[solved]New Arrival in Town (open)

Steven walked down the long winding mountain road.

Sighing Steve stopped and looked around seeing nothing but road and trees, the sun was still low in the morning sky and the night chill was still in the air. Steven adjusted his backpack, which contained everything he owned and started walking again. It has been three days since Steven left the last town, and while he was happy to sleep under the stars, he would not turn down a bed and a shower.

An hour later Steven came upon a fork in the road. Setting his bag down, he rests while deciding which way to go. In all his travels over the past 6 years, he has never adventured into this part of the continent. Kneeling Steven stretches his leg while considering which way to go. Getting up again he notices a farmer in a near by field, picking up his bag he walks over to the fences and calls to the farmer. Once the farmer is close enough to talk to without shouting, Steven ask where the roads lead. The farmer tells him that the left branch goes to Mineral Town, while the right leads to Forget-Me-Not Valley. Steve thanks the Farmer, returning to the fork. Standing in the center of the Fork, Steven looks from left to right thinking " I've spent the last two months in a city... I think it would be a nice break to see what this Forget-Me-Not valley has to offer."

Steven grabs his bag, balancing it on his back, turning to the right he starts down the road. He arrives in Forget-Me-Not Valley after about an hour, looking up at the sun again, Steven notes that it is still early, probably 8am at the latest. Steven wanders down the road slowly, passing a farm, and a small graveyard. Crossing the bridge in to the little Village, Steven stops for a moment looking around. Seeing the beach across town, he slowly meanders in that direction, passing the local Inn, and a small house which looks to be made of painted hides.

Arriving at the beach, Steven chooses a bench, taking his backpack off and sitting down. Opening his bag Steven takes out a small bag of bread, and a pouch of salted smoked meat. While making himself a sandwich, Steven looks around, seeing no one in the area, he comments to himself "This is a nice little village, I wonder if they have anything new for me to study? And this beach is so quiet and picturesque, I think I may hang around for a while."

Mazie had been loitering around outside of the Inn, having just bummed a meal off of Ruby - she was, without a doubt, the world's finest cook in Mazie's mind. She wiped her filthy hands off onto her pants after finishing her food and had proceeded to hang around outside of the Inn. Of course, it wouldn't be until at least noon or later before Rock woke up to play with her - after all, they had spent until twelve the previous night just goofing off, and he'd always been known to sleep like a log. Nami, as well, would have escaped long before Mazie had arrived to mooch breakfast, so there was no one left for Mazie to play with at the Inn.

Would Muffy be willing to skip work? Not likely. However, just as she was about to give up and go find somewhere to sleep, she spotted a brunet man that was not overly familiar to her. Was it someone spending a few days in the Valley that she'd not had the sense to remember? Or was it someone knew in town who she'd not met before? Either way, she more than curious to find out more about him - more, she was interested in how far she could push him with her strange sense of humor before he snapped and told her to get lost.

Travelers were always the funnest. They didn't know about her and her poor reputation among the towns people, so they didn't have the sense to get away while they still could. But, that wasn't to say she'd scared everyone away. Of course there were still some people that got along with her, despite her strange ways - some of these people actually enjoyed her weirdness. Maybe this one would be the same? To her demise, before she could call out to the man, he sauntered off down towards the beach.

Well, that decided her new destination: the beach!

Brushing a loose strand of purple hair from her face, she hurried off after the man. The pack over his shoulder and rather gruffy look about him made it apparent that he was indeed a traveler. And, by the lost look in his eyes as he roamed about, she could also safely assume that he was quite new in town. Bounding down the small hill towards the beach, Mazie skidding to a stop and ran across the sand. Grasping the back of the bench that the man had chosen to sit upon, she smiled brightly. "Mornin' neighbor!"

Without giving it much thought, she leaped up over the back of the wooden bench, landing perfectly seated upon it when she swung herself over. She was full of energy that morning, just like she was every morning, and she was more than happy to see a new face in town. He looked more awe-stricken than confused when she got a better look, however. Oh well! He was still a traveler and he was still new in town, that's all she cared about. "Welcome to Forget-Me-Not-Valley! You're new here, right? A traveler?"

Her grin never faltered for a second, even as he went about making his sandwich, no doubt more than annoyed with her uppity attitude first thing in the morning. "Where did you stay before coming here? Did you sleep under the stars during your travels? Oh, I bet it was fun ~" she rambled on before halting herself for a moment. "... Wait, did I introduce myself? I'm Mazie Addison, but most people just call me Maze - you know, I'm complicated and hard to figure out, just like a maze. Besides, it's just a shorter form of Mazie and-" Once more, she caught herself. "And you are?"

Steven gave a slight jerk when a high energy girl appears out of nowhere behind the bench. This young lady greeted him, but before he could respond she had leaped over the back of the bench, landing on the bench in a normal sitting position, demonstrating a significant level of athleticism. With barely a breathe lengths pause, the young lady lets off a tirade of questions. Steven is hard pressed to hear everything she is saying while making his sandwich.

Looking the girl over, Steve notices the worn and ripped nature of her clothing and wonders to himself if this girl is homeless or something.

Finally the girl, almost as an after thought introduced herself as Maize. Steven took a bite of his sandwich, chewing it while considering this girl and her questions. After chewing, Steven look at Maze saying "Good Morning Maize, My name is Steven Wolfe, but most people just call me Wolfie. It is nice to met you." Steven offers his hand to Maze.

After a short pause, Steven continues " Yes I am new to town, I just arrived from the east, unfortunately I can't remember the name of the last town I was in... One town seems much like every other after awhile. I have slept under the stars before, and may well again."

Steven pauses again, considering the last comment before responding. "While the life of a traveler may seem appealing to youth, after a few years, the desire to settle down and have a home does get to you."

Steven takes another bite of his sandwich, just as his stomach growls. Steve quickly finishes his sandwich before Maze has a chance to unleash another barrage of questions, or some one else shows up.

"Wolfie, huh?" Mazie said thoughtfully, giving an absent-minded sort of nod as she processed this into her mind. Woflie, that was such a strange nickname. However, it indeed seemed fit for a traveler! Like a lone wolf or something, how dangerous ~ Quickly, she collected herself and gave his hand a firm shake. "The pleasure is all mine ~"

She was very willing to meet knew people - in fact, new people made her day. She was glad to have met someone knew, it would be a day she would mark upon her calender! Or, maybe that was going overboard. She listened intently as he explained himself to each of her questions, eyes wide with curiosity and interest. "Oh, traveling seems like such fun," she said cheerfully, turning to sit with her legs crossed across the bench, turned to face the man head on. "I can understand how you might desire to settle down at some point, but you must meet a lot of people, huh?"

Oh, she would love to travel and meet so many different people! So many wonderful people, some who'd find her interesting and others who'd find her downright annoying. Something about traveling seemed very appealing, but her small setup in Forget-Me-Not-Valley was about all the could afford for the time being, and even then she wasn't sure just how much dedication traveling would take. It must be hard on the feet, and sleeping under the stars would indeed be somewhat scary sometimes.

"Ah... it must be hard, having to be on the move all the time..." She liked the idea of meeting so many people, but she was unsure about all the long walking. Surely it wouldn't be something she'd enjoy very much. "But, you can always stay around here for a while, right?" Of course, after her greeting and all, she was sure he wouldn't really want to stay in town for long. She had a way of... putting people off, in a sense.

"I would enjoy someone knew to play with, you know?" she said with a kind smile, eyes bright with energy and delight.

As Maze talks, Steve moves his bag and adjust his position on the bench, so that he is sitting at an angle to the bench so he can face Maze more directly.

Looking into Maze's strangely brown eyes, Steve can see the curiosity, and possibly yearning, as she talks about traveling. Steve guesses that Maze is at most 18, but he thinks it more likely she is 15 or 16... making her just a little younger than he was when he left his home town to travel the world, hoping to run away from the memories and reminders of happier times. While it was certainly true that he initially enjoyed the freedom that came with the wanderers lifestyle, over the years he has started to wonder what it would be like to have someplace to call home.

"Well Maze, when you are one the road like I have been you do meet a lot of people, but you rarely spent long enough in any place to really get to know anyone or make any close or lasting friendships." Steven admits. "Although it has been a long time since I have really called anyone friend..." Steven looks away from Maze, staring unseeing out over the ocean to the horizon, his mouth dropping to a frown. After a few moments he returns to the here and now, giving Maze a little smile. "It was my choice to take to the roads, My life was full of failure and despair, and I knew there was a better life waiting for me somewhere, I just had to have the courage to take the risks and look for it. It is a trail to live on the road, always alone, even when with others. Never knowing where you will end up, or what might be waiting there for you. But it is also an adventure, and an opportunity. If I had to make my decision again, I would not change a thing."

Steven looks at Maze critical as she asks if he will be staying for a while, then looks around at what he can see of the small village from his bench. "You know Maze, I think I will be staying awhile. I have had enough of the cities and towns for now. I think this village could be a nice retreat from the hectic lives in the cities." Looking at Maze again, Steve smiles.

Mazie was thrilled with this response. The longer he stayed in town, the longer Mazie had to persuade him into staying longer, and longer yet, thus allowing her to have someone to play with. Steven liked to travel, but he also seemed to faintly yearn a place to settle down, even if just for a while. She found his dedication to finding a new beginning incredible - not just anyone would have the strength to travel everywhere, looking for a new start. Within the first destination of arrival, she assumed many would settle down there and call it a good enough adventure. But not Steven.

"Your dedication to finding a better start is really something," she commented with admiration, happy to have enticed some sort of a smile from the man. She was quite curious to learn about what he was running away from back home, but she decided it might be best to save such questions for another time. They'd just met, after all, and it wasn't a good idea to pry into someone's personal life when you don't know how they'll react to such things. "I guess whatever it is you're trying to forget must be pretty bad, huh? To go to such lengths just to forget... I feel kind of bad, you know?"

She'd always looked at traveling as just a way to get away from the boring life, a way to find adventure and explore the world around you. And, maybe it was to some people. But, it was also that some people traveled to escape the memories and life that they've left behind. It was strange to look at it that way, she thought absently. Her gaze traveled up towards the Inn at a rather slow pace, and as she started blankly at the beautiful building, she wondered if Nami had the same sort of lone-wolf tale to tell about her traveling? She'd honestly never taken it into consideration... had her bombardment of questions brought back painful memories?

For the first time in her seventeen years she felt a small pang of pain in her chest - it was something she didn't like. It was awkward and a little bit upsetting. It was to the point that she'd driven their conversation into an awkward silence with all of her thinking. "I'm sorry, sorry ~ I've probably bored you, or brought back memories you'd like to forget, right? If I'm making you uncomfortable, we can switch the topic or something, okay?"

Watching Maze as she talks, Steven noticed the seemingly uncharacteristic pauses. Steven also noticed Maze's eye move to the inn he walked by earlier, making him wonder what she was thinking. Could it be that he is not the only wanderer in town? Maybe there would be someone in this village that he had met before in his travels, then again maybe not.

"Maze, you have nothing to be sorry for." Steven said smiling at her. "So what is there to do in this town? And is there just the one inn here?

"Yep, there's only one Inn here!" she said cheerfully, but quickly, she became serious about it - though, serious for Mazie could only be so serious. "But, don't doubt it! It's not a shabby place, and Ruby takes care of the guests there very well. You should certainly take a room there - she'd love someone like you ~" Her smile was cheerful and kind as she spoke, not wanting him to think poorly of the small town. They were small, yes, but not a bad place. In fact, they were quite a nice group of people! Steven just needed to take a moment to introduce himself and make himself part of their little family.

But, about what to do, she was stumped. She'd never really thought about explaining something like that to a tourist - everything in town just seemed to be... what it was. "Well, in the summer, fishing is quite popular," she suggested thoughtfully. "Morning naps, afternoon naps and harassing the locals also comes to mind..." She laughed as she said this, obviously teasing him a bit. "There's really not much here, to be honest. You could probably help out the farmers, or play with the brothers who make fireworks?"

She looked out towards the ocean with a lazy smile. "Just sitting by the beach to and talking to travelers is one of my personal favorites, though ~"

Steven looked out over the sea again as Maze talked. He thougt to himself If the inside of the Inn is as well maintained and cared for as the outside, it would be a significant step above some of the one he had stay in before. While small this town feels very 'confortable', almost like Steve was menat to be here and now... but why?

"I don't know about harrassing the towns people, but napping I can do." Steve comments. "In fact I think I may need one soon, you don't get much rest when you are sleeping on the ground just out of sight of the road. It has been a great pleasure to meet you Maze, and I hope we can talk again." Getting up Steve offers his hand to shake Maze's. "I think I had better go get myself a bed at the Inn."

Mazie hesitated for a moment, slightly disappointed that their conversation had to end. But, Steven was probably exhausted from all his traveling - she didn't have any guess as to how long he'd already traveled that day, despite it only being only morning. Chances were, he'd had to get up quite early in order to continue traveling and stay safe. Leaping up from the bench, she gave his hand a firm shake. "The pleasure was all mine, Wolfie! I hope you decide to stick around a while, I've been in dire need of a new playmate ~"

"They'll treat you well at the Inn," she added kindly. "I'll make sure to come check up on you soon, okay?" With a cheerful grin, she saw Steven off to the Inn, and then she was off to find a new place to kick back and relax for the afternoon.

Steve starts to walk away, stopping after only a few steps. Steve just stands there looking lost in thought for a few moments before looking back and calling to Maze. "Maze, Are there any ranches around here?" I think, on second thought, that I can wait to go to the Inn, It doesn't look like there is any chance of it being full." Steve adds as if an after thought.

With a beaming grin at his calling out to her once again, Mazie whirled around on the heel of her boot and grinned big. He had actually called out to stop her, which meant that maybe she wouldn't have to go find something else to occupy herself with? However, as he spoke, her smile dimmed a little. "Oh, there are a few ranches, but I think you shouldn't have any trouble with finding a spot to stay at the Inn," she said thoughtfully. "You're one of the few travelers staying in Forget-Me-Not Valley, so I think you'll find a room to suit your needs."

Giving a friendly wave, she parted, "Welcome to Forget-Me-Not Valley, Wolfie, and I hope you enjoy your time here ~"

Steve watches as Maze leaves. "Well, I guess I might as well head to the Inn" he thinks to himself.

Heading off in the opposite direction, Steve walks upo the path towards the Inn. Reaching the main road, Steve stops taking a long look around the town. "You know, this seems like a really nice town to stay in for a while. I wonder if they have a library..."