Chapter Text
The Stardew Saloon was as busy as any other Friday night. Upbeat music filled the establishment and lifted the hearts of anyone who walked through the doors. Members of Pelican town were socializing either by playing bar games, drinking together merrily, or strutting their stuff out on the small dance floor by the entryway. In the center of it all behind the bar stood Gus, the owner, multitasking like it was second nature. He gave a hearty greeting as the farmer in town entered and offered her a drink. Said woman gave a loud greeting in reply, accepting his offer of a cold beer after a long day in the sun. Not a moment later, was she called over by Willy, who looked as sober as this morning when she bought bait. Though the two empty beer jugs along with a half empty third made her question that. Next to him, forehead on the table was Clint, the local blacksmith, no beer in hand.
“Aye, lass! How'd the bait treat ya?” His voice became somewhat audible over the jukebox in the corner as she got closer.
She plopped down on the seat between them, slammed her hand on the table and laughed, “I've gotten enough fish just today to fill the city aquarium!”
Willy followed suit, laughing hardily, “Best bait this side of the Valley! Glad ta’ hear it’s doin’ ya good.”
Clint’s muffled groan interrupted the celebration.
The farmer's jean overalls stretched as she leaned towards the lump of a man, “What’d you say, Clint?”
With all of his strength, he sat his chin on the table and mustered out a whiny, “I said, ‘Good for you’...”
Willy took a swig of his beer and met her confused gaze, “Love trouble.”
“Ah.” Her straw hat shifted as she nodded her head.
“It’s not love trouble…” His head swiveled to lay with his cheek against the hopefully clean table, “It’s not even love…”
The farmer sighed, it seemed at this rate, Clint would be celibate for the rest of his life. Despite the constant advice to ‘just go for it’, he always said it was never that easy. She couldn’t understand, why the charades? Just ask her out, she says yes, go on a date. She says no, move on. All this nonsense was starting to get stale, in her opinion.
The woman sat up with her back straightened and turned to look Clint dead in the eyes, “Listen, Clint, and listen good.”
His eyes perked up and stared up at her.
“Get over it and become the town priest already.”
A loud groan was contrasted by a hollering laughter from either side of her.
“You just don’t get it, Farmer! There’s no way Emily would say yes…”
“Say yes to what?”
Jovial atmosphere evaporated like they had been shot into the sun’s orbit, the three patrons had all frozen in place. Clint slowly sat up, posture slouched, but his eyes were downcast. Beads of sweat were cascading down his face in rapid succession, armpit stains expanded with every ragged breath. The farmer fared a bit better. Her mouth, open from laughter, now hung like someone was going to throw popcorn. Her eyes hesitantly trailed up to see the barmaid, Emily, standing there with a smile. Willy had his mouth open as well, and was staring at Clint with an amused glint in his eyes. Emily set down a jug of beer in front of the shocked farmer, being careful not to let the foam spill.
Willy was the first to recover, “Aye, lass, we were just talkin’ ‘bout rocks.”
All three of them turned to Willy with varying levels of confusion.
Emily tilted her head, “Rocks? What about them?”
The fisherman sat back in his wooden seat, relaxed as ever, “Them things ya like. The red ‘n blue ‘n green. What're they called again?”
“Oh! Are you talking about gemstones?” Emily’s demeanor brightened, her interest piqued.
“Aye, our farmer ‘ere was talkin’ ‘bout getting a haul in the mines later on.” He turned his attention to said individual.
Slowly overcoming the jumpscare of her week, the woman nodded absentmindedly, "Y-Yeah, yeah, I was… tomorrow, I’m going tomorrow.”
Willy almost laughed at the lame addition to the ruse he had made up. Her face looked similar to a fish he had caught this morning. Mouth agape, eyes huge and behavior floundering. He wouldn’t say it out loud though, since she would punch him much harder than any fish.
“Hey, if you’re going tomorrow,” Emily leaned towards the scrappy woman, “Would it be too much trouble to bring me a ruby? I can pay you, of course, for the trouble!"
“Uhhhh…” the farmer turned to Willy, who shrugged, then back to the excited blue haired woman, “Sure..?” Her answer tumbled out of her mouth before she could reconsider.
“Oh, thank you so much!” Her chaotic hair bounced as she jumped for joy, giving the woman a surprise side hug, “I gotta go back to the bar, but thank you!”
As the woman scurried off to continue her shift at the busy saloon, the table sat quietly for a few minutes. Willy took one last swig to end off his round.
“Clint?” Willy tapped his stiff shoulder.
Said man’s chin wiggled from holding back tears, “...Why didn’t she ask me?”
He received a pitiful pat on the back from the elder man.
“I wasn’t even planning on going to the mines tomorrow…” She sighed sadly before taking a quick gulp of her now lukewarm beer, “Rubies? Seriously?” She licked the foam off her top lip.
“Hey, be grateful that she asked you…” Clint bit out indignantly, eyes still staring down at his lap.
By this time, it had gotten late. Shown by the group of three young adults leaving the saloon with loud exclamations of who won the pool game and plans on taking a trip to Zuzu City together over the summer when Abigail had a break from her college classes. The young woman’s eyes lingered on the group for a moment too long to be considered a passing glance.
Willy followed the farmer's stare as the group left out the large wooden door. He turned back and set her with a pensive stare.
“Lass, ya know you can play with ‘em, don't ya?” He pat Clint’s shoulder for emphasis, “Ya don’t need to drink with some ol’ farts! Hehe!”
The other ol’ fart groaned in despair.
She sat up straight and met his gaze with too much seriousness, “I don’t need to be there, Willy. I like joking around with you guys.”
He leaned forward, “...Are they nice to ya?”
Sighing, she brought both her hands up in exasperation, “Yes, DAD. They’re fine! I just don’t really… get along with them.” A smile graced her face, “Not like I do with you guys.”
Both men exchanged looks before looking back with genuine smiles. The night went on with their regular banter. Thankfully, no other surprises came up that night, though the semi-new farmer found herself surveying the room for the eccentric barmaid every so often. After she had bid the duo farewell and had gotten snug under her grandfather’s quilt in bed, her mind couldn’t get the stop replaying Willy’s suggestion.
She turned in her bed for the umpteenth time. ‘I don’t even know how to play pool… I wonder if Gus would teach me?’
It felt silly since they were all around their twenties, but the farmer felt she was in a different league compared to them. She didn’t ride a skateboard like Sam, she didn’t like to disrupt other people's property. She wasn’t an avid gamer like Abigale, being too busy with her responsibilities as a farmer and member of the adventurer’s guild to partake. Lastly, she would be the first to admit she wasn’t tech savvy in the slightest like Sebastian.
Her days consisted of manual labor, fighting against monsters, managing her investments in her business and some gambling on the side, kudos to Mr. Qi. She talked expansion plans for Ginger Island with Willy, tool upgrades with Clint. Hell, she discussed stock market opportunities with Peirre when she had free time.
In reality, talking to her peers made her feel out of her depth. She had an inkling that they shared the same sentiment about her as well. She got along with them well enough, but it was surface level at the best of times. Out of her depth with the youth of today, though she was in that bracket felt isolating.
A loud sigh rang out in the lonely cabin, ‘Guess there’s not much I can do…’
Morning came and went far too fast for the farmer. Bedhead from tossing and turning, her mouth tasted like a dried out sardine had smooched her. Not one to prolong the inevitable workload on her plate, she tied on her metaphorical bib and chowed down. The rocky terrain of the underground made the farmer feel like she was entering another universe. Her feet dragged through the red dirt of the deep mines. A dark red hue painted the room as if warning her against continuing further down. Jagged gems of ruby glinted in the distance, their deep color called to her from far across the cavern. Like a foolish sailor trapped under the song of a siren, she knew she didn't stand a chance against its beckoning. After five hours of searching through the deepest depths of the local mines, she had finally found a single ruby node.
She was running on fumes at this point. Sure, she had slain enough monsters to make Marlon nod in approval, but seeing her end goal in sight made her fatigue rocket back into her mind. Despite this, in fact, in spite of this, she marched onward with her sword in hand. She had made it this far, they would have to drag her out kicking and screaming like a witch set to burn at the stake if they wanted her to turn back now. Her pride as not only a member of the adventurer’s guild, but as a fellow community member of Pelican town was on the line.
‘Me and my big, damn mouth…’
Halfway through the room, a lava crab came skittering at her from behind her. It’s hot, camouflage shell rammed into her calves, emphasised by the sizzling of her scorching skin. Searing hot saliva spit from the creature’s mouth onto her upper legs. Letting out a yelp, she swiveled around and slashed at the creature with her sword, only for it to recede back into its shell for protection. Legs barely able to stand without shaking, she knew that her health was incredibly low. In the back of her mind, she thanked Yoba she was wearing shorts so the fabric didn’t fuse into her skin. She just needed a little more juice in the tank. Sadly, she had eaten her last cave carrot about three floors ago. Hanging onto the hope she would find more crates, but no such luck.
Making a split second decision she would hopefully not regret, she swapped her sword in favor of her iron pickaxe, turned back around and launched herself directly in the line of the fiery gem. Footfalls hauntingly deafening in the ominous silence, jaw clenched in pain as her seared skin stretched with every movement. Intrusive thoughts plagued her, but she fought them back to a quiet corner in her mind. The little crab had resumed following after her, its many legs scurrying to catch up.
A few feet away, she leapt into the air, both hands heaving her pickaxe over her head before crashing down to strike the rock with all her strength. Instantly, pieces and bits shot through the air like shrapnel. The end of her tool kicked back into her gut, almost making her lose her lunch. There was sure to be a bruise there tomorrow. Despite this setback, the attack proved fruitful, with the treasure launched a few meters away. Her body urged her to rest, almost doubling over in pain, but this wasn’t her first rodeo. Gums inflamed from grinding her teeth, she snatched a shard of ruby into her backpack and hauled ass towards the ladder. Barely bypassing her second shadow, intense heat radiated too close for comfort as she sprinted by the bugger.
Once her hands grabbed onto the ladder, she felt her body slump as her breaths came out in harsh, ragged bouts. She was at her limit, she knew it, felt it in her bones. Lady luck didn’t have anything else to give her. If anything, she was in eternal debt with the big man knocking on her door for retributions. Her assailant was approaching her with great speed now, closing in on its meal of grilled farmer, extra charred on one side, hold the lemon.
Before she could become food, a hand shot out from above and grabbed a fistful of her hair, her straw hat thrown to the ground. A sacrifice to the dark depths.
“Ow, ow, OW!” New pain coursing through her scalp electrified her body enough to begin moving up the ladder.
Through the commotion, she could pick out the voice Clint yelling at her, “Hurry! Get up here!”
As her foot moved up to the next step on the ladder, she heard the thump of the rock monster as its small body collided with the step. It released a hiss as it scuttled around the end of the ladder like a shark circling its prey. The farmer turned her gaze up to see Clint with a look of fear on his face. When they locked eyes, he tried to give her a reassuring smile before she grimaced in pain.
“Let go of my hair, Clint!”
He quickly let go in lieu of grabbing her upper arm and hoisting her up to the previous level she had cleared out. Just as she was at the mouth, Clint’s eyes pointed downward and he let out a girlish shriek.
“Oh my god, it’s climbing up! It’s climbing up!”
Seems evolution just had to show off its amazing achievements at the most impromptu time. Half of the crab’s legs were enclosed around the lowest hang of the ladder, with one limb on the other side trying to grab the next step. A tricky balancing act that made her blood pressure skyrocket when it managed to grab hold of the next step. In all her wisdom, the farmer took a piece of stone out from her backpack and hurled it at the red rocky crab, hitting it dead on. The little hell spawn fell upside down on its shell, unmoving.
At last on stable ground, the two adventurers took a few minutes to catch their breaths. With this moment of reprieve after being rescued, she slowly bent her legs to survey the damage. Harvey would never let her hear the end of this one, she was sure of it. Her calves and parts of her upper legs had a sheen to them, a light pink, formed by her body to avoid infection. Large blisters were going to appear, which would hinder her workdays, not to mention the cost…
Head falling back as she groaned at the prospective hospital bill, the rest of her upper body followed suit. Laying on the dirty cave ground, her eyes glazed over in an attempt to escape her reality. Only for her plans to be thwarted by said existence.
“We should get out of here,” Clint had finally caught his breath, “Can you walk? I’ll take you to Harvey’s.”
With a huff, she took Clint’s arm and hung onto it for support as they slowly set out to leave the musty mines. It had taken them a while, as when they broke the surface and left the rocky exit, they were greeted by a starry night sky. She hated to admit it, but she almost teared up at seeing the outside world again. The weight of her predicament crashing down on her shoulders like a cold bucket. Already exhausted physically, her brain scattered in trying to cope with her near death experience. It was all too much for one day, for one damn gemstone that she stupidly agreed to get.
Her head hung low as Clint guided them over the small wooden platform over the lake, “I’m such an idiot.”
“Hey, you’re not an idiot.”
“I shouldn’t have said I would get that ruby… Me and my stupid ego.” Her tone grew more frustrated, “God, why am I so useless?”
“You’re not useless. You were doing something for a friend.”
Anger simmered, “I’m not even that close to Emily!” Tears started to well in her eyes in spite of her efforts, “I just… What’s wrong with me?!”
Clint stayed silent for a few moments, letting the injured woman let out her frustration. In reality, he was never good in situations like this. He was more used to being the one comforted. Still, he threw in his two cents, if not to fill the dreadful silence that hung after his friend’s outburst.
“Maybe,” He paused before hesitantly saying, “You should try making more friends? Like, you can get to know Emily and others…”
He gulped, “...Her age?”
Taken aback by the advice, she twisted her head up to glare at Clint, “What are you even-”
“I-I mean, you do all these things and everyone depends on you for so much stuff… Maybe you shouldn’t… I mean, maybe you should try acting more your age than my age…”
Through Clint's blabbering speech hid a golden nugget of truth that made her ego sting deservedly. She was young, only in her mid twenties, and already, she was living her life like she had the experience of thirty years that was nothing but smoke. As much as she loathed to admit, she knew the shoes she was running in didn’t feel snug enough. Tripping more often in tandem with the more responsibility she put on her shoulders, with a hardy laugh that masked her anxiety. Her fears of being a failure.
All was quiet for a while, before the limping woman cracked a small smile, “...Thanks, Clint.”
His voice held relief, “No problem.”
As the two were passing Robin and Demetrius’s large cabin, the musky tang of smoke swirled into their nostrils. The woman turned her head to see a black figure that stood in front of the blue backdrop of the lake. The black hair and overall gloomy presence related this mysterious figure to that of Robin’s son, Sebastian. One of the three that left the saloon yesterday night. She recalled him being the quiet, almost stoic type. Not saying much to her in her year of being in the Valley.
Wanting to call out, she opened her mouth but hesitated. What would he think, seeing her like this? Beaten up after an arduous day of scavenging, she must’ve looked like she crawled out of hell. Actively going into situations like the one today, except she usually didn’t have others that would rescue her. Down there, she had to admit, she let her rage and anger take control when in battle. Ruthless in the face of even the most demonic looking creatures. Just today had been different, a little off, she had more thoughts than usual eating away at her mind. Chipping at her self assured armor. Questions that couldn’t be relieved by the swing of her sword. Questions that had only grown louder in volume since that night at the saloon.
Would he think she’s weird?
It was almost a laughable thing to ask. In her mind, the routine was already predetermined. The look of disgust, the judgement, the scorn and gossip that would follow thereafter. Doubt swirled in her, making her chest tighten uncomfortably.
Due to her indecisiveness, her opportunity had fizzled out as they continued down the dirt road towards the heart of town. Too far from earshot, she kept her head turned and stared at the slowly shrinking silhouette of the young man.