Been busy the past few weeks. Sorry for the delay u_u;;
X
Mateo stared at the shiny, black button eyes of the plush bunny sitting on the shelf. The sunlight reflecting off the plastic material made it seem like it had a mischievous gleam in its eye, making Mateo clutch his coinpurse tightly. Pierre had dropped hints days before the festival that he might have some new seeds in stock at his booth and that Mateo could only get them on the day of the festival. The grocer never mentioned anything about adorable stuffed animals. Whether or not he had intentionally left that part out, Mateo still had to make a choice between buying strawberry seeds or indulging himself and getting the bunny.
It didn't help that Pierre was coaxing him into buying it.
"Made with the finest wool and cotton this side of Pelican Town. Marley can vouch for that," Pierre cocked his head towards where Marley was. "Handsewn and made with as much love as your granny's homemade stew." The grocer chuckled when Mateo brought his coinpurse close to his chest. "Did I also mention that we only have this one?" He jerked his thumb back at the toy. "What do you say, farmer? For a reasonable price of 2, 000 G, this big guy could be all yours." He said before grabbing it from the shelf behind him and plopping it down on the counter.
This close to Mateo, he could see that the bunny was almost as big as him. The left ear was flopped to one side and if he picked it up, he was certain that he wouldn't be able to wrap his arms around it completely. His eyes went from the toy to the seed packets.
If he bought the bunny, then his little farmhouse wouldn't feel as lonely. Not that Charlie wasn't an excellent companion but she trashed around in bed and wasn't a very ideal cuddlebuddy. She also preferred sleeping on the rug next to the fireplace.
If he bought the strawberry seeds, he could get some new produce and see how much it sold for. Maybe get some of the other townsfolk interested. It would also help with requests if they ever asked for strawberries.
"Do you only sell the bunny during the Egg Festival?" Mateo asked. Hopefully he could buy it some other time but the look on Pierre's face told him otherwise.
"Unfortunately ye-"
"Teo! You came!" Lewis' voice boomed from behind Mateo. He clapped a hand on his shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. "I'm glad to see that you made it on time, unlike your grandfather when he was still alive." The mayor laughed jovially. "He always arrived after the activities had already begun. Sometimes we would see him alone at the tables, already munching away on a piece of ham and sneaking some into his pocket."
Mateo joined in on Lewis' laughter.
"Since you've arrived early, would it be safe to assume that you'll be joining in today's activity?" Lewis asked as he adjusted his cap.
Just as Mateo was about to tuck his coinpurse back into his rucksack, Pierre piped up.
"I'm sure farmer Teo would be more than willing to join but he and I were conducting business just a while ago, Mayor Lewis." He said.
"That's good to hear. Supporting local business." Lewis looked back at Mateo. "But for now, why don't you go and talk with the other townsfolk. This is your first festival in town and I know everyone would love to tell you more about it." He gave Mateo one last pat on the back and ushered him towards the townsquare.
Pierre gave a defeated sigh and moved to place the plush bunny back on the shelf. Mateo glanced back and vowed that he would return for the stuffed toy.
X
Despite having a small community, the two tables were piled high with food and drinks. There was a large bowl of what Mateo could only guess was guacamole with some bottles of wine next to it. A bottle had already been drained half and he tried to guess if he could see who was already tipsy. There were deviled eggs next to a good-sized ham which had already been carved. Mateo made his way towards the table and sliced off a piece of ham. He popped it into his mouth and watched the others who were already enjoying the food. Looking around, he picked up the bottle of wine to read the label. He couldn't understand the writing but he was able to decipher 'Product of Pelican Town' at the bottom.
"Excuse me but don't you think it's a little early to be drinking?" A feminine voice asked him.
Mateo turned around to face the owner of the voice and saw two young women looking at him. He paused his chewing and swallowed.
"It isn't even noon yet." The redhead raised an eyebrow at him while the black woman watched curiously.
Mateo shook his head quickly and set the bottle back down.
"I-I was just. I wanted to see if all the food that was prepared came from here." He gestured towards the table. "Everyone seems to take pride that the ingredients they used were all produced in Stardew Valley or Pelican Town." Mateo pursed his lips together.
The redhead's gaze seemed to soften slightly. She brushed some imaginary dirt off her skirt.
"I'm sorry if I came off as rude. I just don't approve of people who drink too early in the day is all." She gave him an apologetic smile.
Mateo nodded.
"And it wouldn't be good if rumors started that our new farmer is an alcoholic." The black woman adjusted her glasses.
Mateo gave her a surprised look.
"Have? Have we met before?" He sounded unsure of himself. Had they met before? He surely would have remembered if they had. "I'm sorry. I don't seem to remember your name." He laughed nervously. He resisted the urge to scratch the back of his neck.
"No. No we haven't." She laughed brightly. "I'm Maru, Robin's daughter. She's told me a lot about you, Teo." Maru smiled at him.
"And this is Penny." The redhead stepped forward.
"Hello Teo."
"Hello."
X
The highlight of the festival was about to be announced when Lewis called willing participants to come over.
Mateo excused himself from the conversation he was having with Maru and Penny. Maru continued to surprise him when she walked with him towards Lewis. Once they reached him, she stood to his left and began to tell him what this highlight was.
"We're having an egg hunt. We do this every Egg Festival. Basically you have to look for the most eggs in under a minute. The one who finds the most wins." She shrugged her shoulders. "It sounds easier than done though. Especially since they've hidden the eggs well. And even if they're already painted in bright colors, it's easy to miss one because of how vibrant the plants are during spring."
Mateo nodded as he listened intently to Maru. The plants and flowers growing around the townsquare were all bursting with colors and life. It was easy to see how difficult it would be.
"Hey Teo. I didn't know you were joining." Abigail said as she approached them. She was followed by a tall blond with spiked up hair. "This is the guy I was telling you about, Sam." She nudged the blond. "His name is Teo." Abigail turned towards Mateo and tilted her head in the blond's direction. "That's Sam"
Sam gave Mateo a two-fingered salute and a friendly grin.
"Hey man."
"Hey."
"Sam!" A little boy with chubby cheeks came running towards Sam, followed by a little girl with a green hairbow.
Sam laughed in response and spun the little boy around.
"This is my little brother, Vincent." The little girl caught up and giggled when she saw Vincent being spun around. Sam put his laughing brother down and jerked his thumb at the girl. "This is Jas." Jas quieted down and looked up at Mateo.
Mateo waved at them.
Lewis clapped his hands together and called the attention of the small group. Maru relaxed her posture and Abigail stood the right of Mateo. Jas and Vincent went to Abigail's right and Sam stayed by his little brother's side.
The townsfolk who weren't participating stood at the edges, mingling with each other. Elliott was chatting with Emily while Evelyn was smiling serenely with George, who looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. He grumbled something under his breath which only made Evelyn shake her head at him.
Caroline was with Pierre, who she managed to pry away from his booth when she told him that Abigail would be participating. Glancing sidewards at Abigail, Mateo noted that she was looking anywhere but where her father was. Near the corner flowerbeds, two men looked like they were in a deep discussion about something. Next to them was Alex was talking to a pretty blonde who twirled her hair between her fingers. They laughed and Mateo noticed that Alex didn't have his gridball with him.
Leah was by herself but she didn't seem to mind being alone. Leaning against the streetlamp was a young man wearing a thick looking hoodie. He seemed disinterested in the activity but he kept looking at their small group discreetly. He crossed his arms and checked his nails.
Just a few feet away from them, a man burped and rubbed his stomach. He had already feasted on the food earlier and looked satisfied.
"And those are the rules. Is everyone ready to go?" Lewis received a loud cheer from the small group.
"Then let the egg hunt begin!"
X
The townsfolk cheered along with the small group as Lewis announced Abigail as the winner of this year's Egg Hunt. Sam slung an arm around Abigail and pumped his fist in the air. Even Jas, who had been disappointed a few minutes ago because she didn't find as many eggs as Vincent, brightened up. Maru congratulated Abigail, saying something about how she was always the best treasure hunter in town. Sam only whooped and ruffled Abigail's hair which made her laugh louder and shove him. With everyone having a good time and enjoying each other's company, it was hard not to get swept up in the positive vibes. Mateo's chest felt light with happiness instead of heavy with disappointment. Abigail had even told him that there was always next year.
And with the whole town celebrating the simple festival, Mateo looked forward to next year and many more festivities ahead.
X
The moon hung high and bright, its light only being obscured by the lazy passing clouds. Charlie snoozed next to the fireplace, the bright flames making shadows dance against the wall.
Mateo quickly sat up. He attempted to jump out of bed only to get his leg tangled in his bedsheet. A thud made Charlie perk up. She watched her master scramble towards his rucksack. Letting out a soft boof, she closed her eyes as Mateo groaned to himself.
He had forgotten to buy the strawberry seeds.
X
Thanks again to ChocolateTeapot for the review! Might do a double update this week to make up for the other weeks when I didn't post. (And if it wasn't already obvious, this is going to be a slow burn fic. Slower than molasses)
R&R