Chapter Text
“Wakey-wakey, Boothill.”
“...Ugh, five more minutes,” Boothill groaned, covering his face with a spare pillow. “Luka, get off me.”
“Come on, you need to tend to the animals first before we can go to town.”
“Arf!”
“A’right already!” With a huff, Boothill tossed the pillow to the side and glared at the dog who was panting directly at his face. “Luka, move.”
Luka licked his entire face from chin up to his forehead before moving, zooming out of the door, and ignoring Boothill’s scolding. The ranger rubbed his face with the duvet, trying to wipe the dog’s saliva off of his skin. Eryk was sitting, floating, on the foot of the bed, laughing at the two.
“Good morning, Boothill.”
“Yeah, g’morn, gramps.” Boothill yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eye. It felt nice to finally be able to sleep and not rely on battery percentage. “What’dya mean about the animals?”
“The cows and chickens are out of hay. We could buy from Marnie but…” Eryk sighed. “It’s better to get some ourselves. Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. You just need to grab the sickle from one of the chests.”
Boothill still felt tired but he didn’t complain, grabbing the tool and following Eryk out of the farmhouse. A smile etched itself on the ranger’s lips upon seeing the falling leaves and feeling the cold autumn wind on his cheeks. The seeds had started to sprout too, dew drops glistening under the rising sun’s rays of light.
He took a deep breath, sighing in contentment. Farms always calmed him down.
“You see that patch of grass? Use the sickle on it, you’ll find hay in between the fibers.”
“...Are you sure? That patch looks mighty new-”
“Yes,” Eryk crossed his arms. “Go on.”
Boothill raised a brow at the old man but walked over to the patch of grass. He held on to the sickle’s handle tightly before swinging it, eyes widening in shock when he did, in fact, see some dried foliage in between the blades of the grass.
“Well fudge me sideways!” Boothill laughed, gathering the hay crops.
“Just placed it in their feeder, it should be in boxes. If you have extra, placed it in the storage next to it, it’ll directly go in the silo.”
“How about the hens and roosters? Are there any seeds for ‘em?”
Eryk smiled at the ranger, “Don’t worry, they also like hay.”
“They do?”
“Yes, I was surprised too. I don’t know what Marnie incorporated in those chickens’ diet, but she told me they mostly eat hay.”
Boothill scratched his cheek in confusion but followed Eryk’s instructions to a tee. He had to run back to the patch of grass and cut down more for the barn, but once all the feeders were full, he went outside and said hello to the animals.
“Moo,” One of the cows walked up to him, pressing her head against Boothill’s hand.
“Y’all make sure to eat, okay? Gotta grow big and strong.” He rubbed the cow’s head.
“Moooo.” The cows answered back, whether it was a yes or something else, Boothill will never know. But Nick told him before that animals that were taken care of with love, would love the owner back with the same amount that was given to them.
“You seem to be a natural at this, boy.”
Boothill turned around to see Eryk leaning on the fences, smiling at him. He laughed softly, fixing his hat which became a habit whenever he felt vulnerable and shy.
“Heh, I grew up on a farm, that’s why.” He walked out of the gate, making sure to excuse himself and avoid the chickens that were determined to trip him by invading his path. “I can tell they’re loved by your grandkid, even these chickens are spoiled.”
Boothill noticed that the old man was looking at the animals with a longing look, probably missing his grandson. Eryk shook his head, levitating properly before turning to the ranger with a forced smile.
“You can leave the sickle on the porch. We can leave when you’re ready.”
“Oh, uh,” Boothill struggled to ask as he leaned the sickle by the door, especially with how much Eryk missed the other Boothill. “Is there anything I should avoid doin’? To, y’know, not worry the other townfolks.”
“But I thought they would see you as my grandson anyways?”
“Yeah, but certain actions might throw them off.”
Eryk shook his head, “Don’t overthink it. The more you try to pretend, the more obvious you’ll be. Let the folk do the talking, so I can also spot who’s acting weird.”
“Okay,” Boothill exhaled, shrugging his shoulders to release tension. “Let’s go.”
They left the farm, walking down the path Eryk told him to go yesterday. The ranger did his best to ignore the bus, knowing it was fixed. He’d ask Eryk about it later. Before they could even reach the town, they saw someone approaching them.
“Who’s that?” Boothill whispered to the old man, eyes straight ahead.
It was an older woman with blonde curly hair. She was a bit chubby, wearing a striped windbreaker, somewhat loose pants, and pink slippers. To Boothill, she was the definition of a stay-at-home mother, if she was one.
“Ah, that’s Pam. She’s uhm,” Eryk cleared his throat. “Well, frankly, she’s an alcoholic. She’s Penny's mom, we’ll get to meet her later. Anyways, back when I was alive and before the bus broke down, she used to be the driver. Even let Penny play with the steering wheel when she was little.”
“Driver and alcoholic in one sentence? Dang,” Boothill whistled lowly. “Y’all are messed up for letting her drive.”
“She wasn’t an alcoholic back then,” Eryk sighed. “I think it started when she brought Penny into this world.”
“Hey, kid.”
Boothill straightened up when he heard Pam’s voice. Upon closer inspection, she was wearing heavy makeup, probably to conceal her face revealing her age. He nodded at her and she stopped in front of him.
“Did you hear about the ol’ bus? Yep… I’m back on the saddle, kid.” She laughed a bit. “Feels nice.”
She stepped to the side to go past him, telling him a short goodbye before she went on her way to the bus stop. Boothill glanced at Eryk who was deep in thought.
“Nope… That’s still how I remember her. She enjoyed being a bus driver so the bus back in service again would make her happy.” He blinked then looked at Boothill. “Wait, how did the bus get fixed? Wasn’t it broken down when you got here?”
Boothill shrugged, “Mr. Qi magic, I guess.”
“If that’s fixed then…” Eryk hummed. “I suppose I can show you something later. For now, let’s meet more of the townsfolk.”
Boothill continued walking down the path, soon seeing buildings in the distance. He saw that the dirt path stopped the moment he had arrived at the town. Instead, the path was mostly covered with stone flooring. Eryk continued floating ahead so he followed him, looking around the new environment.
The town was bigger than he expected, but the houses were giving off the vibe that this was an older town. The trees and most of the bushes were hues of oranges, purple, and red, Only a handful of bushes were still green. The building closer to him seemed to be some sort of clinic, with his only clue to his guess being the large light blue cross in front of it.
“That’s Harvey’s clinic,” Eryk pointed out. “Harvey’s a good man, although quite a bit awkward. He has a small apartment above the medical clinic. The folks here have an annual checkup, but I don’t think anyone is scheduled for today.”
“He’s the only doctor ‘round ‘ere?” Boothill asked, raising his eyebrow.
Eryk nodded, “He has a nurse working there. She’s Maru, a kind and friendly lass. Though, I think she is not in today.”
“You really know the people ‘ere, huh?” The ranger smiled.
“Knowing the people in your community has its perks,” The spirit floated closer to the clinic. “This town is quite small when you get familiar with everyone and the places it has to offer. Come on, let’s check on Harvey.”
Boothill hesitated on knocking when he saw Eryk passing through the walls and inside the clinic. He pushed the door open, walking inside with a wary step. He saw a tall, lean man with brown neat hair and a mustache. He’s wearing an emerald-colored suit with a brown tie in the middle, and glasses that he fixed as he scribbled something on his clipboard.
The man must be Harvey.
“Uh, yo,” Boothill waved at the doctor awkwardly.
Harvey looked up from what he was writing and waved back. “Oh, Farmer Boothill! Are you here for a check-up?”
“Nah,” The ranger chuckled and glanced at Eryk who was levitating around the doctor, “Just droppin’ by to say hello.”
“Well, feel free to stop by my office if you’re ever feeling ill.” Harvey smiled. “You’re young, though. You’ll probably stay healthy without trying.”
Boothill noticed that Eryk was nodding along with what Harvey was saying before giving the ranger a thumbs up.
“Ya stay safe too, doc.”
“He’s the same as I remember,” Eryk said out loud as they left the clinic. “Good ol’ Harvey, looking out for his patients.”
“Oh, fudge.”
“Huh?”
“Look.”
Eryk looked at the direction Boothill was facing. Oh, fudge indeed. More townfolks were walking around and doing their daily routine, however, Eryk could feel that the ranger was getting overwhelmed by the number of people they needed to talk to. The spirit attempted to place a hand on Boothill’s shoulder, and while it did phase through, it got his attention.
“Hey, don’t worry ‘bout it. They don’t know you and they don’t know the real you. So far, you’re not acting out of place.”
Boothill took a deep breath and nodded, “A’right. Let’s talk to the people we see first?”
Eryk smiled, “Okay. Remember, let them do the talking.”
They’ve met a handful of townfolks. Boothill did what he was told and only talked to greet and respond. Nobody really forced him to stay and have a full-blown conversation, mostly only stopping to greet him good noon. He met Grandma Evelyn, Pam’s daughter Penny, Evelyn’s grandson Alex, Abigail, and Mayor Lewis. Just from the greetings alone, Boothill could tell that the farmer was at least respected by the people he talked to.
It felt familiar.
It felt like he was back home, greeting townfolks when he was with Nick and Graey. They’d have an abundance of eggs and Nick would bring him along to trade with their neighbors, often getting his hair ruffled by the elderly and his arms would be filled with homemade pastries and freshly picked fruits.
He thought he had buried his useless wish to get his old life back with his old body. But it seemed the more that he stayed in this town, the want started to creep back up. The want to end it all and be with his family in the afterlife.
“Phew, I never thought I’d be exhausted going around greeting my old neighbors. Even as a spirit, my age is getting a hold of me,” Eryk chuckled and Boothill forced a smile at him. He didn’t want to worry the old spirit and have him get all vulnerable.
“Let’s rest then?” Boothill offered, the pressure of needing to find this darn anomaly weighing on him.
“Do you want to see the beach? I often go there to take a breather.”
“Sure, lead the way.”
Boothill mindlessly followed Eryk, looking around the town square once more. There were more houses they need to visit still, but they could do it tomorrow. The ranger had been working on his Hunt alone for quite a while now, and socializing was never his forte, often letting his gun do the work or having someone else with him.
He was so busy with his own thoughts that he didn’t notice that they were crossing a bridge and he accidentally bumped into someone.
“Shoot, I’m so so-” His breath hitched. He took a deep breath and immediately the scent of roses hit his nose.
All he could focus on was this man’s long reddish-orange locks of hair and green eyes. And that darn scent that he didn’t want to admit he was familiar with.
“Ah, it’s quite alright. You seem distressed. Are you alright?”
“...Rosey?”