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Animal Crossing: Crippling Debt (KalTammy x Lord DreamCrusher)

Violet couldn't help but be a little nosy, peering through what was ordered while the twins confirmed their orders had been fulfilled. All that food from the mainland made her stomach grumble a little, and she did her best not to think about how much she missed comfort foods. She knew that one day this island would be fully up and running, and that worries about food would be in the past. Hell, it wasn't like she couldn't have some of this for a little credit, Tom had already extended the offer.

Putting thoughts of food aside for now, Violet listened to the boys as they explained what was in demand. Sapphires seemed less certain a target, her rock collection had been pretty random thus far. Perhaps one day she'd find some sort of spot to do a little more purposeful mining, so for now she thought of fish. This seemed more reasonable, even if she had never fished in her life before. At the very least, learning the skill would likely expand her diet outside of fruits. "Five-hundred Bells." She pulled out her money pouch and counted out an appropriate number of coins. This was nearly a third of what money she had, but this seemed like a good investment. "Here you go boys, will I need any bait or other supplies?"
 
The two of them paused for a moment at her question, raising their chins and tilting their heads in a way that was oddly adorable before meeting her gaze again and shaking their heads 'no'. "Bait can help get bites faster... bites faster... but a lure is included... included." They would happily take the bells once handed over and would scrounge around to find which box contained the fishing rods they had just received, ultimately producing a rather simple wooden pole but it seemed a fair purchase and sturdy enough. Thankfully the spool was already fitted with line and the end did indeed contain a rather basic fishing lure with a few metal hooks dangling off of it. It would, in theory, attract fish and ensnare them whilst being reusable. Unless she snapped the line then bait would only be a bonus and not a necessity.

As a little bit of bonus advice, surely because they too stood to benefit from the deal if she managed to catch any cherry salmon to sell them, they pointed her in the right direction for where to fish if she wanted the bonus for the week. "Cherry salmon are in rivers during spring, or so this says... so this says." They had a laptop presumably to detail their inventory and check prices and other data for goods which is what they were referring to. "You can catch different things in different places, and at different times of year... times of year."

It was currently spring, the best time of year to get a new island set up as the weather was most favorable. However, with the somewhat tropical nature of the islands in this region, it wasn't like the fall or winter months often got terribly cold. Still the weather was unpredictable and snow was certainly not unheard of so it was better safe than sorry to have picked this time of year. If she got into fishing as a pastime, or source of income, though then it seemed there was plenty of nuance to learn about.
 
"Thank you boys, I suppose I best get to teaching myself to fish." Violet had never needed to in her old life as a city-girl, having never gone on a fishing trip or such. This whole island was a life of new experiences for her and she was going to make the most of it. She had high hopes that this island could be a great community, that she could be a mayor that Tom Nook would be proud of. But if not and it all crashed and burned? Well at least she'd have new skills that might help her in a new job, though she was blissfully unaware of some of the skills the island's owner wanted to teach her.

With fishing rod in hand she made for the river by her home. One of the early trees she had cut down had left a good stump by the water and here she'd settle down to fish. While she hoped for early success she figured that much of today was probably going to be a lot of failure as she got the technique down. Still, she wouldn't let this cramp her optimism as she got to work on working down her debt.
 
Even with such basic equipment the islands in this chain were teeming with life and resource. It would take time of course, and Violet would certainly be resting on that stump for hours today at the least if she hoped for any decent catches, but she would find bites rather frequently. The nibbles were often subtle and hard to notice for a novice such as her, and there were many cases in which doubt would creep in as to whether or not she had just missed an attempt or was just imagining things, but she wouldn't be walking away empty-handed today so long as she gave it the proper amount of time and didn't walk away too early.

By the time that evening was starting to roll around she'd caught a grand total of five fish. Not a major milestone of course but she'd certainly feel like she was getting better at the process. Many of the early attempts ended in failure from pulling on the line too quick and failing to hook the fish but, the later catches went much more smoothly. That being said, she'd only managed to catch a single cherry salmon but also had a carp, two dace, and a black bass.

Taking these all back to Nook's Cranny the twins would offer her 1,500 bells for the cherry salmon (having added 500 bells from it being in-demand), 300 each for the carp and black bass, and 200 bells a piece for the dace; coming to a grand total of 2,500 bells for her day's work. Considering she had invested five hundred bells into the rod in the first place that meant a two-thousand bell profit on what was a fairly modest result of fishing.

While there was still some time left before nightfall that Violet could use as she pleased, there was the possibility of giving Longclaw the tour of the island tonight if she wanted to. Of course, waiting until morning was also an option; it mostly just came down to whether or not the mayor wanted to show the owl around at the beginning of her day or the end of it considering she was a nocturnal creature by nature.
 
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Violet was quite pleased with her days progress, making a tidy profit and working towards her debt with Nook. Oh some of that would go to getting food from the owner no doubt, but still every bit would help and she was keen to prove herself a good and responsible mayor to her new boss. Sure her focus should probably be on making the island prettier and ready for more residents, but she needed breaks between making basic paths and fences, or gathering building material.

Speaking of being a good mayor, she would go ahead and meet Longclaw tonight. Her fishing hadn't been too strenious, mostly a lot of waiting, so she had plenty of energy left for a late night visit and tour. Best get the new woman all caught up so the owl can go about her business without worry or getting lost. Granted it might be hard to get lost with so few buildings relatively close together, but better safe than sorry.
 
Entering the museum at night would find Longclaw up and moving already. While the woman was clearly still a bit groggy she was assuredly feeling much better after her day's rest and was trying to figure out how best to place her things and otherwise work on a basic layout of the various rooms of the building for future presentation. Of course, Violet had yet to present the woman with her initial fossil finding so that was likely a decent first step; not that the owl seemed to mind at the moment.

She ruffled the feathers of her cheeks in a smile as she noted the mayor's entrance and turned her attention away from moving display cases around to greeting the young woman. "Welcome to the museum, though you did build it after all so it's hardly a surprise." While her luggage certainly hadn't contained anywhere close to the amount of display cases that would be needed to fill the space it was clear that she had brought what she could aside from her own personal essentials; enough to suggest something of a theme for each different room in what they'd be holding along with small signs at the doorway to each room. Longclaw was planning on displaying fish, fossils, bugs, and art in this museum by the looks of it.
 
Violet smiled as she approached the friendly woman, having taken a moment to glance around at her approach. It was all clearly work in progress still, but she could imagine how grand it might all be once filled out. If this worked out, she imagined this as a bit of a jewel on the island, a true attraction to draw in residents and tourists. Still a ways down the road, but she was determined to see this island successful.

"I more just provided the raw materials and picked a location. Mr. Nook did all the building and hard work, haven't really gotten to see much of the insides before now." At this point she reached into her bag and pulled out a wrapped bundle, carefully unwrapping the cloth from the nautilus fossil, she'd hand the item over to Longclaw. "Here you go, the thing that prompted Tom to call you in the first place."
 
Longclaw perked up at the sight of the fossil and shivered a little bit with delight. While most fossils weren't particularly rare finds it seemed she was still very interested all the same; a sentiment that made sense when considering the fact that she admitted to not having much opportunity to help fledgling islands in the past and was mostly regulated to custodial keeping of existing museums.

Reaching out to take the fossil and give it a closer inspection she quickly explained what it was. "Hoo an ammonite! A very nice find! This one is very well preserved. Some people confuse them for the chambered nautilus but ammonite have gone extinct. Interestingly enough, despite living in shells they were not shellfish but rather mollusks like octopus and squid. They went extinct about four hundred million years ago alongside the dinosaurs."

The owl paused and looked embarassed for a moment, not that she could display any blush through her feathers. "Ah, I'm sorry, that's perhaps more information than you were looking to hear right now. I'll make sure it is displayed well. Unfortunately I don't have funding to purchase pieces so I can only accept this into the museum's collection if you donate it. That said, I will personally do my best to offer some small rewards for completing each collection."
 
Violet listened with a small smile, letting the owl gush and start explaining the specifics of the find. It was interesting to learn and while paleontology was not her passion, Violet had gone through a phase as a child where she thought Dinosaurs were cool. Frankly she still thought Dinosaurs were cool, but not enough to revolve her life around it, just like her mild like of stars and horses, two other things girls often obsessed over.

"It is quite okay Longclaw, I don't mind the explanation, will be nice even to earn more from you, once I dig up more anyway." Of course Nook had already warned her that there likely would be no money in this, but improving this place would help out in making their island more popular regardless. "I'm more than happy to donate, I see you also have sections for bugs and fish, would it help if I collected samples of those while I'm out and about?" Art would doubtless need to be imported, though perhaps they'd get lucky and get a talented artist or two among their population in time.
 
"Of course. The museums of these islands rely on individuals willing to help out. Gathering specimens was never something we trained for, not to mention managing the facility will tend to take most of our time as the collection grows. We don't accept duplicates, but any fossils, fish, insects, or artwork of historical value will be gladly accepted. Still, don't push yourself too hard. I'm sure being mayor has plenty of responsibilities you need to handle as well." She smiled, having more or less recovered from her momentary embarrassment, and took the time to relocate the ammonite fossil to a safer place for the time being.

Longclaw didn't put it into a display case right away though, no doubt needing to spend some time cleaning and examining it further to record the details before it was deemed ready. That work could wait though as she wasn't intending to do that right now. Even with an otherwise empty museum, the owl was intent to focus her attention on visitors above all else. Though it didn't seem like she remembered Violet's desire to provide a tour of the island and instead was waiting for whatever the mayor might wish to say next.
 
Historical artwork, well Violet discounted any hope of handling that in the near future, or ever even. Shaking her head slightly, she pushed those thoughts aside and got back to the point of coming here, well besides donating that fossil. "Well then, if you are prepared Longclaw, I am ready to give you that tour now. It won't take long, island still very much is a work in progress."

Once the Owl was following along, the human girl stepped out into the night and began the small tour of what had been built. The Museum had been placed fairly centrally so it didn't take long for them to walk around the central offices and shop before going out to her own nearby home and a few plots that Violet one day envisioned future residents taking. Past that she'd show a few of the nice natural sights of the island, the small waterfall feeding the river being the best she had found so far.
 
The owl looked a bit embarrassed to have forgotten but quickly recovered to agree. "Oh yes, of course. Sorry, I guess I was too focused on the museum." The tour went as well as could be expected. There wasn't much on the island yet to show off but it was coming along, especially considering how empty the place had been upon Violet's arrival. It could be easy to forget when change comes slowly but she'd now managed to get the town hall and museum built, even if Tom Nook had been the one to actually construct them, and helped upgrade the construction office to not only get Timmy and Tommy's shop up and running but now have electricity for the island thanks to the waterwheel extending off the back of Nook's office. With some additional paths, the arrival of new residents, and perhaps some public works to help spruce up the place a bit more Stardew Island was well on its way to blending living comforts with all the natural beauty that the land had to offer.

Longclaw's reaction to everything told the woman as much. The owl was impressed by the place and not just acting that way out of kindness. She had already explained her eagerness to get out and help a fledgling town grow and this was all part of the process. "I can't say I've been to many of the islands in this region but this one certainly feels very pretty. I'm sure it won't be long before you have people lining up to try and move here."
 
"It'll be nice to get more residents. Was feeling a little creepy before yourself and Miss Isabelle got here, just me and Nooks. Almost felt like I was being watched out here." She laughed off the comment, unaware that those feelings of being watched was primarily the Nooklings playing Peeping-Tom. She still saw no reason to mistrust any of the boys, even if she wished Tom wore some skirt or something to cover his...

Realizing her mind had drifted off for a second, she shook her head to clear it and smiled at Longclaw. "Don't be afraid to call on me should you need anything. You know where I live now and my door is always open to anyone living here."
 
"Well just be careful not to grow too quickly either. Part of the joy of these islands is a more laid-back and easy-going lifestyle. Get too many people and it might start to feel like the city." She shuddered at the thought and was mostly just being friendly but her words carried some wisdom as well. As much as Violet wanted to make the best island ever, she still would benefit from not pushing too hard into any one direction. Nevertheless, the tour ended back in front of the museum where it had began and Longclaw smiled and offered a slight bow of appreciation for the gesture. "I'm sure everything will work out just fine, mayor. But I'm grateful for the offer all the same should something come up. I hope you have a good night. Get some sleep, I know you stayed up just for me."

--

Violet would have something of a pleasant surprise the next day as the sound of the seaplane flying in for a landing. This was unusual considering they had just received a shipment and weren't due for another one until next week. This could only, truly, mean one thing; a villager, or villagers, coming to visit to see if they wanted to move to the island.
 
Violet of course had been unaware of this flight and what it should hold. Tom and Isabel hadn't informed her of anything planned, so it was a little bit of a shock to look up from where she'd been hammering in some fencing to see the plane. Cursing under her breath, the woman would do her best to quickly clean up, which amounted to splashing river water across her face and changing her shirt so she didn't look like a sweaty mess. As mayor she really wanted to be there to greet her new arrivals so she'd rush down to the docks to come take a look at the new residents.
 
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By the time Violet got down to the docks the newcomers were already stepping onto the island and beginning to take a look around. There were two individuals, one a punk-rocker dog girl with red and black fur wearing black pants, a black shirt, and a black leather jacket with pointed metal studs, and the other a yellow-furred cat girl with blue hair who was wearing a white dress and a cold, judgemental expression.

While the cat girl was already wandering off, looking over every detail she could find like she was an official inspector or something, the dog came over towards Violet when she noticed the approach. The red-furred canine was certainly intimidating at a glance, she looked somewhat rugged and tough, but she smiled when they drew near to one another and spoke up in a friendly manner; her voice a bit husky, a bit low and crackly in a way that seemed both cool and a bit sensual despite clearly just being her natural tone. "You must be the mayor of this place. I recognize your face, probably from the island info. I'm Cherry. Gonna be checking the place out for a few days if you don't mind. Looking for a new place to crash, what what."
 
Two more ladies investigating the island, not human but Violet hardly minded being the minority here. It was still early days and Violet was yet to notice a lack of men not related to Nook being brought in. For right now the Mayor smiled and held out a hand to this Cherry. "That's right, Mayor Violet at your disposal. I am happy to welcome you to Stardew Island and am happy to give the tour to you and your friend?" She glanced over at the feline inspecting the place, wondering if the two knew each other before now or had just happened to take the same plane. They did seem quite different from one another.
 
Cherry laughed as she extended her hand to shake Violet's. The canine's grip was firm and strong, showing that her rough appearance wasn't just for show despite her friendly attitude. "I'm not sure Ankha has any friends, just people she considers better servants, what what." Despite the implication she was mostly joking but a hint of truth remained all the same. "We just happened on the same plane. I know her but not very well. You can ask if she wants a tour but be careful, she's rather prickly. Hardly said a word during the flight." Depending on where the flight originated from it probably wasn't a terribly long trip but still awkward if Cherry was being truthful.
 
"Is that so? Well, I'll do my best to warm her up to me." That might be a long term project for all she knew, but perhaps she'd get lucky. Violet would step on over to Ankha, keeping from getting too close so the prickly feline didn't feel like her personal space was being invaded. "Hello, Ankha isn't it? My name is Violet, I am the mayor of this island. I'd like to give you the tour of the place if you'd like?"
 
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Ankha was inspecting a fence as Violet approached her and didn't bother to turn around to regard the mayor at first. Instead she continued looking at it from every angle conceivable and frowning all the while, not appearing to be impressed. "I can look around on my own. Though I'm already not seeing anything worth my time, me meow. No statues, no fountains, no vast gardens. The only thing I like so far is the fact that you have cherry trees. However this island also has apple trees and I'm allergic."

Every word the cat spoke was cold as ice and dripping with contempt. It was immediately obvious that she had a superiority complex and that Cherry's mention of her being prickly was putting it lightly. She turned around to face Violet and crossed her arms over her chest, head tilted up slightly to give the impression that she was looking down on the mayor even though the feline was a bit shorter. "I suppoooose I can allow you to guide me around for a while but I doubt you can salvage my first impressions. A queen such as myself demands only the best. Try to sell me on your island, peasant."
 
This Ankha was certainly a striking individual, someone who demanded attention and obedience. Insisting that she was royalty might be a bit much, but it was hard to deny that she had the appropriate attitude for a stereotypical, haughty noblewoman. If nothing else Violet knew that questioning the woman on her lineage would be a fast way to lose a potential resident.

So Violet gave a small bow of respect for the woman. "I apologize for the lack of current grandure. As we get established we are focusing on the natural beauty of the island." A fountain would be a nice feature though, perhaps Nook could construct one for them? "This way please your majesty." Best to play along for now until she could figure out if this woman really was some royalty.

Violet would take them on a tour, keeping Ankha's comments in mind and keeping them from getting too close to any of the apple trees, fortunately Violet knew basically every tree by now, so it wasn't a hard route to navigate them around. As well as touring them around the established buildings and the local places of beauty she'd point out the plots of land she'd already been setting aside for future residents, places with plenty of room and something nice to look at.
 
As Violet joined back up with Cherry to lead the two ladies on the tour there was a clear smirk on the canine's face, suggesting that she knew something the mayor didn't. In any case the tour went as well as to be expected. Cherry seemed genuinely interested and supportive, even if it was pretty clear that she was hoping for a little more out of the development of the island. Ankha, on the other hand, remained as snobby and critical as before and near constantly made small sounds to indicate her displeasure. The cat didn't seem to disdain the sections of natural beauty of the island, however, but didn't outright compliment them either.

By the time the tour was over and the group was back at the town square the two prospective villagers had very differing opinions. "I think this place is coming along pretty good. Still needs some work but I could definitely see myself moving in here." A statement quickly followed by a harrumph from Ankha. "This place is unacceptable for someone of my standing. I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow. Many improvements would be needed before I could even think of picking this island for my new home, me meow."
 
The further the tour went, the more Violet realized that Ankha was a bit of a lost cause. It was clear this woman had quite high standards, and each click of the tongue and rolling of the eyes cemented that. When Ankha made her announcement, Violet was not surprised and tried not to show any frustration on her face. "That is a shame to hear, and I do hope you will reconsider in the future. Tell me, what sort of improvements are you primarily looking for in a new home? You mentioned an ornate fountain before hand?"
 
Ankha swished her hair slightly with all the attitude that Violet had now come to expect even from such a short time together. "A large fountain, some statues, a big garden. That would be a start, me meow." A start, implying that she considered all of that to be bare minimum to even glance at this place in the future. All that would take time and probably a fair amount of bells. Clearly the cat's standards were... excessive to say the least. However, those things were not impossible by any means either. Just depended on whether or not Violet deigned Ankha important enough to actually try and do those things to lure her back at a later date.
 
Demanding woman, but to be fair all of those are things Violet wanted to add... eventually... when she could manage such things. She figured Tom might be able to handle a fountain, but she wasn't sure how good a sculptor he was. Might need to buy that in from off island... somehow. "Well, I will certainly be aiming to improve the island and add grander features for our residents to enjoy. For now let us go see the owner Tom Nook so we can get you both settled down for the night."
 
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