[IC] Animal Crossing: Blossoming Horizon (ace-of-jacks & AutumnFrost)

[StarfrostedFox]

Warm late afternoon sunlight flooded the interior of the train as a curious looking blue and white cat roamed around the floor space of the second car, red irised eyes flickering over the chattering animals clumped up together and crowding the various benches. With a soft sigh of disappointment that there was no room for himself to join them, he proceeded to trail over to the connecting doors to the first car, pushing them open to peer around in and immediately stiffened with surprise. Sitting alone a few benches in was something he had rarely seen: a human. They were a rare species, Only a handful left in the world, So naturally his curiosity increased. Quickly thinking of something to say that would break the ice, he approached the stranger. "Hey there! My name is rover. Can I bother you for the time?" He asked cheerfully, grinning in a way that made his whiskers twitch pleasantly.

[Ace of Jacks]

It felt good today. This was a day that stood out from the rest. The sun was shining, the clouds were scarce, and sound of birds could be heard outside the window. Oliver couldn’t help but curl up his lip, allowing the overwhelming sense of calm wash over him. He sat in an armchair facing the black screen of a television. There was something warm resting on his lap. It kind of tickled. Oliver stroked his palm across the back of the white cat and listened to the animal purr in delight. Life was simple, but it was good.

Suddenly, the serenity of the scene began to fill with the sounds of metal clanking and engines huffing. A quick and sudden jolt flung Oliver out of his subconscious state and back to reality. He let out a soft gasp, his eyes wide open as he surveyed his surroundings. That’s right, he was on a train. He let out a sigh as his hands rested on his now empty lap. No cat. Pity.
“Hey there!” an unfamiliar voice called. Oliver turned in the direction of the voice and rubbed his eyes. The voice seemed to belong to a blue and white cat as it approached him. Wait. A cat is approaching him. It took Oliver a moment to remember that these anthromorphic animals lived in certain parts of the world. Oliver could almost laugh at his wild imagination. Silly me... I guess cat’s aren’t lap pets, they are just normal people. As he brushed away the feeling of grogginess, the cat had made his was to him. “My name is Rover,” it said. “Can I bother you for the time?”
It took a few seconds for Oliver to register what was being asked of him, as well as the fact that a cat was speaking to him, before he managed to utter out a coherent “Uhhhhhh…” He looked down at his wrist. No watch. Dang. He took a quick look out the window before returning his attention to the cat. “It looks like it’s around noon…?” he answered unsurely. An awkward chuckle escaped him. Oliver gestured his hands to the open booth in front of him.
“Want to have a seat, friend?” The name of the feline seemed to slip his mind but, not wanting to be rude, he introduced his own.
“I’m Oliver,” he greeted, extending a hand. “I’m sorry, I completely blanked out. What did you say your name was? I’m not use to sleeping on long trips…”
All he could think about as he waited for the feline to answer was, I want to pet his face.

[StarfrostedFox]

Rover look simply delighted that the boy had responded to him, though it appeared that the human had just woken up not too long before he had shown up to inquire after the time. Blinking a few times and deciding it might be better to not mention any grogginess , the catquickly cast his gaze down at his watch to compare the time with what he had been told. "why thank you! I think it is almost time to replace my watch, it keeps slowing down on me." And with that he quite deliberately stepped forward and took the seat across from him, he had been invited to do so after all, Settling back into the cushion and giving his long tail A twitch. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here. I promise I won't fall asleep on your shoulder and start drooling on you or anything..." He chuckled, not about to tell this boy that he had once done just that. Reaching out, he placed one of his paws into the offered hand, giving it a firm shake. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance Oliver." He purred. "And it's Rover." He added helpfully with another grin.

After a moment in which he squinted into the sunlight and tried to not look excited to talk to him, the cat finally turned his yellow and red eyes back onto Oliver and suddenly tilted his head curiously. "so, Oliver, where is it that you might be heading? Anywhere I might know?" He asked, interested in pursuing travel topics. Oliver had said he was on a long trip after all. Being a lover of traveling, Rover rather enjoyed talking to anyone about journeys.

[Ace of Jacks]

Oliver let up a welcoming smile as his new train buddy took his seat across from him. The grip the cat held felt funny and furry. It was a weird feeling, having those squishy pads pushed against his palm with tufts of fur between each finger. “Ahh, it’s nice to meet you too, Rover.” Oliver adjusted himself in his seat, trying to give himself a better impression for the stranger. He didn’t want to come off as a lazy guy to the kind stranger. The feline seemed to be doing the same thing, it appeared. Oliver couldn’t help but wonder if he was making the cat nervous. Perhaps he’d never seen a human before. To his knowledge, his kind don’t come around here too often, If at all. He could never understand why. Was it a personal choice? A law permitting certain amount of people at certain times? Oliver didn’t remember having to go through much trouble at all to gain entry. Oh well. Again, he tried to make his new company feel welcome with kind expressions.

“Oh yeah,” he started, shuffling his hand in the pocket of his green hoodie. Oliver produced a cleanly folded square sheet of paper, unfolding it and holding it in front of him. “I’m heading to a town called…Crescent Landing? Yep, says it right here,” he told Rover, pointing at the printed name of the town. He had searched for this town specifically because of its location. It was the furthest away from the parts of the world inhabited by humans. Just what he wanted. He’d love nothing more than to get away from humanity, if only for a couple months. Oliver stuffed the paper into the pocket it came from, this time not giving any mind to folding it neatly. “Ever been?”

[StarfrostedFox]

"No... I don't think that I've ever been there."Allowing a thoughtful expression to cross his face, Rover finally seemed to come to some conclusion and reached into his pocket, Withdrawing a couple pieces of folded paper himself. "Crescent Landing sounds a little familiar... but I don't know much about it." He admitted, unfolding the paper and beginning to Peru's the contents. "I have a couple of maps here, they're on some brochures I picked up at a train station a while back. Maybe one of them is the town you're going to. Let's take a look!"

The first map he held up showed a fairly symmetrical town, it's River cutting an almost perfect diagonal from left to right with a sandy beach fringing the southern edge and turning up sharply on the left. The second map showed an almost staircase shaped pattern of the river starting at the top right and flowing left, then down, then left again in a longer line, then down, a short left, and then down into the ocean, Bisecting a long crescent shaped beach. The third showed a river that started in the lower left hand corner and continued left in a straight line for about a fourth of the map before suddenly turning sharply upward in a long horseshoe shape that arched back down towards the sideways L-shaped beach.And finally the fourth depicted a winding serpentine river that flowed from almost the exact center of the northern side of the town and made a curvy S shaped pattern before emptying out into the ocean at almost the exact center of the southern edge, Also bisecting it's beach which was contrarily Straight with only the most minimal of curves.

"is it one of these?" Rover asked hopefully, silently praying that it was, because he didn't have any other Maps.

[Ace of Jacks]

Examining the four maps closely, Oliver tried to remember which one he had seen on the town’s website. He leaned forward and took hold of the bottom right corner of the first map very lightly, as to not actually take it from Rover’s possession. He looked at the geography of each town the maps illustrated, trying to find anything that would jog his memory. He knew the town had a river bisecting it diagonally, so it must be one of the first two he was shown. “Hmmm…” he hummed, trying to find something familiar in the maps. “I have a strong feeling it’s this one,” he said finally, tapping a knuckle against the second map Rover held up. “The river looks similar and I think the town’s beach is curved like in this map.”

“Yes, I’m fairly certain now that it is this town.” Oliver gave Rover a reassuring smile before leaning back into his seat. He took a glance out the window, watching the brown and green blur of trees as the train sped past a large forest. He loved the wilderness. Back home, a lot of the natural landscape had been 'renovated' into complexes and the sort. Though, he sure the inhabitants of this part of the map worked on similar projects, a lot of the natural life appeared persevered. Despite the blurry view of the trees, it was a nice scene to gaze upon. Oliver let out a soft sigh and faced his travelling companion. “So, where are you headed then, Rover?” he asked in return.

[StarfrostedFox]

Watching contentedly as Oliver scrutinized each of the maps , the blue and white cat lazily flicked the end of his tail, enjoying the opportunity he had to be able to spend some time with such a rarity as a human. After a moment, a decision was made, the second map getting tapped with a look of surety. Pulling the maps back to himself, Rover studied the map he had indicated with interest as Oliver took to gazing out of the window. But he didn't mind. He was simply glad that the maps had come in handy when he picked some up at the train station. "I see." He mused thoughtfully as he studied the twisting staircase pattern of the river. "Well, It looks like a nice enough place."

After a moment, Oliver spoke up again, reclaiming the cat's attention by asking,"So, where are you headed then, Rover?"

For some reason, Rover looked somewhat embarrassed by the question, folding up the brochures and quickly stuffing them back into his pocket."Oh, mostly I just like to ride the rails and sight see." His whiskers twitched. "Though there is this town a few stops past Crescent Landing that I've been meaning to check out... This cat named Mitzy lives there and I was hoping to see her." By this point, he was looking thoroughly flustered. If it wasn't for the fact that he was covered in fur, the blush would have been quite obvious.

Suddenly, and probably to Rover's relief, an announcement pinged over the intercom and the conductor stated, "Approaching our next stop at Crescent Landing Station. Next stop, Crescent Landing Station."

Rover looked shocked by the announcement and the amount of time that had passed, quickly glancing out of the window as the train began to slow down. "We are here already! That was fast." Relieved or not by the sudden timing, it was still a little sad to say goodbye to his new friend. But all the same, Oliver was off to a new life. His eyes were bright with excitement as he looked back at the young man sitting across from him. "well, I wish you the best of luck in your new home Oliver. I'll try to stop by sometime in the future."

[Ace of Jacks]

Oliver wasn't too surprised at Rover's answer. He seemed well adjusted to travelling and, if he recalled correctly, even said so himself. The cat wasn't a drifter, it seemed, but more of a sightseer. The things this cat must have seen, experienced. It kind of made Oliver feel jealous. This was his first time being away from the city, heck, being more than 2 hours away from home.

When Rover brought up a new name, Mitzy, Oliver sat up from his slouched position and couldn't help but curl up the corner of his lips. "Mitzy, eh? Well I hope you're visit goes well, friend." Though it was hard to tell, Rover's slight change in mannerism gave Oliver the impression that there was more to this Mitzy character, at least to Rover. The idea of going away to a distant town to visit an old flame sounded pleasant. That is, if he had any flames to being with. Oliver had always been a hopeless romantic, though one would never guess it just by looking at him. He was an average built young man with a clean shaven face who, at first glance, one would think to be far from emotional.

"Next stop, Crescent Landing Station." AT the sound of the announcement, Oliver quickly gather his belongings and bringing it close to him. Well, that is, he slid one arm through his backpack strap and made sure his wallet was in his front pocket. "I guess this is where we part," he said, looking around the booth to make sure nothing was left behind. With the screeching of its breaks, the train began to slow down, coming to a complete stop in mere seconds. Oliver stepped into the open aisle and turned to his short lived travel companion. "It was really nice meeting you, Rover. I hope you have a great meeting with your friend, if you find her." Before he turned to leave, Rover spoke up. "I'll try to stop by sometime in the future," the feline said.
Oliver's face lit up for a moment, a smile gracing his face. He didn't understand why this complete stranger had been so kind to him. This type of random kindness was rare back home. "I'll hold you up to that. I'm only planning to stay for a few months but if you stop by I'll be sure to meet you." He gave the cat a soft nod before turning his heels and sauntering out into the small station.

Blinding white light filled his vision, slowly fading into a clear view of a wide open space. There were a few small houses in the distance as well as a river. It was the same river from Rover's map. As his eyes adjusted to the daylight, Oliver finally noticed a small crowd of animals gathered in a semicircle a few feet away from him. His muscles tensed for a second, surprised by the group. Were they expecting someone? It couldn't possibly be him. He told no one, aside from Rover, that he was even coming to this town.

[StarfrostedFox]

As the train chugged back into life and slowly built up speed and pulled away from the station once again, A lone passenger having disembarked and walked out the front door, several figures that had been milling around the cobblestone Area in front of the building perked up with interest and quickly moved forward, forming a loose semi circle around the human.

The first to speak, her voice low and pleasant, was a white she wolf with a brown stripe running up the top of her muzzle, Fluffy brown fur spilling out of her pointed ears, and a pair of bright light blue eyes. "Hey, is that him?" She whispered to a maroon squirrel with a half white face and tail by her side, his own orange eyes focused intently on the newcomer.

"He said this was supposed to be his train." Murmured A black and silver fox on the wolf's other side, pink nose twitching with interest and silvery green eyes bright with excitement.

"then why isn't anyone talking to him?" Queried a light brown rabbit with light orange and yellow markings on his ears and paws in a worried tone, His dark green eyes concerned.

From between him and a teal colored snow leopard with pale pink and black flourette spots suddenly stepped a bright yellow and white dog that resembled a shitzu, her hair pulled up into a poof on the top of her head and tied with a ribbon adorned with bells that jingled with her every step. She blinked her large dark brown eyes, Appearing to be slightly apprehensive but kind. Lifting her voice, she called out to the small crowd. "just like we practiced! One, two, three!"

"WELCOME TO CRESCENT LANDING!" The group of animals suddenly shouted enthusiastically, clapping their paws together for a few seconds.

"i'm so glad you could make it safely Mayor!" The yellow dog stated happily as she took another step forward. "and exactly the time that you said you would arrive." She continued with a brilliant smile, completely unaware that she might have the wrong person.

[Ace of Jacks]

Oliver stood awkwardly in front of the confused crowd of animals. he could hear them whispering to one another with an uncertain tone. Oliver opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a single word a small yellow and white dog stepped out of the crowd and closer to him. Oliver turned his attention to the dog, his head tilted slightly as he animated it from head to toe. It's ears were very fluffy and it had tied some of its fur up in a way he'd never seen before. It was actually a fairly cute hair style. Oliver shook his head, blinking long and hard before opening his eyes and looking around at the various animals. Again, he attempted to let his voice be heard when his ears were filled with the ecstatic sounds of various townsfolk.

"WELCOME TO CRESCENT LANDING!" they shouted in inharmonious unison. Then he was surrounded by a wave of clapping that felt like it should have been louder than it actually was. You could only make so much voice smashing together paw pads and fur, after all. By now, Oliver was beyond confused. Why were they all waiting for him at the train station, especially when they weren't informed on his arrival. He felt uncomfortable with all this attention, all the eyes on him. He was use to just being another face in the crowd, another contributor to the peanut gallery. they must have him mistaken for someone else. That's the only logical explanation.

Rolling his shoulders to adjust the backpack, Oliver turned his gaze back to the yellow dog, whom he assumed was the 'ringleader' of sorts. When she called him Mayor, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Look," he started, the smallest hint of a laugh escaping his breath, "I'm flatter, really..." he brushed his hand through his hair and down the back of his neck as he spoke, "I think you have the wrong guy. I'm not Mayor material." He couldn't help but shoot a little half-smile at the last part and chuckled. Did they really think some loser like himself could ever pass for any position in office? The thought of it was just silly. And for him to be such an outsider, it amazed him that they would even think of their town being run by a human.

[StarfrostedFox]

once again, the yellow dog blinked her dark eyes, looking somewhat perplexed and then a little worried. Her gaze momentarily drifted over the young man's shoulder, as if looking around for someone else, but quickly flickered back to his face."Umm..." She put a paw to her mouth as she studied Oliver. Then suddenly, she began to laugh, the sound bright and cheerful as the bells she wore on her ribbon. "oh, stop joking around!" She said cheerfully in between bursts of laughter. "I didn't know you enjoyed such teasing. You know exactly who you are. , Of course were not mistaken. Like I said, you arrived exactly when and how you told us you would be arriving.."

Around her, The other animals had begun to look agitated and confused, glancing around at one another with varying expressions of alarm. But when the dog started to laugh, each of them gained a relieved air, each relaxed and began to smile. The wolf bumped the fox with an elbow and the two shared a grin. The rabbit cast a disparaging look at the dog with a backwards twitch of one of his long ears, even as he placed a reassuring paw around the leopard's shoulders, the fluffy cat looking as if she might burst into tears.

[Ace of Jacks]

Oliver noticed the animals beginning to get anxious which in turn made him anxious. He was a stranger in his place, never having encountered too many animal villagers before. He was sure they could easy lash out at him if they weren’t happy. He looked to the dog, worried he had said the wrong thing, though it was the absolute truth. She looked upset, but not an angry upset. Luckily, it did not take long for her expression to brighten up and suddenly she had broken into a weak laughter, as if still unsure of herself. She kept insisting Oliver was the Mayor of this town. Oliver wiggled his toes in his shoes; still confuse d and wondering if this is an elaborate prank of some sort. No, he couldn’t have even known anyone would be coming off the train at this time. If they were being serious and had been waiting the arrival of their new mayor then he couldn’t help but wonder where that mayor actually was. When the dog laughed, however, it seemed to resonate through the other animals as they all began to slowly relax and join in on the laughter and playful demeanor. He could see this was very important to them. They need some authority figure in their town, someone to take charge.

Unfortunately, Oliver wasn’t that type of guy. But that’s not to say he never wished he would be. Perhaps this was his opportunity to change into that type of man. One who took charge, one who lead rather than followed. Okay. Okay, he thought. I wouldn’t want to disappoint…. He looked around him one last time, noticing the change in behavior among the animals. They were happy to see him, a stranger to their town. It wouldn’t hurt to make them happier by playing along. With a deep sigh, Oliver faced the yellow dog with a kind smile. “You got me,” he finally said. He took a step forward and held out his hand, unsure what to do. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss. My name is Oliver. Just Oliver. Would you be so kind as to show me around town?” It was best to play nice until he gets to know everybody. If he gets to know everybody.

[StarfrostedFox]

Until the moment when the young man admitted that he had been caught, the dog couldn't quite shake the feeling of uncertainty she had. Something in the pit of her stomach was telling her that things weren't going to work out, this stranger was going to take one look at the rundown state of their little town and give up on it, get back on the train and speed away. But then he smiled, taking a step in her direction and offering his hand, and she felt as if she could breathe again. Placing a paw into the offered and strangely furless hand, her other paw going to the other side and clasping his hand between her pads, she beamed with relief and joy, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "Of course!" She trilled excitedly. "I would love to show you around our town! We can stop by Town Hall too and I can help you with your residency application. I'm Isabelle, i'm your secretary! It is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mayor Oliver."

Reaching into one of the pockets on her neat little jacket, Isabelle pulled out a folded square of parchment and offered it to Oliver, opening it as she did so. "I have a map here for you. I thought it might help you get used to where everything is in town." She blinked hopefully for a moment before coming back to herself and pointing at The small building printed on the map next to the unmistakable crisscrossing lines that were the railroad tracks. "We are here at the train station. Over to the left and down a bit is Town Hall, we can head there later. If you come with me, I'll show you where it is and some of the other places here in town."

Glancing around at the others, most of which had drifted a few feet away and had procured a few different tools, most notably of which were a slightly rusty looking watering can and a bug net, Isabelle suddenly brightened with an idea. "I can also introduce you to the residents who live here if you would like. What would you prefer to do first?" She asked curiously, turning her big brown eyes back to Oliver.

[Ace of Jacks]

Oliver hesitantly accepted the new map, worried that he was getting himself into something much more overwhelming than he could handle. He took the map from Isabelle’s possession and thanked her, holding it out in front of him so that he could see the whole town. He pondered over the many options presented to him. “Ummm…..” he started, not really sure what to do. He turned to Isabelle, giving her a wide smile. “I’d very much appreciate a tour of the town. I’m only familiar with the town’s layout based off another map, though I’m not sure how dated the map was.”

He kept the map out, hoping to gain more familiarity with the town’s layout by reading the map as he went through town. “I do have some questions, but they can wait until after the tour,” he told her. He could feel his heart pound in his chest, feeling anxious and uncertain. Though he spoke with confidence, inside Oliver was as confused as ever. He didn’t know how to be a Mayor or any form of leadership for that matter. All he could hope for was that he was saying and asking the right things, acting appropriately. The last thing he wanted was to upset the towns folk, and especially Isabelle after seeing how terrified she looked when he said he wasn’t the Mayor. She seemed so sweet and kind. He couldn’t let her down, especially now that he had accepted the role. He took in a deep breath, attempting to calm his nerves. “So,” he said, his smile softening into something more natural and less forced, “lead the way, miss.”

[StarfrostedFox]

"Most certainly!" Isabelle agreed enthusiastically, encouraged by the considerably more relaxed nature of the smile Oliver was giving her. Almost wiggling with her excitement but just managing to keep it in check, she immediately indicated a large message board just to the left of the entrance to the train station where a few pieces of paper were pinned carefully into place on its surface. "This is the town message board. Anything that is important to the town, such as notable events, festivals, and any announcements are posted here. Anyone can post a message at any time, so it's a good idea to check it regularly." Getting into her stride now, she promptly turned away from the train station, heading towards the upper left portion of the little town with the distinctive jingling of her bells keeping pace.

Just passed the train station if you paces was a small building with a pale blue roof and a brightly colored pink door. There was a neatly made wooden sign Outfront, just to the right of the door, with a message about the store paying a premium price for a specific list of items that day. "This is Retail, or recycling." Isabelle indicated cheerfully, pausing just outside the building to smile over at the new Mayor. "It's run by this really cute couple, you'll like them. They refurbish old furniture and sell it to the people in the town. They also allow villagers to come in and put up their own furniture for sale. It's a good way to get rid of something you don't want that someone else might think is the best thing in the world!" She momentarily adopted a dreamy expression on her face, as if remembering just such a purchase that she herself had made and didn't seem to realize that she had temporarily zoned out, a smile on her lips, seeming to forget that she was right in the middle of giving a tour.

[Ace of Jacks]

As Oliver examined the Bulletin Board he took note of some scraps of paper tacked onto the surface. He leaned in slightly, grabbing the lower corner of a light yellow flora piece of stationary. It read: ‘Whoever took a bite out of my pie…leave feedback!’. Tacked on the lower right corner of that message was another, darker colored piece of paper that said ‘Could use a little dash of lemon. 8 out of 10’. Oliver felt the corner of his mouth lift in amusement. What an odd but neat way to communicate. Everyone in this town must be well acquainted with one another. Perhaps he would get use to this town to the point where he’d recognize towns folk by their stationary choice or even handwriting. He had always been curious about life in a small town; where everyone knows everyone and drama can spread like wildfire.

Oliver looked up from the board and noticed his lovely tour guide already walking ahead and towards a quaint building. He could tell it was a shop of sorts as it had a small message board outside and a large sign that read ‘Re-Tail’. Punny. As Isabelle explained the services offered by Re-Tail, Oliver peeked through the heart shaped window on the pink wooden door. Inside he saw various items on display atop teal tooden platforms. He noticed some motion near the back right of the store but didn’t want to peer any further. He back up, turning to look at Isabelle. She seemed distracted after having told him what the store offers, as if thinking heavily back on a pleasant memory. Oliver furrowed his brows, his expression confused but curious. A slow smile emerged on his face as he began to speak. “Isabelle?” he said, hoping to bring her back to reality. A soft chuckle escaped him. “Are you still with me?”

[StarfrostedFox]

Isabelle blinked once, twice, her eyes refocusing on Oliver. After a moment, a somewhat mortified expression blossomed onto her face and she began to wave her paws through the air in front of her. "Oh Mayor! I'm so sorry!" She blurted out, before dropping her head and heaving a sigh. "I can be such a space cadet sometimes..." She admitted with an air of chagrin.

After a moment, she looked up at the human's face from under her lashes, calculating his expression before she lifted her head once again and giggled softly. His expression wasn't one of chastisement, that had to be a good thing. Squaring her shoulders, she took a quick peek towards retail before seeming to collect the thread of her thoughts. "As I was saying, you can find just about anything in there. It's wonderful!"

Turning away from the little shop, she meandered a few steps as she considered the next part of her tour, glancing out towards the ocean. There really wasn't that much to their little town. Biting gently at the inside of her lower lip, Isabelle gestured toward a little house standing just beyond the recycling building, about halfway between the store and the cliffs, with a white shingled roof, light grey siding, and a light blue rounded door with a circular window set into it. "This is one of the resident's houses. I'm pretty sure it belongs to Medeina, but you would have to ask her." She then pointed out another house further down, just next to the waterfall at the bottom of the river. This building had a vividly painted orange roof, though nothing of the rest of the paint job could be seen at this distance. "And I think that Chester lives down there." She said, not even pausing to consider that these names would probably be unfamiliar to the newcomer. "There are some stairs down to the beach close to his house, more to the left where the cliff face turns."

[Ace of Jacks]

As Oliver followed behind the yellow Shih Tzu, he was in awe at the beauty of the town. It was extremely simple and open, the houses, from what he could tell, were nicely spaced out and everyone had room to roam and explore despite the small size of the town. As they passed the white roofed house he tried to read the sign attached to the fence. Before he could get close enough to read the words, Isabelle had already took a guess. Medeina. Isabelle and Medeina. Two names down, however many to go. Oh gosh, how he was expected to memorize and familiarize with all the townsfolk, Oliver didn't know. He would have to eventually, in order to fill the role of a good Mayor. For now, he would brush that worry aside. The names and familiarity will come with time. Baby steps.

Oliver returned his attention to Isabelle, blinking to focus his eye sight and silently cursing his less than perfect vision. As they neared another residency, Oliver caught the scent of salt water, the sound of gentle waves breezing by him. He took note of the upcoming houses location. "Chester must have a great view. I'm kind of jealous," he stated, a lighthearted laugh caught in his tone. He hadn't noticed that he had started to walk a little ahead of Isabelle, passing Chester's home and reaching the edge of the cliff. It was still early and the sun was shining high above the horizon but Oliver could already imagine the sight of a golden sunset slowly retreating behind the ocean. He peered over his shoulder at Isabelle and perked up a dreamy smile. "Does this town have any prime real estate looking over the beach?" he asked, turning back to look out across the ocean's surface. "We didn't have this sort of thing back where I'm from," he uttered under his breath just enough to be heard.

[StarfrostedFox]

As Oliver had gradually drifted in front of her as they walked, Isabelle felt a flush of pleasure at the action. To her, it said that he was willing to take the lead, was apt at leading when it came to their little town. The idea made her smile. She was still smiling as she came to a stop beside Chester's house and the mayor moved past her to look out over the cliff onto the beach and the ocean waves. "Yes... Chester has it good... And he has lived here for quite some time now." Glancing towards the rather bright paint of the roof, she couldn't help but chuckle softly. "The bright orange is new though. I think he lost a bet with Peter..."

The idea of the rather grumpy rabbit tricking the energetic squirrel villager into painting his house such A loud combination of colors was amusing, but quite revealing of each other's personalities and the way the two tended to clash. They were usually pulling one prank or another on one another on any given day of the week... Oliver then asked a question about real estate, diverting Isabelle's thoughts from some of the more colorful arguments that had occurred over The last year, causing her to tilt her head thoughtfully as she considered The answer.

"Umm... As far as I know, Tom Nook handles all of the real estate for the town. I think he offers to build a house anywhere you can find enough room. And the last time I looked, there is plenty of open space along the cliffs." Glancing back in the direction of the train station, she added, "He has a shop set up on main street just across the railroad tracks."