Author's note: Originally posted on Archive of Our Own in March 2021 as a gift for Worldbuilding Exchange. This takes place after Abigail's 14 heart event.
Any and all reviews are welcome, including critique.
Abigail and her wife had made a grave in the backwoods for the monster she had killed. What else could you do when a living being died and it left behind a body? Even if she wasn't particularly religious, it felt wrong to not do anything at all. She and Granger had gone to Robin to get the monument carved, reassured her that no one human in the village had died, and Granger had given her the stone needed. Abigail had brought an amethyst from her own collection to embed in the middle. Robin seemed to think the whole thing was a little odd, but she still carved it up nicely in the shape of the Vessel, and the three had moved it over the shallow grave where they had interred the monster's grassy body.
"...Um, should we say something?" Abigail asked.
"We can," Granger said. "They were... They… Well…" She ran a hand through her short hair. "Sorry. The last time I was at a funeral it was for Grandpa, and I think I blocked most of it out."
Abigail had actually been at that funeral years ago - had met her future wife very briefly - but there wasn't a lot to say to Granger and her father other than condolences. They'd kept mostly to themselves while they tried to sort out the old farmer's affairs, which Abigail understood. She wouldn't exactly want to deal with strangers right after one of her family members died, either. There had been other funerals, of course. When she was a kid it was Mona, the old religious woman who lived alone in the village, who mainly took care of those. Then she died and her nephew and his husband came into Pelican Town to take care of her affairs and then all that was left of her was her own grave in the town cemetery. Mayor Lewis did the funerals now, including that of her wife's grandfather, but he didn't have the same gravitas.
Robin cleared her throat, jolting Abigail out of her thoughts. "Let's see... I think it goes 'From Earth Yoba makes all things sprout, and to Earth all things shall return. The remains of old life help new life grow.'"
"You almost sounded like Mona!" Abigail said with a smile. "Except you didn't get drunk on the pale ale and rant about lead-lined coffins!"
Robin smiled at that. "She had a lot of opinions on those... 'If the body can't return to the earth, it can't return to Yoba! Just use wood!'"
Despite herself, Abigail laughed.
"Not that I wouldn't recommend wood myself," Robin added, making Granger smile.
"Well, I don't have any pale ale ready," Granger said, gently putting her arm around Abigail. "Just hops in the keg. I think the only tomatoes I have on hand are already made into sauce if you want to go the non-alcoholic route. I don't know if pizza or spaghetti is exactly the proper 'eleven-days fruit' to take with a funeral."
'Eleven days in which Yoba cultivated this world, eleven days for this fruit to grow. In the end we remember the beginning – the cycle of life, death, and rebirth to which we all belong – and partake in this fruit so that we may ourselves grow and move forward.' Abigail could hear Mona's voice clearly in her head again and, as she leaned into her wife's shoulder and looked at the monster's grave, felt wistful in a way that she hadn't for a long time.
That had been several days ago. Today Abigail had fed David Jr., helped water the pumpkins, let their grey tabby Miso out to hunt for mice, and had decided to practice her sword skills in the backwoods. No one except for Granger really came back here, so she could practice her swings without much worry about hitting anyone. But today all she had done was take her steel smallsword out of its sheath a few times and then put it right back.
She sat down against the edge of the cliff face. She sighed and took out her Mermaid's Pendant. It was apparently a real shell, not like most other Mermaid Pendants that people had in this part of Ferngill. Those were usually made by local artisans out of blue stone and rubies, owing to the overhunting of Mermaid's Wentletraps. The last person in Stardew Valley who could make them had moved out of Pelican Town years ago. If anyone wanted one now instead of a ring from a jeweler in Zuzu City, they'd have to place an order with her father, who'd then place an order with an artisan in a neighboring town. That's what Abigail thought had happened.
"You didn't tell me that Granger was going to propose!" Abigail had said to her father, laughing. Then, as the thought came to her, she said "I sure hope you didn't overcharge her for the pendant."
But her father was as surprised as she was. No one had placed an order with him. She could tell her father was a little miffed ("Didn't she read the book I commissioned for the library?") but he got over it. Still, Abigail had to wonder where exactly Granger had gotten it. Granger said it was an antique and that she hadn't actually caught an endangered species to make a necklace. Maybe the story about the spirit of the Old Mariner who haunted the beach, who had been a matchmaker in life and who guided young lovers from beyond the grave, was real. Abigail had thought she saw a shadowy person on rainy days at the beach lately. Maybe Granger was serious when she told her that she thought people came back as spooky ghosts. That could be why she was so intent on making her grandfather proud and keeping up his shrine.
Or maybe her wife just bought the pendant from that traveling merchant that came around. Abigail didn't know. Granger was just full of secrets. The mystery made the pendant cooler, but it would be nice to know more about what her wife got up to.
Abigail put her pendant back in her shirt. She picked up her sword again, got in a stance... And then sighed as she put it down. It had been worth it. Granger was okay – had barely been hurt at all, actually! - and Abigail would do it again to keep it that way. Before this, she had even fantasized a little about one day being able to protect her wife. She just didn't realize…
Behind her she heard boot steps in the distance, growing closer. They stopped a few feet away. She heard metal being moved, a bucket full of liquid being set down on the ground, and the sound of her wife's voice. The bucket was picked up and the footsteps resumed as she turned and looked behind her.
"Hey," Granger said.
"Hey," Abigail said, casually as she could.
"How's it going?"
"Oh, fine," she replied. "I was just out here practicing with my sword and I thought I'd pay my respects."
"Yeah?" Her wife walked up next to her and set the bucket down. "Thank you again, by the way," Granger said softly. "I'm still not sure what happened there."
"Yeah, of course," Abigail replied. "I'm just glad you're all right."
Granger put an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm fine!" Abigail snapped.
Granger backed up. "I didn't say you weren't! I just... I'm sorry."
"No, it's...it's okay. Maybe I am still wound up about this." Abigail sighed. "I don't get it. I've been to the mines before. I've had to take out a few slimes that wouldn't leave me alone. Why is it just that golem that makes me feel like this? Just because it looked like a person?"
Granger put her arm behind her head and looked away, uncomfortable. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
Granger had never said anything at all to Abigail about having trouble with monsters. Even if she hadn't filled any of the monster eradication goals lately, she was a high-ranking member of the Adventurer's Guild and helped repair the elevator all the way to the bottom of the mines. She seemed to know a lot of things about the hidden secrets of this valley and had a handle on the things that Abigail only wished she did.
Abigail waited for an explanation, but it didn't come. Instead Granger stretched and picked her pail back up.
"I still have a couple of errands to run before it gets dark, but I'll see you tonight at home, okay?"
"All right, see you."
They kissed and then Granger was off. Abigail picked up her sword again, tried to get into a stance, but after a minute sighed and put the blade away.
Granger came home that evening, kicked her boots off, and kissed Abigail on the cheek.
"Hey, Abby. I've been talking with a friend of mine and I was wondering if you'd want to meet him."
"Is he one of your friends from back in Zuzu City?"
"No, he lives here in Pelican Town, he just...doesn't get out a lot."
Now Abigail was confused. Even if she didn't talk to each person in town regularly, she still thought she knew everyone, shut-in or not. Could someone be more reclusive than Sebastian? "Where does he live?"
"In the sewers, actually."
"Umm...what?"
"He's a Shadow Person. His name is Krobus. He finds the dark and dampness of the sewer perfect living conditions."
Abigail laughed. "You should have led with him being a Shadow Person!"
Granger shrugged. "I thought I should probably lead with him being a friend."
"Well, definitely! I'd love to meet him!"
They set out around ten p.m. Work was done, they'd had dinner, and hardly anyone was out that late on a Wednesday night to ask what they were up to. Granger unlocked the heavy old door to the sewer and the two climbed down the ladder.
There were plenty of closed-off places that Abigail had wanted to explore, but the sewer hadn't been one of them. Her nostrils immediately being assaulted by the smell of dank to the point where she gagged wasn't helping to change her mind.
"You get used to it," Granger said, but she spoke in a flat tone like she was intentionally not breathing through her nose. She switched on the flashlight. "He's this way."
They walked down the tunnel for about a minute until they reached the end of an alleyway where pots were arranged in a circle. Granger's flashlight hit what looked like a human's shadow, which recoiled at the light.
"Oh! Sorry, Krobus." She turned the flashlight upwards as they walked into the alley. "Are you okay?"
The shadow straightened up and two very large eyes blinked.
"So, Krobus, this is my wife, Abigail. Abigail, this is my friend Krobus."
"Hi."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard it's customary to shake hands."
Abigail wasn't sure how that was going to work with him having no arms. "Well, that's o-"
Suddenly his shoulder jerked and the outline of an arm became visible folded against his chest. He unbent it and extended it toward her. Not knowing what else to do, Abigail took it. His hand felt like moving velvet.
"Your blue pendant is lovely."
"Huh? Oh, thanks! It's actually my wedding pendant. Granger gave it to me."
"We have something very similar. I don't believe we have 'family' units like humans do, but we do sometimes prefer to live in pairs or small groups."
"Huh," said Granger, "I didn't know that."
"I'm told it's a relatively recent invention, modelled after the pendant from this region. There never was much formality between the decision to live together."
"So," Abigail said. "Do you get a lot of traffic down here? Who do you usually sell to? Besides Granger."
They talked for a while about this and that about shopkeeping, Abigail relating her time helping with the store and Krobus with his small selection of customers - usually other Shadow People or the Wizard who lived in the tower. Krobus was a little strange, Abigail could definitely tell he wasn't like humans, but he was an interesting fellow with an obviously good heart.
After a while, Granger looked down at her watch. "It's getting late... It's past midnight already. We should probably go home."
"Already?! I guess we should. ...Well, it was nice to meet you, Krobus. Maybe I'll see you around."
"I'm not really tired," Granger admitted after they were home.
"Me neither, actually," said Abigail. Not in the mood to fool around either, they stood around for a minute. Abigail flipped on the TV, to see if there was anything on other than Joja infomercials. After a few seconds Granger went over to the fireplace and began setting up a fire.
"So Krobus...?" she said over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I liked meeting him. He's a little different but sometimes the best people are."
"Good. Yeah, he's a good person." The fire came to life, lighting up the whole room. Satisfied, she walked over and joined Abigail on the couch.
"Nothing good on at this hour." Abigail clicked off the TV. She leaned against her wife, who put an arm around her shoulder. They turned their attention to the fire and watched it crackle and burn until the sound of little paws could be heard entering the room. Miso appeared around the corner from the bedroom and ambled over to the couch, jumping up on Abigail's lap and meowing for attention.
"All right, fine," Abigail said. She pushed herself up off her wife and began rubbing Miso's fur. She purred and splayed herself over Abigail's lap.
"Such a baby. I think you're worse than David Sr."
Granger laughed and muttered something in agreement. They were silent for about another minute more.
"You see a lot of Shadow People in the lower levels in the mines," Granger finally said. "Where you can find gold."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. They are…not friendly like he is."
Abigail looked up at her wife. Granger had her arms behind the couch and was staring up at the ceiling.
"Why would they be?" Granger continued. "Krobus told me once there's been fighting between humans and Shadow People. They don't have any reason to think I'm there to negotiate peaceably for resources. So, when I was exploring the mines and helping fix the elevator, I was attacked. And I fought back.
"Killing monsters wasn't anything new - you already know that I took up using a sword in the first place because of the monsters here. But after I met Krobus it was too much. He asked me once if I had killed any of his friends."
Again there was silence for a moment, the only sounds in the room coming from the fireplace crackling and from Miso's purring in her lap.
"What did you say to that?" Abigail finally asked.
"I told him I didn't know, but I hoped not. There's not a lot of talking before fighting. …Our conversation kind of died after that." Granger sighed and pulled her arms forward into her lap. "I don't tend to go to the levels where they live much anymore, unless I really need gold and can't get it anywhere else. And I try to run if they see me. It's well...you know, they're just trying to live. There are already so many problems."
"Yeah..."
"I know with the monsters we're competing with them for space and resources, but I just don't know what to do."
They were both silent for a bit more. Miso had stopped purring and was slowing blinking her eyes, about to fall into a comfortable sleep. Abigail placed her hand on her wife's and Granger turned it over and squeezed.
"Life's hard, isn't it?" Granger said through an uncomfortable laugh.
"Yeah," Abigail said. "But we can figure it out together at least."
Granger squeezed back. She smiled. "Yeah."