AN: Happy 2021! I know that this story is going by very slowly, but I thank you for sticking with me as I continue to try and conquer my writing fears. It...going okay. Not great, but I knew this wasn't going to be easy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment if you'd like.
Eve awoke because of the pain they were in. She groaned and sat up, looking down at herself. She was still bandaged up and looked like she'd certainly been a few rounds in a fight. She laid back on her pillow and put her arm down to pet the kitten that was curled up on her bed. She let out a pained sigh and closed her eyes.
"Maybe I should just…not today." She mumbled to herself, trying to get comfortable back in her bed. But with how much pain she was feeling, she couldn't get herself back into a comfortable position. Eve felt frustrated and gave up after a few moments of struggling. She sat up and slowly got out of her bed when there was a knock on her door. Slowly she got up and found Harvey was there, smiling at her from the porch.
"Good Morning Eve." He said to her as he walked in. "I'm glad Maru got you home safe. I just wanted to check in on you and make sure you were okay. Would you mind?" Eve shook her head and gestured him to the one room. He surveyed the place and looked surprised as her kitten ran by his feet. "Oh!" he took some steps back. "I wasn't aware you had a pet." Eve chuckled and sighed.
"Yeah, that's Miso. He must be hungry…" she said and took a can of wet food and scraped it into the bowl. Miso meowed in expectance of the food and dug his face right in the bowl as the meat touched the plastic bowl. Eve threw away the can and sat at the table. "Sorry about that Harvey…what do you need me to do?" Harvey smiled and shook his head.
"You can sit right there, and I'll do the rest." he paused for a moment and a blush crossed his face. "Oh, um…would you mind lifting your clothing for me so I can change the bandage? I don't want to cross boundaries." Eve shrugged and did as she was told.
"Didn't you do it when I was in the clinic last night?" Harvey knelt and started to unwrap the used bandage from around Eve's chest and stomach.
"Oh no, Maru dressed the wound. I examined it but she was the only one who touched your clothes at all. I wasn't sure how comfortable you'd be, and I try to avoid using scissors if I can. As a last resort type of thing." Eve nodded, understanding why he'd take so much caution. She found that admirable that he cared so much…for one way or another. Harvey carefully applied some ointment to the wounds, which made Eve flinch a bit.
"Ow! You didn't say that was going to sting." Harvey looked up at her with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry. It only stings for a moment, but it means it's working. I'll be honest, I thought I'd have to use more, but you've healed quite a good bit from last night. I think 1 or 2 days of taking it easy and you'll be fine." Eve watched as Harvey carefully rewrapped up the bandage and fastened it. "Alright there we go. You're good to go." He stood up from the floor. "Now, as your doctor, I'm going to advise against doing any hard work for the next 2 days but seeing as your profession is what it is…just try and take it easy. And don't go into the mines until you're fully prepared. We don't want to do this again." Eve nodded at that.
"Absolutely…I never want to go back there again…" she let out a sigh. "Though I think I will someday. But I'm going to avoid it if I can." Harvey smiled and nodded at her.
"Well, you were lucky this time. It's a good thing Clint brought you in when he did." Eve thought back to that and nodded. She had to think of a way to thank him for doing that for her…in her mind, she would have died if it wasn't for him.
"Yeah…I'll have to do something for him. Something special. Thanks again Harvey." She slowly got up and went to take the kettle off the fireplace. "Would you like some tea? Or coffee if you prefer." Harvey paused at the offer and nodded.
"I'd actually love some coffee. I'm a bit of a coffee addict if you didn't know." Eve shook her head as she got the cups and grinds out.
"I did not. I'll have to keep that in mind for sure." She put a scoop of coffee grinds into the cup and a bag of tea for herself. Once the water was ready, she poured it into each cup. Harvey smiled and stirred the coffee up a bit.
"Thank you, this looks great." He said as he took a sip. He shivered a bit and looked at the cup. "This is good. What beans do you use?" Eve shrugged and gave him the bag.
"Oh well…my friend in Zuzu gave me a care package. That was in there. I guess she thought since it was sweeter, I'd like it…but I'm kind of more a tea person now." Harvey took another sip of the coffee.
"Well, if you ever decide to grow your own coffee, you know I'll buy it by the pound." He said, only half joking. Eve chuckled as she blew on her tea and took a sip.
"I'll keep that in mind." She said after swallowing the tea. Harvey took another sip, but a 'THUD' sound stopped them both. Harvey looked toward the outside and then back at Eve.
"Did you hear that?" he asked. Eve nodded and got up from the table. She opened the door and looked around and saw Robin outside whacking away on the foundations of a silo. Eve let out a sigh of relief and shook her head.
"Robin, I was not expecting you to get started so early." She called out to the carpenter. Robin looked over and waved at her.
"You kiddin'? This is the best part! The building! Sorry to startle you, just ignore me and go about your day!" she said, and Eve nodded. "And have fun at the flower dance! That's today, remember? I'll be going later after the husband gets off a call. Some science stuff, I can't make heads or tails of it." Eve chuckled and ducked back inside. She sat back down with Harvey, who looked very amused.
"So, you're getting something built?" he asked. She nodded back.
"A silo." She replied. "I figured it would be the best building to start if I'm serious about raising animals…then I need to save up for the animal houses…and then save up for the animals…" Harvey chuckled as he sipped his coffee.
"You're really serious about this farming stuff huh?" Eve nodded at him.
"My grandfather, Jaden Turner, loved this place so much that he had the foresight to give me the land before he passed away. If I didn't do something with it, I'd be tarnishing his memory. Plus…this place has gotten me out of a rut I was in. A rut that almost…" she looked up at him, and he reached over, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I know…you don't have to go further with it.." Eve nodded and looked into her teacup, watching the tea bub and ripple.
"Anyway…I want to make an honest change in my life. And this was the opportunity that presented itself. I'm not going to miss a chance of doing this right. And I know I made the right choice!" she looked up and smiled at Harvey. "I love it here. I know I haven't been here that long, but I honestly love being here…everyone in the town has been so nice. And I hope you know that includes you." Harvey's cheeks turned a little red and he took another sip, hoping the cup would block her view.
"Well thank you Eve." He said after he swallowed. "I don't hear that from a lot of people. I'll be honest, the village seems divided at times. Everyone goes about their business and then goes home. You don't see people often going out of their way to talk to someone else. I'm guilty of it too, I know I am. There are some days where I'll talk to Maru and no one else. I know she listens, but…a lot of talks I have are during my job. They're clients…not people, at that moment. I know I need to change that." Eve nodded at him.
"But you're aware of it Harvey, and you can make that change. Try talking to others during the Flower Dance today. It's a start." Harvey's eyes went huge and he looked at his watch.
"Ah! The dance! I need to do something at the clinic before the dancing starts!" Harvey chugged the rest of the hot coffee and got up. "Sorry to drink and dash, but I'll see you later! Remember to take it easy!" he called before running out of the house and off the farm.
"Whoa!" Robin called from outside. "Watch where you're going doc!" Eve just chuckled as she finished her tea and washed the cups in the bathroom sink.
The chores took a lot longer than she wanted. Moving heavy objects, which included a full watering can, was difficult and she could barely do it. Eve let out a huff as she carefully watered the green beans. Robin watched for a moment before walking over to her.
"Hey you. Are you sure you don't want me to help you with this? I got the gist of what y'all were talking about inside there…sorry I was kind of eavesdropping only a bit." she asked. Eve shook her head.
"Robin, you're building a whole building. I couldn't possibly ask for your help. But the offer is appre-" Robin smirked and then took the watering can from her.
"Well, my husbands a bit of a plant nerd, so let's see what I learned from him." Robin lifted the can and watered the green bean plant in front of her, and then the next one. She kept going until the green bean fields were all watered. Eve sighed as she took the watering can back.
"Thanks Robin. I'm going to try and get this one." She said as she started to water the parsnips. "But I'll call if I need more help." Robin gave the thumbs up.
"You better! I won't forgive you if you don't." Eve chuckled and managed to finish up the parsnips and moved to the potatoes. Once the watering was done, she sat down on the porch for a rest. She looked over at the trees next to one of the smaller lakes and shook her head.
"Not a chance today." She said, forgoing her normal 'cut one tree down a day' rule. She watched as Robin finished up with the foundation and then wiped her brow.
"Alright Eve, that's it from me for today. I'm gonna head home to collect Demitrius. You go on ahead to the dance, yah hear?" Eve nodded and waved as Robin departed from the farm. Eve got up and headed for the forest, where she found many banners and streamers had been set up. She followed it and found that a plank had been put down to make a previously not accessible part of the forest accessible to everyone. She carefully crossed it and stayed close to the cliff wall as she moved. She knew she was close when the sound of music and chatter greeted her ears. Eve took a second to look before making her way to the grounds. Everyone had already paired off and were chatting and talking amongst each other. Eve started to fidget as she looked at the crowd, she couldn't understand why she was so nervous all of a sudden. Then she heard a voice from her right.
"Eve! Glad you're here!" Eve looked and saw Pierre who had set up another shop to sell his wares at the dance. Eve walked over and smiled at him.
"Don't you ever want to just relax during the festival?" Pierre adjusted his glasses and shook his head.
"When there is an opportunity to make some cash, I'm going to take it. See anything you like?" Eve looked over but found it was mostly flower related wares. And she knew that spring was going to be over soon anyway.
"Not this time Pierre. But thanks." Pierre nodded and gestured to her toward the festival.
"Well I'm glad the weather turned for the festival. Go ahead and enjoy yourself Eve!" she nodded and walked a bit further in. Emily was next to the stall and waved at Eve as she walked by.
"Hey Eve, have you tried the red jelly yet? Whoo…I'm stuffed just from that!" Eve shook her head at her.
"I just got here Emily; I didn't even know we had food!" Emily chuckled and shrugged. She pointed over at the food table toward the river.
"It's over there. All the food is free and made by Gus. You have to taste a bunch of it, okay?" Eve nodded and started walking over. As she did, Clint was looking over at the pair. Eve caught eyes with him, and he suddenly turned his head, as if he hadn't been looking. Eve walked over and put a hand out for him to shake.
"Thank you." She said to him. Clint paused and took the hand, shaking it slightly.
"I'm not the one who you should be thanking…though I did carry you." Eve cocked her head to the side with a clear confused look on her face.
"I saw Dr. Harvey this morning. He said you brought me to the clinic." Clint let go of her hand and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Well…I did. But Linus was the one who pulled you out of the mines…at least that's what I'm assuming." Eve's eyes went wide. Linus again…and that was the second time he'd saved her life. But why didn't he want to take credit for the act? Eve smiled at Clint however, thinking she'd ask him later about it.
"You still carried me from the mine to the clinic. That's worth thanking you." She said. "I'm going to make it up to you Clint. I promise." Clint huffed and shook his head.
"Look, I don't want this to be a 'I'm in your debt for life' thing okay? I just helped out…it was the right thing to do." Eve chuckled and looked back.
"Well, thank you again. I know you're sick of hearing it…but…I really mean it. You did help me, and I'm going to return the favor somehow." Clint shrugged at her but then nodded. At least it wasn't a life debt.
"Deal." He said, and both had a chuckle. Eve waved and continued to go get some food, hearing Clint mutter to himself something along the lines of 'I wonder if Emily would dance with me.' She giggled a bit and gave Emily a wave, who waved back. She wished she could make that happen, but she didn't know them well enough to mutter in their affairs. She passed Jodi and Caroline talking to each other. Caroline had a sad look on her face and her arms crossed.
"I wish Pierre would spend time with his family…for once." She grumbled and Jodi put a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her friend.
"There there Caroline. I just wish Kent could be here but…well…" Jodi then looked up as Eve was passing them. "Oh Eve!" she called her over. Eve looked up and smiled at them. "Are you going to be dancing today, Eve?" Jodi asked. Eve just kind of shrugged.
"I…I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know the dance at all and…well…I'm not sure if dancing is my thing." Jodi and Caroline chuckled at each other.
"That's such a you answer Eve. Well, I hope you enjoy the day anyway! It's sure to be a fun one." Eve nodded at them and turned as another voice called out to the group.
"Sorry we're late!" yelled a female voice. It was Robin who was jogging over and Demetrius on her heels. She stopped and started to catch her breath. Caroline laughed a little bit.
"Are you okay? You look worn out." She said and Robin sat up, letting out a laugh.
"Well, I had to get SOMETHING done on the silo!" she gently nudged Eve, who let out a nervous chuckle and a sigh. "I was excited! It's been a long time since I've really had a project like this, so I wanted to get started quick. Then I had to run back and grab him." Demitrius gave her a 'yah right' type of look.
"You didn't HAVE to do that. You wanted to." He remarked, earning him a playful push from Robin.
"Oh hush. I wanted to come with you, so sue me." She retorted before taking in a long whiff of air. "Ahh…the air smells so sweet with all these flowers. I love spring." She said with a smile. Demitrius put an arm around his wife and gave her a gentle kiss on the temple.
"And I love you. I'm glad you're having fun." He said, making Robin blush and look away. "Oh, did you know? These springtime dances can be traced back to ancient fertility rituals. Tribes would do them to ensure that mothers would safely bear children, and newly wedded couples would have successful contraception." All the women looked over at him with a mixture of amazement and confusion.
"I had no idea." Caroline mused. "I guess a lot of what we do is rooted in tradition." Jodi nodded at her.
"Well, I think some of the festivals we have are things either Lewis or the previous Mayor came up with to attract tourists. But maybe this one really is from that far back." As the chatter continued, Eve decided to take her leave and finally make it over to the food table. Lots of food and drinks were there getting food. Shane, with an almost glazed look in his eyes, stumbled a bit as he grabbed a leg off the turkey and took a big bite out of it. Pam was lingering around examining which of the liquids she wanted to drink…or which had the most alcohol. Eve got a little food, but then spotted Willy by the river. She wanted to go talk to him, but heard Pam speaking up.
"Now this is the life." She said, and then side eyed Eve. "Huh kid?" Eve gave a nervous nod.
"It is a lovely day…" she replied, and Pam poured herself another glass of whatever she was drinking and drank up.
"Sweet wine, a babbling brook, warm air…did I mention wine?" Eve nodded and gave her a thumbs up.
"You did. I hope you're having some fun then today. Are…you going to dance?" Pam let out a hearty laugh.
"Hell no! I'm past all that malarkey. I'm just gonna relax and drink up while the day is young." Pam then poured her a glass. "Here, try it." Eve wanted to say no, but she couldn't now. She sipped it and it tasted pretty good for wine. It was sweet, but there was some dryness in the back of her throat.
"It's not bad." She said, and drank some more of it. "Thank you, Pam." Pam nodded and gave her a thumbs up.
"You're alright kid. Not as much as a stick in the mud that I thought you were." Eve chuckled and shook her head and both women turned away from each other. Eve finally walked over to Willy as he was talking to himself.
"I should've brought my fishing pole." He said to himself. Gus, who was nearby, looked over at him.
"Frog season has really started to pick up." He said to him. "Now I wish you brought your fishing pole." Willy looked over at Gus and was about to talk to him when Eve tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and an immediate look of happiness came over him. "Eve!" he called and hugged the farmer girl. Eve recoiled a little but managed to hug him back.
"Sorry Willy, I'm a little tender today." She told him as she stepped back. Willy looked a little concerned at her.
"What happened?" he asked. "Are you alright?" Eve nodded at him, lifting her jacket a bit to show some of the bandages to him.
"I had a bad run in in the mines. That's all. I'm okay now, just a little tender." Willy looked worried and pat Eve on the head.
"I'm glad you're okay…" he said. "The mines are extremely dangerous. You need to be a little more careful if you're going to be making trips in there." Eve nodded and ate a little bit of the food.
"You don't have to tell me twice…I don't want to go back if I can avoid it. But…I'll need to." He nodded and gave her head a pet. Gus walked over and smiled.
"I heard about it a little this morning. If you need food for your next trip into the mines, stop on by. I'd be happy to feed you." Eve smiled at him.
"Thanks Gus…and these roasted veggie skewers are really good. You made these right?" Gus clapped and laughed.
"I'm glad you like them! I bought some of YOUR produce after all to make them!" Eve looked and saw a few things on there. Green beans, potato, parsnips and a few other vegetables that she certainly didn't grow. She looked at Gus.
"You did?" Gus nodded at her with a smile.
"I buy directly from Lewis every morning when you have a harvest. I'll let you know that whose skewers have a spring onion vinaigrette on there too. It's been fun picking and choosing from the fresh home grown Stardew Valley produce." Eve blushed a bit as she took another bite of the skewer. Willy pat her on the shoulder.
"You should be proud." He said and she nodded.
"I am…do you only buy the vegetables?" Gus shook his head.
"Oh no! I buy the fish you catch too. Grilled fish or fried fish with your potato chips sell really well at the saloon. You'll have to come and try them at SOME point." Eve nodded and smiled, bouncing a little bit.
"I will!" she exclaimed. Gus gave her a thumbs up.
"You better! I'll make it fresh, on the house!" Eve smiled and looked back at Willy, who was also smiling. Eve got a little embarrassed and gestured to Willy.
"Well, you'll have to thank him for teaching me how to fish. I'm sure it would be cheaper if you learned to fish from him." Gus looked over at a clearly embarrassed Willy.
"Well, I only taught her the basics. She's only improved after that." Willy said trying to bring it back to Eve, but Gus laughed and pat Willy on the shoulder.
"I'd love to learn how to fish! Think you can take me on as a pupil? I'll cook whatever we catch!" Willy laughed and smiled back at Gus.
"It'd be an honored friend." He said and the two shook hands. Eve chuckled and left them to talk as they started to discuss frog recipes. She was nibbling on her food when she heard more talking.
"You know what? I admit it. I really like flowers." Eve turned her head and saw Sam there, along with Abigail and Sebastian. Sebastian rolled his eyes.
"Ugh…that was random. Why the heck did you say that?" Sam looked over at Seb a little hurt.
"Hey, a guy is allowed to like flowers you know!" Sebastian proceeded to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, but why did you say it like some sort of proclamation or something. I really could care less about your interests in flora…reminds me of him." He sneered. Sam just scoffed.
"Well sorry then. You know if you don't want to be here, no one is forcing you to stay." Sebastian gave Sam a side eye.
"Except my mom and the Mayor. You know how it is, all the 'young people' need to do this stupid dance together. It's such bullshit." Just then Abigail walked over with a plate of food and stood next to Sebastian.
"I know what you mean. I really hate dancing in front of everyone…it's so embarrassing." Sebastian stole a bite of food off Abigail's plate and ate it, earning him a shove from the girl. "Hey, get your own!" she exclaimed at him.
"Why? You're right there. Besides, you never eat everything on your plate." Abigail scoffed and rolled her eyes. Maybe what he said was true.
"Whatever, I don't care." She said, as she took a bite and looked up, spying Eve at the table. "Hey farmer!" she called out, making Eve turn around to the group.
"Oh…hey guys." She said, starting to fidget a little bit. "So…what's up?" Abigail looked a little concerned at her.
"I heard what happened from Harvey this morning. I was helping bring in the weekly stock when I saw him walking out of the clinic toward your farm. Are you okay?" Sam looked at Eve and then at Abigail.
"Wait what? Something happened?" Eve sighed and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. Rumors spread fast in a small town like this.
"Oh, it was…I was in the mine and got attacked by some cave flies. That's all." Abigail looked in awe at her, mouth agape and her eyes looked like they were sparkling.
"You went into the mines? Wow, I didn't peg you for the adventure type! What's it like? Is it totally cool?" Eve thought about it for a moment.
"It's dark I guess…and…wet." She said. Abigail looked like her dreams were dashed.
"Dark and wet? I meant like, is it a fun place to explore? Did you find anything cool?" Eve let out a sigh.
"I don't really remember. After I got attacked, my memories of the mines are…fuzzy. But I will say that you should NOT go in there without being really prepared. I tell you, I could have died if I wasn't saved." Sebastian looked like he was listening intensely and Sam looked in awe.
"Sick! You must have some battle wounds then! Can I see?" Sebastian snapped his gaze to Sam.
"Dude! Not cool." He retorted back quickly. "She just got attacked and all you care about are the wounds? No tact." Sam looked away a bit, clearly embarrassed.
"Right…you're right…that wasn't cool." Eve chuckled a little.
"It's okay. When I'm better, maybe I can show you the scars. I'm sure there will be some." Sam perked up almost instantly and Sebastian let out a sigh.
"Deal!" he yelled. Sebastian looked over at Eve.
"Don't encourage him. He's an idiot." Sam then snapped his gaze over to Sebastian.
"Hey!" the girls both chuckled as the boys started to quarrel. Abigail looked at Eve, eating a little more food.
"I'm glad you're okay…we should hang sometime. I'm normally in my room, so, if you're in the shop, just knock." Eve nodded and gave a thumb up.
"Sure, sounds fun." Abigail gave her own thumb up before glancing as the boys.
"I better mediate this…you go have fun." Eve nodded and turned around.
"Good luck." She said, making Abigail laugh.
"I'm gonna need it." She replied. Eve then started to walk over toward the other people on the other side of the field. She spotted Penny and Maru talking to the good doctor and thought to say hi. That was before she was confronted by Hailey. Eve jumped as she noticed the blonde bounding toward her.
"Hey you." Hailey started, giving a little smirk. "I'm surprised to see you. I thought you'd be too busy to show up, running the dusty farm and all." Eve paused for a moment. Hailey was just about the one person she didn't want to talk to. Not after last time.
"Nope, I decided to come. And…how are you today?" she asked, trying to be civil with her at the very least. Hailey gave a sarcastic chuckle as she started to do a dance in front of her.
"Oh, I'm just practicing my dance moves. It needs to be perfect." She said back to the farmer. "As the Queen of the Flower Dance, I can't slack off. I need to look my best and be my best…unlike some others." She giggled as she gave Eve another up and down. Eve just gave a little glare back.
"Is that title something official…or did you make it up?" she asked. "I mean, maybe I should ask the Mayor about it because I'm new here." She ended that statement with a little smirk. Hailey gave a weak 'I don't care' type of chuckle before replying.
"Oh, well. At least I'm taking part in the dance. I already have my partner. It's Alex you know. We're really close." She said, her gaze turning into a glare. "I don't know why he's suddenly decided hanging out with you is cool. I don't see it. You're just some little city girl trying to play farmer." Eve sighed and shook her head, trying to figure out a way out of this conversation. In a way, Hailey was right. She had no idea what she was doing. The tension was raising, and Hailey's smirk got even bigger. "And I can see you clearly didn't take my advice at all. You still look so…peasant. Reading a fashion magazine once and a while would really do wonders for you, you know." Eve bit her lip slightly. She was about to say something when another voice called out to her.
"EVE!" both looked over toward the source and saw Maru and Harvey jogging over to her. Hailey backed off a little bit, surprised by the sudden outburst. Maru quickly gave Eve a once over before looking at her face. "Are you okay? How do you feel?" Harvey sighed and put a hand on Maru's shoulder.
"I told you I went over to her farm this morning to check on her, remember?" he asked her. Maru looked back at the doctor.
"I know, I know! But I wanted to see for myself! Those were some really serious injuries and I was worried about her, especially on the walk back." Eve was touched that Maru really cared about her well being. Hailey, on the other hand, was not a fan that the farmer nobody who was getting all sorts of attention. She tapped Maru on the shoulder with a scowl.
"Excuse me." She said, louder then she really needed to. "I was talking to her. You can butt out now." Maru just looked at Hailey, more surprised than anything.
"Did you not hear me? Eve was hurt. So hurt that she was in the clinic." Hailey crossed her arms over her chest.
"And?" she asked very matter of factly. "People get hurt all the time. Why is this any different?" Maru huffed and continued to inspect Eve.
"You wouldn't understand. Just buzz off okay?" Hailey's face got red with anger.
"How dare you say that to me you-" Harvey put a hand on Hailey's shoulder, to which she immediately recoiled. "Don't touch me!" she said to him and then stormed off, clearly angry. Maru and Harvey both watched her go and then looked at Eve, who was not a fan of all the attention herself.
"What bug is up her butt?" she asked and Harvey shook her head.
"I'm sure it's just nerves. Come on…" the two led Eve back over to their group, where she sat down to relax a little bit. Eve took a drink of water from a bottle she had and let out a sigh.
"Thank you for that. I have a feeling that Hailey doesn't like me very much." She said, knowing full well what the truth was. Maru just scoffed a little.
"She always has that kind of attitude. Like she's better than everyone." She replied, and then smiled.
"So, I'm glad you came! This dance is always a good way to end the springtime. I like dancing, but this one is a little stilted, in my opinion. The old timers really love it though. I think it's been a tradition for years." Harvey nodded as he took a bite of food.
"I think so too. I heard Demetrius talk about rituals or something relating to this dance. As for myself, I'm working up the courage to ask someone to dance with me." Maru chuckled and looked over at him.
"Well, maybe you can dance with my latest invention! I'm building this robot and-" Harvey immediately shook his head.
"No, I'd rather dance with a carbon-based lifeform." Maru looked down at the grass, picking a few blades in clear frustration.
"Dang it…I'm never gonna find a good way to test that dang thing." Penny shivered a little as she was looking at the ground. She gulped pretty loudly.
"I'm nervous. I don't like dancing in public like this…" Eve looked over at her and smiled.
"Aw, it'll be okay. You've done it before, right?" Penny looked back and nodded at her.
"Yes I have, but…that doesn't mean I like it. I get nervous when I have a lot of people watching me dance like this." She shook her head and then smiled at Eve. "So, who are you dancing with Eve?" Eve blushed a little bit and looked at the grass. She…had a thought of who, but she wasn't sure if she should try."
"I'm not sure if I'll be dancing…it's my wounds...you see." Penny gasped at that answer.
"Oh my gosh, you're right. That was really insensitive of me." Maru blew a little raspberry and waved her hand forward.
"Ah no, you wouldn't have a problem dancing. I would know, I treated those wounds." She smirked, making Eve hide her face. "Sooo, who are you asking to dance?" Eve was even more embarrassed then before.
"No one." She replied. "I don't…dance. And I don't know the dance at all! I would just be embarrassing myself in front of everyone." Maru leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, no you wouldn't! Trust me, it's SO easy. You'd pick it up in an instant. Like, the traditional dance, the girls don't even move. It's all the guys!" Harvey nodded at that.
"It's very true. The boys do all the moving. The girls just sway a little bit as the music plays. That's at least the traditional dance. Everyone dances normally afterward since the actual Flower dance is a pretty short dance." Maru and Eve both chuckled.
"Soooo…you sure you don't have someone in mind you're going to dance with?" Maru asked. Eve was smiling and blushing. She glanced up at a second to gaze at the person, but then looked down upon seeing them.
"Maybe…I don't know. I'll have to ask." Maru her Eve a pat on the back. "I know you can do it. There isn't any loss in asking, I mean, this isn't high school anymore. We're all adults…well okay most of us are adults." Eve chuckled again with Maru and nodded. She was smiling a little bit.
"Well…I never went to a school dance or anything growing up, so…I'll take your word for it." Maru looked confused when she said that.
"What? Did you school not have them or something?" she asked, but Eve shook her head.
"Oh no, they did. My school had all sorts of events. I just…didn't go." Penny nodded and chuckled.
"I don't blame you. School dances are always so…weird. When I was growing up, the kids would dancing in gross ways." Maru rolled her eyes.
"Tell me about it. It was the same for me." The group had a laugh and Eve got up. She looked around a bit and saw Linus standing there. Though when Linus saw that he was there, he started to leave. Eve looked sad as she watched him go, and Maru tracked him with her eyes. "Weird, I didn't even notice him here. I wonder why he even bothered to come." Penny shrugged.
"For the food?" Maru nodded and Eve let out a sigh. She wanted to thank him…but it was too late for that.
"I'm going to walk around a little bit more. Thanks for talking to me you guys." Maru went to Eve and gave her a highfive.
"Hey, what are friends for? See you around!" Penny and Harvey waved as well as Eve walked toward the top of the fence. Marnie was standing there looking disappointed.
"Well, love is in the air…and I'm still single." She muttered. Marlon was right next to her and gave a little bow.
"Well I think you look lovely today." He said, and Marnie just glared.
"Can it. I ain't interested in you." She said right as Eve came up to them. Marnie looked at her and smiled. "Oh, hey Eve! How's Miso doing? I heard from my vet he's all fixed now." Marlon looked confused.
"And what is Miso?" he asked. Eve smiled and waved at him.
"Miso is my kitten. Marnie found him and I took him in. Now he's getting bigger and loves to explore the farm." Marnie nodded and smiled.
"Awesome, I like to hear it." Eve smiled back when she saw Alex walking toward them. He looked…concerned.
"Hey." He said, clearly nervous as he was butting into the conversation. "Can I steal her for a moment?" he asked. The two older adults nodded and Eve looked confused. She looked at Marnie
"I'll tell you more sometime. Is that okay?" Marnie nodded at her.
"Of course! Stop by the shop sometime." Eve nodded back and walked a little bit with Alex. They stopped under a tree.
"So." He started out. "First of all…are you okay? I heard something about you getting hurt and…I got worried I guess." Eve nodded at him. She showed him one bandage on her arm. He looked surprised. "You got hurt? How?"
"Alex, I'm okay." She said back. "I went into the mines unprepared and got mobbed by cave flies. I got out and went to the clinic last night. But I'm okay now, I promise." Alex let out a sigh and shook his head.
"Alright, if you say so…now secondly…did it happen again? You know…with her?" he gestured to Hailey who was busy dancing. "I saw you two were talking and…she looked mad. What did you say to her?" Eve looked nervous and gripped onto her plate a little harder.
"Well…yeah kind of…the conversation got a little tense, but then Maru stepped in to check in on me. I think she didn't like that I was getting more attention then she was." Alex sighed and face palmed.
"Damn it. I talked to her about it too. I guess we have to have another talk after the dance. I'm just here, enjoying the view, and I'm watching that go down." He shook his head. "I'm sorry…I'm not good at confronting her about it." Eve smiled and put a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"It's okay…you don't have to come to my defense when she says something unpleasant. I don't take offense to it. I just…try and roll with the punches." Alex nodded a little, but still looked down.
"Alright, if you say so. Sorry to take you away from your conversation with Marnie. I just…wanted to be sure that I wasn't overstepping. You know how it is." Eve nodded and looked over to see the Mayor looking at his watch. She wanted to talk to him before the dance started. She started to walk toward him.
"Don't worry about me Alex. I'm okay. I'll talk to you later." The boy nodded and crossed his arms as Hailey came over and started to talk. Eve went to Mayor Lewis, who looked over and smiled at her.
"Hey Eve!" he greeted her with gusto. "I hope you're having a good time today. And I hope you're starting to feel better." He inspected her quickly. "I heard what happened. The mines are a scary place, so we advise people to not go in there. But if you're going to go back into the mines, please be prepared." Eve nodded at him and smiled.
"Thank you Mayor. I'm okay now. I just wanted to know where the dance is going to start. People have been telling me about it so…I'm pretty curious." The Mayor looked at his pocket watch again before closing it.
"Well, funny you should mention that. I was about to make an announcement." He cleared his throat. "Excuse me! May I have your attention?" he asked, causing a lot of heads to turn. "The Flower Dance will be starting very soon! Everyone participating please start to get changed and anyone who hasn't asked a partner to dance should do it now!" Eve's eyes went wide.
"What?!" she exclaimed. "R-right now?!" Lewis smiled and nodded. "But…but-" Lewis just chuckled at her.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine. Just relax and ask, it doesn't hurt." Eve clenched onto the collar of her shirt and looked down. She wasn't sure it 'doesn't hurt' but she didn't have anything to lose. As most people were getting into their spots or getting some nibbles, Eve made her way down to the lake. She spotted Leah and Elliot there and they were laughing together before taking a step toward some changing tents behind the tents. Leah managed to catch her eye and smiled at her.
"Hi Eve! Glad to see you here! Especially after what happened." Eve got a little nervous and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand.
"Oh well…thank you. Sorry, I've explained it so many times that I kind of want to drop the subject." She explained. "I'm okay now. The doc says I just need to relax." Elliot cocked his head a little, obviously very confused.
"Wait, what happened? Are you okay Eve?" Eve sighed and Leah gave him a shove.
"Hey, she just said she didn't want to talk about it. Weren't you playing attention?" Elliot blushed a bit and looked to the side. Eve just smiled at them, pulling the sleeve of her jacket up a little and revealing one of her bandages. There were little specks of blood here and there, but it wasn't bad.
"It's fine…here." she replied. "Just a few interactions with some cave flies in the mine." Elliot's mouth dropped a little and he went over to her, inspecting everything else he could see. He locked onto one bandage on her face and let out a sad sigh.
"I'm so sorry to hear that Eve…" he spoke in a solemn tone. "But I am glad you're okay. Please, let us speak later after the flower dance. We need to get ready." Eve perked up a bit at that.
"O-oh, about that…" she started the sentence but that's when it sank in. He said 'we' not 'I'. This meant…he already was there with the person he was going to dance with. Eve put on a strong face and smiled. "Oh, are you two in the dance?" Elliot nodded.
"We are! I wore my best shirt for the dance. This sort of thing doesn't happen every day!" he explained and gave Eve a nod. "But please, let us talk after the dance. I will see you then." Eve nodded and waved at them.
"Yeah…that sounds like a plan…go have fun." She said, trying to piece the words together. Elliot smiled at her and then started to walk off. Leah spared a sorry glance at her for a good few moments before following. She knew more than he did, that was for sure. Eve just stood there for a moment, unable to really think. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but to be shut down before even asking was something else. She decided to sit in their spot and watch the dance from afar, looking at the ground to try and figure all of this out. Why did it…hurt so much knowing Elliot was dancing with Leah? They were friends, it was natural. But it still hurt. She looked up from the grass for a moment and saw Hailey looking back with a huge smirk on her face. Eve's eyes widened as she watched Hailey go change. She had seen the whole thing…and she was happy she had failed. Hot tears formed into Eve's eyes as everyone got back with their costumes, the girls in white dresses and the boys in blue, they got into position. The music began and the dance started, the girls swaying in their white dresses and the 'Queen of the Flower Dance' was leading everyone on and wearing a crown of beautiful spring flowers on her head. The boys were then approaching and taking the waists of each girl, moving into a 3-step waltz type of dance. She had to admit it…Hailey was a good dancer. She deserved to be the Queen…and she was a page. Eve was trying so hard to enjoy herself, but it still stung. She wiped the tears away and just continued to watch, trying to relax as she did. The dance lasted only a few minutes and everyone started to clap. After the dance, Eve got up out of her spot, and made a quiet exit. She had seen enough and just wanted to rest. She exited from the area as everyone else was congratulating each other on a job well danced. When the music started up and everyone started to pair up or dance in groups, a few took a second to look around. Willy looked worried as he didn't spy Eve leaving and was giving a courtesy look for her. And Elliot, who promised to talk to her more then the dance was over. The two bumped into each other at the riverbank and Willy looked at Elliot.
"Ahoy Elliot. Was wondering if you'd seen Eve? I wanted to check in before headin' back to my shack." Elliot nodded and looked around.
"I did see her earlier but only for a short moment. I wanted to talk to her more after the dance…but I suppose…" Willy looked over toward the cliffside and pointed. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Look." He said, making Elliot turn to where he was pointing. Eve had crossed the bridge and was making a turn to get back into the forest. "I guess she exhausted herself too much. Good lass, I'm glad she's going to get some rest." Elliot's eyes sunk as he watched her go. He really wanted to talk to her and was upset he'd missed his chance.
"Yes…I would guess so." He said, his tone growing crestfallen. "I suppose…I will talk to her another time then." He watched her get into the forest before going back over to the group. The rest of the day was filled with smiles, laughter, and comradery for the town. A very successful Flower Dance.
Meanwhile, Eve returned to the farm and walked into her home and closed the door. Eve started to undress and dumped her clothes into the hamper before going into the bathroom. She knelt over and ran a bath, and then her gaze went to the mirror. Eve looked at her own reflection and saw the tear marks on her cheeks that her crying caused, and the bandages were not helping with her self-image. She quickly wiped them away and let out a sigh as she sat down on the toilet. Her confidence had taken a shot. Her chest was still tight, her body heavy. She watched as the tub was getting filled more and more and felt like she could cry again. She was so sick of crying. She just wanted to feel good again. Eve shook her head and started to rub her temples.
"This is stupid…I knew it wasn't going to happen and it still hurts? This is so…stupid." She said as she marched to the tub. She threw the rest of her clothes off and carefully undid the bandages. The wounds were bruised and started to scab over. Being in the hot water was sure to help, right? She was ginger with her body as she got in, hissing as the first wound hit the water. It hurt so much. "Damn…maybe this wasn't a good idea…" she muttered to herself but was committed to it at this point. Soon, she was in the tub after lots of hissing and cursing. Eve looked at the ceiling and just stared, trying to get lost in her memories of her Grandfather. He must have gone to the Flower Dance, right? Did he meet her Grandmother there? Was he rejected too? Eve let out another sigh and closed her eyes. The hot water was very soothing, and she started to relax more. So what if she didn't get to dance, she was hurt! It would have been more of a fuss in the end…right?
"Who needs it…?" she cooed before letting out a yawn. She could feel her body start to sink and her mind was floating away in her memories. She had lots of good memories of this place already…and soon it would be summer. She wondered if Summer was going to be like the spring…what crops she was going to need to buy…maybe thinking about saving for a coop. These were happy thoughts…thoughts about the future. Thoughts about how bright it looked. However, all these thoughts turned into dreams as Eve fell asleep in the tub. She dreamt of a farm she'd never seen before. Fields everywhere being watered by sprinklers, beehive houses producing delicious honey and plenty of large wooden kegs next to her. She walked over and turned the spicket on the front. A red liquid came out and Eve put some on her hand, as she brought it up to her lips, she started to wine a familiar smell. It was wine…and good wine at that. "Blueberry? Not bad…" she said and turned it back to close the barrel. Then she was drawn to the large buildings to the left of her large house, a chicken coop with lots of birds roaming around the front, mingling with the cattle and sheep that came from the barn. And then the greenhouse behind them. Eve walked in there and saw she was growing…something. It was a plant that bore a green fruit, and it was huge. Eve sniffed it and tried to figure out what it was but couldn't. She picked one and took a taste. It was sweet, tangy, a little salt hit but it was absolutely delicious. Eve walked out of the greenhouse and was going to mosey to her orchard when suddenly it all disappeared. Eve's eyes shot open as she heard the scratching at the door and her phone going off. Eve sat up and looked at her hands. They were very pruny. It was clear from the lukewarm water and her body looked like a well dried raisin, so she carefully got out and started to dry off. She stepped into the main room to grab her phone and quickly let Miso in. Only dressed in her robe, Eve let in her kitten and started to get his food when she looked at who was calling her. She answered immediately. "Joyce?" she asked with a smile. "It's been a while, how have you been?"
"How have I been? Are you okay?!" she asked frantically on the other side. "I mean…crap I'm tripping over my words again aren't I?" Eve scoffed a bit as she heard that. Did the Mayor seriously tell her too? She brought the phone back up to her ear when Miso was happily chomping on his food.
"Look, I'm fine. They only look bad now, they don't hurt anymore." She said.
"What the hey are you talking about?" she asked. "What, did you get into a fight or something?" Eve felt embarrassed after that and shook her head.
"No…no no, I'll explain later. I'm fine though. But you don't sound fine. What's going on?"
"Turn on the News." Joyce said. "Things are crazy and I'm only telling you this because you used to work for Joja." Eve looked confused, but then turned on the TV. After finding that the weather was going to be rainy the next day, she changed the channel to the news.
"-telling us that these rumors are true?" the news anchor asked his guest. There were two people talking, both men in suits. The anchor continued to speak. "These are some mighty heavy accusations against Joja as a whole. They are a massive multi-million company with an honest reputation, and slander gets tossed around quite a bit." The other man nodded and let out a little chuckle.
"Well, I can say that the rumors considering the workplace violence and harassment are true. Some reports say that it's caused several hundred members of the company to quit and even flee the city areas. We might even be able to pull some footage off CCT, given the clearance. We all know that's happening, we are just waiting for one screw up to become public. But…it could be connected to the reason we're on today. What we're really here to talk about, the matter that truly deserves our attention, is the rumors that Joja themselves are working and funding the Empires campaign into the Republic. Several documents and rumors have been established, and we are currently waiting for a statement from Joja's CEO Norman Foss, but until then, we don't have anything conclusive. Furthermore-"
"Did you hear it? It's crazy!" Joyce said to her. "They said earlier that they may start calling people in for interviews. Anyone who had worked for Joja in the last 5 months! That includes you Eve!" Eve sighed and curled up on her bed. She turned the news off at this point. She couldn't listen to it. This day had certainly gone from okay to awful.
"God…Joja is a nightmare that I just can't escape. What…what should I do?" she asked her friend. Joyce let out a sad sigh.
"I don't know Eve…I just don't know…"