Harvest Moon

Between Maidens

Without hesitation, the young lady of the villa quickly rushed the nurse and embraced her with glee.

"Elli, what are you doing here so early? Grandma invited you for the dinner recital, right? So I assumed you would be arriving later in the afternoon." Lumina said as she slowly released her hold.

Elli blinked in confusion. "Really? But Auntie Romana said to get here first thing in the morning and receive some "preparation" for the evening in her letter. I suppose she was concern with my relative lack of proper upbringing by my immediate family, but---"

"What?" Lumina exclaimed. "Oh, no… please don't tell me she's speaking nonsense about you and Great Aunt Ellen again", she sighed, "The both of you may be distant family to me, but that old woman's such a sweetheart. You're really lucky to be raised by such understanding grandparent. Mine is always strict with me, forcing me to practice piano from sunrise to sunset. I really used to love pounding those black and white keys, too, but Grandma's making it such a nightmare!"

"You mean… she's that insistent upon everyone associated with her?" Elli asked nervously.

The young girl with the yellow hair band nodded immediately. "Sebastian and I, at least. Though I really shouldn't be surprised that she's starting to work on you now." She groaned.

"Well…" Elli started with a nervous laugh. "At least I can tell she acknowledges me as family if she's willing to have all this effort spent on me." She commented with a hint of girlish optimism.

Lumina blinked. She was about to refute Elli's minor point and complain like there was no tomorrow at her distant cousin, but instead, she withheld her further gripes. Instead, she looked at Elli with a grateful smile.

"You know, Elli… you were always good at being the optimist." She replied in relief.

"I'm glad I can help." Elli replied with an innocent smile that made her gleam brighter than the sun.

But then, this touching scene suddenly comes to a screeching halt when the two young ladies' stomachs growled simultaneously.

Sebastian, the ever-vigilant butler had stood by silently to observe the moment.

"Er… since there seems to be some difficulty with silverware etiquette, may I bring you fine ladies some sandwiches for the time being?" the butler chimed in.

"Yes, that would be nice, Sebastian. I'll have a Ham and Cheese on White, for now. Elli, what will you have?"

Elli paused for a minute. "Wait… are we actually having lunch now? B-but… I thought he meant those little mini cucumber sandwiches that are served as snacks during a tea party." She confessed as she still tried to understand the workings of higher society.

"Oh, sure. He can make those, too." Lumina replied casually, "Actually, we have all sorts of vegetables, fruits, and breads for sandwiches thanks to the successful agriculture around here. We also have plenty of meats and condiments for that purpose. Even Peanut Butter and Jelly of many assorted flavors."

"Did you say fruits?" Elli replied curiously. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" she cheered.

The happy nurse then turned towards the patient butler. "Sebastian, please make mine a fruit salad sandwich. Go ahead and surprise me, just as long as it's good and sweet!"

Sebastian grinned. "Ah, yes. "Good and Sweet", a fitting choice for Miss Elli." He retorted. "Very well, so it's one Ham and Cheese for Lady Lumina, and a "Good and Sweet" Fruit Salad Sandwich for Miss Elli. I'll be sure to have them ready just in time to satisfy our hungry ladies." He assured before walking patiently towards the kitchen.

This little period finally left the two ladies alone.

"So Elli. I heard that a new farmer moved to Mineral Town not too long ago, as well. Go ahead and spill. What's he like?" Lumina said with great interest.

"Oh, right, right. You must mean Sack. Well, he's a bright and energetic fellow. I think he's well-suited for a Farmer, to be honest." Elli explained.

"I suppose…that's nice to know…" Lumina said hesitantly. "But what I meant was, well… you know."

"No, really. What?" Elli asked innocently.

Lumina paused for a second in disbelief. Elli is about three or four years older than herself, practically making her a true woman in comparison, yet she still finds it hard to believe how naïve her distant cousin can be sometimes.

"Well… is he cute? Is he handsome? Is he charming?" Lumina nearly blurted out.

"Uh… well, I guess he IS cute." Elli said with some uncertainty. "His tousled blonde hair and boyish face looks really adorable. But what gets me the most is his big green puppy-dog eyes. It's all so cute!" She squealed, as if she was describing a puppy she just adopted.

Apparently, the nurse's reaction felt off-beat for the girl of fancy living. "I-Is that so?" she said shakily.

Elli nodded. "Indeed. Sack's always off running around doing good deeds and trying to make Mineral Town a better place for everyone. In my opinion, I think he's doing a great job! I'm just a little concerned about the few occasions he works himself out of consciousness" she confessed.

"That's good to know. He sounds like a really nice guy." Lumina confirmed. "So… do you think you might be… well, interested in him?" she inquired with slight teasing in her voice.

"Interested? In Sack?" Elli cried back. "Well, I don't really know. He's truly a pleasure to be around and everything, but… well, he started sticking to Karen like glue the moment he first laid eyes on her. And they've been getting along really well since." She explained.

"Oh." Lumina said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"But that really doesn't bother me so much. Sack and Karen go well together. Besides, I… uh… have someone else in mind." She said hesitantly.

"Really? Who?" Lumina demanded enthusiastically.

Unfortunately for her, Elli hesitated long and hard to answer, but that left Lumina time to speculate.

"Well, I'm not really sure if it's that Doctor Tim Holiday fellow she always writes about. She keeps saying how "insightful" and "responsible" he always is, but that sounds a little too dull for a boyfriend. I'm starting to think the Doctor's around his Fifties or something. Certainly not someone all that appealing to Elli…" she thought.

"Uh, let's forget about me for a second and talk about you now. How's everything going with this Farmer Gavin you keep talking about? Is he treating you fine?" Elli asked.

Lumina blushed upon hearing the name of the new handsome Farmer that suddenly took up residence in Forget-Me-Not Valley. She opened up with a brief period of stammering before making out any comprehendible speech.

"Ah… er… uh… it's… okay…" Lumina started. "He treats me very nice. Like a big brother."

"Big brother? Awww… he sounds so sweet!" Elli cried.

"B-but… I really wish he treated me like… I was more than her little sister… that maybe… he could see me as a woman." She reluctantly admitted.

"Lumina…" Elli uttered in soft sympathy. "But you know, you're still very young… and this Gavin, from what I can tell, is already at marriage age."

"Yes. I know…. I understand that fact very well, but…" a single tear trickled slowly down Lumina's left cheek.

"But…. These feelings won't go away. Elli, I've never felt this way about anyone before. Even as I see the barmaid Muffy waiting on him at the bar every evening, even when I see that mysterious red-head Nami open up to him like she's never done so with anyone else… and…"

Two more teardrops, one from each eye, slid down her face.

"…Even when I see him at his happiest whenever he spends time with his fellow farmer Celia… I… I can't help but feel this way about him." She said, trying to contain her sorrow in the face of her cherished cousin.

"Lumina…" Elli softly said once more.

Although her circumstances were different, the young nurse herself was facing her own crisis of heart. Despite Lumina's belief, Elli was actually head over heels in love with Doctor Tim Holiday, who just happened to be quite young and handsome, in her opinion. For the longest time, Elli tried to think of the best possible way to at least hint her feelings towards the diligent Doctor; however, the poor nurse was just too shy and naïve when it came to matters of the heart. And to make matters worse, Doctor Holiday never really treated her as anything beyond a talented nurse and her trusted assistant. While she was at least certain they shared a bond of friendship, she was thoroughly filled with doubt and fear that he may not be able to return her feelings of love. With these thoughts swirling in her mind, poor Elli's eyes started to quiver and moisten.

It seemed very likely at this point that both girls will break down and start crying all over the place, but…

"The Sandwiches are ready!" Sebastian cried, reminding them both of their growling tummies.

Elli and Lumina perked up immediately, readying themselves for a hearty lunch.

"Oh, right! The sandwiches! I almost forgot about our Lunch! Silly me!" Lumina cried as she wiped her teary eyes with a sincere smile.

Elli giggled. "Oh goodness! I actually lost track of the time for awhile!"

Sebastian then placed the plates neatly on the dining table and courteously pulled back the nearby seats for Lumina and Elli. The villa girl immediately clamped her hands upon on the mouth-watering Ham and Cheese Sandwich, while Elli's eyes wandered between her Mystery Fruit Sandwich and the nearby silverware.

"Uh… Elli? Did Sebastian give you the wrong sandwich or something? Because if there's anything wrong, he can fix for you right away and---"

"No, it's definitely a fruit sandwich like I asked, and it looks very delicious" Elli interrupted. "It's just that… I really want to try getting down silverware again."

If it weren't for her proper upbringing, Lumina would have her mouth gaping open as she stared questionably at Elli.

"…Are… you serious?" Lumina asked hesitantly.

Elli bobbed her head up and down as she nodded. "Yes. I don't want to make you look bad at the dinner because of my ignorance. I'd rather not make another embarrassing mistake like the "multi-purpose fork" proposition for your family's sake."

It was then Lumina's turn to smile with a radiant glow. "Oh, no! You don't have to worry about that stuff for now! Go ahead and eat! I'd rather have a living improper cousin than a refined one who starved to death." She insisted.

"….Okay…" Elli replied in embarrassment.

Author's Notes: Currently Playing Yggdra Union. Well, actually, I WOULD, if my DS Lite's L button hadn't stopped working on me all of a sudden. I really wish I could go to my Gamecube at home right now and just "Gameboy Player" it, but well... that's College Dorm Life for ya. ::sighs::

Wait a minute. This is supposed to actually be about my story, right? Okay, then! I'm sorry for not getting part two out sooner! Well, actually I'm sorry I couldn't submit this short story as a whole, but I've been busy, uninspired, and "Yggdra-Union" deprived as of late. It's all a big conspiracy to keep me from writing I suppose, whether phyiscally or mentally, so it's been bad times. Seriously, though, I have the Last Part of this all planned out, I just need to come up with the "Etiqutte" Montage and get myself to write it. Luckily, Winter Break is coming up, so cross your fingers, loyal readers!

On the other hand, I got to see the Wii in action at my local Video Game Club. Zelda is frikin' awesome!

Finally, for those of you THAT impatient and have already read my stories, I have a few more you might be interested in. If you LOVE Harvest Moon, then chances are... you'll have no idea what I've been writing about. Since, well... I have original characters and a completly made up fantasy world called "Prophet Destiny". It's in my Gaia Online Journal. Just look up my penname on Gaiaonline. com for my profile and click on "view journal" when you get there. Please click on the earliest date after that, so you won't miss anything.

My main project with my journal is a Three Chapter Short Story called the "Daily Life". I've already done the first two Chapters, and I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity to do the last one. But since you Harvest-holics have been enjoying my fanfiction so far, I'll try my best to make my highest writing prority. If you have the time though, I seriously reccomend you look at my Original Stories. I just might love you for getting familar with my treasured OCs, especially a witty wizard named Gades Rubiss.

Anyway, see you for now!