Coney sighed. “I really need to start taking more interesting quests.” He said as he looked down at the yard. All the grass was around half a foot long, thankfully not the really long kind that he wouldn’t have been able to deal with at all, if only because he could get lost.

“Don’t complain dear, you asked for me to give you something, so I am.” Franca said, sitting on the bench. She’d gotten a glass of lemonade from somewhere, and Coney seriously considered asking for one himself, but honestly he figured he should at least do something before asking for a treat.

“Do you have, like, tools anywhere?” Coney asked. He hoped there was a shed he was missing, or something. He didn’t want to go ask the laborers in the garden for their tools, and wasn’t sure where else there might be any sort of tools he could use.

“I have only one tool that you could use, but it’s not in good repair.” She said, sheepishly. “Look beside the porch.”

Coney did as he was instructed and found a sickle. It was rusty in spots, but the handle was well worn and beautifully crafted. The wood had metal set into it, a soft burnished gold color, perhaps it was brass or bronze? “Really? This is the best you have?

“Yes dear, now hop to it.” She giggled, and it was only after a second that Coney realized that she’d been making another joke at the expense of his race.

“Yeah yeah.” He muttered before leaning down. Thankfully, he realized, being short gave him an advantage. He didn’t have to lean too far down to get to the bottom of the grass and begin swinging his sickle. “Where did you get this anyway? It’s such beautiful craftsmanship.”

“That’s not how you do it dear, you have to bundle the grass together and then cut them firmly. Trying to cut them without holding onto the stalks will just press them down.” She paused for a second, and Coney started to do exactly what he was told. It was true, the blade was wickedly sharp and he was able to quickly cut through the grass when it was under pressure from his paw. “It is a rather old tool, I found it when I went exploring in the older parts of the Abbey myself when I was younger.”

“You went exploring too?” He asked, starting to get used to the swing of his work. All he had to do was gather the grass and slowly pull it away from the stones. Sure, it was slow going, but he had already cleared a couple feet of space at the corner of the yard, entirely revealing several tombstones. It was more obvious what they were once he saw them completely clear, though they were still incredibly short and illegible.

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“Of course. Many young novices like yourself go exploring all the time. You are nowhere near the only one.” She said, her voice had a hint of levity in it. “Of course, you shouldn’t be doing so, but I will not lie and say that I didn’t do the same. I am just as bad as you, dear, of that you can be sure.”

Coney contemplated that as he worked. His back began to hurt after half an hour, the constant bending over getting to it. Of course a game like this couldn’t handle just letting him do his job, he had to be punished for it too. Imagining his elders doing what he did felt weird. Not just because, as far as he knew, they didn’t have lives like that. Had the game been simulating the world before it started beta testing? Or was this just all constructed backstory? It was impossible for him to tell…

After a little longer he finally stood up and stretched. “Ma’am, could I have a drink?” He asked, looking over to his benefactor. However, she was gone. He wasn’t sure when she’d left, or even where she could have gone, but all that was there was a glass and a small note.

Dear little bunny, I’m afraid I have some business to attend to. Please, finish up and then close the gate behind you. I will have your reward for you tomorrow.

PS: Please enjoy this lemonade, it’s made with love!

Well, that was quite nice of her, though he had no idea where she could have gone. He took the glass and began to sip at it. The drink was soft, not too sweet, and instead much more refreshing. It was cold, and he tasted much more than just citrus and sugar in it. There were hints of herbs, and a strong aftertaste of mint, which made him feel a lot better. Even his back felt better, and he got back to what he’d been doing.

Only taking occasional drinking breaks, Coney kept working on clearing all the grass. The area was small, less than a single acre, and after only another hour or so he was done. Taking occasional sips from his lemonade made the work go easier and faster. Coney wasn’t sure if that was because it was so refreshing, because it got him to stand up every once in a while, or some other mysterious reason. But in the end he was able to quickly clear the whole yard.

Coney checked the sides of the church, but it seemed that area was much easier to take care of, as none of it was as long as the grass in the front. The only obstacles back there were trees, which he carefully avoided messing with. He did spend a little time cutting the big patches around the sides and behind the building, just to even out the grass, but when he was done he was done. Thankfully, back there he found a rake and he was able to rake all the debris into one corner. He would have removed it altogether but had no idea what the plan was, or if there was a special procedure.

Quest Complete!

Church Care 1 - Check in with Mother Franca for your reward!