I'm so excited to be in Sugar Village. Save the Homeland was my first Harvest Moon game, so I've wanted to enter their world for awhile now. Because we're in a more casual atmosphere, the tone and speech of the story is going to relax, too. Not as formal as the beginning. And we've been distanced from Gill's head for a change. Hope you're still in the dark about where this is going~ :D

Updating is taking longer than expected because of these lengthy chapters, but I'm doing my best. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing – it always makes my day!

Pursuit of Virtue

Gill woke up late. When he felt the warm blanket and soft bed, he was sure he was still dreaming. All of those people he had seen at that bar, the tasty fish (though he never cared much for seafood before), and that teenage boy who led him into a secluded village hidden by the forest and mountains and cliffs.

But the sun shining into the back window directly onto his face was real enough. He struggled to sit up and kicked the blanket away. He felt over-heated and sick. Drowsy, he pulled his legs around the side of the bed and rubbed his face awake. On a small table, his clothes from yesterday were washed and neatly folded with the coins that were in his pocket stacked nearby. Surprised, he quickly stood and put them on, tucking the money away. There was a small note left behind.

Sorry, if I woke you up, but I wanted to make sure you had something clean to wear… I swear I'm not creepy – you're the one who just left your clothes lying around on the floor anyway.
And if I didn't wake you up, you're a heavy sleeper. Seriously.
When you do decide to get up, I'll be sure to save some breakfast for you. Come and get it!
-Katie

Gill couldn't place the name to a face at first, but he soon realized it must've been that spunky girl he met. Actually, the only girl he met here. So it wasn't a strange dream after all.

Opening the door, Gill cautiously entered the hall. He softly closed the door behind him as if he was afraid to disturb anyone who might be sleeping, though it was nearly noon. He made his way down the narrow hall, hoping he was going the right way. A thin staircase went up to a single door on the second floor. He passed this and quietly opened the door at the end of the hall.

Before Gill saw the kitchen, he saw Katie. She whirled around to greet him after hearing the creak of the door hinges. "Well, good morning, sleepyhead! You're too late for breakfast, but I can still whip up some pancakes for you. Er – if you want?"

"Um…" Gill took in the bar room, realizing he was behind the counter. Katie was blocking his path, so he couldn't escape the awkward location.

"Just go on ahead, Katie. Toby'll eat," Wallace smiled. The old man with a hunch was wiping a table clean with a damp cloth.

"'Kay~!" Katie smiled, turning back to the grill. It was quick prep work as pancake batter was already made for her to pour.

Gill moved past her and made his way over to Wallace. Making his best attempt at a new start and a new him, he politely smiled and offered his assistance. "Is there anything I can do, sir? Dishes or sweeping or…?"

Wallace straightened and smiled. "Just Wallace is fine. And thank you, Toby, but we've got everything covered. Besides, you're a guest! Now why don't you have a seat? Katie's about finished with your pancakes."

Gill reluctantly sat, disappointed he was shot down. He also didn't like hearing the name 'Toby,' but as it was the first thing that he blurted out, he would just have to get used to it. And perhaps it was a fitting punishment. To be reminded for the rest of his life…

"Here ya go~!" The brunette beauty set the plate of pancakes in front of him with a flourish. A glass of milk accompanied it.

Gill shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He smiled. "Thank you. How much?"

"Aw, it's on the house!" Katie insisted, taking the serving tray away.

"Please," Gill took a hold of her dress sleeve before she could leave, "let me pay for something."

Katie's face went red as a tomato with the unexpected contact. "Er… um… Grandpa!"

"That'll be 300 gold coins, thank you very much," Wallace said from behind the counter.

Gill freed Katie and dug around in his pockets, extracting the last of his coins. He set them on the table even though it exceeded the price.

Katie stood staring for a moment before snapping out of it and scurrying to put the coins in the register. She snapped her fingers in frustration that she let herself get so flustered. Stupid! Silly as a school girl!

As Gill finished his meal quietly, he thought about how lucky he was to come across Sugar Village. No roads in or out, no newspaper, nearly no population. It was secluded enough he would be surprised if anyone outside the town even knew about it. Even better, the old windmill was just a walk through the forest away. Though he didn't plan on going back, it felt safer close by. Like he could protect it somehow… The point was: Gill could make a new life here.

He set down his fork and cleared his throat. "Um… Wallace? Would you happen to know of a place a man could find work?"

Wallace continued to smile knowingly as he sensed how Katie couldn't contain her excitement behind him. "Lookin' to stay, then?"

"If I can… Yes."

Wallace nodded. "Good. Nice to have you here, Toby. Sugar Village is happy to have you."

"Thank you," Gill said, not quite believing it. He was welcome somewhere. He could belong here. Back in Harmonica Town, Gill Gray had enough broken relationships and bad habits to feed the newspaper stories all by himself. No one wanted his company there. It felt right… To be accepted again.

"You should check over at the farm. Harry's our only farmer, and he's got quite a business to take care of all on his own. He's been talking about needing help for ages," Wallace said.

"Great! How can I get there?" Gill asked, finding he was already standing.

"Just follow the path until you get to Ronald's grocery. If you pass a carpenter's cabin, you're on the right trail," he directed with his hand like he could see it before him.

"Then I'll get going right away," Gill decided. He took his plate and cup to the counter to save them running around. "Thank you both very much for your hospitality. I hope I can repay you someday."

"Think nothing of it, Toby," Wallace nodded.

"It's about an hour's walk from here," Katie piped up, already removing her apron. "I was going to deliver some pastries to Harry today anyways. Could I walk with you?"

"I don't see why not…" Gill tried to find a flaw or ulterior motive and couldn't.

Katie beamed, tossing her apron across the counter. "Super! This way, I can show you how to get there and help with introductions and stuff."

Wallace handed her the usual travelling basket. Katie loaded it with muffins and cookies and crepes she had stocked in the back in a few short seconds. Giving her grandfather a kiss on the cheek, she led Gill out.

"You be back for the dinner rush, alright?" Wallace reminded.

"Promise! Bye, Grandpa!" Katie waved and skipped merrily out.

Though it took awhile, Katie quieted down and became a comfortable walking companion. Gill kept his hands in his pockets, attempting to remember the area as best he could. The trees kept a nice border, but they never hung too close overheard or felt over-bearing. Hills rose and fell around them, making the dirt path rather precarious at times. It was well worn down with many trips, so they never had any problems. Soon, the carpenter's shop and the supermarket were behind them. A long, winding path circled around a hill and a large farm opened up before them.

"Harry! Harry!" Katie shouted and waved. A silhouette by the small house appeared, and Katie quickly ran down the slope to meet him.

Gill admired the organization of the farmer's land from the neatly placed fields to the fenced in pasture before the barn. Half a dozen cows roamed the grass with a single black draft horse. Chickens that moved too fast to count pecked and scratched the hard packed Earth by their coop.

Gill took his time heading down the path and was late to the introduction party. Katie was talking animatedly with a young man somewhere in his mid-twenties. He had long brown hair caught into a ponytail out the back of his neck. He wore heavy jeans with suspenders and a neckerchief. His blue cap was jauntily thrown on backwards where more hair was sticking out onto his forehead. He was all smiles.

"—See, here he comes – Toby? Toby, this is Harry. He runs the Sunny Farm all by himself," Katie stepped to the side a bit as she talked.

Harry stuck out a gloved hand. "Hey, Toby! Nice to meetcha! Katie tells me you're looking for work?"

"Likewise. And yes, I was hoping to be of some help here," Gill gave his hand a firm shake.

"Well, you're hired!" Harry flatly told him. Gill was surprised how casual everything was. He didn't even have to answer any basic questions. The country was strange. "First, we'll need to get you into some work clothes. Don't want to dirty up your Sunday best!"

Gill hardly thought over-sized khakis and a button-up were fit to be the best of anyone's wardrobe, but he didn't ask. He didn't have time to anyways before a medium sized shepherd mix of some sort came hurling himself at his feet and barking.

"Whoa! Red, get down! Sheesh, looks like you've made a new friend already!" Harry laughed, pulling his hand tighter on his head.

Gill was never an animal person. He never had a pet, and he was rarely in contact with them. So he wasn't sure what to do, but he held out his hand for the dog to sniff. He was sure he heard something about becoming familiar with dogs before trying to touch them. Or something like that.

"Yeah, just hold out your hand. I promise he won't bite. Red's never even bit the chickens!" Harry smiled supportively, kneeling down to Red's level.

Gill squatted down and was immediately accosted by the dog's paws on his chest, making him rock backwards. Katie and Harry laughed as he regained his bearings. Slightly in wonder that an animal seemed to like him so much, Gill gently scratched the dusty brown dog behind his pointed ears. Red leaned into his hand, welcoming the attention.

"Well, I'll just go put these into your fridge, okay, Harry? Be right back!" Katie welcomed herself into the farmer's home and disappeared as the door shut behind her.

Back on their feet, Harry gave Gill a pat on the back. "This is great! Let me show you around, alright? Then I can get you started on work right away, if you're up to it."

"Sounds good," Gill nodded and followed Harry. They went around the farm and saw all of the things that Gill had seen from atop the hill. He was introduced to every cow and chicken, given names he would be hard-pressed to remember. It was obvious the young Harry deeply cared for his animals, and their happiness showed it.

By the time they were out in the fields, Katie was standing outside the house waiting for them. She played with Red, holding a sugar cookie for him if he would do a trick for her.

"See, this is probably where I'll start you," Harry was saying, spreading his arms out to the open plots. "I've got some corn and tomatoes over there, but I'd like to expand. I just don't have the time in a day to plow and water a bunch more seeds."

Gill nodded, trying to fathom how he would be able to do all this work. It didn't look hard, but a glance at Harry's bare muscled arms told him it would be. Gill considered himself fit, but he would be strong after a few seasons spent on the farm.

"What kind of jobs do you have in mind for me?" Gill asked offhandedly.

Harry seemed surprised by this question. He put a hand to his chin. "Huh… Well, I guess you could make deliveries. But I'd rather not throw you out there without a map or anything like that. You'd get lost! So I guess you'll mostly be around here. Brushin' and milkin' the cows, collectin' eggs, waterin' crops… Stuff like that. Farm stuff!"

Gill should have known, but he wanted to know precisely what he was getting into. The pair walked back to the house as the late afternoon sun threatened to set. Red was panting from the heat and circled everyone's feet one last time before sitting before his house and food bowl next to the front door.

"So? You like it here?" Katie asked, her empty basket between her hands.

Gill nodded again. "You have a nice set up, Harry. I hope I can be useful."

Harry laughed, a habit Gill would later take note of. "Course! Thanks, man, it'll be great having some extra hands. It's a bit late to be working now – we can wait until tomorrow. Get you settled in."

"I better get back to the restaurant before I'm late," Katie announced. She said her farewells and turned to Gill again. "I'm really glad you're sticking around, Toby. Be sure to visit, 'kay?"

Before Gill could answer, she was running back up the path. Red raced after her in excitement and hung back at the base of the hill, barking upwards. They watched her go and when Katie disappeared, Harry turned back to Gill. "Gee, she sure fancies you."

Gill opened his eyes for the first time and shook his head. "She's too old for that sort of thing, isn't she?"

Harry slapped him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't be too worried. Katie fancies everyone at one point or another. Now… um… about a bed."

After they inspected the little house, Gill was sure there wasn't enough room. Even though Harry insisted on having a cot built, Gill left the shack and looked out at the barn. "What about that?"

"What? The barn?" Harry crossed his arms. "Doesn't seem fit for people livin' if you get me."

"We can at least have a look, right? I'd hate to go back and forth between here and the café until a cot's built," Gill said, already walking.

Harry hurried to catch up with him as he opened the large door. Red had herded all the dairy cows in for the night already, and they all stared with wide blinking eyes at the intruders. One of the closest ones let out a loud moo as Gill made his way to a pile of hay in the back corner.

"This?" Harry asked. He watched in doubt as Gill spread the hay out and tested it with his foot.

"I've slept on worse," Gill recalled the many tree trunks on his way here. His back ached with the memory. He turned to Harry with a smile. "This should be just fine. If you're comfortable with the idea?"

"Doesn't look too comfortable to me," Harry shrugged. "Hey, but if you're happy out here – be my guest! See you bright and early, alright? Lots of work to do tomorrow!"

Gill waved him out, and Harry headed back to the house. Once the barn door was closed, the presence of the animals seemed to grow more intense as they stared down the stranger. They looked at Gill like he was a new entry – like their master Harry had found a strange new animal friend.

The bed of hay was more comfortable than Gill thought it would be, and after he kicked his boots off and lay back, he was out like a light. For the first time, Gill didn't have any nightmares.

Lyla slowly came around the bend in the path. She was curious of the newcomer and wanted to see him herself – he was making quite a buzz with everyone in the valley. So on her soonest day off that Sunday, she decided to pay the farm a visit.

The pink-haired woman stood on the property lines, not bold enough to explore the place to introduce herself. Instead, she watched from afar at the light-haired silhouette in the fields tilling up the rows.

Harry emerged from the barn with two heavy pails of milk in each hand. When he spotted Lyla, he set them down and waved, running over eagerly like the attitude his dog kept for visitors.

"Hello, Harry," Lyla greeted with a quiet smile.

Breathing heavily from the run, Harry smiled anyways. "Hey, Lyla! What's up? Come to see the new guy?"

"I take it I'm not the first," she suppressed an embarrassed laugh.

"Nah," Harry adjusted his hat. Red was soon at their feet, sniffing Lyla's long skirt. "Toby's the first new guy we've had since me, and it's been awhile. I got lots of attention, too, remember? Everyone called me 'Tony's Grandson' for a month!"

Lyla chuckled, her hand over her mouth. "I do remember that… Is he doing okay?"

Harry looked out at the field and shrugged slightly. "He's pretty rough around the edges. Doesn't talk much. Doesn't know how to use a hoe. But he's a hard worker, alright. This is his fourth day out there. Hasn't stopped for nothing – barley sleeps."

"Wow…" was all Lyla could say as she watched Gill. The hoe swung high over his head and crashed down into the hard dirt. Though his methods for plowing were strange and inexperienced, the stranger had a fire of a kind that Lyla had not see in a person before. And he got the job done. "He's so… fiercely determined."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Makes you wonder what his story is, ya know? What's got him so bent."

Lyla silently watched for a moment longer. "It does, doesn't it? He must've had a pretty rough past… Do you think?"

"I do," Harry said. He put his hands in his pockets, and looked up at the hot summer sky. "It's obvious he's never done any sort of labor in his life, and he's probably never even seen a sickle. But I wanna give him a chance. Wherever he's been before shouldn't make a difference. He wants to work, so… I'll let him."

Lyla smiled. "You're a good man, Harry. I'm sure Toby will do fine here."

Harry blushed and pulled the brim of his hat around so it could shield his face. "Er… Um, you wanna say hello? I can get him for you."

Lyla thought a moment, but Red licked her hand and she jumped. She shook her head. "No, that's fine. I don't want to bother him. I'll just stop by later – or maybe you can send him out on some errands or something. Wouldn't want him to work himself to death out there."

"Yeah, that's a good plan," Harry smiled. "You take care, Lyla!"

"You, too, Harry. Good-bye!"

Harry spent a few minutes watching Lyla leave. He called Red back who was bounding up the hill after her. The dog perked its ears and came racing down to him with plenty of kisses. Harry ruffled Red's ears and made his way back to the milk he left out in the sun for too long already. For the rest of the day, he kept an eye on the fields. Lyla was right – the guy did have a fierce determination… For a city boy.