A Job Well Done Chapter Four
Title: A Job Well Done Ch. 4
Author: Butterscotch
Fandom: Harvest Moon
Wordcount: 2088
Characters: Lillian, Mako, Kana, Georgia, Howard
Pairing(s): Lillian/Mako
Genre: Romance
Warning(s): age-difference
Master post
First part
Previous part
Ch 4
“Hey, Mako! Where are you going so early in the morning?” Kana called out. He was outside, taking care of his horses. Though it had stopped snowing, it was still bitterly cold outside, but Kana was wearing a sleeveless shirt. He always claimed to never be affected by the cold and dressed in the same manner all year round.
Mako walked over to the fence, his feet crunching in the snow.
“Good morning, Kana,” he replied. “I'm on my way to Lillian's farm.”
“At this hour?”
“She injured her ankle yesterday,” Mako explained. “I am on my way to see how she's doing and to assist her with her chores.”
“Aw, man, that bites. About Lillian's ankle, I mean, not your helping her,” Kana said. He paused for a moment, then went on. “Doesn't she have livestock?”
“Yes,” Mako said with a frown. He knew next to nothing about animals.
“Hey, if you want, I can totally help out.”
“I would appreciate that. Thank you.”
“No problem. Just let me finish up here. It'll only take a sec.”
Kana quickly finished his chores. While most people in Konohana were focused on plants, Kana was an animal lover and had a number of animals. Some of them were his own pets, while others were offered for sale in his store. He was probably the only person in all of Konohana who would know how to milk a cow and Mako was grateful for his offer to help.
Lillian had managed to get dressed and feed her pets, after that she decided to wait for Mako, since her ankle was starting to bother her again. She was sitting at her table, with her cat on her lap, drinking the medicinal tea when she heard a knock at her door.
“Come in!” she called.
“Good morning, Lillian,” Mako said as he and Kana walked in. “How is your ankle this morning?”
“It hurts a bit,” she admitted. “Hello, Kana.”
“Hey, Lil!” he said. “I'm here to help too!”
“Oh, thank you! I... do need some help with my livestock. I already fed my pets, but there's so much to do...”
“What needs to be done?” Mako asked.
“The cow and the sheep need to be brushed. The dogs will take them outside to graze, so they don't need to be fed today. The cow needs to be milked and I think the sheep is ready to be shorn. Ivy still needs some training with the chickens, so they'll need to be fed inside. Oh and please give each animal one of these treats,” Lillian pulled four crackers out of her bag and handed them to Mako. He looked a little overwhelmed by all that needed to be done, but Kana took it in a stride.
“I have a brush, but I'll need to borrow your milker and shears,” he said. She handed them both to him and the two men headed outside. The dogs followed. They had quickly taken to Kana, but they were still unsure of Mako.
“How did you know that Lil had hurt her ankle?”
“Oh, I had posted a request on the message board. When she was bringing me the items I asked for, she slipped on the icy path,” Mako explained. “I can't help but feel at fault, so I want to help.”
Kana nodded in understanding, unaware that there was more to the story than simply wanting to help.
By then the dogs had brought the cow and the sheep out. Kana showed Mako how to brush them. The animals liked Kana, but, once again, they were skittish around Mako.
“Give them the treats,” Kana said, taking the crackers out of his pocket. “They'll come around.
The cow calmed down enough to allow Mako to milk her, but sheep was still wary of him. Kana decided to shear her himself and suggested that Mako go in the barn and take care of the chickens.
The barn was small and dimly lit, but not at all unpleasant. It was clean and smelled more of fresh straw than anything else. There was a faint whiff of dung in the air, but Mako did not mind the smell. He sometimes cow manure for his fertilizer, and was used to the odor. The two hens were sitting in the very back, clucking softly. Unlike the other animals, they did not mind Mako's presence. He collected the eggs, and gave each hen a treat. They allowed him to gently pick them up. By the time he was finished, Kana was done shearing the sheep and the two men went back inside.
“Should we ship these for you?” Kana asked, holding out the milk and wool.
“Can you please put them in storage for me?” Lillian asked. She looked a bit troubled.
“What is it?” Mako asked.
“I was supposed to to take some milk to Howard...he runs the cafe in Bluebell. He put a request on the message board and it's due today,” Lillian explained. “I feel so bad about letting him down...”
“I will deliver the milk for you,” Mako replied.
“Oh, no, you don't have to do that!” Lillian protested. “I wasn't hinting. And you've done so much for me already-!”
“I insist,” Mako said firmly. Lillian hesitated a moment, then handed him the request. It was written on paper with a pink floral pattern and the hand-writing was elegant and neat, except that Howard dotted his I's with little hearts.
Mako had been to Bluebell only once in his life, when he was a young man. Things had changed in the village somewhat, he noticed, but it was largely the same as he remembered it. The town was shaped like a U, or, Mako suddenly realized, like a horseshoe. Unlike Konohana, Bluebell's streets were paved and the houses were somewhat closer together. The scent of the air seemed different as well, not just the scent of animals, but something else, Perhaps it was simply the difference in the plant life on this side of the mountain. As he drew nearer the first house, he slowed, unsure just where the cafe was. Had it even existed the last time he'd been to Bluebell? He looked around. The nearest house had a small corral out front. A young woman with red-brown curls was gently brushing one of the horses.
“Excuse me!” he called out to the woman. “I'm looking for the cafe. Can you help me?”
Georgia stared. She had sometimes seen Mako at the cooking contests and though she didn't know his name or anything at all about him, she knew he was from Konohana. Aside from Lillian, Dirk and the triplets, few people traveled from village to village. Georgia would have been just as surprised to see Nori or Reina, though probably not so intimidated. Remembering her manners, Georgia manged to stop gawking and answer.
“It's right north of here. Just past the fountain.” Mako noticed that her accent was different from the rest of the citizens of Bluebell. She climbed over the fence. “Here, I'll show ya.”
“Thank you. You are very kind.”
“What brings ya to Bluebell?”
“I am here on Lillian's behalf. She has twisted her ankle and cannot walk. She is quite anxious to complete a request she took on, so I have come to complete the delivery.”
“Is she all right?” Georgia asked anxiously. Mako was touched by her concern and smiled at her.
“She is in some pain, but I do not think the injury is a serious one.”
“That's a relief,” Georgia replied. She grinned up at Mako. “You're a real nice guy to go out of your way to help her like this. Oops, here's the cafe!”
They walked inside. The cafe was much larger than the tea house. The decor was done in the Bluebell fashion, which Mako had expected. However, he had not anticipated how different the smell of the cafe was compared to the tea house. Here, the smell of fresh-baked cakes filled the air, while the air of Yun;s tea house was heavy with more savory smells.
“Are you Howard?” Mako asked the man standing behind the counter. As Georgia had known Mako by sight from the cooking festivals, Mako also recognized Howard by sight. They had never spoken or even stood near each other and Mako was a bit surprised to realize that Howard was slightly taller than he.
“I am!” Howard replied cheerfully. “What brings you to my cafe? Have you come all the way to Konohana to try my cake?”
Before Mako could reply, Georgia answered. “Lillian's hurt herself! She twisted her ankle and can't walk. So her friend from Konohana is helpin' her with her requests!”
“Oh dear! Is Lillian all right?”
“She will be fine,” Mako reassured him.
“That's a relief. The poor, dear girl!” Howard said, sniffling dramatically. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at the corner of one eye.
“Lillian was quite upset at the idea of not completing your request and disappointing you, so I am delivering this on her behalf,” Mako said, handing Howard the milk.
“Oh, thank you so much!” Howard replied. “There's this recipe I've been dying to try and- well, I can't say anything else. It's for the contest.”
“I understand completely,” Mako said with a grin. “But I do believe Lillian is owed some compensation for this milk?”
“Oh, I nearly forgot!” Howard walked over to a nearby cabinet and rummaged around a bit. He finally removed a few cans of tea and handed these to Mako, as well as some money. Then, although it wasn't listed on the request, Howard also gave Mako a large, beautifully decorated cake.
“This is something extra for Lillian,” he explained. “Please tell her to get well soon.”
“I shall.”
“Tell her “howdy” for me,” Georgia added.
“Please send Lillian my regards as well” added a blonde woman. Mako had not noticed her sooner, but Laney had been in the room the whole time, quietly listening while she baked a pie.
“I shall,” Mako repeated and then grinned. “It seems that Lillian has many friends in Bluebell.”
“Oh, everyone adores her!” Howard gushed. “I've been trying to get her to move here for ages.”
“She is much beloved in Konohana as well,” Mako replied. “If she were to move, she would be greatly missed.”
Over the next few days, Mako fell into a routine. In the mornings, he went to Lillian's house and helped her with her chores and he spent his afternoons and evenings working on his research. He soon began to look forward to visiting with Lillian each morning. After the second day, Kana no longer helped, but the animals seemed to accept him, though only the cat and the hens seemed to actually like him.
Once word of Lillian's injury spread, her friends supplied her with food. Besides the tea and cake Howard given her, nearly every person in Konohana had brought over a meal or a snack for Lillian, and one day, Dirk came to her house with a big care package from her friends in Bluebell, stuffed with cakes and fancy cheeses. Even Mayor Ina took time out of her busy schedule to bring Lillian some leftovers. Lillian was grateful, but she had more food than she could possibly eat, so in the mornings, after he finished the chores, Lillian shared her food with Mako.
In the cold winter mornings, Mako appreciated the food and hot tea that Lillian prepared for him. He appreciated the company as well. They say together at her table and talked of many things. Most often, Mako talked of his research project. He was making excellent progress on it and hoped to have it done in early spring.
“You must promise to use it on the potato you enter in the vegetable contest!” he said one snowy morning.
“Oh, umm...” Lillian stared down at her cup of tea.
“What is it?”
“Well I...was thinking of moving to Bluebell in the spring,” Lillian murmured.
Next Part
Author: Butterscotch
Fandom: Harvest Moon
Wordcount: 2088
Characters: Lillian, Mako, Kana, Georgia, Howard
Pairing(s): Lillian/Mako
Genre: Romance
Warning(s): age-difference
Master post
First part
Previous part
Ch 4
“Hey, Mako! Where are you going so early in the morning?” Kana called out. He was outside, taking care of his horses. Though it had stopped snowing, it was still bitterly cold outside, but Kana was wearing a sleeveless shirt. He always claimed to never be affected by the cold and dressed in the same manner all year round.
Mako walked over to the fence, his feet crunching in the snow.
“Good morning, Kana,” he replied. “I'm on my way to Lillian's farm.”
“At this hour?”
“She injured her ankle yesterday,” Mako explained. “I am on my way to see how she's doing and to assist her with her chores.”
“Aw, man, that bites. About Lillian's ankle, I mean, not your helping her,” Kana said. He paused for a moment, then went on. “Doesn't she have livestock?”
“Yes,” Mako said with a frown. He knew next to nothing about animals.
“Hey, if you want, I can totally help out.”
“I would appreciate that. Thank you.”
“No problem. Just let me finish up here. It'll only take a sec.”
Kana quickly finished his chores. While most people in Konohana were focused on plants, Kana was an animal lover and had a number of animals. Some of them were his own pets, while others were offered for sale in his store. He was probably the only person in all of Konohana who would know how to milk a cow and Mako was grateful for his offer to help.
Lillian had managed to get dressed and feed her pets, after that she decided to wait for Mako, since her ankle was starting to bother her again. She was sitting at her table, with her cat on her lap, drinking the medicinal tea when she heard a knock at her door.
“Come in!” she called.
“Good morning, Lillian,” Mako said as he and Kana walked in. “How is your ankle this morning?”
“It hurts a bit,” she admitted. “Hello, Kana.”
“Hey, Lil!” he said. “I'm here to help too!”
“Oh, thank you! I... do need some help with my livestock. I already fed my pets, but there's so much to do...”
“What needs to be done?” Mako asked.
“The cow and the sheep need to be brushed. The dogs will take them outside to graze, so they don't need to be fed today. The cow needs to be milked and I think the sheep is ready to be shorn. Ivy still needs some training with the chickens, so they'll need to be fed inside. Oh and please give each animal one of these treats,” Lillian pulled four crackers out of her bag and handed them to Mako. He looked a little overwhelmed by all that needed to be done, but Kana took it in a stride.
“I have a brush, but I'll need to borrow your milker and shears,” he said. She handed them both to him and the two men headed outside. The dogs followed. They had quickly taken to Kana, but they were still unsure of Mako.
“How did you know that Lil had hurt her ankle?”
“Oh, I had posted a request on the message board. When she was bringing me the items I asked for, she slipped on the icy path,” Mako explained. “I can't help but feel at fault, so I want to help.”
Kana nodded in understanding, unaware that there was more to the story than simply wanting to help.
By then the dogs had brought the cow and the sheep out. Kana showed Mako how to brush them. The animals liked Kana, but, once again, they were skittish around Mako.
“Give them the treats,” Kana said, taking the crackers out of his pocket. “They'll come around.
The cow calmed down enough to allow Mako to milk her, but sheep was still wary of him. Kana decided to shear her himself and suggested that Mako go in the barn and take care of the chickens.
The barn was small and dimly lit, but not at all unpleasant. It was clean and smelled more of fresh straw than anything else. There was a faint whiff of dung in the air, but Mako did not mind the smell. He sometimes cow manure for his fertilizer, and was used to the odor. The two hens were sitting in the very back, clucking softly. Unlike the other animals, they did not mind Mako's presence. He collected the eggs, and gave each hen a treat. They allowed him to gently pick them up. By the time he was finished, Kana was done shearing the sheep and the two men went back inside.
“Should we ship these for you?” Kana asked, holding out the milk and wool.
“Can you please put them in storage for me?” Lillian asked. She looked a bit troubled.
“What is it?” Mako asked.
“I was supposed to to take some milk to Howard...he runs the cafe in Bluebell. He put a request on the message board and it's due today,” Lillian explained. “I feel so bad about letting him down...”
“I will deliver the milk for you,” Mako replied.
“Oh, no, you don't have to do that!” Lillian protested. “I wasn't hinting. And you've done so much for me already-!”
“I insist,” Mako said firmly. Lillian hesitated a moment, then handed him the request. It was written on paper with a pink floral pattern and the hand-writing was elegant and neat, except that Howard dotted his I's with little hearts.
Mako had been to Bluebell only once in his life, when he was a young man. Things had changed in the village somewhat, he noticed, but it was largely the same as he remembered it. The town was shaped like a U, or, Mako suddenly realized, like a horseshoe. Unlike Konohana, Bluebell's streets were paved and the houses were somewhat closer together. The scent of the air seemed different as well, not just the scent of animals, but something else, Perhaps it was simply the difference in the plant life on this side of the mountain. As he drew nearer the first house, he slowed, unsure just where the cafe was. Had it even existed the last time he'd been to Bluebell? He looked around. The nearest house had a small corral out front. A young woman with red-brown curls was gently brushing one of the horses.
“Excuse me!” he called out to the woman. “I'm looking for the cafe. Can you help me?”
Georgia stared. She had sometimes seen Mako at the cooking contests and though she didn't know his name or anything at all about him, she knew he was from Konohana. Aside from Lillian, Dirk and the triplets, few people traveled from village to village. Georgia would have been just as surprised to see Nori or Reina, though probably not so intimidated. Remembering her manners, Georgia manged to stop gawking and answer.
“It's right north of here. Just past the fountain.” Mako noticed that her accent was different from the rest of the citizens of Bluebell. She climbed over the fence. “Here, I'll show ya.”
“Thank you. You are very kind.”
“What brings ya to Bluebell?”
“I am here on Lillian's behalf. She has twisted her ankle and cannot walk. She is quite anxious to complete a request she took on, so I have come to complete the delivery.”
“Is she all right?” Georgia asked anxiously. Mako was touched by her concern and smiled at her.
“She is in some pain, but I do not think the injury is a serious one.”
“That's a relief,” Georgia replied. She grinned up at Mako. “You're a real nice guy to go out of your way to help her like this. Oops, here's the cafe!”
They walked inside. The cafe was much larger than the tea house. The decor was done in the Bluebell fashion, which Mako had expected. However, he had not anticipated how different the smell of the cafe was compared to the tea house. Here, the smell of fresh-baked cakes filled the air, while the air of Yun;s tea house was heavy with more savory smells.
“Are you Howard?” Mako asked the man standing behind the counter. As Georgia had known Mako by sight from the cooking festivals, Mako also recognized Howard by sight. They had never spoken or even stood near each other and Mako was a bit surprised to realize that Howard was slightly taller than he.
“I am!” Howard replied cheerfully. “What brings you to my cafe? Have you come all the way to Konohana to try my cake?”
Before Mako could reply, Georgia answered. “Lillian's hurt herself! She twisted her ankle and can't walk. So her friend from Konohana is helpin' her with her requests!”
“Oh dear! Is Lillian all right?”
“She will be fine,” Mako reassured him.
“That's a relief. The poor, dear girl!” Howard said, sniffling dramatically. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at the corner of one eye.
“Lillian was quite upset at the idea of not completing your request and disappointing you, so I am delivering this on her behalf,” Mako said, handing Howard the milk.
“Oh, thank you so much!” Howard replied. “There's this recipe I've been dying to try and- well, I can't say anything else. It's for the contest.”
“I understand completely,” Mako said with a grin. “But I do believe Lillian is owed some compensation for this milk?”
“Oh, I nearly forgot!” Howard walked over to a nearby cabinet and rummaged around a bit. He finally removed a few cans of tea and handed these to Mako, as well as some money. Then, although it wasn't listed on the request, Howard also gave Mako a large, beautifully decorated cake.
“This is something extra for Lillian,” he explained. “Please tell her to get well soon.”
“I shall.”
“Tell her “howdy” for me,” Georgia added.
“Please send Lillian my regards as well” added a blonde woman. Mako had not noticed her sooner, but Laney had been in the room the whole time, quietly listening while she baked a pie.
“I shall,” Mako repeated and then grinned. “It seems that Lillian has many friends in Bluebell.”
“Oh, everyone adores her!” Howard gushed. “I've been trying to get her to move here for ages.”
“She is much beloved in Konohana as well,” Mako replied. “If she were to move, she would be greatly missed.”
Over the next few days, Mako fell into a routine. In the mornings, he went to Lillian's house and helped her with her chores and he spent his afternoons and evenings working on his research. He soon began to look forward to visiting with Lillian each morning. After the second day, Kana no longer helped, but the animals seemed to accept him, though only the cat and the hens seemed to actually like him.
Once word of Lillian's injury spread, her friends supplied her with food. Besides the tea and cake Howard given her, nearly every person in Konohana had brought over a meal or a snack for Lillian, and one day, Dirk came to her house with a big care package from her friends in Bluebell, stuffed with cakes and fancy cheeses. Even Mayor Ina took time out of her busy schedule to bring Lillian some leftovers. Lillian was grateful, but she had more food than she could possibly eat, so in the mornings, after he finished the chores, Lillian shared her food with Mako.
In the cold winter mornings, Mako appreciated the food and hot tea that Lillian prepared for him. He appreciated the company as well. They say together at her table and talked of many things. Most often, Mako talked of his research project. He was making excellent progress on it and hoped to have it done in early spring.
“You must promise to use it on the potato you enter in the vegetable contest!” he said one snowy morning.
“Oh, umm...” Lillian stared down at her cup of tea.
“What is it?”
“Well I...was thinking of moving to Bluebell in the spring,” Lillian murmured.
Next Part