(A/n) Ok, I'm stupid I know but my plot bunnies are few and far between these days and when it hits me I take advantage. This will have no relation to any of my other HM fics so far. It will be on its own. So you don't have to read anything else. This will be a play by play of my game of HM: Tales of Two Towns. I LOVE this game, I felt it added a lot more to the HM franchise than what Grand Bazaar did, IMO. Anyway, the moment this event happened... I... was... struck. I was done. That's it, game over. I honestly didn't expect this. I like to play the games on my own and be surprised. Ah well, I named my character Eliza as a namesake for my Aunt Elizabeth. She loved these games more than I do now and I know she would have enjoyed this game.

RIP in Aunt Elli! ;_;

Good Morning

.oOo.

The sound of the alarm playing the local weather station at full volume had her, once again, startling out of bed and falling over the side in a messy heap. She groaned lightly as her pillow plopped gently to the floor beside her head, her sheets and red striped comforter slowly sliding down with her.

A familiar huffing by her temple had her gazing up at her Saint Bernard, his long ears and drooping face skimming across her brown hair. A familiar mew on the other side of her head meant that her cat was watching her as well. They were waiting to be fed. She laughed a little as she gave her dog a gentle rub behind the ears before struggling to get herself out of the tangled sheets. She sighed heavily as she got up and threw her sheets back onto the bed, a large yawn emerging. The weather station continued to blast, foretelling of beautiful warm and sunny weather with a hint of a winter chill in the evening.

She snorted as she walked barefoot to the dresser beside her bed and shut off the alarm. Winter was going to be here sooner than she thought and this was going to be her first here in the town of Bluebell. She hoped she'd be able to make it through. She had some experience with farming but ranching was a completely different venture. When she had first come here to this mountain, bent on starting a new life in a new town, she had not initially started with Bluebell. She had gone to Konohana, since that was the village that specialized in crops. She knew enough about crops to raise them properly but she had not imagined the soil about the land would harvest less than ideal crops, not without fertilizer anyway.

With her dwindling funds invested in the large land, she was quickly finding herself spending more than she was bringing in. It was with a heavy heart at the end of spring that she packed her belongings, paid the moving fees, and rode her pony and cart over to the village of Bluebell. It was another start on a piece of land that was catered to livestock. She didn't know a thing about livestock... However, she was willing to learn and to work hard.

She had bought a bunch of seeds for summer crops, she was sure there was a bit of land she could use to still farm. There was some plot of land for farming and she found the land slightly easier to work with, for some reason. Maybe the Harvest Goddess had wanted her to be here all along? She couldn't say for sure. The only thing she knew was that the Goddess wanted her to help bring the two towns together again. A feat that she was trying her best to achieve.

It was a blessed thing she had brought seeds with her. She had managed to sell some crops and get a chick, who grew over the weeks and began to lay eggs. She planted more crops and some flowers and had gotten another chick, who grew and began to lay eggs as well. Thanks to all of the hiking she had done through the mountain, a bulk of her finances came from the wild items she foraged and the fish she had caught. Something she didn't have time to do with the size of the fields in the Konohana farm.

Before she knew it, she had bought her first calf, who grew into a fine cow who gave fine milk. She continued with this system of foraging, mild farming and taking care of her little livestock. Soon enough, she commissioned Eileen, the local carpenter, for building bee hives on her farm. She planted flowers beside the hives and got perfume from the local flower vendor, Cam, to spray the scent of nature about their home. Soon she was getting quality honey. She was doing so very well for the summer season that she finally got a baby sheep to grow to for wool.

Her farm was starting off better here in Bluebell than it had in Konohana and it certainly showed. Her closest friend, Nori, the granddaughter of the crop vendor Gombe, had noticed and commented after one of her visits. She was looking immensely better and much happier than she had in the spring. Nori had been sad to see her go but could understand the need to move. She wasn't flourishing in Konohana, as nice a village as it was. In Bluebell, she was in her prime. Perhaps livestock was the way to go for her...

She stifled another yawn as she placed food in the tray for her pets and then went to wash up and get ready for the day. Her kitchen was looking a great deal better than it had when she moved here. She now had a frying pan and a pot to go with her cutting board and knife. She was working on getting the spice rack that Howard, who owned the local cafe, had placed in request for a quality omelet with a side of several G of money. She sighed heavily at this, knowing that she would need this to win the coming cooking festivals. Sure she had one a few over the summer but her last one had been her best, which had been desert.

She had modified a basic recipe of Honey Pudding by adding her own quality Summer honey in it. Needless to say, not only did Bluebell win the competition but Pierre, the Gourmet, had been so impressed he had given her a small trophy for it. Now many of the residents of Bluebell and Konohana were asking how she had become so good at cooking and if she would share her talents. She was happy and proud that she was doing so well. She felt that things could only get better from here if her luck turned out through the rest of fall.

Yet, she was, despite her many requests that she tried to fulfill for Bluebell and Konohana, becoming lonely. She had her animals and she had her farm but... she didn't have anyone to share it with. Nori had asked her one afternoon if any of the local guys had caught her attention and she was honest when she said no. Kana was sweet enough, even if all he spoke about was horses. He was a strong guy, very dependable. He didn't catch her attention completely though and it wasn't hard for her to be seen dazing off while he went on and on about his horses. Sure they were wonderful but he must have had other interests?

Cam, the local flower vendor of Bluebell, was definitely handsome and there was something sweet about a guy who knew just the right flowers to give you. However, she couldn't help but feel as if he was always keeping a part of himself away, even from those closest to him. If he was always going to hide a part of himself, would he always be honest? She couldn't say...

There were others but they didn't tickle her fancy enough to make her stop and stare. No, maybe she was just being picky or maybe these two mountain villages just didn't offer everything she had hoped for. She could see herself alone on her farm, watching the rest of the village growing up and moving on... She shuddered at the thought.

Sitting at her table and sipping a cup of coffee for breakfast, she watched as her cat played with its bell. Her dog was watching her, looking as if he hoped she had any food to share. She ignored her dog and mentally prepared herself for the day ahead. She had much foraging to do. There were plenty of blueberries about on the mountain to get and the lavenders were plentiful, she would stock up on those for the rest of the year. Herb Salad was quite good to use in a Salad themed cooking festival...

She was just thinking about planting some new carrots when a knock on her front door awoke her from her reverie.

"Eliza? Are you awake? I need to speak with you!"

The familiar voice of the Mayor Rutger sounded muffled through the door but she had heard it enough times throughout early summer when to know he would just come in of his own accord. He only did so when something important related to a festival was going on for the whole town to attend. This season she might have remembered something about a Music festival but she would have to check her calender to be sure...

"I'm awake sir, come on in!" Eliza called, mentally preparing herself for the onslaught of info that was she was sure to receive from the older man. There was nothing wrong with Rutger but he seemed to follow the same routine as Mayor Ina and coming in at six am to deliver important news. Sure, it was important enough, but why couldn't he do it at a decent hour? Like eight or nine?

She was drinking her coffee just as her dog started to bark at the sound of the door opening. He didn't run to the door but he stayed somewhat close to Eliza. He hadn't been with her long enough to completely trust her but she was more familiar than these people who were coming into what he considered his home.

The farmer shushed him with a few gentle words and a well placed pat on the head as she yawned. Mayor Rutger was an older gentleman wearing a dark brown overcoat, a pair of lighter brown pants and a green bowler's hat on his head. He had a mix of blond and gray hair that curled from under the hat, that hid a baldness, and a thick, matching mustache. His blue eyes were always twinkling with the energy of a youth that never faded and his smile was bright as he made his way into Eliza's home.

"Good morning Eliza, I hope this isn't a bad time."

Eliza was draining the last of her coffee as she gave a shake of her head and set her cup down on the table. "Not at all sir, I was just getting ready for the day." She stared at her empty cup in mild surprise before a light smile tilted on the corners of her lips. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thank you Eliza," said Rutger, an amused smile playing on his face as he studied the farmer. She was never a morning person and it was always a funny thing to speak with her at this time in the morning. "I was only coming by to introduce you to a special guest of our town. The Musical Festival will be on the tenth of this season and we're honored to have him to perform for us again this year. Since you are our newest resident, I thought it would be proper for you to meet one another."

Eliza pushed her cup away as she got to her feet, the jeans of her new work outfit were much more comfortable than either of the Konohana and Bluebell outfits she was given previously. She straightened out the cream yellow apron about her waist as she allowed a smile to touch her features. She turned her attention to her guests only for her dark eyes to focus on the new resident of Bluebell.

He was very tall, standing almost a good foot over her, with short blond hair that was cut in a casual manner about his head. It seemed to flow of its own accord in various directions, giving him a fresh, out of bed appearance. A pair of thin, square-rimmed glasses didn't hide his sparkling gray eyes and they sat on the bridge of his straight nose, giving him a scholarly appearance. A casual dress shirt the shade of a copper, autumn leaf adorned his torso while a pair of dark slacks and hike boots finished the outfit. A long trench coat seemed to be his ideal form of warmth against the growing coolness of fall. All in all, he looked very casual and very, very handsome.

The blush was in her cheeks before she could stop it and Eliza's silence was enough of an incentive for Mayor Rutger to clear his throat to break the silence. "Eliza, this is Mikhail, he will be playing for us at the Music Festival this year." He glanced at the younger man beside him, noting the small but not so open smile on Mikhail's lips. He didn't seem as open to greeting this new resident than he had any of the others last year. He tried not let the disappointment show as he held out a hand to the farmer. "Mikhail, this is Eliza, she is our newest rancher and a valued asset to our little village."

Mikhail's smile remained polite, though his gray eyes said different. He raised a hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you Eliza."

Eliza's blush had grown deeper at the sound of his melodic voice and she could barely manage a nod in reply. Already, she could sense walls this Mikhail had about him, much like Cam always had. Always the handsome ones that remained aloof...

"L-likewise," stammered Eliza as she turned away and gathered her cup from the table. "I... I look forward to the festival. I've heard many good things about it." She took a moment to gather her thoughts before turning to face the two men in her home. "You'll have to forgive me but I have to get started on my day. Much to do and so little time to do it in. It was lovely to meet you."

"Oh, yes of course." Mikhail looked slightly puzzled at the sudden dismissal. "I apologize for us barging in on your home Ms. Eliza."

She waved it off as she moved into the kitchen and set her glass in the sink. "It's no bother, truly." She turned around and walked past them to the front door. Already, her dog and cat were waiting patiently to be let out so they could grab the livestock from their stable and coop. She opened the door with a smile, watching them bound out into the cool weather before glancing back at the mayor and the musician. "Be safe on the way to town." She was nervous. She was never nervous... The quicker he.. they were gone, the better.

They two men left the farmer's home, noticing how she seemed to almost sprint on the way to the chicken coop in her haste to get away. She was quite eager to get away...

Mikhail wondered off hand if it might have been something he had said...

Mayor Rutger was trying not too look too pleased with himself...