Chapter Text
The winter in Pelican Town finally ended. With all the snow finally melting, replaced by the greenery that the spring had brought and came along a new resident.
It was unexpected news. Everyone in town was buzzing about the newcomer. She was surely from the city. And, while that was odd in and of itself - especially given that life in the city was considered to be a high life - no one really speculated on why she chose to live in the mountains.
The mayor of the town also dismissed any discussion about why the girl moved to the small town, claiming that "she just decided to tend to the farm because it was his grandfather who gave it to her." After that, the talk died down.
Until it was finally time for the new farmer to move in. Everyone wasn't too curious of the new resident to just suddenly snoop in to take a look at her - in fact, everyone just went on about their day, readying themselves to at least greet and welcome the new farmer in town.
(Y/N), the new farmer, got off the bus and was greeted by the slightly chill spring breeze. The air was fresher than the city, like a welcoming hug that she didn't expect to receive.
With her bag in hand, she walked through the fenced lot, admiring the lush greenery and trees, the leaves rustling in the breeze. In contrast to the bustling city, there is a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. A beautiful woman with brown hair waved her hand at her, signalling the new farmer to come over.
She approached the woman, who smiled at her. "Hello, (Y/N). My name is Robin, and Lewis told me about you and your arrival today."
(Y/N) beamed a smile back. "Yes, and thank you. I'm not really familiar with the town and all, so help is really appreciated."
"Not a problem; I'll lead you to your farm; just follow me."
They walked to an unpaved road trail with flowers and bushes growing on the sides just by the fences. (Y/N) also noticed some squirrels passing by and climbing up trees, as well as a flock of birds flying through the bright skies.
(Y/N) then brought her gaze forward, suddenly mortified at what lies before her.
"We've arrived. I know it's really...uh...a little grassier than before, but with some patience, you can definitely fix it."
The farmer sighed, eyes wandering around the farm. "Well, it's not like I can go back to the city. I gotta at least try." She then gave Robin a worried smile.
"That's the spirit. Come on, Lewis is waiting for you by your farmhouse."
They walked further into the farm, avoiding the slightly overgrown weeds and grass, as well as the branches and stray stones that littered the area. But beyond the overgrown tangle was her farmhouse, which she had expected to be worse than it was. It wasn't the best, but it was at the very least decent.
They noticed a slightly elderly man in a hat standing in front of the house's staircase. When he noticed the two approaching, he tipped his chin to the farmer, who smiled to greet him.
"Nice to meet you, (Y/N). I'm the Mayor of this town, Lewis."
(Y/N) nodded. "Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping my grandfather with the paperwork and such. I know that he was a great friend of yours."
Lewis had a soft smile on his face as she said that. He then tapped the farmer's shoulder, as if to reassure her. "It's fine; it was the least I could do for him." Lewis then dismissed the subject with a shake of his head and returned his attention to the house in front of them.
"This farmhouse is all yours now; it was in much worse condition before Robin fixed it for you, and we cleaned it up as much as we could and moved the furniture you sent here - it's all in there, so you can just design and move it as you like."
"Really, I couldn't thank you enough. If there's anything I can do to help you, just ask me. Well..." The farmer paused, chuckling as she glanced at the overgrown field behind her. "After I finish tidying up."
Lewis and Robin burst out laughing. "You have all the time you need. Feel free to take a stroll around town if you can. Greet the residents and such, I'm sure they'll be glad to meet you. If you're too busy to stroll around today, you can stop by the saloon in town in the evening. Everyone goes there to just have fun."
(Y/N) nodded. "Will do."
"Don't forget to visit me too. Remember, I can fix up your home and make it bigger. Just give me the materials and money, and it'll be in a better shape in no time." Robin grinned.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much."
Lewis then nodded at her and waved his hand. "I better get going. If you have questions, you can visit me at my house. I left a small map of the town so you can easily navigate your way."
"See you, (Y/N). Goodluck!"
(Y/N) waved at them as they left, and now that she was left all alone at the farm, she looked at the grassy field and sighed. "You left me with a grand job, Grandpa. I just hope...I have the strength to do this all alone." She paused, the breeze blowing pass her, the grass dancing along with it. "...I miss you already."
She got into her house. While inspecting the house, she noticed that even though she had her own bathroom, the shower was only spraying cold water. She had taken note to upgrade the house before anything, and that includes the plumbing so she can enjoy hot water too. Another was a gift from Lewis that was left at the table. It was 8 packs of seed she can plant by today, if she starts clearing out some of the grass in the fields.
With only a few pieces of furniture in the house, she began moving and unboxing some of her belongings. She brought some books, most of which were about planting and farming, as well as tools left to her by her grandfather. She also brought some clothes and dresses that she wore while working.
The farmer changed her clothes into more workable one, since her tight jeans and t-shirt isn't really gonna help her with work. Overalls with a slightly baggy shirt worked best for her, as it is the most comfortable set of clothes she had, aside from her pj's.
After unpacking, she grabbed her scythe, axe, and farming guides and books and began working her way through the fields. She began clearing a section of the field, tying up some of the grass to convert it to hay and sacking some stones for materials. She also chopped some wood and left it by her farmhouse's wood storage.
After clearing a small portion of the field for a couple of hours, she decided to plough the soil and plant the seeds Lewis gave to her as a start. The sun was already setting when she finally finished her work. Although not done, she gave herself a pat on the back for doing a good job she didn't know she could do. It was enjoyable, at the very least.
She stretched her arms out, then heaved a breath. "I should exercise now and then. Farm work isn't gonna go easy on my body, I tell you." She mumbled to herself, groaning.
She changed her clothes into a more casual one after hopping into the shower and cleaning herself up after a long day of work, and grabbed her basket of gifts, which were mostly forages she collected while cleaning up the farm. The farm itself was in the middle of the forest (it was a forest farm), so she had a lot of things she picked up, including fruits and flowers.
With the help of the map Lewis gave to her, she made her way to the Stardrop Saloon, which was just beside the town square. It wasn't far, thankfully, given the fact that she was just new in the town.
She brushed some dust off her shoulders and slightly combed her bangs before turning the doorknob and walking in to find the saloon full of different people. She became slightly nervous all of a sudden. Despite the fact that her friends in the city thought she was quite outgoing, meeting a large group of people on her own was a different story.
She wasn't used to the new environment and didn't know how to start introducing herself.
She remained motionless until Lewis noticed her and gave her a big smile. "Hey, it's the farmer!" He excused himself from the lady with whom he was conversing and jogged up to the new farmer. He smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder. "Come on in! Everyone is here, so you should introduce yourself to them."
"O-oh! Yes. I will - that's why I came here after all."
"Well then, I'll introduce you to Marnie first." They went to the table where Lewis had been standing, and there was the woman he had been talking to.
"Marnie, this is (Y/N), the new farmer." (Y/N), my name is Marnie, another farmer in town. You can ask her questions about farming that you don't know about yet; she's very knowledgeable about it."
Marnie laughed. "It's a fine day to have a new competitor around here."
"Well, I don't have anything but weeds so I think the trophy is still yours." She joked, chuckling with her.
"Haha! You're funny, (Y/N), but in all seriousness, you can count on me to show you the ropes. You know, reading books and all that might be useful, but showing you how to do it is better."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much."
"Glad to help."
"Well, here's a small gift for you. It isn't much but I hope you like it." (Y/N) then got a spring onion from her basket and gave it to Marnie.
"Oh sweet! Thank you dear, this is a nice gift."
After that, Lewis brought you and introduced her to the people in the Saloon, which included Gus, Emily, Pam, Jodi, Willy, Clint, Harvey and Shane.
The farmer was hanging out with Emily when she noticed Robin walk in, followed by two men, one of whom was young and her age, so she assumed she was Robin's son.
"Oh, that's Demetrius, Robin's husband, and that's Sebastian," Emily said, motioning to the newcomers in the saloon. "They always come here at night; Sebastian and the others hang out in the arcade there," she explained before pointing to another room on the right side of the saloon.
"You should go there and introduce yourself to them, you haven't been there, right?" she said as she handed (Y/N) a glass of beer.
(Y/N) sighed as she drank the beer that was handed to her. "Man, all this socializing in one day; my brain can't handle it. My brain cells, Emily, they're shrinking-"
Emily playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on now. Just talk to them. They're kinda...you know, the, and I quote, cool guys in the town. So it might be good to get to know them."
"Thanks Emily." She gulps the last drops of her beer before standing up and walked towards the arcade room.