Ace Farmer

Intent on the object of the crowd’s attention, the hand outstretched toward her was a little startling at first. Blinking, Forte took the other’s hand. The shorter woman, Claire it seemed, gave off a sense of kindness that couldn’t be ignored. People in foreign lands didn’t normally come right up to her, but Forte could definitely appreciate the other’s friendliness.

“My name is Forte,-“ before she could continue though, she caught the purpose for Claire’s introduction. Eyes widening for a moment, she paused. This woman needed a partner for the cooking contest. Cooking. Contest. Every muscles tensed up, every memory of a kitchen explosion or fire replaying in her mind. There was a reason she was banned from cooking at home. It was hazardous. Now this girl was asking for her help though, and she was torn.

“I am,” she swallowed, admitting something like this always stung, “I am not very good at cooking.” She searched the other’s girl’s face after saying so, suddenly feeling guilty, “I am unsure of how helpful I can be to you, but I can try my best.”

Unable to resist a call for help, Forte would simply make extra sure she didn’t make a disaster out of this kitchen. And she would definitely keep Claire out of harm’s way, too.

“I think you ought to have more faith in yourself, Forte.”

Perhaps that was a bit corny for someone who Forte had just met, but Claire was always so forward with her feelings. If it came down to sheer will power, there was nothing that one couldn’t change if given the opportunity to grow. And by the way she paused, it seemed like this bud had been trying for quite some time now. Besides. If there’s anyone that’s going to drag us both down I think it’d be me, Forte. But that wasn’t what she had come here to say. Snapping her fingers to the stage, all set up prettily with the newest cooking wares, Claire snapped her gaze back at Forte for a moment.

‘I trust you, yknow. Since you were so kind as to help me--” Claire paused, scratching the back of her head with a lopsided smile to her. Forte looked like the sweet type-- or rather? The type that genuinely wants to be sweet. Not coated in sugar, no, but rooted in something deeper. Claire couldn’t make up her mind quite yet, what that was. “--it’s only fair that a fair partner such as yourself gets someone who gives it their all too!”

Gesturing for the girl to follow her, Claire made it up to the stage and handed her an apron. Now, should she warn her partner of the eminent explosion dangers or should she just wait on that? Ah.. hahahah.... Goddess, maybe she should have thought of the girl’s well being over trying to participate in a heated contest. But she couldn’t help it, sometimes-- that kindled flame inside her chest kind of just consumed what it wanted to. And competitions were always calling her name. 

“Uhm... just so you know, I’m actually-- err. Well if something happens, please stand back, okay?”

@confelicitous

The Fireside Festival was such a great trip and Elli was thankful for Claire suggesting Elli to go in the first place. So much in face she was going to make Claire breakfast as her way of saying thanks. All her favorite breakfast food that a farmer would love. At least, Elli hoped it would be. 

Elli didn’t want to leave Claire’s house a mess in the kitchen (nor did she want to haul all the ingredients to the woman’s house) so she made sure to invite Claire over. She was due to arrive any minute and Elli flipped the last flapjack onto a large stack. 

She looked over the food. Scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, pancakes, with all the condiments one would want for them. But the variety didn’t just stop at the food. She made sure to have plenty of fresh milk, orange juice, and champagne to add in. 

Right on queue she heard a knock at the back door for the bakery, the one for house guests rather than bakery customers.  Elli quickly opened the door with a bright smile. 

The way she walked, with her shoulders slouched in and her expression downtrodden (for a ghost of a moment, mind you) was enough for Claire to remember that for a couple of nights on end. The Fireside Festival was fun! Incredibly so. But that Grand Treasure Hunt gave her a glimpse of Elli that Claire wanted to reach out to, to give her a place of solace where she may have needed it.

"Hello, hello! Is the greatest baker on this face of the planet in?" But she supposed that keeping her company was solace, was it not? An invitation for breakfast, was one thing. But one with all the bells and whistles of someone who knew how to put love into her secret recipes was another. As soon as she was let in, her eyes followed the graceful little bob of Elli's hair as she opened up. But her nose-- Oh boy, her nose, followed something else. The decadent smell of a breakfast feast, a la Elli's Bakery.

Pressing her hands together, Claire could feel the stars strike her eyes. Delight didn't cut it sometimes. She felt downright spoiled, as though she was invited to a gourmet banquet of sorts. "Oh, Elli, that smells delicious! Did I ever tell you that the Goddess would feel blessed to come to one of your feasts?"

@confelicitous

Forte didn’t often make the journey Razalune, she didn’t really like being away from her home, and Razalune felt odd to her. She wasn’t all that magically inclined, but the air still felt different here. Usually the only time she made the trip was to help Bado, and if she had the time, of course. It was getting toward the end of the year when her new trainees would have to hold their own for a while anyways. She couldn’t send them off to their stations without testing them first.

This time she was looking to pick up some blacksmithing materials they might not be able to find in Adonea. At any rate, for as much as she nagged at the man, she did want him to be successful and was willing to help him be so. She nagged, and helped, out of love. Though she might never admit it.

For all things holy in this world, Claire was one girl who should never lay hands on a pan. Or pot, or any reverential cooking utensil if this side of Mineral Town could help it.  It wasn't necessarily just for her safety... but rather, it was for the safety of everyone around her-- lest they want their eyebrows singed off lovingly. Haha, not that she could help it! There was never a lick of hesitance when it came to new challenges, so it was a matter of time before she picked up the fryers and tried, tried again. And what was better than a town cooking contest?

But. The catch here was that she needed a partner. And fast. Ohhhhhhh boy... Taking a quick glance about, none of her friends would look her in the eye-- or well, the ones that were here in the audience wouldn't, anyway. Okay, okay. There must have been SOMEONE in this place that would accept her hand if she held it out. Snaking around the crowd of on goers, she just had to--

"Hello there! The name's Claire and it's nice to meet you!" Bringing out a warm hand, she shot a lopsided smile in the direction of the closest person who would look her way. And just her luck! A new face around these parts, with a sharp posture and eyes that could cut glass. The sunlight reflected on Claire's face, taking in the same warmth that caught like a candled light on a cold day.

With a good ol’ summer wrap up, our Fireside Festival has come to a close! The great out doors are just the right place to… fight a bunch of bees, seduce a bear, be jumped by a man in a dog suit– wait. That doesn’t sound ANYTHING like a camping trip? 

In any case, Mimi and Levi should probably think twice before hosting another one of these odd events. But hey, at least the Adventurer’s Guild got what they wanted right? With the Zephyr Blade in tow, the two went for a cup of tea and were on their way. 

What’s so special about a branch anyway?

All chatrooms will come to a close today! If anyone wants to continue a thread (and wants it as part of the document) feel free to send in a Google Doc and we’ll edit the document accordingly. Otherwise~

Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop.

“………..”

He only had a matter of minutes to patch up the hole before the rain storm hit. Sadly the best he could really do was really rough only half way put up wood patches… Even more sadly, a Carpenter he was not, and it was clear his half way put up patch only fixed the problem about…. What, 80%? There was still a number of places where water was leaking down to the floor where the rug had been seconds before he rolled it up and moved it elsewhere…. Now he wished he had even MORE buckets just to handle the leaks, because setting up the shovel to catch them HAD to be a health hazard SOMEWHERE.

Sadly, this was the best he could do on such short notice.

Oh well, glass half full, at least those seeds were getting plenty of water.

….. But even still, glass half empty, he was living in a house with a leaky roof and no heating.

Which was why he was curled up in his blanket just watching the water leak from the roof and plop down onto the shovel and the cups he managed to find in the cupboard… He’d need to figure this out pretty soon though, otherwise he’d probably be in trouble.

—————————-

Something he doesn’t realize however as he stays curled up inside his house is that he had left his farming tools outside in the pouring rain, the watering can catching more then it’s fair share and even overflowing…. But that wasn’t important.

What WAS important was that the farming tools had been left outside.

No-one in that area had seen the farming tools left outside in a good long while. Not even out in the rain.

It had been a long while since Claire had visited Leaf Valley. Something about the rain made her yearn for travel. And hey, given the amount of time cut from her crop watering, she just ended up picking up the spare hours, dusting them off and going about her way-- where ever the rain took her to. And surprise, surprise. It was always nice to see this homey, warm-front of a district. Pulling out her umbrella and hopping out into the rain, Claire was just happy to find puddles beneath her feet. 

Nobody in the right mind would prance about in the rain like this but. Hey. Who ever said she was in the right mind about these things, anyway?

Humming to herself, she skipped from puddle to puddle, ripples cast underfoot. The church, the lake, the hardware store-- Claire figured she’d eventually find refuge under one of those roofs if she could help it. Buuuut, it never hurt for her to go the roundabout way to finding shelter. (For who found shelter right away when the rain was readily pouring down, like a pretty gift from the Goddess.) Cutting the corner, she peeked into the next little plot of land with simple-hearted admiration. It looked like whoever owned this farm was just trying to figure the whole ordeal out, but they were headed in the right direction.

Strolling lightly past fertilized pastures and laid-out crops, Claire twirled her umbrella in a soft hint of nostalgia. How nice. She had been a farmer for two years now, but it was always a sweet reminder that everyone had to start somewhere. Teasing a leaf off a flower for a second, she squatted down with her umbrella overhead. Pretty.

But at the change of perspective, realization hit her square on the head. Whoever this person was, they forgot their tools outside in the rain! Goddess-- she could only empathize. She wasn’t one to let things like that slip her mind easily, but when she did, all she was left with was a stockroom full of rusty tools. Collecting as many as she could in her hands and rucksack, she rushed to the farmer’s door.

Waiting for the right moment to greet the person, she appraised the tools with a good bout of warmth. “Hey! Is anyone in there? You kind of forgot your tools outside and I think it’d be a good idea to take them in--”

As soon as the door opened, Claire’s eyes lit up in familiarity. Oh! She had seen this guy before-- What was his name again? 

@confelicitous

It had been a while since Ann had experimented with cooking or even hung out with actual friends. Her life had consisted mostly of tending to the customers that came and went. As for her diet, she mostly ate whatever was left in the kitchen at the end of the day. 

A certain blonde farmer she knew also had a problem with not eating enough. So, she insisted that they make some food together. There was no problem a little (or a lot) of food couldn’t fix! Previously, they had arranged this and when the day came around, Ann had agreed to pick up some groceries. 

“Alright, I got the ingredients!” Ann called out from the hallway of the door. She had around four bags, two on each arm, full of groceries to make some poke and pies. The heaviest thing she carried was a tray of food so this put a bit of strain on her wrists and arms. She just had to make it to the kitchen. 

She shuffled over as fast as she could and placed the bags on the counter, taking a deep breath after doing so. She placed her hands on her hips and turned to face Claire. “Let’s get started, yeah?” 

“Ann! Got the kitchen set up-- Wh, whoa, do you need help with that?” Bright-eyed and rearing to go, she made a heavy start to help the poor girl out-- but her bud made it to the kitchen in the blink of an eye. Sigh. As stubborn as ever, Claire sees. Bouncing back in a moment’s notice, she shot her fiery friend a toothy grin-- her expression just brimming with that good ol’ impassioned spirit of hers. Giving Ann a little fist pump to flag this momentous event (their 10th... 15th.. uh... give or take 18th try?) Claire couldn’t help but laugh aloud. 

“Yeah! With you by my side, come what may-- we’ll get through, right?” She spoke as though they were going to perish an excruciating death.

Haha..... hahahahahhaa.....

Well. Everything would be fine. Claire just knew it in her heart. Setting aside the flour bag for Ann, Claire slid the cutting board onto the counter. Flour bags. Her greatest enemies. Incidences 2, 5, 7 and 12 had one too many flour mishaps-- so many, that she was sure Ann would never let her touch a sack of flour again. Thank the Goddess for soft resets. And sweet friends. Without either she’d probably be a goner with nothing to her name but some half burnt cookies. “I’ll start cutting the apples and melting the caramel, okay Ann?” 

That was simple enough. She directed her attention to the unwrapped caramels, plopping them into a top pot of warm milk and stirring. Looking away from the pot, Claire whistled as she picked a pretty pair of apples to cut up. With a steady hand she whisked away at an apple, peeling it in ease as though she’d be handy with a knife all her life. (Or she had wasted enough bandages to learn better.) Slicing them cleanly, Claire rubbed her itchy nose with the crook of her elbow. You’d think she’d be a bit more thoughtful, since that knife was still in her hands but...

“How’s life been treating you?” Putting the knife down, they were both in the clear. For now. Without noticing a thing (she was always a lick too close to danger anyway), Claire moved on to the cinnamon and sugar. Checking the recipe she had taped all over the kitchen, Claire measured the spices just so. With a tip of a few teaspoons, the spices rolled in with the apples and she cleared her second stage.

@confelicitous

As night fell in Mineral Town, the Phantom Thief found his way to the town’s farmhouse. The little dog that ran around the place was sleeping peacefully in the wooden house by the barn and Skye took the chance to sneak inside of Claire’s home to help himself to the usage of her kitchen. He, of course, brought his own ingredients along with him. He wasn’t about to just use all of Claire’s home-grown crops without her permission. He knew what had happened the last time he did. 

He got to work making a small batch of curry, utilizing the newest ingredient he’d acquired: apples. He’d heard of curry being made with apple in it, but he’d never tried it until now. Hoping it’d be the missing element he’d been searching for, he added the ground up fruit to the pot, stirring it into the slowly-thickening curry. Just before the food was done, Claire returned home and looked to Skye with shock. 

“Hello, beautiful. I hope you’ve worked up an appetite after running around all day~”

You’ve got to be kidding me. 

“Skye if you were to pick a Goddess and pray, do you think she’d hear you?” Her eyebrows knit like a bad crochet project for a moment, wondering exactly where her frustrations ended and her patience picked up the loose pieces. She was weighing her options, over the Goddess-forsaken smell of curry sizzling by the oven. If there was one thing Claire couldn’t particularly stand, it was blatant crime-- and breaking and entering was definitely a violation in her book. Even if Skye was practically harmless, she felt like he was always waiting to sweet talk his way out of things. Sighing, she nonchalantly strolled to her utensil drawer, as though she had reclined to her curry-crusted fate. 

That is. Until she brandished a fork near his face.

“For the last time-- you can come and visit anytime if I invite you, Skye.” She was rather exasperated, but her patience was something that the Divine didn’t even want to compete against. Another sigh. He was pretty fortunate (probably bribed Lady Luck with a kiss, huh?) that she didn’t pull out a sickle or watering can or something. Poor Mayor Thomas didn’t have it easy the first time he smacked her in the face with a blatant scam. “If you break in again, you will legitimately never hear the end of it.” 

Or never hear from her again. She didn’t know what would be the worse option for his starry majesty...

“Can’t you just promise to be good? It’s really not that difficult to knock.” Wielding her fork and twirling it like she was putting his fate on a weighing balance, she decided to let tonight be. Without a second thought, she took a smooth jab into one of the apples bits floating about and popped it in his mouth, in a crude manner unlike herself. Pivoting on her toes, Claire turned away from him and began to pull out a pack of microwavable noodles for herself.