[Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine] "Harvest Songs: A Pastoral Tale"

[LimeSkeleton]

"Harvest Songs: A Pastoral Tale"
Book One, Chapter One: The Second Week of Spring

It was a small house, but no less charming for it. Single-storied and nestled in the gap between a group of gently sloping hills, the house was at once natural and civilized, exuding a kind of pastoral sleepiness that reinforced its coziness. A red-bricked chimney sprouted from the top, covered in a neat layer of green ivy, a few of which had begun to form tiny yellow blossoms. Farther down, the house's shutters were opened, allowing the cool, rolling breeze to waft through the well-lived, cluttered space that made up the house's inside.

Behind the house, a small pond, decorated with cattails and lilies and crossed by a tiny wooden bridge, took up the center of a beautiful garden. The midsummer sun, so recently reborn after Jade Irinka plummeted from the sky, shined on the succulent fruits and delicate flowers of the myriad plants growing within.

A gust of wind rustled the leaves of a chestnut tree, carrying with it the tranquil, lazy sounds of a gentle flute's song. A young woman tended her garden with loving care.

This was a house in Fortitude. This was Home.

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Alexander

Alexander opens his eyes sleepily as birdsong slowly awoke him from his slumber. Strangely, he initially finds he cannot see anything at all, save for a giant line of text directly in front of his eyes: "..inflection of the correct harmonic interval must be stressed on the third measure of a quar.." Confusedly, he moves his hands up to rub his eyes with his knuckles, dislodging the book of musical theory that he had dropped upon his face the previous night in the process.

"Oh. A book." He mumbles to himself stating the obvious. He rolls over to take a look out of the nearby window, and he sees several hours have passed since sunrise. "Must have fallen asleep while reading again... I guess I'll have to try standing up next time. Lying down makes it too easy." Alexander puts his hands on the windowsill next to his bed, and peers out into the garden his room overlooks.

Much to his chagrin, he sees that Rosalynd has already woken up, and has likely been tending the garden for some time now. "Darn! Overslept again. She never wakes me up, no matter how much I tell her I don't mind... I can't let her do all the work herself!" With that final, confident exclamation, Alexander springs out of bed like an eager housecat, but without any of the requisite grace. He collides with a folding music stand almost immediately, and sprawls across the floor, his face landing on a large pile of sheet music. He lets out a sigh of irritation. "At least my songs are good for one thing, then."

Without further antics, Alexander picks himself off the floor, dresses hurriedly, and dashes out of his room into the kitchen, and then out the back door into the garden. "Hey, Rosalynd! I'm here to help!" Alexander beams and walks to stand next to Rosalynd, his eyes scanning the array of flowers, vegetable-plants, and herbs that made up Rosalynd's bounty of botanical wonder.

I'm aiming for this Scene to be a "Shared Action" Scene.

Shared Action

Condition: Someone's doing something simple and honest (like gardening!). You're hanging out with them, socializing, or helping.

Reach out to them. Try to connect. This doesn't have to be a big deal. You do something, you say something. In truth, what matters most is actually the movement in your heart that says: I want to relate to this person!

[sgoelzhauser]

Rosalynd

Rosalynd is awake shortly after sunrise to tend to her garden. She considers waking Alexander, but she knows he had been up late studying music as usual... she thinks as a hint of a smile graces her lips, and therefore wants him to get plenty of sleep. She doesn't mind her solitude. The sweet birdsong and gentle breeze are company enough and make for a beautiful beginning to her day.

She looks at her little garden that she had started when she first arrived to Fortitude, and feels pleased with herself. The small garden is home to vegetable plants and herbs for their culinary needs, and others such as succulents and flowers that she grows purely for their appearance and sweet aroma. Her little plot of land is protected by a quaint picket fence and the little empty row near the back reminds Rosalynd of her hopes to start growing fruit, as well. Gardening is one of her greatest pleasures, because nurturing each of her plants gives her a healthy sense of purpose in this world, and seeing the plants flourish and thrive in her humble garden produces a satisfaction like no other.

Alexander calls out from behind her, offering to help her garden. Rosalynd turns her head towards him with a smile. "Oh, good morning, Alexander. Thank you for offering to help out. It means a lot." Alexander puts on the extra pair of gardening gloves in the small tool box and promptly begins weeding around the pepper and tomato plants next to Rosalynd. "So how goes your studying? I saw you were up late again," she adds.

He tosses the remaining weeds into her little wicker basket and walked over to trim off the brown and yellow leaves from the herbs. Rosalynd bites her lip and her brow furrows. I'll never understand why reading music theory till the early morning is more important than one's health, she muses.

[LimeSkeleton]

Alexander

Although the gloves are slightly itchy, Alexander enjoys the sensation of pulling them on; work in the garden is always so honest, so soothing, so... "Lyrical?" He accidentally blurts out the last thought, and his cheeks promptly blush pink with embarrassment. "Sorry, just thinking aloud... Heh..." He clears his throat as he bends to pluck a wayward weed from the bottom of a tomato plant.

"Yeah, I was up late, but it's all because of that darn song I've been trying to compose for the Flower-Viewing Festival. It's only three weeks away!" Alexander flourishes wildly at this last detail, sending a glove flying off his hand and onto a nearby bed of flowers. He hurriedly snatches it up and replaces it upon his hand. "Sorry! I've just been so worked up about this whole performance thing. You know how I've been trying to get a band together, right?" Alexander stoops and plucks a yellow leaf from a small pepper plant. "So far I've only managed to get Haruko on board, although he is a pretty decent drummer. He also works at the little convenience store right by where the performance will be, which is a plus. Apparently his store is supplying a bunch of soda and lemonade for the refreshments." Alexander pauses to sneeze into the crook of his arm.

"Anyways, as I was saying, I'm a bit overexcited about this whole thing, you know? Like...It's the first big performance I've had since we came to Fortitude from...you know...and I really want to make a good impression. That's why I've been studying so hard, or at least that's part of the reason." He pauses and gives a weak grin to Rosalynd before depositing the dead leaves and weeds into the wicker basket.

"Are you looking forward to the festival too? I bet your flowers could win first-prize, if you decide to enter the competition, of course." His smile changes from a weak one to a bright one, and he gestures sweepingly at the gorgeous blossoms surrounding the area.

[sgoelzhauser]

Rosalynd

Rosalynd surveys her flowers and wonders if they'd hold up at all in a competition. "Hmm...I never considered entering them, to be honest. I guess I never really gave much thought to the festival at all, but now that you mention it, it does kind of excite me." She turns and gives a cheery smile to Alexander. "I am excited to see your performance, though! I bet you will do great, and I'm sure you will find more people to join your band. Just be careful that you don't study so much that you fall asleep during the actual event!" She teases Alexander, something she doesn't do too often, hoping for a friendly reaction. Then she realizes that he mightn't understand her joke, and hastily adds, "Er, that was a joke, by the way. I didn't mean to come off rude. I was just trying to connect with you." Feeling slightly embarrassed by her series of statements, she turns her face away in an attempt to hide the blood rushing to her cheeks.

Awkwardly, she shifts her weight back onto the balls of her feet and stands up to fetch the watering can. "I hope I didn't hurt your feelings," she mumbles. Rosalynd is filled with uneasiness with the thought she might have just been mean to Alexander. How could you be so careless, she scolds herself, he is already stressed and pushing himself so hard about his music and you just teased him about it! She takes a shaky breath to collect herself, and picks up the watering can. It feels heavy in her grip, laden down by the weight of the water within, and she lumbers throughout the garden, sprinkling each plant with the life giving liquid.

Rosalynd finishes her watering in the floral section of her humble garden. She surveys her flowers once more. The orchids' delicate appearance reminds her of the complexion of a beautiful princess out of a fairy tale, the foxgloves of little bells whose chimes are too soft to hear, and the tulips, erect paint brushes dripping with the most vibrant acrylics. Relaxing her shoulder muscles that she hadn't realized she had tensed, Rosalynd's pale pink lips curl up into a smile as a small rare burst of pride surges in her breast. "I'm happy with how far my garden has come in just a month. I think maybe I will enter my flowers in the contest, Alexander! Even though I might not place."

[LimeSkeleton]

HG Post
Book One, Chapter One: The Second Week of Spring

The pair continues their work in the garden, the reborn sun shining on them, warming their skin. Although the work is by no means easy, the two youths find their minds and bodies relaxing. After all, work in Fortitude must be fruitful. Each and every plant is tended carefully, both by Rosalynd's skilled and delicate hands, and by Alexander's graceful (although somewhat less skilled) hands. The two fall into a comfortable, companionable silence, broken only by the sounds of their slow, tranquil gardening: the rustle of leaves, the soft plop of a footstep into soil, and the rhythmic, rain-like sounds of water from the watering can.

A cooling breeze floats in as the last of the weeds are pulled, the plants are all watered, and the air is filled with the scents of herbs and flowers. Somewhere nearby, a canary sings. Alexander instinctively turns and listens to the rustic music, and a smile spreads across his face slowly, as if he just realized something wonderful.

Breathing in the morning air, the pair takes a moment to appreciate their own hard work. Sometimes, a simple morning's work with a friend can matter just as much as the rebirth of a celestial body.

In Fortitude, maybe it always does.

I'll call that the end of the first scene.
Looks like Rosalynd earned a point of XP from her Basic Quest during that scene, as well as potentially a point of Xp towards "Connecting with Somebody," if she's choosing Alexander as her target.

I'd encourage you to pick an NPC for that though, so we can expand our cast of characters a little. :smallsmile:

Additionally, both characters will gain an XP for the "Shared Action" of tending to the garden together and connecting about the festival.

So, there's another scene that will happen at some point during this same week. We can say this first one happened on a Monday morning, and that the next will happen before the next week begins on the following Sunday. The three basic XP actions are "Shared Action," "Shared Reaction," and "Slice of Life." Most scenes will follow one of those three categories, although they won't always line up so well.

In fact, it's very possible that, for the next scene, both characters will be doing different things, since I'd like to try to get some XP for Alexander's Arc Quest ("Mental Training") by "studying something in nature," which can earn him a bonus XP. I might even try to get him a Basic Quest XP by making things 'Over the Top!" somehow.

Feel free to set up what Rosalynd will be doing for the next scene as well; it's very possible that they could start out doing very different things and then talk about them, which could make for a good "Shared Reactions" scene.

[sgoelzhauser]

Rosalynd

The renewed sun shines brightly upon Rosalynd as she navigates her way through the midday crowd in Fortitude's marketplace. Around her is the steady buzz of Fortitude's inhabitants conversing amiably with one another as they sell and buy wares, or strike up friendly conversation with neighbors. There are a plethora of shops surrounding her in the whimsical little square, and Rosalynd scrunches up her nose as she tries to locate the book store.

It has already been a month since her arrival in Fortitude, yet Rosalynd still feels she needs a map to know her way around. She thinks of asking someone for directions, but nervous butterflies take flight in her stomach, so she quickly changes her mind. She isn't acquainted with many people other than Alexander, but she feels determined to change that. "Aha," she mutters just as the book shop comes into view. Feeling relieved, she steps inside.

Rosalynd's greeting is a wall of cool air as she steps inside from the sunlight. Instantly, the musty aroma of the bound works of literature embraces her nostrils, and permeates the shop's air. Row after row of fully stocked bookshelves fill the store, going towards the back and out of sight. The Rosewood structures feel cool and smooth against her flesh as she trails her fingertips along the shelves and then the multitude of textures of the spines of the books. Rosalynd smiles and breathes deeply. I am home, she muses. If she wasn't gardening, cooking, or sewing, literature seemed to consume her. She thinks about all the secrets the pages hold, just waiting for her to discover them. As she wanders deeper into this safe haven, wondering what sort of book to buy to add to the growing library in her room (if she can even call it such), she suddenly collides with a barrier of squishy flesh with an "Oof!"

[LimeSkeleton]

HG Post

As soon as Rosalynd enters, she experiences the familiar transition of the busy, populous streets of Fortitude to the near-sacred noiselessness of the shop. The only sounds to be heard are the soft jingling of the bells on the front door, and the gentle rustle of wind on paper as a cool breeze flows into the store. The door shuts quietly, and the musty scents of old books, as well as some herbal scent (Rosemary? Rosalynd can't quite put her finger on it) fills Rosalynd's nostrils. Her feet move silently across the carpeted floor as she begins her exploration.

The bookstore, labeled "Mr Hacklemesh's Fine Reads," is dimly lit, with its few windows blocked by messy stacks of books. The shelves are well-stocked and brimming with various types of literature, but most are disorderly at best, and a few are in complete anarchic disarray. She notices one shelf where each and every book is upside-down, and another where the titles all begin with the word "Somewhere." She passes by a shelf completely filled with books on rare insects, their spines decorated with disgusting, multi-legged species. Strangely, as she has found in the past, the shelves never really seem to end; she's never seen the back wall of the store before, especially since the books become even stranger when she ventures further into the stacks.

Moreover, in all her visits, she'd only ever dealt with the tall, spindly gentleman who owned the building: Mr. Hacklemesh himself. He wore black suits and a top hat, and his long, thin mustache was somewhat unnerving. However, he always treated her well, even if he seemed far too keen on selling books about arachnids. This fact about the store's employ makes it all the more surprising when Rosalynd turns a corner around some shelves, and suddenly collides with another woman.

"Oof!" The woman lets out a gasp of shock at the same moment as Rosalynd, her eyes widening with surprise.

Immediately, Rosalynd realizes a few facts about the woman before her. First of all, she's clearly heavily pregnant, as her swollen belly indicates. Secondly, according to a nametag, she's an employee, and her name is Olesya Ivanof. Thirdly, her hair is a shade of bubblegum-pink.

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry. Are you all right, Miss?" Olesya's face fills with concern, even as one of her hands moves to rub her (very pregnant) tummy, over her apron. She looks over Rosalynd quickly, concluding that she's unharmed. "Don't worry about me either, Miss. I'm perfectly alright. I'm tougher than I look!" She smiles broadly and winks.

Olesya takes a moment to dust herself off more thoroughly, and picks up the book she had ddropped onto the floor. The cover reads "A Brief History of Marzipan" in glossy, gold-colored lettering."I didn't expect to see anyone in here today. It's my second day working, and you're the first customer who's come inside!" She laughs gently and puts her hand on Rosalynd's arm for a moment. "May I help you find anything? The shop's a bit of a mess, I know. I've been trying to organize the front, but it's been really difficult...I think we'd need everyone in Fortitude working together to even make a dent!" She gestures at a lopsided pile of books nearby, some of which have begun to mildew.

[sgoelzhauser]

Rosalynd

After the initial shock of not only meeting an unfamiliar person but colliding with them, Rosalynd releases the sharp intake of air and relaxes her shoulders. She smiles up at this woman-Olesya as her name tag read. This is it, she thinks, this will be my new companion!

"No ma'am, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I'm usually alone in here, you see, and I was distracted by the, uh..." She nervously glances at the books where her fingers still hover as if glued to the canvas spines and awkwardly lets her hand drop as she finishes, "the books." Rosalynd bounces up onto the balls of her feet with a small burst of energy before she rocks back down onto her heels. As she does, her sunshine blonde ringlets bounce with her, framing her pale face and rosy cheeks. "I was just searching for a new book, but nothing in particular. You said that you were trying to organize some of the books? If you'd like, I could help you. Maybe then I will come across the perfect book to buy today!" Rosalynd purses her soft pink lips and her eyebrows tilt up as she fails to mask the hope she feels at the prospect of connecting with someone new.

I'd like for Rosalynd to be able to help organize with Olesya, and in the process try to connect with her so Rosalynd can gain XP for a shared action and XP for her arc quest, "connecting with someone"

[LimeSkeleton]

HG Post

Olesya smiles warmly at Rosalynd, chuckling softly when the younger woman refers to her as "Ma'am." "Oh, please, just call me Olesya." She clasps Rosalynd's hand and shakes it firmly, but gently. "And what might be your name, Miss?" She then smooths her green apron, straightens her nametag, and brushes some of her short, pink hair from in front of her eyes.

As Rosalynd offers to assist with the books, Olesya's face displays a flash of incredible gratitude, before quickly changing to a more dubious expression. "That offer does sound incredibly tempting, but I'm not sure how Mr. Hacklemesh would feel about a customer doing my work for me, even if you're just helping..." She pauses, chewing her lip thoughtfully. Then, without warning, her face lights up again, and she clasps Rosalynd's hand excitedly. "I've got it! We could hire you to help out around here! Part-time, of course, but I'm sure Mr. Hacklemesh wouldn't mind another pair of hands working to organize these books. He's been saying that he wants to "Maximize order to maximize sales," but he hasn't put up a "Help Wanted" sign yet." She gestures vaguely in the direction of the shop's front door.

The pink-haired woman continues talking cheerily, shelving books as she does so, and occasionally pausing to gesticulate with a book now and again. "This will be so great! I'll have someone to talk to during lunch breaks, I'll finally be able to use that other book-cart that's buried under that pile of books on fishing, and we might even be able to get this place looking nice enough to make it really popular!" She waves about a book on massage techniques, pointing to various shelves and book-piles. "I've been thinking about putting all the "How-To" type books up front, so people who're learning to do carpentry or pottery or whatever can see them. I'd love to see more craftspeople and hobbyists coming in. Maybe we could even find a bookbinder to fix up some of these older books!" She beams, clearly caught up in the excitement of her vision for the bookstore.

Olesya pauses, and glances back at Rosalynd, her hand moving to cover her mouth. "My, I really have begun to babble. I have a bad habit of doing that, so feel free to tell me whenever I start." She scratches the back of her neck and gives an embarrassed smile. "Anyways, what I was going to ask was if you're interested in working here once in a while. The pay wouldn't be much, but Mr. Hacklemesh doesn't mind if you take a few books now and again, as long as you record which ones you take." She purses her lips in confusion, tapping her temple with her index finger. "Although it does seem odd that he would care, given how discombobulated his hoard is..." She shrugs as she places one last book in the shelf in front of her.

"Well, whether you'd like the job or not, I would appreciate some help with this next shelf. Mind giving me a hand?" Olesya smiles and places a hand on Rosalynd's shoulder, while gesturing at a blue shelf to the left. The books on it, although neat and orderly, are all shelved backwards, with the spine facing inwards. Moreover, each and every book is about the width of a cinderblock, and the shelf stretches up to the store's ceiling.

[sgoelzhauser]

Rosalynd

Rosalynd's bright grey eyes widen as she takes in the mass of such great books. "Wow the size of those books...this bookstore really is so disorganized, but I'd love to help you! My name is Rosalynd Skov, by the way." She smiles and shakes Olesya's hand. Rosalynd follows Olesya over to the blue bookshelf and tilts her head upwards to take in the sheer sight of the thing. She then wraps both hands around the closest tome, fingertips slipping on the heavy layer of dust, and tugs hard. She dislodges the book after some effort, and flips it around. It's spine read "The Encyclopedia of Tropical Fish."

Coughing up the inhaled dust, she looks over at Olesya who is already flipping her third book. "I wouldn't mind a part-time job here at all! It would be a really fun experience and I'd love the chance to get to know somebody new!" She shoves the book back onto the shelf, leaning her weight into it to get it to slide, and begins tugging out the next text, which was an encyclopedia on world mythology. "Maybe I could help with ideas on how to organize some of the books? Speaking of getting to know you though, when are you due, if you don't mind me asking?" Rosalynd blushes a deep rose color with her question, knowing that it is always risky asking a woman when she is due. But I'm just so curious... Looking to her left as she glances to Olesya, Rosalynd sees a spider dangling from the ceiling directly in line with her petite, upturned nose. Squealing, she takes the book on French Grammar in her hands and swings at the arachnid and smashes it against the next shelf with a thwak!

Looking up, Rosalynd giggles with embarrassment at her behavior. "Sorry! Bugs give me the creeps. I hate it when Mr. Hacklemesh tries to coax me to purchase books on spiders...bleck!" She pulls a tissue from her pocketbook and wipes the bug's remains from the book before she shelves it. Rosalynd peers at each title as she unearths book after book, hoping to come across something to pique her interest enough to buy. She continues with her conversation. "How long have you and your husband been in Fortitude? I just got here a month ago, and I understand it can take a while to get to know people, but I'm surprised I haven't seen your face yet."

[LimeSkeleton]

HG Post

Olesya smiles and nods at Rosalynd before beginning to work, her hands deftly removing, flipping, and re-shelving the vast tomes on the tall shelf. "Very nice to meet you, Rosalynd. I very much appreciate your help." She grunts as she removes a particularly large volume titled "The Complete History of Wheels" and replaces it with a great effort. She stoops over briefly, breathing hard.

She perks up when Rosalynd states her desire to work at the bookstore, straightening out her back and clasping her hands together excitedly. "Wonderful! I'll talk to Mr. Hacklemesh this evening, if I see him before I leave." She grabs another book and begins the process of replacing it. "It will be so helpful to have another person helping with this disaster, especially someone as industrious as yourself." She nods at the growing number of books that Rosalynd has organized.

Olesya smiles and pats her belly at Rosalynd's question, her voice proud. "I'm in my seventh month, so it shouldn't be too much longer. I think Dr. Matsumoto said the baby would be arriving by midsummer at the latest." she smiles wide again before letting out a small giggle. "I'm terribly excited. I've always dreamed of being a mother." Her hand continues rubbing her swollen tummy for a moment before returning to the grueling task before her.

She laughs heartily at Rosalynd's fright, nearly dropping the book from her hands. Her faces turns a;pologetic soon afterwards, however. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh. You should get used to the spiders, though; they're pretty common around here, especially farther back." She gestures towards the back end of the shop. "Mr. Hacklemesh says they help get rid of bookworms and pests and the like, so who am I to argue?" She shrugs and hefts the Korean Dictionary in her arms towards a high shelf.

At Rosalynd's mention of a husband, Olesya freezes up, dropping the Dictionary onto the floor with a loud crash! Her lips compress tightly for a moment, and her face grows pink. She quickly forces her expression into one of calm passivity. "It's just me and the baby, right now... My husband, Dimitri, passed away on our journey from the Outside to Fortitude." She gives Rosalynd a weak smile. "i'm living at The Friendly Clam, that little seaside inn by the docks. Madam Bouchard lets me stay for next to nothing, plus she's an experienced midwife, so she says she can help with the delivery, once it's time." Olesya glances over at Rosalynd, then bends down and retrieves the Korean Dictionary from the floor, shelving it carefully.

[sgoelzhauser]

Rosalynd

A deep hollow ache resounds in Rosalynd's chest when Olesya tells of her husband's passing. Eyebrows knitting together, Rosalynd's face contorts into an expression of empathetic sorrow, as if Olesya's pain is her own. "I...I'm so sorry..." she stumbles over her words. "If there's anything I could do for you, or anything you need, be it friendly company, someone to cover for you here at the book shop, or anything else, I'd be more than willing to assist." She gives a small smile to Olesya as she shoves another book onto the shelf in front of her. Rosalynd wonders how Olesya will manage with a baby without another set of hands to help her out, however Olesya's original excitement was contagious. Rosalynd smiles again as she works and says, I'm very excited for you, though. Having a baby should be a wonderful experience!"

Rosalynd wrenches out a particularly thick tome entitled "A List of The Caesars (And No, Not The Salad)" that is stuck on the shelf second from the bottom with a grunt. She coughs as dust and spiderwebs fly up into the air just as a thin typescript slips out from between the textbook's pages. After rubbing her itchy nose, Rosalynd looks down confusedly at the small book at her feet. She returns the cleverly titled book in her hands upright on the shelf, and bends down to pick up the one on the floor. Inspecting it, Rosalynd discovers that it is an old thing, with pages like the petals of a yellow rose and a musty aged aroma, its title being "A Guide to Writing Classic Poetry." She grins excitedly and looks over at her partner. "This is it, Olesya! This is the book I think I'll buy today. It's a little guide to writing poetry! I've been wanting to improve my writing, and imagine what fun writing poetry would be!"

By this time Olesya and Rosalynd are about finished organizing the bookshelf. Rosalynd surveys their work proudly: all the books were now shelved with their spines facing out. Feeling accomplished with her work and excited about her new book, she bounces up onto the balls of her feet again, and rocks back down to her heels. She turns her sparkling grey eyes to Olesya and smiles warmly. "I'd really like for us to be friends."

In case it hasn't become clear yet, I'm trying to incorporate the word "rose" into each post in reference to something in Rosalynd's surroundings. Partially for a little bit of fun/a challenge and partially because Rosalynd could have spent some time existing as a rose before coming to Town and Fortitude. Still playing with the idea.

[LimeSkeleton]

HG Post

Olesya gives Rosalynd another warm smile, and touches her arm lightly her free hand. "Thank you, Rosalynd. I really appreciate that." After a moment, she clears her throat and continues shelving, a small smile still on her features. As she stands on her tiptoes to shelf a book on the top shelf, her face turning red from the effort, she continues speaking, albeit in a bit of a strained voice. "Wonderful! I definitely wouldn't mind being able to take a day off here or there, if only to rest myself a bit/"

As the little slip falls onto the ground, she watches Rosalynd with bemused interest. "Interesting choice...I didn't even know we had books that small in here." She glances at the title with mild interest. "Well, I think I can just give you that one for free. Maybe just pick up a book on spiders to make Mr. Hacklemesh happy." She laughs and rolls her eyes (not in a mean-spirited way, however), and continues her work.

Olesya wipes the sweat from her brow as Rosalynd shelves the last book, grinning at the newly organized shelf. "I think we already are friends, dearie." She puts her hands on the small of her back, applying pressure in some attempt to relieve an ache. "And I have to say, you're a pretty great coworker too!" She laughs and pats the blonde-haired girl on the back.

The pair continues working for a while, passing away a sleepy afternoon in the cool musty bookshop. They continue chatting about inconsequential things as they shelf, re-shelf, organize, and otherwise reduce the chaotic mess of the store's books. By the time both women are ready to leave, they've made a substantial dent in the area closest to the door, which now looks nearly presentable. Telling her to return for a schedule the following week, and handing Rosalynd a slip with the address of the inn she's staying at, Olesya departs in a cheery mood, walking slowly down the sleepy road toward the sea.

Rosalynd exits the shop, and watches as the older woman strolls quietly along, her frame slowly fading into a silhouette against the brilliance of the setting sun. A breeze brings the smells of lavender and freshly cut grass to her nostrils, with just a hint of the scent of the ocean. The moment sticks with her.

Aaaannndd...Scene! I'm gonna call that a Slice of Life scene, overall, I think, so that's an XP in the group pot. Additionally, I'm guessing Rosalynd earned at least one XP from her Connecting to Someone Quest, so you should mark that down as well.

Now that I think about it, Rosalynd kinda has an opprtunity to take on another Basic Quest here. Called, like, "A New Job," or something to that effect. Up to you whether you want to make it a Quest or not. I can send you the stats and whatnot for it.)

Now, since the scene is over, we're going to move ahead to the Third Week of Spring for the next Scene. Only two weeks until the flower-Viewing Festival!