A/N: So, this chapter should be a little bit happier than certain previous chapters… It is kind of a filler chapter, but it's still important in my opinion and does get more interesting as the chapter goes on. Also, I should probably mention that there are some more references to the Harvest Goddess religion in this chapter and my own interpretation of it, as Claire pays a visit to the church. And thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited, reviewed, etc.! It really does mean a lot to me, I cannot stress that enough!

-CCM

Chapter 12: Dinner Guest

As the first early morning rays of sunlight filtered in through the window, Claire opened her eyes. Her puppy Bailey stirred beside her, nestled in the crook of her knee. But rather than barking madly as usual at the sign of Claire's awakening, he merely yawned and curled back into a ball, blinking contentedly.

Claire's night of sleep had been surprisingly peaceful. There had been dreams, yes – there were always dreams to be had in slumber. Claire supposed they had been nightmares, as those were the only dreams she ever had as of late, but unlike the nightmares of the past few days, these weren't nearly as clear. Already, the nightmares had begun to fade into oblivion, so that the only memories remaining were the clouded, indistinct remnants of terrified emotion.

Now, Claire finally felt at ease. She was tempted to lay in bed for longer, snuggled up in the warm comfort of the blankets, but that wasn't realistic. Farm work was an everyday occurrence. It may be the weekend, she reasoned sleepily, but there's still just as much work to do around the farm as there is any other day of the week.

Finally deciding to start her day, Claire unsteadily rose from the bed, careful not to disturb the snoozing Bailey, and set out to get ready and start working.

Already, the daily acts of watering the garden, feeding the animals, milking Clementine, were becoming tedious. Not that Claire minded. She would much rather wake up to work the farm in the fresh air and sunshine, than to go back to some boring day job in the city.

And work on Sunshine Farm was already getting easier for Claire. She could now milk the cow without spilling half the spoils (in fact, she only missed a few drops this time!), and the very first signs of sprouts could finally be seen in the tilled earth of the garden. Her farm work took much less time today than it had in the past, and Claire couldn't help but smile to herself in satisfaction.

Now to move on to the remaining events of the day... Hmm... What else is there to do in a small town like this?

Claire wanted to do something new and different. Not horseback riding, she had just done that yesterday, and didn't want to wear out her horse by taking him out into the forest every day. Plus, the woods kind of creeped her out now, especially after her discovery of the butchered doe. Claire cringed at the very thought.

She didn't really feel like going to the beach, either, as she would have plenty of time to relax there with her friends over the course of the summer.

Claire paused in thought for a moment, and that's when the idea struck her.

Pastor Carter had asked her to come visit the church sometime. And it was now the weekend, as well – the time of the week that Claire's parents used to take her and her siblings to church back in the city, when they were quite young. Wasn't that when most people went to church, anyway? She hadn't been there in so long, she couldn't even remember.

Though Claire was never a religious person by any means, and in fact had always despised the times her parents would force her to go, maybe it would be interesting to listen to one of Carter's sermons just this once. Surely, it would be a much different experience than the church back in the city.

Claire shrugged to herself. It would give her something to do, at least.

Pastor Carter stood just within the front doors of the church with his hands clasped together in front of him, smiling and greeting the few villagers who entered the miniature cathedral. His grin widened when he caught sight of the blonde farmer entering, her expression vaguely wary.

"Oh, Claire! It's nice to see you here again! I'm quite glad you decided to attend today!"

Claire smiled politely back at him before glancing around for an open seat in the pews. Not that it would be difficult at all to find one – really, the only other people inside were Popuri and Cliff. The two children of Mineral Town, May and Stu, were also there, as well as the librarian Mary and her parents.

After a moment's indecision, Claire sat down to the right of Cliff, who was seated in the very front row. Popuri waved to her as she sat down at the bench directly behind them, her hot pink hair looking as vivid as ever.

Taking a look around at the church's interior, a memory of her welcoming party came to mind, and Claire couldn't help but smile to herself. This was where it all began...

Cliff smiled shyly at her, and she grinned back as Carter approached the podium at the front of the room, preparing to begin his sermon.

The church went silent as Carter cleared his throat, though that wasn't such a big accomplishment, as there were only a scattered few seated inside the church. His speech began, with tales of the Harvest Goddess, and her little fairylike helpers called Harvest Sprites... dreams of good fortune and plentiful harvests, and the Goddess's power to grant these wishes...

Something about the pastor's voice intrigued Claire somewhat, but made her rather sleepy as well. The way his words flowed, soft and steady, almost like the current of a trickling stream...

It was rather hot in the church, as sunlight streamed in through the many stained glass windows, and Claire felt herself dozing off slightly in the comfortable warmth. Hmm... I'll just close my eyes for a second...

Claire was jolted awake by a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder, and a quiet voice rang in her ear. "Claire... wake up..."

"Huh?!" Her eyes burst open as she jerked forward, and a soft, feminine giggle could be heard from the bench behind her. Popuri...

She glanced over at Cliff beside her, who looked vaguely concerned. "…Are you okay?" he whispered, his emotions portrayed more in his eyes than in words.

The blonde farmer stifled a yawn. "Yeah... I'm all right. Just tired, apparently." Perhaps coming to the church wasn't such a good idea, after all...

Nervously, she turned to look up at Carter, still speaking from his podium front and center. Though he must have seen Claire fall asleep in the front row, he didn't seem to let on.

The sermon ended in less than ten minutes after Claire's little sleeping incident. Carter turned away from the podium, his speech concluded, and Claire turned back around to face Cliff again, allowing a vague half-smile to cross her lips.

"So... erm, how was Carter's speech?"

A slightly disapproving frown drifted across Cliff's face, and he raised an eyebrow. "It was good... as usual."

"So you enjoy listening to his sermons, huh... You come here often, then?"

Cliff nodded. "Yeah... it's peaceful in the church, you know... I feel calmer here. I always make sure to visit every once in a while... though I used to come here much more often, when I didn't have that job at the winery. I-I didn't have much else to do... I didn't have many friends, so I started talking to Carter, and listening to the speeches he gives. They're pretty informative, actually."

Claire scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "I kinda feel bad for falling asleep..."

Cliff smiled at her as he stood up to leave. "Don't worry about it, Claire. Carter... he's pretty easygoing, I'm sure he doesn't mind much."

The blonde nodded before standing up to follow him out. At least I'm feeling very well-rested now...

She passed Carter on her way out the door, and the pastor smiled slyly at her. "I hope you enjoyed today's sermon, Claire." He winked at her knowingly, and Claire blushed, embarrassed. "Come back again anytime; you're always welcome here. And may the Goddess bless you."

Outside the church, the sun was now beating down hot and bright, much more so than earlier. Claire was just considering going to the beach after all, when she noticed the young chruchgoers Stu and May standing nearby. Catching sight of the farmer, the two children quickly ran up to her, and Claire smiled at them in greeting.

"Hello, Claire!" May bounced on her toes in excitement, while Stu giggled impishly. "Hi, Miss Farmer Lady!"

"Hey, little Miss May and Mr. Stu! I saw you were at the church today," Claire said, playing along. "What are you up to now?"

It was Stu who answered. "Well, sometimes we listen to more of Mr. Carter's stories after church, but he said he was busy today..."

An innocently pleading look entered May's eyes. "Will you play with us, Claire?" The little girl pouted slightly. "You said you would! You promised!"

Stu quickly joined in the begging. "Yeah, c'mon and play with us! Please?"

Claire sighed in defeat. "Fine... you guys win."

The two children cheered.

"Let's go to the beach!"

"Yeah! Can you take us to the beach, Claire?"

Claire grinned- somehow, the kids' excitement was rubbing off on her, as well. "All right, all right! As long as your families know where you'll be, it's fine with me."

The children nodded enthusiastically. "Come on, let's go tell them!"

It looked like Claire really was going off to the beach, after all. With a few extra little handfuls, yes, but she didn't really mind. She didn't have that weekend job as a babysitter back in the city for no reason.

Hours later, Claire and the kids were just heading back home when they noticed Elli up on the road ahead, now leaving her work at the Clinic, it seemed. Catching sight of the children out of the corner of her eye, the young nurse quickly turned and approached them.

"Stu? What are you kids up to?" Elli looked up and, catching sight of Claire, let a grin fall across her face. "Bothering Claire now, are we?"

Stu folded his arms across his chest stubbornly, trying to look indignant but only managing to look childishly cute. "No... we were just playing together! Claire likes playing with us; she even took us to the beach!"

"Yeah!" May piped up from behind him. "It was a lot of fun!"

The brunette woman chuckled. "Oh, dear... well, it's almost dinnertime. May, you should run along back home, before your grandfather gets worried." She sighed. "It's not always safe to stay out so long..."

The little raven haired girl nodded before darting away down the road. "Okay! Bye, guys! See you tomorrow, Stu!"

Elli turned back to her younger sibling, but not before giving Claire a wink. "Perhaps Claire wants to join us for dinner...?"

Stu, who had been sulking slightly as May left, perked up immediately. "Yes, can she? Claire, do you want to eat dinner with us?"

Claire nodded, grinning. "Sure!" And now I won't have to make dinner for myself...

"Thanks for agreeing to come," Elli said to Claire as they strolled down the road back toward the house where she and Stu stayed with their grandmother, next door to the mayor's house. "Stu seems to like you, and I'm sure Grandma Ellen will love to meet you, as well."

Claire merely smiled genuinely. "Well, of course I would come. I did say I would visit sometime, didn't I?"

Elli chuckled. "Yes... yes you did."

They came to the house within minutes. To Claire's surprise, the place where Elli lived with her brother and grandmother was extremely small – smaller than her own cottage back on Sunshine Farm, or even the apartment she used to rent back in the city. But it had a cozy feel to it, and Claire immediately felt right at home.

"I occasionally stay in an extra room at the Clinic, when I'm working late nights," Elli explained, "but honestly, I prefer it here with Grandma and Stu. This way, I can take care of them more easily."

It only took Elli about half an hour to prepare dinner for four people. Claire offered to help, but Elli outright refused. "You're our guest here."

So instead, Claire took the time to keep Elli's elderly grandmother Ellen company. The woman was very old, but friendly and warmhearted, and seemed to enjoy having a friend of her granddaughter's over for a visit.

A warm, delicious scent soon wafted throughout the tiny home, and Elli quickly prepared plates of grilled fish, baked corn, and fresh dinner rolls for everyone seated at the dining table. Stu grumbled audibly at the sight of the fish on his plate, and pushed it off to the side with his fork, focusing on the corn instead. His sister frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Halfway through dinner, a knock was heard at the door, and Elli got up from her seat beside Claire to answer it. She paused at the door, her hand resting against the silver doorknob, fingers gently curled around its smooth handle. Elli turned her head to glance around the room, and though Claire pretended to be totally immersed in her plate of food, she couldn't ignore the genuinely fearful expression on the other girl's face. Both Ellen and Stu were completely oblivious, however, and it went on as if nothing had happened.

The door opened with a slight creak, and Elli stifled a gasp.

"Oh...? Trent-"

A conspicuous blush spread across the brunette's cheeks, and she opened the door wide enough for Claire to view their visitor directly. Doctor Trent stood in the door frame, still wearing his pristine white doctor's coat over a green shirt and clean khaki pants, his hands tucked into the pockets.

Elli smoothed down her skirt in an attempt to hide how flustered she really was at the surprise visitor. "Ahem... Do come in, Doctor Trent! I've just finished preparing dinner. Perhaps you'd like to join us...?"

The dark haired young man merely nodded, a characteristically serious look in his eyes. Elli backed away from the door, and he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

Elli hurried over to the kitchenette to prepare another plate of food as Trent took a seat in the one remaining chair where Elli had been seated moments previously, between Stu and Claire. The young boy poked him in the shoulder as a sort of childish greeting, and Trent's expression softened slightly. Grandma Ellen smiled at the doctor from her chair.

"Hello, Trent... Nice seeing you here, so unexpectedly. What is it that you needed? Or did you just come for a meal? You know you're always welcome," a knowing grin flashed across her wrinkled face, "Elli sure doesn't mind making extra for you."

"Ahem... It's good to see you again as well, Miss Ellen. But I actually came here to-"

He was interrupted by the clink of a china plate against the table, as Elli set the meal down in front of him. She beamed. "Here we are, Trent! So nice of you to visit!"

The young woman looked positively ecstatic. And positively nervous, at that. Claire, however, feeling an inexplicable sense of distrust, frowned at the man.

"What about Ann?"

Trent turned around to stare at the blonde, and Claire cleared her throat to speak again, more loudly this time. "Isn't Ann back at the Clinic? You shouldn't leave her alone..."

The doctor looked vaguely surprised. "I... her father's sitting with her at the moment, as I only needed to step out for a minute..." He glanced back at the young nurse beside him. "Elli... I must have a word with you, regarding our patient... privately, if you please."

Elli's pale brown eyes widened slightly and she gave a solemn nod, all previous traces of cheerfulness leaving her face. "I understand, Doctor... Here, we can talk in my room... Excuse us for a moment, Claire, Grandma."

They ate in silence, waiting for Trent and Elli to return to the table. Minutes passed, until the young pair finally returned from their secret discussion. Claire couldn't help but notice the grave expressions on the couple's faces. Questions were burning in her mind, but the farmer decided it would be best to act as though nothing had happened. Not while Trent was there, at least.

Elli forced out a grin as the doctor turned to leave, holding out a container of fish, corn, and bread for him. "Here... take these along with you, share some with Doug, maybe. You're probably hungry over at the Clinic, with all that work on your hands all the time."

Trent smiled in gratitude as he took the bowl from Elli's hands, though his thoughts still seemed far away. "Thank you, Elli. I appreciate it."

"Goodbye, Trent!"

The doctor raised a hand in farewell before turning out the door. Claire swiveled in her chair to face Elli, who was just returning to her seat beside the blonde.

"What was that all about?"

"...What?"

"...You know."

Elli refused to meet Claire's eyes. "It's nothing, Claire." She spoke up louder, for both Grandma Ellen and Stu to hear as well. "Just a little talk between the doctor and I. He needed to know... something about the medicines we're giving Ann."

Claire narrowed her eyes. "And that's it..?"

"Yes."

The farmer opened her mouth to ask another question, but Elli interrupted her.

"Claire, please..." The brunette shot her a vaguely irritated glance before nodding her head at Ellen and Stu opposite them, a whisper escaping her lips. "Not in front of Grandma and Stu."

Claire blushed. She hadn't meant to sound so persistent. Hopefully, Elli would still invite her over to dinner again, as she didn't want to cause a rift in the friendship they were forming.

Elli, however, didn't seem too perturbed, and the rest of dinner went on with no issues and a good deal of small talk. She even invited her back for dinner again: "You're welcome to come for dinner anytime you like, Claire. Thank you for coming tonight, I know Grandma enjoyed your company especially."

She smiled at the blonde farmer, but Claire found it surprisingly difficult to return the grin. What was that whole conversation between Trent and Elli all about?... Ugh, if only I knew!

Claire groaned in frustration as she returned home, lost in thought. It seemed that no matter where she went in Mineral Town, there was no escaping the mystery.

A/N: I just realized how long it's been since I last played this game... It makes the dialogue somewhat more difficult to write, but I tried my best to keep everyone as in character as I could. And yeah, Claire does have siblings in this story, though they don't live nearby. They haven't really been mentioned much if at all so far, but I'll go into Claire's past and family life some more in a later chapter. In fact, I have a sort of mini-plotline coming up regarding a certain family member of hers…

Also, I'm pretty sure Elli actually sleeps at the Clinic in the game, now that I think of it, but I like to think that she comes home daily to sleep and cook for her grandmother and Stu. Again, I'm not exactly sure, as I haven't played the game in so long, but it doesn't really make sense to me for her to leave her elderly grandmother and young brother home without her outside of work.

-CCM