A/N: THEN I WROTE CHAPTER 3

THREEEEEEEE

IT WAS…THREEEEEEEEE

Don't forget to drop me a line or review if you have any questions about the world or whatever! I just want to know I'm not alone ;A;


Summer hit like a wave. I was never more thankful for working air conditioning and a fridge, since it kept both my new home and my food refreshingly cool. I stockpiled sunscreen from Enrique and Diego's shop, and made sure Rain, Wind-struck, and my new calf, Drift, were cool. The air was heavy with the smell of animals and sweat, but in a strange way…I didn't mind.

98 days. That's how long I'd been around – 1,363 days left. It felt like an eternity with the gagging heat. Whatever, I thought as I rolled out of bed. Whatever. I'd get some ice cream from the café and be right as rain before hunting Dirk down.

The process of moving took a bit longer than I expected, so I hadn't really had a chance to meet up with the mailman yet. I was determined to do so today, though; heat be damned.

None of the animals wanted to go out in the heat today – I couldn't really blame them. I cracked open all the windows on the barn and coop and even had a couple of fans going on as often as possible. Wind-strider snorted merrily at me as I dished out some fodder and gave him and Drift a good brush-down. Drift was still too young to be producing milk, but I didn't mind. Ash and his family almost gave her to me as a barn-warming gift, but I insisted on paying them. It wasn't like I didn't have the cash, anyways. More recently, though, I've been saving up for a lamb, as well - Nori mentioned she'd help me make some new outfits if I could get my hands on some wool, and I wasn't about to let such an opportunity pass me by.

Rain was fully grown and would lay eggs like no one's business. She was also averse to being outside, but I had a feeling that was just because she was a very spoiled chicken. When I entered the coop, she clucked at me in a very huffy way until I spread out some feed for her and gave Rain the single offering of a treat before bagging the eggs and heading back out.

Of course, there wasn't much room to grow crops on the Bluebell farm, but somehow I made do with what I had. Little splashes of crops here and there, all I drenched in water. Hopefully it wouldn't evaporate until later in the day. I considered dunking my head in the water trough, but eventually decided against it. Fine, that's my chores done. Now I've got ice cream to grab.


I saw him dancing there by the record machine

I knew he must have been about seventeen

The beat was going strong

Playing my favorite song

And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me, yeah me

And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me, yeah me


The café was getting fairly close to crowded when I got there. Laney was dashing betwixt the tables like it was her sworn duty, serving dishes and drinks to her many patrons. I considered whether or not I really needed a cold drink or if I could hold off until Konohana, but then I felt someone staring at me.

A quick scan of the inside revealed Cam, sitting at one of the smaller tables and sipping some iced tea. He lifted an eyebrow, met my gaze, and then gestures toward the seat across from him. Well, I guess my choice was made for me.

The flowers the HG gave me probably didn't need watering, but I did so just on principle. I wasn't exactly doing anything special, but since Cam and I had some sort of agreement where I'd give him whatever wildflowers I found on the mountain and he got to tell me about them, his flowers were the first to go from white to purple, the color of his hat. Another flower had bloomed above the one that was originally white, although the rest just looked like a regular vine.

"Hello," I slid into the seat across from Cam and took a deep breath, reveling in the air conditioning. "Just a little warm today, huh?"

"Just a little," Cam placed an origami cat onto the table and began working with another napkin. "Make sure your crops don't whither in all this dry weather."

I wiped some sweat off my face and nodded. "Well, I mean, I'd feel rather sheepish if half my income just straight up died due to my negligence. Especially considering I spent pretty much the entirety of spring getting acquainted with said half."

Cam nodded and placed an origami flower onto the table, "Laney asked me to make a bunch of these table decorations instead of just wrapping up the silverware in them. What do you think?"

"I think that would make a nice touch," I went ahead and handed Cam my napkin. It was a rich red color, as appeared to be the standard. "But I wouldn't bother if it'd be too much of a hassle for you. You still have a flower stand to worry over, after all."

Speaking of Laney, she floated over to our table and gave me a side hug. "Hello, Diana! Sorry, we're super busy today. There's just so much heat! What's up?"

I pressed my fingertips together and gave her a very serious look. "Do you, perchance, have a fine selection of iced creams for me to peruse?"

"Of course we do!" Laney giggled, pulling out a pen and pad. "What flavor would you like? We have chocolate, vanilla, buttered pecan, cookies 'n' cream, rocky road, cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough, and vegan coconut."

Cam looked up from a very complicated-looking unfinished origami project. "I'll have cookies 'n' cream."

"Hm…" I thought very carefully about my options. "How about peanut butter cookie dough?"

Laney nodded and finished scribbling things down. "Good choice! Cone or bowl?"

"Bowl," Cam mentioned. "I'm almost done with the figures, by the way."

"Really?" Laney grinned. "That's great! Thank you so much for this, Cam. The costumers will love it!"

I shrugged. "Hit me with a cone. I've got some requests to finish before the day ends."

"You're not staying? I thought-" Laney shook her head free of whatever was bothering her. "Never mind. I'll be right back!" With a swish of her apron, Laney took off.

Cam and I sat in silence as he finished whatever he was working on. Eventually, he sighed contentedly and placed an ornate rose in full bloom on the table. "Finished."

I blinked. "Wait – that – that's origami? That's crazy!"

Cam locked eyes with me. For the first time since I met him, his lips pushed upwards into a smile just as delicate as the flowers he so loved.

I felt my heart give an uncomfortable lurch.


Singing, I love rock and roll,

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby,

I love rock and roll,

So come and take your time and dance with me

Ow!


The mountain air was as fresh and clean as ever. It helped me clear my head as I slowly licked my way through what I was fairly certain was a small portion of heaven. It was a good thing eating ice cream only requires one hand, too, since the other was preoccupied swatting bugs away. By the time I reached the top of the mountain, all evidence of my delicious treat was inside my stomach.

The goddess pond looked as cool and clear as ever. I rummaged around the inside of my pack for some mint and tossed it in. Sparkles began to shimmer around the "offering" and the HG herself leapt up from the water right above it. "Mint!" She grinned. "That's one of my favorites! Thank you, Diana. Did you want to talk about anything?"

I rubbed my forehead with a spare hand. "Just…saying hi," My hand dropped to my side. "Besides, if I had a reason, wouldn't you know about it already?"

"Nope!" the HG flung her hands in the air. "Your mind is a closed book to me. All I can really do is inform you of how many days you have left. It's a good thing you summoned me regardless, because I forgot to tell you something important!"

"Water the flowers you gave me?" I offered. "I've been doing that."

The harvest goddess' hands fell back to her sides. "Oh. Well, that and a few other things. First, the flowers themselves are pretty much just a mark of your personal efforts and not a true reflection of their feelings. Second, have you found any of the wonderful stones yet?"

"Yup. The red and orange ones. Why?"

"Oh, good!" she claps. "Look, once you get the blue, yellow, green, and purple ones, come to me. I'll enchant the boys to like you a bit more!"

I tried very hard to not say look, it's bad enough you're forcing me to do this. No need to get magic into the mix. Instead, I forced a, "I'll keep an eye out for them, then." The HG nods and sinks back into her pond again, leaving me alone.

With the wind on the mountain, it's really not that bad of a day. I take a moment to look out over the top of the mountain, looking down at the sea of trees swaying in the wind beneath me. Off at the very edge of the horizon, half-hidden by the mountain range, I could swear I saw a windmill turning in the breeze.


He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name

But that don't matter, he said, 'cause it's all the same

He said, "Can I take you home

Where we can be alone?"

And next we were moving on, he was with me, yeah me

Next we were moving on, he was with me, yeah me


I was always able to spot Konohana a little on my way down the mountain. The town looked very much like I had left it; nice and quiet with the gentle, indistinct sound of growing things.

Of course, what was not where I last left it was the tree root. "Gah!" There was no way I'd be recovering from this one. I spread my hands out in front of me, squeezed my eyes shut, and waited for the inevitable.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Lavender. Tea. My sense of smell seems to be the first to register, shortly followed by touch. Whoever it is that just saved me from falling on my face like a butt has super soft clothes.

I push myself back before things could get weird. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Dirk is roughly the same height as I am. If I were to summarize him in one word, it would most definitely be…gentle? Yeah, that's the sort of feeling I can detect. It's almost…sweet. I feel my heart leap into my throat.

"Oh! I've seen you on that TV show before. You're…Diana, right?" He smiles and never more have I wanted to not be here right now…because I have no choice. Maybe in some alternate universe I can convince myself the ends justify the means, but not here – not now. I force myself to smile and nod.

"Yeah. I never actually thought about it…I guess I am on TV, huh," I clear my throat. "Well, if it helps, I've heard about you, too. You're the mailman, right? Dirk, I believe?" I wipe the sweat off my palm and extend it for him to shake. "Sorry, that wasn't exactly the sort of first impression I had in mind."

Dirk's hands are soft – much softer than mine, at least – but the handshake is a little rough. He laughs. "Yeah, me neither! It's a good thing I caught you, huh?" He has green eyes, and they sparkle with merriment.

I snort. "I agree. Thanks for that, by the way. I'm not nearly that clumsy, I swear." I'm the first to let go of my hand, and it falls back to my side. Realization shocks me like a knife to the nervous system. "Oh! I'm probably getting in the way of you doing your job. Sorry, I'll just-"

Dirk shakes his head. "You're fine! There's not much to deliver today, so it's no big deal."

Yet again, I don't know how to proceed. Thankfully, I don't have to. "Diana!" Ina rushes over to me from the town. "Good, you're here. Come with me, I would like to talk to you."

Dirk took my hands in his own and gave them a good-bye shake. "It was nice meeting you! I guess I'll see you around sometime."

He let go and I followed Ina. "U-uh, yeah, bye."


Singing, I love rock and roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock and roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

Ow!

He said, "Can I take you home

Where we can be alone?"

Next we're moving on, he was with me, yeah me

And we'll be moving on and singing that same old song, yeah with me


"So, Diana," Ina held my arm in her firm grip. She walked with firm steps to the town hall. "Since you will be here for the Konohanian Music Festival this fall, I have a few things I would like to ask you, if that's all right with you, of course."

I nodded, clearing my thoughts. "Yeah, of course. What's up?"

The inside of Konohana's town hall was clean and smelled like fresh flowers. Ina had the air conditioning on, so it was cool inside as well. Ina opened one of the doors on the main floor and pushed me inside. The room was quite spacious, with instruments lining the wall and a baby grand piano on a raised platform. Our steps seemed to echo with all the empty space around. I feel chills scramble up and down my back. "Well, for starters, can you play an instrument?" The door shut behind me with a snap and Ina finally let my arm go.

I rubbed said arm absent-mindedly, "Well, I mean, I used to take piano lessons, but I haven't really had time to play since I came here."

Ina nodded. "That will do. Would you mind playing something for me on the piano over there?"

I took slow, careful steps toward the piano, swallowing my unease. It was a beautiful piano – by the looks of things, it was well-kept. I took a seat at the piano bench and cracked my knuckles. By my legs was a box of music sheets. I closed my eyes and just sort of…picked one.

Moonsetter. I blinked in surprise – this was a song I knew well. But, the question remained; did I know it well enough to play?

The song was split into three music sheets – one for the piano, one for the viola (or was it violin? I never knew) and one for the cello. I placed the piano one on the music stand and, with careful hands, began to play.

The steady, calming melody of the song filled the air. I began to play with more purpose, my head supplying the stringed instruments to accompany me.

I got about halfway through the song before Ina stopped me. "Yes, you'll do wonderfully."

"For what?" I took my hands off the keyboard, looking up at the mayor.

Ina sighed and took a seat next to me on the piano bench. "Well, I managed to convince a talented musician named Mikhail to come preform for us this Music Festival. One thing lead to another, you see, and I realized I didn't have a piano player to accompany him. Interesting choice, as well. Did you know that was the song he had in mind to play?"

"No," I shook my head, stroking the keys while I talked. 'It's a lovely piece, though, don't you think?"

Ina was already deep in thought. "Yes, yes, lovely. There should be a music hall like this in Bluebell – if the other guy," bitterness dripped from her voice "is susceptible, I would like for you to practice this as often as possible. You sort of…well, I'm certain there's a musical term for it, but you seemed to stutter a bit, don't you think?"

"I see what you mean," I grasped the music sheet, holding it in callused hands. "But for my first time playing this particular song, I think I did okay, what do you think?"

Ina nodded fervently. "Oh, yes, absolutely. I don't know much about music – my parents forced me to learn piano when I was younger, but nothing ever really stuck with me. Carry on, then. Sorry to occupy so much of your time, Diana." She stood and ushered me out of the room, making sure I had the piano accompaniment to Moonsetter before seeing me off.

I didn't spend much time by myself. "Hello, Diana…" Reina had her hands held behind her back and nodded in greeting. "How are you today?"

I stuffed the music sheets into my rucksack. "I've been doing fairly well, all things considered. You?"

"I am perfectly well, yes," Reina pulled out a notebook and began flipping through it absent-mindedly. "Your birthday is only a few days from now, correct?"

I blinked. "Yeah…the thirteenth. Why?"

"Just curious," The botanist crossed her arms. Reina was never one for complexity, and it showed in her simple blue getup. She was petite, but slender, like a blue tulip in bloom. I suppose I'd be more along the lines of a large, awkward sunflower. "You know…" she avoided my gaze. "Never mind."

I lifted my eyebrow. "Hm?"

"It's just…" Reina shuffled her feet, fingering a small plant she brought with her from the mountain. "We all care about you, okay? Don't forget it." She turned on her heels and briskly trotted away.


Singing I love rock and roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock and roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

I love rock and roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock and roll

So come and take your time and dance with-


I decided to grab some grub at Yun's before hiking back up the mountain. It would be a while before it got dark, so I wasn't worried or anything. The door (curtain?) opened and I felt myself bump into something large and muscular.

"Hey, Diana! What's up?" Kana laughs and gives me a hug. "I was just thinking about you, too – what a coincidence!"

I return the embrace before politely stepping back. "Really? That's crazy!"

"I guess it is, huh? Hey, you wanna eat with me? I was about to see if Hiro would, but I'll need someone to convince him to stay and not work his face off again. You know how he is." Kana did some dismissive gesture that was meant to convey something along the lines of "what with the doctoring and such" before stepping back and letting me inside the teahouse.

Yun looked up from some dish or another and smiled at me. "Oh, hello, Diana. It's nice to see you again! Why don't you take a seat?"

"Yeah! I'll see if Hiro wants to eat with us. Be right back!" Kana walked out the restaurant, leaving me alone with the grandmother and Ying. The small girl apparently had some sort of lung problem, which lead her to live with her grandma where the air was cleaner. She was cute and sweet as a sugar cube, all covered in ribbons and shades of pink. She gave me a quiet smile, which I returned.

I took a few steps inside. "Hey, you sure you don't need any help, Yun? You know I'm available."

"Not this time, dear," Yun was working on some sort of stir-fry, flipping noodles and vegetables into the air only to have them land back in the pan. "I know you're busy as a bee on State Farm, and I wouldn't want to be a bother to you."

I sighed and resigned myself to taking a seat. "All right, fine," I brushed off invisible dust from my skirt. "But I do want to help at some point, even if it's something minor. Deal?"

Yun chuckled. "Deal."

It didn't take long before Kana galloped his way back inside, Hiro in tow. The doctor's apprentice looked very sheepish and confused, and that look of confusion only increased when he saw me sitting there, calmly fiddling with the napkins.

I still have no idea how Cam made that rose. I'll have to pester him for origami lessons later. I waved the bachelors over. "Welcome to the party! I saved you some seats."

"You should have seen it!" Kana snorted. "Ayame practically kicked him out the door!"

Hiro sighed. "Somedays, I wonder if I'm the only one who's completely serious about my studies."

"Think of it this way," I did some hand gesture that was supposed to convey 'consider the following.' "There's a difference between dutifully studying and going overboard and losing all your friends, yeah? We all want you to succeed, don't get me wrong," I picked up the napkin and began fiddling with it again. "But we also want to be your friends, y'know?"

Hiro shook his head and smiled at me. "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it, Diana."

"At least some people have common sense." My mouth split into a grin.

We spent a while hanging out and enjoying ourselves, eating the food and chatting. I took it as a chance to get to know the boys a bit better, and vice-versa, from what I could tell.


I love rock and roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock and roll

So come and take your time and dance with

I love rock and roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock and roll

So come and take your time and dance with

I love rock and roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock and roll

So come and take your time and dance with me


I left the teahouse a few hours later, and began my steady hike up the mountain. In the quiet cloak of night, I even took the opportunity to catch a few beetles and fireflies as gifts or to sell. The temperature was slowly beginning to drop, although it wouldn't be for too long.

I found myself back home before too late. All the animals were fast asleep, the crops received their second watering, and I changed before collapsing on the bed, dead to the world.

1,362.


FUN FACTS DID YOU KNOW:

-Technically speaking, both Diana and Kana were born on "Summer 13." However, Diana was born in June and Kana was born in August; Dirk, on July 12. Summer babiiiieessss ;u;

-Moonsetter is a song from Homestuck! I really like it. It's a very beautiful piano/viola(?)/cello melody.

-I never feel like I can nail the endings on any of these chapters orz