kaisou | Audio, un: clovertales

Hi there. I haven’t gotten around to find some good strawberries in the markets and groceries recently. Maybe I can get some from you today?

Oh, I love strawberries! Yes, I'll definitely take some!

Hello, Isabela!

Of course! Would you like me to bring you some, or do you want to visit the Valley and pick your own?

[Out of manners, Souta will switch to video as well. The boy is sitting next to a large strawberry patch. Those who have visited the Spirit Realm might recognize the land behind him as Stardew farm.]

I'm glad to hear it!

Would you like to pick your own or have them delivered?

[Your choice!]

I can come over to the Valley and pick up the strawberries in there. I haven’t been to the Valley before so it might be a good time to check it out while getting the strawberries.

I'll come pick my own. I grew up on a farm so I'm used to doing that kind of thing, even if we didn't grow strawberries.

It is quite nice! Just wait for the train that says Stardew Valley at Central Square Station. It comes through fairly regularly.

[He'll walk from the farm over to the Valley's train station. Waiting for her to arrive.]

Now that’s great to hear. I should get to Central Square Station right away before the lines grow too big and wait for the train to Stardew Valley in there. See you when I arrive at the Starwdew Station.

(After that impromptu call, Isabela takes a quick run to the Central Square Station and gets on the first train trip to Stardew Valley she can ride on. The trip did went very smoothly as she goes on her first stable Spirit Gate trip to get some strawberries from Souta.

Eventually after some time has passed, the train arrives at Stardew Valley and she gets off the train to find Souta and the strawberries he is about to give to her.)

Alright! I'll be here waiting. Do you know how to reach Stardew Valley?

Really? What kind of farm was it?

[Souta's glad to hear from other farmers or their families. They usually care for the plants around them.]

Yeah, I know where it is! I'll head right over.

Uh...it was a fish farm. With fish and crabs and seaweed and stuff.

[Before he'd met so many people who clearly had no issue with him being a sea monster, he'd likely have lied and made something up. While he's still not about to outright say he's a sea monster, Luca's far more willing to bring the conversation in a direction that may arouse suspicion. Of course, he still doesn't think it's too suspicious. After all, humans eat fish too, right? They could have a fish farm.]

Good to hear! I'll see you then.

[He's not going anywhere soon.]

Oh, a fish farm! [Luca is correct on the latter. For a boy who spent his first few years in Japan, the notion of farming fish is not only feasible but rather normalized.] I've never seen one myself, but I know there were some closer to the coast near my childhood home.

['Near' might be a stretch, but they were certainly closer than Kaisou would be.]

Alright! I'll see you then!

[There is a little platform with a bench near the train tracks, and it's there that Souta sits down to wait. When the train eventually arrives, he will be midway through a book. However, he quickly looks up at the approaching sound of metal wheels and loud blowing horn.]

[Once the train has stopped, Souta stands up and waves to those who get off. He's easy to spot at least.]

(Thankfully she is able to find Souta waving at her as soon as she drops off from the train at Stardew Valley. The valley looks rather serene and calm from what she is right now. He might also see a small capybara floating by her side, she happens to be her Palisman now and she is going to be a very commonplace companion for a very long time.)

Oh hey there! I was really relieved to catch the first train to the valley as quickly as I can.

[Perfect! This was clearly the better choice than lying.]

Yeah? There were a lot where I grew up. Anyway, I'll see you soon!

((OOC: And I figure I'll just handwave him coming to get the strawberries.))

((Sounds good! They'll be cute, friendly kids off screen.))

Hello again! I'm glad you made it.

[He worries, privately, that he might have made Isabella rush when there was plenty of time. Souta could have waited a bit longer. He wouldn't mind.]

[This part of the valley is a bit more dirt-bare, with only small patches of grass peaking up here and there. Besides the train platform and tracks, there's also a small building with steam rising from somewhere near the roof. Near the building is an opening in the rocky cliffs surrounding this patch of land.]

[Souta smiles at the floating creature with her.]

I see you brought a friend.

Oh this little one here? I guess that you can say that she is my companion or familiar to some people. I ended up getting her from that strange Goodwill store where people get stuff from previous users or donate stuff they don’t have use for.

(The little capybara whizzes by Souta, giggling in sheer delight in meeting a new friend. Isabela couldn’t help smiling over the fact that her Palisman is very outgoing and keen in making loads of connections too.)

Well well, it looks like she does seem to take a liking to you already.

Oh, that store! I found a nice flower there when it opened. It must be magic, because somehow it hasn't wilted yet.

[His head turns to watch the capybara as it flies around, smiling all the while.]

You think? I should introduce her to Kyupi. The two of them would probably get right along.

A flower that never wilts? Oh wow, that is an intriguing plant I never imagined encountering. But maybe I can look into it someday and learn about its properties and how it manages to stay alive.

That sounds terrific. I’m pretty certain that my little capybara friend would be very happy to meet and befriend Kyupi too.

Incredible, isn't it? I've tried asking the flower about it, but they don't really understand the why. It's just every day for them. They tell me still feel happy and hearty though, so I guess that's what matters.

[Hard to get a fish to explain the properties of water when they're living it every day.]

Great! Kyupi's at the farm, so they'll get the chance soon enough.

It's just a short walk from here to the farmland. Is there anything you'd like to see while we're on the way there? This is your first time to the Valley, after all.

[Souta can be a tour guide for a little while if she'd like.]

Oh yes please. That would be great since this is my first time visiting the Valley and I would love to get myself to be familiar with the place as well.

Hm, I would love to see the town center and the marketplace first.

Alright! That'll be a short walk down the mountain, but both locations are pretty close together.

Ready?

[If she is, he'll lead the way through the cliff-side opening, walking out into a more forested part of the mountain path.]

There are two marketplaces open today: a big box store near the town's edge and the shops near town square. Which would you like to see?

[Souta hasn't really perused Jojamart himself (the membership system intimidates him), but he'll give Isabela the option nonetheless.]

Yes I am ready, so let’s go.

(She immediately takes after his lead as they walk down the mountain, heading for the town area. Isabela is enjoying the scenery as they continue on their walk, taking in the sights as they get closer to the town.)

Oh that sounds great. I think that we can go to the shops near the town square.

Then let's go.

[He replies cheerfully.]

[They take a dirt road past a large wooden cabin. Pine trees grow nearby, some near, but even more farther behind a fence.]

That works for me! The town square is quite nice. There are quite a few people living around there, and the farm isn't a far walk from there either.

[So they'll be quite close to their final destination.]

That’s great. It must make brining the farm produce to town much easier and I must admit that meeting people in the square is going to be a great experience in itself.

It is going to be a lot of fun seeing a town full of life and busy activity too.

It does make it easier! The people living there really appreciate the extra fresh fruits and vegetables.

[Which is good, because he doesn't definitely doesn't need this much, so the produce gets gifted out instead.]

They're nice! The townsfolk are still grateful for what we did to help out when the realm first opened. So they're very friendly.

[Souta might be seeing them through rose-colored glasses. Just a little. But they are nice to him, that much is true]

That’s great to hear. It must be very great to have easier access to pick up one’s harvest on the go and not worry about walking long distances too. Oh wow, that is very sweet of you guys to help them out when this realm first managed to open up to Kaisou. I do hope to get to know them more while we’re here.

I wasn’t in here originally when the realm opened but did my family visit the valley at some point though?

We try to help all the realms that open up however we can. The valley was pretty messed up after something cursed the land, so some people cleansed the curse while others made repairs. Tending to the farm was my way of helping.

They did! I believe I met your cousin Dolores, and your mother was offering food while we cleared the farmland. Bruno was around too. He liked seeing the farm continue to grow.

[Or rather Bruno liked seeing Souta actually enjoy his 'Gift' for plants.]

[Souta also met Mirabel, but in wolf form, so he didn't know she was Isabela's sister.]

Oh that’s really amazing. It is great to see how everyone worked hard to restore this place back to normal and help out the locals out. The same goes to the other spirit gates and realms too.

Wow, they actually did visited this place and helped out. They are all wonderful and great in helping out the community in their own way. Oh, I didn’t know that Tío Bruno loved this place a lot until now. But I’m really glad that they helped out the valley too. If he is still in Kaisou, he would loved coming over here again and enjoy the strawberry picking too.

Yes! This one was the first I visited, so it holds precious memories for me. But I'm so glad the app is helping all these different places!

I think they all did! At the time, I didn't know as many of your family members, but they cared for others very much. I can hardly imagine they didn't join in restoring this valley.

[Souta smiles and nods, fond yet a little sad.]

Yes, I'm sure he would.

[He misses Bruno.]

(She does take some sweet comfort to know that her family has touched so many lives in Stardew Valley and that one of them did have a soft spot for this place. Isabela does felt some envy that she didn’t get to join her family in most trips to the Spirit Realm. If only she had been paying more attention to the app or the world around her more.

Still she can come over to this spirit gate often as much as she likes and do many things on their behalf. The least she can do is to make a good impact while she’s in this world and visit more realms/gates.)

Oh yes, I’m pretty sure that they do what they can to help in any way possible and bring hope back to the people of the valley. Tío Bruno would have loved to visit here often and see the amazing produce too.

[Honestly, at this point Souta would argue missing the Spirit Realm trips was a net positive. Most of them weren't as nice as Stardew. A bit dangerous, really. But he'd support her if she wanted to go there more often!]

[Seemingly shaking off the funk, he smiles brightly again.]

Yeah! That's what they'd do.

[He shouldn't be getting sad about her family not being here, not when Isabela (who has much better reason to miss them) is being cheerful. Plus, this is supposed to be a fun valley tour.]

[The dirt road leads eventually to a clearing with a cheerful old building and nearby playground. Beyond that, the path leads to a cobble staircase. As they reach the staircase, more buildings can be seen below. Dirt roads are replaced with stone ones leading to a large open square.]

Here we are! Welcome to Pelican Town.

(The moment they arrived at Pelican Town, Isabela looks at the place in bated breath and she is pretty amazed by the lively and calm atmosphere of the town itself. The town reminds her a bit of the encanto itself and she couldn’t be any happier about arriving here.

She is starting to love this spirit gate and the town already.)

Oh wow! This town is so wonderful and relaxing.

[It definitely has the small community vibe going. While there are only a few townsfolk milling about outside, everyone seems to know each other. The town also somehow manages to have almost as many trees as buildings. A nice, homely town.]

Isn't it?

Those two shops closest to us are the pharmacy and general store. That's where I sell extra produce. They also have a pub which serves food - that building further to the left.

Oh wow that’s very convenient! It is like having many facilities or amenities being close by and there is no need to worry about walking to get there. It is starting to remind me a lot of the encanto, erm I mean, the town I live in my world.

Right? It's small, but they have everything you need.

[Perhaps not everything they want, but they can go to the city for that. This is farming town.]

I've heard about the Encanto. A mountain village is how I heard the place described. I guess that would be rather similar to this!

Yes, it is entirely possible that they share some striking similarities between and there is nothing wrong about it. I honestly don’t mind the quaint environment this place has to offer and I greatly appreciate a change in pace.

Don’t get me wrong: living in the city does have its own benefits, but sometimes you just want to get away from the stress of city living and take things slow and steady. I do hope to visit this place as often as I would like to.

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video; un: seeingtheworld

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