These events are a depiction of both story lines of ANWL and HMDS Cute but take place in the layout of the former. I do not own the characters or main plot and some of the events are copied word-for-word from the game; however, most of the wording used and storytelling is my own.
...
Chapter Two- Changed
Summer 21st, Year 2
Sun light poured onto the rustic wooden floors from the windows to the east of the petite, old house. It washed over the bottom half of the bed covers at Jill's feet as she stirred under her sheets, and her kitten and dog stretched and yawned beside her. The deep blanket of sleep which had lain over her began to rise away, and the bright, warm light slowly made its appearance through her eyelids and into her conscious reality. Jill blinked her eyes open and peeked from her under her warm blankets to glance at her alarm clock. She had awakened nine minutes ahead of schedule, and she sighed deeply.
'Good… almost ten more minutes...' she thought, relishing in her opportunity to lie in bed for a moment longer. However, after a few minutes she stirred again, unable to feel anything but restlessness to start the day. She slipped out from under her covers and touched her bare feet to the cool, wooden floor, sluggishly making her way over to her dresser. The mirror hanging above the chest caught her attention, and she looked back her reflection for a moment. The collar of her light blue button down pajama top was slightly a mess, and her top buttons were undone. She pushed back her mouse brown bangs from her face and looked back at her lightly colored brown eyes, whose strange hue gave them the appearance of an amethyst color in the natural lighting. For some reason, she realized as she looked back the girl suspended in the mirror, she thought something would be different today. She thought there would be some sort of change... but there wasn't: everything about her and the day seemed the same as it had been in the past year.
"I'm twenty-three today," her reflection told her, attempting to make it feel real.
'Twenty-three already?' She thought back to the girl in the glass. Time had surely flown by in the past year and half. She could still vividly remembered the disheartening events of her arrival and her mixed array of feelings upon coming to Forget-Me-Not Valley.
…
Over a year ago, when she initially found out that her father had passed away over the phone, she remembered not feeling anything at all. A numbness had set up somewhere inside her, and it wedged itself in deeply. When she quietly attended her father's tiny, intimate funeral with a small group of village strangers, (who now were no longer strange to her) she did not cry. When all the attending townspeople shook her hand and gave her their condolences, she nodded and thanked them with robotic monotony. She didn't feel like she deserved their sympathy. She hadn't seen her father in years, let alone visited the ranch he owned. By the time her parents divorced, when she was six, she hardly had any memories of the ranch which had been in her family for generations. At the time, it still belonged to her parental grandparents, but they, too, became estranged from the divorce. When her grandparents passed and her father took over the land, she was only nine. She visited the place for a few summers, staying with her father for a week or two. However, once Jill had turned fourteen, she didn't return to the ranch again throughout her entire adolescence. Instead, her father would visit her in the city about once a year; he came to her graduation and showed up for a few birthdays, but he was never in her life for more than a few weeks at a time. Her mother said he had always been that way: "a loner at heart," and alone he was, up until the very end. In fact, he hadn't even told Jill about his sickness; he was alone in that aspect too.
She knew she should have noticed something was wrong when he didn't make a trip to see her his last year, but she was too busy, with college and her friends in the city, to really even notice. Within that year, he called her on the phone one day to tell that he missed her, and he that apologized for not being around in the past year. Then, he apologized for not being around in general. He told her that he loved her, and he was so proud of her as a young lady. He asked her if she would visit the ranch soon, preferably in the next few days, but it was then that Jill cut the phone call short. She was too busy and was running late to meet her friends. She told him she loved him too and mumbled a hurried goodbye. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the last one she ever told him.
He passed away two days later, and two days after that she found herself on a public bus ride to attend his funeral. They buses didn't even go all the way to the small village; she had to walk the rest of the way into the valley and was nearly late to the ceremony. Takakura, a forgotten family friend who claimed to remember her as a child, asked her to speak for the eulogy before they began. She declined. She didn't know what to say. There was really nothing to say. She didn't know her father as well as the people of the valley probably did. Blood relative or not, it wasn't her place. And that's exactly how she felt in that cool, early spring air as she watched her father's casket lowered into the ground: out of place.
It wasn't until after the funeral that she was told the ranch was left in her name. She remembered how clear the sky was that spring day and how it was still so chilly from the dying winter. She walked into her father's old home, now her home, and set down her belongings in the doorway. She looked around the room, shut the door behind her, took a ragged breath, and finally… she cried. She cried harder than she could ever remember. She knew she was crying in spite of herself, but also for her lonely father who didn't get to see his only daughter one last time before he passed. For days, Jill curled up on her father's old bed and cried, and she didn't show her face in town. She locked herself inside his house, with all of his possessions untouched and in place. Some days she found it in herself to walk about the ranch; the once beautiful and prosperous place had over grown itself with weeds and broken tree limbs. She remembered how it was during summers as a child. All of her father's abundant fruit trees hissed with cicadas and the livestock grazed peacefully. Wild flowers bloomed, and the beautiful, clear and open sky gave way to the most colorful sunset she could imagine. Takakura had informed her that her father had sold the last of his livestock six months prior to his death and that he had stopped farming months before that. Apparently, he had been sick for a long time, but he worked for as long as he could. The rest of his monetary possessions were left to Jill, as well. It wasn't much, but she knew it was everything he had left in his name; she it knew, because she had caught a glimpse of his hand writing scribbled down on his will when the mayor presented her with the ranch. It was one line, etched onto a wrinkled sheet of paper: "I leave all of my possession to my only daughter, Jillian."
A week and a half of heartache went by, and finally the tears stopped threatening her lashes at the mention of her father's name or a glance at his possessions decorating the house. And when the crying completely ceased, so was her mind made up. She couldn't live her life knowing that her father's land, the land he put his life and soul into, was wasting away with his memory and soul still attached. She decided she would live at the ranch and restore it back to the image of the wonderful memories knew before. She would keep the ranch alive, and keep the memory of her father alive with it. So, she had finished her crying. She picked herself up, dusted herself off, and she began life anew as a rancher and full time citizen of Forget-Me-Not Valley.
...
Jill finished pulling on her t-shirt over her head and tied her green apron over her waist. She looked back in the mirror at the brown haired girl and decided that something had changed after all. This past year, she wasn't simply drifting by anymore. In her eyes, there was firmness: a steady look that she didn't contain a year ago when she had first started the work. She was so unsure of everything she was doing with her life. She wanted to give up back then. Every day she had to force herself out of her bed and ask herself what her father would think of the weak person she had turned out to be. Now, she didn't stay in the village just for her father anymore: she stayed for herself. She grew to love the work. She loved seeing her crops rise and grow more every day. She was excited to see her animals every morning, even if brushing and milking and shearing became tedious at times. She had immediately enjoyed the company of most every person in the valley upon arriving, and the others even grew on her over time. Living here, her life had meaning.
Perhaps there was something more today. Today was a signifying mark of how far she had come as a member of the Valley and how far she had come as a person.
…
Jill stepped outside into the light of the day, and she suddenly felt refreshed. There was newness in the air that captivated her, and it fueled her motivation into her dreams even more than usual.
With her extra energy, Jill finished her daily chores rather quickly, which gave her a moment to really think about how she wanted to spend the rest of her day. She only had to think for a second before a smile crossed her face. She picked up her hoe, and attached the tool to the straps on her back pack. Then, she headed towards the mines to spend some time with Flora.
...
Flora grinned widely upon seeing Jill's figure enter the cave.
"Jill!" She exclaimed with genuine excitement, "I was hoping you would stop by today." Flora turned around and bent down towards her tools before Jill could say a word. A smile crossed Jill's face as well, but it was one filled with surprise.
"You were?" Jill laughed as she attempted to look around Flora's back, curiosity lacing her voice. Flora turned back to face Jill with a package wrapped in plain, brown paper in her hands; it was paper which Carter and Flora typically used for special finds from their digs. She held it out to Jill with joy.
"Happy birthday!"
"Aw... thanks, Flora..." Jill murmured wholeheartedly as she took the package delicately in her hands. She was touched that Flora would remember her birthday when she was sure she had only told her once or twice how old she was.
Jill unwrapped the brown package to an old necklace artifact, much prettier than any she had ever found on her own. Mostly, Jill sold the jewelry she found or gave it away as gifts when Flora and Carter deemed it as unimportant to their research: but this piece seemed special somehow.
"I had found it awhile back, and I immediately thought of your style. I've been saving it for a special occasion and thought today would be a perfect time to give it to you," Flora beamed, and Jill did too. She loved it. She didn't often wear jewelry because of work and her pickiness, but this was perfectly her style. It was a braided bronze and silver colored chain with polished purple colored stones: simple, yet elegant and timeless.
"Thank you so much, Flora," Jill hugged her friend. "I love it... In fact... it's almost scary that you know me so well," she teased her with a mock suspicion.
Flora giggled. "I had to top the present you got me last year... and all the food from the farm. If you weren't such an old lady, giving away free stuff all the time, I might not have been so inclined to clean that one up for you."
A hearty laugh struck Jill. It wasn't the first time she had been called 'an old lady'. Marlin had used similar wording before too. She couldn't help herself though. She had so much extra produce and materials for herself on the ranch, and she loved to see the look on people's faces when she came to them with her fresh crops and foods to try. She made a point to keep enough food to be able to invite in any one in the village to stop by now and then... she encouraged it actually...
"Maybe I am a bit old-ladyish," Jill admitted and laughed after realizing her own habits.
"It's okay," Flora shrugged with a smile. "I don't mind having another grandma," Flora chuckled and knelt down to the floor to continue her dig. " By the way...!" Flora nearly exclaimed as she remembered something, turning to Jill who also began to kneel down, "Congratulations on placing in the competition yesterday. Sorry, I didn't make it. I honestly didn't know you were entering this year already," she chuckled, a nervous sounding laugh, hoping she didn't offend Jill by saying so.
"Thanks," Jill replied, knowing that Flora never meant to offend, regardless of how bluntly she said things. "I know what you mean though. I've had cows for less than a year... and it was my first competition, so I was happy to even place." Jill chuckled back.
"Well, second place is great for your first competition! You'll definitely win first place next year," Flora sounded so sure of her friend, and Jill smirked because of it. Although Jill wouldn't admit it out loud, she was sure of it as well. She was actually a bit disappointed that she hadn't won first place when they finished calling out the awards the day prior. Then, Tatakura came up to her and smiled widely. He told her that he had 'never heard of such a young cow winning second in the contest' and how she still 'must have lost by a hair.' He told her that her father would be so proud. She had almost cried at his words, but she held it back, refusing to cry about herself anymore. She thanked him and gave him a big hug (which had startled him, but he took it graciously). Her long awaited accomplishment and his heartfelt words were the best early birthday present she could have asked for.
Before Jill could reply to Flora's prediction, Cater walked into the mine and greeted them. He joined their dig on the other side of the mine so that the girls could finish their talking, and claimed he would be 'in and out, anyway.' Flora and Jill continued on with their conversations and jokes as they all dug. Flora made another jab at Jill for being 'old,' by saying she should be careful with her back, but Jill just laughed it off. It amused Jill that Flora would called her 'old', when Flora was actually almost two years older than Jill herself. In fact, they're proximity in age was one reason Jill believed they had bonded so easily. The other reasons for their friendship, Jill contributed to Flora's disposition. Most people in the Valley thought of Flora as isolated. She didn't leave the mining area much, and even when she did, she didn't speak to many people. However, what people didn't understand about Flora was that she wasn't harsh, or too shy, or boring... she was just practical: and that was just Jill's type of person. It reminded Jill a lot of Marlin. Neither Flora nor Marlin spoke unnecessary; they didn't put on airs, or attempt to be something they weren't. They didn't try to be extra nice or friendly or even too happy: they didn't try to be anything. They were just themselves through and through, and they didn't care if people liked it or not. It was a trait that Jill had come to admire: mostly because she couldn't even attribute it to herself.
Jill couldn't help it... she was definitely a people pleaser. Mostly, she acted and spoke in a way she knew others would like to see and hear. It had always helped her make friends, but the quality friends were the ones who didn't try to 'please' her back the same way. Marlin and Flora showed their true personality through their actions rather than their words, which, Jill believed, was the most truthful anyone could be: even more than the others in the valley. They were realistic, reliable ... and practical.
Flora talked with Jill about some of her and Carter's recent finds and reports, while Carter dug on silently nearby. When Carter left the mines, however, Jill found more in interest in digging up the dirt about Flora and Carter's relationship than the dirt on the ground. She asked Flora about any recent progress in 'other' work related matters and Flora blushed. Only Jill knew about Flora's lengthy admiration of the professor and his work, although, Flora mostly denied that it was anything more than just that: admiration for his work. Jill knew better though, and Flora knew that she knew better, but denied it all the same.
"He did tell me the other day though..." Flora admitted slowly, "that he was impressed by my work and appreciated my help in this project." Flora smiled fondly at the dirt under her small shovel as she described the details of the event. Jill teased Flora by congratulating her on her romantic progressions and Flora pushed on Jill's shoulder in defiance. Soon, both fiend grew contently silent, each methodically digging as they relished the ideas in their own minds.
Jill was hopeful for her friend. She knew it was just a matter of time before something romantic happened regarding the two professionals; they worked so closely together and both seemed to enjoy each other's company over anyone else in Forget-Me-Not Valley. It began to seem inevitably that almost every unmarried person in the village would begin coupling up. She could see them all in her head clearly. Flora and Carter, Nami and Gustafa, Lumina and Rock...
Marlin and Celia.
Jill's thoughts clung to the last couple in the sequence. She knew that Marlin had liked Celia for a while. Since she first moved to the valley, she had caught him staring at her in a fond way many times. Then, when Jill and Marlin became closer, he even told her about his confused feelings for Celia. He was stuck on the fence: unsure whether what he felt was simply love for Celia as his "new family" or the kind of love "between and man and woman." With that prior conversation in mind, Jill's automatic memory took hold and she recalled a conservation she observed between Marlin and Celia only months ago.
Jill never intended to eavesdrop; but somehow it always turned out that way. Jill usually went about her own business, or so she claimed, but it just happened that sometimes her own business lead her into other peoples'. Instead of simply barging passed the individuals, ruining their conversations, she would wait in doorways or roadsides until the moment passed before continuing on... or perhaps that was eavesdropping. But, what else was there to do? Was she supposed to stop her work for their conversation? Was she supposed to turn around and go a different way? She felt it was more productive to wait it out. Besides, she made herself a promise not to tell anyone the things she would see or hear... so their secrets were safe with her. Her self-indulged promise was the only way she could listen and still live with herself...
It happened few months ago, Jill was 'minding her own business', when she crossed the bridge into Vesta's farm and overheard Marlin and Celia's conversation as they worked. Marlin was practical yelling something about a customer who was apparently being rude to Celia over the phone. He wanted to go to town and say something to the guy, but Celia asked him not to go, for the sake of Vesta's business reputation.
Jill had never seen Marlin so worked up and angry. Even more, she had never heard him so close to yelling before. It was startling to see him so defensive and angry and... protective. It made Jill realize the extent of the friendship Marlin and Celia must've had. But was that love? Like, love-love? Or was it brotherly love? Jill could understand Marlin's own dilemma; she had asked the same questions about their relationship herself.
She wasn't sure how they would work together as a couple... But she eventually decided that they would probably be good together. If they started dating...she wondered if Marlin would grow only more protective... or more lovingly over time. She wondered if he was the type who would pledge to provide and care for Celia if they got married: the traditional husband type. He probably would; he seemed to be that way. She wondered if Celia would finally be able to bring Marlin out of his hard shell, the way Jill had always aspired. She pondered if Celia would begin to see more of those whole hearted, wide mouth, sharp-tooth grins from Marlin than Jill, herself, would ever hope to see... or maybe she already did...
Jill didn't realize how deeply she was enthralled in her thoughts until Carter reentered the mines. He told Flora and Jill that he was 'calling it early' today, and Flora agreed that it sounded like a good plan. Jill could tell she would be in the way of her friend's romantic pursuit, so she agreed that she had dug enough as well and decided to head home. She thanked Flora again for her present and said her goodbyes to both excavators before taking her leave.
After exiting the path of the waterfall cove, it was Vesta's farm which engulfed Jill's view. She decided to stop by and inquire if Vesta had any fall seeds in stock since it was so near the end of summer: and it gave her an excuse to say hello to the family as well. Jill popped up the shop sporting her dirty clothes and cheery disposition. When she opened the door, all three workers greeted her. Celia called a generic welcome with a smile, and Marlin offered a simple "Yo", which was still more than his greeting for regular customers. Vesta, on the other hand, always made sure she was heard.
"Welcome, Jill!" Vesta grinned, and then eyed Jill's appearance with a chuckle. "What have you gotten yourself into this time? By that grin on your face, I'd say it was something good!" Vesta laughed at her own words, and Jill looked down at herself in unison with everyone. Jill blushed lightly. Her clothes were covered in dust, and her jean had dirt marks all over from where she knelt to the ground or wiped her hands. She looked up with an embarrassed smile.
"I went to the mines today. I guess I should've gone home first and changed," she mentioned with a hint of self-consciousness as she walked towards the counter.
"Its fine," Vesta assured her. "It just shows that you're a hard worker!" She winked at Jill as she said it. "So what can I help you with today?" Jill smiled to her, gratefully. Vesta always made her feel welcome. She couldn't believe that she had been intimidated by her when she first arrived.
"I just wanted to check if your fall seeds had come in."
"Perfect timing! The first shipment got in yesterday." Vesta pulled a sample box from under the counter and set it up on top. Celia had gravitated towards the two women as Jill inspected the seeds. Marlin simply glanced towards the three of them from over his work.
"How's the ranch?" Celia asked after Jill had picked out her seeds and the quantities she needed.
"Good!" Jill replied shortly, never going into the tedious and boring details of her work. "I've been getting really excited for fall crops. Yams are one of my favorites."
"Mine too!" Celia exclaimed in surprise, as though they were long-lost sisters. Jill laughed and offered to bake Celia some yams if she visited the ranch. Celia thanked her, and then remembered what she meant to tell her in the first place.
"Also, Jill...," Celia began, sounding like a child with a secret. "Happy birthday!"
Although nobody else noticed, Marlin's head perked up with a startled expression. He had no idea it was Jill's birthday... and just last season she had gotten him a bottle of his favorite wine for his.
Jill looked at Celia with brief surprise, and then thanked her with a laugh. She couldn't believe so many people had remembered her birthday. The only time she had ever told Celia was once when Celia was trying to guess her astrological sign. "Thank you very much. I'm beginning to think that everybody here has amazing memories. I guess it's because of the country air."
Celia smiled with her response. "I keep a calendar. And it's easy to remember because you and Marlin are both water signs. You're a Cancer and he's a Pieces. That's why you two get along so well."
Jill giggled at Celia's undeniable logic: it was undeniable, because Jill knew hardly anything about astrology to be able oppose her theories. "I guess that makes sense," she lied.
Marlin was only half listening to the girls by now. He was staring down at the seeds and rattling his mind on what to do; he couldn't believe he had forgotten Jill's birthday. When Vesta called on him to gather Jill's order together, he performed the task mechanically, still trapped inside his rapidly firing mind. Suddenly, looking down at the yam seeds, he had an idea.
Marlin brought the box of mixed seeds up to Jill and handed them to her.
"You got 'em?" He asked shortly, before letting go.
"Yeah. Thanks," she looked up to him with a bright smile and dirt smudges on her pink cheeks. Marlin diverted his eyes away from her before his face grew too warm. He went back to work counting the inventory as Jill said her goodbyes to the others and left the store.
As she strolled out, Jill noted that something had changed about Marlin lately, as well. He hadn't spoken to her much in the past week, and when he did it was short and impersonal. It seemed like they had reverted back to the way it was in beginning: back when Jill tried to find something to say while Marlin tried to say as little as possible. As Jill closed the door to the shop, she wondered if it was something she did that caused his indifference all over again.
Once the door latched behind her, Marlin dug into his pocket for his wallet. He went up to Vesta once more and laid down a few bills down on the counter, then walked back to the crates without a word. Vesta looked to him curiously, then, understanding his gesture, she laughed as she placed his money into the cash drawer. Marlin made sure to keep his back towards the two women as he continued counting. He wasn't prepared to give his older sister the satisfaction of seeing his face so red with embarrassment.
Throughout the way home, Jill was still pondering the cause of Marlin's distaste for her company. Last they had really talked was the week before when she... became inebriated. She vaguely remembered being carried home by someone, who Griffin later told her was Marlin; although, Marlin didn't speak a word of it to her. Perhaps, it was rude of her to fall asleep there and then have him go through all the trouble to get her home. However, she didn't think Marlin was the type to be upset over that... but when she tried to think of anything else she had done, she couldn't. Maybe it really didn't have anything to do with her at all. Maybe something else was on his mind?
...
It wasn't until Jill returned home and began placing the seeds in her tool box that she realized she had two extra bags yam seeds. At first she thought Vesta had made a mistake, but then she remembered who had actually handled her order during the whole transaction, and she smiled. Marlin was always attentive, even went he didn't appear to be. Maybe it meant he was a better eavesdropper than even she... and maybe he hadn't meant to act coldly towards her after all.
Jill tried to think of a good way to pay him back. He would be at the bar again tonight, but as it turned out, she already had plans... she had promised someone else she'd show up for a birthday meal tonight, and she wasn't keen on canceling plans with people.
'I'll get him next week,' she affirmed, as she closed her tool box and headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
...
Marlin clocked out of Vesta's unusually early and headed towards the Blue Bar. He didn't suspect that Jill would go out for a drink tonight, but if she did happen to show up to the bar, he wanted to beat her there. He wasn't satisfied with just giving her a bags of seeds as a present, and he want to do something more. The problem was that he wasn't very experienced in gift-giving, and he had no clue of what kind of gifts girls liked. He continued to deliberate as he sauntered into the bar to the usual Monday crowd and sat down at his stool, which the others intentionally left empty for him. Just as Marlin predicted, the stool to his right was still empty as well.
The bar was filled tonight. Gustafa sat to Marlin's left and the twins sat a stool away to his right: the same as always. The brothers, Kassey and Patrick, were only mildly harassing Muffy tonight, as she humored them with nervous laugh. Griffin strolled up to Marlin casually from behind the bar.
"Well, you're a bit early tonight, Marlin. Will it be the usual?"
Marlin nodded, and then slowly scanned the bar, watching the others, as Griffin prepared the drink. Gustafa continued a passive conversation with Griffin about music as a sipped on his Morning Mist. Griffin went back to Gustafa to converse after setting a Bodiaid in front of Marlin. Marlin took a long gulp, finishing half the drink. Muffy finally slipped away from the twins long enough to pay a greeting to Marlin, and she made her way over to lean her elbows down to the counter in front of him.
"Good evening, Marlin," she grinned somewhat mischievously. "You know, it's become almost strange to see you here alone."
"What do you mean?" He questioned, as he set down his glass. There were a lot of other people in the bar tonight.
"I mean," Muffy giggled, as she pointed to the empty seat next to Marlin, "without your drinking buddy." Marlin's face grew pink, and he attempted to hide it behind another sip from his glass before answering.
"I used to come here alone every time," he pointed out, as he set his cup down again and regained his stoic composure.
"Yeah, but... It's been… what? A year now?" Muffy asked, looking to Griffin for confirmation.
"A little over," Griffin corrected politely. Marlin was taken slightly aback at the realization that Griffin had been listening to his and Muffy's conversation the whole time. He was even more disconcerted when he looked around and realized that everyone had been listening to their conversation the whole time.
Muffy continued, "…Over a year since you've been without a partner in crime. Well, except for here and there when Jill was busy, but even then… it felt strange to me."
Marlin scratched the back of his head, at a loss of how to respond to Muffy's observation. Kassey butted in, in a false attempt to help him out.
"Yeah, but Jill's no alcoholic, like Marlin," he began.
"Alcoho... I'm not-," Marlin tried to dispute Kassey's statement, but Kassey continued without hearing it.
"So, she probably didn't feel the need to go to the bar two nights in a row." Kassey was making a reference to the night prior when they all went out to celebrate Jill placing in the Cow Festival competition. Just about everyone attending the bar celebration had bought her a round of drinks, and Marlin had nearly thought he was going to end up walking her home again when the night was through. She was persistent on going by herself, however, and by her appearance earlier today, she seemed to have made it to the ranch without any issues the night before.
"Yeah, so don't take it too personally, kiddo. It's not you, it's her," Patrick spuriously assured Marlin, laughing loudly at his own cliché joke as his brother joined in. Marlin pushed his empty glass forward towards Griffin with a flustered, annoyed look slowly spreading over his face.
"Yeah, I'll try not to..." Marlin grumbled flatly, and Griffin chuckled as he replaced Marlin's empty glass with a full one.
"Don't mind them," Griffin told him, "They're just poking fun."
"I don't mind," Marlin lied, taking another long gulp of his drink.
Muffy interjected again. "Hey, isn't it Jill's birthday today too? Tell her I said 'Happy Birthday' when you see her again. Did you get her anything?" Marlin glanced up at Muffy briefly, feeling embarrassed to answer truthfully about the seeds.
"Not really," Marlin replied, looking down to analyze his drink.
"Well, are you?" Muffy pressed, curiously.
"I wouldn't know what to get her." He spoke honestly this time.
"Think about the things she likes," Gustafa chimed in, also meddling in Marlin's business. Marlin looked even more exasperated at every possible person's input.
"What does it matter if I get her anything?" Marlin asked rhetorically, sounding annoyed.
"Aren't you guys, like… good friends?" Muffy asked. Marlin's words stuck in his throat. 'No,' he wanted to say. They had never really called each other that, but he still couldn't deny it, as Jill was the closest thing to a friend that he had.
"See?" Muffy took his silence and interpreted it into an affirmation almost immediately. "So, you have to get her something! We'll help you." Marlin sighed, and covered his face with his palm.
"Sure..." Marlin gave in unreadily and uncovered his face. He pushed his second emptied glass forward for Griffin to replace; it appeared that the night would now be a long one, and he was going to need it.
…
Jill made her way up the trail to the Goddess Pond. She was bathed, groomed and somehow felt even more refreshed than she did earlier in the day, although it was already eleven o'clock at night. When she made it to the water's edge, she surveyed the area. Not finding what she was looking for immediately, Jill settled down on a large stone and gazed into the dark, still water of the pond. After a few moments of listening to the symphony created by the crickets chirping and frogs croaking around her, a slim figure's reflection appeared next to her in the water's reflection, and it sat down beside her.
"Hello, beautiful," a smooth voice articulated next to her. Jill gave a smile to the silver haired gentleman at her side.
"Drop it, Skye," she half-heartedly chided, as she pushed part of her bangs behind her ears. She had chosen to wear her hair down after her shower since she was finished with work for the day. "So... what did you bring?" she asked, looking at the basket he set down near his feet.
"Something special," he winked, as he reached into the covered basket. He pulled out two plain bento boxes and handed one to her. He indicated for her to open the bento as he handed her a pair of chop sticks. Jill opened the box to find a rainbow of colorful sauces poured over a bed of rice in a neat display. She gaped in awe at how beautiful and fancy the food appeared. She glanced over at Skye for a cue to eat, but he was already breaking apart his wooden chopsticks with his bento in his lap, ready to dig in. Jill followed suit and took her first bite of the curry rice. She touched her hand to her lips. It was delicious. It was the best curry she had ever tasted: so savory, sweet and spicy all in one bite. Jill turned to Skye with pure excitement in her expression.
"Skye!" she blurted, with rice still stuck to her cheek, "This is amazing! You've really perfected the recipe."
"Well, that's thanks to you, maiden," the silver-haired man half bowed where he sat, then brushed away the piece of rice on her face with his fingertips. "You're the one who told me about the secret ingredient I was missing." Jill felt her ears grow warm. He was referring to the first time he had told her about his dream of being a curry chef. Back then, she hadn't known Skye very well at all... in fact, back then, she didn't like him much at all either. He was an infamous thief of Forget-Me-Not Valley, and he had stolen from two of her friends since she came to town. However, ever since he admitted his true dreams to her, he hadn't stolen in the valley since. He claimed he spent his free time cooking curry, and he occasionally brought her samples of his most current work; yet, none had been this good by far.
Jill noticeably rolled her eyes at Skye then wiped her face where he had touched her, making sure that the particle had been completely removed. She took another bite of her food and he asked her about work on the farm. As a habit, Jill chose not to speak of all the laborious and boring details of her work. However, with Skye, she made an exception. There was a familiarity about his personality which resonated in Jill. He mirrored the same spark of determination in his eyes when he spoke of his dreams of curry and riches that Jill had when she spoke about her ranch and its much awaited success. In this similarity, they found solace in speaking of their separate hopes and wants, and they reflected the positive energy back on each other. Because of this, Jill felt comfortable sharing with him all of the annoyances and disappointments of her work. She knew he wouldn't see it as her complaining… but more of a vent to help her get over her annoyances and recharge her positive energy towards her ambitions. So, by the light on the nearly full moon reflecting off the Goddess Pond, Jill openly admitted to him how her harvest wasn't growing as fast as Vesta's, and how her chickens had been going through feed, and her money, like crazy. Skye merely listened with a slight chuckle at the exasperated animation she presented as she described every detail, and, when she was finished, he reminded her that she was doing well. She had placed in the cow competition yesterday, after all. Jill then gave him an astonished open-mouthed smile.
"How did you know about that?" she asked coyly, shaking her head in disbelief. Skye shrugged.
"A little birdie told me," he answered with the cliché and a mischievous grin. Jill rolled her eyes again; sometimes it frustrated her that he always tried to act so mysterious all the time. Skye hardly ever seemed to be himself. Instead, he chose to play this enigmatic character, although, she could tell it wasn't truly who he was. Jill rolled with it, however, not finding quite enough interest fight the issue.
"Fine…" she accepted his answer, with only a small hint of a pout. She finished her bento and set it aside next to her, then patted her stomach in satisfaction. "That was a great birthday meal," she added to her range of compliments for the evening. "Thanks, Skye," she told him as he placed her empty bento back into his bag.
"Anything for you, My Dear," he exaggerated his movements and tone into a chivalrous one. Jill has to suppress the urge to roll her eyes again. She enjoyed Skye's company, but she didn't so much enjoy his very obvious flirtations; it was sort of like hanging out with Rock… except with deeper conversations.
"So, how is the chef business coming along?" she changed the subject while remaining skillfully causal.
"It's not really much of a 'business' at all. In fact, ever since I've quit 'borrowing' from Forget-Me -Not Valley I can hardly say I'm cutting much of a profit anymore."
Jill simply sighed for her friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, regardless, personally I'm glad you've stopped 'borrowing' things around here," she joked back using his poor choice of words. More seriously she added, "But keep at it. I know you'll be a famous chef one day. I mean, it takes more time this way, but you're doing the right thing." Skye only shrugged, but inwardly, he took her words to heart.
"As long as it pleases you, Fair Maiden," he reverted back to his charade and removed her hand from his shoulder attempting to kiss it. Jill pulled her hand away with a cocky laugh and stood up.
"It does," she stated firmly with her a sarcastic grin and performed a mock curtsy. "And now, Shining Knight, I shall take my leave." Skye laughed earnestly at her creative way of diverting his pretend advances.
"Yes, the night grows long," he continued with the game.
"It does so… I shall see you in a fortnight," she replied to him as she spun around dramatically on her heels to leave. She took a few steps before breaking character and turning around. "But really, I need to catch some sleep before tomorrow... Thanks for the meal again. Sorry to eat and run." Skye stood up next to her as well.
"It was nothing, my darling," he waved it off with a flare. Jill shook her head in protest.
"No, it was great. Really. See ya, Skye," she waved to him before turning to leave for her ranch.
Skye waved to her back as she left. "Farewell."
...
Marlin had felt a warmth rise to his cheeks continuously as he stood in front of Jill's house after the bar that night. Each time he thought about Jill coming home to find him there with his box at his feet, the idea seemed progressively more ridiculous to him. After nearly an hour of waiting for Jill to return home, Marlin gave up. He felt too silly and shy to have her know he had been waiting so long, and it was already past the time to which he preferred to be asleep; even more, now he was slowly sobering up, and he could feel all of his liquid confidence melting away. He decided to simply leave the box for her, nameless and near her front door. He had no idea what she could have been doing so late, but he also had no idea what time she would get back. She could have gone somewhere (perhaps to the mansion to visit Lumina) and was staying the night, for all he knew. Feeling ridiculous and disappointed, yet somewhat relieved, Marlin made his way home. Vesta and Celia were already asleep when he arrived, oblivious that he remained out so late. He did a fair job of entering the house quietly and going to his room, which was shared with Vesta, except for the room divider in place between the two beds. He decided to strip down to his jeans without changing, and climbed under the covers. He didn't want his older sister to know he was just getting home, as he wasn't so fond of her morning lectures about him not getting enough sleep. He lied in bed for a time, having more on his mind than usual, and, as he finally drifted to sleep, he could have sworn he saw a slim shadow of someone passing by the farm in the bright moon light.
…
Jill arrived home around midnight, eagerly anticipating her bed. As she approached the front of her house, she noticed something on the ground near her doorway and moved towards it. It was a wooden box full of items that she couldn't make out in the darkness. Jill suspiciously scooped up the box under her arm and opened the door to her home; her dog and kitten excitedly came over to inspect their master and her item as well. Once inside, with the door closed behind her, Jill rummaged throughout the box as she place it on the counter. It contained two mason jars filled with her two favorite drinks from the Blue Bar, more seeds, and a bottle of wine, with a wine bottle opener, and a few separately wrapped chocolates. She searched the bottom of the box for some sort of note, but only found the mound of straw that was used as filler. Jill couldn't help but feel that the box was familiar. She turned it around, looking for a clue, and finally found her answer. On the box read the words, 'Vesta's Shop. Bulk seeds.'
Jill smiled largely and nearly giggled. She could only guess one person who would have dropped this present off to her so late at night. However, it did look like he had some help from two well-known bartenders. Jill continued to grin dumbly as she prepared for bed. She wouldn't have expected a present so thoughtful, and frankly intimate, from Marlin; it contained items she had no idea he knew she liked. Or maybe it was mostly Muffy's idea… Either way, it was his thoughtfulness which meant the most to her.
As she pulled the covers over herself, snuggled in her bed, her two pets curling up beside her, Jill thought about the long and tough road she had traversed to finally become someone Marlin might have considered a friend. His personality clearly was not a friendly one: his first impression had defined that fact.
When they had first met, Takakura was showing her around. He introduced her to Vesta's family, and they all welcomed her, except Marlin who had simply turned to looked at her, then went right back to his work: he didn't even say hello or welcome her to the community, the way Vesta and Celia had. Vesta had to assure Jill 'that was just the way Marlin was,' attempting to keep Jill from feeling offended… and even then, Jill couldn't help taking it a bit personally. The other times they met, Marlin still hadn't say more than a few words to her, and Jill could have sworn there was some sort of animosity. Even when she saw him at the bar, he wouldn't make any attempt to speak to her. When she visited Vesta's home, making easy conversation with the two women, Marlin would only make short comments about her being from the city, and, he even implied that she mostly likely wouldn't stick around for long. It was obvious to her that he felt it was useless to invest in her as a friend.
Then one day, Jill decided to visit Vesta's family, and found only Marlin in the downstairs portion of the house. He told her that everyone worth talking to was busy upstairs. When she gestured that she came to talk to him too, he looked startled. Surprising, he began to speak. He stuttered that he didn't know what to talk about, and they shared a brief and awkward conversation about his hobbies (which entailed mostly drinking) and their favorite types of food (to which he had no idea of his). When Vesta made her way back into the room, he became quiet again, as though he was embarrassed to be seen conversing with her. However, that idea was opposed when Marlin outright asked her to talk again later. Jill left with a smile and a new realization. Before, she couldn't pin what it was about Marlin that was both so off-putting, yet made her want his approval; now she knew. She realized that Marlin wasn't necessarily being rude, after all: he was mostly just socially awkward. He was just an introvert. He didn't speak to her before, because he wasn't good at making small talk with new people. He didn't become invested in her, because getting close to people took effort for him, so why would he invest his energy into someone who could leave? He didn't speak to her publicly, because conversations, to him, were private things, meant only for whom intended. Those were some of the major signs of an introvert and she knew them, so why hadn't she noticed it before? Probably, because, like everyone else, she initially assumed rudeness in Marlin's non-confrontational mannerism. And, she realized then too, that was probably what he intended. If he acted rudely, then people would avoid him, and no one would realize how awkward he really was. It made Jill want to laugh once she figured him out.
Even now, as Jill lied in her bed, comfortable and warm, she felt a smiled reach her lips. More and more, she noticed things about Marlin that confirmed her suspicions of his hidden kindness. He was even more open about it now. In the beginning, he hardly spoke to her, and now, he would go as far as starting conversations with her when she bought seeds, or he would hold her spot at the bar for her. Sometimes he even offered to assist her with chores, in an around-about way, of course, but she knew he whole-heartedly intended to help. He smiled around her now, and even laughed. There was such a difference in their acquaintanceship in just over one year; and, a difference in Marlin himself. It made Jill eager to see all the other aspects of his personality which he hid from the people.
Jill began to fall asleep, feeling a dose of euphoria as reality faded away. She concluded that she wasn't alone in her development; there was a change in Marlin, as well. They were both experiencing a slow and steady, yet very pleasantly occurring, change.
...
Just wanted to let you guys know that I really appreciated the reviews. It motivated me to hurry up and post again asap. Sorry it still took awhile. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I also hope you guys down't mind slow paced stories. This chapter was double the size of the first one, but I feel like less happened, haha. I'm still working on setting up the rhythms and presenting the conflicts, so please bare with me. And, again:
Thanks for reading.