warm glow in her chest. "Thank you…" her throat tightened. Her eyes drifted to her empty mailbox and suddenly realized how much she craved hearing those words from her parents, but she was still waiting a reply from the multiple letters she had sent. Claire swallowed the lump in her throat. Now was not the time to dwell on this. She stared at the ground to hide her embarrassment. She saw a stick lying in the dirt that had been blown into her farm – a perfect diversion. "Koro, fetch!" she tried, hurling the stick into the grass. She was surprised when her pet actually chased after it and retrieved the stick, bringing it back to her with a playful yap.
"Well, look at that!" Ann laughed in amusement. "Would you like to be pals with my kitty?" the young woman cooed at the puppy as she emptied her basket into the shipping bin again. He wagged his tail and gave an excited bark in response. "I swear he can understand us," she laughed heartily.
"So, what do you call your cat?" Claire recalled Cliff giving the feline a goofy nickname.
"Well," Ann folded her arms across her chest. "It depends on who you ask. I named her The Tabster when I was a kid, but Dad insists that her name is actually Nora. Sometimes I call her Tabs for short. It drives Dad nuts," she snorted, patting Koro on the head as she headed back to the tomato plants.
Claire had to wonder if most people avoided using the cat's name to avoid conflict with the innkeepers. "Does… The Tabster go outside?" The farmer found herself giggling when she said the name aloud.
Ann shook her head. "Nah, too much of a risk…" she carefully set a few ripe tomatoes in the woven basket and moved on to the next plant. She sniffed one of the pieces of produce in her hand. It was fresh and smelled of summer; she couldn't help but drool. "Yummy…"
Seeing someone look at her life's work like that gave her a rush. She wouldn't object if Ann ate a dozen tomatoes. "Go ahead, I don't mind," Claire grinned brightly at her.
"You sure?" Ann's blue eyes were filled with longing as she stared at the juicy red tomato.
Her friend laughed at her expression; she was flattered that Ann thought something she grew looked so delicious. The farmer's heart swelled with pride. "Go for it. Consider it a thank you for helping."
"Well, in that case…" the redhead deftly twisted off the leaves and popped the whole thing in her mouth. Claire's eyes widened in surprise, but she had heard the guys at the inn talk about her jaw that miraculously unhinged to fit ridiculous amounts of food. It seemed that they really weren't joking.
Realizing that she was staring once again, the farmer focused back on the subject of the cat. "What would be the risk in taking Nor- I mean – The Tabster outside?" she pondered aloud. She doubted Barley's dog, Hannah, would give the cat any trouble; the old dog was often napping within the livestock farm's fences. Claire thought of Cain's large wingspan. If given the opportunity, a falcon might be able to take out a cat, definitely a kitten, she realized with a strange combination of fascination and horror.
Ann swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, giving a satisfied lick of the lips. The tomato had tasted even better than it looked. She offhandedly realized that they could likely be getting more people eating at the inn due to increased food quality and the notion made her a little excited. "I can't risk The Tabster getting into Lillia's henhouses."
"Ah, I guess you're right." The farmer wondered why the most obvious reason hadn't come to her. She walked over to the pond to refill her watering can.
"My cat's too lazy to even go down the stairs most days," Ann chuckled. "I doubt she'd actually be able to catch a chicken. It's Rick I'd really be worried about. He'd be freaking out more than the hens!" she hollered over at her.
They both giggled, as they both knew Ann was telling the truth.
The blonde felt a slight twinge of guilt for laughing at the young man's expense. Judging from the way she had seen him act around his family and Karen, he seemed critical of his own high-strung nature. "Oh, we both know Rick means well," Claire smiled. The poultry farmer struck her as the type that didn't know how to relax.
Ann said nothing in reply, but the two continued to work swiftly in silence, as the heat of the day was coming upon them.
"Well, it looks like we're done." Claire wiped the sweat from her brow and looked out at her fields with a satisfied grin. They had finished the chores in less than half the time it would have taken Claire to do herself; her friend was a swift and eager worker. "Thanks again for your help, Ann."
"No prob. We make a good team," she grinned, giving the blonde a high five. Ann paused and her face fell. Claire's smile faded when her friend frowned. "Wait," Ann turned back toward her.
"Huh?" Her heart began to hammer with anxiety as she studied the concerned look on her companion's face. It was an unusual look for the carefree woman. She nearly jumped when Ann gave her a loud, sudden guffaw in response.
"That was lame! We've gotta do that again! A high five's no good unless it hurts, y'know?" The young woman gave a playful tilt to her head and held her hand back out for her friend to strike.
Claire found a smile creeping across her lips and felt a wave of relief wash over her. Eager to please her companion, she slapped Ann's hand with a little more gusto, leaving a loud clap. Ann shook her head in response, clicking her tongue as she did so. "Weak. Harder," she commanded with a smirk. "You're worse than Elli." Claire wasn't sure if this was supposed to be an insult, but the nurse was one of the gentlest people she knew. The blonde grinned and gave her another slap. Ann appraised the tingle in her hand, cocking her head and rolling her eyes. She knew Claire was capable of much more strength. "A little better, but we need sting, girl!" she chided. "I wanna feel the wrath Mayor Thomas faced!"
Color rushed to Claire's cheeks as they burned with embarrassment. Any time the subject of her violence toward the mayor was brought up she was reminded of that ugly side of herself that she hated so much. The young woman sincerely hoped that she had matured more than that by now, although it was only a half a year ago. City life was hard, but she realized that she had to depend on herself a lot more here in Mineral Town. Claire liked to think that she had changed…
"C'mon! Give me a good high five!" Ann egged her on, holding out an open palm for her to hit. She noticed she had embarrassed her friend a bit. "Let's see how much stronger you've gotten since you moved here!" she tried, wiggling her hips tauntingly.
A smirk played at the blonde's lips. She had noticed her muscles developing since she first began farming. She had always been a little on the slim side, but now she was actually getting toned, and she now noticed with satisfaction that she had the beginnings of some biceps. Claire hit her friend's hand at full force. A shockwave of numbness flowed all the way from the palm of her hand to her elbow and was immediately replaced with a tingly sensation.
"Yeah!" Ann staggered, shaking out her throbbing hand. "Now that was a high five!" She let out a laugh. "Dang, girl…" she blinked her eyes that were watering with pain. She couldn't complain; after all, she had gotten what she wanted.
Claire massaged her hand fruitlessly. She was a little shaken from the contact as well. She found herself laughing despite the discomfort in her arm.
"That was awesome," Ann giggled. In a way, she felt as if she and Claire had reached a level of understanding - Claire was not a prissy city girl, and Ann was not an emotionless tomboy. "I'd love to arm-wrestle you sometime… So…" she stretched her arms and waved them at her sides, "now what?"
"What do you mean?" Claire was putting away the baskets and empty watering can and looked over at her, utterly confused.
Ann thought that it was painfully obvious. Work was over, and now they could play. She was itching to do something with Claire. "I mean, let's do something fun! What do you like to do in your free time?"
She stared at her blankly, much to Ann's surprise. No ideas came to her.
The redhead let out a nervous chuckle. "Come on, everyone has a hobby!"
Claire stared at the ground, deep in thought. What did she do for fun? Or perhaps, what did people around here do for fun? She shook her blonde head and bit her lip for a moment, reminded once again that she was an outsider. "Uh… we could forage in the mountains for things to ship…"
Ann imitated the sound of a buzzer. "That's work! Think of a leisurely fun activity!"
Claire's eyes widened. She thought for sure that her friend would have agreed to that idea, but when she really thought about it, reaching over to gather berries and squatting down to pull up burdock roots was quite strenuous. What kinds of things did she do when she wasn't busy trying to fill her shipping bin? She concentrated, surprised that this subject was stressing her out. "Um… I read sometimes." Visiting the library was out of the question. "Or I… watch a little television…" she hoped she didn't sound as pathetic as she felt.
Ann looked at her with concern. Did her companion really not have anything she did to unwind? "Uh, anything else?" she kept her tone friendly, but her eyebrows shot up.
Claire opened her mouth to speak and immediately closed it. A few ideas had come to mind – mining for copper… to give to Gray… Visiting the inn… to see if Gray was there… Starting a campfire… to roast corn for Gray… Her eyes welled up with tears as she realized how much her life had revolved around the young man. Now that these options had changed, she didn't know what to do with herself.
The waitress attempted to jog her friend's mind. "What kinds of things did you do for fun in the city?" Perhaps Claire had a unique hobby that she hadn't thought of because no one else around here did it. Ann beamed; she was always up for trying new things, even if she wasn't particularly good at them.
Claire shrugged, more frustrated than ever. Perhaps she was just like Rick – unable to relax and take a proper break from working. "I… didn't," her voice cracked. "I was busy working." Her heart sunk.
Ann frowned. She hadn't meant for this conversation to take so much effort. "Well, what about after hours?"
"Catching up from work," Claire admitted sadly. "I guess… a few times I went out with my friends to the club…?" This came out as a question rather than a statement. There was nowhere like that around here…
A set of blue eyes lit up as Ann tried to picture a city skyline and fluorescent lights. "A club in the big city? You mean with dancing and drinks and all that jazz?"
The farmer shrugged; judging from the look on Ann's face, the redhead was glamorizing the whole thing. "I didn't really like it. My friends always tried to set me up on dates with people. I didn't drink, and I didn't care for the music they played there." She started to wonder why she had even bothered sharing that she had gone in the first place.
Ann's voice became gentle. "Then why did you go? Why didn't you tell them what you wanted to do?"
Claire could feel her friend's eyes on her and knew she had to come up with some sort of answer. It didn't come to her easily. After all, she often agreed to go along with her city friends without questioning why. "Because," her throat tightened, "I-I didn't want to be alone…" She didn't have many friends to begin with, and the thought of losing the ones she actually did have terrified her. Claire knew that she wasn't anyone's first choice as someone to hang out with, but she should humor those who actually invited her along to events when she could make them.
The redhead's tone was more confident. "When's the last time you chose what you wanted to do for fun in a group?"
Claire's airways constricted further as her eyes welled up with tears. Had it really been that long…? "W-Well… when I w-was a kid… we took turns picking the games," she finished lamely, her face on fire.
Ann detected her friend's discomfort. "Alright, then, you pick the game," the redhead threw her braid over her shoulder and bounced on the balls of her feet. When she saw the farmer stare at the ground in embarrassment, she decided to encourage her further. "Come on, what were your favorites?"
Was she seriously asking about childhood games? Ann would be twenty-three next week… Still, the blonde felt obligated to reply, no matter how pathetic the answer. "I liked climbing trees…" She awaited a response, guarding her heart as she wrung her hands. She was surprised with the reply.
Her friend stared at the ground pensively. "I see… Race you to the apple tree by your house!" Ann's face suddenly lit up as she tore through the fields, giggling.
Claire's heart gave a flutter as she watched the redhead's braid stream behind her. Before the farmer knew what was happening, she was leaping over onion plants and sprinting across the loose soil, kicking it up behind her as she went. "A-Ann! There's an active beehive in that tree!" Claire chased after her.
The redhead stopped in her tracks, skidding to a halt and nearly missing a pineapple plant. She nearly expected a scolding from the farmer for her recklessness. "Uh…"
She had fallen from the bait; the farmer sped past her with a laugh. "It's not that big! Just climb up the other side of the tree!"
Ann realized she had been tricked. Her lips curled up into a smile. "Oh, you play dirty!" She ran after her, choking on her laughter.
0o0o0o0
Zack whistled a folk song he had heard at the midsummer's dance as he shifted a large burlap sack on his shoulder. The farmer was nowhere to be seen, and Ann was rifling through the cornfields. His first instinct was to think something was wrong, but the redhead giggled as she shuffled through the stalks of corn, Koro at her heels, barking excitedly. He wondered if they were playing some sort of game. While they seemed a little old for such behavior, he would be glad to see that the farmer was taking a break for a change. As much as he was enjoying the rich profits of the summer season, her bins had been surprisingly full, and he knew no one could keep up a pace like that. Claire had shared that a friend was shipping things as well, but it still seemed like a lot of work for two people. Still, Doug was happy with the produce for the inn's purposes, and Zack had even been getting some requests from the Valley folk for specific crops.
Rolling his eyes at the playful Ann, the shipper opened the crate of corn and tomatoes, filling his bag. It looked like another good haul today. Upon grabbing a few more ears of corn, he jumped and stifled a gasp.
It took him a few moments to register what he saw. The farmer was sitting silently in the wooden box, staring forward unblinkingly, still as death. In response to seeing him flinch, Claire noiselessly held a finger to her lips. Zack shrugged as the young woman passed him ears of corn. This must have been some part of the game.
"Oh, come on, Claire! Where are you?" Ann giggled, shuffling through the tomato plants.
The man looked around him cautiously to make sure the redhead was occupied before leaning into the box. "How long ya been hiding?" he asked quietly.
"Fifteen minutes," she whispered lowly as a grin crept across her face, "and she's already checked here once." She shifted her seating to get more comfortable as she handed him more produce.
Zack slapped his forehead and was met with a silent giggle in response from the blonde. He emptied the bin and noticed Claire was holding a tomato. He held out his hand for it, but she shook her head.
"I might get hungry. At this rate, it may take her a while," Claire grinned.
Zack shut the lid to the box and rolled his eyes, but he found himself having to bite back a laugh as he walked past a befuddled Ann.
0o0o0o0
Author's Note: A couple of notes about the pet's names in this chapter – Koro is the default name of the dog in HM for SNES, and it is also the second most popular name for dogs in Japan. "The Tabster" was actually named after a noisy stray that lives out in the woods by our house. Maybe she's the neighbor's cat…? Anyway, the cat does have an official name of Nora in Back To Nature, so I just ended up using both.
By the way, my sister and I are the same exact way about high fives as Ann. If it hurts, you know it was a good one!
Anyway, I hoped to kind of bring the mood back up a little with this chapter, along with featuring Ann a bit. Thank you all for your support throughout these chapters – it really means a lot to me! Feel free to let me know what you think of this latest chapter as well!