NEW LEAF
PART 4: ACQUAINTING
ISABELLE: Mayor Mark! Congratulations! I hope this tree grows just as strong and lively as Quietown!
A few days have passed now, those words still plastered into my mind. Needless to say I was pretty excited to get things going. I have wanted to relax for what felt like a long time, but with my new responsibilities, I felt a strange surge of energy that motivated me to want to get to know my quiet town a little more.
At the tree-planting festival I had noticed that there were a couple more villagers that did not get to see me at the outside of the station, a wolf who called himself Wolfgang and a panda named Chester.
Wolfgang was a bit of a cranky guy. He looked like he had a lot to keep to himself, but he maintained a good attitude around me. Chester happened to also be his friend and had a very carefree demeanor—the two contrasted quite a bit and I found myself relieved their relationship did not go the opposite direction despite their differences.
Those two were pretty much the last of the villagers in this town. After I got myself acquainted, I found myself doing some very elementary tasks around the town, such as pulling weeds and planting flowers. I did not have much else to do without tools of any kind.
I wound up having a chat with Pecan, who happened to wander in my direction as I did my little cardio session across Quietown. We got to know each other a little more. One thing that inspired her in particular was the tree ceremony. She looked forward to a great future for this town and trusted that I could do so. It felt very inspiring to hear this from a townsperson, and the praise didn't end there.
Everyone held confidence in me, so much that I felt my head was going to explode. It was at that point that I began to question myself and wonder if I even had the capabilities, as young as I was.
I got to talking to Isabelle again for advice on what I can do in Quietown. She ended up giving me a watering can that I could use for the plants. I supposed it was a good start, but I needed to find a way to get Nook the money for the down payment, 10,000 Bells, so that I could get my actual house built. Isabelle suggested that I bury fruits around the village so that more fruit trees could grow. I could sell the fruits as well as shells that I found around the beach area. It sounded pretty simple enough. The Nookling Junction located on the right side of the Main Street would be a good place to buy essentials and sell things, although the selling bit would land me some more money if I were to visit the Re-Tail shop, which was what the circulating arrow symbol on the map signified.
I cleaned out the town's supply of fruit and buried some of it around the more empty-looking areas. Once I had a good load on me, I walked over to the recycling shop, where I found Timmy, a far younger raccoon who takes over the Nookling Junction with his brother Tommy. I didn't know if they were Nook's sons or something, but it didn't seem entirely impossible.
Timmy was talking to Reese, a pink alpaca and one of the owners of the Re-Tail shop.
TIMMY: Ma'am, I have something to sell!
REESE: Oh, hello, Timmy! What did you bring for me today?
Timmy sells Reese a tape deck, to which Reese also gives him the option of setting it in the "flea market" where someone else could buy it. Timmy sells the tape deck anyway for almost 200 Bells.
After the end of their transaction, Timmy turns to me, looking surprised.
TIMMY: Ah, hello! We haven't met, yes?
He introduces himself and explains he runs the Nookling Junction, which I already had a good idea about. He takes his leave after a quick goodbye and I turn my attention toward the alpaca.
REESE: Sorry to have kept you waiting. Welcome to the recycle shop, Re-Tail!
She proceeds to explain the works of her shop, the flea market, and premium items. I get down to business. My loads of fruit baskets were worth around one-fourth the amount of the down payment. My town's native fruit, the apple, was worth less than other fruits. I didn't know exactly where I could get my hands on different types of fruit, but I had to go with what I had for now.
It's not over just yet. I scrounge around for shells on the beach. Even with that, I'm still not able to get enough money for the down payment just yet. I would have to approach this with patience.
I continued this process for the next few days until the present. I now have enough cash to satisfy Nook and get my actual house built. In the meantime, I've been talking to more of the villagers. One that interested me in particular was the horse, Roscoe.
The horse is a man of good taste. The interior of his home was sleek and stylish and he had many interesting things to say. I agreed to do a little favor for him and catch him a "river fish." I assumed that was a general term for fish in the river, but I didn't have a fishing rod. In order for my villagers to have more faith and respect for me, I had a feeling that doing them these small favors would go a long way.
And so I bought my first fishing rod, caught Roscoe his fish, and earned his thanks. He had also given me a present for helping him out, something he called a "Lovely Lamp." As I anticipated, the thing was brightly-colored and stood out quite a bit in my drab little tent. A light source was just what I needed though, so I didn't mind very much. I wouldn't even say I was the best when it came to fashion and décor.
I got so caught up tonight in doing favors that by the time I got to Nook's Homes again, the lights were out. I look inside in pure frustration and sigh. I take a few steps back and observe the buildings of Main Street. I look to my left and notice something I completely missed, a photo booth. I take out my Town Pass Card and realize I don't have a picture. This would probably be a good time.
I step into the booth, slip my card in the slot, and take my picture, the picture being embedded onto the card automatically. Once I step back out, I gaze up at the strange building to the right of the booth. It is an elegant-looking one with a classy, golden dome and marble pillars. It strikes me as the most spellbinding building in the Street, but at the same time there is something off-putting about it. I'm almost nervous to find out what's inside. I decide to lay it off until tomorrow.
When the next morning comes, I head to Nook's Homes immediately and finally pay off my down payment. He is quite pleased and lets me know my house will be prepared the next day. The next day? Can they really do it that quickly? Either way, I'm excited. Having an actual home will definitely make me feel more like I belong in this town. But, of course, that was just the down payment. If I ever want to expand, I'll have to pay up the remainder of the loan.
With the sum of Bells I have left, I decide to buy some more tools, including an axe and a shovel. I'd say the time I've been here so far turned out to be smooth and relatively stress-free. Mayor work hasn't bogged me down too much and being social with the animals has raised my comfort levels significantly.
I set the plan for the rest of the day to involve some visitations to the other local stores across Main Street. With some Bells in hand, I set off. Before I cross to the eastern path, I stop in my tracks. It was the same feeling you'd get if you felt a really strange draft out of nowhere. My head turns to the left and I look at the fancy building next to the phone booth again, the rose insignia on the door staring back.