::Alright, I was in the middle of putting up one fanfic when I decide to
make another. Boy am I a committed person! Well, anyway, this one
shouldn't be nearly as long as my other, but that's besides the point! I
decided to do this 'cause I like Rick! He's my fav! Rick-o-mundo! Doin'
the Rick thing! Rick-o-rama! Anyway, since you can't make Jack gay in the
game, I'll write about him being that way. So HA! I just wish you could
make Rick and Jack marry! ; . ; ::
It was the 1st of Spring, with all of its trademarks already in full swing. The apple and cherry trees were blossoming with small pink explosions and the ground was white and yellow with daisies and dandilions. The pines and firs, being the only source of green just a few days ago, started renewing themselves with the bright, clean sunlight that was warming up all of the frozen ground. The day was warm, but not dry or harsh like in summer. A few of the petals from blossoms fluttered down and created pink and white puddles on the thawing soil. Thus was the day when Jack arrived.
Jack was, as we all know, a young man with many dreams, hopes, and a red handkercheif. He was about 21, but looked younger. He had the innocence and kindness a child still has, and an air about him of youth that had never left him since childhood. And he came there, on that beautiful day, to try and resurrect the dead farm of his grandfather.
"Well, this is what's left of your grandfather's farm.." The Mayor said doubtfully, looking at the overgrown lawn. A few crows fluttered by, landing on the weeds and boulders, basking in the sun. They were nothing more than black splotches on a hoplessly overgrown feild of green, brown, and grey.
"This...This was Grampa's farm?" Jack said half to himself, looking at the ruined field. He walked a few paces ahead of the Mayor, taking a closer look. One of the crows laughed at him in its harsh voice for some unapparent reason. "But I remember it being so..."
"That's generally what happens when a feild gets left by itself to grow." The Mayor explained with a shrug. Jack turned to him with an expression of confusion and accusation.
"But if no one's taken care of this place, then why isn't the grass around the coop and the house overgrown like the fields? And how the heck did those boulders get there?! They weren't there before, someone would've had to literally bring them here and drop them off!" The Mayor stood in unexplained silence.
"... Not sure why, ask Natsume before the next game." Jack sighed at the pitiful explanation.
"Well, may as well get started at some point..." He said to himself once again, turning to the crow-infested field. He walked past the Mayor and started to put his boxes of stuff he brought from his apartment in the city back into his new one when the Mayor interrupted.
"Uh, do you want me to show you around town?" He said in a hopefully helpful tone. Jack gave a dumbfounded look.
"Um... I'm kinda unpacking... But if you're ok about waiting until I'm done putting this stuff away, then sure." Half an hour later, they left for a short tour of the village of Mineral Town.
"Over here is the blacksmith's and the winery... And over here is the library and, well, my house.... And over here is our general store (you can get your seeds from here) and this is the clinic if you ever want a check up or if you feel sick. Over here is our church. It's run by Pastor Carter, he's a kind-hearted man... A little strange though. This here is the town's center, where we hold most of our festivals. To your left is our beach, but I wouldn't recommend swimming until summer. To your right is the inn, but it's also a restaraunt during the day and bar during the night. And if we continue straight up here, this would be Barley's. He owns cows and sheep with his little grandaughter May. And, our last stop, the poultry farm, run by Lillia, Popuri, and Rick."
Jack looked around the entire time, thinking time and time again about how small a town this place truly was. He was hoping to find a girl, but this place seemed so small, all chances seemed...
"Are there any girls here around my age...?" He shyly asked. The Mayor was at first startled, but let out a hearty chuckle. Or at least, as hearty a chuckle a 3'8" midget could muster.
"Well, yes, actually, five of them. Elle, Karen, Popuri, Amy, and Mary. They're all unmarried and quite nice in their own ways, very nice company." This conforted Jack only in the sense he at least had a chance. Five. He was used to the thought of many fish in the sea, but now there were only five females in the pond. And then Rick walked out.
Rick, a sensable yet stubborn young man, wore common but sturdy clothes everyday. He didn't have much of a wardrobe, but he was used to hard work, therefore his outfit suited his needs. Although he would have rathered to invent machines, he was content with his life of raising chickens, running errands, and occasionally hiking up the mountains. He wore his naturally orange hair long, which seemed to suit his tall body. His glasses slightly magnified his deep blue eyes, eyes that would violently defend or attack at any given moment or reason. At this particular moment, he had just walked out to feed the chickens and check on the incubating chicken eggs. Jack, for unexplained reasons, fell silent, staring. By the time the Mayor put two and two together that he was staring at Rick, he decided to make a one- way introduction.
"Ah, that's Rick. He's the main force behind the poultry farm; his mother is the brains, and Popuri takes care of the eggs. Rick's a little hot headed and stubborn, but good at heart." As though called, Rick looked up at the staring two.
"Hello, Mayor." He said in a tired voice. He wasn't in that energetic a mood, but that was no reason to forget all of his manners. "How are things for you?"
"Doing quite nicely, thank you." The Mayor replied, smiling back. Rick yawned.
"Who is that with you? I don't recognize the face." The Mayor nodded and pointed politely to Jack.
"This is Jack, now in charge of the old farm next door." Jack greeted him with a blank stare and a few blinks. Rick waited for a real hello of some sort, but since none came, he started walking back to his work.
"It's nice to meet you, Jack, but I'm afraid I'm a little busy right now. Perhaps we can talk some other time." Jack, his expression never changing, dumbfoundedly nodded, but Rick never noticed.
"Well," the Mayor said, finally getting Jack's attetion, "I think I'd better go home and get some breakfast. I think you had better get started on unpacking anyway, but if you have any questions, come to me. My home will always be open to you, keep that in mind." There was silence until Jack's mind, greatly slowed with confused thoughts, finally figured out that he was supposed to reply.
"Oh. Oh yeah! Thank you... I'll be heading... uh, home now." He left, the blank expression never changing. Silent guy, Rick thought, having overheard the excuse of a conversation.
His mind in places he was unaware of, Jack placed a few objects from their boxes onto shelves and drawers without knowing it. He found his diary and placed it next to his bed, contiplated, and finally decided to make an entry.
"Dear Diary," He began with his traditional greeting, "I've arrived to Mineral Town and already started some unpacking. I think I'll have lunch soon, but as soon as I'm done with this. So how are things with you? And how come I never get a reply to that question? Anyway. There are only five girls I can date here. Can you believe that? Five! What if I don't like any of them? I'd have to go out of town to get a girlfriend! Egad, so much for the 'many fish in the sea'... Maybe I shouldn't have moved to from the sea to this pond . I saw many pretty-looking tributaries along the way... Well, I should at least check this place out first, right? ....Right...? I'll just take that as a 'yes'. I met a guy named Rick, but I couldn't say anything. I wonder why? The shock I got is starting to wear off.. Yes, I did get shock. I wish I knew what it meant. I think my subconscious just mistook him for a girl; if he was, I'd certainly start checking her out. But enough of my non-existent romantic life, I have to get started on my farming! So see you later, Diary! Start sending back letters, ok?"
Relunctant to leave his silent friend, Jack convinced his hand to let go of the diary and put it onto the table. After succeeding this, he quickly ate breakfast and decided to do some weeding. He pulled the weeds out of the corner nearest to his house. A few crows landed nearby, watching the blue and white creature tearing out the plants. He then took out his grandfather's hoe, and tilled the land for seeding. He was about to pull some seeds out but he then remembered he had none. Well, maybe he should explore the place a bit more, he figured. So, since he still had an entire afternoon, he left towards the mountain.
Along the way, he saw some stairs which, figuring from the map, must've led to the town's public hotsprings. He paused, listening. There was a soft voice crying, his ears hadn't decieved him. Following the sound, he went up the previously observed stairs to see a young woman with long pink hair and a black, white, and red dress, curled up next to a small river flowing by a nearby waterfall. Jack silently crept up next to her, and gently put his hand on her shuddering shoulder.
"What's the matter?" He said in a gentle voice, trying to calm her. She sobbed a few more times, but finally looked up to him with her large, red eyes.
"R..." She started, interrupting herself with her sobs, "Rick.... I left a chicken out and R-Rick came and s-said that it was- it was m-MY fault that some wild dogs came a-and..." Jack kneeled in front of her, with his hand still on her shoulder, trying to confort her in any way. "He said it was my f-fault and- and we argued... B-Because I thought I had put it in, I thought that it h-had g-gotten out by a hole in the coop and blamed it on h- him... He can be so mean!!" She bursted out. He stroked her hair, trying to think of a kind thing to say in the given situation.
"My sympathies..." He started, "It must be hard to let a dear animal like that go..." Her sobs finally softened down to soft whines.
"It was like a friend to me... Its name was Pon... M-My dad gave it to me, and-" She bursted into sobbing again, "WAAAHHHH!! I'm going to miss it so much! Pon was a good chicken! She did nothing wrong!!" She leapt into the blue-overalled boy's shoulder for support, sobbing even harder than before. He said nothing, petting her hair gently until she got the pain out of her system. Time passed.
"Thanks..." She said, finally getting up on her own, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I really needed that... I'm sorry for crying on you like that..."
"It's alright," Jack said, adjusting his balance, "If I didn't want to help you, I wouldn't have.. No offense." She smiled, still trying to get the tears off of her face.
"None taken... Thank you." She stood up, and Jack followed suit. "By the way, I don't think I've seen you before... What is your name?"
"I'm Jack. I'm going to be working on the farm over there." He said with a helpful point.
"I'm sorry, what a way to meet someone new. I'm Popuri, I live in the poultry farm next to yours." She brushed herself off, trying to regain some dignity after what she did a few minutes ago. "Again, I'm sorry, I should be going. It was nice to meet you, Jack, and thanks." With a wave, Popuri walked by and left.
Jack decided that now would be a good time to buy the seeds and plant them, seeing it was now about 1:45. Another thing bothered him: the forcast had said earlier a storm was coming. He could already see the sky starting to turn grey with clouds. A quick sprint over to the store, and he almost ran into an older man in a purple vest on running into the store so suddenly.
"Woah, li'l guy, where's the fire??" He said, half in a humorous tone, half in an annoyed one. Jack took two steps back and bowed in apology.
"I'm sorry, sir! I wanted to get some seeds before the sun went away.. There's a storm coming, so while the sun was here I wanted to plant them." The man smiled with a nod, and returned to his business.
"As I was saying," he said to the storekeeper, now ignoring Jack, "I want to get this... I'll pay you next time." The store owner's face became clouded with confusion.
"Next time..? But last time you said you'd pay me for that sushi 'next time', so you should be paying me now... And even before that, you said you'd pay me 'next time' for the pan.. And before that.." The older man interrupted him.
"Don't worry! I promise I'll pay you for all of that next time!" The storekeeper sighed, his face now darkened by giving up.
"Alright...Next time..." The older man started walking by Jack when he took some incentive and blocked his way out.
"What is it now, fireman?" He said in a half joke/half mocking voice.
"You should pay for the things you get out of a store, you know." Jack said in the same tone. The older man tried to get past him, but Jack blocked his way again, and again, and again.. Just then the door in the corner of the room slammed shut, as a young woman with long brown hair came in with a stern expression, glaring at the older man.
"Duke!" She yelled, "Are you buying on credit again?! You should pay for the things you buy! You never pay for the things you take!" Duke shrugged in defeat.
"Alright, alright, Karen, you caught me, I'll pay..." Reluncantly he waddled up to the storekeeper and gave him the amount due for the item, and without a word he left. Karen sighed in frustration and relief.
"Dad, you're never going to get anyone to pay us for these things if you never enforce it..." She walked up to Jack. "Thank you, sir." She paused. "I don't think I've seen you before, what's your name?"
"I'm Jack!" He said with a smile. Wow, he thought, I've already met two of them! They're not all that bad, either... "I just moved into the old farm.."
"Oh! The one with the mysterious appearing boulders! Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Well, nice to meet you! I'm Karen. I'll be here in the store if you need anything, but right now I have a few new items I have to rearrange..." Jack was only able to nod, buy some random seeds, and left with a red face.
Once outside, he started on his way home, running past the library. Unfortunately, someone else ran out and into his way. On impact, Jack immediately blocked his own fall and then tried to check the person he ran into without seeing.
"Are you alright?" He said, more out of force of habit than of concern. He apparently met another of the five ladies. She was a slightly older girl, in a plain blue dress with a white shirt. Her hair was long and black, with thick black glasses. She screamed her occupation and personality; shy, kind librarian, but her kindness and gentle personality made up for her obvious looks.
"Y-yeah, I think so.. I'm so sorry, I saw the sun outside and I just wanted a breath of fresh air... Are you alright?" Jack had forgotten to check himself for wounds. He then noticed that his leg was starting to turn red... "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She immediately bent over to check on it. "Oh wow, you really scraped it, I'm so sorry!" She quickly waddled over to the other side of the sidewalk, looking for some plants or leaves, as it seemed. What an...interesting girl, he thought. She returned with a few small, thin green leaves.
"Here," she said as she once again bent over the wound and started to cover it with the leaves, "this will stop any infections." Jack bit his lip to keep his face from wincing or making any pained noises. "You'd better go to the clinic... Oh, I'm just so sorry! What a way to meet someone! Need any help?" Jack tested his newly leaf-ed leg.
"No, I think I'm alright.. I'll be ok." With a few more apologies, he was finally able to leave to the clinic, of which, lo and behold, held another of the five women! As soon as he walked in, her soft face, normally painted in a happy position, flashed into concern for the limping young man with the wet red leg covered with leaves.
"Oh my, what happened to you?" Jack began to recognize a pattern in this day...
"Scraped my leg up a bit, that's all." She rushed to him, fully armed with cotton swabs and disinfectant. It was even harder now to keep from making a face, since the disinfectant felt more like acid.
"My... If I'm not mistaken, you're the new boy moving in, right? How do you expect to run a farm like this when the first day you arrive you get such a cut?" Confused, Jack looked back down to her to see by her expression that it was a joke. "How did you get this, anyway?"
"Accidently ran into the librarian.." He answered sheepishly.
"Oh, Mary?" She chuckled, "I'm sorry, but she is a bit clumsy.. But she's a good person, she is.." Finally, she bandaged the wound and set him to go. "By the way," she said before he left, "I'm sorry we never got the chance to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Elle, the clinic's nurse. It was nice to meet you."
Jack was now finally on his way home, despite the bandaged leg. He decided to take the other route by the inn to avoid any sprinting librarians. And, following the pattern he had noticed, this path would more likely lead him to the last of the five girls. He grinned with a blush; what a day to start work, meeting all of his possible futures!
"Oh, DAD! You can be so stubborn!" A younger lady bursted through the door, yelling. It was, as he had guessed, the last one. She was obviously a tomboy, and similarilly dressed to himself, but she was in the middle of an arguement. She slammed the doors, sighed in frustration, and then turned to see the young, slightly limping farmer watching.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, startled, "I'm sorry! I was arguing with my dad... He thinks I should hurry up and get married, but I can't even begin to picture myself getting married..."
"I can't blame you." Jack said honestly. "It's hard to picture one's dreams when yours are completely different..."
"Exactly." She agreed, "And besides, I have yet to get a boyfriend, so it might be hopless as it is... But like I care. Sorry again about that, oh, and my name is Ann. What's yours?"
"I'm the new guy in town, Jack. I just moved into the old farm..."
"Oh! The old guy's! So you're the new guy? I thought you'd be a bit more muscular for some reason... Oh well. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a lot of chores to get done..." He sighed, losing his first chance for a real conversation with one of these women.. But then, he had his own chores to do...
"As do I, so maybe we can talk later. Good bye, Ann." Now that Jack had met all of the five eligable girls in some obscure situation or other, he now had the chance to go home and back to his work, undestracted.
It was the 1st of Spring, with all of its trademarks already in full swing. The apple and cherry trees were blossoming with small pink explosions and the ground was white and yellow with daisies and dandilions. The pines and firs, being the only source of green just a few days ago, started renewing themselves with the bright, clean sunlight that was warming up all of the frozen ground. The day was warm, but not dry or harsh like in summer. A few of the petals from blossoms fluttered down and created pink and white puddles on the thawing soil. Thus was the day when Jack arrived.
Jack was, as we all know, a young man with many dreams, hopes, and a red handkercheif. He was about 21, but looked younger. He had the innocence and kindness a child still has, and an air about him of youth that had never left him since childhood. And he came there, on that beautiful day, to try and resurrect the dead farm of his grandfather.
"Well, this is what's left of your grandfather's farm.." The Mayor said doubtfully, looking at the overgrown lawn. A few crows fluttered by, landing on the weeds and boulders, basking in the sun. They were nothing more than black splotches on a hoplessly overgrown feild of green, brown, and grey.
"This...This was Grampa's farm?" Jack said half to himself, looking at the ruined field. He walked a few paces ahead of the Mayor, taking a closer look. One of the crows laughed at him in its harsh voice for some unapparent reason. "But I remember it being so..."
"That's generally what happens when a feild gets left by itself to grow." The Mayor explained with a shrug. Jack turned to him with an expression of confusion and accusation.
"But if no one's taken care of this place, then why isn't the grass around the coop and the house overgrown like the fields? And how the heck did those boulders get there?! They weren't there before, someone would've had to literally bring them here and drop them off!" The Mayor stood in unexplained silence.
"... Not sure why, ask Natsume before the next game." Jack sighed at the pitiful explanation.
"Well, may as well get started at some point..." He said to himself once again, turning to the crow-infested field. He walked past the Mayor and started to put his boxes of stuff he brought from his apartment in the city back into his new one when the Mayor interrupted.
"Uh, do you want me to show you around town?" He said in a hopefully helpful tone. Jack gave a dumbfounded look.
"Um... I'm kinda unpacking... But if you're ok about waiting until I'm done putting this stuff away, then sure." Half an hour later, they left for a short tour of the village of Mineral Town.
"Over here is the blacksmith's and the winery... And over here is the library and, well, my house.... And over here is our general store (you can get your seeds from here) and this is the clinic if you ever want a check up or if you feel sick. Over here is our church. It's run by Pastor Carter, he's a kind-hearted man... A little strange though. This here is the town's center, where we hold most of our festivals. To your left is our beach, but I wouldn't recommend swimming until summer. To your right is the inn, but it's also a restaraunt during the day and bar during the night. And if we continue straight up here, this would be Barley's. He owns cows and sheep with his little grandaughter May. And, our last stop, the poultry farm, run by Lillia, Popuri, and Rick."
Jack looked around the entire time, thinking time and time again about how small a town this place truly was. He was hoping to find a girl, but this place seemed so small, all chances seemed...
"Are there any girls here around my age...?" He shyly asked. The Mayor was at first startled, but let out a hearty chuckle. Or at least, as hearty a chuckle a 3'8" midget could muster.
"Well, yes, actually, five of them. Elle, Karen, Popuri, Amy, and Mary. They're all unmarried and quite nice in their own ways, very nice company." This conforted Jack only in the sense he at least had a chance. Five. He was used to the thought of many fish in the sea, but now there were only five females in the pond. And then Rick walked out.
Rick, a sensable yet stubborn young man, wore common but sturdy clothes everyday. He didn't have much of a wardrobe, but he was used to hard work, therefore his outfit suited his needs. Although he would have rathered to invent machines, he was content with his life of raising chickens, running errands, and occasionally hiking up the mountains. He wore his naturally orange hair long, which seemed to suit his tall body. His glasses slightly magnified his deep blue eyes, eyes that would violently defend or attack at any given moment or reason. At this particular moment, he had just walked out to feed the chickens and check on the incubating chicken eggs. Jack, for unexplained reasons, fell silent, staring. By the time the Mayor put two and two together that he was staring at Rick, he decided to make a one- way introduction.
"Ah, that's Rick. He's the main force behind the poultry farm; his mother is the brains, and Popuri takes care of the eggs. Rick's a little hot headed and stubborn, but good at heart." As though called, Rick looked up at the staring two.
"Hello, Mayor." He said in a tired voice. He wasn't in that energetic a mood, but that was no reason to forget all of his manners. "How are things for you?"
"Doing quite nicely, thank you." The Mayor replied, smiling back. Rick yawned.
"Who is that with you? I don't recognize the face." The Mayor nodded and pointed politely to Jack.
"This is Jack, now in charge of the old farm next door." Jack greeted him with a blank stare and a few blinks. Rick waited for a real hello of some sort, but since none came, he started walking back to his work.
"It's nice to meet you, Jack, but I'm afraid I'm a little busy right now. Perhaps we can talk some other time." Jack, his expression never changing, dumbfoundedly nodded, but Rick never noticed.
"Well," the Mayor said, finally getting Jack's attetion, "I think I'd better go home and get some breakfast. I think you had better get started on unpacking anyway, but if you have any questions, come to me. My home will always be open to you, keep that in mind." There was silence until Jack's mind, greatly slowed with confused thoughts, finally figured out that he was supposed to reply.
"Oh. Oh yeah! Thank you... I'll be heading... uh, home now." He left, the blank expression never changing. Silent guy, Rick thought, having overheard the excuse of a conversation.
His mind in places he was unaware of, Jack placed a few objects from their boxes onto shelves and drawers without knowing it. He found his diary and placed it next to his bed, contiplated, and finally decided to make an entry.
"Dear Diary," He began with his traditional greeting, "I've arrived to Mineral Town and already started some unpacking. I think I'll have lunch soon, but as soon as I'm done with this. So how are things with you? And how come I never get a reply to that question? Anyway. There are only five girls I can date here. Can you believe that? Five! What if I don't like any of them? I'd have to go out of town to get a girlfriend! Egad, so much for the 'many fish in the sea'... Maybe I shouldn't have moved to from the sea to this pond . I saw many pretty-looking tributaries along the way... Well, I should at least check this place out first, right? ....Right...? I'll just take that as a 'yes'. I met a guy named Rick, but I couldn't say anything. I wonder why? The shock I got is starting to wear off.. Yes, I did get shock. I wish I knew what it meant. I think my subconscious just mistook him for a girl; if he was, I'd certainly start checking her out. But enough of my non-existent romantic life, I have to get started on my farming! So see you later, Diary! Start sending back letters, ok?"
Relunctant to leave his silent friend, Jack convinced his hand to let go of the diary and put it onto the table. After succeeding this, he quickly ate breakfast and decided to do some weeding. He pulled the weeds out of the corner nearest to his house. A few crows landed nearby, watching the blue and white creature tearing out the plants. He then took out his grandfather's hoe, and tilled the land for seeding. He was about to pull some seeds out but he then remembered he had none. Well, maybe he should explore the place a bit more, he figured. So, since he still had an entire afternoon, he left towards the mountain.
Along the way, he saw some stairs which, figuring from the map, must've led to the town's public hotsprings. He paused, listening. There was a soft voice crying, his ears hadn't decieved him. Following the sound, he went up the previously observed stairs to see a young woman with long pink hair and a black, white, and red dress, curled up next to a small river flowing by a nearby waterfall. Jack silently crept up next to her, and gently put his hand on her shuddering shoulder.
"What's the matter?" He said in a gentle voice, trying to calm her. She sobbed a few more times, but finally looked up to him with her large, red eyes.
"R..." She started, interrupting herself with her sobs, "Rick.... I left a chicken out and R-Rick came and s-said that it was- it was m-MY fault that some wild dogs came a-and..." Jack kneeled in front of her, with his hand still on her shoulder, trying to confort her in any way. "He said it was my f-fault and- and we argued... B-Because I thought I had put it in, I thought that it h-had g-gotten out by a hole in the coop and blamed it on h- him... He can be so mean!!" She bursted out. He stroked her hair, trying to think of a kind thing to say in the given situation.
"My sympathies..." He started, "It must be hard to let a dear animal like that go..." Her sobs finally softened down to soft whines.
"It was like a friend to me... Its name was Pon... M-My dad gave it to me, and-" She bursted into sobbing again, "WAAAHHHH!! I'm going to miss it so much! Pon was a good chicken! She did nothing wrong!!" She leapt into the blue-overalled boy's shoulder for support, sobbing even harder than before. He said nothing, petting her hair gently until she got the pain out of her system. Time passed.
"Thanks..." She said, finally getting up on her own, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I really needed that... I'm sorry for crying on you like that..."
"It's alright," Jack said, adjusting his balance, "If I didn't want to help you, I wouldn't have.. No offense." She smiled, still trying to get the tears off of her face.
"None taken... Thank you." She stood up, and Jack followed suit. "By the way, I don't think I've seen you before... What is your name?"
"I'm Jack. I'm going to be working on the farm over there." He said with a helpful point.
"I'm sorry, what a way to meet someone new. I'm Popuri, I live in the poultry farm next to yours." She brushed herself off, trying to regain some dignity after what she did a few minutes ago. "Again, I'm sorry, I should be going. It was nice to meet you, Jack, and thanks." With a wave, Popuri walked by and left.
Jack decided that now would be a good time to buy the seeds and plant them, seeing it was now about 1:45. Another thing bothered him: the forcast had said earlier a storm was coming. He could already see the sky starting to turn grey with clouds. A quick sprint over to the store, and he almost ran into an older man in a purple vest on running into the store so suddenly.
"Woah, li'l guy, where's the fire??" He said, half in a humorous tone, half in an annoyed one. Jack took two steps back and bowed in apology.
"I'm sorry, sir! I wanted to get some seeds before the sun went away.. There's a storm coming, so while the sun was here I wanted to plant them." The man smiled with a nod, and returned to his business.
"As I was saying," he said to the storekeeper, now ignoring Jack, "I want to get this... I'll pay you next time." The store owner's face became clouded with confusion.
"Next time..? But last time you said you'd pay me for that sushi 'next time', so you should be paying me now... And even before that, you said you'd pay me 'next time' for the pan.. And before that.." The older man interrupted him.
"Don't worry! I promise I'll pay you for all of that next time!" The storekeeper sighed, his face now darkened by giving up.
"Alright...Next time..." The older man started walking by Jack when he took some incentive and blocked his way out.
"What is it now, fireman?" He said in a half joke/half mocking voice.
"You should pay for the things you get out of a store, you know." Jack said in the same tone. The older man tried to get past him, but Jack blocked his way again, and again, and again.. Just then the door in the corner of the room slammed shut, as a young woman with long brown hair came in with a stern expression, glaring at the older man.
"Duke!" She yelled, "Are you buying on credit again?! You should pay for the things you buy! You never pay for the things you take!" Duke shrugged in defeat.
"Alright, alright, Karen, you caught me, I'll pay..." Reluncantly he waddled up to the storekeeper and gave him the amount due for the item, and without a word he left. Karen sighed in frustration and relief.
"Dad, you're never going to get anyone to pay us for these things if you never enforce it..." She walked up to Jack. "Thank you, sir." She paused. "I don't think I've seen you before, what's your name?"
"I'm Jack!" He said with a smile. Wow, he thought, I've already met two of them! They're not all that bad, either... "I just moved into the old farm.."
"Oh! The one with the mysterious appearing boulders! Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Well, nice to meet you! I'm Karen. I'll be here in the store if you need anything, but right now I have a few new items I have to rearrange..." Jack was only able to nod, buy some random seeds, and left with a red face.
Once outside, he started on his way home, running past the library. Unfortunately, someone else ran out and into his way. On impact, Jack immediately blocked his own fall and then tried to check the person he ran into without seeing.
"Are you alright?" He said, more out of force of habit than of concern. He apparently met another of the five ladies. She was a slightly older girl, in a plain blue dress with a white shirt. Her hair was long and black, with thick black glasses. She screamed her occupation and personality; shy, kind librarian, but her kindness and gentle personality made up for her obvious looks.
"Y-yeah, I think so.. I'm so sorry, I saw the sun outside and I just wanted a breath of fresh air... Are you alright?" Jack had forgotten to check himself for wounds. He then noticed that his leg was starting to turn red... "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She immediately bent over to check on it. "Oh wow, you really scraped it, I'm so sorry!" She quickly waddled over to the other side of the sidewalk, looking for some plants or leaves, as it seemed. What an...interesting girl, he thought. She returned with a few small, thin green leaves.
"Here," she said as she once again bent over the wound and started to cover it with the leaves, "this will stop any infections." Jack bit his lip to keep his face from wincing or making any pained noises. "You'd better go to the clinic... Oh, I'm just so sorry! What a way to meet someone! Need any help?" Jack tested his newly leaf-ed leg.
"No, I think I'm alright.. I'll be ok." With a few more apologies, he was finally able to leave to the clinic, of which, lo and behold, held another of the five women! As soon as he walked in, her soft face, normally painted in a happy position, flashed into concern for the limping young man with the wet red leg covered with leaves.
"Oh my, what happened to you?" Jack began to recognize a pattern in this day...
"Scraped my leg up a bit, that's all." She rushed to him, fully armed with cotton swabs and disinfectant. It was even harder now to keep from making a face, since the disinfectant felt more like acid.
"My... If I'm not mistaken, you're the new boy moving in, right? How do you expect to run a farm like this when the first day you arrive you get such a cut?" Confused, Jack looked back down to her to see by her expression that it was a joke. "How did you get this, anyway?"
"Accidently ran into the librarian.." He answered sheepishly.
"Oh, Mary?" She chuckled, "I'm sorry, but she is a bit clumsy.. But she's a good person, she is.." Finally, she bandaged the wound and set him to go. "By the way," she said before he left, "I'm sorry we never got the chance to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Elle, the clinic's nurse. It was nice to meet you."
Jack was now finally on his way home, despite the bandaged leg. He decided to take the other route by the inn to avoid any sprinting librarians. And, following the pattern he had noticed, this path would more likely lead him to the last of the five girls. He grinned with a blush; what a day to start work, meeting all of his possible futures!
"Oh, DAD! You can be so stubborn!" A younger lady bursted through the door, yelling. It was, as he had guessed, the last one. She was obviously a tomboy, and similarilly dressed to himself, but she was in the middle of an arguement. She slammed the doors, sighed in frustration, and then turned to see the young, slightly limping farmer watching.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, startled, "I'm sorry! I was arguing with my dad... He thinks I should hurry up and get married, but I can't even begin to picture myself getting married..."
"I can't blame you." Jack said honestly. "It's hard to picture one's dreams when yours are completely different..."
"Exactly." She agreed, "And besides, I have yet to get a boyfriend, so it might be hopless as it is... But like I care. Sorry again about that, oh, and my name is Ann. What's yours?"
"I'm the new guy in town, Jack. I just moved into the old farm..."
"Oh! The old guy's! So you're the new guy? I thought you'd be a bit more muscular for some reason... Oh well. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a lot of chores to get done..." He sighed, losing his first chance for a real conversation with one of these women.. But then, he had his own chores to do...
"As do I, so maybe we can talk later. Good bye, Ann." Now that Jack had met all of the five eligable girls in some obscure situation or other, he now had the chance to go home and back to his work, undestracted.