Chapter 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jake rolls his eyes and asks, “what's the difference?”

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

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

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

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

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

She puts down her large backpack full of goods and starts looking for her calligraphy set. She pulls out a large sheet of paper, a heavy black container called a suzuri, and a stick of sumi which is used to make Japanese black ink. After making some black ink out of the sumi, she pulls out a fine tipped brush, and begins drawing the main outline of a kimono. Since the kimono is for the season of Summer, she decides to make the main color orange to symbolize the Summer blazing sun. She also uses other colors in the kimono to symbolize other Summer elements, such as yellow for sand, blue for the ocean, and a variety of colors for fireworks.

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

“I'm back. . .” said Jake soon after Yue completes her sketch.

Yue looks back at Jake and says, “great! I'm just finished with my plans and- OH MY GOD!!!” Yue panics as soon as she notices the condition Jake returns in. He is limping towards her with several injuries on him. A stab wound on his right leg, a gash on his left arm, and a bleeding bump on his forehead. Jake then falls to the ground, and rests against a lamp post. He's in severe pain, but the last thing he wants to do is show it to Yue. She then runs to him and asks, “Jake, what happened? You're hurt!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Well of course it hurts! If you stop being impossible and held still, it wouldn't hurt as much!” Jake huffs, and looks away. Yue then calms herself and dares to try again. This time around, Jake doesn't struggle like he did before. Since Yue is not going to leave without treating his wounds, he feels that he might as well allow her to do as she pleases. The medicine that Yue applies to his wounds stings a bit, but nothing nearly as bad as before. After cleaning the blood off his skin, Yue applies clean bandages to his arm, leg, and forehead.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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