That awkward moment when you update your story after four months...
Small note: Robin is an alternative name I have for Chelsea.
Robin breathed in deeply as the boat floated up next to the pier. The smell of wild grasses, the salt of the sea, the gentle perfume of the flowers and many other delectable scents wafted through her nerves, and she felt the feeling of relaxation tingle throughout her body.
The feeling of a new life, one where no-one knew who you were, greatly appealed to Robin – why she decided to move to the Sunshine Islands in the first place.
Back to the point. The boat finally shuddered to a stop, the gangplank pulled out and placed gently upon the pier. Excited, Robin ran back down to her cabin and picked up her bags, (She had only brought three – a rucksack, a rolling bag, and a luggage bag. Other than that, she had nothing else but the clothes on her back.) struggling as she brought them back up to the deck.
My gosh... I'm so glad I worked out for the past few months, she thought, gritting her teeth. Finally, she made her way down the gangplank, staring in awe at the floor of the sea, visible through the crystal-clear water. Various fishes of all sizes and colors bustled through in small crowds and peeked out through different holes in the sand, shells, and rocks. Deciding not to dilly-dally, Robin shook her head and continued on her way down, firmly resolving not to fall into the water on the first day.
On the pier, four figures made themselves known, three of them with pink hair that reflected in the sun, and one with no hair at all. Robin finished lugging her luggage off the boat and into her new home, then looked up at them. One of them, a woman, stepped forward.
"Oh, you must be Robin, our newest resident! Welcome to the Sunny Islands!" she said. Her voice was rather high, and although it was quiet, it still had a sound of authority in it. "I'm Felicia. These three here are my children and my father."
"I object at the children part!" The young man walked up beside her and crossed his arms. "Well, not when it's directed toward Natalie, but I'm most certainly not a child!"
"Hey, who you callin' a child?" The other girl, who Robin assumed to be Natalie, exclaimed. "You're only a year older than me, Smelliot!"
"You've forgotten the fact that we're born a year and a week apart, dear sister. And really, do call me by my given name. Ah, that reminds me!" The boy turned to Robin and stuck out his hand. "Yes, hello. My name is Elliot. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Robin!"
Robin smiled and took Elliot's hand, but secretly, she was cheering for victory on the inside. Yes! Yes! My disguise works! Well, so far, anyway... she thought, pleased that her disguise hadn't flown over these people's heads. It would have been disastrous if it didn't; for some reason, the brochure advertising the island's job as a farmer didn't allow women to take up the position.
"It's nice to meet you too, Elliot!" Robin chirped. She did a double take when she realized her mistake; she had forgotten to lower her voice. Luckily, no-one seemed to notice, but the old man who hadn't introduced himself yet furrowed his eyebrows. Robin released Elliot's hand and walked over to him, winking at Natalie on the way. The girl raised an eyebrow, as if to give Robin an 'are-you-kidding-me' kind of look. The latter bit the inside of her cheek; she had to make her disguise believable, which was why she had done that with Natalie.
"Erm, hello, sir..." Robin greeted the senior weakly. He looked her over, as if apprehending her, than nodded and clasped his hands together.
"Yes, hello to you, youngster. I understand you're applying to be a farmer?" he asked. Felicia walked over to him.
"Father... why don't we introduce yourself first? Robin, this is my father, Taro. He's... sort of... the mayor of this island," she explained, looking as if she didn't know what he was.
"Sort of? Does that mean he is or he isn't?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.
"Don't sass me, young man!" Taro snapped, furrowing his eyebrows. Robin's eyes widened, and she quickly clammed up.
"Well... I wouldn't say that he is... although, I, him, and the children - " Felicia shot a deliberate glance at the two bickering teens behind her – " – were the first people on this island, and he technically decides what goes on the brochure for this place..."
Robin's interest peaked at this. So wait, did this mean that Taro had placed that males-only ad that brought her here in the first place? What, did he have something against girls or something? She bit the inside of her cheek, making a mental note to herself to ask him about that later, when she had the chance.
"That's... interesting," she settled on saying, making sure to lower her voice this time. Taro nodded.
"Indeed it is. So, what brings you here, boy?" he asked.
"W-Well, I wanted to become a farmer - "
"I know that, boy! Don't state the obvious! What do you think I am, senile?"
"But you asked me why I came here in the first place, and that's what I'm here for!"
"He's right, you know, Gramps," Natalie said, walking up and dragging her brother with her. "He was just tellin' it like it is."
"...right. Anyway, do you have previous experience with animals or crops or the like?" Taro asked. Robin couldn't help but notice the whiskers underneath his chin, bouncing up and down as he talked.
"Yes. My mother's sister owned a farm, and I regularly helped out there, so..." Robin hesitated in continuing. Was he testing her knowledge on this kind of stuff? Well, better to tell him that she did have her wits about this than give him the message that she had no knowing of this stuff at all. "Yeah, I know the basics of farm work."
Taro nodded in approval.
"Good! So, I won't have to teach you much," he stated. "Don't tell anyone, but I was only looking for someone who knew that water plus sunlight plus seed equals plant," he whispered, covering his mouth with his (very bony) hand.
Teach me...? Robin thought. This seems a little bit like those video games I played back on the mainland...
Another reason why she came here. On the mainland, there was nothing to do! All there was was to sit indoors and stare blankly at a TV, getting paler and more delusional by the second, while here, you had no TV. You had to make do with being more social or working on hobbies like fishing, sewing, knitting, and for the very daring, cheese-making.
"Hold on, Grandfather," Elliot said. "Mustn't he get acquainted with the rest of the island first?" he inquired, putting up a hand.
"Hrm, yes..." Taro mused, cupping his chin with his hand. "But, I'm sure he's tired. Why don't we lead him to his new home first and let him rest, then we'll continue this tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'd be tired too if I had to deal with Elli over there," Natalie remarked, pointing with her thumb at Elliot. Elliot narrowed his eyes, but didn't comment.
"That's a good idea," Robin agreed, picking up her bags. Now that it was mentioned, Robin began to feel her eyelids drooping – all this after a night of little to no sleep. She was too excited to do it, for Pete's sake!
"Good, then it's settled. Elliot, Natalie, why don't you lead Robin to his house, and perhaps tell him a little about the islanders on the way so he has a general idea of them?" Taro requested. Elliot and Natalie saluted, then beckoned to Robin to follow them up the path.
Dear Diary
Ah, my first day on the island! It really is beautiful. I've already met some people, but I was a little tired and couldn't really talk to them anymore. On a side note, I'm really glad that I managed to smuggle my diary through – though, I suppose, if someone sees it, I'll just call it a logbook... Anywho, it's really been a great day, but I'm too tired to write anymore.