Fandom 𝓜𝓪𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓥𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓰𝓮--(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ a harvest Moon role-play ♥

[Leaf Fi]

Camellia
Interactions/Mentions - Sybela

Camellia overreacted big time to the straw; after the gentle impact, her hands shot up and scrambled to catch the falling plastic, much like a cat fighting to grasp a toy in its paws. Once secured, she lowered both arms to bust level, about to scold him for such rudeness, but the words never came out; the bottle had been emptied of its contents, Caden's knuckle brushing across his lips. He was now in her debt and her eyes sparkled at the thought. There was truly no escape for him now.~ So, with this in mind, she'd let the straw thing slip, just this once.

After placing the straw back in its home, she wiped her somewhat wet (but thankfully not sticky) hands on her dark blue jeans before grasping his wrist. "Follow... Wait." Her lips pursed as she stared down at his sleeved forearm, then the bare one, then back to the sleeved. Two looks going on at the same time? No, no, that wouldn't do. Without word or warning, she began to push back against the fabric, a little surprised at the resistance she met further up the arm, but no matter: with the two sleeves now somewhat even, his look was now perfect. "There."

Now, usually, when Camellia tried to 'fix' something in a person's appearance, she failed. Horrendously. She couldn't keep count on how many times buttons have flown off shirts, buttons being placed in wrong holes, smudges turning into great big marks, laces being tied together or zips getting caught or even worse, breaking off completely. Usually, people would be kind, telling her not to worry or accepting her offers to fix whatever she had broken, but Caden... He was evil... He'd ruffle and ruin her hair, smudge soot on her nose or cheek, give her a glare so terrifying that it would send her running off screaming apologies... Yet, she never learned; he wasn't a touchy-feely kinda person, especially with no coffee in his system, and while she knew that, sometimes... Her hands just kinda moved on their own accord... 9/10 times it got her in trouble, but today, it seemed like luck was on her side!

... But what if he wanted his sleeves down...

It had taken her so long to get her beanie sitting just perfect... She couldn't risk it; instead of holding onto his wrist to guide him through the crowds, the redhead slipped her arms around one of his, beaming a bright smile up at him full of innocence and warmth. As long as he considered it cute, he wouldn't mind, right? Right! Everyone loved a cute woman! And with his arm in her possession, he couldn't pull off the beanie and mess up her hair! Proud of both her achievement and cleverness, she began to lead the way.

"You know the games area, right?" She asked rhetorically, "Well, this year, they have a strength test! ... Thing. You know, the thing where they give you a big hammer and you have to hit something? They have that. Usually, I'm not all that interested in that kinda thing, but this year... They actually have good prizes. Like... If you hit the bell, then they give you a huuuuuge dolphin. Like, almost the height of me, kind-of big! I really, really want it. So, that's where you come in!" Her eyes twinkled in excitement. "If you could win it for me, I'd be... Like... Forever thankful and grateful and just...! Really, really happy! You'll do it, right? Please?"

 

[Leaf Fi]

Marcus
Interactions/Mentions - purplemarble Sybela


New Year's Day... One of the most exhausting days of the year by far. Even though it was the first of many to come, the start was always the roughest; from 12am Marcus was still on the job, guiding drunk villagers home, making sure no one hurt themselves or any brawls would start, then after minimal sleep, he would awaken earlier than usual to run over to the festival as it set up, helping out when needed, then chasing off anyone that arrived too early. After that would follow a long day of standing around, making sure everything was running smoothly, nothing was stolen, nothing purposefully was broken and diffusing the occasional argument from tired parents or someone with a little too much drink in their systems. Thankfully, his fellow villagers of Maplewood rarely caused a fuss, and if he needed to talk to them it was usually just a friendly conversation they'd initiate, but those that came from outside... Well, that's where the bother came from. Marcus considered himself good at his job and very level headed, but on days where there's not enough sleep in his system and he's got barely any time to eat out, let alone cook for himself... Those kinds of days had to be navigated through carefully so as to not get overwhelmed mentally, physically and emotionally. Over the years, it's gotten easier to admit this to himself and accept the help when needed, but... At the same time, he didn't want everyone fussing over him either; that'd just lead to an eventual breakdown. So, depending on the day or event, he would turn to different people, but usually, it fell to one; Fiona.

As a regular to her cafe, Marcus would say that he had developed a close relationship with the bubbly woman; nothing romantic but a deep friendship. To him, Fiona was like a daughter or a close sister, someone you wanted to make sure was happy and content. She knew him and his different moods and states, knew when to talk and when to leave him be with a coffee and something sweet, and those nonverbal conversations between them both was... Just something special. Plus, she absolutely adored his rabbits, and they enjoyed her company too, so that made him happy.

Marcus was never good at opening up with people, being real and talking about weaknesses or his 'needs'. Sometimes, people could infantilise him once he opened up like that, and it would upset him deeply. So, to have Fiona understand and just do whatever he needed without question or another word said? On those hardest of days, she was absolutely godsent.

So? For this morning, he had contacted her a few days back to explain the situation; he needed her to feed his rabbits and make sure they were right as rain as he helped out, and she immediately agreed. What he hadn't told her was a time to arrive (he knew she wouldn't leave it that late), so when he was leaving at 6:15, he was extremely surprised to find both Fiona and Adelaide at his doorstep; he other woman wasn't a surprise to see as she was a close friend of Fiona's that loved to help out whenever she could, so he never minded when she was called in as an extra hand, what WAS the surprise was the time and the bag Fiona held in her hands. As Adelaide moved inside, the other placed the bag into his hands with a smile, "Enjoy your breakfast!" He could still hear the words hours later and he found a soft smile tugging at his lips. It was just like her to know that he hadn't eaten at all back then. He was glad to have someone like that around him.

... Unlike Camellia, who he had to scold for causing a scene.

A sigh passed escaped his mouth as he exited the games area, his fingers rubbing between his brows. The noise over there was unbearable... But at least it seemed all was calm and good now. He'd head back after an hour or so, or when his ears stopped aching... His hand slipped towards the back of his neck to rub at the skin and ease his senses and heart. Slowly, he walked around, his gaze flickering around the crowd and between the stalls, making sure that no one needed any assistance or help. Then, after a lap of the general area, he caught sight of the two from earlier this morning. He blinked, gratitude flooding his system. With once last look around to make sure everyone was fine, he then made his way over to the two women, calling their names as he approached. "Hey! It's good to see you both!" He offered a smile in greeting, "I never got to say it before, but thanks for this morning. I really appreciated both of your help." He told them in a sincere but somewhat awkward tone, his smile turning a little more sheepish. "I, uh... The bunnies, they're alright, yeah?" Marcus added quietly.​

 

[screaming armadillo]

Interactions: thorspuddingcup​

It was a little surprising to learn that the ladder lord was actually the inn lord part timing as a banner lord. The reason was not because Tobias was apparently so dizzyingly powerful, but rather due to the blue eyed man simply being so young. In his mind, Davie had come to imagine inn owners as older sort of folk. Grey haired, worldly people who like to hear about other people’s lives was what he pictured. This fresh-faced man around his own age was needless to say, not what he expected. Despite this entirely unimportant detail Davie had already decided that he liked his new boss and was going to do his best to make a great first impression.

He started by giving a handshake that dangerously toed the line between notably and annoyingly energetic. Shakes were a bit too formal for Davie’s taste but he decided to hold back a little this time. “Glad to meet ya Tobi! I’m your new cook.” Grinning giddily he finally let go of Tobias’ hand about three seconds too late. So far so good!

When asked about his favorite neck warmer Davie gave a considerable pause for thoughtful consideration before replying with a simple, “I’unno” and a lazy shrug that momentarily bothered Daisy. After a couple seconds of silence he decided to add onto that very descriptive answer, “She just likes it up here for some reason. Just a lazy pup. Ain’t that right Daisy?” Daisy was more interested watching the crowd however she found the time to flick her tail in just a way to harmlessly brush Davie’s face.

“So what’s today’s plan Boss?”

 

[thorspuddingcup]

Tobias
Tobias knew he was rather young to be the owner of an inn. He even told the previous owner, who had bequiethed the inn to him, as much. "Nonsense." Mr. Saxby had said. "Anybody, at any age, can run an inn. To run a good inn, you have to have the soul for it. And you, Tobias, have the soul of an inn-keeper." So, here Tobias was, not even halfway to thirty, with the ownership of the Mapletree Inn and Pub under this belt. Not bad for somebody who never even graduated high school he thought.

Davie shook Tobias' hand enthusiastically, with some extra shakes for good measure. This, along with Davies manner of speech and pet (named Daisy. Adorable) draped around his shoulders, told Tobias he would be a very interesting person to work with. That wasn't a bad thing. If anything, it made Tobias happy that the inn and pub would have some more life and energy about it.

"I'm glad you're here. Loosing our old cook was a shame. I've been doing the cooking in his absence until the position was filled. I wouldn't say my cooking was awful, but it's a relief to have somebody actually experienced in the art here now." Tobias dropped Davie's hand and pushed the ladder out of the way of the entrance. "Allow me to show you around. Daisy can come along, of course." Tobias held the door open for Davie and his companion. "I imagine you must be tired from your trip here. I do have a large meal planned to celebrate the New Year, and I would like your help preparing it later if you aren't too tired."

The front door opened up into the foyer of the inn. There was the customary reception desk, along with a few sagging armchair's arranged in front of the stone fireplace. Off to the right, an archway set into the wall led into the pub. The dining area was empty, as the town was all gathered outside to celebrate. The inn had always felt cozy to Tobias ever since he arrived. But since becoming the innkeeper, Tobias tried his best to make the place seem as homey as possible.


Mentions: screaming armadillo

"The finest landscape in the world is improved by a good inn in the foreground." ​

 

[screaming armadillo]

Interactions- thorspuddingcup ​

Hearing his job called an art was practically surreal, so much so that Davie ended up having to stifle a giggle. Of course this wasn’t because he disliked what he heard or thought Tobi was silly for saying it, just for whatever reason it reminded him of how another person described his work. ‘Functional chaos with a dash of maddening energy.’ Or something like that. Being his first day and all, Davie decided to keep his mouth shut about that little detail. Besides, art sounded better anyways.

As Tobi moved the ladder out of the way, the cook took the opportunity and put Daisy down before rubbing his shoulders while the pup lazily performed a big stretch. First the back, then the front with a yawn. Both finished their routines around the same time and entered the inn, however only one gave a cheerful, “Thanks!” to Tobi who was kindly holding the door. The other just offered a slow wag of a tail while trotting along.

The wagon didn’t say or do anything except roll along but it was probably thankful as well.

Once inside Davie recalled the nice lady that used to cook at the inn. She would hand out cookies to the kids and a certain brown haired boy often came back for seconds. Maybe thirds. He suddenly wanted to know if she was the one he was replacing but held his tongue. That’ll come later, for now he gave a quick look around not particularly concerned or even aware of the minor details. It was clean and cozy so that was all he needed. Returning his attention to Tobi, he rather enthusiastically waved a hand to dispel any concern that may or may not exisr, “No worries Boss I never get tired. That's kinda my thing y'know?” He paused, did some incredibly complex mathmatizationaling to figure out if he could go on a friend search before work but decided on cutting to one of the points, “‘Bout how big of a feast are you planning? Might need to do some prep work unless you've handled everything.”

 

[thorspuddingcup]

Tobias

"Well, on a good night here we usually have around twenty-five to thirty people. With the celebration I was hoping to draw more. To be honest I wouldn't expect more than sixty. Maybe even somewhere in the eighties if we are really lucky." Tobias shrugged. "Small town."

The pub's dining area was decently sized. On the far wall hung a faded sign from the fire department declaring no more than one-hundred people should be in the room at a time. The yellowing paper had been hanging there since 1984. Worn wooden tables of varying sizes to accommodate parties containing any number of people were strewn about the floor. The back of the room housed the bar, which was used more frequently by the locals than the restaurant itself. One of the recent additions brought on by Tobias's reign over the building was a sign posted above the bar painted in bold red font that could be read from anywhere in the room: "Staff have the right to refuse alcohol to a customer if they believe the customer will become a harm to themselves or others."
Some of the older pub patrons were upset by Tobias's new rule. But despite their grumblings, he wasn't going to go back on his word. After having grown up in a house where substance abuse was prevalent, Tobias wasn't going to allow it on his property if he could help it. The last thing he wanted was drunken people going home and taking out their inebriated rage on their families and neighbors.

"The kitchen is through here." Tobias opened up the metal swinging door to the shiny metallic room. There were some odd's and ends scattered on the counters, as well as a large ham left to thaw out. "I was planning on just a nice and simple, yet comforting, ham dinner. I think ham symbolizes good luck in some cultures? Anyways, I was going to start prepping around noon-ish. Again, if you need time to get settled, please do take it. I don't want you to burn out right away."

Mentions: screaming armadillo (ooc: at work, no image. don't think anyone cares, but just letting you know.)

"The finest landscape in the world is improved by a good inn in the foreground." ​

 

[purplemarble]

Fiona Nightfall
Mentions: Leaf Fi Sybela
Interactions: Leaf Fi Sybela​

A beer cracked open. A tipsy Fiona took a swig and declared:

"New Year, new Fiona! (Hic!) That's it! I won't be late anymore. Nope! No sir! This is it, this is the (Hic!) year when it's finally going to happen! I can feeeeel it!"

Those were her enthusiastic words on New Years Eve; a promise she intended to keep until… The next morning.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEP

"Uuuuugh…" Fiona groaned as she slapped her alarm clock to snooze for another 5 minutes. She still felt woozy from the night before, the heaviness in her head and eyelids attested to that. The alarm rang again and she hit snooze one more time, like the sleepyhead she so clearly has always been. She fell back into a half asleep state and then, into a dream...

She saw herself flying over Mapletree Village, soaring, brushing her hand softly over the freshly grown tree leaves she could reach, feeling the cool air flowing through her long brown hair. It was so lucid that the girl wasn't exactly sure wether she was in the real world or not, regardless of the lack of logic of her being able to fly. After wandering in the clouds, as she got ready to land and go home, the sky became dark as night, and she saw a tall shadow standing at her doorstep. It was knocking at her door. Quietly at first, then louder, and louder… And the silhouette grew bigger and bigger…! Fiona felt her heart race as the tingling sensation of fear ran down her spine.

Knock, knock, knock…

The shadowy figure turned around slowly, and looking her dead in the eye, it revealed its face, and lo and behold, it was a… Rabbit?!

Its eyes were blood red, its mouth filled with bits of carrots and lettuce dangling out as it chewed. A strike of thunder hit and Fiona woke up abruptly with a gasp. Those wild dreams of hers sure never let her down on the quirkiness or the strangeness. Yet, suddenly…

A knock, again.

"Are you kidding me?!" she exclaimed.

More knocking.

Louder.

Louder.

"Oh my Goddess, is this it?" she thought. "Am I stuck in dream land forever? Is this another dimension? I bet I'm in a coma or something, and I'll never wake up…! Oh gosh… Please don't let me be in dream land..."

The girl hesitantly walked towards the door, holding her breath without noticing. She cautiously creaked the front door open and looked out with a single eye... Oh! Adelaide. And she was not a giant rabbit. Great! Whew! Real life at last!

"About time!" Adelaide quipped. "I've been knocking like a madwoman for the last 10 minutes! We have to go to Marcus' house for the bunnies, remember? You're the one who wanted to go so early!"

Fiona paused for a second as the image of the giant rabbit emerged again in her mind. Shaking it off, she replied, "Right! Sorry! Do you have the lettuce and carrots?"

"Yes ma'am!" Adelaide confirmed. "Let's go."

Fiona did a 180 turn and ran to her refrigerator. "Wait! I almost forgot the strawberries. There." She opened the door to step out and heard a discreet chuckle.

"And to change out of your jammies too," Adelaide said with a cornered smirk.

Fiona looked down at her Hello Doggy(™) PJs and fuzzy slippers, smiling sheepishly. "Whoops."

After she finished changing and washing her face, Fiona swallowed a couple painkillers, took the bagged breakfast she had prepared the evening before and grabbed the spare key Marcus lent her. Then, the two girls left to head out to his house. While walking, they caught up on the shenanigans from the night before, sharing many laughs.

Fiona exclaimed, "can you believe that Mathias nearly got sick from drinking? I never saw him so pale - I mean, more so than usual - I can only imagine how much he drank to get to that state! I didn't think it was possible, it's a miracle that the man hasn't turned into a giant grape at this point!" She laughed but quickly put her hand to her head as she winced from the pain. "Ouch…"

Adelaide giggled, "headache?"

"Ugh, yes," Fiona replied in a grunt.

"Here, have some water. I brought a bottle," passing it over to Fiona.

"Oh my Goddess, you're just the best. Thank you so much," said the barista as she audibly gulped down the water.

Adelaide was a true friend; always kind and patient enough to help her out. She also counseled her extremely well about caring for the bunnies. Fiona never really had to look out for an animal aside from the cats back home at her mother's, so at first she was clueless about everything when it came to wild or farm animals. The two women had always been close, but Fiona enjoyed learning about all these things she had no knowledge of before moving to the village. She felt like it brought them even closer. It only added to the charm of the place Fiona called home now.

As they arrived at the police officer's house, Fiona politely knocked on the door. "Marcus, are you there? Good morning!" She slid the key into the lock and quietly opened the door. She nearly hit Marcus as she did so: he was just about to leave himself. Whew! Caught just in time. Seemingly looking fresh as ever (keyword "seemingly", she certainly didn't feel like she was anything but a huge blob on legs at that moment in time), she chimed: "Happy New Year Marcus!" as she leaned in to hug him in a big squeeze. "Enjoy your breakfast!" she added, putting the paper bag in his hands. "Now you're good to go. Have a nice morning, I'll see you at the festival in a few hours!"

 

[screaming armadillo]

“Mmmm.” He stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner considering things only a Davie would, “That’s ‘bout what I was expecting in my little peaksies of the town. Yeah yeah this won’t be any problemo Boss.” He gave an emphatic thumbs up with an all too confident expression given the task.

Strolling through the inn the young cook broke out in a grin seeing the same old worn out sign that had been around since before he was a wee little Davie. Why his eyes landed on it was a mystery but an odd sense of relief came over the cook upon seeing it. Looks like the Boss knows history when he sees it, Davie nodded in agreement with his own thought. Were the tables the same? Hmm maybe, just to be sure a mental note was made to check under the real big table for a yellow smiley face. One of those times it was probably a bad idea to leave a permanent marker around children, but it did become “his” designated spot. So it all worked out in the end.

Moving onto the bar Davie took the opportunity to quickly check it out. Not because he was a heavy drinker, though he would certainly make occasional appearances, but simply because this was a room he was never allowed in. Naturally the sign over the bar was noticed but caused no sort of reaction. Just seemed kinda obvious. In the end it was just a typical bar and not at all what little Davie had expected. Kind of a bummer but he kept it to himself and continued following Tobi to the kitchen.

He nearly entered even giving another, “Thanks Boss.” before suddenly halting, then spinning on a single heel to find and point at Daisy while somehow slipping out of the rope one handed, “Sorry Daisy but you can’t come so guard the wagon.” He sounded genuinely apologetic about it while the pup plopped down with a little huff. That being that he went through the doors immediately beginning to familiarize himself with everything while Tobi gave the rundown. “Ham?” His voice echoed from within the oven he had half his body in, “Sounds good boss! I don’t really know anything about good luck but people will eat it.” Pulling himself out he moved on to the dishwasher and one may have wondered if he was going to stuff himself into it as well. He didn’t, only giving a cursory glance. “Noon sounds like a plan. But I’ll probably take a little time to look around a bit. Get a feel for the town y’know?”

Interactions: thorspuddingcup ​

 

[purplemarble]

Fiona Nightfall
Mentions: Leaf Fi Sybela
Interactions: Leaf Fi Sybela​

Fiona saw the fatigue in Marcus' eyes as he spoke; she had nothing but sympathy for the man. He diligently watched over the village day in, day out, everyday, so that everyone in Mapletree could sleep soundly at night. She very well knew he worked extra hard at the turn of the year where in between moments of celebration, people often let themselves get a little too loose. Fiona saw her share of hooligans and awful customers back in the city at a time when she was shuffling between jobs, and even though they were few and far between, it upset her every single time she had to throw patrons out. How Marcus kept his composure in far more stressful situations than simply rowdy customers, Fiona couldn't tell…

Hmmm… Though there was one time when she did witness him losing his temper. Last summer, a tourist caused a scene in her coffee shop - they yelled at her because she was out of almond milk. Marcus got up from his chair so suddenly that it fell to the ground right on its back. Fiona had seen him annoyed or frustrated before, but this time he looked so upset that if she hadn't known her friend better, she would have been scared. People couldn't tell as well as she did, though. And they were scared for sure. Despite his somewhat gruff looking exterior, seeing the emotions emanating from Marcus' eyes was something Fiona learned to decipher along the way, as she befriended him through his regular visits at the shop. Usually she would keep an eye on her customers albeit discreetly - she always enjoyed discovering everyone's little quirks. But Marcus… She just couldn't stop herself from observing him with great curiosity, and boy were there things to see…

Evidently, as soon as the chair hit the ground, the entire shop fell quiet. The officer slowly took his badge out from his jacket's pocket, sunshine sending its light back across the small golden star resting on its leather pouch. He flashed it to the capricious man and the gleam hit him right in the eye. Without a word (but with a rather... informative stare), Marcus pointed towards the door. The tourist let out a sound that was something of a nervous gulp, then walked out. As the police officer followed, he put his chair back up and tucked it under the table. "Sorry about that," he said. Before closing the door, he looked at Fiona and smiled. She smiled back and mouthed a "thank you so much."

...

Back to the present after replaying the scene in her mind, a tiny smile found its way to Fiona's lips.

Some parts of Marcus remained a mystery, but what she was aware of was that often times, he was too busy to think of basic needs like food and drinks - aside from coffee, that is. Now, Fiona understood that it annoyed her friend when she worried too much about him, yet she always felt compelled to ask him if he had eaten anything every time they crossed paths on days when he didn't show up at the café. It was certainly a rare occurence, but Fiona knew that when he didn't show, he most likely didn't eat. More than once she actually grabbed Marcus by the arm to "forcefully" take him to the café so he could get a decent meal. I mean, how is one supposed to protect and serve with a growling stomach?

"Oh, no need to thank us, you know we're glad to help the best officer of the village! Everyone is doing just dandy, don't worry. Adelaide helped me clean up the cage and we gave everyone double doses of petpets, I'm sure it was triple even! And I brushed Bella, she's sooo soft! How're you holding up?" she asked as she gently rubbed his arm by his shoulder.