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Derek Ballard
Do I look my age? 21
I am Obviously a: Male
My sexuality is: Straight

I like... Strawberries, Chocolate Milk, Animal Products, Dogs, Horses
I don't like... Bugs(except bees), Junk(weeds, rocks, etc.), Failed Dish

This is my story: He grew up on his father’s farm in Konohana and when his father passed away he inherited the farm. It was tough for a while, but since he helped with everything around the farm; growing crops; watering them and other things that needed done around the farm; it got easier over time for him. The farm was a bit lonely after his father passed away and then he found a stray silver tabby kitten and took her in. The cat, Mimi, may not do all that much to help other than to accompany Derek when he needs company, yet she does keep the mice and birds from eating the grains and seeds used for growing crops.
I am controlled by: _Hoshiyuri_

{{ooc: I hope this is all right. And did you want to start first since this was your idea or did you want me to start?}}

After having made sure that all his crops were watered and the weeds were pulled Derek went into town to check out the request board. There were several new requests there and he took down a few that required him to the mountain to gather all of the needed items. As he walked up the mountain to get the requested items he took in a deep breath of the mountain air and smiled. He was searching for mushrooms and some different plants for the doctor and he was wondering if he'd find them on this side of the mountain. He would go to the other side if he really had too, though he wasn't very certain that it would be the very best idea seeing as how the two towns did not get along and there were some from Bluebell that didn't much like him at all, even though he was very much a gentleman.

{{ooc: That will be fine. And I hope this first post is all right.}}

Derek had found one mushroom that was on his list but he did not know if he'd find any more on the Konohana side so he started heading to the other side of the mountain. There were a few flowers that distracted him and he thought about giving them to people as gifts like he normally did. As he picked the flowers he heard the rustling of leaves, but just thought it was the soft breeze that was blowing over the mountain. However, a moment later he heard a twig snap and he looked up in the direction of the sound. He was figuring it as only a wild animal, as he had seen many wild animals on the mountian, yet this was no animal; it was a girl. He heard her rambling about being sorry for being there, that she wanted to finish requests and that she was going to head home.

Derek tilted his head slightly at the way the girl seemed to be talking as if she was about to run off. "It's no problem ma'am, I was only up her looking for things that the doctor requested. I'm in no real position to be telling someone that you were up here on the mountain on the Konohana side, mostly due to my close proximity to the Bluebell side of the mountain. If I would tell anyone of your being here I would be letting them know where I was as well." said he in a polite tone as he looked at the woman before him with his silvery eyes before bowing respectfully. He had to admit that this woman was very pretty, though he knew better than to openly state his thoughts because he knew of the trouble that would come if he would do so.

{{ooc: All right smile I was just making sure that I wasn't putting too much or too little. I tend to put two paragrahs per post, though sometimes, if I'm really into the RP i can give more. My posts are usually detailed, even if they are short, so that hopefully how I'm RPing with can work with what I gave them.}}

Derek knew that this girl was right when she said that she was technically on the Konohana side. Yet he was still rather close to the peak of the mountain, so he knew that he could still get into trouble if the wrong people saw him heading over to the other side of the mountain. As he listened to her he heard her asking about the doctor and he said in the same polite tone, "Yes, Doctor Ayame is the one wanting the mushrooms and other things." he paused a moment before continuing, "I'm not certain how a weed can be healthy for you, though I do know some of what people think are weeds can actually be used as medicinal herbs. Here," he took out some of the "weeds" from his bag and showed them to her, "These don't look like much but I'm thinking that one can be used for colds, and these here are really a type of mint." He stopped speaking as he heard her introducing herself. "That's a lovely name that you have. My name is Derek Ballard." he said, complimenting her name as well as introducing himself.

{{ooc:}}

Derek looked up at Katherine and nodded once he heard her saying that Ayame probably told him what the herbs were and what they did. True, he did know a bit about plants, though there were still things that he did not know. "I still need a couple poison mushrooms and weeds for the doctor. There was one request that I have had for a few days but I just can't get the milk that I need. I had a cow, though I had to sell her because I didn't know if I was caring for her right. I wouldn't want to risk the safety of the animal if I lack the proper knowledge to care for it." he said a little sad in reply to her question. He had a few things in his satchel that weren't of much use to him, yet he thought that they may be worth something to her. "I was wondering what all you were looking for? I have some extra things in my satchel that you may be able to use and then we could trade if we have what we each need."

{{ooc:}}

Derek watched in silence as Katherine rummaged through her bag. When he saw her pulling out some milk, poison mushrooms and weeds he smiled. He waited to hear if there was anything that she may need. He heard her first talking about cows and that they were sweethearts. He knew this very well because his cow was the sweetest animal that he'd ever known, other than his cat Mimi. "I wish I still had my cow, though I have my cat Mimi. She's a little angel. She's about two or three now and I believe that she's expecting kittens." he smiled at the fact that his little cat was expecting her first litter of kittens, though he wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep them all on the farm. He didn't mind having Mimi and the few strays around, though having a litter of kittens may be a bit more work. It was known by him that she-cats cared for their kittens mostly by themselves, though he knew that he'd have to be certain to keep her inside so nothing would happen to her or the kittens.

"I think that chickens proboly be a lot better for me, too. I had a few chickens when I was a kid, though they got old and died. I never got around to ordering them from Bluebell since I don't normally like going over there because some people don't like me for some reason. I guess it's because my father used to enter the cooking contests and his dishes were very good and there were quite a few times that he helped Konohana win." he said rubbing the back of his head before reaching into his satchel to check if he had what Katherine needed. He did have two pieces of Bamboo, and one piece of honey comb that he found close to the base of the mountain. He handed them over to her and then put his hand out, waiting for her to hand them to him because he did not want to snatch them right from her hands, knowing that would be rude. "I just want to know, you don't think that I'm a bad guy do you? I mean I don't understand why I'm hated just because of the fact my father one some cooking contests. It's ridiculous." he added as he gave a questioning look to Katherine.

{{ooc:}}

Derek listened intently as Katherine spoke and he gave nods in reply to the fact that cats will help with getting chickens into the coop. He heard her saying that she wanted a cat to help with her chickens and wondered if she might want one of the kittens that Mimi was expecting. Just as this thought crossed his mind he heard the mention of whether or not she would be allowed to have one of the kittens or not. "I wouldn't mind letting you have one of the kittens. I could let you pick the one that you want as soon as they're old enough to be away from their mother. And as to those chicken eggs, I'd greatfully accept them to try raising some chickens. I'm sure that Mimi, my cat, would love helping to get them into the coop at night. She likes chasing birds, but she's never actually caught or killed any. She mostly gets the mice around my farm." He said in reply to Katherine's remark about cats.

He nodded to the remark of how chickens would be easier to care for, especially if he was having to water his crops in the morning and then again in the evening. Listening to what was being said by Katherine about how it was wrong for the people to take it out on Derek just because his father happened to be a good cook. This made him feel better about it, though just because Katherine didn't think that was a real reason to take it out on him didn't mean that others felt as she did. "I agree that it's bad for business. If the towns could just get along with each other and not try to see who's better at cooking then both towns would prosper." As he heard her saying that she did not think that he was a bad guy he smiled. He was glad that someone from Konohana was able to look past the whole crazy feuding over which town had better cooking and see him for who he was. "It was no problem at all. I'm glad that I could help such a nice lady with her request. I wasn't the only one who helped, you helped me with my request too, and I'm thankful for that." he said in a polite tone as he lowered his head respectfully. He wondered if he was being a bit too formal, though it was just who he was and how he was raised, so he hoped that his formality was not an issue. He was always a gentleman around the ladies, as well as the people from Bluebell, even though it seemed futile to do so with the people of Bluebell.

He had seen a lot of the cooking contests because of his father having taken him up to them whenever he entered, so Derek knew quite a lot about them. "The contests are usually heated because both of the mayors are at each other's throats like dogs... It's sad how childish they act. I actually shouldn't say that, seeing as some of the children, as well as the dogs behave better than the mayors do at times. The children seem to actually get along better than the adults do at times." He then told her about the contests and that he had seen many of them growing up, which would've probably been obvious if his father had entered them.

{{ooc: I got kind of carried away and started posting a lot. I hope that's all right. Oh, and with the chickens, they are easier to care for than the cattle, sheep and alpacas, though when I play the game it's my chickens that get sick and die first xd I almost always have to have medicine for them.}}