A/N: Sooo no spoilers, but a pretty long part of this chapter deals with Francine and Chrissy. It might help if you knew what the two of them look like, so yeah, maybe look up a pic of them online lol.
In fact, having a general idea of the appearance/personality of each of the villagers might be helpful, soooo here they are:
Rosie - peppy blue cat, lives right next to Chrissy (and by extension, Francine). Is besties with Chrissy, not so much Francine.
Bam - jock blue deer.
Lolly - normal gray cat.
Diana - snooty white deer, lives right next to Fauna, with whom she is close friends with.
Fauna - normal brown deer, lives right next to and is close friends with Diana.
Stitches - lazy, colorful teddy bear that is prone to unwittingly saying inappropriate things in a childish, innocent manner.
Fang - cranky white wolf.
Marshal - smug white squirrel.
Phoebe - uchi phoenix.
Francine - snooty white rabbit (with a blue polka-dotted hood), and Chrissy's older sister
Chrissy - peppy white rabbit (with a pink polka-dotted hood), and Francine's little sister
(Yes, that's 11 villagers, but the town I'm basing this off of is missing a Cranky, so I threw in Fang lol. To be fair, I do have him in my second village though :3 lol)
As for the map layout...
Francine, Chrissy, Rosie, and Bam live in a cluster on the south-west corner of town.
Marshal, Stitches, Lolly, and Phoebe live in a cluster on the north-west corner of town.
Diana and Fauna live side-by-side on the north-east corner of town.
And Fang lives in a fairly isolated area, sort of a ways away from where the north-west cluster resides.
Anyway, sorry for the long intro. I'll probably add the physical descriptions and map layout to the first chapter, too.
Isabelle wasted no time in fulfilling Jingle's task. She sprinted over to the Able Sisters' store, threw on the Santa outfit, mentioned Jingle's name, and ran back out. The three Able sisters stood, dumbfounded at what just transpired, but then just shrugged and went back to work.
Next, Isabelle quickly went door-to-door, delivering presents. Diana and Fauna lived closest to Main Street, so she decided to start there.
"Let's see..." Isabelle said to herself, stopping outside Diana's door. She could hear Fauna inside, as well, chatting with her fellow deer. "Diana wanted pearl lipstick, while Fauna wanted a beige journal." Isabelle shuffled inside her big bag of presents for the aforementioned items and prepared to burst through the door when she suddenly heard what the two deer were talking about...
"...I'm telling you, Isabelle and the Mayor are a sure thing," Diana said, thinking back to what she saw at Town Hall a few days ago. "Just you wait, by next week, they'll probably be holding hands!"
Fauna, on the other hand, wasn't buying it. "Isabelle's way too dedicated to her job to spend time pursuing romance," she stated, taking a sip of her hot cocoa. "I've read a lot of romance novels, and I can tell you, office romances, especially ones with people as dedicated to their careers as Isabelle, never end well."
"Oh yeah? Well, I've read a ton of romance novels with dedicated secretaries, as well!" Diana countered. Isabelle felt her hopes going up. "...And they pretty much ended just as you described - 'not well'..."
...And there went Isabelles hopes and dreams. Still, she had a job to do, so mustering her cheeriest disposition, she burst through the door to give the two deer their presents.
Next was Stitches. Isabelle remembered that this was about the time he took his after-lunch nap. She quietly opened the door, considerately trying not to disturb him. Amazingly, the barely audible sounds the secretary made were still enough to rouse him from his slumber.
"Santa? Is that you?" the teddy bear asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Er...um..." Isabelle stammered. "Uh, ho ho ho! Yes it is! Happy Toy Day, little one!" she said, putting on her best Santa Claus imitation.
"It really is you!" Stitches yelled, running up to his hero for a hug. "Ahhh, you're so warm...and you smell just like cherries!" he said, sniffing. Stitches felt something...off, though. He sniffed harder. "Huh...in fact, you smell just like our secretary, Isabelle! She always smells like our town fruit!"
"O-Oh, what a coincidence!" 'Santa Claus' said, sweating a bit. Isabelle always did use cherry-scented shampoo, since cherries were the town fruit and she liked showing her town spirit whenever possible. She had no idea Stitches of all people would be smart enough to make the connection between her and the scent, though...
"Could you possibly be...?" Stitches said, about to expose Isabelle for the fraud she was.
Luckily, Isabelle thought of a plan to rid him of his suspicions. The present the teddy bear asked for was the secretary's saving grace.
"Ho ho ho!" Isabelle laughed jovially. "That wasn't me you were smelling - it's your present!" Isabelle dug around her bag and whipped out a piping hot cherry pie, made from perfect cherries and decorated with colorful sprinkles and icing.
Stitches' mouth watered at the sight. "Wow, it's just what I wanted! Thanks, Santa! And sorry for accusing you of being a fraud!"
"No problem, Stitches. You just continue being a good citizen, you hear?" Isabelle headed for the door.
"Yeah, how silly of me. You look nothing like Isabelle. Isabelle's way thinner and cuter!" Stitches said innocently, causing Isabelle to freeze. "Well, see ya next year, tubby!" the teddy bear said, rubbing the insult in.
"Uh, r-right!" Isabelle said, hurrying out of his house before any more damage could be done.
She leaned against the door, patting her tummy. "Should...I be mad?" she said to herself. "On one hand, he called me tubby. On the other hand...he called me thin and cute..." Shrugging and deciding she was happy with her weight, Isabelle continued.
Marshall's house was a short distance from Stitches'. Isabelle opened the door, peeked in and...was greeted by an empty room. She sighed in relief - she could just leave his present somewhere and go on.
Or so she thought.
Once she was a few steps into the house, she heard the door close behind her.
"I was expecting you, Santa Claus," a smooth, almost theatrically villainous voice said. "Or should I say...MADAME SECRETARY?!" the voice accused as a small, fluffy white squirrel stepped out of the shadows and into Isabelle's view - it was Marshal.
Isabelle was amazed that he had seen through her disguise. What could've given it away? She doubted he was close enough to smell her, like Stitches had... Curious, she decided to ask him.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm just kidding, Santa, I- wait, Isabelle?" It was Marshal's turn to be shocked. "It really is you?! I was just playing around, being my usual dramatic self! This act was based on a scene from my indie film, where the villain baits the hero into breaking into their house and then exposes their true identity!" He said that last sentence with a dramatic flair, coupled with exaggerated gestures. "I was improvising, so I just shouted out the first name that came to mind when thinking of Santa Claus."
Isabelle chuckled. But then, she thought of what Stitches said in the previous house.
"So...just out of curiousity..." the secretary started. "Why was my name the first to come to mind?"
Marshal noticed an intense aura emanating from Isabelle, despite her innocent smile and cheerful tone. He remembered his poor choice of words leading to a very painful confrontation between Diana's hand and his noggin. It would seem he was in a similar situation, this time with Isabelle. He would have to be very careful in how he answered the secretary's question...
"A-Ah, well that's easy!" he said, putting on an innocent smile. "Because you look like him!"
He could not have picked poorer words. Isabelle hurled his present - which was unfortunately an apple-sized aqua marble (perfect for Marshal's marble collection) - straight at his face, knocking him over.
Isabelle huffed and stormed out, muttering "I'm not chubby" to herself over and over.
"I meant because of the white fur around your muzzle, not because you're fat! Urgh..." Marshal groaned. Thankfully, the secretary didn't hear that last comment. Telling a woman that they have a big, bushy beard might actually be worse than telling them they're fat!
Phoebe's house was next, followed by Fang's. Thankfully, they both accepted their presents without any shenanigans. Both were able to figure out her true identity. Phoebe, despite her gruff demeanor, actually cared a lot about her neighbors, and so could easily recognize Isabelle in a Santa suit. Fang had a strong sense of smell - similar to Stitches, but unlike the silly teddy bear, the white wolf had the wisdom and experience to piece together the clues. There was some teasing involved (and a playful noogie from Phoebe), but for the most part, their deliveries were quick and painless. As were the deliveries for her friends waiting at the train station - she simply walked in and left the present somewhere noticeable in their respective rooms.
The last ones were Francine and Chrissy, the rabbit sisters. They lived in separate houses, but they placed them so close together that it may as well have just been one big house. The two were practically opposites of each other - you'd think they were fraternal twins, but Francine, the more mature one, swears she's a few years older. Despite being opposites, the two got along quite well, even doing a sisterly music video for K.K. together. In fact, they did it for one of Isabelle's favorite songs, Bubblegum K.K.!
Which was why Isabelle was surprised when she saw the lights on in both of their houses. They always spent the entirety of Toy Day together, so why weren't they both in the same house?
Isabelle decided to try Francine's house first. She knocked on the door...
"GO AWAY, CHRISSY!" a fierce voice angrily yelled from inside.
"Umm..." Isabelle replied, not really sure what to make of the situation. "I-I'm not Chrissy, I'm Santa! Ho ho ho!"
Hurried steps could be heard approaching the door. "Santa?" Francine said, peeking through the peephole in the door. When she confirmed that it was indeed Santa, she flung the door wide open. "SANTA! I'm so sorry about snapping at you!" she said apologetically. "It's because of my STUPID SISTER, Chrissy." She shouted the word "stupid" to make sure the rabbit next door could hear.
"I HOPE YOU GET A BIG HEAPING SACK OF COAL, JERKFACE!" Chrissy yelled, sticking her head out her door for a second. Francine stuck her tongue out at her in retaliation, an oddly immature gesture from one who prides herself on her maturity.
Isabelle sighed, being able to relate to their situation. She and Digby didn't always get along. Especially when they were younger, they got into arguments on practically a weekly basis. Digby would be like Francine, insulting his sister indirectly, while Isabelle was more like Chrissy, shouting insults directly to her brother's face. The reasons for arguing would always be different, but the end result would always be the same: they would both feel really bad about insulting their twin, and apologize the next day. The problem about the current situation between the rabbit sisters, though, was that if they didn't resolve their differences now, they'd both have a sad Toy Day.
Isabelle felt the urge to help them reconcile. But there was still the paperwork for the boat to fill out. In order to maximize their chances of getting the boat fixed in time, shouldn't she just drop off the presents and head back to the station?
...
"Erm... may I come in?" Isabelle asked Francine, intending to help them resolve their conflict. The secretary refused to let another Toy Day fall into ruin.
"So...if you don't mind me asking, what are you two fighting about?" the secretary probed as Francine made them both cups of hot cocoa.
The blue rabbit sighed. "Oh, I feel terrible about the whole thing already. I wish I could just apologize..." Francine said sadly. "That wasn't your question, though, was it? We were angry about what we got each other for Toy Day..."
Isabelle nodded knowingly. Good, she thought. She's wants to apologize. But if they're like me and Digby, they won't work up the nerve to do so until tomorrow. Unless I give them a little push...but how?
"What did you two get each other?" Isabelle continued probing.
"Well, you see..." Francine started. "I collect stamps. I thoroughly enjoy that hobby. And I wanted to get my beloved sister to enjoy that hobby with me. So, I bought her a really fancy and expensive stamp book to help get her started..."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Isabelle nodded. "And I'm guessing she hated it?"
"Oh, heavens no!" Francine said defensively. "Or if she did, she sure hid it well. Besides, she wouldn't flip out on me if I gave her a lousy present." Francine looked at the ground, sighing. "No, it was all my fault. I...when she opened the present..." She sighed again. "I decided I really wanted that book to keep my own stamps in...so I took it back and gave her a dusty, dirty old book instead..." Francine buried her face in her hands. Isabelle could make out a few tears coming out of the rabbit's eyes. "It's all my fault... I was such a jerk..."
Isabelle felt really sorry for the rabbit. "So, what did she get for you?" she asked, probing a little more.
Francine tensed up a bit. "That little brat!" she said angrily, remembering why she was angry at her sister. "She collects these baby-ish little plush toys. She thought I would want to collect them, too, so she bought be this fancy little display case made specifically for them. Then, she decided she wanted the display case for herself, and took it right back, giving me an old musty one instead!
"Er... isn't that exactly what you did to her, except with a stamp book?" Isabelle asked the obvious.
Francine's eyes widened in shock and epiphany - apparently she hadn't realized that. "I-I can't believe...oh my..." she stammered. Then, she buried her face in her hands again. "Oh, I really am quite the fool, aren't I?"
Isabelle got a bright idea. "So, why don't you just keep the stamp book, and she can keep that display case? Just pretend she bought you the stamp book, and vice-versa for the display case!" the secretary explained.
Francine scratched her chin thoughtfully. "No, that wouldn't work...that would be just like if we bought the gifts for ourselves..." she said, shaking her head.
"Oh..." Isabelle felt depression welling up inside her again. Looks like another sad Toy Day.
"But maybe..." Francine said, refueling Isabelle's hope. "Santa, do you have the present I asked for?" she asked.
Isabelle checked the sack and, sure enough, Francine's present was there. Her present was, according to the list, a "pink polka-dotted wrapped gift". No mention of what was inside the gift, though. She pulled the object in question out of the sack.
"Yes! Yes, that's it!" Francine said ecstatically, grabbing the present out of Isabelle's hands. "Let's go, Santa!" the rabbit said, grabbing 'Santa's' hand and running out the door.
"Wh-Where?"
"To Chrissy's house!"
Chrissy sat against her door, hugging her knees to her chest. She had been waiting for Santa to come, but he was taking quite a while... He should have just given Francine her present, then moved on to her house for her present, right? Unless...
I HOPE YOU GET A BIG HEAPING SACK OF COAL, JERKFACE!
Chrissy's words echoed through her head. She hugged her knees tighter, hating herself for saying that to her dear sister. She began to cry a bit. Santa heard her say that right to her face. So he probably rescinded the present she was supposed to receive. That wasn't the worst part, though.
GO AWAY CHRISSY
STUPID SISTER
Francine's words echoed through her head, as well. Santa obviously heard those words clearly, which meant he probably rescinded Francine's present, too. She started crying even harder. If she hadn't been such a 'stupid sister' to Francine...if she hadn't gotten greedy and envious and stupidly tried to take back that display case...then maybe she'd be at her sister's house, sipping hot cocoa and opening their gifts from Santa.
But, because she was just a stupid little bunny, now the two of them would spend Toy Day alone, without presents, without hot cocoa...and without each other. Those last words made her cry even harder - the tears flowed through her eyes like a river now...
Suddenly, she heard a pair of footsteps approaching her door. No, wait - two pairs of footsteps. She looked outside her door's peephole. Though her eyes were still blurry from crying, she could still make out her sister's blue polka-dotted hoodie. Before her sister could even knock, Chrissy flung the door wide open, hugging her dear sister and crying profusely.
Francine was a little shocked from the gesture, but quickly recovered and patted her younger sister on the back.
"I'm sorry I was such a stupid, stupid, stupid sister!" Chrissy heaved out between sobs.
"And I'm sorry for being such a jerkface," Francine responded.
The rabbit sisters smiled, enjoying each other's warmth for a while. Eventually, Chrissy noticed the pink polka-dotted wrapped gift in her sister's hands. Francine noticed her noticing it, and presented the present to her.
"This was the gift I asked Santa for," Francine said. "It's a gift for you."
"No way!" Chrissy's eyes widened. "Is this-?"
"It is," Francine replied. "And you can keep this one. I promise!" she added with a wink.
Chrissy squealed, and was about to tear open the present. But then, she stopped herself.
"Wait," Chrissy said. "Santa, do you have the present that I asked for?"
Isabelle checked her bag again, and, to her confusion, Chrissy's gift was strikingly similar to Francine's, except blue polka-dotted. She handed the gift to Chrissy, who promptly presented it to Francine.
"N-No way!" Francine said, eyes widening. "Is this-?"
"Yes. It is," Chrissy said. "And don't worry, I won't try to take it back this time. I promise!" she added with a smile.
It took a bit, but Isabelle soon realized what happened. Francine had asked Santa for the present Chrissy wanted most, while Chrissy had done the same for Francine. Each thought to sacrifice their Toy Day present from Santa so that the other would receive an extra gift, but since they both had the same idea...
The secretary smiled and decided to leave the rabbit sisters to their devices, heading back to the train station.
That's one Toy Day saved. Now let's see if I can save another... the secretary thought to herself.
A/N: WHOOOOOO my estimate was wrong. I knew as soon as I started writing this chapter that I wasn't gonna be able to finish Toy Day within it. The worst part is, this chapter is practically just filler lmao. And Isabelle might seem a little OOC, getting mad from being called fat and all that (dunno if she's the type of girl to be like that). I was thinking of just skipping the whole present delivery scene, making it just a one-liner instead ("Isabelle delivered all the presents and went back to the station" or something like that) because I realized it was gonna be filler no matter what. But eh, it was pretty fun to take a break from Lolly, Rosie, and Bam and write about the other villagers lol.
On the bright side, there's practically no way Toy Day WON'T be finished by next chapter. I have the base parts of it planned out already, and yeah, I'm thinking next chapter will FINALLY see the end of the boat fiasco, as well as reveal what the mayor's been doing all this time in case you forgot that like, three chapters (and two years real time...) ago, the mayor told Digby he had to 'tend to some business' or something lmao.
Anyway, as always, any reviews/thoughts/criticism would be much appreciated!