A/N: Okay, so I haven't uploaded anything on here in a looooong time. XD My apologies. Anyways, hi everyone. Anima here once again. ;w; Sorry I haven't really posted anything in a while. For those who have read/like my Happy Feet fanfic, "It's My Life", please do not fear that I have given up on it. That is most certainly not the case. I just... haven't managed to get back into writing it yet. :'D I need to really get working on that.

Anywho, obviously this day (actually night, it's currently 3:00 am as I'm typing this) I am here for an entirely different reason. I love Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons. And if you are reading this then you probably do too. I had one HM fanfic uploaded several years ago, "Barn", that I never finished and took down. Probably should rewrite that one someday, maybe. XD But anyway, I've been wanting to write more HM/SoS fanfics for a long time now. And some of you may be aware that the new game, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns just came out February 28th. Some of you, like me, may have been looking for fanfics for this new game, and like me may have been disappointed that none had surfaced yet. This is understandable, as it is a very new game (at least here in the USA LOL). Still, I felt as though I wanted to contribute, at least in part, to the fanfiction for this wonderful new game. And, as it helps me scratch my "need to write HM/SoS stuff" itch as well, this'll be killing two birds with one stone. :D

Still, I haven't seriously worked on/written a fanfic in a long time, so please excuse me if I seem a little rusty. I don't fully have this story planned out yet, as I am still currently in the midst of the gameplay that this story will be based upon. Please feel free to make me suggestions you think might help me in improving. If you have a critique for me, please be kind and courteous, both to me and anyone else who might comment. Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy! :D

*Story started on 3/10/17.

*EDIT 3/14/17: Removed an error.

The wagon ride was, for the most part, rather quiet and uneventful. The driver seemed friendly enough, but the passenger, one Holly Heiss, was not in the most talkative of moods. Though there was nothing overly wrong this day, for the sun was shining, the flowers abloom and nature as it should be, Holly herself felt mixed emotions.

Idly reaching up to play with one of the pair of wheat-colored braids that draped over each of her shoulders, the young woman watched the scenery go by, her mind troubled. While she should be happy that she was finally setting off to start her dream, and honestly, she was happy about that, the arguments that she'd had recently with her father still smarted. Daryl Heiss was an ambitious man, one who knew what he wanted and how to go after it. A man who, if he believed things were meant to be a certain way, would move hell and high water to ensure they would be. A man who hated any sort of disruption in his perfectly arranged world.

The perfect example? Daryl had always had clear visions of how he wanted his children to grow up, and what he wanted for them. And then his eldest daughter, Holly, had up and decided that she wanted to become a farmer. He had disagreed. Strongly. The arguments had been numerous, some lasting for hours. Perhaps Daryl had not known how very willful his daughter could be. Rather like him, her mother, Marlena, had told her at one point.

Holly had persisted, regardless of her father's protestations, and in the end he had decided to allow her to go, in his words, to stay with his younger brother, Holly's uncle Frank. Frank Heiss was a farmer himself, living in a small town called Westown, someplace out in the "middle of nowhere", as her father had put it. Daryl wasn't at odds with his brother, but they weren't exactly close, either. Still, he had said that Frank would be the one to determine whether Holly had any real potential to be a farmer or not, and so Frank would judge her. Daryl himself was still utterly convinced that his daughter was making a mistake, and he had told her to her face that he wanted her to discover that for herself. And it hurt. Her mother's support was something of a balm for that hurt, but not much. It hurt that her own father didn't believe in her, and didn't want to support the dream she had had ever since she was a child.

Even after all that, however, there was another emotion that warred with her hurt feelings. Determination. Holly truly wanted this, and she was determined to prove, not only to her father and uncle, but also to herself, that she could do this. Just because she had no prior experience with farming did not mean she could not learn. She loved to read, and had read several books on the subject during her life. Yes, reading and doing were two different things, but surely some of the knowledge she had gleaned from books could be put to good use in her farming career. There was always more to read, more to learn. She could do it. And she would.

"Here we are," the wagon driver announced, gesturing with his free hand as he walked with Holly up towards a rustic looking wooden ranch house the color of pea green, with a brown roof and accents. "This is Frank's place." His other hand carried a suitcase, one of the two traveling vessels Holly had brought with her, containing changes of clothing and other essentials, as well as a few items Holly brought simply to make her new home... Home.

The two of them stopped in front of the house, a light breeze blowing past. Holly clutched the handle of her wheeled luggage bag tightly in her hands, and the driver placed the suitcase he'd brought up for her down beside her. "I'll be taking my leave here, miss," he said, offering a small smile. Having heard her story on the trip, he knew what she had come for, and added, "Best of luck to you."

"Thank you," Holly answered, returning the smile as the man left to return to his wagon. She turned to the house again, taking a deep breath. The low of a cow in the pen across the yard made her look around, and she couldn't help a fond smile at the memories seeing the black and white spotted animal evoked. She wouldn't mind having a cow of her very own one day. Or two. Or three. Cows were cute. And so were sheep, she mused in addition as she caught sight of a few white, fluffy shapes gathered some feet away from the cattle.

She cleared her throat as she realized she was getting distracted, and turned back to the ranch house. Though she hadn't thought she was nervous at all, a nervous feeling fluttered to life in her stomach. All she knew about her uncle was that he was a farmer. She had been told that he had seen her once, when she was a baby, but she was understandably quite unable to recall that encounter. She therefore had little to no idea what to expect of this man. Was he as serious and stubborn as her father was? What if he didn't think she could do it, either?

Well, then... She would show this guy too! Just because she was only nineteen years old did not mean she was incapable of becoming a successful farmer! She would march right up and knock on that door and when Uncle Frank opened it she would tell him in no uncertain terms that-

"Who's there?"

The fire that had crackled to life in her chest so suddenly abruptly ebbed slightly at the sudden shout. She stood before the door, hand raised to boldly knock, and turned her head to see a man approaching from the pasture. Perhaps he'd just come out of the barn, and that was why she had not previously noticed him.

"Wait... Is that you, Holly?" the man asked, a curious look becoming visible on his face as he neared her. So... Was this man her uncle?

"Yes, sir," she answered, uncertainty entering her tone. That annoyed her, but perhaps it was best to remain calm for now, and not let herself get worked up at the possibility of this man's disapproval when right now they knew absolutely nothing about each other. "You're... my uncle, Frank?" She quickly looked him over as he came to stand in front of her. He was fairly tall, almost as tall as her father. He had the same coppery-red hair color as his brother, though he wore a straw hat to cover what Holly presumed was a balding head. Where Daryl was always clean-shaven, Frank also had a full beard, and the stubble of a barely-sprouting moustache. Where her father was lean and fit, built like a bull, Frank was somewhat less so. Not that he was lacking in muscle, but he was more portly in build.

Still, those familiar blue eyes looking back at her left her with no doubt that this was her uncle.

"Yes ma'am," Frank Heiss affirmed, reaching a hand out to offer Holly a hearty handshake, a grin spreading across his face. She took the pro-offered hand, surprised at how... friendly he seemed. "Welcome, good to have ya, good to have ya!" he exclaimed in a lively, jovial tone she had not been expecting at all. It seemed that more than looks differentiated the two brothers. His voice sounded similar to that of her father's, but decidedly less formal, and with a hint of a southern twang.

When the handshake ended, he pulled back, crossing his arms over his chest and looking her over. "Dang... They weren't lyin' when they said time flies. Look at how big you've gotten. Last time I saw you you were just a little baby. I bet you don't even remember me."

Well, obviously that went without saying, but Holly held back any kind of snarky comment in response to the obvious statement. Frank certainly appeared to be a lot nicer than what she had been expecting. And that was a good thing, right? "It's... nice to meet you, Uncle Frank," she answered, hoping she didn't sound as awkward as she felt. Nothing about him was what she had expected.

She couldn't help but admit to herself that she was curious. Why hadn't Uncle Frank visited more than once? Had he and her father had a falling out, or something? Probably not a question she should be asking after only just meeting the man.

Frank beamed, then blinked, as though he'd just remembered something he'd forgotten. "Ah, yeah... Just so's you know," he said, "it's customary 'round these here parts to give a hug when greetin' folks. Wanna give it a try?"

Holly stilled. Blinked. "Huh!?" A hug? Was he serious? People greeted strangers around here with...

"Ha ha ha!" Frank barked out a laugh, making Holly jolt in surprise. Wait... Was he pulling her leg? "Yeah, I guess it is rather surprisin', gettin' told that right out of the blue."

Oh dear... He wasn't joking.

"Eh, it was one surprise after another for me as well, when I first got to Westown too," he said. "But it's turned out to be pretty nice. Anyways, just consider this a practice round if you'd like."

And before Holly could protest or step back to protect her personal space, Uncle Frank had enveloped her in a big hug. Holly managed to pick up the scent of sweat, hay, and animals as she stood there, awkwardly enduring the hug for a moment before just as awkwardly reaching up her arms to tentatively hug Frank back.

Awkwardness. Awkwardness everywhere.

Thankfully, the hug was mercifully short, and Frank let her go with a chuckle. "There ya go, that was a good one!" No, it wasn't. "I'm sure it'll all seem confusin' at first, but you'll do just fine. Once you've met enough folks and get a chance to say hi, you'll get used to it." No, she wouldn't.

"Anyways," he said, changing the subject. Thank goodness. "Your pa sent me a letter explainin' everythin'."

Holly took pause at that statement. What had her father written about her, and her dream? 'Probably nothing good,' she thought with no small amount of irritation.

Seemingly unaware of her current train of thought, or maybe he had actually figured it out that she didn't want to talk about her father at the moment, Frank added, "First things first, though, you've gotta be bushed after that long trip. Come on in and settle down for a spell."

Taking a deep breath, Holly nodded. She reached for her rolling luggage bag and suitcase, but a gentle hand on her arm stopped her.

"Hey now, missy. You're my guest, now. Don'tcha be worryin' 'bout all this, alright? Uncle Frank's gotcha covered." With that, he hefted up her suitcase under one arm and grabbed the handle of the rolly luggage with the other hand. "Inside with ya, now," he said, a grin appearing on his face again as he inclined his head toward the door. "Door's unlocked."

Holly couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks..." she said, feeling slightly less awkward than she had only moments ago. Frank was... not what she'd expected, that was true. But weird, straw hats with leaves and greeting hugs aside, he seemed to be a decent man. And hopefully, a fair one, who would give her a chance to prove herself worthy of pursuing her dream. With renewed courage, she turned and reached for the doorknob.