The small village of Meadowfort sits in a lush valley nestled between forested hills and a rocky beach. A large cliff dominates the shoreline, casting shadows over the valley each evening as the sun begins to set. Atop the precipice sits an old abandoned military fort for which this sleepy little town is named. Although long deserted, the villagers keep their distance for it is rumored that ghosts of the previous occupants still linger...

Rene strode purposefully down the old country lane that divided Meadowfort neatly into two halves, a couple of books tucked comfortably underneath his right arm. Just about anything worth getting to could be reached via a small path connected to this one road. A gentle autumn breeze ruffled his choppy dark hair, and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the crisp afternoon air. Passing a steep incline on the right which lead up to the dilapidated old fort, the young man followed the winding path a bit further before turning left onto another pathway, this one carefully paved with stones brought in from the nearby hills. The road widened a bit as Rene strode into the town square, facing the tiny town hall straight ahead. A small library bordered the common on his right, and a little grocery stood to his left.

[[ ooc // sososo sorry i havent posted. my internet connection crapped out on my computer, so I have limited time online nowadays ]: ]]

Maria sighed, shifting her weight from one leg to another as she tried to decipher the ancient code the mayor had scrawled upon a small leaf of paper. Apparently if she followed the directions just so, she'd get to her new home: a small ranchhouse surrounded by acres of field, lightly grassed and filled with a cow or two (she had been told that the previous owner's animals were taken care of by a local before she arrived). Her mind was swimming -- why couldn't she have asked him to go over the directions one more time?

She didn't even know why she was in the town. It had been told that her God father suddenly dropped in from no where after his death, leaving her a ranch in the small farming town with every responsibility attached. She had heard stories of the man and his experiences with her father in the army; heck, they had been best friends. Her mother was pregnant with her when he was sent out, and he came just in time for her birth. The rancher had been crowned her God father after helping to save her father in a small bomb-caused fire. It was touching, but.. in her twenty years of life, Maria Alvarez had yet to meet Billy Tompkin, her father's best friend from the army.

Yet there she was, after inheriting a completely new place and lifestyle. Billy had apparently been found in his bed, after dying in his sleep. Someone got supicious when they didn't find him out with the animals in the middle of the day and found him there. It was sad to think; from what she had heard he was a great man. He died peacefully as far as they knew, and so it was better to die in that way as opposed to, say, being shot where she came from.

She walked away from the town hall, the hispanic gal's face littered with confusion. Maria had absolutely no clue where the heck she had to go. Brown eyes caught the sight of movement and her head turned to face a man approaching the square. She sucked on her bottom lip for a moment before she strode quickly to him. "Excuse me," she piped, allowing a small smile to crawl across her lips. "Could you help me?"

((OOC: Really? Wow, that sucks. Don't worry, I hadn't given up on you quite yet. xD ))

Rene turned right, headed towards the library to return the books he had borrowed the other day on the proper care of wood sprites, not that many people ever saw wood sprites these days. It had been a fascinating read nonetheless, and the pictures hand-drawn in it by the author were simply breathtaking. 'I wonder if that cloth Isabelle ordered came in today. Perhaps I should check on the way home...' Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the approach of a young Hispanic girl whom he didn't recall seeing about town before. Tipping his head politely at the newcomer, Rene smiled. "Hello there. How can I be of service, miss?"

[[ooc// mann, i totally forgot about this place. x.x PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I've been so busy. ]]

She smiled when she caught his attention, and she nodded her head a moment before she held out the piece of paper she had been given with full directions. "I'm, uh. Looking for.. Billy Tompkin's old ranch. I'm the new resident, his God-daughter." She smiled after a slight nod, one hand scratching at the back of her neck. "I'm new in town, so I don't exactly know how to get there.. even though I have these directions."

Way to sound like an idiot, she told herself with a slight sigh. She was 'nothing but a city girl, born and raised in Miami. What did she know about a farm, about animals? She'd visited a petting zoo a few times when she was younger, milked a cow while she was there, but that was at the very least fifteen years prior. She'd doubtlessly need help running the thing, but she wouldn't give up right away. She'd take help when she needed it.. And, unfortunately, this was one of those times. "Could you help me? If you aren't busy, of course, I don't want to interrupt anything."