Author's Notes: Whew! I'm so sorry this took forever to post. Nearly a year to be exact. I was feeling overly ambitious with all the writing I'd wanted to do that I sort of walked away from everything. But I'm back now and hopefully it's for good! As for my other writings if anyone was following that, SMMJ is still on track but I don't think I'll be finishing Stolen Heart. I'm stuck between wanting to revise the entire story again, or just leaving it alone and writing a brand Claire and Skye story all together. I really want to completely change the plot to make it more than just Skye's in game storyline. Anyways, enough rambling, please read and review!
"Cliff?" Samuel snorted. "You really bothered to shoot up a conversation with that guy?" He raised a brow and smirked at his cousin as he brought the glass to his lips and took a sip.
"Be nice, Samuel." A short redhead with a long braid came up behind him, pinching the skin of his arm with one hand and holding a tray full of dirty dishes in the other.
"Ow!" He jumped and quickly scooted his seat away from the waitress, scowling at her as he rubbed his pinched arm. The brunet was well aware any slander towards Cliff's character was unacceptable around the waitress, but he hadn't realized she'd been so close, much less paying attention to their conversation.
She shot him a cheeky grin in response, before turning her attention to the blonde seated across from the two. "You haven't introduced me to your friend yet, Samuel." She said to him, her blue eyes twinkling and locking with Claire's.
"I'm Claire!" the blonde squeaked, beaming a bright smile at the waitress. "I'm the new farmer in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Samuel and I are cousins."
"Oh... You're the famous cousin Samuel's always talking about. It's so nice to finally meet you in person! I'm Ann, by the way. This is my dad's bar and inn. Feel free to order anything you like, it's on the house." She winked at Claire, her body swaying in place.
Claire blinked, surprised by both Ann's warm hospitality and that Samuel had spoken about her to Ann before. "Really? Oh, it's so sweet of you to offer! I really shouldn't though, I'd feel bad if I just mooched off you like that."
"Mooch?" She scrunched up her nose, letting out a gentle laugh. "Don't be silly! All new customers get a complimentary first meal, it's what keeps them coming back." She grinned.
Samuel cast a side eye at Ann, wondering why she was putting on such a show for her cousin. She was nice girl, sure, but she was never this sweet, not even with new people. "Since when? I didn't get a free meal when I first came to Mineral Town." He muttered.
"Actually..." Ann placed her free hand on her hips and her expression soured. "You did. Dad offered you a free meal, and when I brought it out, you berated me for putting pineapple on a pizza and stormed out!"
The blonde looked over at her cousin with wide eyes. Had he really been that rude to Ann when they first met?
An impish smile crept onto Samuel's lip as the memory grew in his mind and he let out a chuckle. "Oh yeah... Well, you should've know better." He placed the glass on the table folded his arms, leaning back in his chair. "What kind of waitress serves such a controversial dish as free meal?"
"Controversial dish?" Her eyes flew open and her mouth gaped. He was acting as if she'd served him a plate of rotting food. "It's pizza! Everyone likes pizza!"
"No one likes pineapple pizza!" Samuel nearly hopped out of his seat, glaring up angrily at the redhead. "Why would you put a warm, soggy, sweet fruit on top of a savory pizza? I just don't get it! What's it supposed to mix with? The cheese? The garlic crust? The ham? It just makes no sense to me! I'm offended that you'd try to feed me such a thing!"
"It's not supposed to mix with anything! It's supposed to play off the ham! If it's all savory you can't tell the flavors apart! It all just turns into salty mush in your mouth!" Ann's voice was no longer high and sing-song like it had been when she was talking to Claire a moment ago. It was almost as if Samuel flipped a switch inside of her, and revealed a side of her that would've otherwise taken a while for Claire to see.
"Hey, you guys... it's just pizza." The blonde interjected, trying to diffuse the argument that was now becoming a little too loud.
"It's not just pizza!" The two snapped in unison.
A loud clearing of the throat was heard throughout the pub. Ann dropped her shoulders and looked over at the man who'd caused the sound. He had the same bright hair as Ann, and a downcast moustache adorned his upper lip. He shot a firm glare at Ann from behind the bar, before returning his attention to the glass he'd been drying off in his hand.
The waitress seemed to recede in place and she let out a nervous laugh. "Heh... Sorry about that Claire. I get a little defensive when people attack my favorite flavor of pizza." She straightened out her posture, her customer service attitude returning. "Anyways, take a look at the menu." She plucked a menu from under the pile of dishes on her tray and slid it across the table. "I'll be back to take your order. As for you..." She returned her attention to the Mineral Town farmer, furrowing her brows and speaking lowly, so as if her father would not hear her. "I better not hear another word about Cliff out of you!"
The waitress walked away from the table, her braid swaying back and forth. Samuel rolled his eyes at her empty threat and folded his arms, resting back in his seat once again. "Don't fall for that happy-go-lucky act she puts on." He snorted, but Claire could tell this comment wasn't mean-spirited by the way the ends of his lips curled into a relaxed smile and his eyes lingered on her.
Once the waitress was far out of earshot, she'd decided to bring up what they'd been talking about before Ann appeared. She leaned forward, speaking quietly in fear of Ann overhearing once again. "So... what did you mean by 'bothering to shoot up a conversation'?"
Samuel didn't meet her eye, but instead continued to watch Ann. "That guy's been here for months and all he's done is sit at the church and mope. Ann's really protective of him for whatever reason, which is why she doesn't like me talking about him."
So… the farmer Carter was talking about really was Samuel... Claire's face fell. If his words weren't enough, his body language said it all. He was not fond of Mineral Town's newest resident at all, and her heart sank for Cliff. He seemed so lost when she sat beside him on the pew and it was unfair of Samuel to write his behavior off as "moping". Although couldn't fully relate to Cliff, she was aware that everyone handled their pain differently. She let a small sigh escape her lips. She also knew better than to argue this with Samuel right now. The Mineral Town farmer would not have it. "You know, he's not that bad of guy. He's just shy. Not everyone can be life of the party like you, Samuel."
The Mineral Town farmer simply laughed through his nose, giving her a shrug of indifference. "Yeah well, if you want to make the effort to befriend that guy, then go right ahead. If it stops Ann from babying him like some newborn bird, then I'm all for it."
"You know, I would've never ended up at the church if you had just left a note telling me where you'd be. You knew I was coming out here today!" Claire decided to steer the conversation away from Cliff. She could see why the waitress would be so adamant to keep Samuel's thoughts of Cliff strictly in his mind.
Samuel let out a chuckle and raise his hands, so as to say 'sorry not sorry'. "You took too long to get here, so I came to the bar. Now you know where to find me from now on." He flashed a grin at his scowling cousin. "You're welcome."
Claire couldn't help but to shake her head and smile hopelessly at him. Two years away from home hadn't changed him one bit. He was still the same snarky guy he was back then. "You've adjusted pretty well here, huh Sammy?"
The blonde was met with an exasperated groan and she bit back a laugh. "Please Claire, don't bring that nickname back. I haven't been called that in years."
"I hope it sticks." Giggles trickled into Claire's response.
Samuel's eyes looked down at the glass that sat atop of the wooden table, nearly empty. The beads of condensations dripped down and had formed a ring under the glass. "Yeah, it was a rough first year, you know?" He said, his eyes not leaving the glass as he gave a half shrug. "I'm still nowhere near the level I want to be, but at least I'm not eating honey and apples for every meal now."
Claire's heart sank a little at this revelation. The picturesque postcards Samuel had sent every holiday made it seem much simpler that it was. She felt heavy, as if all her looming thoughts were finally bearing their weight on her. The valley farmer was getting by on all the canned food she'd been smart enough to pack, but she was already on her last couple of cans. In less than three days, she would have to resort to some of the turnips she'd harvested.
"Oh! And don't even get me started on the townsfolk. These people are so nice it's frightening." Samuel's voice snapped Claire out of her thoughts. "You know I'm an honest guy, but these people don't know that. They're so quick to trust anyone, they treat you almost like family. But, to tell you the truth..." He looked over at the bar once again. Ann was standing behind the bar, flashing a cheery smile at an old man with a long pointed white beard and a gray yukata. "I'd rather have this than those sourpusses back in the city."
The blonde relaxed her body, realizing it had been tense up until now. "That's good to hear." Her cousin was quite the hothead when it came to dealing with others. She'd been there countless times when he'd call her after work and let out steam about his incompetent coworkers or his boss with the superiority complex. "You look much happier too. You used to scowl so much more."
"Hey, I haven't gone soft or anything! You know I'm always ready to knock somebody down a few pegs."
"Yeah, yeah." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "It's not good for you to be on edge and angry all the time is what I meant. Now you're the perfect amount!"
He snorted in response and tilted his head back, finishing the last of his drink.
"By the way... That's Ann's father, right?" The blonde gestured over to the redheaded man who stood behind the bar with her head. "He looks... pretty mean."
"Mean? No way. Is he incredibly overprotective over his adult daughter to the point of annoyance?" He gave her a nod. "Yes."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?" Samuel repeated, letting out a long and heavy sigh. "He gets on Ann's case whenever she drops by the farm too much. It's not even that he outright tells her she can't come, but it's more he guilts her for abandoning her responsibilities." He ran his finger down the side of his glass, wiping away the beads. He held a somber expression. "It's just… strange. I get that Ann has work to do and all, but Ann's an adult…" The brunet trailed off, before straightening his posture and looking up at his cousin with a half-hearted grin. "Ah, forget I said anything. I just get a little bothered when it comes to… that stuff. Doug's a good man."
Claire studied her cousin's expression, then her eyes quickly darted to the redheaded man in question. It was rare to see him look dismal, and even rarer to see him backtrack on his own words.
"I get what you mean. Don't worry." The two locked eyes, and there was a silent shared understanding. The Forget-Me-Not Valley farmer knew he'd tell her more about it later, but for now it was better for her to let it go.
The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, before Claire glanced out of the pub window and was met with her own reflection, the darkness outside serving as her canvas. "Oh, man… it's pitch black out. I should really get going." The blonde rested her hands against the edge of the table, pushed herself back and standing up from her chair.
Samuel looked up at her. "You're not going to wait for your free meal? Look Claire, if I were you, I'd order the biggest dish they can cook up." He lowered his voice and a smirk crept onto his lips. "Trust me, it's going to be a rough couple of weeks with food."
The blonde bit her lip, looking down at the menu, then looking back at the window. She knew she'd have to leave soon, seeing as this was her first time in Mineral Town and it was easy to get lost in a town so big, but her cousin was right. She wouldn't be having a fresh hot meal for a long time, and although she didn't like feeling like a mooch, Ann had already insisted she order something. Besides, it'd be smarter to be accompanied by Samuel on her way back to the farm
"Maybe…" she slowly lowered herself back into her chair and scooted herself forward, looking over the menu with starry eyes. "Maybe I'll stay for a meal after all."