HARVEST MOON: Life in Moonrise Valley [IC]

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Soulserenity20

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  • Autumn 07, 9:30am-10:00am
    Weather: Light Rain, Warm Forecast
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    Deep in the Woods of Memories there lies a small mountain village, flourishing off the industry of the town. Moonrise Village is filled with the bustling souls of its youthful community as they work together to sustain their cozy lifestyles on the land of their forefathers. New faces make their appearances from time to time, but one special face hasn't been seen in many years.

    The Harvest Goddess, by whose grace the land was gifted bounty and fertility, has left the lands in the hands of the villages. Her magic sustained the mountain village for more than 4 decades but as time passes, the winters grow longer and the other seasons are less vibrant, as if losing their very vitality.


    What mischief lurks in Moonrise Valley, and can the townsfolk work together to protect their home from falling to ruin?

    [SOON TO BE POSTED]
    -Character face's to be used at the top of each post like an in-game sprite to make it easier to see who's speaking and with whom.

    REMEMBER:

    Post your character's name, location, and the time of day at the top of the posts. Try and keep the times rather consistent to allow for easier gameplay!

    SAMPLE:
    Shade Lumina, Lumina Ranch House, 6:00am



    Let's begin our story, shall we?


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This little post spot is reserved for the collab of Lily, Fawn and Kaleb pre-time skip! This note will be replaced with the collab once it is finished, sorry for any inconvenience!​
 
Ryder Chantilly, Moonrise Inn, 6:10 pm
Ryder was on his way from the beach to the town after finishing fishing. Catching two more fish to his collection and having no work done on his boat. As he got the letter from Kyumi shortly after finsihing, he had to quickly get dressed into his casual attire before heading off to the meeting. The meeting that Ryder read from the letter was being held in the Moonrise Inn by the mayor of the town, Iris Blackmore. He also had Clover's cat, Mingming, following him. Seems like Clover couldn't find him, that or something happened and she had to wait til later to find her lost cat. Anyways since she'll most likely be at the meeting, perhaps Ryder can return Mingming to Clover at the meeting.

As Ryder entered the inn, Ryder noticed that the couches were set next to each other, from comfy sofas to wooden chairs. There were many pictures hanging on the wall from famous painters and photographers. Ryder seemed like he was the first to make it to the meeting, outside of possibly Ryan or Iris. Ryder walked on the wooden floor and took one of the comfy sofa that had enough room for two people and sat down calmly on the sofa. Mingming jumped onto Ryder's lap and laid on there. "Meoooow~" Mingming happily said as it looked at Ryder. It seemed to have gotten close to the fisherman thanks to the small loaf of bread Ryder fed her. Mingming also wondered where her owner was and why she hasn't come to find her yet. Mingming laid there as she waited for something to happen. Ryder petted her softly as he waited.​
 
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[ Lily | Clinic ~ Inn | 5:50 ~ 6:00 ]
Interactions: None
Mentioned: Fawn, Kaleb, Clover
Today was an alright day; she had been walking around a bit so that she could check up on everyone; and after that, she decided to deliver a few sweets around and about. Health desserts, of course. For the rest of the day, she had been using the time to look at the different herbs that she had found and collected. Not only that, but she was able to go buy a bag of carrots for Echo. She was actually thinking of saving up money, to buy herself a horse, since she traveled a lot, and she would much prefer riding a horse rather than walking from one side of the town to the other multiple times a day. She had already gone out to meet Kaleb this morning as well, and spent the majority of the day with him, just to make sure that he was doing alright and that he were settling in. Around four o'clock, she had left his house, but she was planning on coming back around the later evening. Maybe she was acting like some sort of mother, but she was always worried about people. That guy just came back from rehab, so of course she would be paying attention to him.

Then the memory of what Clover had said from this morning popped up, making her face flush a bright pink color. Gosh darn it. He wasn't a bad person though. Pretty silent, and blunt, but he wasn't a bad person. She was just a little more worried, seeing he were a carpenter. Oh well.. He should know how to handle himself, and she was a teeny bit anxious that he might find her annoying if she kept nagging him about trying to stay healthy and getting rest. Speaking of, he would probably be seeing Fawn at the Grocer, or Fawn might walk with him unless they were to both go separately. She was pondering over if she wanted to go with Clover, but she was worried about being late as well. Oh well.. She could go on her own.

....

Then she found herself walking to Kaleb's house. I mean, you can't just leave him there, can you? He just came back this morning, and she felt terrible if she were to leave him like that. God damn it Lily.

Before she could continue, she changed her course for the Inn, eventually reaching the building and walking in. It didn't look like there was anyone there yet; or she just got there rather early. The note had told her to be there by 6 o'clock, but she had the tendency of arriving early. She had found a seat in the Inn, and it looked as though the others would be arriving at 6:15. Sigh.. Oh well.. it's just fifteen minutes.
 

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Chance Harveston, The Bar (Have yet to name), 6:05-6:11 pm

Spending almost the entire afternoon unloading drink barrels from the delivery truck, Chance finally sat to rest in one of the chairs in the dining area of the bar. Glasses and bottles need to be unpacked. He thought, as he looked over at the empty shelves on the back wall behind the counter. He still had much to do before he'd officially open up the bar, but he was anxious to get everything done by tomorrow afternoon. After taking a short break, he stood to pick up a box of personal belongings that was waiting next to the open door. Better get this upstairs... He prepared to walk away, but noticed a letter with shoe prints outside of the door that had been unnoticed by him the entire day.

A village meeting? Chance thought, and folded the letter closed after reading. He currently had a lot on his plate from move-in day and all, so he felt a bit unsure about attending. Meh, I should go. Seems important. Once deciding this, he made his way up the stairs to open up the box on his bed frame. Sitting on the top of folded clothes within the box was a journal which kept all of his personal notes and ideas. He would decide a hiding place for it later, but kicked it under the bed for now. Once unloading the clothes into his dresser, he left the room and left the bar while locking up behind him. Remember, flip the sign. He referred to tomorrow, as he noticed the 'Closed' sign by the window.

The warm evening wind swept through his hair as Chance made his way toward the Inn. He knew where it was, because he had stayed there once before when he was interested in buying the bar. It was actually just a short walk passed the library, which was convenient to him. On the way, Chance retrieved a cigarette from his pocket and lit the end while sheltering the flame with his hand. Taking a relaxing inhale in, Chance tried to forget about the stresses of moving for the time being. I oughtta make it there in time. He checked the clock before he left, and he had a few minutes to make it there according to the hands.

Once arriving to the Inn, Chance hesitated a moment to raise a fist for a knock at the door. Once he decided that it probably wasn't necessary, he opened the door with a creak and stepped inside. Chance looked around to discover that he was only like the third to arrive, and he was pretty sure the town was a lot more populated than that. He avoided eye contact with the others for now, and stood off in the corner after burning his cigarette out onto his pant leg out of consideration. From what he had noticed at first glance, there was a man with samurai-like hair with a hairy cat and some girl with long flowing locks. He was almost convinced it was Rapunzel's daughter.


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~As he waits for the meeting to start, he envisions how the bar area will look after he finishes putting things into place~

 
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Clover White, Inn, 9:45 AM -- 6:12 PM
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Clover went down the path towards the beach, her heart pounding hard against her chest with each step she take. She was getting incredibly worried for her cat. True that Mingming usually plays hide and seek for hours but somehow, today's game made her worry. If Mingming went to the beach, there's a possibility her cat could be in danger. Eventhough Mingming likes water, there's still a possibility she'll drown. "Ah, stop thinking so negative, Clover" she scolded herself, shaking her head furiously at the thought. "Mingming is a smart cat. She knew better not to go to the deep part of the ocean" As she continued walking, she started to smell the salty air of the beach. "Nearly there" she said with a smile until...

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" An ear piercing scream filled the air as Clover stood there on her spot, horror and fear creeping through her veins. There, standing on her spot, was a headless snake still wiggling its body. Clover quickly turned around and ran the other way. She didn't dare to look back for she's scared that the snake will still be there or worse, follow her. Clover decided to just stay home and never return to the beach, until that crazy headless snake decided to move out of that path.

As she arrived home, Clover checked her mail and read the letter. "So, I'm not the only one who noticed it" she mumbled to herself, pinning the letter on the cork board before setting her alarm. Of course Clover being the botanist, she had seen the changes of the Tree of Seasons but didn't dare to talk about her findings. She wanted to be sure first of her findings before reporting to Mayor Iris but it seems like everyone took notice of the changes. Sighing, she gathered her journal about the Tree of Seasons and placed it in her back, before starting to tend to her garden and start her experiment with the plans.

At the sound of her alarm going off, Clover quickly removed her gloves, face mask and lab coat. It is time for her to prepare for the meeting, and she didn't want to be late. She took a quick shower, changed her clothes and grabbed her bag. She also grabbed a couple of cat treats for Mingming, in case someone found her and decided to return her during the meeting. She was embarrassed for a little bit that a headless snake scared her away from finding her cat but she's certain Mingming will forgive her. She then walked out of the house and went to the inn, feeling genuinely positive that her cat will be there.

As Clover arrived at the meeting place, her lavender eyes quickly scanned the area in search for her cat. She wondered if Mingming had already eaten, if her cat is alright and most of all, if someone found her. She waved at Lily as soon as she saw her but her suddenly eyes caught something white and fluffy. Heart pounding out of her chest, she quickly spun around to see her cat Mingming, sitting happily in Ryder's lap. Clover completely forgot about Lily and quickly shouted "Mingming!"

The ears of the fluffy white cat quickly perked up and looked up at the direction where it heard its name. Its eyes seems to shine and sparkle at the sight of its owner and quickly jumped off Ryder's lap to run towards Clover. Clover opened her arms and picked up the cat from the floor, hugging it tightly towards her chest before nuzzling their cheeks and noses together "My cute little fluffy kitty!! I'm so sorry I haven't looked for you. Some crazy headless snake was in the way but I'm glad you're okay! Have you eaten yet?"

"Meoooow~" was only her cat's reply before jumping off of her arms and returning back to Ryder, as if telling Clover who found her. Clover then made her way towards Ryder and gave him a sweet smile, before picking up her cat once again "Thank you so much for taking care of Mingming even if for such a short time. I hope she didn't cause you any trouble"
 
Mayor Iris Blackmore, Moonrise Inn, 6:15pm

Sitting at one of the tables with Skye and Shade at her side, Iris waited for everyone to arrive. Most did not arrive at 6:00 as she had requested, but she would begin the meeting at the time listed, regardless. As soon as she started favoring tardiness the whole town would stop arriving on time for her meetings. She nodded at Skye and Shade, excusing herself from the table, and made her way up to center of the room.

Clearing her throat quietly, she spoke out, making sure to speak loudly and clearly. "Excuse me, everyone. We'll begin now, if that's alright with everyone." Looking around, she saw no objections, and so began.

"Now, you all know why we're here this evening, or at least, you should know why we're here. That is, this meeting has been called to discuss the ever-growing concern of the state of our beloved Tree of Seasons. There has been a change across the lands and I fear now, more than ever, it is a growing threat to the well-being of our humble village. I ask you all to speak of your concerns, your thoughts, and once we have an idea of where we all stand, we can begin to discuss a solution."

She looked out at the villagers, waiting patiently for someone to begin.
 
Alexis Flynn, Moonrise Inn, 6:16pm

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Alexis knew she was late as soon as she reached the inn. She hadn't meant to be and she'd gotten ready for the meeting in plenty of time, but as usual her own awkwardness had caused problems for her. Worrying about what she'd do if no one else was there yet, or if she had to make small talk with someone else, as well as the reassurance that she lived right by the inn anyway and could make it there quickly had caused her to put off leaving until the very last minute.

After another moment of hesitation and mentally insisting to herself that this was an important meeting the mayor had requested all villagers attend and she couldn't skip it, Alexis quietly entered the inn and slipped into a seat near the back in the hopes of not drawing anyone's attention. She only just caught the end of what Mayor Iris had been saying and let out a small sigh of relief. It looked as though the meeting had only just started. Hopefully she hadn't missed too much...​
 
Ryan Llorn, Inn, 6:15pm
Ryan groaned, flinging himself downstairs in a manner that wasn't exactly falling down the stairs but definitely wasn't walking down. He looked at the so far little collected group of townsfolk with barely awake eyes.

"Oh, you're all arriving so soon..." He commented, before turning heel to a door in the back. Coming back with a cup of tea that he had gladly made for him and no one else. He sat down on a empty couch and relaxed. Sprawling on it.

Watching seemingly disinterested as some of the townsfolk filtered in, He sighed. It really didn't matter what time he came down anyway, seeing as he couldn't be late due to being in the building. But here he was on the couch.

Iris spoke up, and his sleepy frown deepened. He let his eyelids fall somewhat. He was listening, if anyone even bothered to speak up.
 
Milli Fiorisa, House ----> Inn, 6:16pm
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As Milli arrived home she shut the door behind her and sunk to the floor, she didn't feel like going to the inn. She knew Ryan wouldn't mind but she still didn't feel comfortable going. She should probably go but at this time she was probably going to arrive late. It was something you couldn't have skipped out on. But she was already a bit late. She looked at her knee and slowly got up. She put on leggings before heading out falling a few times ending up with some twigs in her hair, but she was fine. She saw Alexis arrive as she quietly sat beside her picking the twigs out of her hair.
 
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Road to Mine Entrance (9:00AM) -> Home (6:00PM) -> Inn (6:15PM)

The walk to the mountain for Kerr was a long and seemingly winding path. Kerr got sidetracked looking at random flowers and other interesting things that it got too late for testing, so he decided to head back. He approached his door, and saw a note laying on the floor of the shack. Kerr picked it up, flipping it over to see if there is any extra text, and glanced it over. "Village meeting at 6. Be here at blah, about goddess or something, tree of bleh, citizens go to inn" Kerr read his shortened version out loud to himself, and then threw the note inside of his shack. Kerr lowered his goggles to his neck and set off for the Inn.

Kerr entered the town by jumping onto one of the many dirt roads, and followed it inwards. Passing what seemed to be a library and a residents house, both painted the same colors. "Heh, have some diversity." Kerr whispered to himself, then internally scorned himself. Rude. Don't do that. Once his inner conversation was done, he wondered where the actual Inn was. Kerr looked around for some sort of standing map of the town, but then guessed the building with everyone going into was the Inn. He followed one of the people, and then took a seat at random. The light reflected slightly on his jacket and glossed goggles. Hm. Wonder what this is about. Kerr thought, already forgetting what little he read on the note. The mini speech that the mayor gave did not give him too much insight. Just that this Tree of Seasons was affecting the land somehow.​
 
Avery Miller, Outside Inn, 2:00 PM -> 6:05 PM
Avery shuffled back to the bakery, lost in thought. He'd finished his deliveries, for the day, and there wasn't any mail for anyone at the post office, so his work was pretty much done. Usually, this time would be spent seeing what everyone else in the village was doing, but the incident with Milli this morning was still weighing on his mind, and he wanted to mull over it, for a bit. It wasn't the first time it'd happened; there were a few other "incidents" like it, but he was a bit worried, nonetheless. As much as he wanted to help, though, it just didn't seem like there was much he could do.

"Maybe Lily could help," he thought. Did doctors handle this sort of thing? He might ask her, tomorrow. As he opened the door to the Bakery, however, he was assailed by the sudden smell of cigarette smoke, causing him to cough a bit and breaking him out of his thoughts. Looking in, he saw his mother, Rinthea, leaning on the counter, wearing her usual hoodie, jeans, and slippers as she smoked a cigarette. she was holding a piece of paper, and seemed to be reading it rather intently.

"Mom, you shouldn't be smoking in the bakery," he said, trying to wave the acrid smell away from his face. Rinthea looked up, as if just noticing his entry.

"Ah, yeah, you're right, kiddo," she said, absently snubbing out her smoke and tossing it into the trash. Her eyes flicked back to the paper in her hands, fingers drumming on the counter top, and Avery, intrigued, walked up behind her, trying to look over her shoulder at what she was reading.

"What's that?" he asked. His mother just shook her head, handing him the paper to read.

"A notice, mayor's calling for a meeting at 6," she said, "Looks like we're finally gonna start talking about the problems we've got with our Tree."

The exact tree she was talking about escaped him until he read the letter, the mayor calling for a discussion about the changes in the Tree of Seasons. Change... Avery nodded, putting the letter down on the counter and telling his mother he'd be upstairs in his room.

"Make sure you're wearing something nice before we leave," she called after him as he walked up the stairs. He let out a sigh as he stepped into his room, closing his door behind him. Now he had even more to think about. Just sitting there and thinking it over wasn't going to do him any good, though. He moved over to sit on his stool, by the window facing the sea, and turned to the canvas he'd set up, earlier. Then he began to paint.

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Avery and his mother left at 5:45 sharp, early enough to make it to the inn without being in any particular hurry. Avery had on his best dress shirt and slacks, while his mother still had on her usual attire. At least she was wearing her sandals, now, he supposed...

"Why did I have to dress up again?" he asked, grimacing and tugging at his shirt collar.

"Because everyone's gonna be there," she replied, hands tucked into her hoodie's pockets.

"Then how come you aren't dressed up?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who's gotta impress the ladies."

He groaned, rolling his eyes as his mother chuckled to herself. Well, it was too late to turn back and change, now. They made it to the inn at about 6:05, the two of them taking seats near the back. There were a few people already there, and at 6:15, the mayor began the discussion. Avery didn't really have much to say; he'd just noticed the changes recently, himself, and he was still sorting through his own thoughts on the subject. His mother, however, had no such qualms about speaking up.

"Well, there's not really much to say, right? Something's going on, and nobody knows what," she said, leaning back against her chair with her arms crossed. "If they did, I assume they would've spoken up, by now."

And with that, the discussion was off to a start. Somewhat. Avery wondered if his mother was really the best person to consult, here...
 
Milli Fiorisa, Inn ----> Tree of Seasons, 6:20pm
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Milli couldn't believe this. It was serious enough that it required a meeting. She stood up and softly whispered that she was taking an early leave.
Besides she couldn't help in any way with this meeting. She opened the door and softly shut it behind her. That was pretty bold and rude of her, it was too much though. What was she doing? Too much negativity for her liking, she took a breath in. First things first, she would check out the tree. From Ryan's dismissal and her tripping, she didn't care to check out the tree. She really hope she didn't disturb anyone, she started running. As much as her knee hurt she had to see that tree. As she reached the tree her knee gave out. She looked up at the tree, the winter was taking over as she put her head down. " Changes happen. Whenever they're good or bad. " She said to herself over and over. She's 21, she's not a child anymore. Yet she did stupid, stupid stunts like this that might have hurt everybody. Heck she could've even hurt the mayor.


She loved this town with all of her being, she was exhausted. " Tomorrow will be a better day. " She slowly got up trembling as she sat up and leaned against a nearby tree that was facing the Tree of Seasons. The breeze wasn't tremendous but it was enough to lull Milli to sleep. Tomorrow she would remain calm. She's 21. Not a 11 year old anymore. With that last thought she ended up sleeping forgetting about the world for at least a while.
 
Chance Harveston, Moonrise Inn, 6:12-6:21 pm

"Mingming?" Chance mumbled in surpise at a newcomer's exclamation. He kept his space in the corner as he watched some blonde face hug with the hairy feline that he noticed when he first got there. He wondered if she had another pet named LingLing roaming around somewhere also. The distant guy held back a short smirk at the cat's name before placing his hand in his pocket to fidget with another cigarette. He was ready for the meeting to end so that he could have another smoke before getting back to work. He began to zone out the conversations around him and even didn't notice when the rest of the village folk began to shuffle in.

When the mayor finally made her appearance, Chance became alert again and listened intently. Once she fininshed, he wasn't quite sure what to think of the situation. He knew that the Tree of Seasons affected the weather, but he was unaware of the changes that the mayor spoke of and what problems it would cause the town. Before asking any questions, he decided to listen for the answer first. As he wait for someone to speak up, Chance noticed a girl with glasses enter the Inn with another girl following soon after. They sat side by side and one seemed to have branches sticking out of her head. He wasn't sure what to think of that, so he just turned to observe the other people.

The darkness of the corner concealed Chance's wandering eyes as he assessed his potential customers. He noticed first the messy haired blonde guy who was staring blankly at the mayor like a living zombie. Chance felt tempted to walk over to him and snap a few times in front of his eyes, but decided that would be inappropriate. He also decided that the guy would probably maintain his hollow gaze without a flinch if he did try to snap at him anyway. Maybe a yell in the ear would spook the stoner guy back into reality? Even then, Chance felt like the dude would have a delayed reaction and end up looking around without a clue as if a fly buzzed by.

Next to be assessed was the middle aged woman and some kid he guessed was her son. Well he seemed like a kid anyway by the way he sat beside her like he was mommy's little helper. Before he could finish his assessment of the villagers, the middle aged woman was the first to speak up. From what she said, it was clear that Chance would have to be the one to ask the questions. Once he realized that he was lurking like a leech, the new guy in town stepped out of the shadows to share words, "What concern do you speak of regarding the tree? And how will these changes affect the village?" He hated to be the one ignorant of a topic, but he just moved here today after-all.
 
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[ Lily | Inn | 6:00 ~ 6:15 ]
Interactions: @Soulserenity20
Mentioned: EVERYONE IN THE INN AT THE MOMENT
There were more people coming into the Inn by the minute. There was Ryder who came in after her, with Mingming tagging behind him. Lily wanted to ask why Mingming was with him, but had refrained from that and waved over to him. Not long afterwords, the Bartender, Chance, had walked into the Inn as well. Apparently, he was also new in the village, so she needed to give him a proper greeting.. Eh.. Later. The meeting would have to be starting soon, and she didn't want to be interrupted by it, so later. Eventually, the door had opened up, and a certain pink-haired girl had walked in. At first, Lily wanted to offer a wave, but then Clover let out a scream and ran right on over to her pet cat like she had found the holy grail. Thinking about it like that actually made Lily giggle a bit.

After that, Ryan, Kerr and Avery had all made themselves present. The other two females were just a minute late, while Iris was speaking about her concerns and such about the village. It was something about the tree of seasons, and Lily was glad that the mayor had brought that up. With the Harvest Goddess gone, they had to figure out what was happening. Hm.. Hopefully it wouldn't effect the overall health of their land or their citizens. Lily's ears had perked up, hearing Milli get up. Based off her stance and how her knee had wavered from pain.. Something was up. Lily wasn't a doctor just for show, she was able to pick up unconscious signs of harm from the human body, and Milli's reaction had further worried the female. She would have to see Milli afterwords.

Usually, Lily would be silent. However, she raised her hand up, as though she actually wanted to speak. Her voice was soft, but it was loud enough to be heard in the room. "Will the tree's state effect the land's health here at a large scale? Would it effect the citizen's health here? I mean.. I know I'm the doctor and all, but it would be impossible for me if everyone were sick around the same time.." She had asked, mumbling that last part. For the time being, Lily had been patrolling and checking up on people. It would be near impossible if she had to go to everyone's house and treat everyone if they were sick. She was also concerned about how the food would grow, and how their economy would hold up without their shipping of crops and such. So many variables..
 
The responses from the community upset Skye to no end. People were acting helpless, as if there was nothing apparent they could do and so that meant there was nothing they would do. She heard some ask what was evening happening while others were actually expressing concern. It took some courage, but she finally stood up and spoke out.

"Don't tell me you're all so disconnected from the land that you haven't felt the seasons changing, getting colder and colder each year? Are we all so involved in our everyday lives that we've forgotten to consider the land that supports us? This goes beyond the farmers. The colder seasons and longer winters mean less food for the market, less money for the fishermen, the farmers, and
the ranchers. It means the medicinal herbs we use won't grow. We'll have to start importing everything from the city, the lands will get less and less fertile. Just look at the tree! If all of you would just look you'd see that there's something wrong...
"

She quieted down, realizing she was raising her voice and wished nothing more than to avoid sounding rude. "The Harvest Goddess has been gone for a decade. The Tree of Seasons is getting sick. We need the goddess to return. She can help us, I'm sure of it."

Iris looked at Skye with a gentle gaze and offered her a smile, nodding in acknowledgement of her words. "Well, the girl is right about everything. I've no doubt this has to do with the absence of the Goddess. Now, seeing as none of us know where she is or why she's been gone for so long, I recommend we start working at summoning her. The village needs to start working together to collect Soul Wisps. Have any of you an idea of what these are?"

Silence filled the room. "Of course not. This village hasn't collected them in more than fifty years!" She seemed to be smiling about the whole ordeal, and it was clear she had some knowledge the others didn't. The Blackmores had been in Moonrise Valley for as long as the town had been there and it was common knowledge that the land was once more magical than it was in the more modern days. "Soul Wisps come from the magic of the goddess instilled in these lands. The wisps arise when communities return to their roots and build strong relationships, develop the land, and reconnect with nature. This likely sounds impossibly childish to all of you but I assure you, the goddess will come if we offer one hundred wisps to the goddess pond."
 
Avery Miller, 6:15 -> 6:45, Moonrise Inn -> Road to Bakery

Avery looked down to the floor in thought, contemplating Skye's passionate words while Mayor Iris went on to explain the situation in detail. Had he really been neglecting the land so much? It was true, he wasn't as appreciative of everything he had as he could be. And the changes in the seasons seemed to hit him out of nowhere; it was like he hadn't even noticed, until now... He looked over to his mother to see how she was taking the reprimand, just to see the usual, surly scowl she always had on whenever she was irritated.

"Tch, of course we've noticed something's wrong, brat," she muttered under her breath as the mayor continued to speak, "But how the hell would we know what it is?"

"C'mon, mom, Skye's just worried, like everyone else," Avery said in a low voice to try and calm her. She just let out a low 'hmph' in reply, listening on with a half-lidded stare, but before long, a small grin began to creep onto her face, threatening to break her sullen mood.

"Well, I still say she's wrong for going off like nobody else gives a damn, but it's fun seeing that little wallflower spitting fire, for once. Must've grown a spine while I wasn't looking," she said, still grinning, "Whaddya think, kiddo? She your type, maybe?"

Avery just groaned, hiding his face behind his hand. Karma. That's what he gets for teasing Ryder about it, he supposed. Anyways, important info was still in the process of being given, so he leaned in and listened intently, ignoring his mother's teasing smirk. Mayor Iris went on to conclude her speech, leaving it on the final note of Soul Wisps and the Goddess, and an expectant silence filled the room, once more. His mother was the first to break it, as usual, getting up from her chair and moving to leave.

"Soul Wisps, huh? We'll get on it, starting tomorrow, I guess. Have a good night, everyone," she said, opening the door to the Inn and waving behind her as she left. Avery just sighed. She was way too easy-going, even by his standards. He got up to leave soon after, but not before making his thoughts known.

"So, make friends, start farming, and get close to nature, right? Sounds like something we can do," he said, "Don't worry, Mayor, we'll have those hundred wisps, in no time!"


With that, he stepped out the doors into the evening light.

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This was the second time, today, that he was walking this road, lost in thought. Avery looked towards his mother, who was strolling along with her hands resting behind her head.

"Hey, don't you think we should have asked what these wisps look like, exactly? Or maybe how to collect them..." he asked. She just shrugged, still ambling at her own pace.

"Eh, you can go ask the mayor about it tomorrow, kiddo. I'm beat to hell, right now," she replied. "A niiice, long bath is starting to sound pretty good."

Avery rolled his eyes. Of course she wasn't worried. Truth be told, though, neither was he. For the first time since he'd become aware of the changes coming over his hometown, there was a goal, something he could work towards; a way to help protect his town from the struggles it would soon be going through. As long as he had something to work for, he thought, he wasn't very worried, at all.​
 
Iris laughed as Avery took the meeting lightly, but to heart. The young man responded exactly the way everyone should have: with enthusiasm and optimism. "Well it seems the first of us is on board." She looked around and saw that everyone was growing restless, despite the short length of the meeting so far. She clapped her hands together and looked around at the villagers.

"I hope you will all consider what has been said today and make an effort to take to heart the dire need of Soul Wisps. This may sound a bit silly, but I hope you can, at the very least, trust in your mayor this once. She might know more than you think." With a wink, she smiled at everyone and allowed them to disperse on their own. Skye gave her a gentle nod before leaving with Shade, chatting quietly with him about the discussions that took place.

It was clear there were major changes that needed to be made in the village over the coming weeks and months, but would the villagers be able to pull together and make a difference?