To Shane, his ideal night was an evening in front of the television. Remote in hand, as he flipped through channel after channel until he finally settled on a channel that was showing some old sitcom reruns. His shoes kicked off beneath him, feet propped on the coffee table, and a frozen pizza sitting beside him on the couch. Whilst the remote stayed in one hand, a beer can was clutched in the other.
That, was his ideal night.
Well, that or a night out in the city. And getting to see a gridball game.
But given that neither of those things were an option at the moment, he had to settle for the most basic type of evening possible. Which, at this rate in his life, was a routine evening.
An evening he would've gladly settled into had his aunt not conveniently forgotten to grab the pasta she needed to make supper that night.
So, of being at home like he so desired, where did he find himself instead?
His place of work.
Not working, thank God. He'd be damned if he had to take on a night shift, but thankfully most of the townspeople were in bed before late, so late shifts had never been a necessity. Heck, it wasn't even like he liked being here outside of work hours, God knows he saw enough of his boss in those hours. He didn't need any extra ones to tack on.
But, it wasn't his fault he got out of work at the same time Pierre decided to close his shop for the night. And that was only at 5:00! No wonder he was having trouble staying in business.
With no other options, he'd begrudingly trudged back to the store and was now standing in one of the various aisles, holding two jars of pasta sauce in his hands. He couldn't believe he was still debating over which to get, it wasn't like it even mattered. Every sauce tasted the same to him, maybe he was just procastinating having to walk the long way back to the ranch.
This damn sauce was literally the last item Marnie had requested, yet his brain had decided to be fickle on which one to get. Pasta sauce, of all the fucking things...
Grumbling, he shoved one jar back onto the shelf and tossed the other into the basket he was carrying. Not that he'd even bothered to check which one he grabbed, hell if he cared. He wasn't looking forward to walking all the way back home but at the same time, he didn't wanna be stuck in this frigid building any longer than he had to be.
His attention went to further down the aisle, expecting to see Jas still sitting on one of the lower, empty shelves. He'd sent her to grab the garlic bread whilst he debated over the pasta sauce, and hadn't even decided when she'd returned. So she'd taken to moping while he'd continued questioning his life choices.
Of course, he wasn't surprised to see she wasn't there.
This didn't stop him from feeling slightly alarmed, and he walked from the aisle he was currently in and out into the open. It didn't take long to find Jas at one of the checkout lines, inspecting the rack of candy that just seemed to be perfectly displayed for little children to be tempted by.
Though he did feel some relief, he shook his head whilst sighing and headed over to her. She heard his footsteps, standing back up to join him as he approached. Smiling brightly, she held her hands behind her back, which was not at all a suspicious act.
Shane cocked an eyebrow at her, though the rest of his face remained as unamused as ever. He held his hand out, Jas only eyeing it innocently before hanging her head in shame and handing over the lollipop she'd attempt to confisicate.
"Thought about slipping that in the basket, were we?" he lightly scolded her while putting the treat back in place. She shrugged, kicking one foot at the tiled ground.
"I dunno..."
"What do you mean you don't know?" He eyed her, with a small smirk.
"I just..." Another shrug. "I dunno."
"Mm. Sure."
Of course, she had no legit response to this, and just smiled at him again. This, was naturally a response in hopes of getting the lollipop back, but the look Shane returned to her told this was not a night she'd been getting any sweets on. Especially with it being so close to supper, if not being several minutes after it.
Still, he ruffled her hair before heading to the checkout to pay for the items in his basket.
Upon paying for their few items, both Shane and Jas departed out in the warm spring evening. No one else was really out right now, save for Clint who was headed over to the saloon. It was where Shane would also prefer to go as well, if this wasn't currently a Sunday. Marnie preferred to have him home for supper on Sundays, seeing as he never ate at home on weekdays.
Not that he had anything against her home cooking, but he'd grown too accustomed to the taste of frozen meals. Far too accustomed for his own good, she'd said. She did seem to take a bit of offense he preferred eating those by himselves rather than eating a nice warm meal with his family.
But the frozen meals were part of the routine he'd designated for himself. Maybe he just didn't like having to sit at the table and have to talk about his day, when nothing really exciting had happened. It was just the same thing week after week, really. Nothing new to report, which was another reason he wasn't in a hurry to get home.
It was already slightly dark outside, the sun could be seen setting from beyond several buildings. Jas skipped ahead of Shane, singing some nursery rhyme to herself as she hopped the cobblestones. She only stopped when they came to a two-way point, gasping as Shane turned in the downwards direction that they usually took back home.
"Shane, wait!" He stopped, inwardly groaning as he turned back to face her.
"I told you to tie your shoes before we left, Jas..." he mumbled. But she huffed, seeming to take offense to his statement. Her fists, although curled, were placed on her hips.
"Shane! Look!" she protested. She thrust one foot forward to display the Mary-Jane strap shoes she was wearing. He snorted.
"Okay, my bad. What's the issue, then?"
"It's about our route home. I think we need to change it." Her fists left her sides, and she pointed a chubby finger towards the direction opposite the one they were going. "We always go the same way, past Vincent's house. I wanna go a different way."
"And you know there's no other way home, Jas." He rolled his eyes, puffing slightly from the weight of the paper bags he was carrying. "Come on, let's just go this way. Marnie wants us home before it gets too dark, besides this way's quicker. We'll be home sooner this way."
"But-"
"But nothing. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with this way." Shane turned around again, fully prepared to start walking again. "What's with the sudden need to go in that direction, anyways? There's nothing there."
"Vincent said there was, though." Jas's feet tapped against the ground as she ran to catch up with him. "He said there was a building over there. A whole lotta fences too."
"Sure. So he was trespassing, then?"
"No!" Jas squeaked. "I mean-wait, what's trespassing?"
"Huhh, well..." Shane shoved one bag aside, stopping mid-walk. "Let's see. That's a fancy word for being on someone's private property, and they haven't given you permission to be there. What was Vincent even doing there, anyways?"
"He got lost while he was berrypicking with Sam." Jas hopped over a crack. "He keeps trying to get Miss Penny to take us there for a field trip but she said it's too dangerous, that we could end up hurting ourselves. She said we could cut ourselves on something. "
"And she's got a point. You don't wanna end up having to get a tetanus shot, do you?"
Jas stopped walking as well, her face scrunching at the idea of having to get a shot. Shane did not blame her at all. He couldn't say he was too fond of needles himself.
"See, exactly." He pointed the best he could, with the hand carrying the paper bag. "Now let's get this stuff home, okay?"
"But Shane...
"No more buts, you aren't convincing me to walk on someone else's private property." he huffed again, readjusting the bags into both of his arms. "It's none of our business what's really there, so let's just try to be back before the moon decides to come out."
Defeated, Jas hung her head and kicked at a stray pebble on the road. The two trudged down the path in silence, though it didn't take long for the girl to speak up again. Her mood was not one that was kept down for long, even if she didn't get what she want. It was something Shane appreciated, especially knowing bratty most kids her age tended to act. He was just grateful she'd been raised differently.
"But-but don't you wanna know what's actually there?" she piped up, trying her best to keep up with him, which wasn't difficult considering how slothlike he was walking. "Aren't you curious?"
"Not really." he admitted very dryly, which caused Jas to pout. Still, she kept talking, as was expected.
"Well, I don't think anyone lives there. Vincent said he knocked on the door and no one answered." she continued, talking quick enough that Shane had to do a double take to make sure he'd heard what she said. "I think I overheard Mayor Lewis telling Aunt Marnie about too; he mentioned something about an old friend of his who used to live there."
"You overheard them?" Shane cracked a sly grin down at her, though his arms were very much aching from the weight of the bags. "Or were you eavesdropping?"
"No, I overheard them!" she insisted, looking once again offended at her god-father's words. "I was doing my homework in the kitchen when they were talking about it. He said his friend moved to the farm a long time ago, that it's been abandoned ever since he died."
"How about that..."
"Yeah, I thought it was weird." A warm waft of air hit the two of them as they crossed onto the dirt road nearing Marnie's house. "Mayor Lewis also said his friend had a daughter too. And grandkids! How come they didn't move in after he died?"
"Search me, maybe they had their own lives to live." Shane shrugged, halting briefly at the front door. He sat the bags down and reached to grab the doorknob. "It's really none of your business, Jas. I don't think you should think about it too much."
"Maybe not, but that's not even the weirdest part." Jas stood back as Shane pushed the front door open. "Vincent said he saw someone, behind some trees. He said they were floating, and he could see through them! You think it was a ghost?"
"Nah, ghosts aren't real." Shane picked the bags back up, wincing at a sharp pain in his back. Grunting, he refrained a yelp, grabbing at his back with his one free hand. Upon noticing Jas's concern, he tried to get back to the current topic, even if it wasn't one he wasn't remotely interested in. Better than having her asking questions about other topics he didn't wanna talk about either.
"Hey. Knowing Vincent, he probably just made that up to scare you." he stated. "Just forget about it."
Albeit still looking a bit doubtful, Jas nodded.
"Shane? Jas?" Both snapped their heads towards the inside of the house, where they could hear Marnie's voice from the kitchen. "I hear you two talking out there, get inside will you? I already have the stove heating up!"
"Yes ma'am, we're coming!" Shane sighed, and took a step into the house. Jas followed, although quietly. She seemed a little more down after the ending of that conversation, and he did feel bad for crushing her imagination like that, but it was just a natural reaction. He'd never been allowed the privilege of having that kind of imagination at her age, maybe he should lighten up a bit.
But ghosts were definitely not a thing. Imagining it was one thing, but to actually believe...nah. Shane was a simple guy; and he didn't need the complications of spirits and magical creatures trying to mess the natural balance of life up. Didn't want it, in fact.
Something Jas had said did strike him as slightly curious though; what she'd said about that place being abandoned, why nobody had moved there. He vaguely remembered hearing Marnie mention it before while they were out in town the day before. Something Mayor Lewis had told her(no doubt on one of his secret rendevous), about one of the grandkids of the old farmer who used to live there.
Not that Shane himself had ever known the guy, he'd only moved here last year, after all.
But about that grandkid...apparently they were coming down to the valley this week to check the place out.
These thoughts in mind, as he put the bags down on the counter, he could only chuckle at.
It wasn't something he'd mentioned to Jas, but he'd seen that place once. It was the biggest dump heap he'd ever seen before next to his room.
If this wasn't a rumor and this new guy was actually coming, good golly did he have his work cut out for him.
But that was nothing he cared about; as he'd said to Jas, it wasn't her business, and it wasn't his either. His only business right now was managing.
And, getting these groceries unloaded he supposed.
"Are you sure you're good to drive...?" A timid, fourteen year old Pepper asked, buckling in his seatbelt across from his brother. The grown man had chucked a beer can into the cupholder, laughing slightly, and nodding, albeit sloppily.
"C'mon Pep, have you ever doubted me?"
"Well..."
"Seriously, it's not like you can drive anyways. Just be my extra eyes, okay?"
But he hadn't been his extra eyes.
He'd only wrote in his journal instead, in-tune with the radio. Hadn't heard the car that was whirring towards them, out of control. Hadn't stopped to warn his brother, had realized too late.
He remembered the faint smell of a burnt engine.
And the feeling of wet, sticky blood on his jacket, alongside the horrible, crippling pain upon seeing the crushed form beside him.
He didn't remember how loud he'd screamed.
But his throat had hurt. Had hurt so badly, until the paramedics finally showed up.
By then, his vocal chords had already gone raw.
Pepper startled awake, blood rushing to his head. He didn't know how long he'd drifted off for or when, but the entire sequence of events in his dream had been enough to cause his arms to shake. He only realized they were shaking when he reached down to pick up his iPod.
It was still playing the classical music he'd had playing when he left, though all he could hear now was his heartbeat through the earbuds. Inhaling deeply, he switched playlists to a Disney one instead, leaning back in his seat as "Try Everything" began blasting in his ears.
It'd probably been almost half a day now that'd he been on this bus; it did feel quite weird to be away from home, this far, anyways. It'd been such a long time since he'd actually been this far, and he just couldn't shake off the feeling of how odd it felt. Like he was in charge of his life, for once, he was in charge.
It felt odd, yes. But it also felt good.
He just hated that his mind had picked that memory to dream about.
While he wasn't entirely sure how long he'd been on the bus, he knew it'd been awhile. He'd counted exactly five rest-stops since the bus had left Zuzu City, and it had been at least 6 in the morning when he'd left. It was bright outside now, so he could only deduct it was possibly early afternoon.
The journal he'd gotten for his birthday lay displayed out on his lap, half a scribble being written down with the pen resting in the center. He must've fallen asleep while writing, because he couldn't really remember what he'd been writing about, or where he'd even left off.
He traced his finger down the page to the last sentence he'd written.
"Although I'm anxious, and apprehensive, I find myself eager for this new start."
Ah, right.
Picking the pen back up, he began writing again.
"This doesn't change the fact I'm still having dreams...about everything in the past. I guess it just won't leave no matter where I go, or where I am." The song continued blaring through his earbuds. "But I'm not letting that weigh me down. I'm giving myself this chance to get better."
Clicking the pen, he closed the journal and shoved it back into his pack that sat in the seat beside him. Sighing, he dropped both his hands in his lap, and opted towards looking out the window. He never had really taken the time to notice just how green it was now; how blue the sky was, even. It was definitely a pleasant sight, he couldn't help but feel more at peace looking at that more than the ugly buildings and grey skies back in the city.
That was something he'd scribble down in his journal later, for sure. He hadn't been sure what to use the empty book for at first, given that that was usually what Jude and his mother got him for birthdays. He'd had so many filled up, ones with his own thoughts, his own words of fiction. It was really his way of coping, of dealing with his problems...so he'd decided, since most of those journals were full of negativity, this one would be filled with nothing but positive things.
For this was the start of good things.
This journal was gonna document his new life, and hopefully, it'd be more of a cheery read than his other ones.
As the song finished, the bus passed by a green sign perched on the side of the road, causing Pepper's face to break out into a wide grin.
"Stardew Valley. 0.5 Miles."
It wasn't until his iPod had finished playing half the soundtrack to Mary Poppins did the bus finally come to a hault. Pepper perked up, at hearing the bus driver's voice over the intercom.
"Pelican Town, Stardew Valley." His deep voice boomed loudly, through the ending of the song currently finishing up. Almost like an eager child, Pepper had jumped from his seat and gathered his things up, these things being his backpack, and four suitcases. Most of his other belongings were still being shipped over; he'd really only packed the necessities for now.
Necessities being half his wardrobe; and half the books he owned.
And the movies.
Yeah. He definitely had his priorites sorted didn't he?
He all but stumbled off the bus, having to apologize twice to several other passengers. Even the bus driver cut him a look as he got off, after getting pelted by one of the brown suitcases Pepper was carrying. A sheepish grin was all he could offer before stepping out, and having the doors shut in his face.
Each suitcase hit the ground, and the bus whirred off behind him. The sound of birds chirping replaced the music as Pepper pulled out his earbuds. It was almost like being in a Disney movie himself, now that he was really able to get in a good view of his new surroundings. The air was so warm, warmer than the city air, and he found himself absolutely mesmerized at a family of butterflies that flocked past him.
He took off the hoodie he was previously wearing, tying it around his waist, and allowed his vision to shift up to the sky, sinking in the absolute blueness, the puffy clouds...he just couldn't believe all of this was real. It was hard to believe a place like this could exist outside of movies, it just felt like he was in some lucid dream.
But, his arms ached from having lifted the suitcase, so maybe that was evidence enough that he was awake. In a daze, he almost forgot he was still holding his backpack, and almost dropped it.
Gasping, he adjusted it back onto his shoulders, but was promptly startled by a rustling noise from nearby, seeing it was just a squirrel, who had by now scampered into a nearby oak tree. Chuckling to himself, he shook his head and finished readjusting his backpack, then looked around, squinting, and shielding his eyes from the bright light.
The last few days before coming, he'd spent packing and messaging Mayor Lewis. The older man had proven to be quite pleasant, and they'd even spoken over the phone the previous night before. He'd told Pepper he'd be there to greet at around 12:00, and even as he checked his phone now, the time showed it was promptly five minutes past 12.
But there was no sign of the older man anywhere.
Confused, he almost thought to bring up his contacts and try calling him again, but was interrupted by a cheery female voice calling out to him.
"Hello there!"
Almost dropping his phone, Pepper looked up to see a red-haired woman, at least a few years younger than his own mother and dressed in a fur-lined jacket, approaching him with a bright smile on her face. She huffed a bit as she ran up to greet him, pausing to catch her breath.
"Hey...hey..." Formerly bent over, she straightened, extending her hand to him. "Hey, Pepper, right? Nice to finally meetcha, I'm Robin!"
A little confused, Pepper only managed to awkwardly return her smile and accepted her handshake. He was a little surprised to find how calloused her hands felt, but he made no remark on this and slipped his own hand free.
"Uh, yeah. Hi, yeah." Shyly, he stepped back, clearing his throat. "Yeah, Pepper. That's me, who else would it be..."
At seeing Robin's puzzled expression, he laughed and grabbed onto his backpack strap.
"Sorry, I'm just a little...uh, disoriented..." he apologized, though it was only half the truth. "I kinda nodded off the way over here and I'm still a bit tired."
"Ah! That's understandable, my son's the same way." Robin snickered and gave a wave of her hand. "Sleeps in late, gets up late, yet he still complains about being tired. Sometimes I forget he's actually an adult, you know?"
Pepper only snorted and gave a half-shrug.
"Yeah, I forget that about myself sometimes." he admitted. "But hey, not that this conversation isn't fun, but I'm just a little confused...Mayor Lewis, um, if you know him-he said he was gonna be meeting me here-"
"Ah, yeah. I was getting to that." Robin stepped back, brushing her red bangs out of her face. "He's actually back at the farm right now, tidying things up for you. He sent me over to fetch you in case he wasn't done in time."
"Which I'm guessing, he's not..." Pepper's voice trailed off, and his eyes searched past Robin towards the path behind them, searching for any sign that the man might be coming. Nothing except for some random rabbit running into a bush. Robin shook her head, as if to confirm.
"Apparently not. That's why I decided to go ahead and come over, just in case." she said. "Say, you gonna need any help carrying those?"
She motioned towards the suitcases Pepper had sat on the ground. He looked, tipping his head. It was only his first day here and he didn't really wanna be a burden; but he had to admit he wasn't the strongest person in the universe. Yet at the same time, he didn't wanna impose by having someone else carry his stuff for him. He was supposed to be doing things for himself now, damn it.
"Um...no, nah. I've got 'em."
Robin offered him a suspicious look as he stooped down to pick his suitcases up, stepping aside with a hand on her hip. By the way he struggled to even lift the heavy baggage, you could tell he'd packed more than he'd intended, just by looking. In Robin's eyes, the young man almost looked like he'd break in half from the strain his baggage was causing him.
Not wanting to watch him struggle anymore, she sighed and took one of the suitcases from him. His eyes almost widened at how she lifted it with ease, but then he had to remind himself she was the town carpenter and probably chopped down more trees than he lifted weights. Which to be fair, he'd never actually done.
"Thanks-um, sorry..." he mumbled, blushing a light red. "Sorry, I think I might have overpacked. Usually I don't have this much trouble...uh, carrying things..."
He expected a laugh of ridicule, or a scolding even(maybe because he was so used to it from Seth), but thankfully, Robin's cheerful smile returned and she just shrugged casually.
"It's fine, we all have bad days." she stated. "Sometimes I can't even get a big load of wood back myself without having to get my son or husband to help me. Hell, sometimes my daughter's a better help than the two of them put together."
"You have a daughter?"
"Yup, two kids. Maru and Sebastian." Robin lifted the suitcase onto her shoulder. "Maru's my youngest, Sebastian's my oldest, I think he's around your age, actually. At least, you look the same age as him, huh. How old did you say you were?"
"I didn't say, but thanks for asking." Pepper picked the other suitcase up, shrugging his sliding backpack up his shoulders again. "Most people I meet assume I'm thirteen."
"Goodness, really?"
"Yeah, but I'm twenty four though." The young man gave a small snort, but was shortly thrown off balance as a bee whirred past him. Shaking himself, he regained his composure and looked back to Robin. "I actually celebrated my birthday last week."
"Did you now?" The woman smiled back at him with a look that reminded him of his mother. It made him feel a little homesick already.
He nodded.
"Oh, happy late birthday then!" Robin gave him a pat on the shoulder and turned. "I guess you're pretty eager to see the farm then, huh? I bet it's gonna be just like a late birthday present."
"I'm hoping so." Pepper smiled weakly, knowing that that was the exact opposite of what he was wanting it to be. But then again, he supposed a birthday present was something you wanted...and he wanted a new start. Maybe she had a point.
"Well, enough standing around then, I'll show you the way." He blinked to see that Robin was already heading down the dirt path. She looked back at him and waved, almost too eagerly.
"Come on then, Pepper. While we're young!"
For some reason, his feet suddenly felt heavy. It wasn't because of the old shoes he was wearing, but for the sole purpose of that he was suddenly feeling terrified. What was he gonna see on that property? It'd been years, many years, since he'd been there...what if it wasn't like he remembered?
God, he didn't have time to worry or think about this. These were thoughts that should have been bothering him on the way over here, not now. Not now of all times when he had another person waiting on him. She'd probably already left by now, since he was still standing there like he'd pinned down to the ground.
But Robin was still waiting by the fence, leaning against it. She seemed to be waiting patiently, not in too much of a hurry despite her previous tone having indicated it. His arms shook, but he curled his fists together tightly.
Fuck it.
He was just gonna have to take the risk that his farm might be a junkyard by now. If his life had been a dump heap at one point and he was still managing by now, how could a dirty farm make anything worse?
It was his farm, after all.
It was a ten minute walk back to the farm, yet it went by slowly. The whole time, Robin attempted to make small talk with Pepper by asking him about his previous life, though he didn't seem to wanna talk about it much. He mentioned that his mom was a fantastic cook, and that he had a step-dad who worked in construction, and a step-sister back home who was taking online classes to get an Associate in Arts.
When she'd asked him about any other siblings, he'd just fallen silent. He'd mumbled that he did have a brother, but hadn't seen him in a long time. How he'd hated to just brush Robin off like that, but talking about Cole wasn't something he enjoyed doing. He enjoyed it just about as much as he liked talking about Seth, mainly for the fact that both topics brought up painful memories.
Of course, Robin had had enough experience talking to her own kids that she knew she might be going too far, and wisely decided to change the topic.
"So..." She ducked under a thick tree branch, narrowly avoiding hitting her head. "You said you've been to your grandpa's farm before, yeah? When was that?"
"Oh..." Not so surprisingly, Pepper didn't have to duck as he passed under the branch. Now she was beginning to see why people mistook for him a child. "I don't know, I was probably like...god, like four years old? It's been such a long time, honestly, I'm surprised I even remember going there."
"It's odd, but I wouldn't question it. Heck if I'd like to have a memory that good." Robin admitted, lowering the suitcase from her shoulder. "I bet you're excited to be back though."
"Excited? Yeah, and really nervous." Pepper gave a nervous laugh as if to further prove his point. "I've never been this far away from my family before, you don't even know how shot my nerves are right now."
"I'm sure you'll be fine." The older woman reassured him as they crossed over a small bridge. "It's always scary moving to a new place, no matter how old you are. Take it from me, Pepper, I moved here when I was your age and was probably just as terrified as you are now."
They stopped, and she turned to him with a sympathetic look.
"But I will tell you, you have nothing to worry about though, everyone here is so friendly and welcoming." She smiled warmly at him, making the twisting knots in his stomach cease momentarily. "Soon enough, I'm certain you'll be counted as a real member of the community!"
"Thanks Robin, I appreciate the pep talk." He grinned, a small grin, but nontheless he did have to admit he felt better now. Her words did reassure him a bit, but it didn't change the fact that there were parts of him that refused to calm down.
"Hey, anytime, kiddo." A bird chirping nearby caused her head to turn, and she squinted as she looked forward. "I don't think it's much farther now, come on."
The two of them continued on the path for a while more. Pepper began to pipe up a bit as they neared the farm, though his nerves still shook. He began to tell Robin about the time he'd scared off one of the chickens into the woods and they'd spent the entire day looking for it because he felt so bad about freaking it out.
Telling these little stories did squat to help him relax, but it felt nice to be remembering such nice memories, and to be sharing them with someone. Someone he actually felt comfortable talking around.
"So let me get this straight;" Robin stepped aside, pushing back a large branch. "You literally spent the entire day looking for one chicken? One chicken? Just how beat up were you over it?"
"More than you could imagine." Pepper chuckled softly, passing by her. He heard her snort and rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't judge me. I was like four years old, okay?"
"I'm not judging you, trust me." Robin snorted again, running a little bit up the path. "That just reminded me of the time my son's pet frog got loose in the house. I can't help but remind him of it constantly, he hates it."
"I sympathize with him, my mother's the same way." Pepper raised his eyebrows, grabbing his backpack strap with his free hand. "Can't say I'm on your side here, Robin."
"Hey, you'd understand if you were a parent, Pepper." Robin pointed out. "We all feel like it's our duty to remind our kids of the embarrassing things they did when they were little. When you have kids, don't say I didn't tell you so."
"Heh, yeah..."
"Believe me, kid. It's a parent thing." A squirrel past the two of them and ran up into a tree. Robin looked up and stopped walking, sitting down the suitcase. She turned to face Pepper as he caught up with her. She spread her arms out.
"And here we are!" She was beaming. "Welcome to your new home, Mousey Farm."
He looked. And his jaw dropped. Maybe not in the good way.
No, it definitely wasn't how he remembered it. Not at all. Trees, overgrown everywhere. Weeds, fallen branches, logs. Stones.
His voice felt like it'd just leaped out of him, because he couldn't find anything to say. Rendered speechless, stunned. This felt like the time Jamie had convinced him to do the ice bucket challenge for her Youtube channel, only the shocker wasn't a bucket of ice water.
It was the fact that his farm was nothing more than an overgrown waste of land. It wasn't as bad as his initial reaction made it out to be, but it definitely had seen better days.
Robin eyed him, noting his stunned silence and how he had neglected to scrape his jaw off the ground. Concerned, she walked over to him.
"Hey, what's the matter?"
"I-I uh-um-" Pepper turned towards her and weakly lifted a finger, pointing vaguely at the area surrounding them. "Farm. Yeah. Um-"
"Oh! Yeah, I doubt it isn't as good as you remember it, am I right?"
He couldn't even manage a nod, just a warbled choking noise from his throat. Sighing, Robin turned to look around at the farm.
"Sure, okay. It's definitely a bit overgrown, but I don't think that you should stop you." she said. "With a bit of hard work, you'll have it cleaned up in no time. No need to panic yet."
"Bu-but-all the weeds-" Pepper stuttered, wondering if the area in his brain that controlled speech had been crippled by shock. "The rocks-god, this place-it's like a forest! Where did all these trees come from?"
"Don't question it, Pepper. Come on, let's just get you settled in." Robin picked his suitcase back up, alongside the other one he'd previously been carrying. "I'm pretty sure Mayor Lewis has already heard us by now."
And she was correct on that, because as she went over to the house, an older gentleman exited from the front door. He looked delighted at seeing Robin and immediately began speaking to her, but Pepper was still frozen in the same spot he'd been in upon showing up. His legs didn't feel pinned down now, they felt encased in ice. He literally couldn't move.
What had he gotten himself into?
"Ah, the new farmer!" A loud, jolly voice startled him into reality, and he found that the mayor had approached him while he was lost in thought. The other man was standing in front of him, that same delighted smile on his face. He had a thick grey moustache, and was dressed in rather old fashioned attire what with a pair of suspenders and a yellow necktie.
The age was evident on his face, Pepper might have guessed that his grandpa would be at least a few years older than him if he were still alive right now.
But if Grandpa was alive I wouldn't be here right now...
"Uh-hi. Hello, Mayor Lewis." Finally, his voice came back, though it still sounded like it was hoarse. He stuck his hand out awkwardly and the mayor grasped it, shaking it something fierce.
"Good to see you, Pepper! Good to see you!" The mayor had a deep, booming voice, the exact opposite of the mild mannered voice of his grandfather that he was used to hearing. He wasn't the biggest fan of loud voices, yet managed to keep his composure.
Now Mayor Lewis stepped back, releasing Pepper's hand. He looked the young man up and down.
"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. I remember when you were no higher than that fence over there." he chuckled. "Your grandpa could never stop showing off the pictures your mom sent, he was always so fond of you."
"More than you could imagine, Mr. Mayor." It wasn't something Pepper was proud of. Yes, he'd been the favorite grandkid and you'd think that was something he was fine with, and when he was young, he didn't mind it at all.
It wasn't until he got older did he realize why he was the favorite.
Because he was actually born when his parents were married.
Cole, on the other hand, had not. He'd been born when Pepper's parents were still teenagers, and he supposed their grandpa had always resented him for causing his little girl to have to grow up so fast, to become a mother. That, and he'd never liked Pepper's father.
He'd only really fancied Pepper because he was like a mini version of his mother. Probably the only reason.
But this was nothing he said out loud.
"And you miss him, I'm sure. It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Lewis eyed the house behind them. "I remember, I kept coming over here after your grandfather passed...I kept expecting to see him at work at the chicken coop, or in the garden. He was one of my best friends, you know."
"I know, sir. I kinda gathered that when I read the P.S. on the back of the letter he left me." Now it was Pepper's turn to get a good look at the house. Well, on the bright side it didn't look half as dilapidated as the rest of the farm did, but it was obvious it hadn't had a decent paint job in years. Not to mention he could clearly see just a few broken boards of wood.
Too soon to tell if it would be a step-up from his old apartment. This place wouldn't have bad memories with it, at the very least.
He turned back to the mayor.
"This place...it really hasn't been touched since he died?" he questioned, Lewis shaking his head sadly.
"Unfortunately, and it's a real shame, actually." He huffed, adjusting his hat. "This place was a beauty back in the day, I would've loved to just look after it myself, in fact I tried, trust me. But, I guess being mayor just takes up too much time. Lucky thing you're here now, huh?"
"Hah, yeah. Real lucky." Pepper scratched at his head. "I just hope I can get it back to what it was...oh, hey, weren't there legal papers I had to sign or something?"
At this, Lewis looked a little embarrassed. He opened his mouth in hesitation and held up a finger, giving off the all-common look of contemplation that Pepper was used to his mother or step-father doing.
"Ah...yes. About those." he chuckled nervously. "I actually forgot those at home. But I'll tell you what, if you drop by later, I should have them ready for you by then. Plus, it'll give you a chance to settle in."
"But can I do that? I mean, I'd feel better signing first-"
"Pepper, listen. Signing those papers is just to verify that the place is yours, legally, the farm is already in your name." Lewis quickly reassured him. "Don't worry about it, it's not like I'm gonna place an eviction notice on you. Yet."
At the startled expression on the young man's face, Lewis laughed and gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder.
"I'm joking with you, Pepper, I'm sorry." His chuckled ceased, as Robin came back over. She hadn't felt it was her place to listen in on the conversation going on between the mayor and Pepper, so she'd taken to getting all of his bags onto the front porch so as to make his job of getting them inside a little easier.
"Hey Mayor, if you don't mind, I think I'm gonna be heading home now. I've got a couple of carpentry projects I need to look over." she said. "Are we all settled over here?"
"For the most part, yes. Thanks again for helping out, Robin." Lewis nodded towards her with a smile. He glanced at his watch, blowing out a small sigh.
"Goodness, 12:35 already..." he muttered under his breath. He glanced back up to Pepper. "I swear, I lose track of time so much more easily than I mean to. I still have a few stops to make myself."
"Then I guess we'll both be on our way." Robin offered an earnest smile to Pepper as she passed by him. "It was nice meeting you Pepper, stop by for dinner sometime will you? I've been told in the past that I make a mean spaghetti and meatballs, if that's your sort of thing."
"I appreciate the offer, Robin, but I think I'm gonna be a little busy the next few days." Pepper halfly-shurgged. "I kinda wanna get the farm cleared out before I do anything else."
"Wise decision Pepper, but don't forget to make time for socializing. After all, a lot of the townspeople are very eager to meet you." Lewis's words caused a small flush of heat to come over Pepper's face. Just how many people had the mayor told about him, was it that small of a town?
"But, there's no rush though, just whenever you get the time." Robin quickly added, noticing the sudden redness of the young man's cheeks. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sure you'd prefer to have your farm in some decent state before you invite people over."
She gave a small wave before turning down the path once more.
"Until then, I'll be on my way. I hope you'll take me up on that dinner offer, cuz I ain't taking no for an answer!" she called over her shoulder before disappearing through the thicket of trees. Pepper waved after her.
"Ah-I'll think about it! Seeya Robin!" he called after her, and turned back to the mayor. He scuffled his foot in the dirt for a minute, awkwardly. "So, um...the legal papers. You said to just drop by later and sign 'em?"
"Yup. It's no trouble, really, I'll be home all evening. " Lewis said. "Just follow the path, I don't think you'll have much trouble finding me. My house is the big white and blue one near the river, can't miss it."
"Right-um, gotcha."
The mayor gave a contented sigh, nodding as he looked at the house again. He shifted his gaze back to Pepper, looking him over again, and just smiled.
"Well, I hope you like it here, Pepper." he said simply.
"I hope I do too, sir." Was all Pepper could manage back at the older man, as he watched him make his leave off the farm. However, before passing over one of the broken fences, Lewis halted and turned around slightly, like he'd forgotten something.
"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you;" he called back, causing Pepper to stop halfway up the porch steps. "If you find anything you wanna sell, just drop it off in that box over there. I usually come over to collect the goods, in case there might be a profit."
"Drop things off in the box, visit you later to sign the papers. Got it, anything else I should know?"
"Not at this moment. Just try to get settled in for now, and we'll see about introducing yourself to the townspeople sometime later this week." Lewis turned again, now walking through the thicket. "You have a good day now, Pepper!"
"You too, sir!" Pepper sighed, turning his focus back to the bags on the porch. Mentally, he repeated the things the mayor had told him.
Dropping any goods off in the box, blue and white house, sign the papers...
Okay, not that hard to remember.
He grabbed one of his bags, and looked at the door of the house. The door was still slightly ajar, so he tipped it open with his foot, grabbing onto another bag in the process. Slowly, he headed inside, and carefully, so as not to trip over any possible dents in the floor. The floorboards creaked under his feet, as he walked across them. He fumbled around for a light switch but only managed to find a hanging string from the ceiling.
Setting a bag down, he yanked on the string and light filled the room. And if his reaction to the outside had been bad, he all but winced at the disarray of the room. The mayor had been over here tidying up, what tidying up had he done exactly? This place still looked like it was covered in cobwebs.
Almost like a dusty old book that hadn't been pulled off the shelf for years.
Still, he had to admit it was a little rustic. Definitely an upgrade from his apartment, no doubt. Maybe not as furnished or as polished, but it felt more real than that place had, with all it's plastic furnishings and toxic neighbors.
Going down the hall, bags in hands again, he could feel the memories from his childhood coming back. He could almost see himself at the fireplace, listening to his grandpa tell him stories from his own childhood. Albeit the fact he was different then, he could still see it.
He pushed open the bedroom door. It took a moment for him to enter, given that the last time he'd been in this room, his grandfather was ill...that memory made him wince a little. Still, he willed himself to enter, and was greeted by the sight of that old bed, coverless, and that same plaid chair over in the corner.
Setting his things down, he walked over to the chair, running his hand over the arm of it, then sat down in it. He closed his eyes, almost hearing the fireplace crackling again. Almost seeing himself, Cole, his mother. This was where he'd gotten that letter...that was why he was here now.
Opening his eyes, he heard the faint noise of a bird chirping outside his window and got up, heading over to investigate. A small feeling of happiness came over him as he peered out the dusty glass and saw the little blue bird perched on the tree outside. A sense of joy, perhaps. Content, for the first time, maybe?
No, no he wasn't content yet. He wasn't gonna be content for a long time yet.
For now, he just felt naturally happy, for the first time in a long time. Yeah, the house was a wreck, the farm was a wreck, and he might've bitten off more than he could chew...but this was all his.
Why shouldn't he be happy?
He had a life now. Even if it was still messy, he was gonna make the most of it.
So, heading back to his bags, he picked up the first suitcase and threw it onto the bed before throwing it open to begin unpacking.