Rune Factory: Changing for love

[Juxapose]

February is almost here, and it's time to prepare for Valentines Day. Traditionally, I always bring in flowers and sweets to the female workers in my job. Just something to say "Thanks" for the help and support I get there. I also choose one girl to be my Valentines every year. I usually buy a bouquet of roses, and a stuffed bear for that girl. This year, I have not chosen my Valentine yet, but hopefully soon.

Okay, now for the fanfic. I mentioned a while ago that I would be writing a Rune Factory 2 Fanfic. A love story between Yue and Jake. While I was playing Rune Factory 2, I married Cecilia, and Jake ended up marrying Yue. But I feel that a big part of the story is missing in Rune Factory 2. How did Jake fall in love with Yue, especially since he hates humans to begin with?

So for February this year, I will be publishing Jake and Yue's love story. I hope everyone likes it!

*PS*
During the month of February, I will only be working on this fic. All other fanfics and projects will be put on hold until the fanfic is complete, or February ends, whichever comes first. This fic will have about 5 chapters, maybe 6.

[Rozewater]

Can't wait to see it, Jux! ...Even if I'm not that familiar with RF2. I only got the first one. ^^; Will folk like me still be able to understand it, though?

[Juxapose]

I'll do my best to make sure everyone understands regardless if they are Rune Factory 2 fans or not.

[Juxapose]

Chapter 1

Long ago in a far away land known as the Kingdom of Norad, there is a small and peaceful village. The small village known as Alvarna rests just north above the great ocean, and is surrounded by the beauty of nature. To the north are the beautiful snowy mountains called the Padova Mountains. To the east is a lush forest full of life called Trieste Forest. And the west is a cool tranquil valley called Messhina Valley. The ocean has many nearby islands, including the famous Blessia Island, known for it's summer climate and tropical fruit.

In an early Spring day, you can hear bells ringing in the air. These are not just ordinary bells rung by the church to hold service on Holidays. These are the holy wedding bells, only rung when a young couple are exchanging their vows in holy matrimony. The young couple is a strange pairing to most people.

The groom is a farmer that has proved his worth in the village by defeating many monsters lurking everywhere outside of Alvarna. The young farmer's name is Kyle. When he first arrived in the village of Alvarna, he had no memories of himself or his past. With the help of some new friends, he was given a home, a job, and a new life.

The bride's name is Cecilia. A beautiful young woman who was working as a maid in a mansion in Alvarna. Unlike most people in Norad, Cecilia is a half-elf. Her mother is an elf, and her father is a human. Like Kyle, Cecilia is not from Alvarna. When she was a child, she was born and raised in the small town called Kardia. As a child, she fell in love with another man who also had amnesia. But she was only a child, and the man she loved is a grown man. Kyle reminds her of her childhood romance, so she she quickly fell in love with him as well.

A year after they met, they both decide to get married, and start a family. After they've exchanged their vows, they share their first kiss as husband and wife. One by one, the other villagers of Alvarna approach the newly weds, and wish them luck on their wedding. Everyone wishes the best for them, except for one person.

From the corner of Cecilia's eye, she sees a close friend of hers standing against the corner of the church. A young half-elf man named Jake attended their wedding, but he is far from happy about it. Even though everyone already knew that Jake hardly ever smiles for anyone, he is especially unhappy today. Jake has always been against the wedding between Kyle and Cecilia for two reasons. He always had strong feelings for Cecilia, and he has a strong hatred for humans. Jake wanted to crash the wedding during the time they were exchanging vows, but he promised Cecilia that he wouldn't. As much as he hates to watch them get married, he would rather see Cecilia happy than worry about his own feelings.

Rather than congratulate her on her wedding, Jake decides to leave the church without saying a word to them. Even if he allowed Kyle to marry her, he is nowhere even close to accepting Kyle. He fears that if he gets close enough to them, he might do or say something that Cecilia might not forgive him for. So rather than looking at him, he leaves so he can be alone for a while.

Jake decides not to go home, the last thing he wants to do is show his father how upset he is about the marriage. So the place he goes to is the entrance to the Trieste Forest. He thought everyone was at the church celebrating the newlywed couple, so he was sure he is going to be alone. The first thing he does when he gets there is sit on a nearby log, and think about Cecilia for a moment.

He remembers the first time he met Cecilia. His father, who is a pure blooded elf, told him that they were having a new guest staying at the inn that he owns. At first, Jake thought it was just another human, so he was not looking forward to meeting her. But when he discovered that the girl staying over is another half-elf like he is, he quickly felt attracted to her. Her light green eyes and carrot colored hair were features that he liked the most. Her ears were short for an elf, but definitely longer than any human's. Because they were both half-elves, Jake felt that they were meant to be with one another.

Then the day when Jake proposed to Cecilia. He knows it was a bit sudden, but he already saw that her heart was being captured by a human. Even after threatening Kyle, he still got closer to Cecilia. So instead of fighting Kyle, he thought that he would propose first. But unlike Jake, Cecilia wants humans, elves, and monsters to get along with one another. As long as Jake hates humans, she will never share the feelings Jake has for her.

Thinking about how he let a human take the woman he cares about upsets him even more. He cannot help it, it's all he can think about at that moment. He places his hands in his pure white hair, and tries to think about something else. But all that flows through his mind is the voices of Kyle and Cecilia as they exchange their vows. The anger he feels makes his light brown eyes tremble.

As Jake continues to think about Cecilia and Kyle's wedding, someone else walks into Trieste Forest entrance. A young female traveler that has just arrived in Alvarna recently. This young girl's name is Yue, a traveling merchant who visits many villages, towns, and even cities in a quest to meet as many different people as possible.

Yue is unique to the Kingdom of Norad. She is from Japan, a country far away from the kingdom. Other girls wear dresses, Yue loves to wear short Kimonos that hangs just below her waist. She has long very dark blue hair which is an uncommon hair color for humans. Since the Kimono does not cover her legs, she wears extremely long socks that covers what the kimono does not. Even her footwear is unique, wooden clogs that resemble sandals. She has large blue eyes that are very attractive to most men, and her hair has flowers, feathers, and other Japanese ornaments decorated in each side of her head.

She arrives at the Trieste Forest entrance carrying her large backpack full of goods she sells. As soon as she gets there, she quickly notices Jake sitting there completely frustrated. Yue and Jake had ever spoken to each other before. Mainly because of Jake's hatred to humans. Yue doesn't find Jake unattractive, but he can dress a bit intimidating for her. Unlike most people, Jake dresses in leather armor, and always carries a sword. The single earring on his left ear makes him look especially aggressive.

The Trieste Forest entrance is one of the places where Yue sells goods for people who wish to explore monster infested areas. Since Jake is sitting there, she wants to go find somewhere else to sell her goods. But seeing that Jake looks like he may be troubled, she thought that she could do something for him. Maybe talk to him to see if there is something she can do.

Yue walks to him quietly. She may want to help him, but he already looks upset. The last thing she wants to do is provoke him in any way. But even as she is standing next to him, he doesn't notice her at all. His mind is stuck on the fact that Kyle has married Cecilia.

She doesn't know why, but she dares herself to tap him on the shoulder and say, “Hey-”

As quick as lightning, Jake draws his sword, and swings it in Yue's direction. Before Yue knew what just happened, she already has the end of a sword pointing at her throat. She sweats nervously as she looks into Jake's furious face looking back at her. She didn't know what to do at that moment. She even feels that she may even get killed.

After staring at Yue's terrified face for a moment, he lowers his blade, and sheathes it. With a frown on his face, he says, “It's just you, the merchant human. Don't ever do that again, I thought you were a monster sneaking up on me! If my blade was only an inch closer, I could have ended your life.”

Yue lets out a sigh of relief. Even though she just escaped death by a hair, she is just glad that Jake does not hate her. After taking a few deep breaths, Yue says, “Sorry. . . But you looks so angry. I thought that-”

“Just leave me alone!” yelled Jake.

Yue then sighs again, and walks over to her usual spot so that she can wait for potential customers. It can take hours before Yue encounters her first customer, but she is used to the wait. But as she waits, things remain quiet for a while. But even though Yue is waiting by the entrance quietly, it still bothers Jake to have a human standing so close to him, especially at this time.

“So, is there anything bothering you?” asked Yue.

Jake looks back at Yue and yells, “Why are you here?! Don't you have somewhere else to be at?!”

Yue quickly looks away. She just wants to help him out with whatever is bothering him. But she feels that she is only making things worse. So she just stands there, and continues to wait for customers.

About 30 minutes later, Jake begins to cool down. After sighing a few times, he looks to his right, and notices that Yue is still standing there waiting for customers. Seeing that she hasn't budged yet, he feels that he might as well talk to her. With the exception of Cecilia and his father, everyone else in Alvarna is a human. He doesn't like talking to his father too much, and talking to Cecilia will not be an option now that she got married to a human. He's going to en up talking to a human, so he might as well hold a conversation with Yue who is standing just a few feet from him.

“Cecilia got married today.” he starts the conversation. Listening to himself talking to a human only frustrates him once again. He feels that stooping as low as talking to a human about his problems is an insult to his own morals.

“I see.” said Yue. She may not be close friends to Cecilia, but she is a good customer to her. Cecilia does like to buy a lot of gemstones from Yue. Jake's feelings for Cecilia is not something new to her. She wants to say something else to him, but she cannot find the right words to say. Would she just upset him more if she says, “I'm sorry that it wasn't you.” Or maybe, “You'll find someone else.” She doesn't understand the heart of an elf, she encountered many of them in her travels, so she knows that elves' feelings are different than a human.

After another quiet moment, Jake picks his sword up, and begins to walk back to the village. As he leaves, he says out loud, “Forget about what I said earlier. Humans are weak and worthless. You can't possibly help me.”

Yue sighs. She knows that Jake doesn't like humans at all. It's not uncommon, many elves do not like humans for one reason or another. But in the same time, there are just as many elves who get along well with humans. She doesn't know Jake too well, but she does know that Jake is half human as well. The anger he expresses is way different than an elf who truly hates humans. In most cases, Elves who hate humans would find any excuse to kill a human. Jake could have ended Yue's life if he wanted to earlier. But he decided to spare her life anyway.

She can tell that deep inside, he can learn to get along with humans. Will she be able to find that part of him? She has no idea if she can, but since she does visit Alvarna every now and then, she might as well try.

To be continued.

[Pickle]

I know nothing of the game. But I like what is happening.

[Juxapose]

Chapter 2

The village of Alvarna rests just over the ocean in the Kingdom of Norad. Because no other kingdoms or empires are nearby, everyone who lives there has found everlasting peace. Far away from war and corruption from politicians, Alvarna was titled as the most peaceful village of all Norad.

Alvarna is a small village consisting of only a few buildings and shops. The most unique feature of the village is its linear design, almost all the buildings hug the ocean for a beautiful view. In the center of the village is a wonderfully sculpted fountain that connects the west and east sides along with the dock to the south.

To the west side of the village is the large mansion where some members of the Saint-Coquille family lives, the Eagle Inn where visitors stay at, The church where services and weddings are held, and the residence of the mayor of Alvarna. To the north is a beautiful Cherry Blossom square where young couples can admire pink blossoms in the Spring.

On the east side of the village lies the clinic where injuries are treated, the Pumpkin General Store where everyone shops for supplies and other goods, the bath house where the villagers go to relax at night, and the Blacksmith shop where warriors go to buy weapons and armor. To the north from there is the farm where the newlyweds Kyle and Cecilia now lives.

A couple of weeks have passed since the wedding between Kyle and Cecilia. The villagers of Alvarna has seen their love only blossom even further since their marriage, and only wish them well. But inside the Blacksmith shop one of the villagers is still upset about their marriage.

Jake, the only one who has been upset by the wedding between Kyle and Cecilia works hard in the Blacksmith shop. But no matter how hard he works, the thought that Kyle has taken the only girl he cared for only distracts him. After taking a piece of red hot iron out of the furnace, he begins striking at the malleable metal trying to make a sharp blade.

Strike after blistering hot strike, he tries to keep his concentration on shaping the metal. But as he strikes, he sees the face of the man who has taken Cecilia's hand away from him in front of his eyes. At that moment, he swings his hammer as hard as he can to destroy the image in front of him. But when he does, he strikes the metal, causing it to break in half.

Feeling frustrated that he could not control both his concentration and his temper, he throws the broken metal pieces to the ground, and takes several deep breaths. At that moment, his boss comes around to check on him. His boss is Tanya, a master blacksmith, and a former warrior of the Knights of Norad. She moved into the quiet village of Alvarna so that she can give birth to her only son.

Tanya is a powerful and well respected woman in Alvarna. She makes a living selling weapons to anyone to fight the monsters around Alvarna. On her free time, she trains young men or women the art of blacksmithing, trains able bodies in the art of combat, and sends those who are strong enough to control the monster population. Unfortunately, her only son does not have any interest in neither swordsmanship, or blacksmithing.

She walks over to Jake as soon as she hears the sound of smelted metal breaking, and metal pieces thrown on the ground. She already knows that Jake hasn't been himself ever since the wedding between Kyle and Cecilia, but she was hoping that he would get over it over time. But as time passes, his frustrations and anger only grows with time.

“That's the eighth blade you broke this week,” Tanya said. “Is everything all right? Still mad about what happened?”

Jake looks back at Tanya, but doesn't say anything to her. Tanya is a human, the race that Jake hates the most. But even so, Tanya is the only human that Jake cannot talk back to. As tough as Jake is, Tanya is the only person who can easily take him out with little or no difficulty. Like Jake, Tanya always wears light armor at all times, and carries at least three swords around with her everywhere. Her hair is as white as ghosts, and her eyes are gray like ash. A silver band along with leather scraps and feathers decorate her long hair. No one knows what man was brave enough to marry her, nor what may have happened to him.

Rather than hating her, he would rather just get on her better side, and have her train him in the art of the blade. So he looks down at the anvil and says, “I'll be fine. I just need to concentrate, that's all.”

Tanya nods and says, “Very well then. Just remember, the quality of the blade depends on how hard you hit it. If you hit the metal too softly, the blade will come out dull. And if you hit the blade too hard, you'll break it.”

Jake nods, and goes back to the furnace to get another piece of smelted metal. He uses large metal forceps to pull the glowing hot iron out of the blazing hot fires, and brings it to the anvil. As soon as the metal cools to the perfect temperature, he begins to strike the metal once again to form the blade.

Tanya returns to the counter where she begins reviewing the income of the week. But as she is checking the numbers, she says out loud, “By the way, I heard that Cecilia is pregnant. Isn't that great news?”

Suddenly, the sound of smelted metal shattering fills the room once again. Tanya looks over to Jake's direction, and sees metal fragments everywhere. Jake himself is trembling with anger by the news. But rather than showing sympathy for him, Tanya says, “You know, if you keep breaking the metal like that, I won't make enough money to pay you this week!”

Jake then throws his tools on the ground and says, “I'm going home early today. I don't feel well.”

Without hearing an answer, Jake grabs his sword, and leaves the blacksmith shop. Tanya only sighs and says, “He never left early before. . . He must be really upset. Oh well, maybe he'll cool off if he takes some time off. He may be a bit stubborn, but he is the best damn blacksmith apprentice I've ever had.”

Jake walks across the village to go to his home, the Eagle Inn which his father owns and runs. On his way home, he passes by the Saint-Coquille manor that Cecilia used to work as a maid. He stops for a moment, and remembers the times he spent with Cecilia before Kyle entered their lives. Jake never liked the idea of Cecilia working as a maid to serve humans. He asked her over and over why does she want to do such a job, but she only answers, “Because I want to understand humans, and hope that human, elves, and monsters can co-exist with one another.”

Till this day, he cannot understand how is cooking and cleaning for humans would help improve the relationship between human, elves, and monsters. But Cecilia chose to work in the mansion out of her own free will, and Jake did not want to interfere with her decisions. But now as he looks into the mansion, he feels that he may have made a mistake. Should he have interfered, and got her to understand that humans are weak worthless? Is there a point in trying to get along with monsters that attack anyone on sight?

After a moment of nostalgia, Jake walks away from the mansion, and heads into the Eagle Inn. As soon as he does, his father Egan greets, “Hey there Jake. . . That's unusual, it's not like you to be here from the blacksmith's so early. Did something happen?”

Jake takes a look at his father, and remains silent for a while. Unlike Jake, Egan is a full blooded elf. On top of that, he gets along very well with humans. Even though he keeps his ears covered with an enormous hat, he openly tells all his guests that he is an elf. His dress style is an olive green tunic, which many people remind him that it doesn't match his bluish-gray hair, and aqua green eyes. He's a kind and gentle person, but Jake knows that he can be rather harsh when he's angry.

When he was a young elf, Egan built the Eagle Inn so that he can meet all types of people both elf and human. He believes that having a co-race inn would allow human and elves to understand one another better. In his younger years, he met a beautiful human female that he fell in love with. The relationship between them was short lived, but at least she left him his son Jake.

Jake then looks away, and says, “Nothing. I was just tired, so I left early.”

Egan sighs. He knows that it must have had something to do with the news floating around about Cecilia's pregnancy. He can see in Jake's eyes that he's quite depressed about it. Egan is well aware of Jake's feelings over Cecilia, but could hardly do anything about them. If only Jake wasn't so spiteful towards humans, then things might have turned out differently between them. He wants to give him some father-son advice, but he feels that Jake just needs some time to himself.

“Good morning. . .” said a familiar high pitched voice. Jake recognizes the high pitched Japanese accent as Yue's voice. He turns towards her, and was about to mention that it's already early afternoon, not morning. But he was left speechless as soon as he sees her coming down the stairs from the second floor.

Rather than the usual kimono that Yue always wears outside, she is walking around in what seems to be a long night gown. She isn't wearing any sandals or socks like she normally does either. As she walks down the stairs, she is yawning, and rubbing her eyes as if she had just woken up. But even if she's awake, she is still extremely sleepy, and her eyes are barely open.

Because she is so sleepy, she walks past Jake without noticing him. As she is walking past him, Jake cannot keep his eyes off her impressive body figure that is normally hidden under her kimono. His face turns red, and tries to look away, but he can't help but to take a few more peeks at her.

Yue walks towards Egan, and looks up at him with her sleepy eyes. Egan then laughs and says, “You didn't sleep very long, did you Yue. You know, it wouldn't hurt to sleep in a few more hours.”

“I can't. . .” said Yue in a sleepy tone. “I have so much to do. . . People are probably waiting for me to open my shop. . .”

Egan sighs and says, “I see. That's admirable that you are so dedicated to your work, but rest is just as important as work. Remember that.”

Yue nods and says, “Can I use your bathroom. . .”

Egan laughs again and says, “Of course you can. I keep telling you that you don't need to ask me.”

Yue nods again, and heads to the bathroom dragging her feet. As soon as she is out of sight, Jake looks at Egan, and says, “Father, what is that human doing here?”

Egan looks at Jake with a confused look, and says, “What do you mean? Yue is a usual customer here.” He then looks towards Yue's direction, and says, “Poor girl. She just got here after traveling for half a day. She usually rests only a few hours a day, and during early business times. I worry about her all the time. It would be nice if she would just settle down, and found a stable place to live.”

Jake huffs at his father's concern, and says, “Whatever. I'm going to my room to take a nap!”

Egan nods, and Jake goes up the stairs to the second floor so he can toss himself on the bed. Even though he said that he was going to take a nap, he only lies on the bed face up staring at the ceiling. With his hands crossed behind his head, all he can think about is how unfair it was that Cecilia has married Kyle, and not him.

He continues to think about the same thing for about an hour. After some time to himself, he is finally able to calm himself a bit. But all the aggravation has caused him to be quite hungry. He looks at the clock, and sees that it is still lunch time. So he jumps out of bed, and heads down to see if his father is cooking at this hour.

He can smell the scent of food in the air as soon as he gets to the kitchen. But as he arrives, he quickly notices that his father is not in the kitchen making anything. Instead, he finds Yue there wearing her usual blue patterned kimono in the kitchen. He gasps as soon as he notices the ridiculous amount of food she is preparing. Every last cooking tool is being used to make some sort of dish, the tables are covered in half used vegetables, fish, and spices or herbs. Yue herself is in front of the pot checking on some stew she is cooking. She has some type of cloth rope tying her kimono back so that it doesn't get burned, stained, or ruined.

“What is going on here!?” yelled Jake in an annoyed tone.

Yue looks back at Jake. She is quite surprised to see him there, since he's normally at the Blacksmith's shop at this hour. She then bows at Jake, and says, “Hi Jake. I'm using the kitchen to make some food that I sell.”

“Do you have my father's permission to use the kitchen?” asked Jake crossing his arms.

Yue nods cheerfully and says, “Of course I do. Your father always lets me use the kitchen whenever I need it. He even teaches me some recipes I could sell.”

Jake sighs, and takes a seat on a table that has the fewest ingredients scattered on the table. “Fine, do what you want, I'll just wait here until you're done.”

Yue nods, and goes back to cooking. A minute later, she hears the sound of the bell in the oven ring. She rushes over, and pulls out the pizza covered with seafood out. She then cuts it into eight evenly sliced pieces. Before packing them, she looks over to Jake who is avoiding her like a plague. She then places a slice on a place, and walks towards him slowly. She only hope that he doesn't overreact like the last time they met.

“Umm, Jake?” He then looks up at her, curious to know why is she holding a plate in her hands. Yue then shyly says, “Umm, can I ask you a favor? You see, your father usually tries out my food before I sell it. . . Just to make sure that I did everything right. He's a very strict judge, so I try to make sure that I do my best with my cooking. But Egan went to the mayor's house to talk about something. So, would you mind trying my food out instead?”

Before Jake has a chance to answer, Yue places the plate in front of him waiting to see what he does. Jake looks down and asks, “What is this? Pizza and fish?”

“It's okanomiyaki. But everyone here calls it seafood pizza. My mother taught me how to make it back at home. Please try it.”

Jake takes a second to look at the pizza. He has never tried fish and squid on pizza before, but it does look surprisingly good. The pizza smells great with the combination of many different herbs and spices masking the unpleasant fishy smell. He honestly wants to turn it down and blow Yue off, but he is hungry. His father is away, and it doesn't look like he made anything yet.

Jake sighs and says, “Fine, how much do I owe you?”

Yue shakes her head no, and says, “It's no charge. You'll be such a great help if you could try it out. After all, I have to make sure that the food is good, or else no one will buy it.”

Jake nods, and picks up the pizza. He thought that maybe if he tells her the food is awful, he could get a free meal, and Yue won't bother him again. It seems like a great plan, but things change after taking the first bite. His eyes widen as the herbs and spices melts in his mouth, and compliments the sauce. The type of fishes Yue used in the recipe all go so well together that he couldn't possibly say anything bad about it.

“So, how is it?” Yue asked curiously.

“It's good.” Jake said between bites. Even though he complimented her, he tried to say it in the coldest and rudest manner possible.

Yue claps her hands together and says cheerfully, “Really? I'm so glad, I was worried that you wouldn't like it!”

Just then, Egan arrives back from the mayor's home. The first thing he does is go to the kitchen to make sure Yue is okay. But he pauses right outside the door as soon as he notices Jake in there with her. For only a moment, he thought that only disaster can come from Jake being in the same room with Yue. But he quickly notices something unexpected. It seems like Yue and Jake is somewhat getting along.

Normally, Jake would not last longer than a few minutes in the same room with a human. He would find some reason to start a fight. But he's just sitting there quietly eating some of Yue's food. Seeing that Jake can be in the same room with Yue without causing problems gives him hope that Jake could learn to like humans.

Egan continues to stay out of sight and watch Jake. He doesn't do anything friendly, like offer to help Yue clean up or pack the food. But at the same time, he doesn't do anything unkind either like say something rude or insulting. To Egan, this may be progress that he has been waiting for a long time.

After Yue is done packing, She grabs her backpack and fills it with the packed food, then rushes out of the inn just in time to catch a few hungry costumers. He wanted to talk to Jake for a moment about Yue, but he would rather not undo anything that Yue did for him. He only hopes that whatever that's happening, just continues to happen.

To be continued.

[Juxapose]

Chapter 3

Before anyone knew it, Summer has arrived in the peaceful village of Alvarna. During the season of Summer, the villagers of Alvarna typically spend their free time at the beaches to cool off from the Summer heat. But not everyone is at the beach cooling off.

As much as everyone loves to enjoy their time at the beaches, Jake is the only one who decides to bear the Summer heat. While everyone else is at the beaches, he is in the blacksmith shop improving his skills as a blacksmith. When he is not working, Jake is in Trieste Forest sharpening his skills with many different weapons. He trains long and hard in hopes to become better than his boss and trainer Tanya.

One clear Summer morning, Jake heads out of his home at 8:00 am so that he can help Tanya open up the shop at 9:00 am. His home, the Eagle Inn lies in the west side of Alvarna, while the Blacksmith shop is located at the east end. Because of this, he needs to pass by the fountain at the De Sainte-Coquille Park everyday.

In front of the fountain is a bulletin board where the villagers of Alvarna post many requests, tasks, or jobs that needs to be done. Some of them are for specific people, while others are open for anyone to take. Jake sometimes uses the bulletin board to find bounties and jobs that he takes to improve his swordsmanship.

But today as he passes by the bulletin board, he notices an interesting note written by Yue. The note reads:

To anyone:
I need some help at Blessia Island. There are some materials that I need, but I cannot fight the monsters there myself. I'll offer a reward for anyone who can help me out. Thanks in advance.
-Yue

Jake hasn't seen Yue around for a while. Most of the time, she is traveling between one village or town to another. And even when she is in Alvarna, it is very rare that he sees her anyway. The only rare times they do cross paths is when Jake goes off to train in Trieste Forest, and sees her selling outside the entrance.

Even though they have seen one another quite infrequently, they have never exchanged words, and sometimes they just don't even look at one another. Jake wants to ignore the message, and begins to walk away from the bulletin board. But something in the back of his head just stops him after several steps. The fact that Yue gave him something to eat earlier starts to bother him. He almost feels like he is in debt to Yue for some reason.

Because it starts to bother him so much, he turns around, and goes back to the bulletin board. He stares at the message Yue left behind for a few minutes longer. Considering his options, he could accept the task and get to work late. Or he could ignore it, and go to work normally. As he thinks about his choices, he feels that there is no reason why he shouldn't take the job. Tanya may be a little annoyed at him for coming late, but it's not like he cares about what she says to him anyway. And doing this would make him even with Yue.

So he takes the message, and heads south to the dock where he can take a boat to Blessia island. It's not that far away, you can even see the island from the dock. He can only assume that Yue is over at the island waiting for someone to accept her task. So he jumps on the boat, and starts paddling over to Blessia Island.

Just as he assumed, he finds Yue standing by the dock of Blessia Island. She is standing by waiting for potential customers to sell her goods. He nods, and walks over to Yue yelling, “Hey!”

Yue looks over to Jake. She is quite surprised to hear him call out to her. At first, she looks around to see if he may be calling out to anyone else, but it's just them two at the island. She then looks at Jake, and says, “Welcome! How can I help you today? Do you need something for traveling through Blessia Island?”

Jake shakes his head no, and shows her the message she left on the board. Yue stares at the message she herself left the the board and asks, “You're here about my job?”

Jake looks away and says, “Just tell me what you want! I'm only going to do one favor for you, is that clear?”

Yue nods. She then looks to towards the inside of the island where the monster lurk, and says, “I need some grass from the island.”

Jake then raises an eyebrow and says, “That's it? You need grass? You don't need to gather it here, you can buy that from the clinic!”

Yue shakes her head no and says, “I don't want the ones that they sell in the clinic. They sell grass that grows in the farm in Alvarna. I need some blue, red, orange, and yellow grass that grows wild in this island.”

Jake rolls his eyes and says, “What's the difference?”

Yue sighs and explains, “The grass that grows in Blessia Island have special pigments that is used to dye clothes. You see, I want to make a new Kimono for the Summer season. If I have a new kimono, I could better my sales by attracting customers using more summer colors. I already tried using ordinary grass from the clinic, but the colors always run in the rain. I read that if I use grass that grows in a tropical climate, the pigments are more pure, and won't run. Alvarna has the only tropical island in Norad, but there are dangerous minsters lurking in Blessia Island.”

“This is so stupid!” said Jake while crossing his arms. He felt that doing this job would be a waste of time. Just an excuse for Yue to get some cheap grass by hiring someone to get it for her. At that point, he just wanted to cancel the job, and go back to work. But as much as he would like to just go back, Yue's disappointed look keeps him there.

Yue know how silly the request sounds. There isn't a library in Alvarna, so not many people know as much as Yue does about the pigments in the grasses. In her travels, Yue has visited many libraries, and spoken to many educated people about items and such. She has learned a lot about items and their uses in her travels. She has also studied what items sells in the different areas that she visits. Seeing that Jake doesn't really want to go into Blessia Island, she started to get the feeling that she may not be able to get the grasses she needs.

Jake couldn't take the disappointed look anymore, so he sighs deeply and says, “Fine, I'll get the grasses for you. Just, cut it out with the long face, it's annoying!”

Yue then looks up at Jake, and nods cheerfully. Jake then heads into Blessia Island to find the grasses that Yue needs. She knows that it may take some time before he comes back. So since she is getting the grass she needs, she might as well start designing the kimono she wants to make.

She puts down her large backpack full of goods, and starts looking for her calligraphy set. She pulls out a large sheet of paper, a heavy black container called a suzuri, and a stick of sumi which is used to make Japanese black ink. After making some black ink out of the sumi, she pulls out a fine tipped brush, and begins drawing the main outline of a kimono.

Since the kimono is for the season of Summer, she decides to make the main color orange to symbolize the Summer blazing sun. She also uses other colors in the kimono to symbolize other Summer elements, such as yellow for sand, blue for the ocean, and a variety of colors for fireworks.

It takes Yue about an hour to complete the plans for the kimono. After she is satisfied, she raises the plans in the air, and takes a good look. She nods cheerfully as she pictures herself wearing it, and how it would attract customers. All she needs to do now is wait for Jake to come back with the colored grasses she needs for the cloth dye.

“I'm back. . .” said Jake soon after Yue was complete with her sketch.

Yue looks back at Jake and says, “Great! I'm just finished with my plans and- OH MY GOD!!!” Yue panics as soon as she notices the condition Jake returns in. He is limping towards her with several injuries on him. A stab wound on his right leg, a gash on his left arm, and a bleeding bump on his forehead.

Jake then falls to the ground, and rests against a lamp post. He's in severe pain, but the last thing he wants to do is show it to Yue. Yue then runs to him, and asks, “Jake, what happened? You're hurt!”

“I was picking the grass that you wanted, but a couple of Goblin Pirates jumped out of the bushes, and attacked me. Even though they had the initiative, I still was able to defeat them.” Jake then pulls out the grasses that he picked for Yue out of his travel sack and says, “Here, now we're even.”

Yue shakes her head frantically, and says, “Jake! I'm not worried about the grasses right now! You need treatment right now!”

She tries to help Jake up to take him to the clinic, but he pushes her away yelling, “Leave me alone! I don't need the help of a human!”

Yue gasps and steps away from Jake. She doesn't understand why is Jake being so stubborn. She wonders if Jake hates humans so much, that he would refuse help from them. She doesn't know what to think, she knows that Jake has a thing against humans, but he did bother to get the grass for her. She can't figure him out, does he hate her or not? One thing she know is that she cannot just leave him there in the condition he is in.

Jake is not going to let Yue take him to the clinic. He rather just sit there until he gains enough strength to go by himself. But Yue will not abandon him in Blessia Island. What if his injuries get infected? What if a monster smells blood, and only goes after him while he's injured. If Yue is going to help him, she'll have to treat his injuries herself.

She rushes over to her backpack, and pulls out a bottle of medicinal potion, and some bandages. The least she could do is clean his wounds, and cover them up. She then rushes back to Jake and starts to pour some potion on a bandage while saying, “Hold on a second. I know a thing or two about first aid. I'm going to fix you right up.”

“I thought I told you that I'm fine, and I don't need your help!?” said Jake in a very annoyed tone.

Yue begins to feel annoyed as well. “Listen, I'm not going to leave you here untreated! So hold still, and let me treat you!”

Yue tried to take his injured arm, but Jake pulls away. Yue then grunts angrily, then snatched his injured arm, and slam the medicine filled bandage on his arm. The medicine causes Jake to scream in pain loud enough to scare off all the native birds in Blessia Island. He then pulls his arm away and yell, “THAT HURTS!!!”

“Well of course it hurts! If you stop being impossible, and held still, it wouldn't hurt as much!” Jake huffs, and looks away. Yue then dares herself to try again. But this time around, Jake doesn't struggle like he did before.

Since Yue is not going to leave without treating his wounds, he feels that he might as well allow her to do as she pleases. The medicine that Yue applies to his wounds stings a bit, but nothing nearly as bad as before. After cleaning the blood off his skin, Yue applies clean bandages to his arm, leg, and forehead.

After Yue is done with the treatment, Jake begins to feel much better. His injuries don't hurt nearly as much as before. He is able to stand up and walk without limping. His arm can move freely without feeling any pain. He hates to admit it, but Yue did a great job treating his injuries.

“For a human. . . You did a good job.” sighed Jake.

Yue nods and says, “Well, I am a traveling merchant. I have to know how to treat myself in case something happens.”

Jake then looks at Yue, and says, “How much do I owe you for the bandages?”

Yue shakes her head no and says, “Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're okay!”

Jake nods. Even though he has insulted her, pushed her away, and told her off in the past, he is surprised that Yue still doesn't hate him yet. Most humans do not want to have anything to do with him, but he feels that Yue may be special. She's kinder than most humans, tougher than most females, and dedicated to what she feels to be important. But even so, she's still a human. He refuses to change his feelings of her.

They both go back to Alvarna together, and they go their separate ways from there. Yue goes north to start selling some goods, while Jake goes to the Blacksmith shop. Even though he's injured, he cannot skip his training for any reason. Tanya does scold him for being late, and coming to work completely beat up, but Jake hardly pays any attention to her.

Several days pass. Even though Jake's injuries are healing nicely, he still needs to wear bandages. He hasn't seen Yue since then, so he assumes that she may have left to another village. As Jake works in the Blacksmith shop, Tanya approaches him, and says, “So, care to explain how you got those injuries now?”

“How many times must I tell you, that is none of your business!” yelled Jake.

Tanya sighs, and gives up. She knows that it's not like Jake to come to work late, and with pretty bad injuries. She hasn't seen them under the bandages, but she can tell that the injuries must have come from fighting monsters. For what reasons Jake was fighting such tough monsters is beyond her understanding.

Rather than asking him again, she goes back to the counter, and sharpens her swords she carries around. Not to long afterwards, Yue comes into the Blacksmith shop saying, “Hello? Is Jake here?”

Jake looks up at Yue, but becomes speechless as soon as he sees her. This time, Yue is not wearing her usual blue kimono, rather, she is wearing a brand new kimono she made using the grasses that Jake got for him. The kimono is orange colored that fades into a yellow hue downwards, The bottom of the kimono has blue dye, and ripples like the ocean in the Summer. The kimono is also decorated with other random patterns that looks similar to fireworks all around. A unique look for the season of Summer.

“Oh Yue! It's you!” said Tanya. She then points Jake and continues, “Jake is at the anvil. Use caution, he does bite!”

Yue nods at Tanya, and approaches Jake. She then twirls around showing off her new kimono that she made and says, “So, how do you like it? I made it with the grasses you help me get! Think I'll attract more customers with this?”

Jake looks away and say, “It's fine, I guess.” Even though he says that, he knows that Yue's new kimono is absolutely stunning. But he will never admit that to anyone, not even himself. “So, did you come all the way here to bother me with your new clothing, or do you have something else important to talk to me about?”

Yue then claps her hands together and says, “Oh yeah! I forgot to pay you for your help.” She then pulls out a small envelope with money and continues, “Here, I want you to have this!”

Jake then shakes his head no and says, “No thanks. I don't need your money. I only did it to make us even for the food you gave me earlier, that's all.”

“Oh, I see. . .” said Yue. Even though she doesn't have to pay him, she still feels that she needs to give him something in return for his help. It doesn't take long for her to come up with an alternative payment. Since he liked the food she made earlier, she feels that it would make a more suitable reward than money. So she pulls out a small package of food and says, “Here, this is for you then.”

At first, Jake wants to turn it down as well. But remembering how delicious her cooking was earlier, he decides to accept it anyway. “I guess I'm grateful.” he says which is his unusual way of saying thanks.

Yue then bows at Jake and says, “Thanks for your help. I know you said that you would only help me once, but I hope you'd reconsider that. . . Well, I have to go, sayonara!” She then leaves, leaving Jake frozen like a statue.

Without him noticing, Tanya crept up from behind him and surprises him saying, “Hmm, What's this I see here? Could there be something going on between you and Yue?”

Jake looks back at Tanya embarrassed and red like a tomato saying, “Don't be stupid! She's a human, I could never feel that way about a human!”

Tanya places a hand on her chin, and says, “I don't know. . . Your father married a human after all. . . So the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree after all. . . And what's this you have here, some food from Yue with love?”

Jake huffs and says, “Mind your own business! I have work to do after all!”

Jake then continues to work ignoring Tanya for the rest of the day. Even though Jake doesn't want to admit it, but Tanya can tell that something good is happening to Jake. He may deny it at first, but his human side may catch up to him sooner or later. All she hopes for is that Jake can get over his hatred for humans sooner or later. Jake is just as much human as he is elf after all.

To be continued.

[Juxapose]

Chapter 4

The day after Yue completed her Kimono, she leaves to the next town so that she can see how well her Kimono would attract customers. Days later, Jake's injuries completely heal up, and he no longer needs to wear any bandages. After he doesn't need them anymore, he walks over to a waste basket to throw away the used bandages. But he stops for a moment, and takes a look at the bandages.

Holding the bandages in his hands brings back the memories that he had with Yue in Blessia Island. The way that Yue helped him with his injuries even though he wanted to be alone makes him feel unusual. He has never seen such kindness from any other human before. Often times, he was made fun of because he was half elf/half human when he was a child. Even the human who he cared for and trusted the most had abandoned him.

Jake then sighs deeply, and throws the bandages away. He knows what he is, but he can hardly accept accept it himself. He doesn't believe that anyone else can either. Even the girl he once loved has run away from his life, and married a human, the kind he hates the most.

But even while feeling this way, Jake has been paying a bit more attention to the bulletin board every morning on his way to the Blacksmith Shop. Every morning, he stops to look at all the random tasks the villagers need for just a few minutes longer than normal. One morning while he looking through the notes, he sighs and says to himself, “I guess she's not back yet. . .”

He quickly realizes what he says, and then slaps himself. For a while, he wonders if it was Yue he was thinking about. He tries to tell himself that it's not true. He whispers that he dislikes Yue, and that there's no way that he could be worried about her. Afterwards, he rushes over to the blacksmith shop, and begins work.

Tanya notices but doesn't mention that there has been an unusual change in Jake's behavior. Jake is more relaxed and calm than before, and he doesn't get upset when customers mention Cecilia or Kyle. Often times when there are visitors, Jake would be the first person looking up to see who was at the door. Tanya often wonders if Jake is expecting Yue to come by again.

About a week after Yue left with her new kimono, Jake passes through the De Sainte-Coquille Park like he usually does in the morning. He stops at the bulletin board to see if there are any new requests that he can take. His attention is quickly absorbed by a small message signed by Yue.

To Anyone:
I have a small problem, and I need to talk to someone.
-Yue

Jake sighs and looks away. He was expecting a job that requires his skills as a swordsman. But all Yue needs is someone to talk to, not borrow his skills. He doesn't see any other notes that he is interested in, so he turns towards the Blacksmith Shop, and walks away. Once again, something in the back of his head begins to bother him.

He doesn't understand what's bothering him, he already repaid his debt to Yue, so there is no reason he should feel obligated to take up her simple request. He asks himself why can't he just ignore the message and walk away? Just thinking about the possible answers frustrates him. If he leaves the message unanswered, he knows that it will bother him for the rest of the day.

He walks back to the bulletin board, and takes the note. He stares at it closely for a minute, and says, “I'm just going to listen. . . That's all I'm going to do. . .”

He then takes a look around, and realizes that he has no idea where Yue may be. In the last request, Yue wrote that she was in Blessia Island. But the message is small, and doesn't say where can she be found this time. Yue is not the type who stays in a single place for too long, and she never had an actual pattern as to where she may be found. Yue only goes to where she thinks she can sell some goods.

It frustrates him to admit, but he may need the help of another human to find Yue. So he heads south to the Alvarna Port where the dock is located. On the west side of the port is a young woman who can tell Jake where Yue is. This young woman is Alicia, the fortune teller of Alvarna. Even though she claims to be a fortune teller, most of her predictions are dead wrong. She does have a habit of making some of her predictions come true.

But even with such a reputation under her belt, she does have some mysterious and unusual abilities. She can tell the weather for the next day, and even has the power to change it. She has an unusual ability to know where everyone is, and how do they feel about one another.

Even with these strange and mysterious abilities, Jake has not once used her services before. Jake and Alicia were born and grew up in Alvarna together. But for as long as he has known her, he has never spoken to her. Even for a human, Jake has always found her strange and creepy. As a child, Alicia has always had her unusual abilities, but she also claimed to know the future.

As an adult, Alicia has taken her strange habit to the next level. Now she is dressed like a witch, pointed hat and everything. Some people claim that Alicia has dual colored eyes. But others say that the difference between her left and right eye is so slight that it cannot count as different colors. She has long pink hair which is rare, but her mother has the same hair color as well. Her brother has more of a light purple color in his hair, most likely from his father.

But what disturbs Jake the most is her witch dress is too revealing. Alicia has an excellent body figure that makes every other women whine with envy. She has no problem or shame to show off as much of her beautiful body as possible without walking around naked.

As much as Jake would like to avoid the fortune telling, he is in a hurry. He doesn't have enough time to search every corner of Alvarna in order to find Yue. So he swallows his pride, and goes to Alicia in order to help him find Yue quickly.

Just as he thought, Alicia is at the port waiting for customers like she always does. He walks up to her with the most annoyed look he can make, and says, “Hey!!” while flipping a 20 gold piece coin at her. “Tell me where the merchant human is!”

Alicia catches the coin in mid air, and says, “You mean Yue, am I correct? Just one moment, and I'll find out for you.” She then closes her eyes, and places her hands on the sides of her head, and chants, “Hollyhalla! Jami-la-la! Wahala!!!” After a second of thinking, she continues, “Hmmm. . . I can see it! I see it clearly! . . . Yue is at Alvarna - North Square. No doubt about it!”

Jake nods, and heads north without saying anything else. After he is out of sight, Alicia then sighs and says, “Well, that was rude. Would a simple 'thank you' kill him?” She then flips her coin in the air, and catches it saying, “Well, as long as he paid, that's all I care about!”

The Alvarna North Square is just north of the De Sainte-Coquille Park. Since the square connects to the farm, the Cherry Blossom Square, the Park, and the roads further north that leads to the monster infested areas, Yue felt that she may get a few customers there. Other than a connection between some popular areas, there is nothing there other than Kyle's barn where he keeps his befriended monsters.

Jake quickly finds Yue standing close to the road leading to the monster infested areas. He sighs and asks himself, “What am I doing? I said that I would be doing her no more favors, but here I am like an idiot. Oh well, lets get this over with so I can get on with my life . . .”

He slowly walks up to Yue. This time, she is not wearing the kimono that she made recently. He doesn't greet her, or says hi. He only waits until he is noticed instead. It doesn't take long before Yue notices Jake walking towards her. At first, she thought that he may be just walking past her, and going for some training. As soon as he gets close, Yue says, “Hi there Jake. Are you headed over to Trieste Forest again? Or maybe to Messhina Valley? If you are going into Padova Mountains, I have some hot milk that would keep you warm, guaranteed!”

Jake doesn't say anything in response. He only pulls out the note Yue left at the bulletin board, and shows it to her. Yue then takes a quick look at the note, and then back at Jake. “Oh, you're here about my request?”

Jake sighs and says, “I'm just going to listen. . . That's all!” He then walks over to a nearby lamp post, and sits at the base saying, “Go ahead, start talking. I'm listening.”

Yue feels happy that it was Jake that answered her request. She was hoping that it would be him when she pinned the request up. But even though she wanted Jake to come, she wrote that anyone could take up the request, in case that Jake decides not to take it. She really does have a problem, so she was willing to talk to anyone. But the one person she wanted to talk to was him.

Yue doesn't want Jake to await too long before she starts her story. So she sighs deeply, and begins, “I'm having some trouble in another town. . .”

The first line has already caught Jake's interest. If the story was going to be dull or boring, he would have just ignored her, and drift off into a daydream. But he sits up, and pays attention instead.

“You see, I created a new kimono so that I could attract more customers. It seems to work, but I think I bit off more than I can chew.
You see, there is this guy who lives in one of the town where I sell at. I go there a lot because there are a lot of people going to work in the morning and afternoons, so they depend on some of my cooking for a meal. But there is this one guy who's been bothering me a lot lately.
He is a rich snob. His family owns a successful business, and he has never even seen a day's honest work in his life. Because of this, he spends his time flirting with girls all day. But when I made that kimono, he has been flirting especially with me. He will not leave me alone, sometimes he chases me around town. And once he grabbed me, I felt so threatened!”

Seeing the painful and scared look on Yue's face worries him. Like instinct, he unsheathes his sword, and checks how sharp it is. Yue shrieks, panicking while trying to figure out what he is planning to do with his sword. Jake then looks at her with a serious face, and says, “So, shall I kill this human for you?”

Yue shakes her head frantically, and says, “No, no, no, no!! I don't want you to do that!!”

Jake then lets out a disappointed sigh, and sheathes his sword. He then says, “Then what do you want me to do?”

Yue sighs in relief, and says, “I don't want you to do anything. . . I just wanted someone to talk to. Maybe I can get some advice on what to do. I really don't want to go back to that town if he keeps bothering me. But then I might lose so much business. . . I just don't know what else to do.”

Jake rolls his eyes in disbelief. It would be easy to just go there, and rid Yue of her problem. But humans always feel that no one has the right to take another human's life, even if they have done you wrong. Elves have a code of honor, and violating that code means death, human or not.

Seeing that Yue doesn't want him to do something drastic, he feels that a more “Humanlike” plan is in order. So he looks at Yue, and says, “If he likes you so much, then maybe you should just tell him that you're not available.”

Yue looks back at Jake with interest and asks, “You think that'll work? But how do I do that?”

“Buy an engagement ring!” said Jake. He then looks away and continues, “Of you tell him that you're engaged, then there is nothing that he can do to you. I'm sure that there are laws that protects engaged or married females.”

Yue gasps happily, and jumps for joy. “Yes! That's a great idea! I could go out, and buy a really nice ring and. . . Oh wait.” Yue then pulls out an abacus out of her backpack, and starts moving some beads up and down. After calculating the cost of an engagement ring, she sighs and says, “I'm sorry, but I don't think that will work.”

“Why not?” asked Jake curiously.

She lowers her abacus, and says, “Well, I would need an expensive and fancy engagement ring. If I use an ordinary ring, that would not impress him enough to leave me alone. I need to show him that I'm engaged to someone equally as powerful as he is, or he might try to buy me out. And when he finds out that I'm not really engaged, things will only get worse.”

Jake sighs and says, “Just how much is an engagement ring that's good enough worth?”

Yue then starts moving some beads around once again, and says, “I would need about 1,000 gold in order to afford something good enough. But it would take me a long time to gather that much money.”

Before Yue knew it, a bag full of money falls into her hands. Inside the bag is more than enough money to afford any engagement ring Yue can get her hands on. Yue wants to say something, but when she looks at Jake, he is already gone from the lamp post. She then looks south, and finds Jake heading back to the park.

Before Yue had a chance to say anything, Jake yells, “Don't say anything! Just. . . Pay me back. . . Whenever you can. . .”

Yue nods cheerfully and yells, “Thank you Jake! I'm glad that it was you who took up my request!”

Jake remains quiet until he arrives at the Blacksmith Shop. He doesn't bother to ask himself why did he do that. All he knows is that he doesn't need the money, so he only used it so that he wouldn't feel useless with Yue's problem. Other than that, he tries not to think about it, even trying forget that he did something nice for Yue.

After he gets to the Blacksmith's shop, Tanya stops him and yells, “Your late! What kept you this time!?”

Jake sighs and passes by her saying, “It's none of your business. If you have a problem with me coming late, then go ahead and fire me! I'll just find a new blacksmith to study under.”

Tanya turns around, and watches Jake return to the anvil to start his job like if nothing happens. She wants to say something to him, but she knows that keeping him under control is practically impossible. But she quickly notices that something is off. As he begins his job, she notices that Jake is missing something.

She smirks, and walks to him slowly. Pretending that she doesn't know anything, she says, “You know, something is different today. I don't hear the sound of small golden discs ringing together as you walked in.”

“It must be your imagination.” said Jake as he pulls out a hot metal piece out of the furnace.

Tanya remains quiet and continues to watch him. She knows that Jake has something on his mind, but he's trying his best to hide it. When his attention is distracted, Tanya smacks him on his bottom causing him to jump out of shock. Jake then turns around and yells, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!”

Tanya nods cheerfully and says, “I knew it. Your money sack is gone! What happened to it? Did you lose it on your way here?”

Jake's face turns red out of embarrassment and says, “I. . . Lent it to someone.”

Tanya smirks fiendishly and places a hand on her chin staring at Jake. “So, Who could you have possibly lent that big sack of money to?? There are no other elves in Alvarna, and I know that your father doesn't need your money. So it has to be a human. . . Could it have been Yue?”

Jake's face turns even redder. He then turns around, and grabs his blacksmith's hammer yelling, “I only did her a favor! Just one! That's it! I'm not going to do anymore favors, so just leave me alone, and let me do my job!!”

Jake then continues his job as red as a tomato. At this point, Tanya feels that Jake may be vulnerable. There are so many things that she wanted to ask him, but with his attitude towards other people, she could hardly get a word out of him, So she takes a seat nearby and says, “Jake, let me ask you something. . . Why do you want to be a blacksmith so much?”

Jake stops hitting the metal, and thinks about his answer. He knows why, but he doesn't want to say. So Tanya continues to ask, “It's not like you need money. Your father owns an inn. I know that he has some slow days, but he makes more than enough to live comfortably. I pay you every week, but you never spend the money. Your money sack just grows a bit more every week. If you don't have to work, why do it?”

Jake places the hammer down. The metal he has been working on has already cooled off, so he cannot work on it anymore. He then tilts his head down and says, “Because I want to be strong. I don't want to be weak like you petty humans, I want to be an elf. Elves are tough, they never run away. I don't want to be half human, I want to be a full blooded elf!”

Tanya sighs and says, “You know, not all humans are weak. Some humans are even stronger and braver than elves. Some humans are kind, others are cruel. Some are brave, others are cowards. Some are chivalrous, others are not. What makes humans so great is that each and every one of us are different in some way. I'm sure that you feel that way about humans too, but you would never admit it.
Take me for example. Am I the same as some of the other women in Alvarna? Am I the same as Alicia? Of course not, she's way different, almost strange. But what about Yue? I'm sure that Yue is very different than anyone you've met.”

“What's your point?” demanded Jake.

Tanya sighs and says, “I'm just trying to say that you should give humans a chance. We're not all bad people. And when you get to know us better, you may be proud to be as much human, as you are an elf.”

Jake takes a moment to think about what Tanya is trying to say. But in the end, Jake just looks at Tanya and yells, “I will never give humans a chance! I have made up my mind, and you cannot change that!”

So he picks up the forceps, and places the cool metal back into the furnace. Tanya tried her best to make Jake understand that he cannot just pretend that he has no human blood in him. Even though she failed, she feels that maybe Yue can help him understand that.

To be continued.

[Pickle]

Oh yay! He's starting to warm up!

[Juxapose]

This story is almost done. Just 2 more chappies to go.

[Butterscotch]

I just got caught up with this. It's really adorable! I love Jake's character development.
I also loved the scene where Yue puts medicine on Jake's arm. IDK if it was intentional or not, but it reminded me of a similar scene in Beauty & the Beast.
I also liked the part when Tanya smacked Jake's butt....it made me lol.

I didn't notice any spelling mistakes, though I did see a few punctuation errors. But the most obvious mistakes were the tense changes. Though you're getting better about that, it's still something you need to watch out for.
These mistakes are small though, and don't detract much from an otherwise great story. Even tgough I've never played Rf2 I'm findingenuity the story easy to follow & enjoy.

[Juxapose]

Thanks a lot butters!

Oh, and that part was inspired by the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. Jake reminds me of the beast, and Yue reminds me of Belle. I somehow knew that you would catch that, you did mention somewhere that you are a fan of Disney movies.

[Butterscotch]

Awesome! The dialouge was so close that I was really hoping it was intentional. BatB is one of my favorites too

[Juxapose]

Chapter 5

As much as Jake says that he will not do anymore favors for Yue, this is one promise that he cannot seem to keep to himself. Time after time, Yue leaves Alvarna, and returns after some time. Every time that she comes back to Alvarna, she has a brand new request waiting at the bulletin board.

Jake passes by the bulletin board every morning to check on requests. Time and time again, he finds Yue's requests pinned to the board. Most of them are requests to collect items to sell in another village or town. Each time he finds a request by Yue, he keeps finding some reason to complete them. Most of the time, the requests are to gather materials from monsters, so Jake completes them saying that it's only training for himself.

Jake does not complete every single request posted by Yue. If the request is too easy, or involves Jake doing something that he does not like, he will not do them. Fishing is a prime example of a request that he will not complete. But regardless if he completes them or not, he still goes over to see Yue. Even if it is to tell her that he does not want to do it.

But even if Jake does not volunteer to do every single request, he still does the vast majority of them. After some time, Yue begins to learn and understand Jake. His likes, his dislikes, his strengths, and his weaknesses. Sometime in Fall, Yue begins to assign most tasks specifically for Jake. While others she is sure that Jake has no interest in would go for anyone.

As Yue spends more time with Jake, she begins to appreciate his company. Most of the time, she has Jake escort her through monster infested areas to try to reach places she would not be able to go alone. Jake does his very best to protect her with his very life. Jake says that it's an elf code to do his jobs to the best of his ability. But Yue can see past his words, and knows that Jake is fighting hard because he cares for her. He will never admit it, even to himself, but Yue can see it in his eyes.

As time continues to pass, Yue begins to hold Jake dear to her. He is not perfect, but he is slowly changing from a ill tempered hermit, to her knight in shining armor. Jake has admitted that Yue is different from other humans. He may not know it, but he really enjoys Yue's company. But even as his feelings change little by little over time, he keeps telling himself that Yue is a human, and there is no way that he can see her as anything more than a friendly merchant.

During one of her requests, Yue gave Jake a special item she made just for him. It was a hachimaki, the far east equivalent of a bandanna. Yue tells him that it's for luck and protection. Jake was a bit disappointed because he was hoping for more of Yue's delicious food. But because Yue made it for him, he accepts it anyway. Ever since then he wears it while training when Yue is away. He doesn't know why, but it gives him comfort while in the field battling monsters.

It is now Winter in Alvarna. The snow has piled up on the buildings and roads. One of Yue's favorite seasons because daikon radishes are in season. Jake is not entirely fond of Winter, but he doesn't hate it either. The blacksmith shop is slower in Winter, which gives him plenty of time to train.

On the 14th day of Winter, Jake goes off to work like he normally does. Just like clockwork, he heads out to the De Sainte-Coquille park so that he can check the board for missions and tasks. As he is passing through the park, Yue is just south near the dock selling some food to one of the villagers of Alvarna.

Just after she gives her customer his change, she notices Jake walking through the park. She bows gracefully, and thanks her customer before running off towards Jake. As she is approaches him, she starts to get butterflies in her stomach. She's quite nervous because it's a very special day for her.

“Jake!” called Yue as she gets closer to him.

Jake stops, and looks back at Yue. He raises an eyebrow at her, considering that they usually don't meet unless there is a task involved. He wasn't even given a chance to look at the board yet. But he stands by, and waits without complaining. After Yue catches up to him, she stops to catch her breath for a moment.

There is a moment of pause as they look at one another. Yue is quite happy to see Jake, and is smiling at him. Jake on the other hand keeps a serious look on his face, but deep inside he feels happy to see Yue.

“Well, what is it? If it's about a request, I haven't checked the board yet.” said Jake breaking the silence.

Yue shakes her head no, and responds. “I don't have a request for you this time. But. . .” Yue looks down, and blushes before continuing, “It's Valentines day today. And I have a gift for you.”

“Valentines day? What's that?” asked Jake in a confused tone.

“Valentines day is not really celebrated here in Norad. But it's a special day we celebrate back in my hometown. You see, on Valentines day, girls give chocolates to close friends or. . . Guys we like.” explains Yue.

“I see, so you think of me as a close friend then?” asked Jake thoughtlessly.

Yue sighs sadly and says, “Umm. . . Something like that. . . Or. . .”

“Well, I guess I should be grateful. . .” said Jake. “But I don't really like chocolate. It's too sweet, and more suitable for females. Couldn't this 'Valentines Day' be a little bit more healthy, and give out spinach or onions instead?”

Yue sighs sadly again. She understands why Jake doesn't take the holiday a bit more seriously, but it still makes her feel sad that Jake is turning her gift down. She handmade the chocolates herself, and hoped that Jake would understand her feelings a bit better with it. Now she's starting to wonder if she misunderstood Jake the whole time. Maybe Jake doesn't like her at all.

“Okay, fine. . . I'll just go to the farm, and see if I can buy something a bit healthier. . .” said Yue in a sad tone.

Jake lets out a stressful sigh. He can clearly see in her large blue eyes that her feelings are hurt. If this was any other human, he wouldn't care at all. But he hates seeing Yue this way. He still doesn't understand the meaning of Valentines day, but he can clearly see that this is very important to her. He then scratches his head and thinks for a moment, all he needs to do is accept the chocolates, Yue never said anything about him eating them.

“Fine. . .” said Jake. Yue looks up at Jake, surprised by his sudden comment. Jake then continues, “I'll accept your chocolates this time, but don't think I'll be so willing next year. Just stop making that sad face, it bugs me.”

Yue smiles and nods cheerfully. She then takes off her backpack, and rummages through it searching for the chocolates she made. It takes her a minute to find it among the collection of items she has in her large backpack. “Here you go, Happy Valentines Day Jake!” she said while handing Jake the neatly packed chocolates.

Jake takes the chocolates quietly. However, as he takes the chocolates off her hands, he notices something that makes his heart stop for a moment. On Yue's hand, he sees her wearing a ring. Not just any ring, but an engagement ring.

For a moment, Jake wonders if Yue had gotten engaged with someone from another town. But he figures that if she did, she would have mentioned it to him earlier. He then remembers that he gave Yue money to buy an engagement ring to fool someone in another town that she had gotten engaged. The ring does look very expensive, solid gold and lined with three rows of real diamonds.

What confuses him the most is why is she wearing it? Was she wearing it the whole time since she got it? Yue's kimono hides her hands almost all the time, so there was no way he could notice it before, even if Yue is handing him something. But this time, Yue went deep into her backpack, which she needed to pull back the kimono to reveal her hands. She only needed it in another village, why is she wearing it in Alvarna?

After Jake takes the chocolates, Yue nods and says, “Well, I have to go to work now. I hope I see you later today. Jyan eh!”

After Yue takes a few steps away, Jake asks, “Why are you wearing your engagement ring?”

Yue looks back at Jake, then she folds back her sleeve to look at her ring. Afterwards, she laughs and says, “I guess you noticed it. It's a very pretty ring, isn't it?”

“It's not like it's a real engagement ring, you only got it to fool that rich guy. You almost had me fooled for a second there. So if you don't need to wear it, why do you?” asked Jake.

“Because. . .” Yue then caresses the ring against her face happily and says, “Because I someday want to get married.”

The sudden confession made Jake's face turn red. It wasn't something he expected out of her. To him, Yue seemed like the type of girl who is more interested in her work, than to think about something as serious as marriage. He doesn't know why, but his heart begins to beat a little bit harder. He never felt this way before, not even towards Cecilia.

“I love my job, I really do. Traveling around meeting all sorts of people. Some people even see me as a member of their own family. But still, I've always wanted a family of my own. I've always dreamed of meeting a great man who is hard working, strong, caring, and protective of me. I wouldn't care if he is a human, elf, or somewhere in between. It doesn't matter to me. What does matter is who he is on the inside.
I know that I'm not really engaged. And this ring may not be a real engagement ring. But I love wearing it, because it makes me feel like I am engaged for real. I just hope that someday, this ring can become a real engagement ring.”

Yue then giggles, and says, “That reminds me. I still have to pay you back for the ring. It may take some time, but I am working hard to make up the money. So please wait a bit longer, okay? Bye-bye!”

And so, Yue goes off to her next stop to sell more goods. Jake on the other hand is petrified out of shock. So many things are flowing through his mind, mainly of Yue. But then he begins to sneeze, the cold weather is getting to him just standing there. He then checks the time, and finds that it's about time to open up the shop. So he runs to the east without checking the bulletin board, and goes to work.

The next day, Jake decides not to go to work. He knows that he will get screamed at by Tanya, but he never cared about what she told him. He's not ill, but he has so much to think about. His heart is far more confused than his head. He is beginning to realize that he cares deeply for Yue. But at the same time, his his heart is telling him that Yue is a human. He simply cannot suddenly drop his hatred for humans that easily.

His heart is tied into a knot. His human side is telling him to love Yue. But his bitter elf side is telling him to forget his feelings for Yue. Something inside of him is trying to tell him that Yue will abandon him someday. The pain in his chest is far more painful than any blow he had received while fighting monsters.

Just then, his long elf ears picks up Yue's voice from outside. He gets up, and takes a look outside the window of his room. Yue is across the road in front of the church gathering a crowd of customers to buy her food. Winter is cold, so it's a perfect time for Yue to sell warm drinks. Some of the customers are also examining Yue's kimono, and asks about how warm it is.

Jake continues to stare at Yue from inside his window, he cannot just look away from her beautiful smile so easily. She is a popular girl, strong in mind and body, talented in many arts, and has so many skills. But even so, she's a human. Jake has tried for so long to pretend that he doesn't have a human side. He is now asking himself that how could he feel for a human after so many years of bitterness?

After some time, Egan walks in to check on his son. He quickly notices that Jake is looking out the window at something. So he walks over to him, and asks, “What are you looking at Jake?”

Jake looks back at his father, and then walks back to his bed. After throwing himself on his bed with his hands folded behind his head, he answers, “Nothing. I'm not looking at anything at all.”

Egan is not convinced. He takes a look outside, the only thing he can see is Yue and her crowd of customers. He could not help but smile, Yue is a close friend of his after all. He cares for her like if she was part of the family. He then looks at Jake resting on the bed, and says, “You know, that girl is really something special. She's beautiful, spirited, kind hearted, and very talented. It would be nice if she would become my daughter-in-law, and-”

“If you like her so much, then why not marry her! After all, you're the one who likes humans, not me!” snapped Jake.

Egan sighs after hearing his son's words. He knows clearly why Jake feels the way he does. He was hoping that his heart would heal over time. But there are some wounds that will not heal so easily. Egan then pulls out a photograph from his chest pocket, and stares at it for a moment.

He sighs deeply while staring at the photograph, then says, “Jake. I understand that what happened between me and your mother was not easy for you. I will not ask you to forgive the past, it would be wrong of me to. But still. . .”

Egan rests the photograph on Jake's dresser and continues, “I will say this. Don't let the past stop you from having a better future. You're my son, and I care about you deeply, regardless if you are an elf. . . Or a human. Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you. Just, make a good choice.”

Egan then exits Jake's room, leaving the photograph behind. After a moment of silence, Jake becomes curious about what his father left in his room. He walks over to the dresser, and finds a small photograph faced down. He picks the photograph up, and takes a look. He can quickly recognize the woman in the photograph. It is one of the very few photographs of his mother.

She was a very beautiful human, long brunette hair, hazel eyes, and a lovely smile. Just looking at her brings back so many happy memories he had with her as a small child. But her marriage to Egan was very short lived, and he hasn't seen her on over 15 years. Ever since then, Jake has felt abandoned. The most important person in his life left him behind. He has never forgiven her, or any other human.

When he needed her the most, when the other human kids made fun of him because he was a halfling, she wasn't there to comfort him. He needed her to embrace him, and tell him that everything is okay. His father's love was not enough, he needed his mother as well. Because his father was the only one there for him, he no longer wanted his human side. He wanted to be a full elf. Even if that was impossible.

At that moment, he started to think about Yue. Yue knows that he is half elf, but she still cared for him. She may have left Alvarna countless times, but she always came back. When he was troubled and wished to be alone, Yue was there. When he's injured, she treated his wounds. He pushed everyone away, but she was the only one who pushed back. No matter what he did, Yue was always there for him.

At that moment, he started to understand Tanya's words. Yue may be a human, but she is not like his mother. Yue is different. Tanya is different. Kyle is different. Alicia is different. No two humans are the same. Not everyone is going to leave him behind.

Jake finally makes a decision. He takes a look out his window, but finds that Yue is gone. He looks around, but she is nowhere in sight. He rushes out of his house, and looks around. There are too many footprints to tell which way she went. He wants to find her quickly, he wants to tell her the truth about how he feels.

He rushes over to the dock to find Alicia. If anyone knows where Yue is, she knows. “Hey Fortune Teller!!” yelled Jake tossing her a 20 gold piece at her. After Alicia catches the coin, he demands, “Tell me where the merchant is!”

“You mean Yue?” asked Alicia. “Hold on a sec. . . Holly-”

“Oh shut it!” Yelled Jake. “I'm in a hurry, and I don't need to hear your stupid incantation! Just tell me where she is!”

Alicia sighs and says, “Okay fine! She's headed towards Fallen Star Path. She's leaving to the next town already.”

Jake then nods, and heads north. Alicia then crosses her arms and says, “Geez, what bit him in the ass today? Would it kill you to be a bit more gentle?”

Jake runs as fast as his legs could take him. He has no idea how far has Yue made it, but he hopes that he could at least catch her before she leaves. He runs into people, even slips and almost falls into the snow. He doesn't care what anyone says at that moment, he wants to reach Fallen Star Path before she does.

Just as Alicia predicted, he finds Yue heading towards Fallen Star Path. He yells “HEY!!!” several times until he has gotten Yue's attention. Yue stops and looks back at Jake rushing towards her. It's not like him to be so frantic, he's usually so serious and calm. So she waits there to see what's going on.

Jake stops in front of her, and takes a moment to catch his breath. “Jake, is everything okay?” asked Yue curiously.

Jake then looks up at Yue, and asks, “I want you to tell me the truth. How do you feel about me?”

The sudden question shocks Yue. She looks down, and starts playing with the sleeves of her kimono saying, “I. . . I really like you. . .No, I mean to say. . .” She then takes a deep breath, and looks up at Jake's eyes. She blushes while she says, “I love you Jake! I have for a long time, but I know how you feel about humans, so I never said anything to you before!”

Jake then takes Yue's hand, and rolls back her sleeve exposing the engagement ring saying, “Would you like to make this ring a REAL engagement ring?”

Yue gasps in shock, and says, “Jake. . . What are you saying?”

Jake then smiles for the first time, and asks, “Yue, will you marry me?”

Yue gasps even harder. She then turns around and looks away. She was not expecting Jake to propose so suddenly, her heart is racing a thousand beats a minute. She can only try her best not to faint. She only holds her chest and says, “I. . . I don't know what to say. . . I can't believe you feel the same way I do. . . And you smiled for me, I never thought your smile would be so nice. . . And you called me Yue, not once did you call me by my name before. . . This is just too much at one time. . .”

“I am not going to ask again.” said Jake. “So, what is your answer?”

Yue then turns around to see Jake's smile once again. She then smiles herself, and says, “Yes! I accept.”

To be continued.

[Butterscotch]

aww!