Throughout his life, Gill had been unbearably lonely.
His mother succumbed to her weak constitution when he was only seven years old; leaving behind his unfit father and forcing Gill to grow up faster to fill the void in their small family left by the departure of his mother. The town children were woefully bereft of comprehension regarding his situation; the sprites, however, understood. They listened, played games with him and even allowed him to glimpse the goddess so many years ago.
Like most things Gill grew attached to, the sprites disappeared with the island's prosperity. That was nearly ten years ago; however, like most things from one's childhood, it drastically shaped his adult ambitions. He wanted the island to prosper, he wanted people to be attracted to the island and start families. Someday, in the foreseeable future, he wanted to open a school on the island and teach like his mother before him.
Nothing would be possible without years of planning. Even if Angela failed to revive the mother tree, there could be progress; it would just be more difficult.
Gill sipped his tea and pretended to be vaguely interested in the newspaper clutched in his hands, ignoring the pair of eyes staring at him from across the table. On a regular Sunday, he'd have made it a priority to write in his journal. Unfortunately, said item had gone missing a few days ago; leaving him with significantly less constructive ways to occupy his free time.
After a few more sips, he relented and looked up from the paper.
"Do you need something, father?" He frowned, slightly agitated.
Pleased to finally be addressed, Hamilton grinned. "Why, have you given any thought to the Thanksgiving festival?"
"No. Why would I need to?"
"Well, you seem to be getting rather close to that nice Angela girl. In fact, Elli told me you even spent most of the day with her just a few days ago!"
"It was strictly business. You're getting the wrong impression." Gill took another sip of tea and drained the cup of its contents.
"Fine, fine. What about the tailor's granddaughter? I believe Luna was her name...She seems to be quite the practiced saleswoman! She would make an excellent wife! Wouldn't you agree?" the Mayor hid a chuckle with his hand.
Honestly, where did he come up with such assumptions? Angela, he could partially understand. Gill was spending an abhorrent amount of time with her, as of late. However, he had barely interacted with Luna at all beyond negotiating the price of his latest suit and his father's flamboyant coat.
"Why are you suddenly so interested in my personal life?" Well, Hamilton had always been interested; he had just never perused the questions with quite as much enthusiasm.
"Why, you are my only son after all! Can't I be just a bit interested in your welfare?" The stout man was still smirking.
Gill sighed and removed himself from the table to prepare more tea in the cramped kitchen. He had just finished boiling the water when a few tentative knocks echoed through the house, sending Hamilton scrambling to open the door. Curious, Gill poked his head around the corner of the kitchen entrance as the door opened with a screech.
"Oh my! Angela, come in, come in!" Hamilton ushered her in with a pudgy hand on her shoulder, causing her face to turn a unique shade of red. "Is there something we can do for you today?"
"A-Actually, Mr. Hamilton, is Gill in? I might have found something that belongs to him..." she was clutching something that looked suspiciously familiar.
"Oh, of course! He's just in the kitchen over there!" The mayor grinned and Angela looked rather uncomfortable.
Gill snapped back around and pretended to be concentrating heavily on how much water to add to the teapot as the farmer made her way cautiously into the kitchen.
"This yours? I heard you complaining about losing something. I found it by the bulletin board and I doubt it's anyone else's judging by the gigantic gold 'G' plastered on the front." She sounded rather unimpressed with the entire ordeal.
Angela presented a rather elegant book. Upon closer inspection, Gill realized that it was, in fact, his missing diary. The realization caused him to nearly spill his tea in an effort to set it down and snatch the book.
"Y-You didn't read anything, did you?"
"Yeah, actually. I made sure I read through every damn entry before coming over here. Never know when these opportunities will present themselves, right?" A devious smile spread across her face.
Gill felt his heart beat frantically. Didn't she have any moral standards?
"A-Angela! How dare you! Why didn't you just--"
"Relax. I wasn't serious. I was sorely tempted to read it, but it looked important. What thoughts are you hiding in there, anyway?" Angela rolled her eyes and made her way back towards the door.
"W-Wait!" the blonde attempted.
Angela continued out the door.
"Well, how nice of her to visit!" Hamilton chuckled.
Gill merely shook his head.
"What's this for?"
Was she that ignorant of Waffle Island customs?
"It's for Winter Thanksgiving. Just take it." Gill handed her a box containing shortcake and lavender.
Even with all her faults, Gill still felt somewhat indebted to the farmer. With a little persuasion and prying, Hamilton had successfully convinced him what a wonderful idea it would be to bring her a gift. Factoring in the diary incident, Gill was actually inclined to agree.
"Thanks, I guess." Angela looked suitably confused.
Glancing to the fields beside them, Gill noticed they were no longer sporting a vast array of foliage. In fact, her entire farm looked oddly desolate and forlorn in the crisp new snow.
"I thought you purchased a new plot for growing more crops?" The mayor's son frowned.
"Change of plans." Angela's brows furrowed.
"What about the rainbows?"
"Gill, I need to go feed my animals."
Obviously, this was hardly the case as Angela was currently in her slippers and what he assumed to be her nightclothes.
"I'll be going now. I have work to attend to." Gill decided to drop the subject; he'd have plenty of other opportunities to address it later.
"Fine. Thanks for the cake." Angela shut the door without waiting for a reply.
Deciding not to be offended by her usual antics, Gill shoved his hands in his suit pockets and set off down the dirt path.
When he finally arrived at the town hall, the usual chatter of Elli and Hamilton came to an abrupt halt as they shared a knowing smile and waited for him to divulge some shred of information. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
The blonde ignored their gazes and settled himself in his desk. Picking up a stray pen, he began to write in his diary. By now, Gill assumed the silence was grating on Hamilton; he had never been a quiet man.
"...So, my boy, how did it go? Was she excited?" The mayor never ceased to fulfill his expectations.
"Not particularly." Gill decided to forgo his musing to stare directly at Hamilton.
"Why, I thought for sure she'd be pleased!" The chubby man looked disappointed. "Oh well, I'm sure you'll win her eventually!" he grinned again and toddled back over to Elli.
The mayor's son shook his head and returned to his musings.
"Oh? You're here for Gill? Fabulous! He's right over there!" he heard Hamilton chuckle from the counter.
Who could possibly have any business with him now? Judging by Hamilton's reaction, it was a woman and he doubted it Angela would have scrambled down to the town hall in such a timely manner.
"Hey, I've been really busy baking this year and I made one for you too! I hope you enjoy it!"
It was Luna. Complete with pink hair and frills.
"Thank you." Gill smiled and accepted the cake. Maybe the morning wasn't a waste.
"You're welcome! I should get going now." Luna blushed and made her way out the door.
In a unique attempt at stealth, Hamilton sauntered over to Gill's desk. Grinning, he casually peered at the box. The mayor's son sighed.
"Not one word, father."