Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I hope you at least enjoy the chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon, the characters, some events or main plot, but the wording used and storytelling is my own.
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Chapter Four: Truth
Fall 7th, Year 2
The air grew cool as autumn settled into the Valley and all the surrounding trees became painted with bright colors. Jill was contented by the small breeze blowing past as she tilled away at her field that morning. Autumn had always been her favorite time of the year. Beaches, snowball fights, and blooming flowers were all nice, but it was something in the crisp, cooling air which always significantly lifted the novice rancher's mood over all the other seasons. With the present year at hand, however, summer's ending had brought upon a different sort of mood in Jill as she tended her farm that morning, along with the fall that blew into the small town of Forget-Me-Not-Valley, and it all had begun with that one summer's night.
Since the fireworks festival, Jill couldn't help but feel restless. Living in such close proximity to the person causing the feeling didn't quite help her either. Marlin had acted so out of character: grabbing her hand and pulling her along with him. And, perhaps it was her imagination, Jill could have sworn that he had leaned into her just as the finale ended; her face grew hot as she thought about it. However, as it played out that night, nothing had happened whatsoever… and everyday she'd seen Marlin since, he acted as such: like nothing had happened. In fact, the quiet farmer had actually begun speaking to her with a sense of familiarity once again; he wasn't avoiding her the way she had noticed just a week before the event, and he conversed with her freely now. Instead, Jill came to be the one avoiding him. Since her embarrassment after the fireworks display, she found herself stumbling with her words anytime the dark haired man stood too close to her. She could almost feel his strong hands gripping hers in a reflection of that night, and his warm breath, so near, sending chills down her spine.
...
"… I just… I just don't understand what that all meant!" Jill had nearly bellowed one night a few weeks prior, her anxiety neared anger; she paced and threw her hands up in the air. Jill placed her face in her palms in an exasperated movement as she plopped onto the familiar rock at the Goddess Pond and finally ceased her rambling. Skye had been there to comfort her by the cover of the night as she retold the tale of everything that had happen with herself and Marlin at the Fireworks Festival. It was days after the fact, but it was the first time Jill had seen Skye since the event occurred, and she was ready to explode from keeping every little twisted idea she had over the matter locked away for so long. She knew she could discuss it with the bandit without fear of the gossip spreading around town; mostly because he didn't know or speak to anyone else in her village, but also because she felt she could personally trust him with her secrets, regardless of his criminal reputation.
"I mean, he was no doubt acting weird… but I guess… I just thought something was happening… that wasn't really happening, you know?" she summed up her mistake, peeking at Skye through her fingers with self pity in her eyes.
"Sure?" Skye questioned, confused with Jill's vague phrasing; still, he had caught the essence. "But I don't think it's really anything to get upset about," he replied bluntly from his placed next to her on the large rock. He unfolded his arms to pet her hair gently. "He doesn't seem like a good match for you anyway. And doesn't he have a thing with that girl he works so closely with….? Oh, what is her name? Claire… Chelsea?" He loosely grasped for the name Jill had once before told him.
"Celia," Jill corrected pointedly.
"Ah, yes. She's nowhere near as lovely as you, but that's his loss," Skye shrugged without empathy for the man.
"Thanks, Skye…" Jill halfheartedly offered at his kind words, although she couldn't say she fully believed them. She looked at the moon, past the clouds, and noticed it was getting late. "I should be going…" She stood from her place on the boulder, before adding with a freshly genuine tone: "And thanks for listening. I know I'm always bugging you with all of my petty grievances … so thanks."
Skye waved her words away from him in the manner he always did with an easy smile. "Anytime, my fair maiden."
Jill returned a hopeful grin before she left her friend for her home.
…
Jill reminisced on all she had admitted to Skye as she plowed her field, and she honestly felt ridiculous. She drug her hoe through the soil as she thought about how silly she must have appeared, fussing about a guy in that fashion. In the heat of her frustration at the topic, she had divulged more than she had intended, but at least the discussion caused her to look back and understand things more clearly from that summer night. It was likely that Marlin may have rested his hand on hers on accident, or maybe the gesture was one of friendship…? Perhaps she was the one who had leaned in to him, and it had only appeared the other way around to her in that moment. It all seemed probable in hindsight. He hadn't spoken a word to her about the event after all. Wouldn't it have been likely that something would have been said? Actually, she felt a bit of relief at the thought. Regardless of her misinterpretation, they were still friends, and nothing had been awkwardly jeopardized. It seemed silly now. Why, in the first place, had she thought he would want to be anything but good friends?
Jill knelt down and began pulling seeds from her bags to sprinkling onto the tilled soil in neat rows. When she straightened up for a moment to stretch the muscles in her back and wipe the sweat from her brow, she noticed someone nearing her house. She almost believed, for a split second, that her thoughts had somehow manifested into a distorted image, but her eyesight had not deceived her. Marlin was strolling up to her with a content expression; his wrinkled, white long sleeves rolled down to shield his arms from the slightly chill breeze. Jill, almost too aware that she should act normal, smiled and waved to him from afar. She dusted off her pants and clapped the dirt off her gloves as he made his way up to her, then he paused to scrutinize the ground where she was working.
"Yams?" he asked with a certainty in his voice and a slightly raised eyebrow. Jill laughed before she could answer.
"You say it like its bad thing," she pointed out with good humor as she removed her gloves and shook away more of the dirt. How was he making her suddenly feel self-conscious about yams?
"I didn't say that," Marlin protested with a shrug and his generic aloofness. "But should I be worried? It's a rather strange obsession…" Jill threw a glove at him, and Marlin simply let it fall off his torso with a light smirk which almost broke into a chuckle.
"What do you want?" Jill demanded with false irritation, as Marlin bent down to pick up her weapon. "You came to pick on me?"
"No. I just thought I'd stop by to let you know that I'm sober today..." Marlin paused as though that was the end of his excuse, and Jill stared at him with confusion.
"Okaay…" Jill hesitated with narrowed eyes, not sure how to answer such a strange statement. "I… I think you have me confused with your AA sponsor," she replied wittingly with her best straight face. Marlin smirked at her comment and handed the glove back to her. When their fingers touched, she could again feel how hot his were compared to hers. It was notably odd, since her hands had been working outside the whole morning, and yet his were still warmer.
"What I meant was that…" Marlin began; Jill noticed him hesitate peculiarly while he cleared his throat, as though he was searching his words, then he started again. "I have the evening off. Vesta isn't opening the shop since she's busy preparing for the Festival." Jill knew that Harvest Festival was only in a few days, and that Vesta was in charge of it every year, so the details didn't surprise her. What she couldn't figure out was why Marlin was telling her such random bits of information.
"Oh…" Jill stated as though she understood, then finally, she really did. "Oh! I see," a smile presented across her face when she realized that he was asking her to hang out; in a round-about way of course, but that was just Marlin. "Yeah, sounds good," she agreed, trying not to act abnormally or too excited. "I should be done here around one o'clock anyway. What do you have in mind?"
Marlin found his fingers customarily combing through the dark hair at the back of his neck. "I honestly haven't thought that far ahead," he admitted. His ears burned mildly as his own excuses fell short of the conversation, but Jill's tinkling laugh filled up the empty space between them.
"I'm sure we can come up with something non alcohol related..." She purposefully didn't appear very sure.
"Well, maybe…" Marlin offered her a small grin, going along with her sarcastic doubt. He began to turn around before he added: "I can be back around five." Jill smiled, relishing in the friendliness between them which she now felt silly for finding uncertainty in earlier.
"Okay, see you!" Jill waved back, and her friend left her property just as causally as he had come.
...
Marlin sundered back to his sister's house feeling relieved…and, actually, pretty happy. He hung his hands loosely in his pockets as he arrived upon Vesta's fields; his sister and Celia were just leaving the house to begin work. Marlin had been known to occasionally disappear for morning walks, so neither female bothered to question where he had been once he began assisting the women with their work. The only real question hung in their minds was the reasoning behind Marlin's suddenly pleasant attitude: one which seemed to appear from nowhere at all. The past months prior, he was frequently lost in his mind during work, both silent and non receptive. Of course, the cheery disposition was certainly a desired progression from his usual callousness, but the swift change in him drew their attention.
"Marlin seems to be in a good mood," Celia probed curiously towards Vesta while Marlin was out of ear shot. Vesta merely shrugged in her familiar way, not seeming as bothered as her young 'niece.'
"He's always liked the fall," she disclosed as she bent down and began carrying an armful of boxes to the seed shed.
Vesta knew Marlin well; it was true. Marlin loved the fall. It was the only season where the occasional pains in his chest felt nonexistent. Winter was bitterly cold and stabbed his lungs with each of his breaths; spring brought pollen into the air, causing him to faintly wheeze at its worse days; Noon in the summertime was often times unbearably hot, and caused concern for him over exerting himself: but not the fall. It was just the right kind of atmosphere. Especially today, everything seemed to be perfectly in place. The day was sunny and warm, but the cool air brought a refreshing breeze rolling over the mountains. The chirps and whistles of the birds flying south created harmony with the crunch of the fall leaves under Marlin's feet as he walked between the shop and the field. All of Forget-Me-Not Valley seemed to be brightly colored and bustling. It reminded him again of why he loved living in the town, and, as of late, he seemed to love it even more. As he worked, his considerations of fall lead him to mirror his positive thinking towards his awaited appointment with the brunette rancher down the road.
Ever since the Fireworks Festival, Marlin had been continuously reexamining his friendship with Jill. He realized eventually that he had allowed himself to become so bothered by usual feelings she had caused him the night at the bar, that he had began avoiding her. And for those confusing weeks in-between, the time without her company seemed to drag on. That night at the Festival, when he leaned in close to Jill, giving into his restlessness, and grabbed her hand, he realized just what it was that had brightened the past year and made it all go by so fast. He realized that all he really wanted was to be close to her, romantically or not. The working days when they spoke and the nights they drank together, were some of the fondest memories he had gathered of the valley; and he didn't want them to end so abruptly because of his coarseness, and admittedly, his shyness. After that summer day, he made a deal with himself- a secret promise that he would do nothing to potentially harm the closeness they had established. And so, Marlin was cordial with Jill once again, light-heartened and polite, and he refrained from pushing her further away due to his own embarrassing feelings, whether he decided to pursue them openly or not. He looked forward to her company that evening, and he smiled as he tended the crops, unable to think of anything that could spoil his jovial mood.
…
In was nearly five in the afternoon when Jill hurriedly glanced at her clock, simultaneously brushing her teeth, before turning the television to the weather channel in her living room. The newscaster predicted a sudden chance of rain the next day, pointing to a place on the green screen which represented the area around Forget-Me-Not Valley.
"Uggrrrhhh!" Jill groaned, bits of bubbling toothpaste flinging from her mouth as she threw her head back in exasperation. She went to the sink to spit out the foam and glared into the mirror at the clean hair and the fresh clothes she had just fixed and enrobed a few minutes ago.
"Perfect!" she yelled sarcastically to no one in particular before she snatched up her cattle bell violently and jogged out the door. She was mostly just annoyed with herself for taking too much time carefully arranging her ensemble for the evening and for allowing herself to become threatened with being late. To top off the series of mishaps, midway through locking away her livestock, she looked down to her shirt, only to see dirt smudges, and she knew she would likely have to change.
When all of her animals were safe and warm in their respective barns and coops, Jill rushed back to her house to freshen as much as possible before her awaited company arrived. Her dog, Bo, was barking as she walked in, but she hardly had time to notice. Jill slammed the door and began to lift her shirt over her head when a voice called out to her from inside her house.
"Woah. You're pretty quick to the punch," the smooth voice sounded, and Jill felt the blood rush from her body. She yanked the cloth back down over her torso, and locked her wide eyes with a slim, silvery haired man sitting at her breakfast table.
"Skye!" Jill nearly screamed, but not from any possibly pleasant surprise. "What are you doing here?! In my house?! What if someone saw you?" Skye gave a laugh at the rush of words spilling over him and a look of smug interest glimmered across his face.
"You wouldn't have wanted a well-known thief waiting out in the open on your front door step, would you? Don't worry, I was careful," he stated, matter-of-fact. "But… I can take my leave out this front door, if you prefer…" he stood and moved graciously past her towards exit with a triumphant grin, but Jill yanked him back by his shirt tail.
"No! I mean, you can't go that way…"
"Afraid your company will see?" He presented the idea as a solid statement.
"How-?" she began, but Skye revealed himself before he was fully asked.
"You must be dressed up for someone," he clarified by pointing to her unusual wardrobe of a skirt and blouse. It was similar to the outfit she wore on her birthday dinner. "It's not that grumpy farmer, is it?" he inquired, sounding slightly more serious than average.
"Yeah…" Jill hesitated, suddenly feeling transparent. "We're just going out."
"On a date," he added, as if he were finishing a neglected sentence.
"No. It's not a date…" her voice was filled with instant uncertainty. Was it a date?
"Do you think that's a good idea?" he questioned, and raised a darkened silvery eyebrow.
"Why not?" Jill was becoming defensive. She didn't believe that it was really any of his business. Skye sighed, not intending to treat her with conviction.
"I mean… Jill. I just think that…" Skye grew even more serious as he faced her square on. "He's just going to break your heart."
Jill only stared at him, dumbstruck, her mouth slightly ajar. His presence and questioning had all happened so fast. Where was it coming from all of a sudden?
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, and Jill nearly jumped out of her skin. The sound was an explosion compared to the silence that precipitated; and Jill's knowledge of who was on the other side made the fear in the explosion's aftermath all too real. Jill had never known Marlin to ever be directly anger with her, but if he had witnessed 'The Phantom Thief' stark in her living room, she knew he'd be furious. Bo began barking again, and Jill turned in a few, frantic and purposeless circles before deciding on the action she should take.
"Skye, leave! Wait, don't leave…! You stay here, I'll leave," she whispered loudly and decidedly pushed him into the kitchen, away from the view of the person at the front doorway. "Then leave!" She added quietly before dusting off her shirt with her hands and pulling opened the door. Jill stepped outside abruptly, nearly pushing a wide eyed Marlin off her front step. He took a startled step back, but Jill's body was still nearly touching his torso when she shut the door behind her back.
".. Are you okay?" Marlin questioned her oddness as he retracted another step to allow more space between them.
"Yeah. Yes, everything's fine," she stated hurriedly then glanced to the front door as a great excuse crossed her mind. "I, uh, my dog. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, and I didn't want him to get out." There was a pause, and then, finally, her internally-manifested tension broke as Marlin chuckled, accepting her story.
"Is that who you were mumbling to?" He assumed, and Jill felt an instant relief that the whole fib wrapped together so neatly.
"Ha... Well, yeah. I was trying to get him to stay put. You know, he likes to follow me around when I go out," she piled on the false reasoning as she lead the way towards the exit of her farm, painfully aware of the need to get Marlin as far away from her house as possible. Marlin seemed to take the bait easily enough, which only made Jill feel worse. It was not only difficult to lie to Marlin, but she always felt sorry for having to treat Skye like she was ashamed of his friendship.
As they began down the path to the main street, Marlin started to speak first. He described the day and Vesta's efforts and anxiety in regards to planning for the Harvest Festival, but Jill was finding it hard to focus. She fiddled with her hands behind her back as she stepped alongside him, and he glanced over to her with a calm knowing expression when he realized she wasn't fully attentive to the conversation.
"You already need a drink?" He made a joke, but Jill almost did catch on.
"Oh! No, that's not it," she chuckled halfheartedly and slowly shook her head in a metaphoric attempt to shake out her nervous thoughts. Marlin gave her a swift skeptical expression that implied that he didn't believe her words, and Jill reassured him with a truer laugh.
"Really. I promise." Jill released her hands from her back and let them sway to her side, finally letting go of the former situation now that they were away from her farm. "So, have you decided on where to go?" she inquired, brightening her affect. Marlin had to control his impulse to tousle the hair on the nape of his neck.
"I was actually just figured we'd think of something once we got out..."
Jill smiled at the casualness of the night. Now she realized she didn't have to worry about it being some sort of planned date; just two friends spending time together. It didn't really have to matter what they did. The only plan was that they would hang out: that simple, no nerve wrecking expectations.
"Ha, that sounds like a good plan to me... I'm kinda hungry," Jill thought aloud, offering out ideas. "We could go to the Inn and ask Ruby to cook us up something?"
Marlin gave a smile back as well, but it was towards Jill's nonchalance. He had initially been worried that she would be disappointed by his lack of planning, but she didn't seemed phased in the least, and the relief he felt was mimicked by the ease in his voice as he agreed to her idea.
"Sure."
...
Ruby had initially presented with a befuddled bearing upon seeing the gruff man and friendly rancher walking in together to purchase a meal, but she cordially replaced her demeanor with hospitality and joy at preparing food for her patrons. Still, she couldn't shake some of the strangeness she felt for having the particular company together in her kitchen. She had previously caught gossip about Marlin and Jill's close friendship, but she had never openly seen them on a date, so Ruby had assumed the rumor had been one blown out of proportions. Yet, now, it seemed thing were confirmed.
As she chatted with Jill and stirred her pan, she reflected on the oddity of the interactions at hand. It was funny to see how such opposite people engaged together in public. Jill reverberated with such openness in her speech and stories, but while Marlin only sipped on his plain iced tea with an uncomfortable shyness. It was shyness, Ruby understood, because to her trained eyes Marlin's cool, closed off mannerisms could not disguise his habitual tendencies to not look the two women in the eyes when he was questioned. At any other time, he could, but it was when he was placed under the lens that the façade faltered, and he broke his gaze to look at the kitchen island counter top or into his drink. Ruby comprehended that this was a sign of his insecurity, not pretentiousness as it was ill-received by most, towards being scrutinized; however Ruby couldn't say the actuality was known to her son, who had once wondered aloud to her why such a pleasant Jill hung out with such "a rude grump." Jill, however, seemed to be enjoying herself, and somehow managed to get her raven haired companion to loosen up. He laughed wholeheartedly, for what Ruby ascertained was the first time she had heard him do so, and he spoke more in-depth with her than they had ever done singularly. At some point, when the food was about finished, Nami wandered into the kitchen but didn't seem as astonished as Ruby had been at the couple's appearance together. In fact, Nami just about ignored them, aside from a small greeting, and questioned what Ruby was making. Without question, Ruby assured her that there would be enough for her too, and Nami decidedly hung about the kitchen, flipping through various cooking recipes sprawled about the counter top, as the inn keeper spoke with her guest. Ruby then noticed how the only male figure in the room grew substantially quieter once again, and he went back to slipping on his glass and making only mild comments to the conversations had between the two women. The revelation made Ruby chuckle under her breath as she passed out the plates of food to her dear young patrons.
After the meal seated on stools at the counter island, the young couple gave word of taking their leave, and Ruby walked them to the exit. They paid their fee, gave her their thanks, Jill commented sincerely on the delightful taste of the food, and they carried on with their night. Ruby waved good bye to them before walking back to the kitchen to clean and join Nami's company.
"Well, that was a nice dinner," Ruby commented as she began filing the water into the sink while the red head collected up the dirty dishes. "...A little odd though," she added, not fearful of voicing her opinion to a trustworthy friend such as Nami.
Ruby had always known Marlin to be such a closed off character, which made most people feel awkward in his quiet presence. He seemed more annoyed with conversation than appreciative of it. Adversely, Jill was one of the easiest people to converse with. It was unanimous that she had the ability to establish a rapport with anyone. Perhaps it made sense that that principle applied to Marlin as well. At Ruby's comment, a placid, amused smile had appeared on Nami's lips as she stacked the plates into her hands.
"Kinda strange, isn't it?" Nami agreed, as though she had the same thought herself long ago.
"But, they looked happy," Ruby chuckled, picking up the soapy dish rag in her hands and reflecting on Marlin's laugh. Nami placed the plates near the side of the sink, before adding a thoughtful comment.
"I think that's all that matters."
...
"So where to now?" Jill asked with a measured tone of anticipation in her voice as she clasped her hands behind her back to twiddle her fingers with her steps. It was quickly growing dark and the two had just met with the cobblestone path, feeling full and satisfied from their meal. Jill was hoping for some time to rest and let her food digest, and Marlin had a similar idea on his mind.
"We could go to the Goddess Pond," he suggested. It was often a place he went to think on his morning walks; he and Jill had even had some conversations there a handful of times.
Jill's lips parted to agree, but her mouth shut again abruptly. She initially believed it was a nice idea, but then remembered that Skye would often show up at the pond at night, and she knew better than anyone that he was in the area. She couldn't risk a situation where Marlin could discover him.
"Ah... or, the waterfall!" She offered with a forced excitement at the prospective idea.
"At the dig site?" Marlin asked with a bit of skepticism in his question. He had chosen the pond to give their conversations a bit more privacy, but the waterfall was in close proximity to the excavator's camp.
"Yeah, why not? The waterfall is nice at night," Jill added, trying to make the idea sound more desirable than it most likely was.
Marlin picked up the hint, but perceived a rather different reasoning behind her change of location. He erroneously came to the revelation that his companion wasn't comfortable being alone in a private place with him and that she was seeking a common area where certain serious conversations were limited. He nodded and agreed to the venue, feeling a small sense of rejection that he couldn't completely shake away.
The walk to the site was mostly silent, and Jill had the sneaking feeling that the heavy air about them was her doing. She felt guilty, but she knew that she didn't have much of an option in declining Marlin's recommendation. The only thing left to do was try to regain some of the grounding she had lost with him.
"So does Vesta need any extra help with the festival?" Jill queried quietly as they walked up to the rushing waterfall. The dig site appeared mostly silent and empty, aside from the sounds of flowing water and chirping insects. Flora and Carter were no where to be seen, most likely held up in their cavern, working into the evening. Jill knelt down near the water's edge and sat down as gracefully as she could manage in her foreign flowing attire. Marlin answered as he took a seat to her right.
"I think she'll be okay. She always seems a bit flustered by it, but I know she actually enjoys putting in the extra work," he had absentmindedly began picking up small stones as he spoke, and he plunked one into the restless water once he finished his sentence. Jill chuckled mildly and opened the palm of her hand in a receiving gesture. Marlin noticed and smiled lightly before uncurling his fingers to reveal the rock collection resting in his left hand. Jill delicately picked up a few pebbles from his grasp and began tossing them towards the water as well. She attempted to take a shot at the waterfall, but it fell short into the body of water.
"I'm sure she does. She always seems cheerful about it. But it's nice to have some help sometimes too," Jill mentioned, trying again at the waterfall, but she still couldn't quite reach it. Marlin watched her attempt silently and threw another stone. His throw disappeared easily into the wall of rushing fluid. He looked back down at the rocks in his palm, contemplating Jill's words.
"I guess you're right," he responded to her advice, "but she won't take my help when I offer, so there's not much I can do about it."
Something about the situation he described seemed to be upsetting him, but Jill was still glaring at him too playfully to be serious about the observation. Marlin noticed her hard leer and a questionable expression crossed his face.
"What?"
"You don't have to make it look so easy," she faked a hurt ego. Marlin smiled and placed another stone in her hand. Jill tried again, but still failed at hitting her mark. Marlin chuckled rather silently, but Jill still saw his amusement and huffed. As they grew quiet once again, Jill decided to address Marlin's earlier dismal response.
"So, does that bother you?" She wondered aloud, looking over at the water.
"Your terrible arm?" He questioned, though he was fairly sure that wasn't what she meant.
"Oh ha ha," she laughed with a mocking tone, but she couldn't help the real chuckle that escaped her lips at his joke. "I meant with Vesta," she clarified. Marlin shrugged.
"No. I guess it shouldn't," he decided, tossing the rest of the rocks out of his hand and clapping the dirt away.
"But it does," Jill observed. Marlin sighed.
"But I guess it does."
Jill picked up a few of the discarded pebbles and rolled them around in her fingers.
"Maybe she wants to do it on her own?" Jill speculated, glancing up to Marlin. He was looking at the water with weary eyes that insinuated he was about finished with the subject.
"I don't think that's it," he answered, knowing she understood his vague implications.
Jill knew how sensitive Marlin was about his condition; and she also knew that he was secretly a really helpful person. His frustration with his sister's concerns for his health was evident and, she thought, somewhat justified. He wasn't the type who would choose to sit around while others worked, but it ended up having to be that why sometimes. That was understandably frustrating in her eyes.
"I know you don't like it, Marlin, but it's because she worried about you. She probably doesn't want to cause you any unnecessary stress," she wanted to give him some comfort, but it came out sounding more generic than she hoped.
"Yeah… I know." He knew it too well; Jill wasn't mentioning anything he hadn't already heard before from Vesta himself: only Jill was at least being more direct about it. As of late, Vesta only gave him feeble excuses as to why his assistance was not required, when it was obvious she needed help.
Marlin stared at the scenery, looking self-defeated. Jill didn't like his glum expression, so she chucked the pebble in her fingertips to the side of his head.
"Ow…" He rubbed his temple and shot an icily look in her direction. Jill laughed. She wasn't concerned with him really being hurt, since the object was tiny and she had hardly thrown it with conviction.
"Cheer up. You have people who care about you. That's just the price you pay for it: consistent concern," she shrugged with a smirk, in a manner that said 'it is what it is.' Marlin matched her smile, but mostly so he could be done with having the spotlight on his troubles, rather than expressing his assent.
"At least you're honest," he said it in humor, but he personally felt there was a good amount of truth to his words. He valued her honesty and trustworthiness. He relied on her to bring him down to Earth and not to mask her intentions with white lies to make him feel better. And as Jill continued forward with the topic, speaking about her own mother's worrying tendencies, he felt that the respect was mutual. He realized he wanted her to feel she could tell him such personal things, and he realized that he rather liked being confided in… as long as it was Jill.
…
After a few hours of talking, and noting the rise of the moon into the mid-sky, Jill and Marlin decided it was time to head back. Marlin offered to take Jill home, and she nodded with slight trepidation at the gesture. They walked past Vesta's farm, but it appeared that everyone was asleep, as the lights were all out. They continued softly across the path and over the bridge into the main part of town, speaking lowly as they went. Jill was giggling at a sarcastic, joking comment that was made by her companion when, suddenly, Marlin stopped walking. She looked up to see what the obstacle was, and all expression left her face. There was Skye, strolling away from the shadowy cover of the trees covering the entrance way of the Goddess Pond and walking right towards them.
"Good evening, Jill…and Farmer," he smiled to both of them and spoke causally as though Marlin wasn't glaring at him.
Jill froze in place. She couldn't find the words to respond and only watched the thief dumbly, wide eyed and silent. She hardly noticed Marlin step forward defensively to get into the space between Skye and herself.
"What are you doing here!? Still sealing from innocent people?" Marlin questioned harshly. He recognized he was the very thief well known to Forget-Me-Not-Valley by the description of his silvery-white hair and flamboyant garb. At the sound of Jill's name on the man's lips, Marlin didn't suspect much, except for the thought that this man was possibly stalking his acquaintance, which only caused him to feel more defensive. Skye took Marlin's conviction in offense.
"I was only in town due to my visitation of a friend earlier today… and then I thought I'd go for a walk," he waved a hand carelessly into the air, like he was trying to waft away Marlin's allegations. "There's no reason for accusations!"
"Yeah right. Like you had a friend to visit here; in this town where everyone wants you in prison," Marlin spit back sharply; his hands were white fists, and he was speaking through his teeth. Skye looked at his adversary with a bit of distaste, but then he decidedly replaced his expression with a scornful smile.
"I wouldn't say everybody," he purposely directed his gaze to Jill. Marlin caught on, and looked to the rancher as well, who continued her veneer as a statue, except for the bit of shock that reached her eyes at Skye's motion towards her. It took a moment for Marlin to register the connection between the words of the bandit and Jill's mannerisms.
"You know him?" Marlin asked, half in disbelief. What felt like an entirety of seconds ticked by, before Jill merely shook her head negatively in the very slightest, her eyes never leaving Skye's. It wasn't a confident sign; the shake seemed to be more of an exhibit of disbelief than of denial. The silver-haired thief soon donned a hurt expression that didn't entirely appear to be façade.
"Jill…" he beseeched.
Jill didn't respond.
"You could at least—"
"Stop it, Skye…" Jill tried to demand firmly, but it came out sounding more like a plea.
"You could've admitted that we're at least friends," he pouted.
"Skye, enough…" she asked again, although she knew it was much too late.
"What does he mean 'at least friends?'" Marlin turned to inquire of Jill; his brows were furrowed, and he seemed to be livid, however, not towards her in particular. She could immediately see that he was getting the wrong idea, and the fire of that idea was consuming his mind quickly. She wanted to stomp it out, but Skye fueled it before she could defend herself.
"I mean, you could say we're actually really good friends," Skye chuckled smugly, seeing how Marlin was getting even more agitated by his words. In the criminal's defense, he had actually only meant the stressed phrase 'friends' innocently; unfortunately, Marlin did not take it as so. Jill noticed Marlin's deathly glare towards Skye and found it nowhere near as amusing as the thief did. Jill could only imagine that someone could get seriously hurt if the verbal exchanged continued, and Skye was only egging it on.
"Skye, that's enough!" Jill exclaimed, finding her voice at the thought of a fight breaking out, and finally both men grew silent enough for her to get a word in. Skye looked a little shocked at the outburst, but Marlin still glared at him furiously.
"Marlin, he's-"
"Is that true?" he questioned before she could say anymore.
Never mind. Maybe she wouldn't get a turn to explain.
"No, I mean, yes. He is my friend-" she tried.
"The Phantom Thief? The same criminal who has stolen from your real friends multiple times!?"
Jill didn't know how to answer without condemning herself. Marlin's words were true, and there was no way to make it sound any better than that.
"Well, yes… He's—He's not really a bad guy…"
Not a bad guy: She said… about a thief. Marlin wanted to storm away. He had half a mind to leave from the scene altogether if he hadn't still been so concerned about leaving Jill alone with the nefarious figure. She was still midway through her explanation when Marlin's began shaking his head with incredulity; he hadn't been hearing any of it.
"It's not the time for explanations," he decided, seeing as there was a criminal in their midst to handle. He looked back to the thief with anger. "You—" Marlin's sentence stalled. Both Jill and Marlin were left dumbstruck, yet both for different reasons; One because the man in front of him three seconds ago had all but disappeared into thin air, and the other abashed that her friend had left her to deal with a deadly sentence on her own. Marlin visually scanned the area mercilessly, but couldn't make out any trace of the escapee.
"I'm going to tell the Mayor," Marlin stated gruffly as he began to walk in the direction of the official's residence. "If we can gather a search party immediately—"
"No!"
Marlin felt a tugging on at the sleeve of his elbow and looked down at the small hand holding him in place. He turned and saw that Jill was wearing a mask of near-horror, and there was a simmer in her eyes.
"Don't get anyone. He was doing anything wrong. And he's quit stealing from us. I swear," she pleaded as though it was her own reputation she was defending, and that only made Marlin more enraged. He yanked his arm away from her grasps by angered reaction, and then only stared at her for a few moments longer, before he noticed his own heart beat pounding in the silence, and realized he needed to subdue his anger. It was late in the night, he needed to get Jill home, and he needed to rest himself. There was no use going after the man now; besides, it was true that it hadn't appeared as though he had stolen anything. Marlin took in a deep breath and sighed out in defeat.
"Fine… Let's go," he grunted as he drove his hands into his pockets and began leading the way to the ranch house.
…
The relatively short walk back to the ranch was both painfully silent, and seemingly everlasting. Throughout the whole journey, Jill had felt a severe tightness in her chest, which made breathing so difficult that she could only sum up the experience to the equivalent to having a panic attack, although she had never had a panic attack, and she wasn't exactly sure what it entailed; and so, the thought that she was having her first panic attack only proved to cause her further anxieties. Marlin dropped her off at her door without so much as a word. As he turned to leave, Jill desired more than anything that to reach out and speak to him. She had so many imperative questions running through her mind. Was he going to get the mayor after this? Was he going to tell people that she had befriended the infamous thief all this time? Would he only tell Vesta and Celia? Would they all stop talking to her? Was he angry at her? ...Were they still even friends…?
Jill raised her hand towards Marlin's back, as though to mentally reach out and stop him. She thought that if she started the gesture then the words would flow out on their own, but they caught in her throat with a sensation like she was choking on them when Marlin acknowledged her first. He only cocked his head over his shoulder to speak a few words, and he didn't even look her in the eyes.
"Lock your door."
…
Jill had begun to get ready for bed, seeing as it was late and there didn't seemed to be much else she could do about the situation, but her bedtime routine shortly turned into mindless pacing. She couldn't help feeling like there was something to be done. Maybe she could try to speak to Marlin? Maybe he hadn't told anyone what he saw, and she could convince him to keep it that way? She was jolted from her thoughts of fruitless worrying when she heard a light knock on the front door. She was filled with too much anticipation to remember or care that she was dressed in pajamas, and she opened the door with force. She was slightly disappointed, but more irritated, to see Skye standing on her front step. He let himself in with swiftness, and she granted him impatient, silent access until the door shut behind him.
"What the Hell, Skye!? Why did you do that? What did you show up for!?" She all but shouted. Skye appeared just as shocked as the first time she had raised her voice at him about an hour earlier; it was only the second time now that he had ever heard her do so. Skye immediately looked a bit guilty, but it seemed like he was attempting to appear careless.
"Well, you see, my fair Maiden, as much as I hate to admit this blunder, I hadn't meant to be seen by your… lover," he spoke the word with obvious repulsion.
"You know he's not my-,"Jill began, but knew it was both futile and time wasting to correct him.
"Well, then why didn't you just run away or something?" Jill was obviously irritated, but Skye pretended not to notice and instead acted aghast by her question.
"And just ruin my reputation?! I couldn't let that country-bumpkin know that I had been seen unintentionally! Everything a 'The Phantom Thief' does is always according to plan!"
"Even when it's not?" Jill huffed skeptically, but surprisingly, Skye nodded with assurance.
"Even when it's not."
"So you faked like you wanted to be seen?" She asked with incredulity; it sounded so asinine that it was somehow sort of ingenious. Although his plan had certainly worked, it was made to enhance his own benefit much more than hers, and that alone was cause for her infuriation. "Then why did you say you knew me?!"
"Why were you about to deny me?" Skye asked back quickly as though he had been waiting to question her all along. Jill grew a bit silent. He was playing on her guilt; she knew it, but it still worked on her. She felt her indignation with him melt into frustration with herself. She retracted and slumped onto a chair at her dinner table with a sigh.
"You know why, Skye."
Skye sighed as well. Truthfully, he had let his emotions get the better of him. He couldn't let that curly haired farmer get away with his erroneous accusations when his witness was standing right there… silent. Perhaps that was the worst part… She was so silent. He had assumed, for sure, that Jill would have stood up for him immediately in that instance, and he had been proven wrong. As it seemed, she was more attached to her farm boy than she was to their friendship.
Skye took a seat in the chair diagonal from her, figuring that his close proximity was not particularly desired at the current time.
"He didn't tell anyone. Yet anyway." Skye reported suddenly.
"What?" Jill questioned, unable to fully comprehend his meaning after just being pulled from her own despairing thoughts.
"Your date; he didn't tell anyone about seeing me." Jill perked up a little with sudden interest.
"How do you know?"
"I followed him," Skye shrugged; he was much more serious than normal. "Inconspicuously, of course. I went to make sure he wouldn't tell the mayor about you, and I planned to stop him if he did- but he didn't. He just went to the farm and walked around awhile before going inside. The lights stayed off, so I went up to the window to check for sounds. I didn't hear anything but his shuffling around. Therefore, I assume he didn't tell anyone inside either. Yet." He added, sounding doubtful.
Jill had been watching Skye intently as he told her about all he had uncovered, but her gazed dropped thoughtfully to the table once he finished. So Marlin hadn't gone to the Mayor? He hadn't even told Vesta: yet, as Skye had put it. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Skye stood awkwardly, although he had attempted to be smooth.
"I just thought you would like to know," he stated and cleared his throat. He moved toward the door and hesitated as he went to grab the knob. He had hoped that Jill would have responded before he left, but she didn't make any sound to stop him. He opened the door and took his leave silently.
Jill had been too frustrated and anxious to speak up. Somehow, knowing that the truth still hung above her head like an axe, instead of being out in the open, didn't make her feel any better about the situation. Marlin was her friend, but, she had noticed, he was quite noble. If there was a criminal on the loose and it was in his ability to do something about him, Marlin seemed like the type to take action to give the person what they deserved. But with Jill on the line, would he act just as quickly?
Somehow later into the night, Jill found herself lying in bed, awake and still disturbed. She looked at the ceiling while the heaviness in her chest pushed upon her. The only thing that gave her any comfort was the warmth of her two domestic animals curled up near her legs, sleeping without a care. After hours spent of thinking, hoping and occasional talking to her father for guidance, Jill began to find that her eye lids were becoming even heavier than the baring on her chest. She reached a point in her sleepiness where she couldn't find the energy to care about how things played out. She didn't care that the truth was out anymore, and the only thought that stuck with her as she fell asleep was the hope that the heavy rain wouldn't ruin her crops the next day.
...
...
Fall 8th, Year 2
The Next Morning
There was a light sound in Jill's dream that was vaguely familiar. It was a sound she had heard many times before, but she couldn't quite place where it belonged in that particular moment. As she slowly began to grow awake and aware, she realized how extremely exhausted she felt and how her eyes burned when she blinked into the warm, dim light of her rustic, studio home. She heard the sound again, and could suddenly comprehend it as a sharper, clearer, and obvious to her now, knock at her door. As she rose from bed, unwillingly and sluggish, more than just the sound at her door began clear in her mind. She remembered why she had stayed up so late the night before, and the next knock sent a jolt of electricity through her.
Maybe it was Marlin?
She tried to steady her heart beat with the thought. It was probably Marlin, she repeated to herself. He was visiting to sort things out with her and to talk about the events of the night before. Jill placed her fingertips on the knob, and took a deep breath. She could have sworn in that moment that time slowed down as she pulled at her door, revealing her visitor, and felt all the blood leave her face. She had been wrong. It wasn't Marlin at her door, but instead, his older sister, Vesta.
...
Please review, rate and favorite or whatever if you liked the story. Hopefully I won't get so behind on updating again! As always,
Thanks for reading!