AN: And so I once again have some fun breaking canon in one of my stories. I'm not really sure why I chose to do it, but I think it fits. So, my next update will be RWBY related, I need to buckle down and start updating those stories more too. As much fun as this story is I do need to write those, so keep an eye out for an update to Sealing Fates. Without further adieu I leave you to Fulfillment in Simplicity. Enjoy the journey, keep moving forward and don't feed the guard dogs! - Phoenix Commander signing off!
Chapter Three
Matt looked around his farm as the sun began to rise over the trees, a mug of coffee steaming in his hand in the cool spring breeze, After I water the crops I should give grandpa a visit. The farmer thought sipping at his mug. I should have visited earlier but everything else kept me busy.
After taking a few more minutes to enjoy the sunrise, the farmer went inside and rinsed out his mug, setting it next to his coffee pot. "Alright let's see what tools I'll need today," The hazel eyed man mused as he looked over his equipment. "Watering can, check. I should try and clear one or two of the trees around the farm later as well so I can get a bit more space so I'll need my axe. Wouldn't hurt to bring my scythe to help clear a better path around Serenity either."
Setting his scythe and axe on the porch Matt picked up his watering can, filled it at the small pond near the gate of his farm and set about watering and weeding his crop of parsnips. Checking where the sun was after tending to the plants the farmer realized it was almost 8 O'clock. Hmm… Time flies when you're enjoying yourself. Matt thought with a smile, while refilling the battered watering can. After setting it aside the farmer walked back into the old cottage and started to root around in one of the cabinets until he found a brush, then he poured a fresh cup of coffee. Carrying both out to the porch, Matt picked up his watering can and scythe and started making his way to the western border of Serenity Farm, clearing the undergrowth with his scythe as he went.
"You should be around here, ah there you are Grandpa. Sorry, I've been away for so long. I would've stopped by sooner but the last few days kept me a little busy." The greenhorn said, leaning his scythe against a nearby tree and setting the watering can, brush and coffee beside the gravestone as he kneeled down and began pulling weeds from around its base. After a few minutes the farmer had cleared away the weeds and vines that had grown around his grandfather's grave, "I brought your favorite coffee with me, you never could get up in the morning without it." Matt said, placing the steaming mug at the now cleared base, before continuing to speak, "You were right you know, about losing my happiness while being away from here. I wish I'd listened sooner, but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. You'll see Grandpa, I'll make you proud. I'll get this old farm back up into what you'd made it, something to be proud of, something for me to be proud of." As ever the area around the grave was silent save for the chirping of birds.
"Not a bad speech, do you think he can hear you?" A voice said, breaking the silence.
Matt braced himself, with one hand on his grandfather's tombstone, his other hand clutched the brush he was going to use to start cleaning the stone, letting his heart rate drop before replying. "Yoba, is everyone out to give me a heart attack!" The farmer groaned, turning to face the newcomer.
Her long curly hair was a deep purple, her blue eyes were filled with a mixture of apology and curiosity, she was wearing a black t-shirt with a blue vest and black jeans. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I normally come out here to do a little bit of exploring. I'm Abigail, I saw you yesterday getting some seeds from my dad. You're Matt, the new farmer right?"
"Yeah that's me. It's nice to meet you Abigail." The farmer replied, with a slight nod and a smile. Before glancing back at the tombstone, "As for your question, no I don't think he can hear me. But it helps to talk to him sometimes, Y'know?"
"Yeah, I think I do. I know I should have asked before coming out here, but do you mind if I explore a little from time to time? The wildness of your farm is… exciting compared to being in the town." Abigail asked, rocking lightly on her heels as she glanced around the small shaded clearing.
Matt chuckled a little at the display of pent up energy, "Of course, just be careful. I think I'll keep the untamed growth kept to this side of the farm, except for a few small trails. I think I'll have enough space by my cottage and to the southern edge to grow anything more tame."
"Awesome, thank you, Matt!" The violet haired woman exclaimed almost wandering off just then to look around, she paused a moment in her tracks, "Oh and if you're interested I think I saw a few horseradishes growing a few yards back that way." She said jerking her thumb back toward the south.
"Thanks, I'll have a look!" The brown haired man said, as Abigail disappeared into the undergrowth. This town is full of surprising people. After another hour of scrubbing at the gravestone, and using his watering can to wash away the loose debris Matt stood back up and looked at the cleaned grave. "Have a good nap, Grandpa. I'll be back tomorrow with another cup and hopefully a few stories about my day. Oh and could you keep an eye on Abigail? I don't want her falling into a hole or something while she's out here." With that the greenhorn turned from the grave, picked up his tools and started in the direction his new acquaintance had pointed to look for the horseradishes, leaving behind the still steaming mug of coffee.
Finding the wild horseradishes proved harder than Matt had thought it would be. But after searching for about an hour the farmer had eight of the wild roots clutched in one hand, walking back towards his cottage, with his watering can strapped to his belt and his scythe over his shoulder. "Lewis wasn't kidding about the wild produce thriving here. Each one of these things is three times the size I used to find shopping at a Joja Mart." The young man wasn't entirely exaggerating, the smallest of the wild produce was roughly a foot long. After making it back to the cottage Matt bundled up the horseradishes and placed them in the bin next to Serenity's gate. Glancing at his mailbox as he did so, the farmer noticed he had a letter. "Who would have my address already? Unless it's from someone in town."
Opening the letter as he walked back to his porch it read,
Matt,
I heard you just moved into town. I just got back in from a long fishing trip up north, myself. If you want, meet me at the docks to the south of town around 4 O'clock. I'd be happy to show you around them and give ya a few pointers about the local fish life here in the valley.
Willy.
Glancing at the sun's position Matt gauged the time, "Hhmm… it's 10 O'clock now. I think I've got enough time to clear at least one of these trees, get cleaned up and visit around the town before heading to the docks."
After setting his watering can, brush, and scythe on the porch, Matt picked up his axe and eyed one of the nearby oak trees. It wasn't too old or gnarled but it was too close to his cottage for his taste and if he cut it down he'd have a bit more space to work with for planting later. Taking the axe in both hands the farmer took his first swing at the tree. The blade bit deep into the wood but not as deep as he thought it would have, I know this thing is as sharp as it's going to be. Guess I'll need to see if I can get a better blade later down the line. Wrenching the axe free of the trunk with twist, Matt continued to chop away at the trunk. As he worked each swing soon struck with less and less force, the axe biting shallower and shallower until, finally with a loud crack the tree toppled with a crash. His arms burning, Matt leaned on the axe for support as he wiped the sweat from his eyes, as he looked at the toppled tree, "That took more out of me than I thought it would."
"Hey Matt! You look like you're having a fun time!" A voice called from the direction of Serenity's gate.
Looking toward his visitor the farmer saw Leah and another of Pelican Town's residents, "More or less, no need to be shy my gate's always open for visitors!" The hazel eyed man called back waving them forward.
"When you didn't show up in Cindersnap I figured you'd be doing something here." Leah said, chuckling.
Matt set his axe on the porch, stretching to relieve some of the soreness in his arms and shoulders. "Yeah, Sorry, I got caught up in a little spring cleaning and clearing."
"Well, you do have a farm to run, oh, this is Penny she basically our town's school teacher and the local librarian at the museum." Leah said, introducing a young woman with short curly reddish orange hair and vibrant green eyes. She was dressed simply in a yellow blouse, a pleated brown skirt and pair of sneakers.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Penny, I'm Matt." The farmer said, smiling as he offered his hand.
"I, It's nice to meet you too." Penny said shaking his hand. "H-How are you liking Pelican Town so far?" She asked, a little shyly.
"It's a lot nicer than the city. I've enjoyed my first few days here and I can say I'll be staying permanently, after all I've got to get this farm back up and running." Matt said giving the librarian a warm smile.
"That's great to hear. Um, you haven't seen a woman with purple hair and dressed mostly in black have you? I came here looking for her cause I remembered she likes to explore around here." Penny asked, glancing around as if expecting to see someone.
"I take it you're talking about Abigail?" Matt asked, arching an eyebrow, at Penny's confirming nod, the farmer gestured, "She's around the northwest part of the farm. Come on I'll help you look, I cut a path out to there earlier this morning so it shouldn't take us long to get there. Coming with us, Leah?"
"Sure thing, Matt, lead the way!" The artist replied, following the farmer and librarian.
They started searching once they made it to the area Matt lead them too, calling out Abigail's name as they went. "Abigail, sound off! Where are you?!" The farmer called out, his voice breaking the stillness of the secluded area, after a few moments his call was answered.
"Over here!" Abigail's voice replied from the direction of Matt's grandfather's grave. As the others walked over the farmer saw his purple haired visitor arranging a simple bouquet of daffodils at the base of the gravestone, "I thought it would be a nice touch."
"I, thank you, Abigail. He always did like the smell of them." The farmer replied, his eyes misting slightly at the gesture.
"Of course, Matt. Hey, Penny, sorry I disappeared I lost track of time or I would have met you at the oak in the town square." Abigail nodded, before beaming at Penny.
"I almost thought you stood me up. Then I thought 'where would my purple haired girlfriend disappear to on a sunny day like this?' Looks like I was right!" The librarian scolded the explorer jokingly. "Thank you for your help, Matt." The librarian said as the four townsfolk left the secluded grave.
"Hhhmm…? Oh, yeah it was no problem." Matt replied, pulling out of his daze.
As they made it back to the cottage Penny and Abigail continued to the gate. "We're gonna head back into town. You guys wanna come?" Abigail asked, looking from Leah to Matt.
"We'll be there in a bit. I just want to talk to, Matt about something." Leah replied, as her friends continue to walk. He needs a few minutes, visiting a loved one like that always gets you. No matter how long it's been.
"Alright, we'll see you later!" Penny called as she closed the gate behind them.
"Giving me a moment to sort myself, huh?" Matt chuckled, as he sat down on the porch, covering his eyes with his hands as he let the tears flow. He heard Leah join him as she put a hand on his shoulder. "My grandfather made a pretty big impact on the town didn't he? If I'd just listened to his advice sooner the farm would be flourishing and Pelican Town wouldn't be having too much trouble with Joja Co. I could hear it in Lewis' voice yesterday, things aren't going too well."
"You told me that your grandfather left you the farm so that you could take over if you lost your fulfilment in your work. He knew you'd need to go through life in the city, probably wanted you to experience first even. You'll make your granddad proud of you, if you haven't already. And besides you're here now and that's what matters. With you working the farm things'll get better." The artist said, as the farmer dried his eyes.
"Yeah, I know." Matt replied, taking a deep slow breathe to calm his nerves. "Do you mind giving me a few minutes to get cleaned up? I've got about an hour or two before I need to meet someone down at the docks and I'd like to make a good first impression."
"Sure, take your time I'm not going anywhere." Leah replied, smiling slightly at her friend as he stood up.
"Thanks, I won't take too long." The brown haired greenhorn replied, returning the smile. After about fifteen minutes, Matt stepped back out onto the porch. Changing his T-shirt for a deep blue button up and a light blue vest.
"Nice choice." Leah whistled, looking him over, causing Matt's ears to turn red.
"I, um, thanks." The farmer replied, a little tongue tied.
"Lighten up, Matty. If I can get you to blush with a simple compliment then you'll make it too easy." The artist laughed.
The greenhorn smirked, "You're one to talk. I still haven't seen that sketch." His reply dusted Leah's cheeks.
"When it's finished, I still have a few details to add." The green and brown dressed woman replied, "You ready to go?"
"Yeah, lead the way." Matt replied, still smiling.
The farmer and the artist made decent time getting into Pelican Town proper, chatting as they walked, Abigail and Penny rejoined them in the town center. "No wonder you both took so long. You clean up pretty well, Matt." Abigail said, causing the farmer's cheeks to redden again.
"All I did was wash off some dirt, change my shirt and put on a vest." The hazel eyed man muttered, as the four started in the direction of the docks.
"That does raise the question of how many shirts and vests you have. I've seen two now." Leah chuckled, drawing a slight glare from Matt, though the artist could see her friend was enjoying the conversation.
"Seven in total, one for each day and all my shirts and vests match with each other in case I want to mix it up. As I said, I like to make good impressions, from the first to the last." The greenhorn said, feigning an indignant air.
"Well that's more than Abi wears, I've been trying to get her to wear more than just black and purple for a while." Penny said, smirking slightly at her girlfriend. "Maybe you could help with that, Matt?"
"Oh no. You know I look silly in any other colors, Pen!" Abigail exclaimed, shaking her head emphatically as they turned down the street to the beach.
"I dunno, Abigail. I think you could pull off something in brown or red. Although a pale blue would probably work too." Matt said, giving the adventurer a smirk. Though the three women couldn't tell if he was joking with them or actually considering it.
"Really Matt? You think Little Miss Excitement over there could wear something in pale blue?" Leah asked, chuckling as Abigail pouted, her cheeks blazing red.
The brown haired farmer, thought a moment before answering, "Honestly, yes. And relax, Abigail it's not like we're going to force you to change clothes. Though the change of palette from time to time wouldn't be so bad. It's up to you."
"I, I guess. So why did we walk down to the beach?" The violet haired young woman asked, over the sound of the crying seagulls and the breaking waves.
"I got a letter asking me to come by. I guess one of the local fishermen came back into town and wanted to meet me." Matt said, gesturing toward the wharf, and the small shop that stood on it.
"Oh that's right I forgot Willy normally comes back in around this time! Well then we'd better not keep him waiting, if we do that he'll start fishing and we won't get more than a few words out of him until he's done for the day." Leah said, starting to pull her friends along toward the wharf.
After running and being drug by Leah for a few minutes, the small group made it to the dock just off the wharf as a middle aged man stepped out of the small fish shop. "Well, well, when I sent my letter yesterday I wasn't expecting four people to show up." Willy laughed, his pipe bobbing slightly in his mouth.
"And I wasn't expecting to have three people tagging along with me. I'm Matt, Serenity's new farmer." The greenhorn replied, offering his hand to the fisherman.
"Its nice to meet you, Matt." Willy said shaking the hand, looking at Matt appraisingly, "Being here the last few days I believe you know about how the land bound produce grows, yes?"
"For the most part, I do yeah." The farmer replied, curious as to where the conversation was headed. His question was answered as Willy reached into the small fisherman's boat, and pulled out a fishing rod and tossed it to him.
"The currents here help keep the waters warm. The fish flourish here on the coast of the Gem Sea. While the rivers are home to a large variety of fish." Willy said, looking out over the sea, from his position on the dock.
"I take it you're telling me to take the time to fish as well as farm or forage?" Matt asked, holding the rod as he looked it over. It was a simple rod made of bamboo, well enough to catch most kinds of fish but large fish would be out of the question.
"Exactly! There's not much you can't get from the seas and rivers that you can also get from the land. Also it's a good way to wind down after a long day's work." Willy said, his features breaking into a smile. "Try it out if you've got the time. But right now I've got to go check in with Mayor Lewis. I'll see you four around tonight at the Stardrop." The fisherman said, nodding to Leah, Matt, Abigail and Penny in turn before walking down the wharf, whistling as he went.
"Wow, I've never seen him just give a fishing rod away before." Penny said, surprised.
"Neither have I." Leah said, glancing at Abigail the artist asked, "Abi, you have anything we can use for bait?"
Reaching into her pocket, the blue eyed woman pulled out a small bag, "Right here, if you're up for a short cast that is, Matt?"
Shrugging slightly the farmer replied, "Sure why not." Baiting the hook, Matt cast the line. It went a decent ways out from the wharf, the bobber rocked slowly in the waves. Until it sank quickly, the fishing pole bent sharply as the greenhorn pulled back and started reeling quickly.
"Must've hook a big one with that cast. Yeesh look at the pole." Leah said, blinking in surprise.
"Come on, Matt reel it in!" Abigail cried, bouncing slightly where she stood.
"I'm trying! Feels like I hooked a whale!" The farmer grunted, as the line slowly wound back to the reel.
"Just a little more, I think I see it." Penny said, kneeling to get a better look.
As the fish finally came close to the surface, the group caught sight of a large herring. Matt gave the line one more yank, pulling the fish from the water but at the same moment the line snapped, sending the herring flying through the air. It landed with a wet splat, followed immediately by a high pitched squeal as it landed and flopped on Penny's back. "Get it off! Way too slimy and cold, get it off!" Neither of the others had time to grab the fish, before they could move it gave one final flop and fell back into the sea.
"Fish one, Penny zero." Matt chuckled, as he eyed where the fish had escaped to the safety of the briny depths.