Chapter 6: Breaking In

The next morning around eight o'clock, Jill was back at the farm. Takakura had simply nodded the previous night, and then told her to come by sometime around eight o'clock the next morning, before the festival.

Jill decided he was simply a man of few words.

They spent a good hour or two talking about finances and the state of the farm, as well as the amount of effort that would have to go into it in order to make it run properly again. All of the buildings other than part of the house and the stable would have to come down, and she'd have to do it by herself. Then there was the matter of getting seeds for crops and watering every day, and eventually figuring out how to get animals on the farm, as well.

After that, Takakura gave her a set of tools, and they worked on some minor house fixings so that she could move in as soon as possible. Like Marlin, he was a man of few words, but he worked efficiently. Jill was the same. Determination was etched in her face as she sawed off various pieces of wood and then hammered nails into certain boards. It was very different than any other work she had done, but she found that after the first few boards, it wasn't so bad. By noon, the house was starting to look like it was in better shape, and insulated well enough for her to sleep in at night. The furniture inside was in pretty good condition, so that didn't need much fixing, and Takakura took some sheets from his house and replaced them with the older, faded blue sheets on the bed. By four o'clock, two hours before the New Year's Celebration, Jill had finished planting two nine-by-nine patches of turnips from Takakura's supply, and she was also about ready to flop into bed and fall asleep.

They stood together at the edge of the field, admiring their hard day's work, until Takakura said, "You'll make it. You work hard, and you're passionate. I like that."

"Thanks," Jill said. Her heart swelled. This was their farm. She had a house. Her very own freaking house.

"There's still a lot more to do," Takakura continued, "but I think you'll be okay. And I'm always here if you need me. For now, we should probably at least go to the festival, and tell Vesta and Hardy about your decision. They'll be okay with it, don't worry."

Jill nodded, not entirely paying attention. The turnip patches were clean and neat; she had done a fairly good job, at least by her own standards. The house looked like a pair of patched-up jeans, but it had character and was stable, unlike all the other buildings she would have to demolish over the next week or so.

She was so happy the rest of the day and at the festival she barely even thought about the Pigs and the Organization. The festival went by in a blur, but there were lots of people that were happy about her decision to take over the farm, especially Hardy. "I'm glad you'll be staying for a while," he had said. "That way I can still take care of your wounds if they act up again."

Two festivals in one day was a bit much for Jill, so she went home a little early with Hardy, who helped her bring her rucksack and clothes to the new house. He also kindly supplied her with about eight different phone numbers to the businesses in Mineral Town should she need to order anything. Jill had nodded, still in a tired daze, and, soon after he left, crashed on the bed and fallen asleep as soon as her eyes were shut.

The next morning, she got up around six, and watered the crops. She felt much more refreshed, and started thinking about ways she could get a good start. It would be best to work up gradually, she figured, so she'd start with crops, and then stray toward poultry, and then livestock. She ordered about four more nine-by-nine packets of seeds from the supermarket that morning (two patches of potatoes and two more turnips, to be exact), and worked on planting those. By nine o'clock, she was finished, and tired, but she wouldn't let herself leave the farm until lunchtime, which she would probably spend at the bar or maybe Vesta's house.

She spent the time until then ripping apart the buildings and trying to find wood that could be spared for her future chicken coop, which went fairly well. Around eleven o'clock, Takakura entered the farm with a surprise: a dog and a cat.

"Holy crow!" Jill cried when she saw him carrying the two animals down the entrance path. "They're so adorable! Where did you get them?"

Takakura chuckled, and replied, "A woman in the city had a dog and a cat that both had litters a while ago, and she asked me to take these two, because they were the last ones and no one else in the city wanted them. So I figured you might like them." He set the dog and the cat on the ground in front of Jill, who then crouched down to pet both of them lovingly. The last time she had a pet was when she was thirteen or fourteen, and then her favorite cat died and she had refused to get any more. But they were cute...

"So we can keep them?" Jill asked, smiling up at Takakura. He nodded.

"What do you want to name them?" he asked. "The dog is a boy, and the cat is a girl."

Jill thought for a moment, and then replied, "I'll name the dog Wesley, and the cat will be Perri." She stood, looked Takakura in the eye, and said, "Thank you so much, Takakura. This is really nice of you."

"No problem, Pony," he replied. "I just figured you might want a housewarming gift."

Jill smiled, but when she heard the name Pony, she felt a little guilty again. Maybe someday she'd tell the valley that wasn't her real name, but for now, she was Pony.

Perri and Wesley kept her company while she worked until noon, and then she left the farm to go have lunch. Takakura had given her five hundred gold to live off until her first shipment of crops went out, but until then she still had to spend wisely.

The valley was sunny and warm compared to the previous winter days. Little buds were starting to open up in the trees, and the grass seemed to turn greener with every hour. Birds tweeted merrily, creating a cheery and warm ambience.

When Jill opened the bar, she was surprised to find it was not Muffy there, but Griffin. Jill had spent maybe an hour or two around Griffin before, and thought he was pretty nice, though, so she figured it was alright.

He looked up from the glass he was cleaning once she opened the door, and smiled. "Hey, Pony," he said, and smiled. "Muffy's out shopping in town today."

"That's okay," Jill replied, making her way toward the counter. "I was actually just looking for some lunch. I can pay you for it, of course."

Griffin chuckled, and said, "You're one of Muffy's friends, so you're one of mine. I can't ask a friend to pay. You must be hungry now that you're working hard at that farm all day. What can I get for you?"

Jill thought for a moment, and replied, "Can you make stir fry? That would be great. And thanks for not charging. It's really kind of you."

He smiled kindly. "Of course. It's no problem, really."

While Griffin made lunch, Jill skimmed through a newspaper on the counter. It was an old newspaper, probably by a month or so, and she had heard most of the stories through her travels (well, runnings), except for one article in particular that caught her eye:

Break-ins All Over Kingsly: Coincidence, or Linked?

It's no secret that as of late there have been various break-ins all over Kingsly, but it wasn't until about a week ago that police discovered that the break-ins may in fact be linked together.

"All of the break-ins are happening at various museums," a local policeman who wishes to remain anonymous explained. "And all of the artifacts that were stolen have been connected. A famous document was also stolen from one of the Capital buildings in the city nearby, but that could be a coincidence."

Still, authorities have reasons to be suspicious. The thieves suspected for each crime are different, but have all been involved in similar cases before. Is it possible that the crimes are part of a bigger picture? Is there a mass of crooks forming on the horizon? It's a well-known story that last year the Government was given information via computer files about the notorious Project X, but since then, no other information has been exposed, and agencies have not been able to find the source of the Project. Now, however, authorities are starting to wonder if there's a new Project under the radar, and who's going to save them from it this time?

The article went on with possible speculations, but Jill didn't want to read any more. She took a deep breath, and, as quietly as she could, opened her rucksack and put the newspaper inside so no one else would be able to read it. So, the Organization was up to something yet again?

Whatever, Jill thought. It's not my responsibility. The world can freaking save itself. I'm not getting into this again. I've lost everything because of those stupid files.

Guilt stabbed her like an arrow to the heart. She knew she should do something, but she finally felt happy and safe for the first time in around a year. The authorities could figure it out and catch the thieves, and find the organization hideout on its own time. They could lose their families. Jill had something again, and she wasn't going to lose it, not if she could help it.

"So, how are you doing with all of this, Pony?" Griffin suddenly asked. Jill jumped so slightly it wasn't noticeable, but her heart still fluttered a bit inside of her chest.

Regaining composure, she replied, "I'm doing alright. It's a lot of new things at once."

Griffin nodded, though Jill couldn't see his expression because he was making the stir-fry. He flipped the vegetables and after they sizzled loudly, he replied, "I'd assume so! Where'd you say you're from, again?"

"Er, Flowerbud," Jill replied, recalling her conversation with Hardy. Always stick to the same story. "I have family there, but I figured it's about time I find my own place. This farm seems like a nice way to start."

"I agree," Griffin said. "Sometimes life's best things come as a surprise. I thought this bar would just be something I picked up for a while, but I ended up falling in love with her."

"It's a great building," Jill commented as Griffin grabbed a plate from a nearby cabinet and flipped her stir-fry on to it. He put the plate on the counter in front of her and handed her a fork. She murmured her thanks, and dug in to the delicious food.

After picking up the cup he had been cleaning before, Griffin replied, "It's got such a nice atmosphere. I used to wonder why my Grandfather built it here, and now that I'm older, I guess I finally understand. You don't get bars like this in the city, you know what I mean?"

Jill thought of memories from the Basement Bar at the organization, and shook her head. "No, you don't," she said, meaning it entirely. "You take good care of it. Muffy loves it here, too."

Griffin nodded, but something in his eyes was different from the rest of his face. Jill was generally good at reading faces, as she had been trained to notice every and all details, but the expression in his eyes was hard to decipher. He almost looked regretful. Before Jill had a chance to think about why, though, he glanced down at the counter again.

As Jill continued eating and Griffin continued cleaning the cup, she thought about her farm. Oh, how she wanted fields of green and skies of blue with a variety of crops, and her animals grazing in a pasture of perfectly cultivated grass. Maybe she'd stay more than a season. If the pigs didn't find her, she was fairly sure she could stay a very long time in the valley.

Still, the article she had read in the newspaper before disturbed her slightly. If Hawk was up to something again, there was no one that could stop it, except maybe her. Then again, if Hawk was up to something again, maybe he had decided to forget Jill entirely. Jill's stomach twisted into a balloon animal at that thought. Forgotten by Hawk. What a miracle that would be.

After she finished eating lunch, Jill decided to take a walk to the beach, since she was too tired to attempt any more farm work. The air was warm but the beach was surprisingly quiet and lonely, other than Nami, who was standing at the shore. Her red hair swayed like cattails along a pond in the wind, and she had her hands shoved in her pockets. Jill decided she must have been deep in thought, and she walked all the way to the other side of the shore so not to disturb her meditation.

Instead of thinking about her time in the valley and the possible threat of the organization, Jill let her mind wander to other things. She was always a thinker, and that hadn't changed, even after she joined the organization and her life got screwed. Unfortunately, due to running around, she hadn't had much time to just stop and think about things. But maybe that was a good thing, because her life wasn't always a nice thing to think about.

She eventually found herself pondering the people she had met so far in the valley. Celia and Muffy were probably her best friends, but she also wanted to get closer to Nami, as well as some of the other villages. The older couple, Nina and Galen, was especially pleasant. Nina was about as cute as old ladies get, and Galen was her perfect albeit stiff counterpart. And then there was Skye, that irritating thief. Jill found herself scowling a bit when he entered her thought waves. She was going to have to avoid him as much as possible, but part of her also wanted to manipulate him into telling her how to get more information on bringing the Goddess back, as well as whether or not he was associated with the Organization. She had already used the seducing trick, and that was her least favorite thing to pull, so she'd have to get information out of him the old fashioned way. Then again, maybe she'd end up keeping her distance anyway.

It must have been at least half an hour before Jill suddenly realized that she still had Lumina's necklace in her rucksack. She smiled a bit at how surprised the small girl would probably be when Jill returned the necklace, and that thought motivated her away from her comfy spot in the sand and back toward the entrance of the beach.

Turtle Pond was the first checkpoint back to the Northern part of the valley, but Jill became distracted while she made her way there by some music, guitar, she realized, that was gently floating through the spring air. Jill had played guitar for a long time, but for the past year she hadn't even looked at one, let alone touched one. The sound brought back memories that were both comforting and painful. She wandered through the trees around the pond, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise, until she eventually stumbled on a man dressed something like a leprechaun leaning against a maple tree, a beautiful acoustic guitar in his lap. Jill watched his fingers move gracefully along the fret board, creating sounds unlike any she had heard in a long while. Out of respect she didn't interrupt his playing, instead, she sat down on the grass nearby, and began to lose herself in the music.

One of the strange things about herself, at least she thought, was that she enjoyed watching people play as much as she enjoyed actually playing the instrument. It was intriguing to observe different techniques and methods, as well as hear the unique sounds the different brands of guitars made. The variables that affected the tone were things like the type of wood as well as pickups and even all the way down to the difference of strings.

When the man finished his song, he looked up at Jill. She noticed he had an unnaturally large nose and a strange beard, but other than that, he looked like your average hippie. Jill was fairly sure she had seen him at the festivals or maybe at the bar, and she suddenly remembered the flower hut Celia had shown her on their tour around town. She had said a man lived there...his name started with a G, or at least she thought.

"Hello," he said, tipping his hat at her. He continued playing the guitar, and Jill wondered if it was impolite of her to just sit there, until he said, "You must be Pony. I've seen you around. I'm Gustafa."

Gustafa. She would hopefully remember that name. It sounded about as foreign as Takakura. His nose was about as big as Takakura's eyebrows, too. Nonetheless, she nodded. "I couldn't help but hear your guitar as I was walking by," she explained, "so I had to stop and listen. I haven't heard anyone play for a while."

"I understand," Gustafa replied. His voice was quiet, almost like a murmur, but also clear and airy. "Feel free to stay as long as you like. It's nice to be in touch with nature."

Jill nodded, and leaned back against a tree as he continued to play a soft, plucked tune full of beautiful minor chords and tonics. She had forgotten how much she missed music. It was a huge part of her life, but something she didn't always have access to. Maybe she'd pick it up again now that she had the farm. Maybe she'd pick up a lot of things, now that she had the farm.

About three songs later, Jill stood up again with a short sigh. She briefly thanked Gustafa for the music, to which he nodded in reply, and then she was off to the main path again to find Lumina.

It didn't take long. Jill figured she'd either be at the spring or the mansion, and her first assumption was correct. Rock walked past Jill as she made her way up the path to the pond, and Jill smiled coyly, wondering if they had been up to anything before she came.

Lumina heard Jill approaching and turned around from the spring. Jill pulled the necklace out from her pocket, and held it out to Lumina, whose jaw dropped in surprise. Jill couldn't help but smile at her expression.

"That's my necklace!" Lumina cried, tracing the amethyst jewel with one finger. "How did...how did you get it back?"

"I told you," Jill replied sheepishly, "I'm a fast runner. I ran into that thief again last night and got it for you."

"Wow," the girl breathed, finally taking the pendant from Jill's hand. "That's incredible. How can I repay you, Pony? Seriously, he could have killed you!"

Jill chuckled, and replied, "I don't think so. He's too much of a lady's man. And really, you don't have to do anything. I already owe everyone here so much for taking me in and being so kind."

"That's baloney," Lumina scoffed. "You sound like one of those princesses from Disney movies. I'll find some way to pay you back. Thank you so much, Jill. My nana will be so pleased." Jill watched happily as Lumina put the necklace around her neck for safekeeping, and then the girl continued, "So, what are you up to today?"

"Farming," Jill replied. "Planting, clearing things, planting, clearing things, and thinking about ways to raise enough money to build a chicken coop. Real charming stuff, you know."

Lumina giggled, and asked, "Well, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"I thought I'd go see what Celia's up to," Jill said. "You want to come with me?"

"I can't," Lumina frowned. "Nana expects me to come home and practice piano soon." She glanced at a watch on her wrist, and continued, "Actually, I should probably get going right about now. I'd love to walk with you, though."

Jill nodded, and they started back down the path to Lumina's mansion. "So," Jill started, "I saw Rock heading toward town when I came up the path. Were you two doing anything...special?" Jill waggled her eyebrows in a way that was meant to be silly, but it probably just came out weird looking. Lumina burst out laughing anyway.

"No, no," Lumina said, blushing a bit. After she noticed the incredulous look on Jill's face, she clarified, "I swear, we weren't doing anything. Well, we were actually talking about that recent robbery in Kingsly, but we weren't doing anything. Believe it or not, the guy can have a brain when it comes to crime. I told him about how that Phantom Thief stole my necklace, and now he's trying to come up with a way that we can catch him."

Just like that, Jill's good mood evaporated. So the valley people were informed about crime. Still, they didn't know her identity yet, so she was safe, at least until Rock-the-idiot-but-apparently-intelligent-play-boy-hippie-person figured out who exactly she was.

Trying to keep up the conversation, Jill acted enthusiastic when she replied, "Good for him. Maybe you can help him. Then you'll actually get the chance to do stuff."

"You're gross, Pony," Lumina laughed. "We aren't even dating."

"Sure, sure," Jill replied. "But we all know the truth. You keep thinking that, and see where it gets you."

And I'll keep thinking I can live here, and see where it gets me.

• • •

Later that same evening, Doctor Hardy was using Ruby's telephone again. Though Ruby was in the kitchen, an entirely different room, Hardy knew he had to talk quietly. This was a conversation he couldn't risk anyone else hearing.

He punched the digits into the phone dial, and waited three rings. Then, as usual, a feminine voice picked up and said, "Hello, you've reached the Mineral Town clinic. This is Ellie speaking. How can I be of assistance this evening?"

"It's me again, Ellie," Hardy replied. He was about to continue when Ellie cut him off.

"Doctor Hardy, it's so nice to hear your voice again! How are you?"

Hardy, losing some of his patience, replied, "I'm great, Ellie, but it's imperative that I speak to Trent right now. Is he there?"

Ellie mumbled something, her hand over the speaker. A lower voice spoke in the background, and then Ellie was back again. "Yes sir, Doctor Hardy, he's right here. Hold on just a moment."

Seconds later, Trent's voice came through the line. "I've got Ellie out of the room. It must be important for you to call this late. Is she who we think she is?"

"I'm about eighty percent sure," Hardy explained. "The good news is something convinced her to stay in the valley, so I'm hoping she'll be here a while. She's running that abandoned farm across the way."

"Good," Trent sighed. "So what's the next plan?"

"I've requested that she visit my clinic at least once a week to make sure her wounds are healing and she feels okay," Hardy replied. "Her body has been under way too much physical stress in the past year or so, especially if this is the girl we think it is. When she comes to my clinic I'm going to try to figure out more about her, see if I can get her to slip up and tell me more information." Hardy paused, and then murmured, "We have to make sure this is who we think it is before we take any more action. If we mess up, things could get bad, Trent."

"I understand," Trent said. "I'm just...well, what if she's sly, you know, good at talking? What if she doesn't give anything away? Then what?"

Hardy sighed. "I'll have to get my hands on that diary somehow, I guess. But I don't want to function like that, at least not yet. I have to get her to trust me, first. And I'm fairly good at that."

"Yes, you are. I'll be in for a visit to Forget-Me-Not in a few days, and we can talk more then. But maybe you should hold off on the phone calls, Hardy. Ellie's getting suspicious, and I don't want her involved."

"Yes, of course," Hardy replied. "I'll be more careful next time, sorry. I'm just a little anxious, that's all. As you know very well, it's been a while since either of us has been in this business. I'm slipping up more than usual."

"It's all good and well," Trent said. "I just want to put an end to this."

"So do I, Trent. So do I."

"Well, I'll talk to you later, Hardy."

"Call me Michael, Trent."

"Right. Talk to you later, Michael. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

• • •

A/N: Fairly short chapter. Sorry bout that. And a super long time to wait for an update, too. I've been working on Nanowrimo, which has proved to be quite difficult, but I figured I'd try to put this one out for you guys. Thanksgiving gift, right? :) Next one should be up soon, at least I hope so. I've had a lot of rehearsals for a musical and various other things lately, so I'll do my best. Until then, however, au revoir. :)