Moving to Stardew Valley wasn't exactly at first in Liz's plans. Who in their right mind came to a sunny village in the middle of nowhere? I mean, if I were to tell you that she inherited her grandfather's farm and she felt like not going anywhere and blah blah blah…

Well, the thing is, Liz wasn't exactly your city-girl-goes-farming story. Because she is, in fact, a vampire.

The grandfather's farm part is true, though.

He was human, a man her coven adopted when he was a lonely kid orphaned in a war. She remembered thinking how absurd it was that vampire like them would adopt such weak creatures, but it wasn't like she cared much about it. With time, she stopped finding her new immortal life so fascinating and started following the strange and humble old man that chose to call her family despite knowing what he did about her world.

When he died, he left her everything he owned. Including a run down farm in the middle of nowhere, sunny-ville.

Liz breathed deeply, enjoying the cold spring night's air, one hand scratching her new cat's chin (maybe she was being cheesy by calling him Lestat, but sue her), looking at the few sprouts growing in the cleared patch she made early in the season.

A farmer vampire. Who would have thought.

At least she didn't have to eat, so that's money she saved. Everything she earned would go to the next crop.

It has been around a week since she settled there and getting used to the slow pace everything seemed to go by there was… difficult. She had wanted to leave coven drama behind and try her hand at going solo for a while. Who knows? Maybe she could start a coven of her own-

A family. What she wanted was a family. A real connection, like what she had with grandpa. After so many decades she had forgotten what it felt, how human connections struck deeper than convenient alliances of vampire covens.

That's why she wanted this to work. She wanted to feel what grandpa felt for so long, she wanted to make memories like those he shared with her before passing.

An uncomfortable sensation in her mouth reminded her that she needed to feed soon. Her fangs were getting out of control the longer she let herself starve, and the last few days she got away with not appearing around town, but people were going to notice if she let it go too far.

She looked up at the moon and sighed. Lestat jumped out of her lap and meowed softly before going inside to sleep. She should too, but the idea of turning and tossing around, hungry, wasn't exactly in her top list of things to do all night. This "daytime" vampire thing was hard to get used to, but it was a needed evil.

She got up and decided to go for a walk to see if she could get a bit tired and sleep another night with an empty stomach. Tomorrow she would go to the city and feed, there were many people there and no one would notice a little wound here and there. In a small place like this? Someone would definitely would.

And when they did, every hope of forming a real human connection would go out of the window.

Sebastian didn't know what to think about the new farmer. Sure, he had seen her walking around all dressed in black and with an enormous black parasol, saying something about sensitive skin, and he immediately respected the aesthetic.

The woman herself? Not so much. She was a mystery, she didn't seem like she wanted to settle there at all.

Not that I blame her, he thought as he took another drag of his cigarette. I would leave this place as soon as I could. If I could.

He looked back at his house from his position by the lake, the moon shining down on his mother's fine work on the exterior of the building. Sometimes, when he felt weak and vulnerable, he didn't want to leave his mother there with Demetrius. He feared what would happen in his absence, what kind of arguments he would use to drag Robin to his side. Would he make her forget about him? About his father?

Would he matter at all?

Sebastian shook his head, knowing it was silly. If he stayed or left shouldn't depend on his mother, but his own sanity.

Finishing his cig, he threw it down and smashed it with his foot, ready to head back in and finish his last project. Another sleepless night it seems, he sighed.

He turned and was about to take a step forward when a sharp pain bloomed in his hand.

"Shit."

He looked down at his hand, and there it was, a fresh new cut in the otherwise clean skin. Damn these trees and their unexpected sharp barks. Whatever, he could find some band-aids before going back to the computer.

He looked up and she was there. The farmer.

He frowned. He hadn't heard her approach, and it was a rather quiet night.

"Hello?" He tentatively called. She just stood there in silence, eyes fixed on his bleeding hand. "Are you alright?"

The farmer blinked slowly as if waking from a deep sleep, looking up to his eyes. Somehow he expected hers to be a weird color, like red or purple, but they were just plain old dark brown, almost black under the moonlight.

She licked her chapped lips. "Uh, sorry, I heard someone here and thought it was… Uh… I mean, it's pretty late."

Sebastian watched silently as she took a step back. "You are not making any sense."

"I don't, right?" she chuckled. "This is awkward. Um, I'm Liz, the new farmer, but I guess you already know that." She offered her hand to shake, but he looked down at his still very much bleeding hand. "Oh, fuck, yes, sorry. You need any help with that?"

"It's a small cut. I'll live." He took a paper tissue from his hoodie pocket and cleaned some of the blood with it, revealing an already closing wound. "See? Everything's fine."

The face she made was as if someone had kicked a puppy, her eyes following each one of his movements.

Sebastian shuffled for a second, visibly uncomfortable with the situation. "Are you ok?" he asked again, noticing how her face had morphed into a painful grimace.

"Yeah. It's just I… I- I just remembered that I haven't had dinner yet. And, um, yeah. I should go. Nice meeting you!"

Liz ran away without waiting for a response, leaving a very confused man by the lake.

"But it's like three in the morning," Sebastian thought out loud.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Liz ran and ran, hoping that leaving the lake, the town and the valley behind could erase the last fifteen minutes of her life.

She almost slipped. The one thing she swore not to, she almost did. And by stopping herself from doing so, she acted like a total freak in front of an innocent villager. Oh, damn, he was going to tell his friends and they will tell their families and then…

Well, the thing with pitchforks and torches may be outdated, but she would be ostracised. Vampires were a myth nowadays, but still, they will treat her like a freak and won't try to be nice anymore.

Aw man, I don't want to leave so soon!

She hoped a least a few decades before people started noticing her not aging.

"More like a few weeks, now," she grumbled, stopping to calm her breathing. She was fast, some of the faster of her coven, but in her starving state she was weaker than a baby vampire.

Great, she was in the middle of more nowhere now. Trees, trees, and more trees. Somewhere, a car was passing through a road by the mountain; but apart from that, not a sound. And she was hungry. Very, very hungry.

Liz glanced up at the darkness trying to find a lonely creature that could satiate her at least until she could reach the city. Then, wash away the awful taste of animal blood with some random drunk human enjoying the city at night.

A tree branch creaked at her side. She looked up, finding a mountain lion crouching, watching her with distrust.

"Sorry, buddy." She smiled at the animal and jumped.

Sebastian was going to kill Sam. It was official. I mean, how could he not when he was dragged from bed after barely getting a few hours of sleep, forced to look alive under the sunlight and be conscious enough to listen to his friends rambling about the incoming egg festival like it was a big deal. Who the hell cares?

"Right, Seb?" Abigail prompted, expecting his answer as if he was listening.

"Huh?"

"We were saying," Sam tried to help, "that we could ask the mayor if we could play a few songs at the festival."

He blinked slowly, letting it know his overall opinion of the matter. It's just a stupid festival about eggs. He couldn't care less.

What he wanted was to get out of the sun and go back to sleep. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't get any sleep even after finishing his work, really; the dull pain of the small cut in his hand reminded him of the weirdest night of his life.

I wasn't like he had any real opinion of the farmer (Liz, she said her name was Liz) before; but now he couldn't help but keep his eyes on the road that led towards her farm from Sam's house, as if expecting her to emerge any moment now. What would he even say to her? Last night he uttered barely a word before she bolted away. Did he expect this time to be different?

Suddenly, as if summoned, she appeared. All dressed in black and with her big parasol, looking down at her feet as she approached them. Was she ignoring him? Them?

"Oh, hey, Liz!" Sam, always bright and cheery, motioned her to join them. It wasn't the first time he did, but it was the first time the mysterious woman obeyed.

"Hey." Her smile was tiny, but welcoming. Even some pink gathered in her cheeks, clearly embarrassed with the situation. "What's up."

Sebastian wouldn't say it out loud, but was glad of her parasol as it blocked some light for his tired eyes.

"Duuuude, you look half dead!" The blond commented, real concern in his face.

"Uh, I couldn't sleep last night," Liz smiled, shifting her parasol to cover her better. If she noticed Sebastian moving accordingly to receive some shade, she didn't say anything.

"Woah, it seems like we have a contender for the role of Pelican Town's resident vampire, Seb!"

He rolled his eyes. "Just because I wear black hoodies and don't like people doesn't make me a vampire, Sam. And I already told you that last night I was finishing a commision."

"Whatever you say, emo boy," Abigail arched an eyebrow and turned to the newcomer. "What's your excuse, not-vampire?" She made a gesture to her whole gothic get-up.

"Um, I'm allergic to sunlight. For real!" she laughed at the disbelieving faces. "It's a real thing, look it up!"

"Then why become a farmer?"

This time Liz rolled her eyes. "I should have expected the question. It isn't like Robin and Lewis asked that already." She sighed. "It seemed like the right thing to do, you know? I was tired of being a nobody, of being lonely around so many people, and wanted a real human connection."

"That's deep, tho."

"But if you are allergic to the sun, how do you do farmer stuff? At night?" the blond asked, one eye fixed on his best friend getting closer and closer to Liz, drinking up the shade from the parasol like a starving man.

"There's this new invention called "sunblock". Don't know if you heard of it?" Liz smirked. "And my problem is direct sunlight. I burn if it touches me, but for the rest…" she shrugged.

Sebastian yawned, feeling his eyes close. Why was he even awake? Ah, yeah, Sam wanted to practise in case the Mayor let them play at the festival.

"If we aren't going to get any practising today then I'm going home. I need my beauty sleep."

"Oh, sorry. I must get going too. I had some business to attend," Liz smiled. "Nice talking with you guys." She walked away, waving with one hand.

Sebastian didn't whine when the sun hit his face. Uh-huh. He didn't miss her calming and fresh presence and very wide and very convenient parasol.

Okay, maybe a little. The hoodie was starting to feel a bit too hot for the sunny spring day.

"She's perfect," the blond said watching the farmer go.

"Huh?"

"For you dude! You guys make a super cute goth couple! Ask her out already!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Liz! The farmer! You were making heart eyes at her all this time! Don't deny it, I saw everything."

"I saw it too," Abigail nodded, "and the goth gods are smiling at you today, dude."

He narrowed his eyes. It was way too early for this bullshit.

"I didn't make heart eyes. And she is weird, that's all."

"Yeah right," both friends snorted. "Whatever you say." Sam shook his head.

"Look, we can practise or I can go home. Last chance."

"Ok! Ok! Calm down Romeo, we'll practise. And then you can go back to your coffin and sleep some more."

Had he told them something? Didn't he? He did, he totally did. That question didn't come from nowhere. It couldn't.

She was prepared to tell some bullshit about an allergy to sunlight, she had looked up the name for it (something very latin-sounding and technical that for the life of her she couldn't remember); but it wasn't a coincidence to be asked that barely hours after slipping like that. Or was it?

Sebastian didn't look half alive either, and his interactions were rather minimal. She heard something about him not getting any sleep. Liz assumed it had to do with how awkward she had been. Oh my.

Calm down! She told herself. Panicking wouldn't solve anything, no.

She had to go buy new seeds, for sure. That's why she had went through all the trouble of covering her skin with sunblock, after all.

Pierre's was small and it barely had any variety of products, but she preferred the homey sensation and the small town friendliness over the cold treatment at Joja's. Since learning about the store in town she avoided it like the plague.

She fetched her seeds and approached the counter, adding a last-minute sandwich to help the illusion of being a normal human being. One was never too cautious about that.

Sebastian was ready to drop dead in his bed and sleep until tomorrow, for real. After a heated argument with Lewis they were allowed "only a few songs, but nothing inappropriate!" for the egg festival, and then Sam insisted on sitting down and choose which songs to play and then start practising on them.

The sun was starting to set by the time he got home, his mind focused on his cold basement and his bed, heaven on Earth.

What he didn't expect was finding her sleeping in his house. Well, she was more like dozing on the sofa at the entrance, by his mother's desk, but here she was - looking as dead as he felt. Bags under her eyes, the purple so dark it looked like it was tattooed on her skin.

Not knowing what to do, he postponed his escape to sacred grounds and looked for his mother at the kitchen, who was calmly drinking her tea as she prepared dinner.

"Why is the farmer sleeping in our house?"

"Huh?" Robin turned slightly, a small smile in her face. "We were talking about expanding the cottage and she fell asleep waiting while I checked something. I thought she looked cute so I let her."

Cute? More like a walking corpse.

He must said so out loud, because his mother chuckled as she kept stirring something in the pot. "She reminds me of you, actually. You both work so hard at the cost of your health."

"Don't know what you are talking about." He huffed, crossing his arms. First his friends and now his mother? They barely knew her, how could they know what was she like?

"Whatever," he could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "Could you wake her up? I'm almost done here."

"She's staying for dinner?"

"She will, when you invite her to."

Sebastian rose his arms to the sky, wondering why he got the short stick in life. "Sure."

Liz was sleeping in the same position he left her in, and he wondered how to wake her. He didn't want to be rude, for real, but he didn't know her enough to be comfortable touching her without her knowing. He sighed, not really wanting to be caught looking at the sleeping woman and seem like a creep.

"Hey," he shook her shoulder. She didn't move. "Hey, you." He shook harder. Nothing.

Why? he asked the heavens, getting closer to her, deciding how to make his next move, when the farmer inhaled deeply.

"Hmm," he heard her murmur before her unexpectedly strong arms seized his shoulders. Her face got closer, and he could barely see her eyes still shut as her head positioned somewhere between his neck and his shoulder. "Smells nice."

He shivered, feeling her warm breath caress his uncovered skin, wondering what the hell was going on. Then, something hot and wet touched him. A tongue. He knew what it was.

Oh hell, no!

"Hey!" he tried to get free, but her grasp was like iron. "Let me go!" he hissed.

"Yummy, yummy…"

He closed his eyes, dreading whatever was going to happen. His heart raced with adrenaline, but his body was frozen in place, knowing it was useless to try escaping her hands. Her breath hit his wet skin, and then something sharp and solid touched it -

"Sebby, what's going on in there?" Robin's voice cut through the haze like a knife, stopping his racing mind as well as the woman assaulting him in her sleep.

Fingers that one second ago felt like claws gripping his shoulders let him go. He heard a gasp and opened his eyes, finding her dark eyes of the farmer looking back at him. For a split second they were like -

"Sebby?"

Both turned to look at Robin, Sebastian taking a step back, his heart beating louder than Abby's drums.

"Everything alright?" His mom asked, a small smirk in her lips indicating that she thought something of the situation way different than what really happened. "Did you ask her?"

"Ask me what?" Liz's voice was rough, but sounded calmer than she looked.

"If you want to stay for dinner!"

The farmer stood up abruptly. "I'm afraid I can't. I have… I have some fish at home I don't want to go bad. You know?" She took her closed parasol and went for the door. "Thanks for letting me rest here, Robin. Have a nice evening!"

The sound of the door closing was loud on Sebastian's ears. He blinked, looking back at his mother.

"I'm not hungry. Save my plate and I'll eat later, please." And he run away to his basement, more confused than ever.

Stupid, stupid, and a thousand times stupid!

She had slipped again! In less than a day? Definitely not paying attention to her body had most certainly cost her only chance at happiness.

How could she? That poor boy! She almost bit him in broad daylight! In his own house! Oh yeah, she was utterly fucked.

Liz wanted to cry by the time she got home.

She looked at her few belongings, wondering if she should start packing up now or wait until people accused her of whatever and asked her "nicely" to leave the town. She had just started to gain some profits and she had to let it go so soon… Who would take care of her grandpa's lands? The people were really nice, someone would-

Lestat meowed at her feet, unleashing a whole new wave of waterworks. Who would take care of her cat? Was his even "her" cat if she only had him less than a week? She hoped that whoever adopted him kept the name. Or not.

"Ugh," she let her body collapse at the door, pulling up her legs to rest her head on her knees. "I should have slept in today." It was a bad idea to go out today, the seeds could have waited one day more or she could have talked with Robin another day. She knew that she only pushed herself so far because she didn't want to go through practically bathing in sunblock again so soon.

How silly it seemed now. Her own stubbornness and overconfidence put her in this position. Crying in fetal position against her door, waiting for the pitchforks and torches, real or figurative.

A knock at her door brought her back to reality. Showtime.

She got up and cleaned her face as best as she could. One wasn't chased out of a town looking like a mess.

Once she felt like she could face an angry mob, she opened her door and… Sebastian was there? Liz looked around waiting for the rest of the group to appear, but it was dark and silent. A normal Stardew Valley night.

"Um, hello?" the boy in front of her said. She looked back at him, frowning.

"Where's the rest?"

"The rest of what?"

Liz blinked slowly. "The rest of the people who knows I almost attacked an innocent man? And is here to ask me to leave?" her voice went higher with each word.

Sebastian snorted. "I haven't told anyone that you are not human, don't worry. Can I come in now?"

"Oh, I see, that's nice- Wait what?"

He got tired of waiting and walked around her to get inside. Once in the small cottage, he approached the tiny table and put a container on it.

"Mom made you dinner anyway. She asked me to deliver it to you. But I guess you won't eat it because you are a vampire."

Liz turned, her mouth wide open. "How do you know that?"

"You just confirmed it," his smile was tired, but brilliant.

"Oh, fuck."

Sebastian flopped down on the only chair by the table, and rested his head on his hand, watching the farmer with a knowing smile.

"So, what is a vampire doing in Stardew Valley?"

"Farmer stuff, I guess."

"And was that old man really your grandfather?"

"Not by blood, but we were close friends."

"I see. Do you really burn in the sun?"

"As I told your friend, I can't be under direct sunlight. And I use sun cream." She blinked at the quasi-normal interview. "Excuse me, when is the moment you start to freak out?"

"I already did some of that. An hour ago. When you almost bit me. Because that's what happened, right?" he gulped. "You almost bit me."

She took a deep breath.

"Yeah. I, uh… I couldn't sleep last night, you know?" she looked down, a bit ashamed. "And I guess you were really close and um, human blood is really tasty, not like animal, that's just, ugh, and then I was dreaming about something nice and-"

"Do vampires sleep?"

"This isn't Twilight. Please. And I don't sparkle either." She narrowed her eyes.

They both looked at each other for a few awkward seconds before starting to laugh. It was silly, Liz thought, to be talking normally like that after having a mental breakdown because of this same boy.

Oh, well.

"So… not freaking out? We good?" maybe she showed a bit of her fangs in her smile. Maybe.

"Yeah, we good. Surprisingly enough, it helps knowing that you aren't just some weirdo." He blushed and looked down, his face partially blocked by his hair. "And I guess it is pretty hot."

Of course you would, you emo fuck.

That night, once Sebastian got home, ate dinner and collapsed on his bed, he felt like waking up from a dream.

The farmer. She was… nicer than he thought. Once they cleared the stupid but necessary questions out of the way (no coffin, no aversion to garlic, yes to needing blood, no to killing people, a "you don't ask a lady her age" and a "rude" to asking about religion) they simply chilled at her home, talking about everything and anything. It turned out that she liked the same branch of fantasy than him, even if she sometimes succumbed to cheesy romance novels full of porn; she had played some D&D before, but had heard about Solarion Chronicles (he invited her to the next session nonetheless); and she had tried her hand at piano for a while until she got bored a few decades ago.

He inhaled, remembering her dark eyes and her shiny black hair, how the light got caught in weird angles making it look like it had silver highlights sometimes. How she smiled when he confessed about his obsession with vampirism in his teenage years, how her laugh was contagious when she told the tale of how to get an annoying neighbour to move out by making her believe her house was haunted.

Oh, my. He had caught feelings.

Sebastian put a hand over his eyes, unable to stop the thoughts coming to his brain. How soft and huggable she looked. How she could fit perfectly in his arms, if he dared. How her soft hair would feel between his fingers. How her breasts bounced when she plopped down by the bed, complaining about not having enough chairs.

Yes, he had looked. Respectfully, though.

Who was he kidding? He was totally looking at her chest.