FAN CREATIVITYWandering Toward a DreamUntitled (Rick & Karen Fic) Harvest Moon: SNES-style Icons Still, that was no excuse. Her father, Basil, had made several new additions to this library since the last person had been in (besides the ones who only came to say hello), and yet no one came to read them. She was disappointed, a bit, but sometimes she became angry. It seemed that they hardly appreciated what her father did. Most people only knew him because he was a regular at the bar. Replacing the book with her long, slender fingers, Mary realized that she should close the library. Even though it was a little early, she knew no one would come in, they were all too busy with what they were doing, or they didn't care. Tossing one last cursory glance to the room and grabbing her scarf, Mary took her chain of keys and shut the door, locking it. Dropping the keys into a large pocket on her blue dress, Mary whistled softly, running her hand along the railing as she walked. It was a bit cold out; night was coming on. She shivered slightly, which prompted her to wrap the scarf around her neck as she walked. Breathing in deeply, Mary decided that she wanted to go down to the beach. There was a wonderful view. As she was walking through Rose Square, Mary saw someone that she vaguely recognized. His back was turned to her, at least she was assuming that it was a he, because of the cropped short blonde hair she could see coming from under a blue baseball cap. Swallowing the great lump that had suddenly risen into her throat, Mary approached him, setting a hand gently on his shoulder. With just that light touch the boy spun around, azure blue eyes narrowed. When he saw that it was only a girl, his face relaxed slightly, but he still held eye contact. Dropping her gaze, Mary mumbled a quick apology. /Why am I so shy?/ She wondered, wishing that she could properly introduce herself without looking like a stammering fool. "I see you around here... often, now. Are you... Saibara's grandson?" Mary asked shyly, twisting a bit of dark hair around one of her fingers. Blinking reflexively, Gray slipped his hands into his pockets and nodded, once, studying her face carefully. Mary. She worked in the library. This town was so small, it was hard not to bump into your own self coming around the corner. Everyone knew what everyone else was doing, and it wasn't uncommon to find half the town at one person's house on any given day. Gray wasn't sure if he resented that familiarity or was a bit awed by it. Where he had come from, people kept to themselves. As a matter of fact, they all but ignored you unless there was no other alternative. It was bigger, city blocks stretching for what seemed like forever. Here, it took less than a half an hour to get from one end of town to the other. Sometimes he walked up to Mother's Hill just to get away from everyone. There was an uncomfortable silence that passed his nod, and Mary felt color rise slightly in her cheeks. She was glad that it was somewhat dark, and he couldn't see. "My name is Maria... everyone calls me Mary, though. What are you doing standing there?" "Nothing... Nothing in particular," he added, thinking it might ward off a conversation. "Oh..." Mary frowned, trying to think of something to keep their interaction alive. "Don't you work at the blacksmith's?" Gray's expression flattened out, his lips stretching thin before he answered curtly, "I'm not interested in that. I plan to move back to the city." "I came from the city," Mary supplied, brushing her hair off her shoulder. "My dad moved us here to study plant life." She couldn't help but think that he disliked their village, but didn't want to assume anything. "I felt lonely, but the people here are very kind once you get to know them." Angling his body just the slightest to indicate he wanted her to leave, Gray brushed at a strand of hair on his forehead, tucking it back under his cap. He wondered what she was driving at. That he was lonely? How could he be lonely with Saibara griping at him every other second of the day? To tell the truth, he hadn't felt welcomed since he got here. His grandfather didn't even act as if he wanted him here. Instead of greeting him and helping him settle in, Saibara had immediately started in on how he needed to apply himself and work to prove his worth. Now Mary... "I'm not lonely. I just can't find what I want to do, that's all," he continued, almost defensively. "What is it that you want that you can't find here?" Mary asked, no longer shy. In fact, she was beginning to feel the need to stand up for the small town that she had come to call home. She seemed genuinely interested. "Well it's... oh nothing..." he trailed off, disgusted with himself that he had almost revealed his thoughts to a stranger. Shrugging her shoulders, Mary smiled a bit. "My mother always says that if you can't find what you want to do, then do what you can see to do now." Here she paused, her expression becoming serious once more. "No one finds what they want immediately. But if you waste your time every day because of that, then you'll never find anything." She laughed a little. "To tell you the truth, I haven't found what I'm looking for yet, either." He didn't say anything. Simply stared. Smoothing her dress, Mary nodded at him. "Well... I suppose I'll be seeing you around. It was very nice to meet you... Gray." She said finally, when it was apparent that he wasn't going to offer her his name. Mary smiled and turned around, her dress swishing slightly against her legs as she walked, her braid swaying behind her. He watched her until he couldn't see her anymore. Making a helpless, angry motion with his foot, he jabbed his toe into the ground and sighed. Mary was nice, if a bit nosy, and he knew he shouldn't have attempted to alienate her, even if that had been his inclination. There was no telling how long he would be here. He couldn't avoid the townspeople forever. "I'm so ashamed of myself," he murmured, knowing his manners were appalling. But he wasn't going to go after Mary and apologize. Saibara was waiting at the shop. Rolling his shoulders, he cut across the Square, taking the path that would lead him past the stables and poultry farm. Near the newcomer's place too, but Gray had no intention of stopping in to say hello. Regardless of how poorly he had treated Mary, he wasn't here to make friends. Just to work, and go home. Home, being the city, not this small, backward village. Saibara was up naturally, making a pot of tea. The scent of it was relaxing somewhat, but Gray didn't ask for a cup. He removed his hat, hanging it on a wrack, because Saibara was old fashioned enough, he believed it didn't belong at the dinner table. Whatever they were having was bound to be simple. His grandfather wasn't known for his cooking skills either. It almost made Gray want to forget his vow not to make friends, and head over to the Inn earlier than he normally did to catch some of Doug's and Ann's cooking. Everyone raved about it, at any rate. Shortly after dinner, however, that would be where Saibara was found. Gray wasn't going to drink with his grandfather. He would go to bed instead. After everyone left, that was. They ate in silence. Gray kept his eyes on his plate, eating without paying all that much attention to taste. Two weeks he had been here, and the routine was fairly the same. Hell, it was monotonous. Get up early, work all day, run chores for his grandfather, eat, and then head to the inn for bed. There were few diversions, save for the festivals. He had yet to see one of those, however. He doubted he would go anyway. Saibara wiped his mouth on a napkin. "Did you get what I sent you for?" "Yeah..." Gray reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out the small package. Satisfied, Saibara took it, secreting it away in one of his own pockets. "I'm going to the Inn. You can clean up the dishes." "Fine." Grunting, his grandfather rose, the scrape of the chair along the wood the only other sound in the small shop. Gray waited until the door shut, to hurl his napkin down onto his plate and rise himself, glaring at the dishes. "What does he think I am, a slave? No please, or even a thank you. Just, 'Gray do this, and Gray do that...'" Sighing, he began collecting the plates, depositing them in the sink. Removing his jacket, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. The water was slow in coming out of the faucet, and cold as well, so he reached for the soap. Air hissed out angrily from his lips when he turned back to the water, fingering it only to scald his hand. Shaking his fingers briskly, he dropped the forks into the sink with more force than was necessary. He was 18. He should have been able to control his own life. But his parents, because he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to go to college yet, insisted he come here and help his grandfather. It was either this, or college. His father was pushing him to become an accountant. Gray hated math. He wanted to work with his hands. Woodwork, not tools. He wasn't cut out to be a blacksmith. Or maybe it wasn't that. Maybe it was that he resented being unable to make his own choices. So he didn't try. He could do more than he let on, but the way Saibara lectured him hardly made him want to work up the effort. It was difficult, too, when your parents controlled the purse strings... If he had, had a steady, well paying job to begin with, things might be different. But 'might haves' didn't change anything. He was getting a salary here anyway, and since there wasn't exactly anything to spend money on, he could save it. It was going to take a while... but at least it was something to look forward to. Dragging the back of his hand across his forehead, he set the last of the dishes aside for drying and gave the small enclosure a brief glance. It was another thing he wasn't used to, this confinement. Where was the noise of traffic or scattering of voices outside the window? People were out after midnight there, here they were in by nine! Harris, the town's version of a lenient, laid-back police officer, didn't even need to patrol the town after that. Crime simply didn't happen here. Not that he was wishing for it. In some ways, it was kind of nice. "You're just looking for reasons to hate this place," he told himself, somewhat crossly. Still, even knowing that, he found it hard to move past his feelings. The dishes were done, put away now, and the counters gleaming. Standing in the middle of a silent kitchen, he realized he didn't feel tired. Restlessly, he pulled his sleeves down, slipped into his coat, and grabbed his hat. He was going out. Somewhere. If he walked in a circle, he could probably hit just about every spot in town... Smiling slightly at his sarcastic humor, he shook his head, jerking the bill of his hat down low. Locking up the shop out of habit born of living in a place where strangers thought little of entering your home and taking your things, he walked, unhurried, down the pathway, thinking absently that he needed to make it back home before Saibara. It was likely that his grandfather hadn't taken a key with him, and wouldn't appreciate being locked out of his own home. He didn't realize his intent was the beach, until he was already walking down the steps and making his way across the soft press of sand. The air was sharp here, leaving the tang of fish in his nostrils and the bite of salt on his tongue. Pausing, he breathed it in deeply, a part of surprised at how well he liked it in comparison to the smoke of the city. A splash and a little exclamation of surprise had him jerking his head up, squinting at the shoreline. He wasn't alone. Biting back the annoyance that came on the heels of that realization because it was hardly as if he owned this stretch of sand, he considered leaving. Until she moved through the water with half-skips, and he saw it was Mary. Pursing his lips, he wrestled with himself, wondering if he should apologize, or just go. Mary took the entire situation out of his hands by spotting him. "Oh! Gray, right?" It would have been rude to turn and walk away now. He had to at least acknowledge her greeting. Stepping closer, he nodded. "Yeah, and you're Mary." She smiled then. He thought she might be pleased that he remembered, though he couldn't see why. It hadn't been that long since they met in the Square. "I didn't know anyone else took walks this late, besides Karen." Mary commented, falling in next to Gray. "But tonight Karen is at the bar," She added as an afterthought. Light pinpoints of color suddenly rushed to her cheeks as Mary realized that the hem of her dress was wet. Again, she was thankful that it was late. "I don't, normally." He replied, not giving any indication that he had noticed her cavorting through the waves. Folding her hands in front of her, Mary wondered idly what had inspired him to walk on the beach, the same place that she happened to be walking. It was odd, actually. She rarely visited here herself. "Me either, really." She admitted, brushing a rebellious bang from her forehead. "Just tonight." Gray lifted his shoulder negligently. "Nice night." Mary nodded in agreement, shrugging her shoulders up. "It's a bit chilly, though." Shoving his hands into his pockets out of habit, and for lack of anything better to do with them, he looked to the waves. "It's the air off the ocean. It's always cold." Winding her arms around herself, she nodded, following his eyes. Somewhere, manners took root, and it occurred to him that gentlemen offered their coats to cold ladies. He was reluctant to part with his own, however. He liked this coat. Casting a sidelong glance at her, he caught a shiver. Biting back a sigh, he began removing his jacket, hoping she would be responsible enough to return it to him tomorrow. "Here." He intoned flatly, settling it across her shoulders. Blinking in startlement, heat settling in her cheeks, she clutched the edges of it closely around her, saying in a low, baffled voice, "Thank you." Somewhat embarrassed, Gray averted his face. "It's no big deal." She ducked her head. "It's considerate of you." Wishing she would just drop it, he pulled at the bill of his cap, searching for a way to change the subject. "Is the library open tomorrow?" Mary's head came up. She blinked, her eyes large behind her glasses. "You want to check out a book?" "Maybe," he muttered. "There's still stuff I can learn." "I didn't meant that, I just... Well, I didn't think you were interested in the library." "Don't make assumptions about people you don't know." Silence, and then, "I'm sorry." Her voice was very small, and he suddenly felt like a heel. "Don't be. I've been here two weeks, and haven't set foot inside. I'm the one who should apologize." He looked at her then, expression direct, holding a hint of contrition. "Oh, well..." she held the coat tightly where it bunched near her throat. And then she smiled. There was something about it, that lit up her face, wiping away the usual soberness and making her seem young. Which, she probably was. Gray just hadn't considered it until now. The awareness made him uneasy, and he stepped back, away from her. "Anyway, I'd better get back. The old man might leave early, and I locked the door," all said quickly, as if he didn't want to leave her room for argument. "Good night then." She was still smiling. Nodding abruptly, Gray spun on his heel, cutting the sand as he hurried away from her. It was that smile, the first genuine one he had received since arriving here, that stayed with him, following him into sleep. |