Sebastian's Time in Portia
Day Five – March 5 – Another Awkward

Sebastian pulled the hood of his jacket back over his head. A thought briefly crossed his mind'; perhaps he shouldn't have lowered his hood so his former primary school teacher might not have recognized him. The thought left upon realizing Lucy would have recognized him regardless. Letting out a sigh, he shoved his hands into his pockets and followed after her.

They soon arrived at the bakery, a shop which he didn't recollect from his last visit. He sat down at the table Lucy indicated he should sit at before watching her head over towards the small bakery. She came back and sat down, but not before she places a cup of tea with a pastry on the plate in front of him. She sat down and took a sip of her own tea while he turned the cup one way and then another on the plate.

"You don't like green tea anymore?"

"No."

"Anyways, that was Polly. She's smartest student at the school, but I suspect she'll end up going to the university like she wants one day, though she's not quite on the genius level you were at that age."

"I'm not…" Sebastian's fingers tightened around the handle of the teacup while he stared at the contents.

"… a genius like Maru is?"

His head darted up. Lucy took another sip of her tea. The corners of his house twisted into a grimace. "I said that out loud?"

"You did. You know getting into the university on your own merit is as Polly said no easy achievement, right?"

"Achievement?" Sebastian felt his throat tighten, almost snagging as he swallowed. There was definitely a time he thought like Polly, but now – what he did no longer felt like any major achievement.

"You don't think so?"

"Getting into the high school division of the university is a far cry from the actual main university."

"Given the fact it is actually harder to get into the high school division, others would likely say otherwise."

"Except I didn't even graduate, I think." The words came out of his mouth because he didn't think he could keep something his former primary school teacher could easily discover herself. The words also came out softly spoken, his shame – one of his shames – verbalized for someone else to hear. He swallowed, remembering Maru actually did graduate from the local high school everyone else who grew up in Stardew Valley attended.

"You think?"

"I didn't exactly pay attention to that kind of thing. I simply did the routine they wanted me to until…" Sebastian looked at the cooling tea. "Until I couldn't handle it anymore." His dark eyes closed. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Especially Arlo and Ginger?"

"Especially them." His eyes opened, another thought crossing his mind, one he needed to vocalize. "I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten until I stepped into the school that I actually once liked school. I liked it a lot. I'd like to say I'm not sure what happened, but I know all too well what did. My time in Atara – it wasn't pleasant."

"I won't pry then, but I'd still like to know what you've gotten up to since then."

"Nothing much." The way Lucy lifted an eyebrow made Sebastian rethink his answer. "I guess it's obvious regarding the workshop, isn't it?"

"Yes, but did you really do nothing between?"

"I do computer work, though that's a bit difficult here."

"Yes. We don't have any internet here." Lucy took another sip from her teacup. "The mayor does have plans regarding that. The plans are to make sure the businesses on both the plazas and main street are connected as well as the school."

Sebastian's stomach clenched. He felt guilty for preventing the school from getting internet and turned the cup again. Instead of speaking, he lifted the cup and finally took a drink, his mind attempting to avoid thinking of how he messed up on his first day there without having done anything. Turning his attention back towards the builder's contract distracted him from such thoughts.

"The delivery…"

"Ah, yes." Lucy held out her own satchel so the exchange might occur.
Strangely, while Portia didn't yet have new world tech such as internet it did have access to old world tech such as the device which allowed the storage of large amounts of items in an inventory which could easily be accessed yet transported. Few if anybody used such tech in Stardew Valley; nobody used the transfer process.

The exchange happened and she wished him luck regarding the workshop. She also insisted he finish the tea and pastry before he left, which left him slowly eating the treat in silence; Lucy busied herself with grading papers. Eventually he finished and he took his leave, heading down main street. He planned on retreating into the workshop for the weekend.

The sight of something pink heading his way made him pause. Sebastian's eyes widened at the sight of the cat walking towards him. Without hesitation he greeted the creature, stooping down towards her level, the corners of his mouth twisting up. "Hello Pinky. Why aren't you in Uncle Gale's home?"

The cat looked up at him with bright eyes and said, "meow."

"Why is it I get along better with animals than I do people?"

"You do realize you said that out loud, right?"

Sebastian stiffened up. Slowly, he stood to his full height. Turning his head, he saw Sam – the Sam from this area looking at him, her eyes narrowed. "Oh. It's you."

"Yeah. You really don't get along with other people like you said, do you?"

"What do you want?" Sebastian watched Pinky walk away despite the fact he honestly wanted her to stay. He'd rather deal with her rather than this Sam.

"Look kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"I don't like how you showing up here in Portia has Arlo all worked up."

"I see."

"No. You don't."

"I guess not."

"You guess…" Sam took a deep breath making Sebastian guess she was getting even more frustrated with him. "Look. I don't know what your past with Arlo is, but leave him alone. I don't like seeing him like this – in a funk I mean."

"Oh."

"So, you'll leave him alone?"

"I…" Sebastian didn't need Sam suddenly getting in his face and poking him with one of her fingers for him to hesitate

"If you don't, I'll give you a serious thrashing even though I'm a member of the Civil Corps. Got it? No bothering Arlo."

Sebastian swallowed. Something regarding this action made Sam back down, almost as if she took his reaction as an affirmative answer. She left him standing there staring at nothing. Taking a deep breath, he thought to himself, "Remember his letter. It said, 'if you don't want to talk, fine.' Plus, the last thing you want is to be a bother to Arlo, so – I should have just said yes, but I'm an idiot."

Taking a deep breath, Sebastian started towards home – his home away from home. He didn't get far. The sight of another familiar face made him stop in his tracks. Gust was also a familiar face yet catching sight of him wouldn't have made him stop in his tracks despite the fact Sebastian honestly didn't want to interact with either of his cousins.

With Gust was Ginger.

Sebastian waited for his younger cousin and her brother to enter the Round Table before he started on his way. In the back of his mind, he hoped his uncle hadn't told Ginger he was in town. He brushed aside the thoughts so he might star heading back to the workshop again, regret and guilt wracking his brain. Arriving back at the workshop, he sat on the bed, burring his head in his arms, taking a deep breath to stay off the negative feelings.