#hg quest

[cowboyupv-blog-blog]

Awkward Warrior: Act II

This was absolutely absurd. The most incredibly ridiculous thing he'd ever done in his life, and he'd been faced with a lot of ridiculousness, having to deal with Julia over the past several years.   Okay, maybe not the most...there were quite a few things in his past that was in no way, shape, or form considered "normal".  But this was all voluntary.  He signed up to do this.    So quit your bitchin',  he told himself mentally.   He had Joe's toolbox in tow, to help his case that he was sent here for the purpose of repairing...something.  He better think of what he was supposed to repair.    The Funland HQ was even more intimidating up close.  It had the air of any corporate building;  the saying "abandon hope all ye who enter" would have made a great welcome mat for this place..  He rapped twice on the large door that served as the entrance to the Funland HQ, and steeled himself for whoever answered.    To his surprise, he was greeted not by Alice, but by two men in suits.  The one was maybe Vaughn's age with sweepy auburn hair and a shit-eating grin, and the other an older guy, who reminded Vaughn of a fat, bald rat.   They looked at him skeptically, as if he was of no more importance than the insects that inhabited the forest.  He had a very strong urge to ask them if they had some sort of problem, but no, no.   He couldn't. He just held up Joe's toolbox, for them to see plainly.  It was pretty ironic, how much he despised the idea of dishonesty, but how good he was at it, how easy it was for him to just put on a poker face and tell a straight-up lie.   "Woody told me ya have a tablet that needs repairin'.  S'what I'm here for."    The two men exchanged concerned glances, but stepped aside to let Vaughn come in.   This place really did remind him of a dungeon.  It had no personality to it, not like the quaint little shops, like Mirabelle's or Gwen's that had some sort of personal "touch" to them all. The younger man set his hand on Vaughn's shoulder and Vaughn felt himself flinch, wanting to just swing around and knock this guy across the face with his toolbox for just thinking he could touch him like that, completely uninvited. "Right this way, sir."  The man said with a sneer that even Vaughn wasn't sure he could match, as he led Vaughn to another room; even from a distance Vaughn could see it was the dining hall, with a table large enough to seat an entire company spread out in the middle.    And there at the head of it, enjoying a slice of pie, was Alice.

[poops-on-chase]

Clothes Swap

After finishing her chores, Molly made her way to town. Looking at the shops, she decided that she could use a new outfit to wear. People might start to think she was weird and dirty if she wore the same outfit so many times. She entered the door to the tailor shop, the many colorful fabrics and outfits catching her eye. "Hi Candace!" Molly said after looking around and discovering the shy, young woman. Molly smiled as she asked "How've ya been?"

[seriousfarmer]

Old McDonald Had A Farm (Part 2: Jonathan Meets A Strange Woman)

Dear Diary, 

The local townsfolk think I'm crazy. I can't say I blame them.

The land seems to be very fickle, especially the lands I chose to farm at. Many have decided to leave in favor of some place more favorable. But I refuse to give up. Not now, not after all the years I spent on this place. Our town is small and there's nothing special about it. But something tells me I need to stay in this place, to work on these lands. I'm glad I decided to stay here. For if I didn't, maybe I wouldn't have met her. The townsfolk think I'm crazy and maybe I am. But I think I met the woman of my dreams.

Oh diary, words cannot describe her sufficiently. I never saw anyone like her. For all intent's purposes, she didn't look spectacular or anything. In the words of Samuel, she just looked odd. Her green hair swayed around her waist, her skin was as pale as marble, and her eyes were like two aquamarine gems. Everyone else seemed to ignore her, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Sam thought she came from strange country, I think she came from the very clouds. But no one seems to believe me. Maybe I am crazy, but I just had to get to know her.

She seemed surprised when I walked up to her. No, more like shocked. I introduced myself and asked for her name. She stumbled over her words before finally saying her name. Selfia. I can't picture her as a Selfia but it's a beautiful name nonetheless. When I told her this, she laughed, a light feathery laugh. Sort of like how my mother would laugh like. But without that snort at the end. I told her that I would love to show her around and maybe get to know her. Again she looked surprised, but smiled gently at me. I don't know why but I felt really warm inside when she smiled at me, like the gods were smiling down at me and her. But she said she had to leave soon. Before she walked away, I grabbed her arm and made her promise to come back. I don't know why I did that. I'm a weird person but I've never acted like this before. She looked surprised too before cautiously promising me. I hope she's the type to keep her promises. 

I don't know who she is outside of her name, but I think she's someone magical. Why can't anyone else see that? It's like those elves, sprite things. It seems like only children and I could notice them. I wonder if the local kids think she's someone special too. I have to remember to ask. But first, I have to visit the doctor tomorrow. Even after the medicine I've been fainting more often, even coughing up blood. I want to believe him when he says it's nothing. But something tells me I won't be okay. If this is my fate, I can live with it. I just want to live long enough to get to know that strange woman by the name of Selfia.    

[cowboyupv-blog-blog]

Awkward Warrior Vaughn is awkward.

Maybe it was a little soon to be getting "away from it all" again, but Vaughn had to get away from what just happened, or he'd lose it.   It was the best way for him to burn off his stress, and always had been:  to travel, to go somewhere that wasn't wherever he was.     If he didn't, he'd stay here and dwell on it, while Julia bugged him for details, and that was an absolutely horrifying thought. Even though he tried to play it off as though he wouldn't have completely cared if he and Gwen had never resurrected their friendship (because he never really needed anyone, friendship or otherwise), deep down he was thankful they had.   Because now he had someone to turn to, a place to escape...er...travel to. She should be back from Alvarna by the time he reached SugarLeaf Valley, hopefully mentally and emotionally stable despite having to deal with what seemed like an emergency.   He'd always wanted to see SugarLeaf Valley, see where Napoleon and Gwen's other horses were raised.  Plus it'd be new land for Sheriff to explore, run around on after probably growing as restless as Vaughn had on the Sunshine Islands. He squinted off into the distance as SugarLeaf Valley appeared on the horizon, and something very strange happened.  He smiled.   It was brief , but long enough for Vaughn to catch himself doing it, and subsequently stopping himself. He couldn't even fathom that  this was just the first inexplicably odd thing that was about to occur over the next few days.

[aspiringdesigner-blog]

[part two]

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear." --- H.P. Lovecraft

The door slam woke her from her nap.

“Antoinette..? I'm home, dear-”

“Oh..” she mumbled, pushing herself to a sitting position. How long had she been sleeping? “What time is it...?”

“It's seven, just like I said.” she could hear the clicking of her mother's heels against the wooden floor, approaching her slowly. “Are you ready to go? I made a reservation at this lovely new restaurant, it's gotten ravishing reviews-”

“Are you and father getting a divorce?”

Her question was abrupt and she knew her mother was caught off guard. “W-What..?”

“Mother. You didn't bother contacting either of us for years..” her voice was distant. Broken, even. “You last saw me when I was seven, and when you met my father on the train, you barely even looked at each other...”

She shook her head. “No, no.. what made you think your father and I were getting.. a divorce?”

“Did you really want me here? Or did you invite me because you wanted to tell me something?”

“Antoinette...” her voice faded, and the smile that once graced her features was long gone. “N-No, we're not divorcing... I just missed you, so much...”

“.. you left us.”

“T-That's not true, I had to-”

“To pursue your career, I know. And.. I'm glad you were successful, mother, but..” her voice trailed off. She looked up at her mother, who was clearly avoiding her gaze on purpose. “What made you think it was okay? T-To leave us just like that..?”

“I...” her mother shook her head. “I don't know..”

“I cried a lot, when I was little.” she took a step towards her, wishing that she could see her face, to know what she was thinking. “Dad said you would come back, and that you would call whenever you could... but you didn't... you never did.”

“Antoinette... I meant to.. I really did...”

Her voice cracked. “... I-I thought you didn't love me anymore..”

“N-No, never...” tears began streaming down her face. “Come here,” she whispered, holding her arms out.

And this time, Antoinette didn't hesitate before stepping into her hug. She was trying hard not to cry.

“I-I've been busy...” her mother began, her voice low and quiet. “At first, days were hard... I could b-barely make enough to get by. The people here.. in the city, they're cruel. Sometimes I-I think they feel no remorse.”

She sniffed, still in her mother's embrace. Do not cry, do not cry..

“I was so determined.. I wanted to prove them wrong... that I wasn't like any other girl. I went after my dream.. I had to, after I gave up so much.” she stopped and looked down at her daughter. “I'm sorry..”

“You could've came back... d-dad and I, we would've forgiven you.”

She shook her head again. “I was so afraid, Antoinette. This morning, when I met you at the train station, you were so cold and distant. I... I wondered if you hated me for all I did.”

“I could never hate you.” she whispered.

“I'm so glad to hear that.”

They stood there for a little longer before they released each other. “He still loves you, you know.” Antoinette mumbled afterwards, breaking the silence.

“And I still love him.” a slow smile spread across her face. “Even if we did get a divorce.. we'll never stop loving you, all right? Antoinette, you are our child, and we'll love you no matter what.”

“R-Really..?” do.. not.. cry...

“Of course... we'll always be a family.”

She burst into tears.

Her mother patted her on the back gently, waiting until her daughter would stop and gather herself together. They stood, one comforting the other, minutes passing by and not one word said.

“I'm so sorry, Antoinette.” she murmured, placing a light peck on her daughter's forehead.

“It's okay. I.. forgive you.” she replied, a genuine smile spreading across her face as she wiped the last tear away. We'll always be a family...

“Do you still want to go out for food..? I'm quite tired, to be honest.” her mother broke the silence first this time. She wasn't feeling too hungry either.

“No, I think.. I think I'll go to bed.”

“All right, then. Good night, Antoinette.”

She turned around and headed towards the stairs, but she stopped. “Wait.. I need to ask you one more thing.”

“Yes, dear?”

“Do I.. make you proud?”

“Every day.” she answered with a smile, nodding her head. “Sweet dreams.”

She smiled.

“... good night, mom.”

And she retreated upstairs, a strange, warm feeling bubbling inside of her as she turned off the lights and closed her eyes... at peace.

[seriousfarmer]

Old McDonald Had a Farm (Part 1: Jill's Diary Post)

Dear Diary, 

What do I do when my lands are wasting away?

No matter how much fertilizer I use, the soil continues to return to its poor state. I didn't understand what was going on at first. Not only has the soil become poor, but my animals are getting sick easily and not to mention irritable. None have died but if things continue like this, at this rate I fear the worst. I went over to the Goddess Pond to ask the Goddess for some assistance or at least an explanation. That's when I saw it. The Harvest Goddess turned to stone, a literal statue. How long was she like this? I went into the Harvest Sprite tree but the only thing they could tell me was a spell had made her like this and that she needed our help. If only they could tell me how I could help her. Or where to start?

I'm getting so worn out lately, like I have so little stamina lately. I can't tell if it's because I'm working with poor soil or irritable animals or just because of the general state of things. People around town have been asking me for help so my workload just has been increasing day by day. Let's not forget the fact I'm searching for ways to save the Goddess. Maybe I'm just stressed, I don't know. But it doesn't help that one of my few resting places, the Goddess Pond, has been dried out completely. It's just a gaping hole.

Diary, I don't know what I'm doing anymore. All the years I've been on this farm, even the time I grew lazy and did nothing much, things have never been this bad. Close to this bad, but never to this point. But I can't give up. In my search for ways to help the Goddess, I found myself at the cemetery where my father was buried. There on his grave, was a diary. It was old, moth eaten, but still readable. By the look of it, it had to be ages old. I didn't have time to question why it was there. I only took it to be a sign for something. I started reading it and suddenly I knew whose diary it was. This was the diary of the very first farmer in Forget-Me-Not Valley, Jonathan McDonald. Some say he was one of the very first farmers in the years where history was first recorded. I don't know how it lasted so long, or how it's still readable. Hell, I should be concerned about the fact it was on my father's grave. As far as I know, I'm not related to the man in any sort of way. But I have to leave those questions aside. There might be a clue to how I can save the Goddess in here.

Hey it's worth a shot, right?    

[aspiringdesigner-blog]

[part one]

"Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it." ---- Lt. John B. Putnam Jr. (1921-1944)

Antoinette tightened her grip around her bag and stepped off the train, onto the platform. Though she looked calm and composed on the outside, her heart felt heavy and something kept twisting her stomach.

She'd worn a brand new dress for this occasion. Nothing special, she convinced herself. Just a simple, light blue dress, free of wrinkles and stains. A ribbon in a darker shade was tied in her hair, and she'd painted her nails a pastel gray.

Her violet eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a figure with blue hair. Not a difficult task, seeing as blue hair wasn't exactly common. She wondered how she appeared to the others, staring at her with scrutiny and disinterest.

“Antoinette!”

She turned around, almost afraid of how to react. Goosebumps formed on her arms. “M-Mother?”

A smile came from the woman, dressed in elegant clothes and jewelry. She had light blue hair and purple eyes; a split image of her. “Come here, Antoinette,” and she held her arms out, welcoming her with a hug. Antoinette stepped into the embrace awkwardly.

“Look at you.. you've grown so much, Antoinette. How was the trip? Pleasant I hope?”

No, not really. It wasn't like she enjoyed spending time sitting next to smelly strangers. “Just fine.”

“I'm glad you decided to come.” her mother smiled. “Let's go, then."

They took a taxi to her home. The city was loud, noisy and full of people, a direct contrast to the quiet and peaceful nature of Zephyr town. She didn't know if she liked it or not.

“Here, are you thirsty? I'll go get something, why don't you sit down?” she asked as they entered her flat. The living room was decorated in pretty hues of purple and blue, with white furniture. Just like she had imagined.

“No, I'm.. fine.” Antoinette shook her head and sat down in one of the arm chairs, setting her bag down on the floor beside her. “Really.” she added.

“Oh. Okay... well then,” her mother sat down in a chair facing hers and crossed her legs. “How have you been, dear? I haven't seen you in a long time...'

The last visit to her was when she was seven; still a mere child. Antoinette raged inside, wondering why her mother failed to communicate with either her or her father during all those years in between.

“Yeah.”

“Remember those times when you used to say you wanted to be a model when you grew up? So you could try on all those pretty clothes I designed... that was cute.”

“I'm into fashion design now.”

“Oh?” her mother's eyebrows raised in interest. Not a surprise, seeing as her mother was a fashion designer as well.

“I doodle a lot.. mostly clothes.” she cleared her throat awkwardly. “I plan to learn how to sew soon.. I've been meaning to ask a friend, actually.”

“That's fantastic, Antoinette. I-” her sentence was cut off abruptly by a telephone ring. Her mother stood up, shooting her an apologetic smile. “I'll just get that, wait here.”

She watched her exit the room... and couldn't help but wonder if this woman really was her mother. The one who gave birth to her, raised her, left her.

After all these years.. why would she want to contact her now? There had to be a reason for this visit, right?

Antoinette stared at the white carpet, thoughts racing in her mind. Something important, she rationalized, otherwise she wouldn't have invited me in the first place. Something important enough that she needed to speak with me in person.

Could she...

Her eyes widened and she stood up on her feet.

She and father.. are divorcing.. aren't they...?

“Antoinette..?”

“Mother? I-"

“I actually.. need to go.” her mother sounded remorseful. Antoinette wanted to scream in frustration. “A client arrived a couple days early, and a meeting that I must attend is about to start.”

“I see.” she hated the way her voice sounded. Distant. Regretful.

“It won't take long, I promise. I'll be back around seven – and we can go out for dinner. I'll make it up to you, I swear.”

“You have to go, I get it.”

“Thank you for understanding, dear...” her mother flashed a tiny smile at her before retrieving her coat and leaving.

Antoinette sat back down on the chair, disappointment bubbling in her body. She felt empty and hollow.

We're not going to be a family anymore.

This was what she'd feared all along.

[poops-on-chase]

Molly's Rainy Day pt 3

Molly was a bit nervous as she rode the minecart up to the mining district. The echoing sound of dripping rain and the cart's squeaky wheels were all that was heard in the cave she had to ride through first. Molly attempted to fix her hair under her hood, however she gave up as the cart emerged from the cave, the wind blowing her hair back into the mess it was. The cart finally came to a stop, with Molly stepping out of it's water filled interior. Quickly, she walked towards the Mira's shop, only to be stopped by the woman as she came out of the blacksmith shop.

"Oh, hello Molly. What brings you here on such a rainy day?" The woman walked towards her, umbrella in hand.

"Actually, I'm here to deliver this to you." Molly spoke, handing her the fish. "Pascal asked me to deliver this for him, so-"

"Deliveries? Oh excellent! Could you deliver these earrings to Yolanda? She needed them to be repaired and I just finished them." Molly sighed internally, lazily holding her hand out for Mira to hand her the earrings. "Sure."

A couple more deliveries later (she had lost count after the fifth time she had entered Harmonica Town that day,) Molly was finally on her way home. She fumbled with her house key, trying to unlock her door, however before she could, the sound of creaking metal distracted her. Before she could discover what it was, a cascade of rain water began to descend on her, making the girl drop her house key in surprise. She looked up, and noticed that her gutter had just broke, the water now slapping against the ground. Molly had been through a lot that day. She was tired, hungry, cold, she even felt a bit of a sore throat, foreshadowing the possibility of a cold. However, instead of breaking down, Molly began to laugh. She laughed and laughed, until her sides began to hurt. It truly was a rainy day for her, and as much as things had sucked, she knew it wasn't something to get worked up about. To be honest, she kind of enjoyed it, spending the entire day outside, watching and listening as the rain cleansed the earth.

As she bent down to find her house key, the rain had stopped. Looking at her watch, she noted that it was only 7:30, and hour and a half before the rain was supposed to stop. Finally finding her key, Molly entered her house. As she turned to close the door, a smile came to her face as her eyes witnessed a rainbow appear in the sky before her.