Beat Up Sneakers and Baby Blues

[ ARC 1: MOONSICK AVENUE ]

Chapter 4: Crushing, Crashing

[Gustafa]

How in the world did we get into this mess...?

Pressed low behind the counter, knees up to our chests, Nami and I held our breath as Ruby, of all people, raised her voice. Her tone was ironed, silky smooth, like she was trying to stop her own heart from breaking. But, almost like it was second nature, she switched into a dense Eastern country twang that was sandpaper-rough and dripping in discipline—clearly passed down from her mother and her mother's mother, before her.

"And what do you mean by that, Rock?! Don't talk back to your father like that when you don't know the whole story..."

"I... You geezers don't get it! You owe me for your happiness in more ways than one."

Nami and I exchanged glances, trying to shrink down to violets so we wouldn't get in the way of whatever family feud was blowing up. The towel slung over my shoulder nearly slipped off, but she managed to snatch it before it slumped on the ground. I mouthed "Thanks," feeling like I was the liable one in this two-person co-op. She tilted her nose up in a "Don't mention it" motion.

"We never said anything to deny that...!" She retorted, one palm pressed against her heart like he was carelessly slotting a knife right where it hurt. "All your father said was-"

"What? That I wouldn't get by without you guys? You guys can't get by without me! I'm not a moron!"

I leaned in urgently, gesturing towards the door, my conscience over overhearing this kind of felt like hot coals beneath my feet.We gotta get out of here! Nami drew a line across her throat with her thumb, as a cease and desist. The path to the door was far too blatant for us to get away scotch-free, as they came around the corner with Rock stomping loudly towards the door.

Normally, people insisted that Rock was childish and out of touch. I had a suspicion that... most, if not all the people who had the fortune to meet him felt that way. Heck, Nami probably felt inclined to think so, too. But to me, I had a faint sense of envy towards how pure he was. It's not like he lived to be judged, nor desired to live his life maliciously. He was just handed a spirit that clashed with what the world wanted out of him.

(Well... and his work ethic was questionable at best, but I wasn't one to judge. I've always played my lute and left the world behind, after all.)

When I shot her a glance, I half-expected her to roll her eyes to the back of her skull, but this time around, she seemed pretty solemn herself.

That's when Tim came out of their bedroom, gentle and easy-going. "Lou..." Lou?

"Tei, speak to your son...! He's going to walk away talkin' smack and not knowin' how much he'll regret this in the future." Tei?

Did Ruby and Tim have names from back home? The gears in my head went clicking and clanking, as I registered that the folks around this place still had identities outside of the ones they hung like ornaments outside their windows. That struck me as a little sad, in a way I couldn't quite articulate quite yet. They must have had their reason for anglicizing their beautiful names...

A heavy, rooted sigh escaped her husband's lips, as he pressed both fists on his hips. "Son."

"What?" he snorted obstinately. "You can't get sick of me, since you're stuck with me! So you're gonna have to just let me live my life, you know."

"Son, I... just think you're taking this a little too personally. All I said was that you shouldn't take life for granted out here. Yes, we're providing for you, but what if we're not here in the fut-"

"Oooooh! Guilt trip. Okay, well!" Rock wiggled his index. "First off, my life is my own. I can handle it! I'm a big boy, now, right Mom?"

Ruby's cheeks flushed, agape at just how immaturely her son had used her own words against her.

"Second off. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. It's painted all over your faces!" He made a sweeping hand motion across both their faces with a machismo that only escalated the tension. "You guys just think I'm a good-for-noth-"

Ruby snatched his wrist, cutting him off before he spilled words he'd regret, all over the floor. "No..."

"Mom, Dad, you guys don't get it, do you?" His voice went down two notches. "I'm only as good as you guys are."

He unclasped her hand, pushing both fists against his hips and beaming. "Wahaha! Guess that's on you!"

We met each other's glances again. "Damn" came silently rolling off both our tongues.

Rock stormed off, the shutter doors swinging behind him.

SLAM!

"Tei! Why don't ya ever say anything to 'im! He's going to twist everything and spit it out like bark gum..."

Tim silently rubbed his wife's back, trying to tamp down her bristles as he slumped in a low, sorrowful arc. "You know he's not fond of me. It's why he takes what I say out of context."

"That's not..."

"..."

Ruby balled her fists up, unraveling that sweet, maternal image she had built up over the years. Rumor had it that before she became a renown chef, she was a village girl from some humble village in the east. But I was wrong to assume she didn't have some kick to her, given how sweet she was to all the villagers in this valley.

The couple slowly walked into the kitchen, as Ruby, upset as rocks on an uneven shore, began to talk in low tones to breathe life to her frustrations.

As soon as the door swung closed behind them, Nami and I immediately jumped to our feet.

"God." She muttered.

My jaw had been locked into a heavy frown, as the conversation had weighed on my mood like an anchor. Clearly I didn't have the full picture, but did he really have to...sayit like that?

"I'm going to get going then..." I sighed, clocking that I'd have to come back later to use their showers.

"I'll come with you. Stuffy as hell in here, right now."

Oh.

I canted my head, mouth slightly ajar before flipping into a welcome smile.

"Right, I'm glad to have you, friend."

We scurried out, heart pumping up to our throats and climbing all the way to our ears. Drumming, drumming. Carefully, we clicked the door closed and made a break for the trees out back, light scattering over our heads. The dappling sun-rays and spotty leaf shadows blurred our steps, and before long, we were out, clear.

I crouched low, releasing a long, steady breath to balance the bad vibes in my chest. Nami simply plopped to the ground, arms crossed behind her head to lay down. Her sharp, daggered eyes followed the skyline, outlining the clouds one by one. And then she shut them tight, frowning. Her eyebrows were deeply set, creased low and frankly disturbed. But then she smoothed her expression out, and all was still.

"..."

"..."

I followed her lead, lying down with my arms tucked under my head—careful not to bump elbows and disrupt her vibes. She looked like she was processing quite a bit. Though... I guess I had to do the same, didn't I? With my lute laying on its side, I took a moment to meditate on the hardened emotions that welled up from the bottom of my stomach. We really shouldn't have seen that.

"..."

"..."

And, I had always tried to be generous with each person's character, but what exactly could I parse from that besides the worst?

For a moment, my eyebrows creased as a headache pang knocked on the side of my temple. Twinging slightly, it disappeared as it came, sudden and unspectacular.Could I be generous in this situation?

Rebellion was rad, but only if you were fighting against an unfair establishment. Resistance was admirable, but only if the walls around you were cutting off the pulse of the people around you. But was this what this was?

"He was such a brat." Nami said under his breath flatly. "No wonder his mom always says those uncomfortable things to me."

"Huh?"

"...Sometimes, she tells me I'm the child she's always wanted. And that's nice and all, but I'm not going to stay for long." She blew her bangs out of her face, loose strands floating off to the side. While her eyes were still shut, I realized that her skin captured the sun in a new band of freckles over her nose. And I guessed I'd have to thank the ending summer sunbeams for that pretty sight. "...And sometimes, he's still in the room with us when it happens."

A silent gong chimed in my head.

"Woah. Human nature is so..."

"Petty?"

"Complex."

"Petty."

"Ha."

"...It's his problem though. Not ours."

Ours. My heart shouldn't have skipped to have been coupled with her in that way.

"...Right, but..."

"Gustafa. We weren't there." She rolled her head towards him and slowly her lids flicked open. "...Remember?"

Just a little secret between us.

I sighed, lingering for a moment to take in her blue as blue eyes, wondering if this was the end of that, or if I had more to chew on. For one, Rock looked... inherently in the wrong. But, it's not like I had the right to label their relationship without knowing anything about what happened behind closed doors.

"But who else would be on his side, though?" I whispered quietly. Though I didn't say it, the words 'If not us...' was painfully implied.

Her eyes widened for a moment, before turning on her side to look away from me. That struck a wrong bone, I felt, and my chest squeezed uncomfortably.

"You'd want to side with him on this?"

"No.Heavens no.Not in this case. But what if..." I slowly unwinded my wrist, palm skyward in thought. "He feels backed into a corner, because no one is ever on his side."

Her sharp shoulders gradually sunk, back still turned. "No one is— But that's because he says the stupidest things like he owns the place."

"...I guess. It's not like his actions are inherently justified. You're right." I sighed, inhaling deeply and holding my breath. I didn't want to excuse bad behavior, after all. But there was a wriggling feeling that clung to me no matter how much I tried to shake it off. Regardless, I didn't have a basis for it, so I let it die in my chest before I sounded like I actually would let him get away with a scene like that. I wouldn't. It was just-

The silence enveloped us uncomfortably, and before long, I closed my eyes, too. Even though the feeling hadn't entirely been snuffed out, I began to whistle to cover the dissonant notes in my head. A silly, beautiful little birdsong, that suited a sunny day like this one.

Before long, she laid back on her side and sank into the grass, absorbed in the song, herself. I would occasionally squint open my eyes, just to watch her endearingly for a little longer.

The song swelled in the clouds— what twinkling, vapid, little notes.

Like little plucks of a harp. PLICK, PLUCK, PLOOP.

But it felt a little naïve. To play a birdsong, as if to paste over a smile in place of another more dour frown.

In fact, it felt...

...A little like running away.

A faint vision of a younger me, with his back turned, bubbled before my eyes. As he walked out the door, I remembered that my parents hadn't tried to stop him. Hadn't tried to stop me, really.

When I gradually blinked the sleep away from my eyes, I realized I had dozed off to the sound of the leaves rustling above me. And I held my breath, counting down from three, to see if Nami had left before I had awoken. (Three...Two...One.)But as I groggily turned, expecting to see a flattened patch of grass without the warmth of company, my eyes flung open when I saw her still remaining, scratching sentences into her journal.

"Ah..."

"Oh. You're awake." Her voice was so quiet and beautiful. I wonder if she knew that. "You don't have to rush to get up. Might as well rest if you're tired."

"You stayed..."

Nami winced, feeling like he had laid down some kind of call-out without intending to. Her cheeks brushed a faint pink, but she forced herself steady. Since that day at the bar, she realized that feeling weird and rosy around him was now just...a trivial thing she had to accept.As were all trivial things, they'd just fall into the background eventually, if she didn't pay it much mind.

"Minding my own business. Besides, I was..." She sighed, scratching her head with the end of her pen as she pieced together the right thing to say. "Wondering what you meant, earlier."

She continued. "Why do you... sympathize with him?"

This was a long shot, but I thought I'd put my cards on the table. "Can I ask? You know Rock better than I do by a long shot. Was I off base?"

"About?"

"No one being on his side."

"Well. His parents are definitely on his side. But sometimes he acts like they're not. It's like there's not a thought in his head. Conversely... most of the time, he acts like everyone is on his side, they just don't know it yet." Nami tapped her pen against her chin, preoccupying herself. "But..."

"But..."

"Today, he was actually upset. He was laughing and all, but you could tell his brand of childishness kind of blended with something a little more severe..."

I nodded. "Yeah. That's not something I see everyday. If anything, the guy's always smiling, even if someone shoots him down or makes a backhanded comment."

"Is that why...?"

"Hm?" I slowly pushed myself up, hands bolstering me up from behind. Leaning back, I tilted my head until my locks fell over my shoulder.

"Is that why you're conflicted?"

"Yeah." My eyes softened sympathetically. "If anything, I don't think I jive with the way he went about it. But he's usually so unaffected by everything, you know? Like, the sun could go out, but he'd still have the bravado of youth, and all it stands for."

"You're so sentimental." Nami sighed. "You know, you're right about me knowing him. But sometimes it feels like... a bit much. Like I'm watching a clown put on makeup. And getting adopted by his mom."

I broke out in laughter.

"Nami!"

"I said what I said."

"And your thoughts on that clown?"

"He needs to get a grip."

"And?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"There's no way you're right." She concluded.

"So he's not acting out because he feels cornered?"

"...Well." She opened her mouth before closing it. And again. And then closed her journal, unceremoniously. "Can he even register those kind of feelings? He talks with his foot in his mouth and walks with his tongue on the floor."

I held back a laugh, slapping my knee instead. "Poetry!"

"Stop." Her eyes softened, as though she hadn't actually meant that. She sighed under her breath.

Clearing my throat, I shrugged casually. "Well. He's human. We're all meant to feel the full breadth of emotions, one way or another."

"Is he, though?"

"...You really make it sound like he's actually your little brother." I couldn't hold myself back from smiling.

Her cheeks flared.

"He's not."

"..." I smiled quietly, gaze wizened to her ways.

"...Cut it out." There was no bite to her voice. Instead, her voice rang with a sort of embarrassment that made me grin even wider.

"Alright, alright." I leaned up close, keeping my voice so hushed, it could have tumbled into the grass. "But that means I was wrong. He does have people on his side. Doesn't he, Nami?"

She folded her arms, journal pages bunched up against her chest with a faux-indignancy. "..."

"..."

"Which," she cleared her throat. "Means he should act better. Guy just corners himself, at this point."

I found myself smiling to myself, image of her blush burned into the back of my eyes. I had become more than endeared to these sides of her that showed up when I least expected it.

"Right, you are."

"Nami! Gustafa!"

Jack Goodwin had moved into his estranged father's home after he passed, and integrated himself into the neighborhood, nice and snug. He was the talk of the town, and for good reason, too. It was kind of like every step he took made curious daffodils sprout from his footprints. He was affable, open minded, and his whole vibe made little Forget-Me-Not feel like time was moving forward. A fresh breath of air, you know? Without contention, without commotion, he became a cornerstone to our cozy little world.

"Yo!" I waved him down, only to be met face-to-face with a pony-tailed doppelgänger mirroring Jack's steps as they made it up the well-trodden path.

In a spectacular case of catching-up, both Nami and I immediately honed in on what was happening, loosening up our shoulders a little to make the stranger feel a bit more at home.

"You had a twin?" Nami mused, forgetting her manners for a moment there. She gave her head a slight tilt as a chilled hello to the newcomer. She leaned back against the tree, giving the new faces a once-over.

"Yeah! Guys, meet my twin-sister, Jill. She's been at it in the city, but we thought that maybe the farm would be a good fit for her too." He was all smiles, shaking his jazz-hands and celebrating his twin with all his might.

"Nice to meet you, my friend," I held out my hand and she took it without a second thought. Her grip was as solid as her brother's, and she had an intriguing set of amethyst eyes that were dancing with light. "The name's Gustafa."

"Jill!" Her smile cracked open like fresh white-snow, and I wondered if charm was a genetic predisposition. "Nice to meet you—I love your name...!"

As our handshake parted, I thumbed my nose in modesty.

"Oh, it's nothing much, heh. A name's just a name." Humbling my name in her presence, I stood up to politely meet her at eye level. Holding out an outstretched hand to Nami, she glanced at it for a second before accepting. Internally, my internal bells started chiming in joyous rejoice, but I kept that tidbit to myself. I pulled her onto her feet, so we weren't forcing Jill to talk to us from the ground, down. "This is..."

"Nami. Guess you're here to stay?"

I recalled the first conversation I had with her, and my eyes softened. Nami always had her eyes set for the rest of the world, after all.

Jill took a glance between the two of us, and immediately laughed into her balled up fist. "Hehe... Well... I'm considering it. You two seem comfortable enough."

"I am." "It's complicated." We said simultaneously, overlaying our voices on top of one another's.

"-Oh!" Jill fanned open her hand, poorly covering her shock. "Well! It's still nice to be here. The welcome's been warm...!"

"Mostly." Jack grinned, shaking his head like he was mostly unbothered by something.

"Let me guess." Nami said.

"You really don't have to," Jack bounced back carefully, scratching the back of his neck as if he was trying to be polite about it.

"Marlin?"

"Nami!"

"What? If I don't say it, who will?"

"Oh, he was fairly nice... I know his whole deal, after all, so I can't really fault him." Jill almost looked like an invisible sweat drop had run down her temple. Her brows were knit, half-exasperated and half-amused.

His whole deal... that's a nice way to put it. The guy was always pretty reticent, so we didn't have many bump-ins or anything. From my impression, he was polite enough, and civility ran through the entirety of Vesta's farm. But... I could sense that something had disturbed that civility as of late.

It wasn't exactly Jack's fault for being charismatic, was it?

And not exactly Celia's fault for having eyes and ears for the world to delight her.

Still, I had no personal problems with him, so I chose to smile and nod, letting them dole out opinions.

"So..." Nami droned, changing topics like a new pair of socks. "Instead of just one Goodwin, you guys are now officially The Goodwins, huh? Clench your teeth, Jill. Nothing ever happens here... so be prepared." It was as if 'nothing' was a sucker punch to Nami.

"Come on, Nami, you know there's something wonderful happening every day in the valley. Just yesterday, Carter and I ended up digging up another culturally-significant stone tablet... And the day before that, I had two chicks born."

"Well, when you're the Goddess' favorite..." She muttered under her breath, before incrementally upping her voice. "Anyways- Jill, you'll fit right in."

"Haha! Well, if you say so..." She closed her eyes, smiling blithely. "Hope we can be friends, Nami."

Nami didn't exactly give her any signal that her answer was a yes, but... it appeared like Jill wasn't too shaken up by it.

"If you ever want to jam, you know where to catch me." With an open palm, I gestured lovingly towards my lute.

"Oh, that's so neat! I guess I'll have to catch you around." She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, before crouching to inspect my lute with an open heart. That was when I realized she was, without a doubt, a good soul and a good time, bundled in a person.

Nami blinked, and left her own thoughts behind in the process.

"So- have you guys seen Rock lately? Because I've been trying to introduce him to Jill-"

In the distance came the sounds of a violent wave crashing, and something heavy shifting a crater in the sand.

"AIIIIIEEEEE!"

I could recognize that voice anywhere. I was immediately on alert, throwing my lute strap over my shoulders and tipping my chin up to signal everyone to go over to the coastline. "That was-"

"Daryl!" Jack rushed past, farmer physique outrunning all of us as he made it down the emerald fields onto our humble shores.

Jill and I beelined in the same direction, with Nami trailing behind us.

"Daryl? Are you-" My voice trailed off, as my lungs leapt out of my ribcage.

There, strewn onto the floor, was a... woman? No, not exactly. But- That was...

Jill gasped, scraping her back heels on the floor as the figure came into her line of sight. "A... A mermaid?!"

"You! All of you! Stay away!" Daryl's arms went up protectively, a futile attempt at waving us off. But, no one could keep their eyes off of her. Her long hair glimmered in an effervescent pearl color, light bouncing off her pink tail in a rainbow sheen. The vision of stark white hair, breasts only slightly obscured by her locks, and her arms sprawled out made me feel like we had gotten here too late.

She hadn't moved in a while, which made my heart squeeze the wrong way.

"She's fine! Shoo! Shoo! You all are useless spectators!" Daryl hissed, trying to clear the place around her in case she convulsed.

However, when Jill kneeled down on one knee and whispered something in her ear, the mermaid jolted straight up, eyes in a flurry. She anxiously looked between each of the new faces, and then back at Jill's deep violet eyes.

"Are..." Her voice sounded almost like gargling at first, in an almost inhuman bubbling wavelength that we could barely understand. All the fairy tales may have missed a few steps, didn't they? But as she swallowed, her voice strengthened like coral and crystal sea salt. "Are you sure?"

This time, I heard the special incantation Jill casted on the sea. "You'll be safe here." That was as special a spell as any, really.

"Can you help me find..." She looked lost, snowdrop blue eyes meeting everyone's gazes reluctantly. "Rocky?"

Huh?

"...Huh!?" Everyone in our company nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Author's Notes:

1. The start of our first arc, huh? Now that our introduction chapters are out of the way, every arc will follow a chronological order. Welcome to 'Arc 1: Moonsick Avenue'

2. For the record, Gustafa gets along with everyone for a reason. All the villagers in Forget Me Not Valley only have nice things to say about him, and I think his lack of judgement plays into that. All the other bachelors have one thing or another to say to each other, and not all of it is positive. Good guy Gustafa, haha. Additionally, I'm not here to villainize any character. I actually quite like them all, but some are canonically more dour than the others so... It's more interesting to play into their faults in a realistic way. It's not heaven nor hell, it's somewhere in between.

3. Ruby and Tim's real names in Japanese and in the new SOS:AWL are Lou and Tei. As a child of immigrant parents, I know my parents decided to adopt an anglicized name so people wouldn't address them poorly / not know how to say their names at all.

4. For anyone who has married Rock, first of all: lord. Praying for y'all (affectionate). Second of all, I hope you enjoyed the little reference to Rock's third love event. It has since changed in SOS:AWL, but back in my day you used to be able to call him a moron (hahaha)

5. Jill is interesting to me because she's outwardly the same type of character as her brother, but inwardly suffering from a lot of mental duress. Good luck, babe.

6. The mermaid on the shore is not Leia. It's 100 years too early for that. There does happen to be another mermaid in the series, though.