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November 1982
Ah, a fresh journal! A fresh start, a blank slate! I suppose it isn't all too grand, it's only paper bound together with string and leather.
But I digress! My name is Lester, a man of great skill and potential. I'm a traveler, have been for a good 13 years now (a lucky number!) with my companions.
There's Ivor, he's a trader of goods and a well meaning kind hearted fellow, a little older than I am. He's never exactly had the best luck or fortune however, a few misguided bets and a bad knee will put any man in some less than stellar positions.
Then there's Bartholomew. He's... a bit talky. Passionate about his craft for sure! He's a transmogrifiable item technician, or a tinker. Master of the art of turning one thing to another, he's been teaching me for a number of years now. I'll admit I'm not the best at it, but Bart's skill should whip that out of me soon enough.
And then finally there's Primadonna, my oldest friend. She's a smelba, wildcard actually! With a pair of small antlers on her head. She may be a sour, but that hasn't stopped her from being a sweetheart, if not a bit of a little diva.
The four of us have been traveling Piñata Island together, though Bartholomew will frequently separate from us, he always joins us again after a few months. We're all making money where we can, as of right now Bartholomew has settled into a small gardening village not too far off of the coast taking commissions, and myself and Ivor will be joining him soon, we just need to settle a few debts in the city.
I suppose I will update this journal when I see fit, it'll be nice to have a place where I can write down my thoughts, given I have the chance to. Toodaloo!
December 1982
Well... things could have gone. Better. That I can be certain of.
It turns out Ivor had accumulated quite the number of poorly placed bets at the piñata races. Our shared funds were just barely enough to cover everything, I was furious! Still am, in all honesty.
We did make it to that village, we didn't speak much on the way however, I didn't want to. How could he have been so careless!? When we arrived I immediately left to find a place to have a few drinks to unwind, and forget about the situation for a few hours.
There was an inn, thankfully. Owned and run by a man by the name of Arfur Stout, who I have been talking to quite a bit. It turns out he also contracts out people looking for work to gardeners looking for some helpful hands on deck.
Now, I don't have much experience with garden work, but I decided to speak to him about finding work anyways. We talked about what I could do and what skills I had, and eventually he pointed me in the direction of a man by the name of Jardinero. He was looking for a general helper to take care of the daily tasks of his rather large piece of land. He even has a helper home on site, which I figured was perfect given my er... strained relationship with my companion at the moment.
I went to the Garden a few days ago to meet the owner, and I think it went rather well! He showed me around, talked about his achievements thus far and what I would be doing given I were to be employed. He seemed a little condescending admittedly, but I guess if you have a garden like this then anyone would start getting a bit pretentious.
I met his wife too, although I didn't get her name. She's a sailor, a captain actually! Mostly transporting piñatas and goods between here and the mainland. She's currently on maternity leave, which is part of the reason why Jardinero is looking for an extra pair of hands.
I haven't heard back yet, but I hope I will. Arfur is currently letting me stay in one of the rooms at the inn in exchange for some help in the kitchen, which hasn't been bad at all! I may think about working here if I don't get hired elsewhere.
September 1985
Hello! It's been a while. My apologies, I would write more but I've just been so busy, and I keep losing this blasted thing!
I did get that helper job! It's been about three years now I believe. I got myself a second journal, to write things down while I got used to this whole gardening business, and to plan out the best way to get new piñatas and maximize our efficiency to fill out orders from piñata central. Though my boss isn't a big fan of this habit of mine, says I should focus more on listening and less on writing.
Work has been good though! The pay is good at least. It's not without its issues though, remember that helper home I mentioned? Well it turns out it wasn't its own building, just a spare room in the house. Which was fine until their son, Stardos was born. I had to give up the room, which is fair enough I suppose. I've set up camp in the shed out back for now, it's not the most glamorous of living conditions, but Jardinero will be setting me up with a proper helper home soon.
Now, I don't think I've mentioned this, but I have a bit of a hobby in making sweets. It's hard without a kitchen, but I've still been seeing Bartholomew in my off time, and with enough skill in transmogrification all you need is a pot and a spoon. I'm even good enough to make romance sweets with nothing but roses now! Which has been very handy when it comes to piñata romancing.
I have been getting close to the boss's family as well, Solanaceae (Jardinero's wife) and I have been growing rather close, and I've been babysitting little Stardos whenever both his parents are away. He's a good kid, if not a bit sickly, though I'm sure he'll grow out of that as he gets older.
His old man has already been teaching him the gardener trade, he's a bit young for that in my opinion, but it's been little things like watering the plants every now and then. Besides, I'm not a parent so I really wouldn't know when it would be time to teach what to a kid.
January 1986
So. I've been let off.
I honestly can't even remember what happened. I know I was working on one of my latest candy experiments, see I've always been fascinated by life sweets, how they essentially hold a piñata's soul in a way. Losing a life sweet causes them to forget the entirety of their past life, and they need to use all their energy to make a new one. Little Stardos learned that the hard way after a crowla he had grown quite fond of had its life sweet eaten by a vulchurro.
So it got me wondering. Many people and gardeners are devastated when a beloved piñata's life sweet is eaten by a bigger piñata, I know I'd be devastated if something happened to my little Primadonna. But what if live piñatas aren't needed to reside a predator? What if there was a way to make artificial life sweets? That way you could save your beloved piñatas and still romance and reside higher valued ones!
So I started working, we needed to start romancing a pair of mallowolves after an influx of orders for them from the mainland, and we were having a hard time attracting quackberries, they kept getting scared away by bigger piñata! So I started putting some of my theories to the test, we needed juicygoose candy. I put in an order for a juicygoose from the local huntress, and when it arrived I did something I am... not proud of.
I broke open that piñata, fed the unnecessary candy to Primadonna, and studied the life sweet. It was soft like a gummy candy. I cut it open and inside was an incredibly sweet juice, and it tasted like gooseberries! Fascinating how different life sweets not only had different flavors, but also different textures and properties!
But that's not all, I ate one half of the sweet and saved the other for further research. It had fascinating effects, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of elation, I hadn't felt so good in years! I felt refreshed and energized, when I got to work that day I worked harder than I ever had before! And that was from only half a sweet!
Eventually I got started on my first batch, trying to recreate the sweet. I knew I would likely need gooseberries, I didn't have much else to go off of, so I tried transmogrifying a pot of them with some happy candies I bought from the shop.
Admittedly the batch was a complete disaster, I'm not sure if it was the ingredients, or my own skills as a tinker, but the concoction came out a sour smelling, redish black liquid that set incredibly hard. I was just about to clean up the mess I had made when Jardinero found me.
He was furious, though I can't recall a lot of what he said, I must have blacked out, because the next thing I remember was sitting in the grass, my disgusting batch of sour syrup spilled all over my front.
But for now I'm back at the inn, licking my wounds like a barkbark while I figure out what to do now. Hopefully I can get a job here...
March 1986
Good news! It's been about four months since I was fired, but miraculously I managed to get my job back!
Solanaceae was apparently furious when she returned from sea and found I had been let go unceremoniously. That combined with the spring's sudden influx of work and things needing to be done, Jardinero decided to bring me back on board.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous however, things have been incredibly tense back at the garden, not only between myself and the boss. Plenty of young wild piñata have been showing up, we have lots of plants to tend, and Solanaceae is carrying her second child. Let alone Stardos, who's only been getting sicker. He's been prescribed some medications, which seem to be helping, though I've noticed he has a bit of a limp.
Bartholomew and I have continued talking at least, whenever I have time off. Recently though I've been given a bit of a curfew, so I haven't had the time in a while. I don't mind though, I've been oversleeping so it would make sense Jardinero would be trying to fix that.
I did speak to 'tholow about my candy mishap however, and he suggested I try using quackberry life sweets, since juicygeese evolve from quackberries, and offered to standby to assure it wasn't just my own abilities standing in the way, and I think I'll take him up on that once I have time and enough coin for ingredients.
I'll keep you posted, if not I suppose I could always repurpose this journal as a recipe book to write down my candy experiments and other notes as I study life sweets. Toodaloo.
February 1987
I don't think Jardinero is a fan of my contractor. See Arfur (------’s new name) has a bit of a habit of checking in on helpers he contracts out every few months or so, a habit Jardinero finds incredibly rude and nosy.
I personally don't mind when Arfur checks up on things, he's a good man, and we get along well. Besides I don't have time to visit the inn anymore, so this is the only time I get to see him nowadays.
Last night Jardinero got to talking with me - a rare occasion to be honest - about Arfur. He wants to void the contract set up with Arfur in favor of one that is just between the two of us. I'm not sure about this idea, I mean knowing that if something goes wrong there's someone I can speak to has always been comforting, even if I've never had to use it. But maybe I can use this to finally get Jardinero to set up a helper home? I'm sick of this shed.
In other news there's been a new addition to the family! Leafos, she's already a year old. Stardos hasn't been very happy about having a little sister, why just the other week he draped a blanket over her crib, insisting that he was a magician and made her disappear. Leafos didn't seem to mind as much as one would think such a small girl would.
I've been taking care of the kids more and more lately, on top of my usual duties. Their mother has returned to sea, and Jardinero hasn't had time to look after them, other than teaching Stardos more and more about how to tend a garden, of course.
October 1989
You know... I'm a little worried about the stability of Jardinero and Solanaceae's relationship. I know I'm not one to talk, especially given my rather positive relationship with her, but I'm not certain all of her children are also her husband's.
Take the new youngest for example, Storkos. Solanaceae returned from a year at sea with a little girl. Sure it's possible she's Jardinero's, and he's certainly convinced of it, but I'm not completely convinced. But I digress, it's really none of my business.
In other news Stardos has taken an interest in magic! Transmogrification specifically! He had asked me to teach him after seeing me turn some blackberries to jam. Now I'm not much of a teacher, but I know someone who is. You would not believe how happy Bartholomew was when I introduced him to his new student, even if he admitted beforehand about being nervous about having such a young student.
Work has been especially stressful, we had a moozipan charge right into my shed this morning! I've already patched up the hole for the most part, though Jardinero insists the incident was somehow my fault, despite being nowhere nearby when it happened! Not to mention he's been forgetting my paycheck every other week nowadays, and I missed darts over at Arfur's because I was working well after curfew last Saturday.
Maybe I've just been stressed is all. I think I may need some time off, winter is coming in a few months, so the garden shouldn't be as busy.
February 1991
I've been thinking about life sweets again. The way they boost your energy, makes you feel ALIVE. I've started plucking things like whirlms and mousemallows from the garden, small, low leveled piñata Jardinero wouldn't miss. I may just be getting old, but I've started to find I need the extra energy.
Sure these sweets aren't quite as potent as that juicygoose was, but the extra boost is nice. I would use some of my paychecks to get some higher value piñata, but that huntress does care about piñata, and I fear she'd get suspicious since I don't own the garden.
I find it's been getting harder and harder to even function, to get out of bed, to shower, my only motivation really is the feeling of sweat and grime on my skin and not wanting Jardinero to get on my case.
I've always done my best to not think ill of people, and I know it makes me a bad man to think this, to say this. It's why I leave these thoughts to the confines of this journal. I... I HATE JARDINERO!!
I do! I really do, he's selfish, he's condescending, he thinks I'm stupid. I am always to blame when something goes wrong, I always forget an important detail, Lester this, Lester that, I HATE HIM.
He hardly even calls me by my name anymore, this nickname he's given me, "Pester", MY NAME IS LESTER! My name is Lester, I do my best every day, I'm so tired. I am so tired...
Thank the gods nobody will ever read this…
June 1994
I believe I have made an error.
Me and Solanaceae, we have a bit of an odd relationship. She's sweet on me, sure. But she's never really around, off at sea more often than not. In fact it's become a big event with the kids whenever she does come back, it's upsetting to see. I remember back when she was just a tot Leafos didn't recognize her mother after a particularly long period at sea.
But back to the point - forgive my rambling, Solanaceae and I have been seeing each other without Jardinero's knowledge. A few months ago another child was born, little Sidos. He has my eyes, a vibrant purple.
Thankfully Jardinero doesn't seem to suspect anything. I was getting nervous, I hope nothing more obvious pops up as he ages.
In other news Bartholomew and I had a discussion after I came to pick Stardos up from his lessons, specifically about Jardinero. He doesn't seem too fond of him either, and we shared complaints about him - Stardos popping in for the occasional comment of course - and he advised that I tried breaking contract with him. I wish it was that simple.
Stardos has been learning tinkership rather well, as well as picking up an interest in potion crafting, a skill ole 'tholow hasn't gotten ahold of. He doesn't seem very interested in the garden these days, though Jardinero insists it's just a phase. I like to think otherwise.
December 1997
I am... sufficiently broken, admittedly. I've lost my job... again.
See, Jardinero has never been a fan of me taking Stardos to his lessons with Bart. Says I'm corrupting his son. He's already 15 and this is what he wants to do, he's old enough to make some damn choices for himself!
So now, because I did too good of a job at raising his children for him because he could never be bothered himself unless he could make it about his STUPID garden, I'm now unemployed with nowhere to go.
I would go back to the inn, but I haven't seen Arfur in years. Does he even remember me? Does anyone even remember me? I haven't been able to talk to anyone anymore, not even Bart. I always had to rush back to the garden after dropping Stardos off to keep up with work nowadays.
I hear Jardinero and Solanaceae are going on a trip now. I hear Jardinero has been boasting about finding a lead to finding a mythical piñata. A dragonache. I hope it eats him alive.
I've been having some dark thoughts. I want to go back and burn that horrible garden to the ground. I want to see all of the years I have WASTED finally be worth something, destroying the legacy of a man who worked me to the bone. Who kept me from making my own legacy...
I hope those kids will be okay without me.
December 18 1997
My name is L̶e̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶H̶a̶r̶t̶t̶. I failed. I fail Stardos is no longer with us. H should have known
All I have are my sweets. His sib collapsed in the garden with owhere to be found. I took him. I told the rest kids they better start running and I burned that garden to the ground. I would have cursed that soil had
bring color back ing all that ong was the smell. He started tting up this horrific glowing green and sted and turned red. He hasn't reacted since.
I have decided that all I can do these sweets myself. It's all I have left now, knows what it will do to me.
Toodaloo.
2008
Its been a while hasnt it? 11 years. I dont regret a thing Ive done. When Jardinero returned from sea alone, only to find his land burned and baren of life. That made everything worth it.
Im not the man I was when I last wrote. Im stronger. Smarter. I have power over this little village. Everyone is scared of me, its funny.
Nobody knows exactly what happened that night. Not even I remember the details. But thats for the best. Jardinero may have the final say of what Ive done, what life Ive lived, but I no longer seem to have the humanity to care.
In fact this new name has been freeing. People shake in fear at the sound of my voice, whispers of my misdeeds, they hate me! Its fantastic!
It may be unorthodox, but this is a victory in my eyes. And this victory is MINE!