Chapter Text
Today was a big day! For the first time in ages, they had new residents, and Ren could barely contain his excitement. His tail was wagging excitedly like when the news broke that people were moving into the old farmhouse. Martyn had Immediately started planning their welcome. Tonight, all the townspeople were going to gather on the beach and have a big party in their honor.
It probably wasn’t the best use of town funds…But it was an investment!
An investment in their community, a grand welcome was the perfect opportunity for some small-town hospitality. People loved small towns, they were quaint and cozy, a pocket of life the world forgot to snuff out.
They had untapped tourism potential, and he was ready to pounce. With the bus system down Martyn couldn’t advertise all the events and festivals they had planned. Martyn was a fantastic salesman; he could even sell ice to penguin. Once they got the bus fixed business would be booming and Martyn would be happy. Money would be flowing and maybe the town would begin to like both members of the Dogwood house.
Ren was not the most popular mayor, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. He’d grown up in the valley, he wasn’t anybody pretending to care about their humble lives making big changes to line his pockets. He tried to take care of people and fix the valley’s problems. Its why he was so keen on throwing so many festivals and events.
Yes, it would eventually bring new people into the valley, but it would also give all his friends something to look forward to.
Martyn was dozing next to him beneath their covers; Ren was fighting the urge to keep his tail wrapped around his husband’s leg and lull back off. He couldn’t though, he had to pick up the gift he bought from Joel. He wanted the newcomers to really feel welcome here, so he was going to introduce himself and give them a personal town tour.
He needed to get up, but Martyn looked so handsome when he slept. His face looked calm and happy; he lost the restless sadness that settled in when he’d been still for too long. But the sooner he got up the sooner he could make breakfast, and his stomach was beginning to grumble.
He groaned as he climbed out of his bed the cold wooden floor sending a shiver up his spine. Right, first he needed to get dressed to shake off the chill of early spring. Casual mayor today he thinks, just jeans and a loose button up. He would be welcoming, friendly, maybe even a little bit dashing depending on how cordial their new friends were. For breakfast Ren scrambled up a couple of eggs, making sure to make extra for Martyn. He may still be sleeping, but when he eventually wakes up Ren doesn’t want him to be hungry. Martyn did most of the cooking in the Dogwood house, but Ren could return the favor everyone now and then. He wrote a note for Martyn informing him he’d wrapped up some breakfast and left it in the microwave for him. He’d also added little hearts and romantic flourishes that would make him smile when he woke up.
Outside the sun was creeping into the sky and there was a nice crisp breeze ruffling through Ren’s ears. Frost crunched under his boots as he made his way to the general store. Luckily it wasn’t far, his family had been involved with local politics for years and wanted to be close to the people. After his parents died it only made sense that Ren would inherit the Dogwood house and follow in their footsteps.
The valley had fallen on hard times in the last several years. It was inevitable after the mining accident that had occurred when he and several of the townsfolk were children. Back then it’d been a different place entirely, everyone had jobs and no one was hungry. He’d been trying to keep everything afloat, but people didn’t come through here anymore. But they had new people now! And the new people would have friends and family that would visit! And those people would bring their friends and family!
Ren was being incredibly optimistic but until they fixed the bus system Martyn couldn’t advertise all the amazing events they’d planned. They had a lot of tourism potential that had yet to be properly utilized. People loved a good small town; they were quaint and homely. They were still full of the life the world had forgotten to snuff out.
Plus, all the festivals and dances gave everyone something to look forward to. Hopefully when everything finally worked out people would start to like him again…
He didn’t know what exactly had happened, but at some point, the people he’d grown up with seemed to resent him. Ren shook his head, pushing the uncomfortable thoughts of unease out of his head. Today was the big day, they were going to make new friends, and he was going to be the first face they saw.
Before he headed to the farmhouse though he needed to stop by the general store. Joel didn’t usually open until 9, but Ren was one, the mayor and two, picking up a package; so by 8:30 he was slipping in the back.
Inside, Lizzie was holding a clipboard singing to herself while she took inventory of the shop. When she saw him, she gave a smile as she waved “Morning Ren, Joel’s not awake just yet. I set your package on the counter.”
“Good morning, Lady Lizzie! Don’t you open soon? I thought he’d be up by now?”
Lizzie shrugs “You know how my husband is, out late trying to fit in with the boys at Frog Lights.”
Ren nodded, Joel was well known for hanging around with Etho and Bdubs when he’d had too much to drink. The store would probably be doing a late opening today, the hangover business would be good for Mumbo at least. He goes to the counter and picks up the small package Lizzie had left out for him. She was always a lot nicer to him then her husband.
“Martyn staying home today again?”
Ren’s ears flatten for a moment at the question “He’ll probably be out later for the party, but well, you know how it is.” He winces mimicking her words.
She smiles at him sympathy visible on her face, “Guess I’ll see him tonight then. Enjoy the lovely day Ren, if you see my class on your tour don’t be afraid to say hi.”
“Oh, you could never scare me off like that Lizzie”
She frowns at him “Oh well now you’ve done it, I have to set your house on fire.”
He shakes his head at her joke “just make sure Martyn’s awake first please, always a pleasure Lizzie, tell your husband I hi for me.” She waves him off and continues singing to herself, locking the door behind him.
It was a nice walk to the outskirts of town, the sun slowly warming him up and the frost crunching beneath his boots. He made a note on his way that the forest surrounding the valley was becoming a bit overgrown. He needed to ask Cleo about some decorative projects around town so they could cut some down before something fell.
The farmhouse didn’t look any different from the last time he had visited with Mumbo. They’d needed to confirm and identify the farmer’s body. It was rather sad actually, he’d stopped coming into town regularly a couple years ago. They all tried to drop by whenever they had time to keep the old man company, but his family had never seemed to come by. He was sure he’d had family, Ren swore he remembered them even coming by when he was younger. But he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually heard any new stories about them in a while.
It was a bit odd though, he thought that even the driveway looked the same. It was empty, if they’d moved in the night before, he thought it was not to have at least a moving truck. He climbed up the janky porch steps, anticipation manifesting in his tail. He knocked on the door and his ears flicked at the immediate sound of footsteps. The door swung into the farmhouse and a tired looking woman in her 20s stared up at him. “Hello?”
Ren immediately shot out his hand out for her to shake with a wide grin spread across his face. “Hello and good morning My lady! I am Ren Dogwood and am the mayor of our humble little town.”
The woman stared at him blinking in confusion sleep still visible on her face. “Right, sorry good morning” she shook her head to try and escape her daze. “Nice to meet you, my name is Gem. “she shakes his hand and looks behind her. “My brother will probably be out in a moment”
“Wonderful! I was hoping to give you both a tour of the valley today if you wouldn’t be opposed to a little adventure” she doesn’t answer but a skeptical look had found itself on her face. “Oh, also! As a show of our gratitude and hospitality, I wanted to give you this gift of seasonal seeds” He holds out the package he got from Lizzie to her.
“Oh… “ she takes it from him not knowing how to respond” Umm, thanks “
“While I’m here! Is there anything I can do to help you settle in? Make the move easier? “He was sinking. He’d always heard farmers were morning people, 9 am seemed like a good time to show up. Perhaps he was wrong, he had to consciously keep his ears from flattening against his head.
“Oh, our powers out actually, so if you could take care of that it’d be a big help.”
Oh! Excellent.
His ears perked back up properly “Worry not ma’am, I will get that fixed as soon as possible for you and your brother. You will shiver alone at night no longer! After l call my guy that is.”
Gem opened her mouth to respond when a noise from inside cut her off. Ren looked over her shoulder and his gaze fell on her brother. He was an attractive man in his early 30s, with tan skin and green eyes. As Ren’s eyes wandered the man’s athletic build, he couldn’t help but notice he was using a cane. They hadn’t thought about that kind of accessibility when planning the party.
Did he need to move the beach party? He could do that, they’d have to be fast about it but that was totally doable. Was their deck even up to code? The property was covered in tripping hazards.
The man looks between his sister and Ren with a curious smile on his face and Ren took his cue. “Good morning there sir! I am Mayor Ren Dogwood and I was just inviting you and Ms. Gem here on a personal tour! “
“He also brought presents” Gem holds up the small box of seeds for her brother to see.
“Yay presents!” he takes them and begins inspecting the package intently. His thought is only broken when his sister nudges his arm and nods towards Ren.
“Oh, yeah “Scar, snaps his attention away from the seeds and back to Ren “pleasure to meet you Mister Mayor! “He seemed to be in a friendlier spirit than his sister.
“Nono, the pleasure is all mine, my good sir and don’t you worry about that power of yours, I’m going to have my best guy on that immediately”
“Well, that’s wonderful to here, thank you sir.” Scar’s smile was infectious, and Ren’s nerves were beginning to settle now that he had joined the conversation. He looked between the two siblings, excitement building in his chest.
“So, would either of you be interested in starting the tour?”
“Does this tour include meeting the town’s Doctor at all?” Scar asks and Ren fights the urge to glance down at his cane.
“Certainly! His office is in the center of town! I’ll introduce you myself and guarantee you’re never overcharged!” they two make a face at each other and Ren worries he’s gone too far. Mumbo has been a needed addition to the Valley and Ren really didn’t want to damage the man’s reputation.
Gem tilts her head and gives her brother a little nudge “I’m sure we can muster up some adventurous spirit for a couple hours.” Scar gives her a glance and they something is nonverbally communicated that Ren can’t understand.
“If an adventure is what the day brings, I suppose its and adventure we will take.” Scar smiles at him.
Gem looks down at her pajamas “Just let me get dressed first?”
“Oh uh, absolutely, I’ll just wait outside here while you get ready. No need to rush ma’am. “Ren flushes a little embarrassed as she disappears inside leaving Scar and him alone.
Scar leans against the outer wall of the cabin not trusting the stairs with his weight.
Ren fidgets with his suspenders and presses his ears into his head once more. “Would it be rude to ask about your cane?” The question has been itching at the edge of his brain, and he just wants to know if he needs to find a back up for his plans.
Scar lets out a laugh and gently smacks him in the leg “Is it rude if I ask about your glasses?”
Ren tilts his head in thought, properly mulling it over before he responds “No, not really, it’d just be a bit of an odd question, I need my glasses to see. “
“And sometimes, I need a cane to walk. “Scar winks at him
“Don’t have any issues with sand, do you? “
Scar frowns and shakes his head “I have many issues with sand… because you see, it’s course, rough and it gets everywhere. “As he nears the end of his sentence, his frown slowly morphs into grin. Ren can’t help but laugh and roll his eyes at the reference.
“Oh, so you’re a nerd I see.”
Scar scoffs in fake offense “A nerd! Since when is Star Wars nerdy? Its one of the biggest movie franchises of all time!” Ren chuckles again at the man in front of him, his smile is wide and bright, and it makes Scar smile even wider. He hadn't messed things up after all.
~
Gem returned from inside the house not long after and it was time for the tour to begin. They’d specifically asked to meet the town doctor earlier. So Mumbo seemed like the perfect place to start. It’d also put them next to the general store so they could meet Joel.
Though, maybe going straight from the nice town doctor to the snippy salesman wasn’t the best idea…
With any luck Lizzie would be nearby with the kids and they could meet her instead.
Mumbo wasn’t to busy when they arrived, he usually wasn’t. If Ren had thought about it he would have brought the man some coffee or a newspaper.
“Ah, good morning today Ren, I see you’ve brought some friends over. “ The doctor eyes the pair of siblings with suspicion then looks back at him.
Ren really needed him not to scare the two of them off with unnecessary judgment.
“Yes! Morning Mumbo, these are our new residents who live on the outskirts of town in the old farmhouse.”
Recognition crosses Mumbo’s face “Oh yeah, you did tell me about that. Nice to meet the two of you, feel free to drop by if you ever need anything, my business hours are 9-3”
“And what if it’s after three? “There’s hostility in Gem’s voice as she narrows her eyes at the doctor.
“Well, if It’s something serious I can always do a house call. “Mumbo smiles at her with a reassuring nod. She softens her expressions and approaches the counter with determination.
“Gemini Taylor, graduated with experience as an OR nurse.” She extends her hand out expectantly, almost daring. “I’m assuming you’ll need help here at your practice during the day. “Mumbo stares at her ears turning a light shade of pink at her enthusiasm.
“Oh umm, yeah, I suppose if you wanted to help out around the clinic some, we could talk about that some time.” Ren was bristling with excitement watching the two interact. The hotheaded ginger stereotype clearly came from somewhere. Mumbo looked rather flustered by her declaration, and maybe a little bit fearful.
“She’ll be the best nurse you ever have” Scar spoke up from behind everyone, a smile of pride on his face as he spoke. “She’s always taken wonderful care of me; I assure you Doc.” Mumbo looked back at Scar with a newfound interest. His eyes were drawn to the cane he held, and Ren could practically hear the gears turning in his head.
The doctors’ eyes pass back and forth between the two siblings “And her being your nurse is a more recent development?”
Scar laughs and rolls his eyes “Oh of course not, I could never hire my little sister for my medical care. Not that she hasn’t tried to take on that responsibility many times of course,” he walks up and pats his sister on the back. “Although, I certainly wouldn’t mind scheduling an appointment with you for a later time. Just a checkup, really get to know all the information.”
Mumbo nods and writes something down in a notebook behind the counter “I think something like that can be arranged.” He hands a piece of paper out to Scar “Here’s my contact information mister?”
“Scar, yes its my real name and no, my parents weren’t trying to be ironic or funny.” He takes the piece of paper and winks at the doctor.
Mumbo looks back at Gem and clears his throat, a slight flush still visible on his cheeks. “Come back by again and we can talk about getting me some help around here yeah?”
“Sure thing.” She smiles and gives him a small salute.
Mumbo needed to re-sort his client intel, and the trio made their way out of the clinic. Ren’s tail wailed against his leg in excitement, this was already going well. The two of them were definitely very interesting characters and he couldn’t wait to watch them liven up the community. “Now that you’ve met our beloved town doctor, it’s time to swing by our general store! Though fair warning, Joel is not as friendly as Mumbo.” He shoots a glance at Scar; he’d caught that wink at their local mustached heartthrob. Joel was hopelessly devoted to his wife and despite Joel’s tendency to flirt at the saloon, there wasn’t a pineapple in sight. It was a real shame honestly.
Joel scowled from behind the counter fiddling with something on his displays “back again already Ren.”
Once again, his ears flattened to his skull, Joel was always a little bit hostile, but now was not the time…
Scar was looking around the store, poking his head into the isles and picking up produce. Gem trailed closely behind inspecting a collection of indoor plant pots. Maybe Ren’s warning was enough to make them oblivious. “Joel, you are the second stop on my tour of the valley today.” Ren leaned over the counter to whisper through gritted teeth. “Please be nice, they’re new and we wanna make a good impression dude.”
“Why are you giving them a tour? They already live here, and if you wanted people to make a good impression why are you the first person to meet them.” Joel replied in his usual sarcastic drone. Ren wanted to bark back his frustration but managed to keep his restraint “Because Joel, I’m the mayor and it’s my job to show them around.”
Joel looks over Ren’s shoulder to watch Scar almost fall into a produce bin. The newcomer looked up to see if he’d gotten away with his clumsy failure without witness. Unfortunately, he did not, and Joel waved him over. “If you break it, you buy it.”
“Oh, but I didn’t break anything” Scar whines a reply as he sauntered over.
“Mhm, well just in case you do, I’ll start you an ongoing tab. What’s your name sir?” Joel clicks a pen and looks at Scar expectantly.
“Oh ah- “Scar begins to flounder in a panic as his face turns red in embarrassment.
Joel smiles at him and waves his hand “Man relax I’m kidding, just pleas be careful in my store.”
“Oh, okay yeah sure thing” Scar laughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his neck, “Nice to meet you sir, names Scar by the way… that tab might not be the worst idea actually...”
“I remember you Scar, you use to come by with your grandad when my dad ran this place.”
“Oh” Scar looked a little dumbfounded at being recognized.
“So what brings you back around again? This isn’t really where you go to holiday.”
Ren glares at Joel, it was too a great place for a holiday. Scar glanced back at his sister who was looking at flowers. “Needed to get some fresh air.”
Joel follows Scars gaze and nods in some sort of understanding “Gotta look out for your family, I can respect that. Airs not that fresh here though, its full of coal dust.”
Scar laughs, and it sounds forced. Ren looks back and forth between the two men unsure of how the conversation had ended up like this. He should probably intervene and salvage the situation before the tour goes completely sideways.
Luckily though, Gem had made her way to the front with an armful of items unknowingly saving the moment before Ren needed to. She drops her things on the counter and gives a nervous laugh. Joel looks down at the collection of plants and soil she had gathered.
He raises his eyebrow and looks up at her. Ren winces, Gem hadn't met the shopkeeper yet.
“And is that all?”
“Do you want my money or not sir.” Gem returned his quirked eyebrow, once again proving stereotypes right.
Joel tilts his head to one side and shrugs “Fair enough, welcome back Gem.”
“You better not scam me Smalls, I’ll beat you up again.”
Oh, so they knew each other too. I mean obviously they would, right? Joel had known Scar already. Apparently, Gem was more comfortable with him, their interaction was already far less awkward.
“I wouldn’t dream of its Gem, my wife would kill me in my sleep.” He started bagging up her items.
“As she should.” Ah, so she was friends with Lizzie. That made sense.
The three made a big show out of Gem’s purchases. After Joel had told them the price Scar had tried to haggle him down and Gem threatened violence. It was clearly all in good fun but it did leave Ren rather puzzled. The rest of the day was rather uneventful, he showed them around the valley and showed them important landmarks. Everyone else was busy setting up the beach so he’d had to think quickly on his feet about not seeing anyone else around. It wasn’t that they were abandoned, everyone was just in church something. Nevermind that it was Thursday.
They’d needed to take breaks throughout the day as Ren dragged them all over, Gem said something about the air being thin? Scar also needed to rest his leg as they trekked over more rocky terrain, Ren would have to fix that in the future. “I do hope you guys don’t mind accompanying me to one more very special place today?” the sun was just beginning to set and it was time for the big surprise.
The siblings looked at each other with apprehension, they were both tired and had yet to get any work done. Ren bit the inside of his cheek, they were so close… he had to start pouting, it was the only way. He grabbed their shoulders and walked with them; a whine buried in the back of his throat as he pleaded with his eyes.
Gem tried to decline but Scar had shot her a look of pity for the mayor, and they’d agreed. Ren instantly perked up his tail wagging in excitement.
All this was going to work out, everyone would meet them at the docks, and it’d be a grand time.
They’d feel welcomed and the valley would start to move forward. They could leave the mines and grow as a community. He just had to make it to the beach, and everything would be right. It would be as calm and gentle as the sea. Roaring, waiting for an adventure perfect to reel in a prized fish- or whatever it was that Grian would say.