Chapter 05: Harvest!

The first turnips are finally ready to harvest.

Another day of foraging for scraps had passed before Jazz finally saw them: The bulges of white peeking from the brown dirt. The turnips! He jumped out of bed, not even bothering to switch out of his pajamas as he grabbed the basket and bolted out the door. He slid on his knees from the untilled dirt onto the tilled dirt, hands quickly digging to pull each turnip free.

An entire basket of turnips... Jazz's heart swelled. He made those. He twirled the basket around in his arms, grinning from ear to ear as he ran to the shipping bin, opening it up and dumping the turnips inside before setting the basket down. A few minutes later, Lajos walked out of Takakura's place, stretching as he yawned; Baba yawned as well from within his pocket.

"You're up at this hour?" Lajos laughed. "You're never out here before ten, what changed?"

"The turnips!" Jazz grinned, hands flapping. "I woke up early, looked out the window, they were done - so I ran out and picked 'em all!'"

"In your pajamas."

"I got too excited to put my overalls on." Jazz sighed, "I've still got another handful of seeds if you wanna help me with the next crop."

"How are the potatoes?"

Jazz looked over. "I mean, they're sprouting, but nothing's really appeared besides that. You've been watering them, right?"

"Yep, if I know you haven't already done it." Lajos nodded. "Actually, um... do you have any more wine?"

"Marlin?"

"Maybe..." His ears turned pink. "He said he wouldn't mind hanging out again today, and, well, I thought..."

"Kinda going a bit fast, aren't you?"

"I'm on vacation, Jazz. I know what I like in a man and he's absolutely it." Lajos laughed. "Maybe I'll convince him to leave with me..."

"When do you leave, anyway?"

Lajos shrugged, "When I get tired. When Takakura kicks me out. When something feels bad. Whatever comes first."

"Fair enough. There's some in my fridge." Jazz nodded, watching as Lajos jogged inside; leaving just as quickly with a bottle of wine and a handful of rice cakes. "H-hey, I never said--!"

"He said they were his favorite snack!" Lajos protested, picking up his pace. Jazz sighed, laughing as he went back inside. He quickly threw on his proper clothes, adjusting his hat and grabbing the rest of the turnip seeds as he went back outside. He looked at the bag of seeds, then at the patch of dirt... did he really have the energy for it?

Well, if he didn't do it now, would he ever? He quickly planted the next round of seeds, patting the dirt and smiling. He grabbed the watering can, soaking the dirt and smiling before setting the can back down and looking at the clouds drifting by. The days seemed so long, yet so short all at once.

Maybe he was bored; he wasn't sure. All of his tasks were done, Lajos was running off to flirt with the random man he met in a bar...

He shrugged, walking down the hill, heading through town... he sighed, turning north just like yesterday.

Nobody was outside this time; he considered it a blessing in disguise as he sat by the waterfall, thinking about the last time he was out here. Carter talking, hands gesticulating and the way he drew in the dirt - Jazz never related to anyone more. It felt like he was running a million miles an hour, talking about his favorite thing like nobody had let him talk about it before.

"...My father always said the turquoise beads represented the water that kept their civilization strong."

"Interesting..."

Jazz turned his head. Carter was smiling, holding his necklace and talking to Flora. She was trying to act interested, giving him a patient smile. Jazz knew what that smile really was; the "if you don't shut up I'm going to tell you I need to iron my dog" sort of smile that boring people give you when you talk too much.

"Professor," She gently put a hand on his shoulder, "I've gotta log what we've found today. Why don't you take a break for a couple hours?"

"I-- well, all right..." He shook his head as Flora walked into the tent. Jazz gave him a small wave, and Carter waved back, smiling. "Oh, hello again!"

"Hey." Jazz grinned, "Heard you talking to Flora earlier..."

"Ah, well, that wasn't important." He waved his hand, "What brings you here?"

"Just bored, really; done with the work on the farm, and Lajos ran off to do his own thing... thought I may do the same." Jazz leaned back, tilting his head backwards to meet Carter's eyes. "Anything you guys need help with in the dig site?"

"Well, actually... there might be something!" Carter nodded, watching as Jazz got to his feet. "Pete helped me knock down some tunnels last year, but there was one tunnel we couldn't open before he moved."

Jazz followed behind as he led him into the cave. It was warm, the air humid as Carter knocked on the back wall. Three other tunnels were next to him, all leading to who-knows-where.

"This one here." Carter pointed. "I'd have done it myself, but I'd need a big hammer... and, shockingly, you'll never guess what faculty at Trinity Summers usually don't have access to." He said with a laugh.

"I'll be back, then." Jazz tipped his hat, "I've got a hammer at home."

Carter smiled, folding his arms as Jazz ran off. He came back a bit later, hammer over his shoulder as he tipped his hat again.

"Ready?" Carter asked. Jazz nodded, walking into the cave and readying the hammer. "GO!"

With all his might, Jazz slammed the hammer against the wall, spinning it around and bashing the stones repeatedly, jumping back as the wall shook, crumbling as another tunnel formed. Carter clapped his hands excitedly as the dust settled, eyes glittering as he walked towards the new tunnel.

"Fantastic!" he cried excitedly, "Ah, the excitement of fresh discovery - how I've missed it." He let out a delighted sigh as he walked toward the tunnel, kicking some of the smaller rocks aside. "We'll have to clear out these larger rocks before we can explore the cave further; maybe I'll recruit you and Lajos to help me out."

"We'd be glad to once we're done with farm stuff." Jazz said, smiling sweetly. "Maybe you can even tell me more about your findings."

"I mean, I could just do that now." he laughed, "While there isn't a whole lot to take in... I believe I may have realized something definitely interesting."

"Oh yeah?"

"See, the crown my father found was made mostly of ancient bronze, adorned with turquoise stones; this, paired with the necklace my father gave me, also decorated with turquoise... I think they had a connection to water, especially if you consider the waterfall outside - surely this little grotto here was once the center of their domain."

Jazz looked at his necklace. Turquoise beads dangled from freshly-replaced pale leather strips.

"I had to replace the strings recently; a mishap led to me falling into the waterfall and the original string falling apart." He explained, shrugging. "The beads are the important part, anyway. I think they represent - maybe came from, even - the water that got their kingdom off the ground."

Jazz nodded, looking up at him. "Y'know, I think my mom has a similar necklace... though hers is made of obsidian, and she doesn't really wear it anymore... I wonder if they're related."

"An interesting lead!" His eyes lit up. "Suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask her."

"Next time I get the chance to visit her, I will." Jazz said with a grin. Carter nodded.

"Hm... Flora will be back any second now, I'm sure..." he mumbled, "I suppose that means I'll be seeing you another time?"

Jazz's face was pink. "Well, wouldn't want to interrupt you and your girl..." He joked, chuckling as he walked out of the cave.


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