Early to Bed Early to Rise (Mako)

[GALE SHANUI]

if i had a world of my own everything would be nonsense Friendship ♥ TAGGED Mako NOTES --- CREDIT evkav of BTN "Shiitake!" Today, the peaceful forest was disturbed by the young farmer and her dog that were currently poking around for things they could use in the future. Mushrooms, wild berries, wood, all that stuff were things Gale considered quite valuable. Shep was twisting from side to side, trying to locate the direction of which Gale's voice had come from. Suddenly, an arm shot out from the underbrush a mushroom dangling from the hand. It effectivley scared the dog into yelping, but he quickly relaxed as soon as Gale poked her head out. This forest was so thick, he wasn't sure what was going to come out of the woodwork.  "Relax. I know there are monsters and stuff around,but that's why we come here so early. Monsters have to sleep too don't they?" She questioned, tossing the mushroom into the basket that was slung over her back, supported by a rubber contraption. Shep shook himself to keep his fur from getting all fluffed out, and followed the rather cheerful farmer as she continued her foraging run. He wore two small basket on either side of his body, also filled with mushrooms and little things. Gale always called him the stand in horse...because they didn't have one yet. "Y'know, I'm always so busy that I hardly have time to look at the place I'm getting this stuff from." She mentioned idly to her dog, who was still sniffing around for some walnuts. So Gale took in the scenery herself, admiring the lush green leaves on the trees, and the dense growth that hid many of the goods she carried out of it each day. Of course, this is when she noticed a group of small mushrooms growing at the base of a tree. Excited, she ran over to them and bent over. She didn't even notice that the forest was much less dense in this area. "Come on little mushrooms, I need you guys too...ugh..little more." She tugged at them, but their stems were rubbery and not as easy to pull off as other mushrooms. Eventually, Gale slipped up and let go, tottering backwards until she fell over. "Owowowow....I really have to stop getting tricked by those stubborn 'shrooms." she muttered to herself, sitting up and turning  so she could pick up the fallen contents of her basket. Though, as soon as she looked up, she froze. She had come so far in she had actually reached the abandoned cabin? Shep watched the Rancher as she stood up and took the delicate steps of the cabin up to the porch. "Ya' think there are monsters living in here?" She asked, peering into the window, trying to see inside the to the dark interior. Shep moved back and forth nervously. She was going to get herself into trouble, and he could almost feel it. Then again with Gale, he always felt like that.

[MAKO SANADA]

Had the traveler not been distracted by the many rare plants along the way to May Falls, he would have been there late last night. Instead, he found refuge in a small, rickety abandoned cabin in the middle of the forest, located off the main road. But now he was tasked with making the trek through the forest in the daytime, a time when he was at his weakest. At least the trees would provide ample shade during the journey, but he could already feel the fatigue weighing him down as he woke up to the warm spring morning. Rolling out of the sleeping mat he had packed, the traveler groggily stood up, almost collapsing back onto the ground to continue his sleep. He reached to his left to find a bottle of water and took a small sip from it. Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching the cabin. A pair belonged to a person, while the lighter footsteps seemed to belong to a small animal. His first immediate thought was that this stranger was a hunter or some sort. For some reason, strangers always seem to give him that type of reaction, so he had to be cautious. Creeping over to the window, the traveler suddenly faced a green-haired girl who was trying to get a peek into the cabin. She appeared harmless. If anything, the traveler was the one who probably looked dangerous. Taking into his already shifty appearance, it was a rather poor choice on how to approach her, as his sudden pale face a midst his dark surroundings could have startled whatever unlucky onlooker on the other side.

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[GALE SHANUI]

if i had a world of my own everything would be nonsense Friendship ♥ TAGGED Mako NOTES --- CREDIT evkav of BTN She still couldn't see. Maybe she needed her eyes checked. Or maybe everything her mother said about not constantly staring into the sun actually wasn't a bunch of hooey after all. But she was really curious as to why somebody would leave a perfectly good cabin all by itself in the woods. She woulda used it for sure! Of course...there wasn't much room for a ranch all the way out here... Suddenly, a face in the window. She thought for a minute, maybe someone had snuck up behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to make sure. But no one was there, just a nervous looking Shep. Glancing back into the window, the face was still there, and it was then that she reacted. Covering her mouth to keep from screaming, she backed up against the rail, breaking the rotting wood and falling through it onto the forest floor. Shep ran to her aid but instead of a shrill scream, there was a small snort, followed by a giggle which erupted into a laughter. "Oww...hahahaha You really spooked me!" She called out in the direction of the window holding her stomach while trying to regain control of herself. It was apparent that this girl was quite brave if she could laugh in the face of possible danger...or....she was just really foolish, and it was probably the latter.  Finally, she stood up and hopped back up the steps, coming back towards the window and placing her hands onto the sill. She'd never seen this guy before. Could he be a killer? Sure. Did he look extremely shady at the moment? Of course. Could she deny the fact that it was nice to see someone out as early as she was? No. She tapped at the sill with a finger as she found his eyes for a minute, then studying his face before tilting her head slightly. "Say, why don't you come out here? It's a bit dusty in there eh?" She wasn't worried about him not hearing her, since there were little broken holes in the bottom corner of the window.

[MAKO SANADA]

Watching the startled girl crash through the wooden railings was almost comical in a way, especially since she burst into laughter right after. What a strange human, the traveler thought as he observed from the other side.  When she beckoned him to come outside, he thought whether or not it was a good idea. If anything, he was worried about her small animal companion. He learned that animals have a supernatural sense that humans don't particularly have. And if her dog caused any kind of scene, the human girl could grow suspicious of him. But something about her had compelled him to oblige to her request. Maybe it was the air of innocence surrounding the girl, but the traveler felt reassured by her initial cheerfulness. Besides, it would just freak her out if he remained inside without saying word. And that was the last thing he needed, which was for her to spread the word in the town of how strange he was.  Staring right back at the girl, he gave her a curt nod, and moved towards the door. The rays of light entered the dark cabin as the door creaked open. As the traveler stepped out, he shielded his eyes from the almost blinding sunlight.  When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, the traveler turned towards the girl and her dog and gave them a brief and sheepish smile. "Hello...sorry for startling you," the traveler genuinely apologized," I shouldn't have appeared out of no where like that..."

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[GALE SHANUI]

if i had a world of my own everything would be nonsense Friendship ♥ TAGGED Mako NOTES --- CREDIT evkav of BTN It didn't take long for her to get the man to come outside, a grin that she couldn't seem to shake on her face. But, in order not to do the reverse of what she wanted to do, she reduced it to a smile as he disappeared from the window and reappeared outside the door. Almost as soon as he did, Shep's ears perked up and he started growling. Nana frowned as she turned to his direction and she wave her hand. "Oh Shep stop it! No need to be rude now. Scooter on back to the ranch right now. And dump that stuff where you usually do." She wasn't nervous about her dog going back alone, no, Shep was fast, and he could care for himself. Turning back to face the newcomer as her dog began loyally heading back, she regained her smile and answered to his apology. Shep looked back since he had heard it, but then kept on moving. "Oh no don't you even worry about that. I overreact sometimes!" She answered, chuckling a bit as she looked down at all the spilled mushrooms. How many times was she going to do that today? Hopping down off the deck, she squatted down and began picking up all the things she had dropped, sticking them back in the basket. She began speaking over her shoulder. "I'm Gale, One of the Ranchers that lives in Mayfall, not too far from here." She introduced, picking up the last of the sticks and slinging the contraption over her shoulders. "Who are you if you don't mind my asking? Are you lost? We have room down on the ranch or I can help you find the in if you need somewhere to go." she offered, realizing that he had most probably slept here. "There are a bunch of creepy monsters around here, and I don't know if you wanna stay here too many times." she mentioned, pointing to the cabin.

[MAKO SANADA]

The traveler wasn't sure whether or not Shep the dog growled because the traveler was a stranger or because the dog sensed something else about the traveler. However, when the girl ordered her companion to leave, a sigh of relief swept the traveler.  "My name is Mako, Mako of the Sanada Clan," the traveler introduced himself in a low voice, bowing his head slightly in respect.  Gale...Kissed by the winds... his eyes wandered about her appearance, always coming back to her vibrant green hair. Just from first glance, there was something very serene and friendly about Gale, as if she would be the kind of person anybody could place his or her trust in.  "I am an alchemist, traveling to May Falls because I have heard of its abundance of rare and special plants," Mako explained, then pointing at the shiitake mushrooms Gale must have had plucked from the forest, "those right there could be used to make all kinds of medicine. I...I combine them with other medicine to make something extraordinary."

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[GALE SHANUI]

if i had a world of my own everything would be nonsense Friendship ♥ TAGGED Mako NOTES --- CREDIT evkav of BTN So his name was Mako Sanada? That was certainly a strange way to introduce one's self. But Gale thought it was kind of cool. Maybe she should start introducing herself like that? But the Shanui Clan didn't sound so cool, and in fact, it sounded kind of silly, to her anyway. "Well that's a real fancy way of introducing yourself, but Welcome to May Falls Mako!" She said cheerfully, same warm smile on her face that she had probably been wearing from the very beginning of this whole conversation. She never noticed how long she smiled at people, and sometimes she wasn't sure if people found it creepy, but hopefully not. It was nice to smile, but a lot of people she ran into, didn't smile too much. Well, she'd just need to teach them, that was all. "An Alchemist huh? Sounds like a really cool thing to do!" When he pointed to the Mushrooms sitting at the top of her collection pile, her eyes widened with curiosity as he explained its uses. "Well then me and Shep have been using it wrong this whole time! We normally just fry them when we don't have anything else to eat...which happens pretty often. Oh, but I got a cow so things shouldn't get that bad anymore!" She chuckled, remembering that she had in fact purchased a new Marble Cow, who she had named Tabetti. Their milk was wonderful, so she'd be able to get a few bucks for it she was sure. "Still, you aren't wrong about rare plants there, Mako. Shep and I come out here to forage a lot, and we find plants that, well heck I've never even heard of before." She did have some flowers and things like that in her store room that she could possibly give to Mako for his work, it'd be a lot better than what she used most of the stuff she found for. "You could come back through the forest with me, most of the stuff that I don't use I keep in the shed, you can look through them to see if you need anything. You'd put that stuff to a lot better use than me!" She actually really wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but whatever it was would be fine with her... as long as he didn't want to leave her, because this forest was creepy, and as brave as she was there was no way she could walk back through the woods alone now that Shep had gone home.

[MAKO SANADA]

When Gale mentioned that his introduction was interesting, the traveler gave her a blank stare, not realizing that people in the east had a much different custom from the people in the Far West. And he should remember that when he introduce himself to the other locals later on. He did not want to stand out too much. The less attention he garnered from others, the better.  But were people from May Falls so friendly and inviting? Mako's eyes kept trying to wander elsewhere from Gale, but they always seemed to return to Gale's beaming at him. As gentle as the wind, his face flushed pink for a moment there as he tried to avoid eye contact. It made him feel a little nervous, not only because she may have seemed too friendly and that it could have been some kind of trap. Or perhaps she would think it weird of him to not reciprocate the same amount of friendliness back towards her. He was usually a quiet one, at least to people he had just met, but that habit was beginning to conflict the moment he had met Gale. There was just something about her that seemed so uplifting...  So the only thing he could muster up was a weak, albeit warm smile and a look of pleasure to hear that Gale was inviting him back to her ranch. He wondered if she lived there with her family. Or maybe her husband? Would she be married? Nowadays Mako had a hard time figuring people's ages just from their appearance, even if he has lived for so many decades now. Maybe I will find out more about her on the way back to the town... "That...that would be great," he said, nodding as well, "are we far off? I kind of went astray from the road, as you can tell. It would be nice to find an inn to stay at as well... But before, I would like to see your ranch. It sounds like a...very nice place to live. Shall we get going?" He began to trek towards what he thought was the way towards the town, but stopped a moment only to realize he wasn't so sure about the direction, and turned back to Gale and smiled nervously, beckoning her to lead the way.

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[GALE SHANUI]

if i had a world of my own everything would be nonsense Friendship ♥ TAGGED Mako NOTES --- CREDIT evkav of BTN Gale seemed more than delighted when he said he'd come down to see her ranch. She absolutely loved company! But it wasn't so easy to come by when you lived on the Town Outskirts. Seeming pleased, she shook her head as she realized that Mako had been speaking to her. Oh, what a time to be wandering into her own little world! "Huh? Oh! Well, you are kinda far off the beaten path, but at least the ranch isn't all that far from here. In fact Shep shoulda' gotten home around now." She explained, watching as he began on his way. She smiled as he suddenly stopped and turned back as if he expected her to lead the way. She wandered over and came to his side, walking forwards with a chuckle. "You sure you haven't been here? You had a foot in the right direction." She said jokingly, carefully wading through the dense greenery. She didn't want an encounter with Poison Ivy or anything like that. Ugh, that stuff took forever to get rid of. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any monsters stirring quite yet, so they didn't need to run. "I only moved here a while ago myself, so I don't know everyone. I mean- I went around and introduced myself to everyone, but I don't really know them you know what I mean?" She asked, pushing aside a large section of branch so they could pass through. "Plenty of friends back home, but here? Not so many...yet anyway!" They weren't so far off now, but they still had a little while to walk before reaching the Ranch. "So Mako, do you think you might stay in May Falls? Not everyone in town is so friendly, but when is everyone in any town friendly?" She kind of hoped he would stay. She kind of wanted to get to know him better. She wasn't really sure why. He was cool, and kind of mysterious, and who didn't want someone around like that! Plus, he seemed like a good guy, and she wanted to be his friend. It'd be less lonely than if she only kept Shep in her company, too.

[MAKO SANADA]

Mako figured that a person like Gale would have boasted many friends in the town already, but hearing that she didn't have that many came off as quite a surprise. Already, Mako could have called someone like Gale a friend, simply because she was so willing to go out of her way to help him. At the mention of the other not-so-friendly inhabitants of May Falls, Mako felt somewhat fortunate to have ran into Gale first. It did leave quite an impression and to hear such a thing about the town also came off as such a surprise. "I...I plan to stay," Mako responded to her question, his eyes wandered elsewhere again, "if your town accepts me that is." Already, that might have come off as a suspicious answer. Why wouldn't the town accept him? He had to act the part of a normal townsperson, but he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to do that just yet because of some...old habits. "If not, maybe I could hide out in your barn? Living with your animals wouldn't be so bad, right?" Mako laughed nervously, a rather futile attempt at a joke.

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[GALE SHANUI]

if i had a world of my own everything would be nonsense Friendship ♥ TAGGED Mako NOTES --- CREDIT evkav of BTN Even if Mako was worried about coming off as more than Shady, it wasn't something one commonly had to worry about with Gale. Though she was focused on the fact that maybe she had made it sound like a... bad town. She hadn't meant it that way, it just kind of happened. Sometimes with her thing would just come out the wrong way. She waved him off in reassurance. "There are tons of nice people there, too! I'm sure you'll get along just fine with everyone!" She assured him, going as far as giving him a clap on the back. When he mentioned hiding out in her barn, she chuckled. "I don't think you'll need to be hiding out, but I'm sure Tabetti would love the company!" she responded, getting the joke as well as any other she had ever been told. She then went into thinking about how to describe May Falls and do it proper justice. Then, she came up with it. "May Falls is kinda like...er... a ripe banana! It's got that outward appearance that makes it look kind old...then when you peel it it's actually not that bad. Then you've got the stringy bits which are some of the less desirable people round'...and then you have the bruised spots which are the tiny things you don't like about town...and the good parts, that's everything else. The stuff you wouldn't leave for all the gold in the world." She explained, sighing deeply for a moment. "If you've ever had a moment where you just knew you belonged somewhere...you'd know how I feel about May Falls." She mentioned as she continued walking.

[MAKO SANADA]

"I...I take it that you consider yourself in the good parts of the banana, right?" Mako asked with a lighthearted smile. He thought Gale's take on the town was certainly an interesting analogy. If anything, it got him thinking about food and now wondered if Gale was hungry or something. "Say...if you don't mind me asking, but I haven't had any breakfast yet. So do you think we could get something to eat when we arrive at your ranch?" the traveler might have been pushing his luck with how hospitable Gale might have been, but it was sure worth a shot. If she didn't know how to cook, well, he could certainly take care of that for her.

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[GALE SHANUI]

if i had a world of my own everything would be nonsense Friendship ♥ TAGGED Mako NOTES --- CREDIT evkav of BTN Gale blinked. She sure hoped she was one of the good parts of the Banana. She wasn't really sure what people thought of her, but she sure hoped so. She tried so hard to be nice to everyone...even if some of them were more of a pain than others. She didn't need any enemies. "Maybe, but I guess it depends on what everyone else thinks of me." She finally answered, taking a soft breath. It was a simple answer to a simple question. Then his next question came and she froze. Wait...what? He hadn't eaten yet? She had not cooked for anyone aside from herself and Shep since she had moved off of her parent's ranch. "Y-You want something to eat? That...might be impossible." she answered with a slight stammer. It was only then when she realized how rude that had sounded, so she moved quickly to find some new words. "I-I'm sorry! I mean, I can get you something to eat it's just..I've never cooked for a man who wasn't one of my brothers before..." Her face went red and she sheepishly scratched the back of her forehead, looking away. "I can sure try though." She offered finally. They'd be there soon, anyway.

[MAKO SANADA]

"How different can I be from your brothers? I'm sure if I can eat whatever they eat...so long as it's, you know, edible," a nervous smile cracked on the traveler's face, "but I swear I won't judge your cooking that harshly, Gale." Breaking clear from the cover of the tall trees guarding the entrance to the forest, the two met the great open plains of May Falls, in which Mako could spot several houses and barns in the distance. One of them belonged to Gale, he figured, but there were so many. Beyond the fields were buildings erected from the town, a sight that Mako yearned to see after getting a meal in his stomach first. Perhaps he might even have the luxury to have Gale show him around the town, that is, if her work around the ranch did not occupy the rest of her day. "Let's go," he smiled at her,"I can hardly wait."

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!