Not a Goddess; Just a Girl
Chapter Four: Harvest
Authors note: How is everyone? Well first off, I'd like to apologize for some of the character's personalities; especially Jill. I know the portrayal might not meet to your expectations, but try to understand that it is very difficult for me to grant them unique and perfectly accurate personalities, because the game is so hard to interpret. I mean, you can't really indicate what Jill would say or do, because of the fact that she's controlled by you and only replies with facial expressions. (usually)
But with Jamie though, I do understand what some of you are trying to point out, and I must admit, I guess I rushed his affections too fast; so, hopefully I would be able to correct this in the proceeding chapters. Gomen!
Response to reviewers:
White Huntress- Thank you for reviewing! I actually WISH I could marry Jamie too, but sadly… your game ENDS. But, I wish you luck though and tell me what he says if he DOES accept!
StarrNight- I understand how you feel. But the Jill I'm trying to portray here is a hard-working girl, whom would eventually learn how to do things properly in the end. But I did try to reveal her kind-hearted side, you know… Wanting to help others even if she had something important to do… Anyway, I hope I'll be able to portray her even better in the following chapters! Thank you for your review! (:
HMGirly12- There isn't any secret really. But I guess one tip I should give you is time management. If you feel like you're too busy to update, find time for it; And whenever you have some free time, try to think of what you can write next. Thanks for the review again by the way, and I'm glad you're interested in Jill's dress!
The Scarlet Sky- Thank you SO much for your review, I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. I knew something went wrong with how I portrayed Jamie, but I couldn't point it out myself. I hope I get to improve soon, and thanks again! And YES, Jill is kinda perky in this story.
… Thank you guys! And please check out my DeviantArt website for a little picture I drew of Jamie and Jill in the fireworks festival.
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Jamie's POV
That little river episode was quite unexpected. I mean, I was merely fishing on the left side of the river when all of a sudden, Jill's high-pitched screams echoed through my ear.
Nevertheless, such an event made me realize that some people still have bad days over here.
Being in this village for so long, it feels like every day's a cycle.
Everyone seems so happy and carefree, never worrying about anything at all.
I know it's sort of wrong to say this, but that little incident made me rethink how this village operates… or rather, how Jill operates.
Or maybe I'm just tired and hallucinating?
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Fall 29th. The day all crops and grass fields were cut, all vegetables were harvested, all herbs were collected and all fish were caught. But in this day of collection and harvests, only one farm in the village had a colorful field.
And it was Jill's.
"45 sweet potatoes have been harvested! …Only 70 more bell peppers left"
Jill signed with great despair, after seeing around 8 fields of bright, green bell peppers that haven't been harvested. Over all the chores she had done over the seasons, it was harvesting she hated the most.
"Pull too hard and you ruin the veggie; pull too soft and you pull the whole stem out. Place it in the basket too quickly and it might squish the others. Place it too slowly, and YOU might squish it yourself… -sigh-"
Jill bent her back to prepare the bone-aching task of harvesting the 2nd batch of fields. And while she started to harvest, Lyla and Katie passed through her farm.
"Hey Jill, dear" Lyla greeted her, with that ever-lasting smile on her face.
"As always, you're hard at work!" Katie followed, holding two shopping bags as she ran towards the farm.
Jill bent up slightly, attempting to smile as hard as she can, which eventually ended up making her look a bit constipated.
"Hey Lyla… Katie… Nice day isn't it?"
Lyla giggled, followed by a nod.
"Yes, it's a gorgeous day indeed. But what I'd like to know, dear Jill, is what you're doing right now…"
Jill bent back into the harvesting position, and then continued picking the bell peppers.
"Well, obviously she's harvesting her crops Lyla!" Katie interrupted.
Jill sighed and replied,
"Yeah… Pretty much, that"
"But that isn't what I meant… Don't you think you should be getting started with your goddess festival dress? You're the only girl in this village who isn't busy with it"
Katie huffed, and then looked Lyla straight in the eye.
"Lyla! She's the only girl who runs a farm on her own here! Don't you realize that?
"Well, Ellen runs a farm too… Doesn't she?"
Katie shook her head, then replied,
"She has help from Bob and Blue. Hmm… She hardly does anything there…"
Katie pondered over that thought, leaving Lyla with Jill.
"Well, Jill dear… If you would like me to help you with anything, please feel free to ask ok?"
"That's very nice of you Lyla. But I'm sure you have your own dress to worry about. Don't worry about me"
"Well, if you say so, but I'm finished with mine. Please visit me in my shop if you have the time, I have the cutest stock of white ruffles you can sew on your dress! Good day"
"Bye Lyla, Bye Katie"
"Bye bye! Visit the café as well! Carl really misses you and your funny jokes"
Jill nodded, the continued her little harvest.
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It was 3:45 pm; all the fields were done with the harvest, leaving Jill with the task of cutting the crops that were left.
"This will at least take me 30 minutes. I hope my arm doesn't fall off. I need it to sew the cloth Martha made for me."
Jill actually received a few bundles of cloth and string from different people whom have heard of her little dilemma. Lyla gave Jill some pink yarn. Alex heard the same, so he brought out a used lab coat for her to work on. While Jamie gave Jill 3 bundles of yarn, each with its own respective color, which Martha willingly made into fabric rolls.
Jill was all set, ready to design and sew her dress together; but the seasonal harvest disrupted her plan.
As Jill was about to cut the stem, she heard someone say her name.
"Hey Jill"
She turned around, only to find that it was Kurt who called her.
"Oh, Hey Kurt"
Jill started to cut.
"Still plenty of work to do I see…"
"Yeah… It's the first time I've ever experienced farming in fall, so I never realized it took twice as much work as the seasons before it"
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to relax during winter"
"I guess so…"
Kurt thought a bit. He was confused as to why Jill acted so mellow and gloomy. Usually, it was him who acts this way.
And then he remembered the festival.
"Oh right, I bet you designed a dress for that festival thing, right?"
"Not yet; still plenty to do. But don't worry; I'm sure it will turn out just fine. I don't expect to win anyway"
"Let me help you out. I don't have any tasks for today anyway"
"No it's f-"
Kurt interrupted her sentence.
"You shouldn't turn everyone down all the time. The villagers are starting to worry about you, you know"
Jill's eyes widened, but because of what he said, she realized why she had such a hard time with everything.
She refused everyone's help, feeling as if she'd bother them in the end. But she was wrong; she should've accepted their offers. Before long, she felt glad she actually had people care for her that much.
She also thought about how Kurt began to open up to her more now He tried to relate with her more frequently, and spoke to her as well. Before, it seemed like Jill was the only one who ever spoke to him, even if he never did give a reply to her.
But now, since Jill had less time to kill; He started visiting her, whenever he had the time. And because of that, he started to do his work more quickly and accurately, so he could rush to her farm to have a chat or two.
"I know… Thanks. You can help me cut the remaining stems"
"No problem, this'll be a piece of cake"
"You're starting to sound like Jamie, hehehe"
Kurt was about to cut the stem down, until Jamie echoed through his ears.
A sudden wisp of cold, winter air blew passed the both of them; Adding to the piercing chill through Kurt's spine.
He started to dislike Jamie more and more each day. He though about Jamie's rants about Jill, that he hears through the forest from time to time. Usually, late at night, before Kurt chops wood for his grandfather; he hears Jamie and his prayers to the harvest goddess.
He gets to listen sometimes, but because of the creatures living in the trees, he couldn't hear most of it.
It usually contained phrases like:
"Just you wait, I'll get you back to normal my beautiful goddess"
and… "Jill is such a hindrance! I'm still pondering on why she has the ability to see the sprites…"
and lastly… "When are you going to return to normal? I've worked so hard for you and yet nothing has happened"
He thought Jamie was kind of crazy actually, so he never did try to talk to him. And whenever he got the chance to, he just shrugs and ignores him.
"I am aye?" Kurt replied, "I guess were more alike than you thought. Is that why you've been hanging around him so much?"
Jill was taken aback by that, wondering on why Kurt would think of such a thing.
Well, it's true she spent more time with Jamie than usual, going to his house to gather yarn and stuff. And nowadays, she started to visit him on her own free-will, giving him jars of jam to thank him for some of the things he did for her.
But she never thought of it as a "love" thing… I mean, really.
….Or did she?
"I visit him often because we've become closer now, I guess"
"Really now..." Kurt replied, cutting a few more stems as he did.
They remained silent with each other, only to be interrupted by a soft beeping noise made by Jill's watch.
It was 4 p.m., time for Martha's local sewing show every girl in the village was waiting for.
Kurt looked at her, and then cut the very last stem.
"You better go… I'm finished anyway"
"Th-thanks Kurt, I really appreciate it. I'll repay you soon, I promise!"
"No need…"
"But…"
"Come on, you'll miss Martha's broadcast. Joe told me every girl wanted to watch it… Hmm… Hey, are you sure you're a g-"
"Of course I am! Kurt!"
"Haha just kidding, just go already"
"Alright, would you like to join me though?"
"No, it's fine. I've got… things to do"
"Suit yourself. See you later!"
"See ya"
Jill ran inside the house, leaving Kurt outside within the fields.
She immediately turned on the TV, making Porkchop and Akamaru sit closely beside her. (Her pet pig and dog)
"Be quiet you two, I need to take notes!"
Both of them nodded, and then looked at the TV.
"Welcome to the Sewing show, where everything is as easy as… 1, 2, 3! This is your host, Martha. And today, I'll be showing you a technique that will surely have you itching to start with your goddess festival dresses."
"Yes! Come on, please let it be the backhand stitch! I simply NEED to know"
"Ok, first off… ruffles"
"…Noooo!"
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"And that concludes the entire dress making process. Be sure you've got all of that noted, and I hope you end up with a gorgeous dress in the end. Ta-ta"
"…"
Jill turned off the TV, and reviewed the notes she took from watching the entire 4 hour broadcast.
"So far, I've managed to fill up 3 notepads, 1 notebook and 2 pieces of bond paper. And I thought making a dress would be simple! Is the mayor trying to kill us?!"
Jill rubbed her blood-shot eyes and gazed at her left, seeing both of her pets had fallen asleep during the program.
"So… Did you two watch that? I'll be relying on you two to sew the waist line for… me…"
Jill fell beside them, fully drained of all of the energy she had left.
-knock knock knock-
"Jill… It's Jamie. I forgot to ask my poncho from you, hey open… up…"
Jamie realized her door was open, so he ended up entering anyway.
"Helloo… Anybody home?"
…No response.
Until he came across her living room, with the TV on and the window open. He spotted her on the floor, embracing her pet pig while lying on the tummy of her dog. (don't worry, she isn't killing the dog or anything)
"What a total mess" He said.
He shook his head, and then looked for his poncho.
"There it is" He said, heading towards the small sofa chair beside the TV.
His poncho smelled like it was freshly washed and pressed, making him smile in flattery.
"For such a reckless girl, she sure can do laundry" He chuckled, then picked Jill up gently, and then placed her in her bed. He tucked the covers over her cold legs, and suddenly looked away, embarrassed of the pinkish hue that was crawling up his cheeks.
"Since the seasonal harvest is over, you'll have plenty of time for that dress thing. -sigh- Goodnight"
Jamie smiled slightly, and then switched the lights off.
Honestly, Jamie discontinued his thought of Jill as a rival; but rather, he now thought of her as a student/apprentice, because more and more frequently, she started to inquire about a lot of thing regarding farming, and the only way for her to learn properly was with an actual demonstration.
Of course, he was doubtful at first, seeing as his first idea of her was a rival. But in the end, the constant giving of jam, the pleasant smile she had on her face, the friendly attitude he blessed him with, the very simple questions she asked him, all added up… Making Jamie give in to her, and diminish the usual negative feelings he felt about her.
He was about to close the door, when suddenly he heard Jill mumble in her sleep… "Jamie…"
He blushed even more, and then continued his way out.
"Why the hell…-sigh- That girl's something else"
Jamie left Jill's property with his poncho back on, AGAIN unaware of a few strangers watching him from afar.
This time, it was Lyla and Katie.
"Did you see that!? Did you see that!? Jamie tucked Jill in! IT WAS SO CUUUUTE" Katie squealed, jumping up and down from the bushes.
Lyla and Katie at the start, simply wanted to help Jill with her dress. But when they both witnessed Jamie going in her house, they thought it would be interesting to see what he was going to do, since they were supposedly rivals.
"Shhh… Keep it down Katie dear… Jamie might hear us! And yes, I was a witness. I never realized Jamie's feelings for Jill were so strong! It makes my heart flutter with delight"
"We need to do something! Jill's too naïve to ever respond to a mature guy like Jamie" Katie suggested, holding the binoculars firmly in her hands.
"You're right indeed. But what do you suggest we should do?"
"Hmm…" Both said, wondering in what way they should help their naïve friend seek true love within Jamie.
"I know! I know!" Katie squealed, only to be hushed by Lyla again.
"Ok Katie! Remember to keep it down! Now then…"
Katie whispered her well-thought-out plan to Lyla, and then nodded to emphasize its perfection.
Lyla giggled blissfully, agreeing upon the plan Katie suggested.
"What a splendid idea, Katie dear! It would certainly bring those two together!"
"And since we're done with both of our dresses, doing it would be a snap!"
"Right! So let's get cracking! Hide those binoculars Katie dear, and go fetch me a pair of earmuffs!"
"Earmuffs? What for?"
"You'll see… Oh, and bring your sewing kit too. Oh and one more! Wear all black"
"Black!? Lyla what…"
"Just do it! You'll see what I have planned soon enough… Hehehe"
"I never did understand you"
So both agreed to meet each other behind Jill's tool shed, wherein they try to accomplish the plan Katie thought of.
"Got the kit Katie dear?"
"Yup. How about you? Got the…"
"Of course I do! Learn to never doubt THE Lyla"
Katie sighed, and then nodded; initiating the plan.
They placed black "crook" marks on their cheeks, and slowly crept their way inside her house. They carried a flashlight, which helped them glide across the room with ease.
"You, Katie dear, put the earmuffs on Jill, while I search for her dress plan"
"You got it Boss! I-I mean, Lyla!"
Lyla quickly rummaged around the house for her plan.
"It isn't in here… No, not here…"
"Earmuffs have been secured! Now what?"
"Hold on a minute! I'm still looking for the…"
She turned her attention to the floor, which contained a few candy wrappers and pieces of paper… until she spotted a sheet of pink paper under Jill's pet pig.
Suddenly, Lyla had a very devious smile on her face, which frightened Katie a bit.
"Bingo" She said, raising her eyebrow and smirking in satisfaction.
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Closing Remarks:
So sorry to cut it short, I but it's getting late, and I need to take a shower. I have school tomorrow, but hopefully I will be able to continue.
I know Lyla's a little OOC, but I think of her as a devious little lady. That's what draws me into her so much! And Katie, I think they make a great pair! (As friends) But maybe Ann or Gwen would make a good alternative. Ah hell, I love Lyla!