Flowering Passion

Warm Welcomes

"Thank you so much!" Jill thanking an older couple who gave her yet another welcome basket. After they left, she put everything in it away in her cabin. Such kind regards the past few days. they really were a close-knit community from what she could tell so far... Why did she feel like the walls were closing in on her and she had no privacy these past few days?

Jill dug through what was just given to her 'This all looks so good, I can barely even make a salad... Do I even have what it takes to farm if I can barely even make words properly to people being nice to me? If I get so exhausted tilling soil so fast? Am I even like Dad on this? What if-' Her thoughts are interrupted by another knocking on the door. 'Who is it this time? Please let them be quick...'

Jill answers the door and to her surprise, it is Celia from the other day. She couldn't forget a girl with such enthusiasm. "Hi Jill!" she waved holding a basket that smelled inviting.

"I didn't see you outside and I wanted to drop off some bread Vesta baked, and I just wanted to ask how you are doing and see if you need any help as well,"

"Oh, thanks Celia, Um.. come on in," Jill asked as she opened the door for her guest. "I didn't interrupt anything did I?" Celia asked concerned, "No you didn't. I hurt myself a little yesterday. I pushed myself too hard and Takakura is giving me part of the day off," "Are you going to be ok?" Celia asked concerned, placing the delightful smelling basket on a table. "Yeah, I'll be fine," Jill sighed sitting rather fatigued.

The small cabin was rather cluttered with boxes that still need unpacking. "Hey, I love your plushies. CUTE!" Celia exclaimed looking at the top of an opened box. "Yeah, I still need to unpack a lot more things. Been trying to do what I can every night before I just need to sleep." Jill replied slightly embarrassed.

"You'll get everything figured out, maybe I could help you unpack sometime?" Celia offered. "No, no. It's ok, you have your own farm work and stuff... Thanks though." Jill thinks to herself, 'It would also be incredibly awkward if she saw some of my manga...' "Oh, are you sure Jill?" "Yeah, I am sure,"

Awkwardness fills the cabin as Jill's thoughts race. 'What am I doing? She is the only person here in this whole valley who even seems close to the kind of person I could get along with and here I am being my awkward self again! Why do-' "So what are you into besides farming?" Jill blurted before she even realized it.

Celia giggled. Jill blushed as she had had never heard a sound more adorable. "Well, I love cute things, teddy bears and plushies are some of my favorite things. I adore flowers of all kinds, reading and writing," she noted with a grin.

Jill smiled too. She had found someone who she could relate to at least a little. Celia was pretty cute too. It was probably too good to be true, a girl like her liking girls.

"I really like cute things too, and I always loved animals since I was a kid. I also really love art. I love clothes, I used to work at a boutique in the city," "Was it fun? Seems very different from farming," Celia questioned. "Not really, It was boring most days and sometimes customers and my co-workers could be difficult" Jill rose to make her guest something to eat. "The discounts were ok though, but my style isn't really popular anymore,"

"Well, what do you like to wear?" Celia asked as she sat down rather politely. Jill couldn't believe she opened up this much to someone she just met a few days ago. "I really love that early 2000's scene kid fashion and aesthetic that was popular when I was a kid, you remember what I am talking about don't you?"

"I remember that! I always wanted the courage to wear it but never did... I remember being in middle school and some of my classmates wearing it. I miss those days too, what's popular in the city these days?" Celia asked nostalgically.

"Wait, you didn't grow up here?" Surprised as Jill offered her a tomacarro salad. "No, I used to live there too. I moved here a few years ago due to some health problems," Celia explained rather uncomfortably while she started on her salad.

The two sat quietly eating. Jill not wanting to be rude asked her, "So what's life here like?" "It's great, I love how clean the air is and how happy people here are," she affirmed. "I didn't see many people our age here, what do you usually do for fun?" Taking a bite, Jill listens."Well, I usually do things online on my off time. I also love hanging out with Auntie Vesta, she's truly family to me. Things are very quiet here, there really isn't much here. Most people go out of the valley for stuff to do. Or the Blue Bar, but I am not too crazy about that sort of thing myself,"

"I thought you would be a social butterfly?" Jill said surprised. Celia sighed, "Not me. I really try, but it's just really draining since no one here shares my interests. It's like I speak a foreign language sometimes," Saddened and shocked, Jill relates to her. "I feel the same way a lot of the time. Even the people I knew before thought I was weird,"

Celia looks surprised and gives her a smile filled with warmth that Jill didn't even know she needed. Pulling down her long green sleeve, Celia looks at her watch and exclaims,"Oh no! I think Vesta needs me back now! I am so sorry to cut this so short, but I need to get going Jill. I will see you later!" Slightly saddened, Jill opens the door for her and says gives Celia her leftovers. As she closes the door, she sighs and looks into her empty cabin. She really enjoyed her company and actually didn't want her to go. Celia made her made her feel all warm and fuzzy. But she has to work to do too.

Humming on the dirt road, Celia Clover thinks to herself about her meeting with Jill. She seems really cute, and the two of them seem to have a lot in common already! 'I want to know more about her, maybe I should offer to help her out one day soon, since she seems to be having trouble getting used to farming. And I would have an excuse to spend some time with her too. I'm getting really ahead of myself here, girls like her usually don't like girls, much less girls like me,'

She stopped in her tracks and looked at her reflection in the river below the bridge she stood on. Breathing in and out, Celia smiled and giggled.