Claire was too distracted by the giddy emotions bouncing in her heart to notice how weak Karen's excuse was as she and Rick headed to the other side of the square. She looked around at the various colorful stalls and soaked it in for a moment, vague childhood memories resurfacing as she recalled the carnival games and children running around in vibrant clothing. Her parents had told her older sisters that they could only go if they brought Claire along. Colette and Simone had purchased her a comically oversized lollipop and told her to follow and stay quiet. Claire was more than content with this arrangement; she was eager to take in the sights while the two older girls gossiped about boys and played carnival games. After an hour or so, they forgot that they were supposed to be annoyed at being forced to bring their younger sibling along and they even offered Claire to play a few games, paying with their own allowance. The young blonde blushed and shook her head, hiding behind her lollipop; she was perfectly happy being a spectator and didn't want to feel pressured to do well.
As she and Cliff walked along the cobblestones side by side, she realized that she had changed since those childhood days. While she still never had the desire to be the focus of attention, she was eager to explore for herself and not simply be dragged along. Moreover, the thought of losing a carnival game didn't seem like a tragedy anymore.
"What's on your mind?" Cliff was looking at her curiously. She had, no doubt, been making some interesting facial expressions as she reminisced.
"I was thinking of festivals I went to as a child. I used to have a sunny yellow yukata," she explained, studying the pastel pink she was wearing now. "It had chrysanthemums printed on it."
Her upturned lips and the nostalgic manner in which she said this caught his attention. "Sounds really pretty." Cliff imagined a young Claire twirling around in the garment and a smile spread across his face.
She nodded. "Well, it was until I spilled blue fruit punch all across the front of it. The lid wasn't sealed on the drink my sister handed me." She remembered the scene with a slight frown. She had been so afraid to face her parents after ruining the yukata despite her sisters' claims that everything would be fine. They attempted to wipe it clean, and when it didn't, Simone and Colette simply laughed at the situation, shrugging their shoulders and saying nothing more could be done at the time. They attempted to cheer her up by asking if she'd like a new drink and a game to play. Refusing with a shake of the head and small wail, the young Claire had dwelt on the accident all night and when they got home, she received only a mild scolding for being so careless before her parents hugged her goodnight. The paranoid girl was expecting a later punishment and she half wondered if they thought she had purposely dumped it on herself. She remembered feeling guilty and crying as she curled up in bed that night, her sisters hushing her to no avail and finally chiding her for being a crybaby, groaning as they attempted to get some sleep in their shared room. Nothing more had been said about the yukata and life continued. She had allowed herself to stop having fun that night by worrying so much, she realized.
She looked over at Cliff with a grin and burst into laughter, imaging a small version of herself spilling the drink all over with a mystified look on her face. "I was pretty upset at the time, but looking back on it, it was pretty funny. I managed to dump the whole thing on myself before I realized the lid was even loose." Something about having him by her side and knowing her friends stood up for her earlier had lifted a weight from her; she was determined to have a great time tonight.
"I sat in a bowl of cold oatmeal once," Cliff replied with a soft chuckle. "Always look before sitting, especially with a sister like mine." His eyes glowed with nostalgia as he recalled those hot, lazy days of climbing trees and fishing by the river with his uncle, and those chilly nights curled up under heaps of soft furs between his mother and his sister. "It was prank or be pranked, and she was a lot craftier than me."
She couldn't say the same because of the age gap between her own siblings. "You're too good-natured to trick someone," she giggled, shaking her head.
"That's not true," he was quick to point out. "They were rarely elaborate, but one time I managed to convince Ivy it was snowing in the middle of June. Ma got mad that I got into the flour and tracked it through the house. She got even angrier when Papa came home and laughed at the whole thing. Ivy was always scheming something, though…"
Claire was thrilled that he was speaking about his sister with a smile on his face. She wrapped her arm around his and gave it a hug. "I think one of the hardest parts of being a parent would be keeping a straight face when your children do something ridiculous."
His smile grew. "Definitely."
A shrill wail caught their attention as a small girl with pink hair stamped her feet, her geta loudly clamping on the ground.
"That's not fair! Lauren got a turtle. Why can't I catch one, too?" She threw her broken net on the ground, garnering surprised looks from the men running the stall.
"You have to be gentler," her twin explained quietly, unrolling the sleeves of her blue yukata.
"I was supposed to catch one first!" She stamped again, casting her sister a glare. "Why didn't you wait for me?!"
The young man accompanying them spoke with a level voice. "Cindy, this is not how we conduct ourselves in public."
She blushed violently and twisted the sleeves of her bright red yukata anxiously. "I-I know, but…"
One of the operators of the stall scooped a bit of water into a bag and plucked one of the turtles from the pool in front of them, adding it to the bag. "Here you go. Take care 'em, okay?" He flashed the girl a smile.
She immediately fell silent and stopped pouting. Her eyes grew as she accepted the bag with trembling hands. Apparently the manner in which she got the prize didn't matter; she just wanted a turtle.
"What do we say, Cindy?"
"Th-thank you, Mister…" Her gaze was locked on the turtle swimming in the bag.
"You're welcome. Have a fun time tonight!" The operator of the stall gave her a grin and a playful wink.
"Thank you," the young man repeated with a grateful bow of the head. "You're my hero," he added quietly with a soft chuckle. He let out a small sigh of relief and turned back toward his students. "Come on, girls. Your parents are waiting."
Lauren followed him and looked anxiously back at her sister before clopping back to her and shyly shaking her shoulder. Cindy snapped to attention and grabbed her sister's hand, clumsily jogging after their tutor. "I-Ivan, wait up!"
There was a very particular warmth in Cliff's eyes as he watched them and Claire wondered if he was thinking about Stu and May. He was very kind yet firm with the children and she found herself wishing he had been around when she had to babysit for her two younger brothers. Her gaze moved toward the two men running the stall and the one with short, silver hair gave the brunette a soft shove on the shoulder.
"Giving away merchandise?" His expression betrayed any real scolding in his words, a sly smile playing at his lips.
His partner rolled his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, come on, you would have done the same thing and you know it."
He shrugged in response, leaning on the support beam of their stall idly. "You just can't resist helping out someone in need, can you?"
Eager to see the baby turtles, Claire headed to the stall, bringing Cliff along with her. Both of their eyes lit up as they got a closer look.
"They're so cute!" Claire squatted down to peek into the water trough with delight. Baby turtles lazily glided across the surface of the water, no longer than her index finger. They were so small that they almost looked like toys. Cliff bent down so low his ponytail draped over his shoulder and almost dipped it into the pool as he observed.
The sudden voice of one of the stall's operators startled them. "It's only fifty a try!" Claire looked up and realized that she recognized the young man from the cow festival. He gave her a friendly wink as he held up a paper net. A couple of brown strands of hair stuck straight up into the air and bobbed as he nodded to her. He nudged his partner who looked a little too comfortable propped up against the support beam of their stand, his eyelids heavy. A smile played at his lips as he shook his head at him. "C'mon, Tobes! Would it kill you to look a little more excited for the customers?"
He was given a small, lighthearted pout in reply. "Those last ones wore me out." After hearing a sigh, his eyes barely opened as his posture became more erect. "Ah, all you gotta do is scoop up your turtle and you get to keep it… but I'll warn you, the paper netting on the scoop breaks easily, so you have to be very precise. Stay too long in the water and the net will rip. Also sudden movements will break the net. They're pretty fussy, really." He pantomimed scooping a turtle, the long sleeves of his sky blue yukata getting in the way.
"Don't give them too many hints!" his companion teased. He gave his arm a playful punch, garnering a weak bop back.
"Sorry about that, Kasey here's a skinflint. Well, either that or a glutton." Toby rolled his eyes. "We're saving up our earnings to buy junk food at the other stalls."
Cliff grinned and he wondered if they had appetites like Ann's. "Our friend is running a stand. He's a really good cook. Just look for the guy with the purple bandana."
Claire could sense that the pair was eager to talk to them, likely because their only customers had been children. She looked down at the tanks, aware that Kasey had not-so-subtly waved a couple of the nets with a soft chuckle. "Hmmm…" She pressed a finger to her lips. She didn't really need a pet turtle. "Well… they sure are cute…" Her eyes drifted to the large tank of swimming turtles behind them, their stock for refilling. She eagerly grabbed his arm and pointed. "Wow, Cliff, look at how many there are!"
He smiled and watched her with an affectionate gaze. Her cheeks had a rosy glow and her eyes sparkled like a couple of gems. She was absolutely adorable when she got excited.
A young boy behind Toby and Kasey hopped down from the wooden crate he was perched upon and landed with a loud clop! as his geta hit the ground. "Hey there, ma'am! This ain't no free peep show! Ya gotta pay first!"
Claire's eyes widened in surprise as she bit back a giggle. Cliff buried his head into her shoulder and wracked with silent laughter.
Toby's eyes popped open as he turned toward his young relative and Claire got the feeling this was a rare sight. "Paolo! We don't talk like that in front of our customers!" He raised an eyebrow at his companion and as Kasey wiped a tear from his eye, laughing heartily. "I wonder who taught you that kind of language…" A pair of playful green eyes darted between the two. "Paolo, go play with Chloe. She's waiting for you at the High Striker."
The boy eagerly held out an outstretched palm and the brunette beside him let out a cackle. Toby sighed as he dropped some coins into this hand. The boy immediately whirled around and made the same gesture.
Kasey's laughing stopped. "Ah, you little…" He placed a few more coins into his hand. "Shoo and behave."
Paolo stuck out his tongue at them as he scampered away.
He ran a hand through his pale hair and let out a sigh as he watched the boy run across the square. "Please forgive my cousin. He can be a handful… That being said…" he looked up at Claire with a smirk, "if you wanna look, you gotta pay."
"Alright, alright!" Claire laughed, placing a fifty gold piece into Toby's hand. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with a pet turtle if I manage to catch one."
"Well, I have a friend that would enjoy a fat baby turtle," Cliff murmured.
Claire nudged him as she retrieved a net from Kasey and carefully began rolling up her sleeves. "I am not catching lunch for your falcon."
To her surprise, Toby's eyes lit up with interest. "Well, I have plenty of stock, so if you want, we can talk prices at the inn tomorrow morning. I'll be staying the night there."
She almost teased Cliff aloud for letting Cain eat a more plentiful and nourishing diet than him, but quickly decided not to. Although it was just a joke, there was a bit of truth to it, and it could come off as kind of mean. She decided with a silent nod that the next dinner they shared together would be special.
We're out of leftovers from Kai's party…
Maybe I could borrow that hot plate from Karen again…
A smile crossed her lips.
What should I cook?
"Do you have one in mind you want to go after?" Cliff asked excitedly as he squatted beside the pool of turtles. He looked back up at her with dancing eyes, and she was certain she could see the spirit of that rowdy young boy inside of him. It filled her with a deep happiness that almost made her want to cry tears of joy.
She crouched down beside him, twirling the handle of the net in her fingers. "I think I'll be lucky if I could even catch one." She spotted a small turtle close to the surface of the water and pointed it out to him. "I think I'm going to try that one. He looks pretty easy to get, right?"
Cliff nodded and watched with great interest as she attempted to move the net beneath her target while keeping it as dry as possible. The turtle sank right through the damp part of the paper net and Claire made an exclamation of surprise.
Kasey began to snicker. "Rookie mistake, Blondie. You gotta get the entire net wet or else it's going to rip when you try to pick up anything."
She gave them another coin and a familiar blaze filled her eyes as she took her new net. Cliff was immediately reminded of their rock skipping session and he laughed as she held the tool in front of her as if it was a holy relic. She turned toward him with an overly serious expression, but the way the lips tilted slightly upward gave her away.
"This one's going to do it, Cliff. Watch and learn." She focused on her quarry and was distracted by her friend's soft voice as he leaned in close.
"Do I need to take notes?" His voice sounded very earnest until a chuckle escaped his throat.
She gave him a teasing shove with her shoulder. "You're going to scare away all the turtles with your ridiculous questions!" Her laughter didn't make her a very convincing expert.
Cliff's eyes narrowed in on the turtle floating above Claire's net. The pair was huddled so close to the pool that their heads were grazing against one another's. Toby let out a soft chuckle; these adult customers were much more into the game than the children had been.
"Come here, little turtle," Claire cooed in a sweet voice, moving her net toward a bobbing turtle on the surface of the water. "You see, they come when you speak kindly to them."
He stifled a laugh while he enjoyed the enthusiasm on her face. He had been seeing more and more of her playful side the more time he spent with her, and he was happy with what he saw. Seeing someone he cared about so much letting go of her stress and worries filled his heart to the brim.
She floated the net beneath the turtle and slowly began to tilt it upward. It tore as soon as it began to lift the weight of the creature and she let out a shriek of surprise, her eyes widening.
Cliff chuckled and shook his head. "Too slow. Looks like we'll have to move faster if we don't want the net to rip. I'm going to give this a shot!"
Claire nodded excitedly as she watched his face light up. The young man handed Toby another coin and received another net in exchange. He dramatically stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, eliciting a wave of giggles from his friend. "The trick," he darted the net in the water and quickly jerked it beneath an unsuspecting turtle, "is to be fast!" The net immediately broke in the water, splashing them both a bit and leaving a turtle behind that seemed to stare at him indignantly as it rocked back and forth on the rippling surface of the pool. Claire laughed harder and Cliff gave an exaggerated frown as he snorted.
"This isn't spear-fishing!" she reminded him with a nudge.
"I was going for a sneak attack!" he chuckled, staring at the remains of the net in his hand. He was surprised at how easily the net broke, and he felt a mild wave of embarrassment that he had failed so miserably. Recalling Claire's multiple tries, the feeling quickly faded. He ended up doing the same as his friend and purchased a few more tries with no results.
Kasey looked at them with a bright grin. "Wanna try again? You guys are pretty entertaining."
Claire shook her head. She knew that if she allowed herself, she would end up spending far too much money on a game with a prize she didn't particularly need. She had allotted herself a modest allowance for the festival, and she didn't want to spend it all in one place. "I think I'm all done."
Cliff's eyes drifted to the other stalls; the night was still young and there was plenty to do. "I got my tries in, so I'm satisfied," he added.
"Yeah, let's stop harassing the turtles," she replied with a giggle. They waved goodbye to the operators of the stall and continued on.
"Were you trying to impress me?" Claire asked with a playful giggle, drunk on humor. "Do you think I'd only think you were cool if you could scoop a turtle with a piece of paper?"
He looked over at her with rosy cheeks and glowing eyes. "Well, sure. I mean, I assumed it would go swimmingly." An indecently pleased grin spread across her lips as he continued. "I figured, 'Why the shell not?'"
She groaned in mock-exasperation as she buried her face into his shoulder. "I am in… turtle disgust at your jokes, Cliff." She stole this opportunity to feel the soft fabric of his yukata and take in the soft scent of mountain herbs.
Giddy at her closeness, his eyes widened as they lit up with joy. "No need to snap at me."
She bit her lip as she took his arm, resisting the curious urge to throw her arms around him in the middle of the plaza. The playful pout he was giving her caused her stomach to flutter in all sorts of interesting ways. "Shell we move on?"
He nodded emphatically; he would go anywhere with Claire.
Author's Note: I hope y'all enjoyed a more lighthearted episode with Claire. I've been dying for a chance to show her and Cliff being goofy and flirty together, so I just went for it, haha. Look forward to more details of their *ahem* outing to come!
I've never tried turtle scooping myself, but I think I'd probably be bad at it, haha.
I greatly appreciate all of the feedback I have received on the story thus far. It really helps keep me motivated to know that others are reading this and are genuinely interested in it. So, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I have a lot to shell-ebrate. *Cough*