Everything was in order. Crops watered, cows and chickens tended. The air was crisp with a fresh autumn breeze. V's breath came out in little puffs as they made their way to the saloon. Too much time on the farm, she said. Need to get out and explore the town, she said.
Their sister was always nagging them to get to know the townsfolk. They had already come here enough as kids, didn't they know the locals well enough to know they were fine on the farm? She wasn't even here. Spending all her time with that rich college kid in the suburbs. That life just wasn't for them.
"V!" Pierre announced as they walked into the saloon. Their expression soured at the sound of his voice, but the other was quick to assume it was just the bar. "Ah, yes. The stench of depression and poor habits, am I right?" His smile reached his eyes as he grinned up at them, extending his hand in a polite gesture. "How're you liking the farm, young lady?" It took everything inside them not to heave their dinner into his face. They forced a smile anyway and shook his hand, but before they could get the first tight-lipped compliment out they were pulled from their discomfort by a familiar light voice.
"Daddy, momma says she needs you at the shop." The little mustache twitched as he turned fully in his seat to face Abbigail, standing behind his chair and with a half-empty drink in her hand. "Tut tut, old man, you know that woman doesn't wait." The stern eyebrows drew a chuckle from V as they watched Pierre scuffle briskly out the door and passed a small group of drunk tourists on their way in. "I'm, like, so sorry about him." Abigail apologized with a roll of her eyes, giving their shoulder a small squeeze before disappearing into the back room with Sebastian close on her heels.
They didn't protest, accepting the opportunity to sit in silence at Pierre's table for the night. Drink after drink, they slowly found themself more and more curious about the purple-haired girl, Abigail, they hadn't seen since they were a teen. Now and again, they found themself stealing a glance at the entryway of the game room, debating whether it was worth it to break their three-season-long streak of refusing to socialize with the locals.
They were too slow, it seemed. They knocked back the last sip of their last beer for the night just as Abby was wiggling her fingers in a distant farewell. She giggled as she followed her friends out the door, and V spent their walk home trying to shake off the lingering feeling left in her wake.
- SV -
It wasn't until some weeks later before V returned to the saloon for a late-night drink. Abigail wasn't there, but as their loneliness grew over the cold winter they found themself winding up there more and more. They learned that on Fridays, Abigail would be here until nearly closing with Sebastian and Alex. The other two would play pool while she drank and made unhelpful commentary on their form.
They learned she was funny and cute, and that she did this adorable little thing with her nose that made it scrunch when she laughed hard enough. She liked fruity drinks and she wasn't partial to beer in the slightest. They also learned that Pierre was rather controlling and dismissive of her. This struck a chord as they remembered their own controlling father, who their mother had left long ago with their well-being in mind. It didn't seem Caroline had the same concern or respect for her daughter
Most importantly, they learned it was surprisingly nice to be friends with Abigail. She was easy to get along with, witty and quick to laugh at their jokes. They often watched and made quiet commentary on the boys' game, joking that they would be married eventually.
By the middle of winter, they'd begun spending time together outside of their Friday routine. V would find her at the cemetery and she would tell them what she imagined Mona was like. Who she thought this person was and what their world consisted of. Sometimes they would offer their ideas, and she seemed so excited that they didn't find this "concerning" or "dubious" like everyone else seemed to. When it was too cold or stormy to do that, they would sprawl across her bedroom floor. Try as they might they never did beat that damn game, Journey of the Pirate King.
It was late one of these nights, sitting on Abigail's bed while she rummaged through the kitchen for a snack, that V got the first wif of her father's concerns. "Sometimes I wonder about that girl." He says, brows furrowed as he stared somewhere V couldn't see. He was stood in the doorway, and they didn't like the way he was holding himself. Almost defensively. Their own eyes turned in as they looked up at him, craning their neck to do so. "I mean, really kid. Does she even look like me?"
Certainly doesn't think like you, either. They thought to themself. "I think you're reading too much into it." They hadn't exactly turned a blind eye to the purple hair, though they did assume it was simply dyed.
"Oh, come on." Pierre's eyes cut to them and a defensiveness swelled in their chest. "Don't give me that, I know you see it, too. I've been skeptical of Caroline since she was born."
V stared at him in bewilderment, taken aback that he would say such a thing about the girl he helped to raise. The woman he was married to. "If you're that worried about it, maybe you should be the bigger person and just ask Caroline for the truth." Pierre scoffed and V shook their head. "Either way, I'm taking her to the mines tomorrow so don't go clouding her judgment with all your little ideas. She has enough to worry about without you planting little seeds of doubt everywhere."
"Daddy, the fridge stopped working again." Abigail sidled past him and into the door, two arms full of various nutritionally deceased snacks. None of them were cold, they noticed. All pantry items. "Well, are you gonna fix it, or you just gonna stand in my doorway and listen to us talk all night?"
"You know I don't want you going out to those mines, Abby." Abigail rolled her eyes and shrugged, hoping he would give up and fix the fridge if she tried not to engage. "I mean it, it's dangerous out there! Your little friend may be a capable farmer but she-"
"They."
"-V can do whatever V wants because V doesn't have a father to look out for V." Pierre practically spat back, gesturing at the shop before turning to move toward the broken fridge.
"All due respect sir, but I'm pretty sure Abigail is a grown woman and doesn't need to answer to anyone but herself." He nearly, nearly, stopped in his tracks. Barely a stutter in his footing, but as he turned the corner he tossed a glare toward V and Abigail. "Has he always been such an ass?" V asked once she'd closed the door.
"On some level, yeah pretty much." Abigail shrugged and dropped all of the snacks she'd brought onto the bed. "It's fine though, one day I'll live on a cute funky farm like you and I won't have to worry about whether he likes my hobbies."
It was barely even a comment, certainly not intended to be taken this way, but V couldn't stop the little flashes of imagery that danced across their mind's eye. Abigail tending the crops, gently reminding the dog not to scare the chickens, the ducks squawking excitedly as she went to feed them. "Hmm," they mumbled to themself, but let the matter be. They had all the time in the world to explore those thoughts.
-SV-
Abigail woke up early the next morning. V had suggested Wednesday because they knew her dad wouldn't have an excuse to make her stay at the shop all day, effectively killing his only way to keep her out of the mines. She was too excited to wait, though, and made her way to the river by the mines before even the crack of dawn. Unsure what to do with herself, she sat with her feet in the river until she started to get impatient and made her way into the mines, eager to get a look at the place and size it up for herself.
A single bat spiraled out of the cave when she leaned over, hands on the ends of the ladder, and peered inside. It gave her a small startle, but when she realized it wasn't that bad she leaned in further and tried to get a glimpse of the bottom. The light and movement startled the rest of the bats in the cave, and she pulled away with a shriek, swatting at bats and stumbling back toward the corner of the mine.
V arrived just in time to see the swarm of bats bustling to escape the cave in the bright daylight, squawking in distress. Intrigued and mildly concerned by the sudden shift in behavior, they were quick to swerve past the last of the hoard to find Abigail huddled in a corner taking deep breaths. "Abby?" She looked spooked but otherwise unharmed as they approached with concern etched into their brows.
"Sorry." She mumbled sheepishly, fingers pressing against the rock behind her as if to grip it in whatever way she could. "It was my fault, I was just a little ambitious I think."
V let out a little puff of laughter as they gently examined her for any bite marks or other injuries that might justify a trip to the doctor. "They don't normally sleep there, I assume it's too close to the entrance for their liking." Their hands trailed down her arms, gently probing for any signs of pain or distress. "I'm sure you're only half to blame."
A bit of color dusted Abigail's cheeks and she was grateful for the crisp winter air to hide behind if ever asked. "Are there more hoards of bats in there?" She asked, leveling a skeptical glance at the ladder and hole.
"Oh, yeah plenty." There was a lilt of sarcasm in their voice, but at the same time, it almost seemed like they believed it. Her eyes suddenly cut to them, and there was a genuine fear in them that they hadn't expected. V couldn't help the laugh, she looked so perturbed. It was only a day ago that she'd been talking with animation and excitement about descending into the mines like a badass tomb raider. They hadn't had the heart to tell her tomb raiders were actually pretty terrible people, in fact. "It's alright, they haven't managed to get the best of me so far." They grabbed the tip of her chin in what they hoped was a comforting gesture. "You're safe with me.'
V took her hand then and the two made their way toward the hole. "How far down does it go?" She asked with just a hint of skepticism.
"Here-" V pulled the glowstone ring off their finger and held it above the hole, ready to drop it.
"Wait! What if you lose it?"
"Well, I can just make another, then, can't I?"
"How will we see where we're going?" She leveled them with a pout and they rolled their eyes fondly.
"Well, that reminds me-" Shuffling around in their pocket, they produced a small glow ring and offered it to her. "This one's for you. I won't be needing it, and if we get separated you'll need to be able to see your footing. There are surprise holes that sometimes drop multiple levels down there." Softly, they took her hand and slipped the small glowing ring into place.
They could tell she was about to protest when she sat back on her heels and squared her shoulders. "Maybe I 'll just wait for you up here and you can tell me what it's like."
"Well, if that's really what you want then I could just tell you about it now." They shrugged off her refusal, not prepared to pressure her into something she wasn't ready for. "Although I haven't reached the end yet so it wouldn't be terribly accurate." She looked disappointed at this prospect. Perhaps she was hoping that if they went first and she followed a bit after, it wouldn't be as frightening. "Or," they began, watching her expression for any sign of discomfort. "I could go down first and tell you how scary it is and then you can decide how you feel."
Abigail bit her lip and looked as if she were debating this decision with great consideration. It may not be ideal, but at least it was better than missing out on the whole adventure entirely. "Okay, that sounds fine." They could see the uncertainty as they lowered themself into the hole and slid down the sides of the ladder with ease. It was probably just Pierre's ideas manifesting as anxiety and not an actual legitimate fear of the mines. She was too adventurous and relatively fearless for that mindset.
"So far, only rocks." They said, picking up the ring from the floor and slipping it on their finger. "Oh yeah, it's completely empty down here." They could hear her, then, descending the ladder with little to no hesitation. A swell of pride rose in their chest as they turned to face her. The fear seemed to have subsided a significant amount, or she'd suddenly grown very good at hiding it from them in the dim lighting. Either way, she seemed prepared to trudge onward.
They spent the rest of the day there, slowly making their way through each level and taking the monsters one at a time. By the time they re-entered the light of day, it was dusk and the sun was just disappearing over the horizon. "That was a lot more fun than I expected." Abigail declared as they approached the entrance to Pierre's general.
A little smile made its way onto V's face and they allowed themself to revel in the feeling. "I'm glad. Your old man certainly doesn't know what he's talking about."
With a scoff and a wave of her hand, Abigail giggled. "Oh, he never has. He thinks he knows everything, but it's all just superficial."
V made a face in agreement and nodded. "Well, I suppose I should let you get some sleep." They finally said, glancing down at their watch and realizing it was nearly half-past 3 am. "I'll swing by tomorrow, though." They tipped the bill of their ball cap at her and turned on their heel.
"Void?" Their full name stopped them in their tracks, but it was the feeling of her hand slipping into theirs and tugging them back toward her that had them turning again to face Abigail. "I'm...really glad...that you came to live here." Their brows furrowed in confusion, but she was quick to explain herself. "It can get pretty lonely out here when you don't fit in with the local scene. I guess what I'm saying is...I just really missed having a friend I could relate to...this way." Ever so slowly it seemed the gravity around them was shifting, drawing them in closer. "You changed the way I see this place." She shook her head, bewildered at her own boldness. "I'm not usually the type to feel this way about people, but...you're really something else, V." She expelled the last few words on a breath as if convincing herself to just force them out before she could change her mind.
Drawing out the feeling as much as they could, V let a little grin slip in and placed a finger under her chin. Abigail agonized over every last second of the ordeal, but when their lips did finally meet she leaned into the kiss with her whole body and let herself be fully immersed in it all.
Too soon for her liking, Void was pulling away and leaving her with a little wink. "I'll see you tomorrow, Abigail." They commented absently as they strutted away, leaving her to slink into her bedroom and melt down on the bed, falling fast into dreams and visions of the future.