Fanfiction: Experiencing Freedom CHAPTER 47 is a go! (February 7th)

Hunh, when you said "Brand New Day" I swear to Yoba I thought you were referring to the one by Sting and the Police, and I was all, "oh hell yeah!" This is quite pretty, though, nice. *Bookmarks.*

 

@Risukage I thought the same thing Good song choice regardless, Aps In direct contrast I think to the awesome as heck combat scenes you got going. I love those. These keep getting better and better and this chapter was one of my favorites yet!

 

SWARM OF WORDS INCOMING! IDENTIFIED CHAPTER 23!

It has been weeks since James had officially started his band practices with Sam. He had been traveling through the mines more frequently than ever. In fact, he had reached the 90th floor of the mines. He had been finding some unusual metal that seems to give out a purplish luster despite that fact that what James was mining was straight from an ore. ‘Interesting…’ James thought as he placed the strange ore in his bag. He continued with punishing rock formations with his pickaxe until he shattered one of them that was blocking the ladder down to a level under. James took the ladder down. His sword was ready for whatever was in store under.

As soon as he faced away from the ladder, he noticed that the cavern was very small, with nothing but a red chest with golden edges in the middle. Scratching his head, James carefully approached the chest with curiosity. He kicked the lock, shattering it in the process. He then opened the box to find a pair of shoes. The shoes didn’t look like they were decades old. In fact, they looked like the shoes from the Portal games. As soon as James picked them up, red and green LED lights brightened up with some kind of machinery inside activating. Startled, James dropped them. Braving himself up, James picked the futuristic boot back up from the ground. As he inspected them, he heard squeaking. He looked around to find where the sound was coming from. Everywhere. This wasn’t good. James looked into the box to find two more objects inside. One looked like a purple fruit and the other some kind of firearm. As the noise became louder and frequent, James scurried the objects and ran for the ladder. The fire bats were chasing after him. James made no hesitation and climbed up to the floor above him. The bats, now swarming in millions, were all after him with bloodthirsty fangs opened. James had to run for the elevator to the surface. As he ran through the cavern searching for the lift, he tripped on a ruby ore and fell hard to the ground. He tried to get up, only to find his right cybernetic leg giving out sparks signaling heavy damage. He turned around to see the bat swarm converging on him. If he didn’t act, he would die of severe blood loss due to their bloodsucking nature. He closed his eyes. What would he do? Use a flamethrower? No, he didn’t build one and fire bats bathe themselves in molten rock during infancy. Suddenly, something sparked in his mind: Plasma. He remember that day when he nearly blew himself up due to unstable energy. James cleared his mind. The Potion of Perseverance has really helped him during his training with Linus. He could feel his thoughts turning into something warm and ticklish. However, as he concentrated his magic, something felt odd. The pitch of the bat squeaks somehow started to feel lower. He remembered that it would take 3 seconds for the bats to reach him, but it felt like a minute has passed. James opened his eyes to see that everything was slow. His magic concentration had slowed down time. Giving a grin, James shot out the plasma that was gathered on his left palm. The massive blue orb jetted to one of the bats, creating a giant bang. All was white when such happened, and James was deafened. When the flash had subsided, he rubbed his eyes. There were no bats in sight. In fact, the floor beneath him was filled with vile and viscous blood along with bat intestines scattered around the area. Wiping off some of the blood from his body, James waited for his leg to repair and then walked to the lift like nothing ever happened.


James opened the door of Clint’s shop. Clint was working on James’s copper hoe as he asked for it a few days ago. “Hello, Clint.” James said.

“Oh, hello James! Fancy meeting you here! Did you bring another one of your projects?” Clint asked.

“Well, uh… this is something else.” James replied, taking out the strange purple ore from his bag and placing it on Clint’s counter. “Have any idea what this is? Is it some kind of geode?” he asked. Clint stopped what he was doing and ran to the counter. He then picked up the ore and inspected it thoroughly.

“This… this… dear me, James! Wh… where did you get this?!” Clint exclaimed.

“Oh? Uh… down the mines. Is it some kind of special?” James asked.

“Y… YES IT IS! This is an ore of Iridium! Oh my Yoba, this is magnificent!” Clint replied.

“Iridium? Looks uninteresting.” James said, tilting his head. Why is Clint being so happy for this ore?

“Don’t be fooled by Demetrius and his periodic table! This is Iridium-200! I can make the most powerful tools in the world with this! I… I… I’m sorry if I’m acting strange, James. Do you have more?” Clint asked stuttering his words. James nodded while dumping his backpack upside down. A pile of the purple ore fell to the ground, making a mountain with the height of James’s legs

“My, my! This is unbelievable! I can make a dozen bars of this Iridium!” Clint exclaimed.

“Really? May I see how it’ll look like?” James asked. Clint nodded and took some of the ore. He tossed it onto a smelting furnace and ignited the fire. The ore took almost an hour to turn into molten form. When he thought that it was ready, Clint tapped the molten iridium into a mold and let it cool down inside. Once cooled, Clint removed the bar from the mold. The metal gave out a purple luster. The thing itself was violet and orchid in color.

“Now, I’ve seen you flatten iron, and steel with your fist. Try smashing this!” Clint said confidently.

“You’re on!” James replied, clenching his right hand into a fist. He raised his arm and smashed the metal bar with all his might while giving out a large shout. When he heard a clang, James couldn’t believe his eyes. The metal didn’t even bulge. In fact, two of his robotic fingers were broken off. The nanobots began its repairs. “Jesus Christ, Clint! Now THAT’S some strong metal!”

“Indeed! Only iridium tools can be used to work this metal!” Clint said, holding out his violet hammer. He seemed impressed with the metal. Suddenly, something in James’s mind snapped. His sword has been recently broken off by one of the Shadow Brutes. He had to rely on his hidden blade and firearms that he made in his house to defend himself.

“Clint, I think I do have a project.” James said. Clint was all ears. “…I think I know how to use that iridium. I’m thinking of a sword. What do you say? I’ll pay how much you want.” He asked.

“Definitely! You give undeniable offers! Now, how do you want your sword?” Clint said, giving out three blueprints to James. The first one looked like a broadsword. The second looked like a cutlass and the third was a split-bladed sword that made James think of the Halo Energy Sword.

“Hmmm… I like the looks of the third design! I’ll pay 10000 Galleons for this!” James said, Clint happily nodded as James handed the money. “Hey, uh… I have things to do back at the farm. Should I return when I have the time?”

“Of course! I’ll be ready in a jiffy!” Clint replied as he picked up some of the iridium ore that James gave to him and threw them into his furnace. James gave out a grin as he walked out of the Blacksmiths’ store.


It was the last day of Summer when James had already harvested his last batch of melons and blueberries. James kept half of his melon harvest for future uses, such as jellies. He also remembered that book he read in the library about brewing. ‘Yeah, sounds like a good idea, if only I knew how to make the keg!’ James thought. He also stored a quarter of his blueberry harvest in the chest. He heard that blueberry wine was also pretty good in taste and cost. He put the rest of his harvest in his selling box. James then checked the mail to find an envelope from Lewis.

Dear James Suh,

Tonight at around 10 o’clock PM, a rare and beautiful event will take place.

The moonlight jellies will be passing by Pelican Town on their long journey south for the winter.

We’re all gathering at the beach to watch. You don’t want to miss this!

See you tonight,

-Lewis McLengst and Demetrius Callahan

He had heard of this festival from his grandfather when he was five years old. He was such a outgoing tyke back then. He was astounded by his stories and now James was anxious to see what his father was talking about in real life. Just then, he received a message from Abigail.

Abigail Berneau- Hi James!

James shrugged and texted back.

James Suh- Greetings from Aperture!

Abigail Berneau- What’cha doin? J

James Suh- Work. Do you even lift?

Abigail Berneau- I’ll just leave that to Alex. What’s up with him? He doesn’t seem to mock us that much these days.

James Suh- My righteous knowledge says that I’ve been trying to get him along our gang.

Abigail Berneau- LOL what is he gonna do when he does?

James Suh- We’ll make him our servitor. Anyway, what would you ask of me?

Abigail Berneau- You. PS4. Overwatch. NOW. >: (

James Suh- What’s the magic word?

Abigail didn’t respond for 30 seconds. Then, she started typing.

Abigail Berneau- how the hell am I supposed to know?

James Suh- I guess you really suck at the game. Fine, let the god of videogames save your puny soul. Wait. What’s your PlayStation ID?

Abigail Berneau- Occulanta837 HELP I CAN’T FIGHT WITH REAPER

James chuckles as he walked back into his house and switched on his PlayStation. He found Abigail’s ID and joined the game that she was in. He activated his voice chat and tried to contact the purple-haired girl. “Is this on?” James spoke to the microphone.

“Yes, I can hear you, James. Now get in here and help me!” Abigail shouted in the speaker.

“Magic word?” James jokingly asked, choosing Roadhog as his hero.

“Screw you! I’m in the spawn point!” Abigail shouted. She was Reaper as usual. James laughed along as he played the game skillfully. Neither did James know that a figure was looking at him behind the fences of his farm. The tall grass that James didn’t bother clearing up gave them a perfect disguise. “39 to base. I’ve found the traitor. Permission to terminate?” The figure asked over their headpiece.

“Negative, wait until midnight. We must not leave witnesses.” The voice from the earpiece replied.

“Roger. I’ll keep an eye on him until then. 39 out.” The figure answered as they dashed out of the farm.

It was 9:50 PM that day. Sebastian and Abigail knocked on James’s door. James greeted them. “What’s up, guys?”

“We’re here to bring you to the beach.” Sebastian replied, taking a drag from his cigarette.

“Follow us!” Abigail said. James nodded and followed the duo through the starry night to the beach. Neither did any of the three know about a fourth person following them. In fact, they were so stealthy that not even James could know something was wrong.


The pier of the beach was crowded with the townspeople. Most of them were populating the side with Willy’s shop. James could easily spot the Sam-Penny couple on the other pier. Sebastian gave them a disgusted look. “Seb, are you jealous?” Abigail giggled.

“Say that again and I’ll throw you to the jellyfish.” Sebastian replied, punching her shoulder.

“Hitting women isn’t a right thing to do!” Abigail pouted. Suddenly, something sparked in James’s mind.

“Wait, you were a woman all along?!” James jokingly said with a shock. Sebastian chuckled. “I thought you were the opposide because of that bulge over there…” He added pointing at Abigail’s thigh.

“Shut up, James! You’re horrible” Abigail exclaimed, slapping James. The three walked to where Sam was. “’Sup, Sam?” Abigail called.

“Oh, hey guys! Mind some privacy?” Sam replied.

“By privacy, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sebastian said. James chuckled by his response.

“What happens now?” James asked.

“Now? We wait for the mayor to release that boat over there.” Penny replied, pointing at a small boat with a lamp on it. James nodded. “I need to go look over Vincent and Jas. Sam, do you mind?” She asked her boyfriend. Sam nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Penny gave a smile and walked away from where James and the Teenager Trio were and to the two children.

“Hey, uh… what’s that over there?!” Sebastian exclaimed, pointing at the open sea. James immediately turned his head around to where his friend was pointing. He switched his ocular implant into infra-red mode. Nothing. “Nah, just kidding. I enjoy scaring people.” Sebastian said, chuckling.

“I would have ‘This is Sparta’-kicked you in there.” James jokingly threatened Sebastian.

“Hey, Lewis just launched the boat!” Abigail exclaimed. Indeed, the boat was sailing towards the open sea. Its light shining the water around it. “I hope I will see the rare green ones! They will shower me with fortune!” She added. Just as the boat was approximately 50 meters away from the pier, luminous light started to appear from the water. As the light grew more intense, the jellyfish were starting to be more visible. It was the most beautiful thing James had ever seen. One by one, the jellyfish approached the pier. James could see Vincent and Jas hopping with joy when they saw the juvenile jellies swimming around where they were. Just as James tried to focus on the jellyfish, Sam, Sebastian and Abigail were huddled up on him. Curious, he looked down to see a green jellyfish swimming around him. For some reason, he felt special. What are the odds of the rare green jellyfish be around him? It radiated green light unlight the others that radiated white.


It was at midnight when the last of the jellyfish’s light disappeared. They have continued their journey towards the south, and eventually towards the unknown. It was time for the townspeople to go home, too. James followed the Teenager Trio along the way. “Hey, we’ll take you home! I’m sure you want somebody to talk with, eh?” Sam asked James.

“I don’t see why not!” James replied. The gang walked to Cindersap Forest. As they were busy talking to each other, James started to feel a weird sensation. Why did he feel like something was watching him? He remembered that he had Clint’s iridium sword and a homemade but crude shotgun with him. He shrugged it off and continued talking with his friends. Just as they passed Marnie’s Ranch, something dashed in front of them.

“Whoa, what was that?” Sebastian asked.

“Who knows? A spooky ghost?” Abigail replied, giggling. James was starting to feel nervous. He continued walking along without knowing that his friends weren’t following him. When he had finally noticed that his friends weren’t around him, he turned around only to see the horror that awaited him: A figure was pointing two submachine guns at the Teenager Trio. The three were holding their hands up.

“GUYS?!” James shouted. The figure turned their head to him.

“Take a step…” The figure spoke with a autotuned feminine voice. “…And your friends are to be terminated.” They said, clicking their guns.

“James… help me…” Abigail whimpered, crying.

“SILENCE!” The figure shouted, hitting her head. Abigail have out a cry.

“Don’t harm them!” James shouted. “Who are you?” he added.

“You don’t know me? I told you, you are to be terminated for betrayal and AWOL. Dear, me. You shouldn’t have escaped, you know.” The figure replied. James paused to comprehend the situation. He suddenly knew what the figure was: A supersoldier.

“…So, you’ve found me. What do you want from me?” James asked, gritting his teeth. He had never expected this situation to happen.

“Your life, 24. Your very presence is a insult to the Emperor.” The supersoldier replied. She then turned to Sebastian, who was shaking with fear. “Heh, you look cute. I think I should… keep you as my personal prisoner.” Her words filled James with fear… but something else also filled him. Rage. He silently pulled out his shotgun. He pulled the trigger. Too late. The supersoldier had noticed his movements and evaded the shrapnel shot by him. She dashed towards James, pointing both her guns at him. James continued firing his shotgun, moving around. Some shrapnel hit its mark, only to be bounced off by the armor the supersoldier was wearing. Firing away, the soldier charged onto James and tackled him. His shotgun flew to the air and fell near where the Teenager Trio was. The supersoldier threw three punches at James until he blocked the fourth with his right hand. He pushed her away and got on his feet. He looked around to find his shotgun, only to find it gone. ‘DAMNIT!’ James thought. He had no choice. He drew his split-edged sword from his backpack and charged at the villain. He gave out a war cry as he swung his sword. However, the soldier simply dodged all of his attacks and kicked him on the ribs. James was sent crashing down on a pine tree, causing it to break. James still had his sword at hand. He tried getting up on his feet only to find that his left leg giving out sparks. The supersoldier charged onto him once again and threw punches. With every punch he received, James felt the world crumbling down on him. “You think you can stand against the might of the Gotoro Empire? How stupid.” The supersoldier gloated as she walked to the Teenager Trio with both of her guns pointed at them. Abigail was hugging Sebastian, both of them streaming tears from their eyes. James couldn’t help but also steam tears. First, he would witness the death of his friends or perhaps even the entire valley. He would be sent back to the Gorgon Base and be brainwashed. No, it cannot happen. Something started to fill James’s heart. Not only it was rage, but Determination. He rummaged through his bag to find the purple star-shaped fruit. ‘Well, I guess I should try this…’ he thought has he consumed the fruit. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. His mind was filling up with thoughts of his friends. He felt more determined than ever. The determination to win. The determination to save his friends. He could feel his wounds sealing up and energy circulating his body.

“The fight… is not over yet.” James angrily called the supersoldier as she was about to execute the trio. She turned to the hero. “…I will never let anybody touch my friends… NOR MY FREEDOM!!!” He shouted as he picked up his sword and charged onto the soldier. She acted quickly by pointing her guns at James, but he swung at them, causing the guns to break into halves. The soldier quickly threw them away and readied her cybernetic arm. When James swung his sword vertically, she grabbed it. James waited her to bend it, but the sword didn’t even bulge. He could sense her shock and confusion. James gave a grin. “FEEL. THE POWER. OF. IRIDIUM-200!” He shouted as he pulled his sword away from her and lunged it on her, resulting her right arm to be stuck between the two blades. James twisted the sword, breaking off the robotic arm. Now was his chance. Retracting his sword with the severed arm with it, he concentrated his mind. He felt plasma gathering on his left palm. When he thought that he was ready, he fired his magic on the helpless supersoldier, sending her flying to a tree. The tree snapped. James charged onto her and threw multiple punches on her facial helmet.

“… You may have more advanced gear than me…” James said, throwing another punch. “…But I have determination!” He threw another. “NOW. STATE. YOUR. IDENTITY!!!” He shouted, throwing a punch between each punch. “Oh, I’m not done yet.” James added, reaching for the back of her head. He tore off the neural tracking device from the supersoldier’s head. She gave out a ear-blasting scream. She felt genuine pain. When she seemed incapacitated, James focused. He looked around the supersoldier’s body. He saw the number 39 engraved on the helmet. ‘That number… It’s so familiar.’ He thought as he broke the helmet off of her head. His face was feared with shock. His eyes and mouth were opened wide. The face behind the helmet had the golden-brown hair with the bluest of eyes. “…Jade?” James asked. Tears were streaming from his eye. The teeneager trio ran to where he was. James turned to them. “Are you guys okay?”

“We’re… fine….” Abigail replied, wiping her tears off.

“Do you know her?” Sebastian asked.

“…Yeah, I do.” James replied, taking the unconscious supersoldier on his arms and standing up. “We need to take her to the clinic.” He added, rushing back to Pelican Town.

“Wait for us! We’re coming with you!” Sam shouted, following his friend.


James and the Trio were sitting next to each other in the waiting room of the clinic. Nobody spoke to each other. Just then, Harvey opened the door. “James, your patient is gaining consciousness.” He called out. James stood up, walking into the surgery room. The Trio followed him in. James saw the supersoldier, Jade Verdenwood, lying on the hospital bed with an IV on her left arm. She had the same cybernetics as James. He sat down next to her. Jade opened her eyes.

“…James?” Jade asked. For some reason, James’s mind didn’t fill up with rage.

“Jade, it’s me. Your ex.” James replied.

“…What happened?” Jade moaned. Sebastian, Sam and Abigail looked at each other and then James with confusion and fear.

“I think… I freed you from the Empire.” James replied, holding out Jade’s now destroyed neural tracking device. “Have you any idea of what happened before you came here?” he asked.

“No… The last thing I remember was sitting down in the waiting room back at base. We were being briefed about… you.” Jade answered. James looked at his friends. He noticed that their eyes were glued on his right arm. He saw that the sleeve of that arm was torn off, revealing the cybernetics.

“…I guess I should tell you what really happened to me… I mean, us.” James said. The three nodded, eager to know their friend’s true nature. “My parents were killed by the Empire. I was taken away by the army at the age of 7.” He started explaining. “The Empire is initiating a military program called the Gorgon Project, where they aim to make cyborg soldiers to serve the Empire. I remember being mutilated by military officers. My right arm, both my legs and my right eye were torn off and replaced by these cold, metallic ones.” He added, tapping on his right arm, making a tinging sound. The three nodded. “I remember all of my friends being executed for violation. Human rights didn’t exist there. The girl here, Jade, saved my life when I was sixteen. We started dating until we were caught by our commissars. I kept my grandfather’s deed with me at all times. It gave me the determination to get out of there. I thought I was safe when I boarded the Graceful Mercy until a submarine sank it and killed everyone on board. I wouldn’t have existed if it weren’t for Elliot.” James said, with tears streaming from his right eye. He started crying. “It’s all my fault that this war begun. It’s all my fault that Sam’s father is sent away from him! IT’S ALL MY FAULT!!!” James shouted sobbing. Sam hugged him tightly. Sebastian and Abigail followed.

“Bro, we never knew you were going through so much pain!” Sam said.

“We don’t care if you are a cyborg or not. You are our friend. That’s all that matters!” Abigail added.

“I… I can’t thank you guys enough. I had to lie to you guys for so long because I thought you guys might desert me.” James sobbed, turning to Jade.

“Heh, he’s cute.” Jade said, her eyes glued to Sebastian. He blushed as his eyes were glued to Jade, making her blush. Harvey intervened, holding medical documents.

“Okay, your patient is fine now, James. Looks like your friends now know who you are." Harvey said, giving a smile.

“I’m happy about it. I feel like my weights have been uplifted.” James replied, grinning. “Jade, you’re going to have to stay in my house. Come, I’ll show you what freedom is like.” He added, lifting Jade up on his arms. He gave his three friends the tightest of hugs and returned home. He let Jade sleep on his bed. The couch was comfy enough for him.

This was the longest chapter I have ever written. I hope you guys are happy about James's revelation. I sure feel like so! Oh yeah, Jade makes her first appearance here, too! @MagicallyClueless

 

And the truth comes out! Hmmm! And he has a new and powerful ally. She probably has cyber bunnies of doom. DOOM, I say!

 

Jesus dude you literally didn't pull any punches granted this is a cybernetic supersoldier being hit here. and it was kind of a dick move to hold your friends hostage but still. also I f**king loved this line "...NOR MY FREEDOM!!!" it's like a warcry straight out of The Patriot with Mel Gibson and the late Heath Ledger. I'm telling you man you do some great action stuff.

 

CHAPTER 24 DETECTED.

James woke up to the sound of muffled gunshots and autotuned voices. He stood up from his couch to find Jade playing his PlayStation 4. “Hey, uh… you woke up early, huh?” James called.

“Well, yeah. I don’t know what game I’m playing, but… it’s fun.” Jade responded.

“I see. I think you’re playing Battlefield 1. It’s a World War I game.” James said. He saw that Jade wasn’t good at it. “Hey, uh… what time did you wake up?” He asked.

“5:20 AM.” Jade responded. James looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 8:15 AM.

‘Damn, I’m late for… something.’ James thought has he walked to the window to find all his crops wilted. It was Day 1 of Fall. The air was colder than usual, making James shiver under his thin pajamas. He went off without his tools as there was nothing to water. He walked to the coop to find his chicks, Antares and Rigel grown up. Their feathers were now browner and looked like teenagers. James pulled his phone out and took a picture of them and looked through the internet to see information about chickens. It was strange. Normal chickens take 3 months to grow, but James’s chickens grew up in a matter of weeks. He gave a shrug and loaded some hay in their feeding troughs. It was a win-win for him if his chickens grew faster than normal ones. He knew what he had to do: buy new crops. He remembered Pierre would be selling seeds for this season. Seeing that it’s already 10 o’clock, James thought that it would be wise to visit the General Store as soon as possible. However, seeing that Jade was having a hard time with her new life in Stardew Valley, he decided to stay in his house to see if he could help her. “Hey, uh… what’s wrong?” James asked as she stirred her canned soup around with her spoon.

“I don’t know, this life is… new to me.” Jade replied.

“I see. It’s nothing to worry about, Jade.” James said, taking a chair in front of him.

“…What did you do after you’ve escaped?” Jade asked.

“I’m the local farmer of the Valley. I’ve lived a good life outside the base. Hey, I’m sure you can live your life here as well. I think you should get along with the community. Here, go along with your soup.” James replied. Jade nodded and continued with her soup. When she was done, James took the can and threw it in a trash bin. “Here, follow me. I’ll take you to the town.” He said as he guided his ex-girlfriend out of his house and to Pelican Town.



James was like the star of the day as soon as he set foot on the town. Everybody that saw him ran up to him asking questions. The incident of yesterday may have shaken the community quite a bit. As James made his way to the General Store while keeping Jade next to him at all times, Caroline ran to the duo. “James! Are you alright? What happened yesterday?” Caroline asked.

“You may wish to ask Abigail about it.” James replied. He really needed to buy his seeds.

“No, I want to ask YOU about it.” Caroline said. Her eyes were filled with concern.

“Alright, I’ll say it.” James replied. He started to explain the incident of yesterday and how Jade and his past made them end up in the valley. Caroline gave a nod and walked back to the residential rooms of the Store. James then let go of Jade and walked to the counter where Pierre had just recently finished stocking new items. “Hello, Mr. Berneau.” James called.

“Hello, James. Are you here for the new seeds?” Pierre asked. James nodded and looked around the store to choose. He came back to the counter with cranberry, corn, wheat, pumpkin, yam seeds along with vineyard starters. As James gave the money to Pierre, he noticed that the shopkeeper was glaring at Jade, and then back at James. “James, what is that girl doing in here?” He asked.

“She? Oh, I am acting as her guide of Pelican Town. Why?” James replied.

“She tried to kill my daughter! Do you even know how worried I was when I heard the news?!” Pierre raised his voice.

“Hey, sir! She won’t do any harm from now on. It wasn’t her doing.” James assured. Pierre still gave Jade a stinging glare, making her shiver. “May I go see Abigail?” He asked, making Pierre nod. James then proceeded to walk into his purple-haired friend’s room. As soon as he opened it, he was greeted by a tight hug by Abigail.

“Hi, robo-buddy!” Abigail greeted him. James chuckled by what she said. His surge started again.

“Hey, Abby. It’s nice to see you well. Isn’t that what matters?” James said, letting her go. Abigail nodded at his question. “I came here to see you.” He added. Abigail blushed at his words.

“I… I wanted to see you , too.” Abigail replied. It intensified James’s surge. “…Where’s your ex-girlfriend?” She asked.

“She’s in the General Store. Want me to go fetch her?” James asked.

“Sure.” Abigail replied, shivering.

“She’s harmless. I’ve removed whatever controlled her mind.” James assured her, walking back to the store, only to find Jade not inside. Panicking, he looked around to see where she was hiding. “Wh… where did she go?!” James asked Pierre. Pierre pointed the door, signaling that she exited. Facepalming, James rushed out of the double-doors, making Abigail come out of her room. After asking her father of her friend’s whereabouts, she packed something in her bag and exited the store, too.


“Jade? JADE?!” James called as he ran around the town. He asked everyone he came across about a girl with brown hair and the greenest of eyes, but was returned with questions about yesterday’s events. He responded each of these questions with the briefest of answers and ran along with his search. He searched the entire town and the beach to not find her anywhere. Cursing himself, he ran to the mountains, waving back at a Junimo in the community center window. The carpenter shop and the Cindersap forest are the only places that he didn’t search. He burst into the carpenter’s shop, looking for a sign of his comrade. He looked around at the kitchen, where Robin was making lunch. When she turned around to see James, she quickly ran to him and gave him a tight hug.

“I’ve heard everything from Sebby, James. You’re always welcome to our community!” Robin said, releasing him.

“Well, glad to hear everybody’s happy of my true nature. Have you seen a short girl with brown hair and green eyes?” James asked.

“I remember her walking into Sebby’s room. Who is she?” Robin replied. James nodded and ran towards Sebastian’s room. “Hey, James! Can you please answer my question?” Robin shouted. James ignored. He was worried that she might be tormenting Sebastian right now. He pulled out his sword and quickly opened the door to prepare what was awaiting him. His worries turned into confusion. Jade was sitting next to Sebastian while he was working on his programming. Her eyes were glued to the boy. James quietly put his sword back to his sheath. “…Jade?” James called. She and Sebastian turned to him.

“Oh, hello James.” Sebastian said.

“Dude, are you okay?” James asked.

“I’m fine, bro. It’s just that this girl… what was her name? Jade, yeah. Jade. She’s kinda creeping me out.” Sebastian replied. Jade seemed to ignore him and continued staring at Sebastian. James walked to her and squatted beside her.

“Jade, I understand that you seem… interested in him, but do you mind giving him some privacy?” James asked.

“Shut up.” Sebastian smirked, blushing.

“But James, I’m interested in what he’s doing!” Jade said. It made Sebastian blush even more. James gave a smirking sigh.

“Hey, you don’t mind her in here, right?” James asked Sebastian. He gave a long pause before opening his mouth.

“…Well, I can use some company. I need to refresh my mind from what happened yesterday night.” Sebastian replied.

“Yeah, we all need to. Do you think it would be wise to call Abby and Sam?” James asked. Sebastian simply nodded. Just then, the door swung open, revealing Abigail from the other side. She was wearing a backpack.

“James, you forgot something from… oh, hello.” Abigail paused when she looked at Jade.

“…hello.” Jade responded. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Abigail. Abigail Berneau.” Abigail replied, sweating. She still didn’t refresh her mind due to the incident.

“Good to meet you, Abigail. I’m sorry for what I did yesterday.” Jade said. Her voice seemed weak.

“…Yeah, it’s okay. James told me that it wasn’t your doing.” Abigail responded, then turned to James. “James, you forgot… something.” She said, rummaging through her backpack.

“What is it?” James asked, as Abigail took something out from the pack. It was a shotgun that James made that he used during the fight yesterday. “Th… th… h… how did you find this?” James asked, shuddering his words.

“Oh, it fell beside us while you were fighting her. What’s her name, anyway?” Abigail replied and asked.

“Her name is Jade. Jade Verdenwood. I’m trying to integrate her into our community. I want her to experience freedom.” James replied. Jade nodded to James’s words. Abigail suddenly approached James.

“I think she likes Seb.” Abigail whispered to James’s ear.

“Who knows? She said that he looked cute twice.” James whispered back. Abigail giggled.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Sebastian asked.

“Nah, it’s nothing.” James replied. Sebastian glared at the two and continued with his work. He looked at Jade to see if she was still staring at him. Their eyes met each other and both of them blushed.

“Awww, they’re so cute!” Abigail whispered to James once again. “I wonder if he’ll finally come out of his shell!” she whispered, giving out a giggle.

“You should think of yourself, woman.” James whispered back. Abigail blushed and hit him on the shoulder. “Hey, uh… Seb! If you’re done with your work, wanna play Battlefleet Gothic boardgame?” He asked.

“Sure.” Sebastian replied, giving out a thumbs-up.


It was 7:20 PM that day when the gang including Jade went to the saloon. The place was filled with the townspeople doing their thing. As soon as James entered, they stopped whatever they were doing and swarmed at him. They had questions that he needed to answer. “What happened to you last night?” Marnie asked.

“Who is that girl?” Leah asked.

“May I see your arm?” Emily asked. The questions flowed to James non-stop. He stopped to think despite the people overcrowded him. He wished that he has the loudest gun to fire up in the air to draw them away. Suddenly, he thought of an idea. He remembered reading Treasure Island back at the library and decided to reenact a scene from it.

“Alright, I get to point. You want to know about me and yesterday, correct?” James asked with a loud voice. Everybody nodded. Robin pulled out her phone and called someone over it. A few minutes later, Caroline, Jodi, Alex’s family, Elliott and Haley stormed into the Saloon. They, too, were eager to hear about their children. “Well, this has become more popular than I thought. I’ll start when I manage to go to the counter.” James said, making his way to the counter. “Gus, may I sit on it?” James asked. Gus nodded and he jumped up the counter. He didn’t mind what was on it. He cleared his throat, although he wasn’t enthusiastic about telling his nightmarish past. He saw that everyone including the Teenager Trio were eager to hear it. “Oh, before I start, Seb, Sam, Abby, go on with what you want to do.” James said. The Trio nodded and walked to the leisure room. Jade followed them but was stopped by James. She walked to stand next to James. “I’ll start with my… past. As soon as I received the deed to Cerulean Farm from my passing grandfather, my entire family including my cousins was assassinated by the Gotoro army. I was seven that time. I was taken to a remote secret base in the desert where I was mutilated and received these… cybernetics.” James said, pointing at his right eye, arm and his legs. The people nodded. It was currently going smoothly. All he needed to do was not cry. “Oh yeah, the base I was confined in was responsible for making cyborg soldiers that are serving the Gotoro side of the war. You know, the special operatives you guys probably saw in the news. Anyway, training was… harsh. A single violation in a code meant death in the spot or death by gas. Damn, lost a lot of friends there.” He shed a tear on his eye, but quickly wiped it. “I decided that I needed to escape this hellhole when I coincidentally found my grandfather’s deed…. And so I did. I ran to Comberth City without taking a break. I took a boat called Graceful Mercy. I thought it was over, but a submarine sank the ship and killed everyone on board except me.” More tears started to fall. “I wouldn’t have been alive if it weren’t for Elliott finding me washed to this beach. I’ve been hiding my true identity away from you people because I didn’t want to get deserted. I started this war… and this girl next to me…” James said, tapping Jade’s shoulder. “…she is my ex-girlfriend, Jade Verdenwood. She saved my life when I was about to be executed when I was sixteen. We were forced to get separated by our commissars. She was sent by the Empire to assassinate me, and so it happened last night. We were walking down through Cindersap Forest when she ambushed my Sam, Sebastian and Abigail. I fought her risking the lives of me and them.” James said. He couldn’t hold the tears out anymore. He started to sob and tears started pouring out from his left eye. He had finally lifted all of his weights. Happiness was soaked in his tears. He felt free. The people who surrounded him started to give him words of comforts. Some people like Leah asked him if he would like some food. James kindly refused them. He wiped his tears and walked to the arcade room where he was immediately greeted with hugs. Jade stood next to Sebastian, blushing. James felt warm and uplifted whenever he was with his friends.

Everybody started to leave the Saloon at 9 o’clock that night. James followed them out, but had to run back to drag Jade from Sebastian. He was walking with Jade in the Forest when he saw a figure sitting down on a pier in the lake. It was no other than Shane. He seemed to be next to a six-pack of beer. James thought that it would be a good idea to see what was going on with him, but was worried about Jade. “Hey, are you okay with going home alone?” He asked the girl.

“Me? I don’t know where it is!” Jade responded. It made James think that it would be better if she stuck with him at all times. The two then walked to Shane.

“Hello, Shane.” James greeted him.

“Oh, hello. I guess I shouldn’t mind company…” Shane replied. His voice sounded a little tipsy. James and Jade sat next to Shane on the pier. The three gazed at the clear and strangely shiny water until James decided to start the conversation.

“I didn’t see you in the saloon. Practically EVERYONE was there.” James said.

“Yeah? I was there. I just left when the place became… overpopulated.” Shane replied. “Anyway, I’ve heard your story. I understand.” He added, taking out two bottles of beer after taking a sip from his own. “Want one?”

“Sure. Jade, want one?” James asked, taking the bottles and handing one to Jade. She accepted the bottle. Shane handed them a bottle opener but found that they have already opened the bottle with their robotic hand.

“Ugh, life…” Shane grunted. James turned to him to see what was wrong. “Hey, uh…do you ever feel like… uh… no matter what you’re going to do, you’re going to fail?” He said.

“Well, back in base, yeah. Death, to be exact.” James replied, taking a sip from his beer.

“Yeah, it’s like you’re stuck in some… *hic* miserable abyss and you’re so deep you can’t even see the light of day?” Shane added, finishing off his bottle.

“I’ve felt that. It’s something worth recovering.” James replied, taking another sip. He then turned to Jade. She stared at Shane and James and chugged the entire bottle in one gulp. ‘Holy mackerellosynthesis, I thought this was her first beer of her life?’ James thought.

“Heh, fast drinker? Woman after my own heart.” Shane said, chuckling. “Don’t push it too hard, Jade. You and James at least have a future to chase.” He added, packing his six-pack up and walking back to the ranch. “See you tomorrow.”

James waved back and stood up. Jade was out of herself. She couldn’t stand up properly for at least two seconds before falling down to the ground. James gave a grunt of annoyance and picked her up. He walked to the house while Jade called out Sebastian’s name. James quickly laid her to his bed. ‘A hell of a day.’ James thought as he placed his shotgun on his weapons display and laid on his couch for his slumber.

 

- for James's sake and sanity, have a buffer post -

 

CHAPTER 25 OF CORNINESS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!

It has been a week and a half since the incident of Cindersap Forest. Jade seemed to have adapted to society well enough for her to walk around the town on her own. She even helped on James’s chores like watering plants or taking care of chickens. Between the times, James had been preparing for the Stardew Valley fair. He remembered watching an episode on Livin’ Off the Land about how various items will ensure the judges’ scores to rise. Thus, he prepared an iridium ingot and a high-quality frozen tear and stored them in the freezer. He had nowhere else to store them. James also asked Robin for a barn and Marnie for two more chickens and four cows. He named the chicks Arcturus and Sirius while the cows Ganymede, Io, Callisto and Europa. His farm was now a home to various crops, most notably pumpkin and grapes.

James started the 13th of Fall by taking a look at the calendar. Something startled him. ‘IT’S ABIGAIL’S BIRTHDAY?!’ James thought. He rummaged through his desk to find his phone. He found that Sebastian and Sam had made a private chat in Facebook that had the title of ‘OPERATION: OCCULT SURPRISE’

James Suh- Dudes, what’s happening?

Sam Arvidel- bro, it’s abby’s birthday

James Suh- I know that. What’s going to happen?

Sebastian Callahan- We’re going to surprise the woman. We’ll commence it at 8:00PM. James, I remember her going bananas for pumpkins and I saw your farm growing them. Bring it. Sam, you get chocolate cake. We all like it.

Sam Arvidel-We’re also going to do it in the beach.

James Suh- That’s what she said.

Sebastian Callahan- Shut up

James Suh- Alright, I’m going to start working. See you at Sam’s house

James locked his phone, grabbed his watering can and went to work. Rooting his pumpkins from the ground, James decided to keep two of his finest pumpkins: One for the Fair and one for Abigail. Placing the two pumpkins on the porch, he set off to the barn where his cows reside only to find Jade playing with them. “So, having a good time with them?” James asked.

“Well, yeah. She’s so cute!” Jade replied, rubbing Callisto’s back. “Oh yeah, I’ve put the hay on the mangers. Now wait as I go to Sebastian!” She added.

“Jade, I’m thankful that you’re helping me with the cows, but I don’t think stalking a friend during work is a good idea. In fact, I don’t think he is right now…” James said. “Hey, uh… it’s my friend’s birthday today. Abigail’s the name. We’re going to go prepare something. Wanna come with me?” He asked.

“Sure!” Jade replied, and followed James out of the barn after opening the shed gate for the cows to breathe fresh outside air. James instructed Jade to stay on the porch while he rummaged through his mailbox. He found two in the mail. He opened one to find the address of the General Store written on.

Dear James

It looks like you are going along well with the community. I’ve heard from my daughter that you’ve made a lot of good friends during your stay. However, I’m sure that you have some more feelings for a person in our community. Fear not, for I sell bouquets for a fair price of 200 Galleons for people with big hearts. Specially for you, I have a store of flowers that you have harvested during your stay in Cerulean Farm. I will make you a bouquet out of it if you’re interested.

Give the bouquet to someone you’re interested in and she’ll understand what you mean. See you soon!

-Pierre Berneau

James folded the letter and placed it on the porch fence and took out the second letter. It was from Leah.

James,

We have been good friends since you came here. I want to return the favor of the kimchi you gave me at Spring. It’s really delicious!

Anyway, the Kjellsten family is actually famous for our vineyards. We especially make wine and beer with my great-great-great grandfather’s specially designed keg. I want to share the blueprints of this keg to you. I hope to taste your finest Stardew Vintage Wine one day! Toodles!

-Your friend, Leah Kjellsten

James found a large piece of paper folded into the size of the envelope. As soon as he unfolded it, his mouth opened widely. It was the keg that Leah had wrote about. ‘Perfect! PERFECT!’ James thought as he ran into the house and placed the blueprint in his desk. He then opened a chest full of various gemstones and minerals he had found in the mines and took out the biggest amethyst he had. Signaling Jade to follow him, the two set off for Pelican Town. However, as he thought about the surges, something sparked in his mind. The surge was getting closer to his heart. In short, he was in love with Abigail. Now, even thinking about the girl made him blush and activate the surge. His heart skipped beats. Perhaps that’s why he wanted to give her his best pumpkin and amethyst.


After being briefed about how the gang will surprise Abigail, James permitted Jade to stay in Sam’s house with Sebastian. He had other things to do that had correlation with Abigail’s birthday. He first entered the General Store. He wanted to buy the bouquet. As he approached Pierre, questions started to flood his mind. When will he confess? What if she says no? What if it’s too late? His mind was spinning around. He was sweating like a flash flood. He could only return to reality thanks to Pierre. “Hey, James! Are you okay?” Pierre shouted.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m okay, Mr. Berneau!” James replied. “I…I… I wish for a bouquet! The special one!” He added, stuttering his words.

“Ah, you have read my letter, eh? I understand. I was nervous when I confessed to my wife. It’s the beauty of love, James!” Pierre said with a smile while he packed a bunch of flowers on a wrapping paper. As he handed it to his customer, James’s memories started to resurrect. He remembered plucking these flowers from his farm’s soil. “Yeah, thank you. Here’s the money!” James said as he handed out the cash and received his bouquet. He placed the bouquet in his bag and set off. His next stop was the blacksmith’s. He wanted to do something with the amethyst, but didn’t know what. Clint immediately greeted him as soon as he entered the shop.

“Oh, hello James. What do you need?” Clint asked.

“Well, I uh… need your help on this.” James replied, handing him the amethyst. Clint approached him and took the amethyst.

“Hmmm. This indeed is a large amethyst. Do you want to carve something on it?” Clint asked as if he read James’s mind.

“Y…yes! That’s right! May I borrow your chisel?” James asked. Clint nodded, handing back the amethyst. He walked to his tool box and threw a orchid-colored chisel.

“It’s my best chisel, made of pure iridium-200. It can carve the hardest of gemstones! Good luck with it!” Clint said and returned to work. James shrugged. What will he carve on this gemstone? He looked through his phone’s photo album to find a smiling picture of Abigail.

‘Yeah, this will do.’ James thought as he got to work.


Meanwhile, Jade brought some of the firewood from James’s house and dropped them in a ring of rocks in the beach. Sebastian and Sam were raising the banner that read ‘Happy Birthday Abigail’ up on two poles. As they finished, Jade approached Sebastian. “Hey, where’s James? I thought he would be here by now?” She asked.

“I know. We need him to make the food for the campfire!” Sebastian replied, scratching his head.

“Bros, I’ll take care of that! Where are the skewers?” Sam said with confidence.

“Go to hell, Sam. Remember what you did at my birthday two years ago when you knocked over the soup pot, burning my legs? I nearly lost my… seeds.” Sebastian said, flipping him off. Sam pouted and walked away. Just as Sebastian checked his phone. It was 6 o’clock. ‘Damnit, where’s is that bastard?’ he thought. Suddenly, he heard someone running towards the beach. It was no other than James. “What took you so long? You’ve been out for seven damn hours!” Sebastian scolded him.

“Sorry, man! I’ve been… working on another present for Abby.” James replied.

“Really? Show me, then. Let’s see what you’ve been making.” Sebastian said, holding his hand out. James hesitated. Should he reveal his affection towards the birthday girl? He decided that he should. He had felt this for three months now. He pulled out the amethyst, now hanging from a golden necklace. The purple gem had the face of Abigail along with the words: ‘Abigail , la jeune fille qui a volé mon coeur’ and ‘나의영원한사랑, 아비게일’ engraved on it. Sebastian, looking at the gemstone closely, had his jaws drop open. “Oh, my god. H… How… You like her?” He asked. James nodded, blushing. His surge has seemed to cross its limits. Sam, curious of the situation, walked to the two. He too, had his jaws dropped. “Jesus Christ, James! Did you make this…. Hot damn!” Sam exclaimed, grabbing the necklace for close inspection. “Damn, bro! I never knew you were in love with the local occultist!” Sam jokingly remarked. James gave out a smirk and flipped him off.

“So, uh… where’s the meat? The vegetables? The noodles?” Sebastian asked. James walked to the wooden table on the sand and placed down everything his friend asked for.

“…The fire?” James asked with a sneer. Sebastian nodded and quickly worked on the campfire. “Oh, yeah. We’re going to need another fire. We need space for the pot.” James said. Jade responded by placing some firewood beside the campfire and Sebastian poured some kerosene on it. He then lit the wood on fire with his lighter. James squatted next to the fire.

“You know, it’s strange for her to call me ‘Robo-buddy’.” James said, impaling some chicken and shallots on metallic skewers.

“Really? I find it cute, though. You’re the one with the robotics!” Sam replied, squatting next to James. James gave a smirk.

“Well, I guess you’re right.” James said, placing down his readied skewer and picked up an empty one. He noticed that Sam’s eyes were glued to the uncooked food, drooling. “Hey, if you’re just going to sit here mucking around, perhaps you might wanna help on this?” James asked, holding out the empty skewer. Sam happily took the skewers and asked for instructions. “Shallot, chicken, carrot, chicken and shallot. One mistake equals one punch with this hand.” James jokingly threatened, clenching a fist with his cybernetic hand. He felt relaxed to not cover with a glove.

“Yes, sir!” Sam replied, sweating. He immediately started impaling ingredients on the skewer. James smiled and continued with his work.


It was eight o’clock. Abigail would be here at any moment. Sam was making final preparations to his birthday song with his acoustic guitar. James’s heart raced as he observed the black waves hitting the moist sand with the crashing sounds of the waves. He had never felt this way before, not even to Jade four years ago. He started to plan things out. First, he would bid Abigail a happy birthday and cook up the food. Then, the chocolate cake with Sam’s birthday song will commence. When everyone is eating the cake, he would approach the girl and give her the necklace and bouquet. Possibility of success: 50%. ‘Okay, that’ll do it. Now for her to come.’ James thought. But he checked his clock. It was 8: 30 PM. Something was wrong. He turned and walked to the campfire where Sebastian and Sam were making final preparations. “Hey, where the hell is she?” James asked.

“Dunno, she should have read the papers I’ve posted by now.” Sebastian replied. Just then, Jade signaled everyone to be quiet. Confused, Sam, Sebastian and James all shut their mouths. Jade then pointed at the entrance of the beach. They could hear shouts. A feminine voice to be exact.

“Nobody understands me! I’ve never seen my friends today! Why is everyone against me?!” The voice screamed. It was later followed by a yell. James knew who’s voice it was: Abigail Berneau.

“Guys, I think something’s wrong.” Sam said as everything became silent.

“I… think she didn’t read the note. It was nailed on the bulletin, though.” Sebastian said. Something sparked in James’s mind. He took off from where he was and ran towards the town. “Hey, where are you going?!” Sebastian exclaimed.

“I’m going to get her!” James replied.

“Looks like chivalry isn’t dead. I’ve never done that to Penny.” Sam chuckled at James’s efforts.


James ran around the town in search for the birthday girl. What happened to her? Does she think that nobody remembered her birthday? She wasn’t in the town. He ran to the mountains and eventually near the carpenters’ shop. There’s no way that she could be inside. Abigail must have lost all of her trust by now. Something snapped in James’s mind. He remembered that Abigail always wanted to venture in the mountain caves during their hangout in the graveyard. He immediately rushed to the mines, when he suddenly heard a scream followed by countless squeaking of bats. James pulled out his shotgun and stormed in. He had loaded it with incendiary scrap made with Thermite. “ABBY!!!” James shouted as he pointed his gun on the bat swarm converging onto the corner of the wall. The bats, hearing James’s shout, diverted their attention to him instead, readying their fangs. James fired away, cocking the gun each time he pulled the trigger. The fiery shrapnel hit the bats, setting them on fire. The fire then spread to the other bats, creating a chain reaction.


After a forever, there were no more bats observable. The thermite had melted the bats, creating a viscous fiery biomass scattered on the bloor, emitting a odor resembling cooked chicken. James walked to Abigail who was crying with her face on her knees. “Hey, are you okay?” James asked, withdrawing his shotgun.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Aibgail replied, sobbing. James lent him his hand and she used it to get up.

“What happened? Why are you here?” James asked. His face blushed. The surge was overwhelming his tolerance.

“You see, I’ve came to a fight with my parents about stereotypes and nobody replied to my messages. I decided to celebrate my birthday in the mines.” Abigail replied, holding out her black sword. “…but I got scared. I was unprepared for bats.” She added, sniffing. James’s heart sank. He felt sorry for not being able to protect her, for some reason. He pushed the thought away. “I guess I’m not as brave as I thought I would be…” Abigail continued. James thought for a second. He needed to say something to soothe her and make her follow him to the beach.

“Abby, it’s not what you think. You may think I am some kind of robo-macho who is determined to do anything, but I get scared too. You don’t know how scared I was when Jade almost killed you guys.” James said, placing both his hands on Abigail’s shoulders. She flinched when his right hand touched her shoulder. It was cold for her sweaty body.

“I guess everybody is scared to lose what they love so much…” Abigail replied, blushing. She turned her head to the cave ladder. She then faced James, looking directly at her eyes. They both started to blush. James’s surge seemed to have reached its limit.

“Hey, uhh… may I have a word with you?” James and Abigail said at the same time, their faces turning ruddier. “Ladies first.” James said, giving Abigail the first move.

“James… I, I really like you. Not as normal friends.” Abigail said, stuttering her words. “You know that, right?” She added. James’s heart skipped a beat. “What am I saying… I’ve been like this ever since you first came in my room. I just can’t take it anymore.” She added. She turned back and rummaged through her backpack.

‘Now’s my chance.’ James thought, blushing. He, too, turned around to get something from his backpack: The necklace and the bouquet. When James turned back to James with the bouquet on hand, his jaws dropped. Abigail had also turned to him with a bouquet on her hand. Their faces turned dark crimson. “Abby?” James asked. Abigail was all ears. “…Will you be my forever partner?” He asked hesitantly, handing her his bouquet. Abigail gave out a gasp.

“Y…Yes! Yes! Yes!” She exclaimed, receiving his bouquet and handing hers to him. James accepted it with shaky hands and embraced her. “You’ve made my day! I’m so happy!” She said, burying her face on James’s chest. James gave a smile and reached for his pocket. He then slipped the necklace on the girl’s neck.

“Happy twentieth birthday, Abby.” James said as Abigail released him to see what was on her neck. It was the amethyst necklace with her face and the words engraved. “You’ve made me the happiest man in Stardew Valley.” James added.

“I love you…” Abigail whimpered. James grabber her chin to make her face him. They approached even closer for the most passionate kiss that ever existed. James didn’t want to let go. He was happy that there now was nobody to stop their train from rolling. He felt a thousand fireworks around him and his stomach made somersaults. It felt like an hour had passed when they released their lips as James’s phone rang. It was Sebastian. James received his phone to have Sebastian yell at him.

“HEY, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? IT’S 9PM!” Sebastian yelled.

“Bro, I’m sorry! I found her! I’ll be there ASAP!” James replied, laughing. He put his phone back in his pocket. “Abby, there are more things awaiting you in the beach. Should I, Sir James Suh, escort you there?” James asked, Abigail, lending his hand.

“Of course, Robo-baby!” Abigail giggled, accepting her new boyfriend’s hand. They both exited the mines and walked down to the beach, gazing at the moon.

This was the most difficult chapter I have ever written. I had to force myself to watch at least 4 corny Korean love dramas for this chapter. I hope it was worth it. Oh yeah, the words engraved on the amethyst say; 'Abigail, the girl who stole my heart' in French and 'Abigail, my forever love' in Korean.

 

Oh the memories.....

R.I.P Sirius Black,killed by that B----- Bellatrix


(Also,i think antares and rigel are famous stars,like,rigel is the brightest or maybe hottest star?)

Also ALSO,This story is going sci-fitastic so far! this is definetly my cup o' tea.

 

Antares is the brightest star in the Scorpius constellation while Rigel is the 7th brightest star in the night sky. THE MORE YOU KNOW

 

Heh, finally had the time to sit down and read. How cuuuuuuuute. A bit too sugary-sweet for what I normally read, but still cute. Yay for finding happiness as well as freedom!

 

Four Korean dramas? You have suffered for your art... lmao! Thank god there was that kickass scene in the middle with the thermite shotgun and the bat inferno. So awesome.

 

CHAPTER 26! HELP ME!

James woke up relatively early the next day. It was 5 o’clock sharp in the morning. For the first time, he woke up with a smile on his face. Besides, the nightmares didn’t haunt him last night. He took a sniff on his shirt. It smelled like charcoal and steak. He gave a shrug. He liked the smell, anyway. He took his time to remember what happened after Abigail and he confessed to each other while showering. Sebastian and Sam shouted happy birthday to Abigail, causing her to cry. James remembered her embracing him even tighter. He also remembered cooking the instant noodles, steak and the skewer meals on the campfires while Abigail sat next to him with her head resting on his shoulders. He remembered her eyes concentrating on the purple gem on the necklace. She was shedding tears whenever she read the words engraved on it. She understood the French, but not the Korean. He remembered himself singing the birthday song along with the other boys while Sam played the guitar. Finally, the last thing he remembered was that he and Abigail walking into his house and making out on his couch… ‘Wait, WHAT?!’ James thought to himself. He didn’t drink any alcohol yesterday. He had been showering for twenty minutes. ‘Damn, the water bill is going to skyrocket this week…’ he thought as he quickly turned the nozzle off and wore his clothes. He slowly opened the door to find Abigail in her deep slumber on the couch. Jade was rummaging through the refrigerator. She faced James and gave a smirk.

“Congratulations, 24… I mean, James.” She jokingly said.

“Shut up, Jade. You know how much I hate hearing that.” James replied with a grunt. “Besides, why are you scavenging my refrigerator?”

“I’m hungry!” Jade replied.

“Jade, it’s 5: 30 AM. Can’t you wait until she wakes up?” James asked, pointing at Abigail. “Say, I think I should prepare breakfast…” He added, walking to Jade. He pushed her off and looked inside to see what’s useful.

“James, you do know that you are wearing the shirt that says your number, right?” Jade asked, poking James’s belly. He looked down to see that his shirt had a large 24 written on it. It was the shirt that he wore back at base. It made him frown.

“Fine, you win. Touché.” James smirked, taking out a small pumpkin and a carton of milk from his fridge. “I hope you like pumpkin, Jade.” He added as he cut open the top of the fruit and gutted the seeds out. As he looked out the window to see if the sun was up, black clouds covered the sky and rain started to fall. James gave out a small smile. He wouldn’t have to water his crops today. He heard movement on his couch. Abigail has woken up.

“Mmmm… Good morning,… James?” Abigail said, frantically looking around to find her boyfriend. It made James chuckle. She found James and gave a smile. “Hello, robo-baby! I never knew you woke up so early!” She called.

“Well, yeah. I usually wake up at 5 o’clock.” James replied, placing the halves of the pumpkin in the oven. “What do you usually do when you get up?” He asked.

“I usually take online classes.” Abigail replied. She suddenly gave a gasp. “Oh my god! My parents are going to be bananas! I have class!” She exclaimed.

“Hey, you take classes at Sundays?” James asked, confused. He leaned on the oven, waiting for the pumpkin to get softened.

“Oh, it’s Sunday?” Abigail asked. James nodded. “Hehe, well, oops!” She giggled. James laughed along. He had a good five minutes until his oven timer goes off, so he pulled his phone out. He found a dozen messages from Sebastian, Sam and Alex. All of them were messages of congratulations. James smirked as he opened up Soundcloud and played smooth orchestra. He then took out the oven pan and checked the pumpkin halves by impaling each of them with a knife. They were soft as butter. He then took out a spoon and scooped the flesh from the skin. Just as he was about to pour the pumpkin flesh into the blender, something embraced him from behind. James placed his hands on the arms of the perpetrator to find that it was no other than Abigail. He let her snuggle up as he activated the blender.


Abigail was playing on James’ Playstation when James signaled his girlfriend that breakfast was ready. She left the Overwatch server and ran up to the table to find steaming pumpkin soup. “I usually don’t make soup for breakfast, but since you are here… yeah.” Abigail gave him a tight hug. She had never been treated so nicely from a friend. Jade, James and Abigail sat on the table and began their feast. The couple discussed their lives while Jade simply stirred her soup around with her spoon.

“James, I can read the French engraved on this amethyst.” Abigail said, inspecting her necklace. “It says: ‘Abigail, the girl who stole my heart’. But I don’t know what’s written on here. Is it Korean?” She asked. James nodded.

“Oh, it says ‘Abigail, my forever love’. What about it?” James replied. Abigail blushed.

“Aww, you’re so sweet!” Abigail whimpered.

“Abby, remember that time when I promised you that I’ll teach you Korean?” James asked. Abigail nodded. “Well, I think I’m ready to the point where I can teach you the basics.” He said. Abigail’s eyes widened. She smiled, finishing her soup. James checked the clock. It was 6:20 AM. “Well, time to go to work.” James said, getting up from his seat and exiting the house. “You should go home, you know. Your parents might be worried about you.” He said, closing the door behind him.


James was crouching down, petting Arcturus the chick when he heard a door open behind him. It was Jade. She came to load the hay onto the mangers. “Did Abby leave?” James asked.

“No? I last saw her gazing at your weapons collection.” Jade replied, taking out hay from the storage.

“Hmm, that’s strange. I wonder why.” James said as he picked Arcturus up. He also saw Antares and Rigel running to the manger to feast on the hay. ‘They’ll probably be laying eggs by now.’ He thought, petting Arcturus and placing her down. He then knelt down on Sirius. After petting him, he stood up and left for the barn. After spending some time with the cows, especially Io, who was giving a small tantrum, he returned to the house soaking wet due to the rain. Just as Jade said, Abigail was sitting down on the couch, gazing at James’s weapons collection. It consisted of his old Crusaders’ Broadsword, the Hidden Blade, the shotgun, a scrap-firing revolver that he made with clint, a ball launcher and the iridium split-edged sword. Abigail’s eyes were mostly concentrated on the swords. “Having a nice time at my collection?” James asked, walking towards his girlfriend. Abigail turned to him with a smile.

“Yeah. That’s a hell of a collection you have.” Abigail remarked.

“I take two everytime I go to the mines.” James replied, scratching his head. Droplets of water came out as he moved his hand back and forth. “Well, to be honest, I wanted to take three in case you wanted to be my spelunking partner!” he added, blushing.

“Aww, you know me so well!” Abigail pouted.

“Are you THAT interested in swordsmanship?” James asked. Abigail nodded. “Hmm, I see. Hey, tell you what, go back to your house and get your sword. I have an idea.” He added, walking to the door and picking up his umbrella. “Here, take this. You don’t want to be like me.” James said, handing the umbrella. Abigail giggled as she took the umbrella. She gave James a kiss on his cheek and exited the house.


It was three o’clock that day when the rain had finally stopped an hour ago. James was drawing something on the empty soil of him farm. He soaked the stick marks with his watering can. He readied a pair of plastic swords that he borrowed from Vincent. Although they might be toys for the eyes of a ordinary man, they were something else for James. He saw a figure walking towards the farm. It was no other than Abigail. She had a sheath on her back that had her sword inside. She started skipping towards James as soon as she confirmed his presence. “Hey, robo-baby!” Abigail cheerfully greeted.

“Hey, Abby! That’s your sword, right?” James replied, with Abigail nodding. She pulled the sword out. Its blade was pitch black with an aquamarine embedded on the hilt. It was a beauty of a sword to James. “It’s really beautiful! I like it!” He added.

“Thanks! I bought it from the Adventurers’ Guild for a fair price two years ago!” Abigail beamed. “Say, why did you make me bring it?” She asked. James suddenly spread his arms.

“I want you to hit me with it.” James replied with a determined face. Abigail’s face turned to horror. Why did the most precious person tell her to hit him? Is there something wrong with him?

“W…why?” Abigail asked, horrified.

“Just hit me! I want to see how good you are!” James ignored her question. “Come on! I thought you wanted to prove your bravery! Consider this as your first step!” He added. Abigail, having no choice, nodded and hesitantly charged at him with her sword up in the air. She swung her sword at him, only for James to dodge.

“What, you think I was going to just stand there and take it?” James jokingly asked. “Come on, give all you’ve got!” he added. Abigail swung at her boyfriend a few more times, with him only dodging her attacks without difficulty. “Don’t try to hit me and hit me!” James shouted. Abigail then gave out a war cry and lunged her sword at him. He back flipped away from the sword and ran back to her. Exhausted, she gave one final swing, only to have James grab the blade with his right hand and take the sword from his girlfriend.

“Damn, robo-baby! How are you not exhausted?” Abigail asked, gasping for extra oxygen.

“Remember, I’ve been trained for thirteen years. Nice try, though. Let’s get some rest, then I’ll tell you why I wanted you to bring your sword.” James replied, guiding Abigail to the porch. They sat down, cuddling as they observed the leaves of the trees falling down to the ground. It was so mesmerizing for Abigail, but she was still curious of James’s reason.

“Sweetie, why did you tell me to bring this?” Abigail asked, holding her sword.

“That? I wanted to see how good you were. I want to train you so that we can go down the mines together with full confidence.” James replied. “Are you still exhausted?” He asked. Abigail shook her head. “That’s good. Follow me. Leave your sword here. Abigail did as he told and followed him to a flat field with some kind of illustration drawn on it. It consisted of a straight path made with moist soil along with two circles on both sides of the path. The path itself was fifty meters long.

“Babe, what’s this?” Abigail asked in curiosity.

“Have you played the StarCraft II Legacy of the Void mission ‘Rak’Shir’?” James asked. Abigail nodded. It was her favorite mission amongst the campaign. “It’s that, but without the supplicants and the lava pits.” James replied. He picked up two plastic toy swords and gave one to Abigail. It was light.

“Toy swords? Really?” Abigail asked.

“What else? We’re going to do just that. You’ve basically challenged me in the rite of Rak’Shir.” James replied, standing on one of the circles and walking five small steps from it, following the line. “Abby, stand on the middle of the line.” He said. Abby obeyed, walking to the middle of the line.

“…What do we do now?” Abigail asked.

“Fight. You’ve played the mission. You know the rules. Ladies first.” James replied, readying his plastic sword. Abigail nodded. She felt confident now that she is wielding a lighter sword the size of her arm. She gave out a war cry and charged onto him. She seemed to be filled with determination until James also gave out a war cry and charged onto her too. Abigail and James both swung their swords at the same time, causing them to hit each other. James nodded and swung the sword once more. He had given his girlfriend an advantage by letting her stand on the middle of the line. Normally, according to the rules of the game, both contestants would have to stand one step from the circle. It wasn’t looking good for Abigail, as she was starting to get pushed back. She started to feel embarrassment. She was losing to her boyfriend even with toy swords. Abigail gave out a cry and swung her sword as hard as she could at James. Although it seemed effective for a short time as James was actually being pushed a few steps back, her overconfidence made her give out a stabbing attack, making James dodge it. She lost her balance and fell on him. She gave out a short scream, expecting James to hug her back. However, instead, James pushed her back and continued attacking. “There is no ‘we’ in this rite! Come on! Hit me with all you’ve got!” He said, parrying the attacks her girlfriend gave out.

The fight has gone one for at least two minutes. Abigail has been pushed back further. She was now one meter away from her circle. As soon as both of her feet are in the circle, she would be defeated. With determination filling her body, she gave out one final war cry and used her final strength to attack her boyfriend. James gave out a smile. He was getting pushed back. “Good, good! I can see determination flowing through you! Now keep it up!” James shouted. His words gave Abigail the confidence she needs for the fight. However, she once again became overconfident and her attacks and blocks became unorganized. Seeing the flaw, James swung his swords multiple times, forcing Abigail to get pushed back again. This time, all the way to the circle itself. Abigail, seeing where she is, lowered her sword. James placed his sword on her neck, victorious. Abigail was thoroughly exhausted. Just as she was about to cry, James embraced her and rocked back and forth. “You did well, sweetheart. You really did.” James soothed her. Abigail hugged him back tighter.

“I’m so sorry…” Abigail whimpered.

“No, it’s okay. We’ll get you trained. You know, be the best like no one ever was!” James replied. He held Abigail’s chin up so that their eyes could meet. He was like a tower for Abigail. She hopped on him and kissed him deeply. When the two entered James’s house, it was already six o’clock in the evening. They had been training for three hours straight. James fixed dinner of microwaved pizza for Jade and the couple to feast upon. Being escorted by her boyfriend holding hands back to the General Store, Abigail felt that today sure was a good day.

 

Good, teach her to fight and defend! What's the point of marrying if you don't have an equal?

 

2002nd viewer satisfied! Gratitude level overloading! HELP ME!!! I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!

 

Fanboy essence containers critical....
Giggling rates critical...
1000000/5 stars...
really good story...

On a serious note,i like where this is going! i i hope it goes up to chapter 200 >:O

 

+1 for LotV Abby could use some practice but she's up against a supersoldier after all. Not bad I say!

 

As I seem to be vacant for a few days, I want to remind that I'm still working on the fiction! It's just that the Overseas Korean Federation (재외동포재단) is exhausting me with alot of fun activities! I am writing chapter 27. Here's a sample of it.

James locked his phone and placed it on his desk. Knowing that Abigail will be here any moment, he quickly changed his pants from jeans to his military shorts. He also checked his hose next to his porch. It was functional. That’s good. He was ready. While he was playing checking out Pokémon GO on the Google Play Store, he saw Abigail skipping towards Cerulean Farm. As she approached the entrance, James noticed that she was wearing very short black that exposes her legs and her usual purple sleeveless coat and black shirt. She was also wearing sandals. It made James’s jar drop. He had never seen Abigail like this even at summer. “Hi, Robo-baby!” Abigail cheerfully greeted James, bending over on the porch fence.

--- Post updated ---
CHAPTER 27 NOT HITTING YOUR LOCAL THEATRES. OUT NOW.

“What are you doing?” Jade asked James, sitting on his desk. James was inspecting Leah’s blueprint with a pile of wood, metal bars and oak resin beside him. It was the day after Abigail’s first training day. James thought that it was the best time to build Leah’s secret keg.

“Oh, you know, trying to be a brew master.” James replied. Jade laughed at his response.

“Hah! How are you going to do that?” Jade jokingly mocked him. James calmly pointed at the blueprint, smirking.

“I want my room back. My one true wife, in the name of ‘bed’, calls for me.” James said. “…And that means I’m going to buy another bed.” He added.

“But it’s a goddamn double-sized bed, you swine!” Jade exclaimed, pointing at the bed.

“You got a problem?” James asked, standing up with the blueprint rolled up on his hand. Jade nodded. “Well, too bad. As I, the landlord of my room commands. Get ready to pack your stuff and leave my bed.” He replied, picking up the materials and walking out of the house.


It was 11 o’clock in the morning when James was working on the keg beside the porch. He looked over and over at the blueprints to make sure he was building as the thing told him to do. He saw Sam coming from the eastern entrance. He was holding a shoulder-bag full of what looked like envelopes. “Yo, what’s up, bro?” Sam called out.

“Oh, hey Sam! Wait, what are you doing here?” James replied.

“You didn’t know? I work as the mailman here! I need to earn money like you, man!” Sam said, rummaging through the bag and handing a letter to James. “…and this ought to be yours.” He said.

“Thanks. Anything I can help?” James asked, placing his hammer down and taking the letter.

“Nothing… oh, do you know about tomorrow’s Fair? The mayor’s going bananas over it!” Sam said.

“Oh, damn! It’s tomorrow? So much for the wine.” James replied. He wanted to build the keg so that he could make some high quality wine. He had to think of an alternative as he had less than 24 hours until the big day arrives. He had his high quality pumpkin, melons, diamond he found in the mines, iridium bar and the best frozen tear sample he could find. He also had a high quality rainbow trout that even Willy approved, four emeralds and ten jars of blueberry jelly. His collection for the showcase would be complete if had a bottle of quality wine, but he needed an alternative.

“Wow, you seem to be preparing a lot for the Fair!” Sam remarked, opening a chest and inspecting what’s inside.

“Hey, I didn’t give you’re the permission to open that!” James exclaimed, slapping Sam’s arm.

“Whoa, take a chill pill! I didn’t know what’s inside!” Sam said, backing off.

“Well, I’m sure you’d think the same if I peeked into your trash can!” James replied, continuing his work on the keg. “Anyway, you should be busy by now. Off you go!” He jokingly added.

“Nah, your farm is the last one in my list. I’m done.” Sam replied. James hammered the last nail on the keg, completing it.

“Well, I need to work on whatever this blueprint is showing me, so please go away?” James asked. Sam pouted and walked away. Nailing the last nail on the keg, James rummaged through the letters that Sam gave him. One of them was Lewis’s letter about tomorrow’s Fair. The other one was from Leah. He tore it open and unfolded the letter.

Hi, James

I saw your Facebook picture of you building your keg! It’s nice to see that you’re on track on making our Stardew Wine! Well, I want to give you a nifty trick. That keg is special thanks to how fast it can make its products! It’s just like magic! Anyway, if I remember what my grandpa told me, it takes just a day to make beer and ale, a week for wine and about four days for vegetable juice! Remember to crush the fruits before you put it in the keg! It would be fun if you did it with your feet!

Well, good luck!

-Leah Kjellsten

James smirked when he saw the line about foot-crushing. ‘How am I going to do that? I already made six of these!’ He thought. He did remember watching documentaries in KOSU-5 about brewing. He decided to make a prototype of a wine. He remembered that he had a wooden basket lying beside the shutter doors where he stored firewood. He walked to it to see how big it was. It was the size of his old bed, which was shorter than him to his ankle. He then opened his refrigerator to take two fruit-baskets full of cranberries. He checked if it would be enough, but gave a shrug as he thought that he won’t sell the wine and it will act as a prototype. He unloaded the berries in the wooden barrel. The berries filled the barrel half-way. Judging by how much work was needed to be done, James sighed with a conclusion: He couldn’t do it alone. He needed a companion to do it. He sat down next to the basket with the sun’s heat glaring at him. Seeing that the heat may cause the produce to decay, he decided to move the heavy basket into his house. He sat next to the fan and fell into deep thought. Just then, he received a Facebook chat message. It was no other than Abigail, his girlfriend.

Abigail Berneau- Heyyy robo-baby!

James Suh- Hey sweetcups!

Abigail Berneau- I’m bored

James Suh- Really? What do you wanna do?

Abigail Berneau- I wanna do something with you. *wink

James Suh-That’s what she said

Abigail Berneau- youre horrible!

James Suh- It was your decision you wanted to be with me…?

Abigail Berneau- Can I come over?

James Suh- I don’t know, can you?

Abigail Berneau- JAMES

James gave a chuckle. He enjoyed making fun of her, but not on purpose.

James Suh- Nah, of course! In fact, I’ve already have something special for us!

Abigail Berneau- Should I get my sword?

James Suh- Nah, get some new clothes. It’s gonna be messy.

Abigail Berneau- Is it a mudfight? I can’t fight you!

James Suh- You’ll see.

Abigail Berneau- Be right there!

James locked his phone and placed it on his desk. Knowing that Abigail will be here any moment, he quickly changed his pants from jeans to his military shorts. He also checked his hose next to his porch. It was functional. That’s good. He was ready. While he was playing checking out Pokémon GO on the Google Play Store, he saw Abigail skipping towards Cerulean Farm. As she approached the entrance, James noticed that she was wearing very short black pants that exposes her legs and her usual purple sleeveless coat and black shirt. She was also wearing sandals. It made James’s jaw drop. He had never seen Abigail like this even at summer. “Hi, Robo-baby!” Abigail cheerfully greeted James, bending over on the porch fence.

“Damn, Abby! That’s… explosive!” James replied, giving out a whistle. Abigail giggled.

“I wore this because you might want… a mud fight?” Abigail asked. James shook his head. “Don’t lie, baby. I know you want to see my dirty.” She added, acting somewhat seductive.

“Jesus Christ, Abby! We’ve been together for only three days! Can’t we take this slowly?” James asked. Abigail gave a big smile and nodded. “Anyway, I’ve called you here for this.” He continued, entering his house. He returned with the basket full of cranberries and placed it on the soil near the water tap. “Can you guess?” James asked.

“Ooh, are we making wine?” Abigail asked with her eyes opened wide. James nodded.

“Yup, that’s why I asked you for extra clothes!” James replied. “Hop in!” He added as he took off his boots and jumped in the basket. The sounds of the crushing cranberries followed where he stepped on. Abigail then proceeded to remove her sandals and join her boyfriend. Her feet, too, squashed the cranberries, creating red juice on her skin. The sensation of the cranberry skin tickled her, making her giggle every time she took another step. James laughed along. “So, how is it?” He asked, holding her hands.

“It’s so ticklish! I like it!” Abigail replied, giving him a peck.

“Well, I think I know what we can do to spice this up!” James said, taking his phone. He opened Soundcloud and turned on Uptown Funk. The couple trampled on the cranberries while following the beat.

This hit, that ice cold,

Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold!

This one, for them hood girls,

Them good girls, straight masterpieces

Stylin’. While in, Living it up in the city!

Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent

Gotta kiss myself, I’m so pretty!

The tempo of the trampling became faster as James performed a lip-sync of the song while step-dancing while Abigail raised her hands up in the air while spinning around. James was surprised that his girlfriend was having fun with this chore and not slipping and falling to the ground or maybe into the cranberry onslaught. “Damn, Abby! You dance like those American girls in a disco party!” James said as the song approached the chorus.

“I used to crave for clubs when I lived in Prometheus City! That was when I was thirteen!” Abigail replied, caressing James’s cheek.

…Saturday night and we’re in the spot,

Don’t believe me, just watch (come on!)

The trumpets entered the song and James stomped his left foot on the ground like one of Michael Jackson’s dances. Abigail went crazy as she was enjoying this moment. James laughed at how Abigail was determined to impress him. Just as he thought the cranberry mush was ready and the song was coming to an end, James’s surprise about Abigail’s stability was forfeit. She slipped and fell knee first on the mush, giving a tiny and short scream. James managed to hold her by her arms, but the position that they were in made both of them blush. Abigail had been stopped with her head near his crotch. She turned her head away and covered her face trying to hide her blush. James, also blushing, helped her stand up. Her knee and her lower legs were covered in bright red juice from all the cranberries she had crushed. “Yeah, I think the berries are well crushed.” James said, looking down at the juice. He looked at the sky. The sun was halfway down the mountains, telling him that it was six o’clock. He dismounted from the basket and onto the grassy soil. He held Abigail’s hand to help her get off, but she once again slipped on one of the peels of the cranberries and fell on the juice, bottom-first. The splash she had created soaked all of her clothes. James laughed at her clumsiness, making her laugh as well. Her abdomen and her chest were covered in red juice. Abigail stood up and properly dismounted the basket this time. The grassy soil tickled her feet, making her giggle. It was somewhat strange for James at first, but he had found out that his legs were cybernetic, so he shrugged off the questioning. He sprayed the cranberry juice off of his feet and wore his boots. He then let Abigail go with washing her juiced body with the hose. He proceeded to take the cranberry mush and load it in one of the kegs and add the yeast. After that was done, James escorted Abigail to his bedroom and stayed outside the room while his girlfriend changed into her spare clothes. When she exited the room, she was wearing a loose green shirt with loose black pants.

“I’m ready!” Abigail cheerfully said as she twirled around in front of James. He stopped her, bent down and kissed her.

“Beautiful, as always.” James said, releasing his lips from hers. His phone suddenly rang. “Hello?”

“Bro, it’s me. Alex.” Alex replied through the receiver.

“Yeah, man. ‘sup?” James said.

“Uh… damn. How do I say this… can you come to the Stardrop Saloon? I have… something to talk about.” Alex asked.

“Sure, but make sure it’s not a confession!” James jokingly replied.

“N…No! I’m not gay! Just… I’ll be there at the saloon, waiting, okay? It’s okay if your girlfriend comes with you.” Alex replied. He ended the call just as James was about to reply. For some reason, Alex sounded nervous. James had never heard him talk like this before.

“Robo-babe, what’s wrong?” Abigail asked.

“Oh, it’s Alex. He apparently wants to talk to me about… something I don’t know about.” James replied. “Hey, wanna go to the saloon for dinner?” He added.

“Sure! I’d love to!” Abigail replied. James gave a smile and held her hand. The couple then proceeded to walk to the town with Abigail hopping like a bunny. James laughed at her cuteness.


The Saloon wasn’t full as James expected to be as it was Sunday. Penny’s mother, Pam Anderson was sitting on her usual seat on the counter, drinking her way towards blackout. Shane was drinking his beer next to the fireplace. James and Abigail looked around to find Alex waving at them in front of the door at the leftmost door of the saloon. “Yo, James! Over here!” Alex called.

“Hey, ‘sup, man?” James replied, waving his hand.

“Uh, hi Alex!” Abigail called out. Alex simply waved at her.

“Uh… I’ve reserved a private room for us to talk. Follow me.” Alex said, escorting the couple in the door, taking the first door observable and opened it. The room had a relatively large table with six chairs. The room also had a red carpet with decorations woven on them. Judging by the design, it was clear that Emily Laveri designed it. There was a chandelier above the table and a candle stand on the middle of it. Alex let the couple sit down on two chairs. Alex sat on the chair in front of them. Gus came in the room with menus.

“Yeah… uh, make your choices.” Alex said, flipping through the menu.

“What do you want, Abby?” James asked.

“…I think I’ll have the Fettuccine Alfredo.” Abigail replied. Gus nodded and wrote her selection on a booklet.

“I’ll go for the Luck O’ The Sea, then.” James said. Gus nodded.

“Well… uh… I’ll go for the T-Bone steak.” Alex thought for a while and made his selection. Gus wrote the choice down and left the room. “So, I guess you two are wondering why I’ve called you guys.” He added.

“I don’t know, but it would be… excellent if you told us.” James said, taking a sip of his beer.

“Well, I guess. Damn, how do I say this…?” Alex said, looking away. He was blushing. James looked at his athletic friend with confusion. Abigail, in the other hand, was giggling.

“Dude, are you alright?” James asked.

“Ugh, yeah, I’m okay.” Alex replied. He was fumbling with his phone.

“Alex, why did you call us if you are just going to do that?” Abigail asked.

“…Well, first of all, I want to congratulate you two for getting together.” Alex replied. James and Abigail started blushing.

“Heh, thanks. I never knew you would treat us for that.” James said, smirked. Gus entered the room with a tray at the same time. He then laid plates of Fettuccine Alfredo, Luck O’ The Sea and T-Bone steak next to Abigail, James and Alex.

“Enjoy your meals, you kids.” Gus said with a grin and walked out of the room. The three picked up their utensils and dived into the meals. During the meal, Abigail sometimes offered James with a forkful of her food only to be refused. Pasta in general gave him the chills.

“Anyway, about the other reason why I called you here…” Alex continued, swallowing his chewed piece of steak. James and Abigail were all ears “…I want to know how you guys did it. You know, advices.” He added. “I could have asked Elliott or Sam, but they all hate me. You, James, are the closest I’ve ever went to ‘friend’. So… how did you guys decided to get together?” He asked.

“Oh, you want dating and confession advices?” Abigail asked, giggling. It made Alex blush even more. “Who is it?” She added.

“Damn, I never knew I would be so embarrassed, but… it’s Haley.” Alex replied, stuttering his words. Abigail’s mouth opened wide. James simply gave a nod.

“Wh… Haley? Really?” Abigail asked. Alex blushed, nodding. “…Why?” She added.

“It’s because we’ve known each other for about six years. Normally when I have a crush on someone, it usually goes away. But with Haley… It just kept growing, especially during the Flower Dances.” Alex answered. James nodded at the response, taking a bite of a chunk of fish.

“Well, I guess you want advices from us, correct?” James asked with a positive response from Alex. “To be honest, our confession was… coincidental. We both had the same thoughts. That’s how we got together.” He added. Alex lowered his head. “…But that doesn’t mean that we can’t help you.” James assured him, looking at Abigail.

“During my experiences at Prometheus city, most of the boys, which are only two, were kind to me. You can’t treat a woman like how you treat me, Sam and Sebastian.” Abigail said. Alex gave a nod while cutting a slice of his steak.


The conversation went on for at least an hour. Advices were poured onto the young athlete. When it was all done, the three parted ways with Abigail kissing James once more. James walked to the mountains for the carpenters’ shop. He was immediately greeted by Robin. “Well, it’s about time I kick out my roommate from my room. I wish for an extra room with a bed.” James said.

“Oh, I see! So Jade’s been sleeping on your bed?” Robin asked, chuckling while taking out James’s house’s blueprint.

“Yeah, the couch doesn’t seem to accept my proposal. The bed is my true wife.” James replied with both of the people laughing.

“Where would you like your new room?” Robin asked, pointing at the blueprint. James took a close look. He noticed that there was a gap between James’s room and the living room/kitchen. James pointed at the gap.

“That should do it. Is it okay if we start tomorrow?” James asked, handing out 6000 Galleons.

“That’s good! I’ll start tomorrow as you said. I think it’ll take just a day for it!” Robin replied. James waved her goodbye and returned to his house. Jade was rummaging through the refrigerator as usual.

“I’ve made the deal with Robin. As the landlord of my room, get ready to pack your stuff and give up my wife, my bed, to me.” James said.

“Aw, no fair! You actually did it? You swine!” Jade pouted, taking out a cup of cranberry candy.

“Well, I’ll let you sleep on my bed just for tonight. Now go say farewell to it.” James said.

Well, it's been an entire week since Chapter 26. The Overseas Korean Federation is now over with so many happy memories and sad farewells. I was truly honored to make real friends. I literally cried when I had to leave my friends behind. Anyway, if you guys don't mind, I'll try posting pics of the Federation here. I'll work full-force on my fanfic now. Thank you all. 감사합니다, 독자 여러분

 

Very cute! How dare Alex try to take my true love like that though. >:c

 

New chap wooooooooo been looking forward to it. the whole time during the wine crushing scene I was thinking of that one video where the woman falls off the thing glad that didnt happen tho it was a p. bad spill