AN: This chapter was supposed to have been posted alongside the first chapter of a new fic. Then I spent a week in the hospital visiting a family member with a staph infection so the new fic was posted and this chapter ended up having to wait. On the bright side, my family member is on the mend and this chapter is now live. Decided to open up a tiny bit of drama with this chapter, it may have been too soon but I think it still works. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'll see you in the next one! Enjoy the journey, keep moving forward, and don't feed the guard dogs! - Phoenix Commander signing off!
Chapter Eight
Matt had only slept for a few hours, but he did feel rested enough, and the weather for the day had been forecast to be a warm one for so early in the spring season. The farmer wanted to at least get his crops taken care of and start removing a few of the larger stones from the fertile soil before it grew too hot. He was already sipping at a mug of coffee as the last sliver of the moon dipped below the horizon.
I've got my watering can, basket, and my pick. I think I can hold off a little bit longer to start fencing off the western grove. He mused as the warmth of the drink filled him.
It had taken almost an hour and half to get Elliot back to his cottage on the beach last night. The hazel eyed farmer was not an especially tall man, he was only taller than Leah by an inch or two, Elliot on the other hand had proven taller than Matt by three or four inches. The height difference had made guiding the book enthusiast back to his home difficult for the farm owner and the artist. Matt had been lucky to get back to Serenity just before one-thirty that morning. As the first rays of the sun started to peek over the horizon, he set his empty mug on the railing of the porch and picked up his tools ready to get to work.
Finishing the watering and weeding of the newly planted crops didn't take him long, by the time the sun was fully in the sky Matt was setting the watering can on the porch in favor of his pick. The greenhorn started eyeing a few of the large stones near the cottage. He glanced at the fiery orb hanging in the sky above him, gauging the time. "Hhmm… Nine already," The hazel eyed man mused, wiping perspiration from his eyes with a rag as he started counting the stones he had selected for removal, "Fifteen stones, probably twenty pounds or so apiece. I think I can get them cleared before it gets too much warmer."
Taking a deep breath, the scents of the mid-morning air filling lungs, Serenity's owner walked over to the first of the large stones. The wooden handle of the pick felt rough in his hands, the slightly rusted metal head gleamed dully as he raised it for his first downward swing. The pick struck the stone with a hard clang, casting a few chips of stone off in various directions. The second swing opened a long crack in the stone the shock reverberated through the wooden handle, digging a few splinters into Matt's palm. Grimacing at the irritation of the splinters he raised the pick for a third strike, it broke apart the stone with a final loud crack, leaving behind much smaller and more manageable pieces.
Retrieving his basket the hazel-eyed man placed the stone pieces into it and dumped the rock into a pile behind the cottage. Taking a few deep breaths, Matt started on the next stone. He repeated the process, striking stone, clearing bits of rock, and dumping it, until all of the chosen rocks were cleared from the land. Looking at the soil that was churned up from his digging, Matt realized just how much more work he had laid out before him.
The realization that even fencing the grove could take a few days to a week, depending on the weather, let alone how long clearing the rest of the usable soil and starting other long term projects could take, made him smile. Matt had known it was going to take a long time, he knew it could take years to truly revive the farm, but he was finally realizing how little land he had cleared and made usable, "Not much now, but seeing this place change and grow as time goes on will be enough for me. I really haven't done much over the week in grand scheme, but I've done enough so far to be proud of my work. And each change I make, crop I grow, and so on will make me even more happy about what I've done." As he mused aloud he placed his tools on the porch and walked into his cottage to clean himself up. The cool water from the sink soothed the ache in his hands from the splinters and some of the minor sunburn from the previous day.
After drying his hands the brown haired man started to look for a needle to get the splinters out of his palms. The last thing he wanted was to get an infection because he wasn't careful. As he cleaned and bandaged his hands Matt flipped through the channels on his tv, stopping on Livin' Off The Land. The host was giving tips on the various uses of onions, much of it was common sense to the farmer. But what he said in closing for the show grabbed his attention, "If you're living in the Stardew Valley you should find plenty of spring onions all over the place this time of year. Last time I was out that way I found more than a few bushels just southwest of Pelican Town, right where the river meets the ocean. The sea air and rich soil in that little area was perfect for them. If you have a taste for good spring onion it'd be worth checking out! That's all for today folks!"
Matt finished wrapping his hands with a bandage just as the tv started to play the late morning news, "Hmmm, I should have a look. I'll be near there anyway while I'm fishing at the wharf, need to go check that mushroom patch Abigail mentioned the other day as well." Deciding on just wearing a clean t-shirt and jeans for the day instead of one of his usual button-up shirts, the farmer picked up the bamboo pole that Willy had given him, and his basket to help carry anything he found or caught. He started whistling to himself as he walked toward the gate, enjoying the warm spring morning.
Stardrop Saloon
"So...what's going on between you and Matt?" Haley suddenly asked Leah as she drank the last of her morning coffee. She wasn't blind to the fact the artist had been spending a few hours each day with him. It wasn't that she was jealous, the blonde haired photographer just didn't want to miss the opportunity to tease her friend. The two of them along with a few of their friends were gathered at the bar in the Stardrop for breakfast together, the clatter of flatware on plates paused expectantly, waiting for the forager's reply.
Leah was in the middle of drinking her coffee when Haley had posed the question. "Wh-What do y-you mean?" She asked between sputtering and coughing fits, a light red blush started to creep up her neck and reddening her cheeks.
The blue dressed photographer arched an eyebrow as a smirk curled her lips, and as Gus set a fresh cup of coffee by her hand she replied, "Well, it's just that he's still fairly new to the area. You yourself have only been here, what a year? And yet I can't help but see that you both seem glued at the hip."
The persimmon haired artist dug her fork into her breakfast as she replied, it was a three egg omelette with goat cheese, mushrooms, and dandelion greens. "I'm still not seeing what you're asking. We're just friends, that's it!"
Elliot chuckled good naturedly, as he cut through a pancake with his knife, the syrup and butter oozed and pooled around the breakfast confection. "Friends after about a week...it took us about a month to even be able to stay in the same room together."
"Oh lay off, Elliot. I actually see why Matt is easy to be friends with, great personality, heck of a lot of good advice for people who need it, and lets not forget he didn't have to help Leah get you home last night." Penny said, rolling her eyes as she took a sip of orange juice.
"Yeah…about that, Leah, sorry again for spacing out." He apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Leah waved off the apology with her fork, and a small smile. "Eh, it wasn't the first time, Elliot, and it won't be the last. 'Sides it made for a good extension to an already fun night."
"Hopefully not too much fun." Abigail said, resuming the good natured teasing as she took a sip from a glass of apple juice.
"Abigail! Not you too?!" Leah cried, her fork clattering onto her plate as she dropped it in surprise.
Abigail chuckled, "Sorry, Leah but you're making this too easy." She said as she picked up the cinnamon roll from her plate, and bit into the gooey pastry.
Penny couldn't help herself as she noticed a small amount of glaze on the purple haired woman's cheek. She leaned toward her and gently licked it off, drawing out a deep blush from the adventurous woman.
"P-Penny?!" She exclaimed surprised at the librarian's action.
"Oh don't start pouting at me, Dear. One of us needs to turn this tease boat around back to shore." The orange haired woman said chuckling a little, and giving Leah a small nod, "Besides you know I think you're cute when you're embarrassed."
Abigail's pout deepened slightly as the rest of the Stardrop's patrons broke out into laughter.
"Where would Matt be about now anyway, Leah? I thought he'd be here this morning." Gus asked as he started clearing the bar of dishes, and the other patrons were filing out of the pub.
The artist pondered the question as she pulled out her coin purse, "Hhmm… Well it's almost noon. If Matty stuck with the plan he made last night he's probably fishing off the wharf."
"That's not a bad way to spend a Saturday. Especially a warm one like this, if he was up as late as I think he was he could probably use the slow day." The mustachioed owner said, running a hand towel through a mug, "Wouldn't have gotten home this morning till what, one-thirty almost two?"
"Something like that yeah. Thanks for the breakfast, Gus, it was delicious as always." Leah nodded placing the money on the bar top.
"Anytime, Leah. Tell Matt he'd better be by tonight, at least to visit, it felt strange not having him sitting at the bar with a mug of coffee this morning." Gus said with a smile, keeping a mental tally on what she had paid, he'd base the discount for her next order off of it. The Stardrop's proprietor was surprised she hadn't figured out what he had been doing for the last few days.
"I will." Leah said returning the smile as she turned to leave.
"Why do you do it, Gus?" Emily asked, as the saloon door swung closed.
"Because Emily, these last few days I've finally seen her smile in her eyes and not just on her face. I'd like to keep it there." He replied reaching under the bar for a basket, it was filled with preserved foodstuffs and a freshly baked loaf of bread. "Can you keep an eye on the saloon for a bit? I'm going to bring this over to Linus."
"Sure thing, Gus." The blue haired waitress nodded. As her employer walked out of the establishment and turned to start in the direction of the foothills north of the town, she couldn't keep her own smile from growing at the gestures. You're one of the good ones, Gus. And you're right, Leah has been smiling more I'll see if I can do my part to help too. She thought, as ideas for various clothing designs and colors flooded her mind as she set out plates and flatware on the empty tables for the inevitable lunch rush.
The Wharf
Matt was sitting on the wharf with his back against one of the pylons, one leg dangling idly off the edge, as he cast his line. So far he'd been unlucky, losing two fish and dredging up a few bits of seaweed.
"No luck so far, but at least it's a nice day. The sea breeze feels amazing." He said, taking in the scent of the sea air. A pair of seagulls hopped from one foot to the other inquisitively as they eyed the basket piled high with mushrooms and spring onions sitting next to him. "I could do without the feathered company though. Don't even think about it you feathered rats!" He said, waving a hand to shoo them off. The gulls squawked, hopped back a few feet and after a moment hopped forward again.
"Haha, that's not gonna get rid of the scoundrels, Matt." Willy laughed, his voice bouncing off the waves. The gulls squawked in surprise as the fisherman walked over, forcing them to take flight. "You've gotta get them into the air if you want them to leave." He continued, watching them as they circled before landing on the beach well away from the old seadog and the farmer.
"Thanks for that, Willy." The hazel-eyed man said, keeping an eye on his bobber.
"It's not a problem. So, any luck yet?" The old fisherman asked, his pipe bobbing a little as he spoke.
Matt shook his head, "Unfortunately no, but at least it's relaxing. You, Clint, and Lewis were right, a slow day is exactly what I need every now and again."
"Told ya so, and I see you even got a little bit O' foraging in too." Willy replied, casting his own line into the brine.
"Yeah, not a bad day and lot more of it to go." Matt smiled a little as he glanced at the basket. Running his thumb lightly on the line he felt it tighten up just a little, before the bobber was pulled under the waves.
"Looks like you got a big one there, Matt!" Willy chuckled as he watched the man shoot to his feet and start to reel the line back in, the pole bending at the contest between the farmer and his catch.
"It feels like a big one too! Come on you scaly animal, you will be in my basket!" He grunted as the reel wound slowly back, pulling the fish to the surface. Matt could just make out the shape of it below the waves, and then the fish dove again, pulling out almost as much line as he had reeled in.
Willy arched an eyebrow in surprise, "A very big fish indeed. Probably a sizable herring," As Matt reeled back the line Willy saw the dark shape of the fish just as the farmer had, "A very sizable herring." He whistled.
The battle between Serenity's farmer and the fish went on for another ten minutes, until Matt finally pulled it above the waves and up onto the wharf. "Well… that's a fish and a half, eh, Willy?" He said a little out of breath.
The mariner reached into his pocket for a measuring tape. "Let's see...looks 'bout eighteen inches, close to seven, maybe eight, pounds I'd say. Not a bad catch, Matt!" He said, congratulating the rookie fisherman.
"Makes up for the two fish I lost today already." Matt said, a smile spread wide across his face as he cast his line out again. "Time to try for a second, or third, I've got the time after all!"
"That's the ticket, Lad!" The mariner said, just as his own line started to whir as a fish took the bait. "Aye, fish on!"
As the day continued on into the afternoon, both Matt and Willy had managed to each land a few fish of their own. The farmer landing two more herring, albeit smaller than the first. While the old mariner had managed to catch quite a few more fish. While they fished Willy gave his younger friend a few pointers, how better cast the fishing line, what to feel for in order to know if you have a fish hooked or if it's something else and so on.
"Slow but productive day." Matt said, hooking his now heavily laden basket over one shoulder.
"Indeed and a fun one too. I though you would lose that second fish but you brought it back in quickly enough, just remember to ease up a bit on the line, they're easier to land if you tire them out." Willy said, clapping the farmer on the back.
"I will thanks again, Willy. I'd better get this back home but I'll be in town again in a few hours or so." The farmer said, giving the mariner a wave before starting back to the town and back to his farm.
"He's caught on quick. He'll have his own fish tales to tell soon enough." Willy chuckled as he cast out his fishing line again. The old mariner would be out at the wharf for a few more hours before making his way to the Stardrop for an evening beer.
Serenity Farm
Matt set the basket down on the table and pulled out one of the smaller fish, pulling a knife from a drawer he walked back out into the porch and started removing the scales of the fish. "I'll scale this one, the other two I can sell alongside some of the mushrooms and onions." Slowly he slid the edge of the blade along the shimmering scales, just as Willy had told him to do. The colorful flecks caught the light of the afternoon sun, giving off the appearance of a fragmented rainbow as they fell away.
He was so focused on cleaning the fish he didn't hear the sound of Leah's footsteps on the small dirt trail as she walked up to the porch. "Missed you at breakfast this morning, Matty."
The knife slipped as he jolted at her voice, cutting lightly through the bandages on his hand drawing a little blood. "Ouch! Sorry about that, Leah! Argh, can you get the door for me? I need to get a bandage on this quick!"
"Sure thing! Sorry about this!" She apologized hurriedly, throwing open the door for him.
"It's all right, needed to change these bandages anyway and I think they took some of the edge off." The farmer said, rummaging quickly through the drawers and pulling out some clean gauze.
The artist could see him fumbling with it a little, "Here let me do it." She said, nudging him into a chair and gently taking his hand before peeling off the old bandage. She could see the calluses already forming on his palms from his hard work. "Well it's good to see your hands are toughening up from the work. I don't think you'll need stitches." She joked, as she carefully wrapped the clean gauze around his hand.
"Glad to hear you approve. Had a bit of an epiphany about that this morning actually." He said giving her a small smile at the joke.
"Oh about what?"
"I realized just how much work it's going to take to get this place back into its prime. Years if I'm lucky, decades if I'm not. And honestly I'm ok with that." He said, still smiling as he looked out of the small window and over the small area he had managed to cultivate.
"Well, it's like you told me, if you enjoy it then keep doing it. It shouldn't matter how long it takes you to revive the farm, Matty." The artist replied, idly trailing a circle over the farmer's bandage palm as she looked at him, imprinting her view of him at that moment into her mind's eye. He's definitely happy about realizing what work needs to be done. I like this look, his smile really suits him.
"You're not wrong, Leah. And sorry about breakfast, I was watching the sunrise and figured I'd get my chores done early." Matt said, gesturing to the small field of crops. "I did go foraging as well as fishing by the way. Got a decent number of spring onions and mushrooms."
"Then it really was a productive day, even if it was a bit slow for you." The artist said giving him a bright smile, her hand still subconsciously trailing his palm. Hhmm...need to finish that first drawing of him soon. Maybe I'll give it to him on Monday as a sort of first week in the valley gift? After a moment she realized what she was doing and let go of his hand as her ears reddened slightly while trying to keep her smile. Yoba, what is wrong with me? I mean of course I'm going to give him the drawing but...damnit Haley! You and the others have really got my mind flipped upside down!
Matt had to adopt his own mask when she stopped, he'd honestly enjoyed the sensation of her finger trailing that small circle over his palm. You're not a kid anymore, Matthias. If you're starting to get interested in her then just ask her out, even if it's just as friends. After all, plenty of people have gotten into relationships in a similar manner.
After a few moments Matt finished cleaning the herring and placing it in the sink. Before picking up the basket with the rest of his produce, "I was thinking of having that herring for dinner, but it's a bit big for me to finish off alone. Care to join me?" He asked the artist, pulling out some of the mushrooms and a few of the onions and placing them on the small countertop. Truthfully I think we need to talk, I think she's got a few skeletons that need to be let out into the sunlight, and this could get her comfortable enough to open up. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun at the same time.
"Well that's a sudden offer but, yeah Matty, I'd like to." She said, surprised at her own quick acceptance. Just gonna feed their teasing aren't you, Leah? Nope, if they want to gossip then I'll let them, besides it's all in good fun. And it's not like this is a date or anything.
"Strange offer I know, but look at it this way, you get to see if I can actually cook and we both get to have a meal in peace and quiet. Although I do need to drop by Pierre's to pick up a few things, I'm thinking on doing fish and chips and I can't really do that without batter or potatoes." The farmer said, noticing the slight hesitation in the artist's reply.
"Well that will be interesting to find out. Oh, I promised Gus I'd tell you to swing by the Stardrop at least once today. He said it felt strange not having you there." The persimmon haired woman informed him.
"Well then, I guess we can stop by for a bit. He might have something that'll pair well with fried herring and homemade fries." Matt said carrying the basket, which was still fairly full of fish, mushrooms, and onions, with him as he walked out onto the porch. He walked over to the sales bin by the gate and set it inside.
"That's gonna be worth a bit." Leah said, seeing how high the basket was still piled.
"It'll cover enough till I have to harvest my crops." The farmer said, closing the lid and holding open the gate for Leah, "Plus I still need to make my rounds around the wilder parts of the farm tomorrow, might even do a bit of scrounging in Cindersnap too."
"There's always time to be in the forest. Viable produce or no." The artist said with a chuckle as Matt followed her out of the farm and towards Pelican Town proper.
As the sun was just starting to touch the horizon Matt and Leah returned to the farm, laden with a few large potatoes, flour, a couple of eggs, and a large jug of hard cider courtesy of Pierre and Gus.
The artist was at the table, a pencil in her hand sketching a few pictures of the local plants. The farmer was at the small counter tending to the food, the faint sound of fish and chopped potatoes sizzling in the oil filled the small cottage. "You know, if there is one thing I will certainly be taking Robin up on at some point is expanding this kitchen. Not much space to work with, or storage for that matter." He said, pulling a few pieces of fish from the hot oil.
"That would be good idea. A larger living area wouldn't hurt either, we're gonna be eating on the porch." The blue-eyed woman chuckled, as she started crosshatching a few of the leaves of her sketch.
"Yeah we will be." He agreed, giving her a small smile as he pulled the rest of the fish out of the oil and pulled out the fries, piling both onto a large platter.
As he started for the door, Leah opened it for him, picked up the jug of cider, grabbed two glasses, and followed him out of the cottage. "It smells delicious, you know I thought Gus looked a little jealous when you told him you were going to be frying fish and needed something to pair with it. I see why he would be."
"Frying fish is easy, catching it not so much. Willy can attest to my inadequacy at that." The farmer said, setting the platter between them on the railing and picking up a piece of fish.
"Come on you can't be that bad." She said, pouring the cider into the glasses and handing him one.
"I lost two fish today. One was an anchovy." Matt replied shaking his head.
Leah dissolved into a laughing fit at hearing her friend had lost an anchovy. "A-An anchovy?! Oh that's amazing, how did you manage to lose a small fry like that?!"
The hazel-eyed man chuckled as he replied, "By pulling to hard on the line, ended up snagging it and breaking it on something."
"Yeah, well at least it didn't land on you like that herring landed on Penny. She couldn't get the smell out of her hair even after scrubbing for an hour!"
"That was a good day." The farmer said, his thoughts focused on her laughter. He wanted to keep hearing that laugh, seeing her smile, but to do that he needed to know what had been eating at her the other day so that he could help her. Matt slipped into his old role, "So, do you mind if I ask what's on your mind, Leah?"
"Hhmm?" She set her glass down at the question, I knew I was being too obvious...I know he wants to help...but how much do I tell him?
"It's just that you seemed distracted, when I gave you that advice the other day." He explained, loosely clasping his hands in his lap, she had his full attention.
"I…" She dry swallowed, unsure of what to say. Tell him exactly how you feel, he's probably got the knowledge or advice to help, just say something!
"We're the only ones here and you know I can keep a secret if you want me to, but it's alright if you don't want to tell me what's up." He said, giving her a way out of the conversation as he guessed it might be too much for her.
"No it's not that it's just...damnit...like I told you my art never sold well, still doesn't. I even had someone that I used to be close to me tell me to just give it up." Leah closed her eyes as she started to vent the worry and frustration she'd kept pent up inside since she'd moved to Stardew Valley, "Honestly, that hurt the most. I put everything into my art and when someone I cared about said that...it not only makes me think my art is worthless but makes me feel like I'm-"
"Don't finish that thought, Leah." Matt didn't want her on the path of self degradation, he could see now that she'd been down that path already and didn't want her taking another step on it. "You are an amazing woman and have an amazing talent. I told you that what others think doesn't matter and I meant it, but at the same time you have to see your own value in yourself and what your art means to you, even if others don't."
"And what exactly do you see as my value?" She whispered the question, her eyes still closed, tears started running lightly down her cheeks. She wasn't sure why she whispered it, or why she couldn't look at her friend.
Matt's mind had been clinical when he'd asked her the question. He pulled away from his more clinical thoughts as he spoke, he needed to say what was on his mind, not just what she would want to hear. "Leah, can you look at me please?" Just as he had the day they met, he waited till her eyes met his. The farmer's voice wasn't firm, but soft and kind as he said what was on his mind, "There is no price that I can place on you. You, Leah, are a beautiful woman with a gifted talent for art. I can't, no I won't, put a price on you because you yourself are a priceless treasure. And you don't deserve to have anyone telling you to quit and leave your creative passion behind you. As far as I'm concerned that person was a fool for telling you to give up."
Where was this man hiding all this time? The tears still fell down her cheeks but, the smile she had lost returned at the farmer's words. "T-Thank you, Matty. I-I really needed to hear that."
The pseudo-psychologist reached over and pulled her into a gentle hug. He'd always done this for coworkers and friends in the past, it helped let them vent the last troubling emotions. This time it felt different to him, this was worse than just a emotional breakdown, Matt finally realized what that skeleton in her closet was, emotional abuse causing extreme low self esteem. The farmer's hazel eyes hardened in anger, someone did this to her and was the root of it. He could just barely hear the soft snuffling coming from Leah as she buried her face into his shoulder while trying to get her emotions under control. Seems like she got away from the cause which is a start, but she hasn't been healing. I'm not going to be able to really help her on my own, I need to give her mother a call she should at least know what's going on and she might have an idea of who I can confide all this to.
After a while she finally calmed down and Matt relinquished his embrace, letting his own anger cool as well. "Feeling better now, Leah?" He asked concerned.
"Y-Yeah, I am, thank you." She said, leaning back into her chair and drying her eyes on a napkin.
"Good, now you know what you have to do right?" He asked, arching an eyebrow slightly.
"Keep going, keep working at my art till it takes off. And once it does keep working at it some more." The artist replied firmly.
"Exactly, and you know I'll be there every step of the way if you need me to be." The farmer nodded approvingly at answer.
"That's great to hear I may need a muse from time to time." The blue-eyed woman laughed.
"I'll be happy to help. Now I don't know about you but there is still a mound of fish, fries, and a jug of cider left to be finished off. If you're still up for it that is?" The farmer inquired, giving her a warm smile.
"Of course I am." Leah chuckled, her smile still gracing her lips, as she picked up a piece of fish and bit into it.
"Good, go easy on the cider though, Gus gave us one of the older jugs." He cautioned, taking a sip of the alcohol, "You drink too much and I'll be sleeping on the floor and you'll be taking the bed."
"W-What?" She sputtered a little surprised at the statement.
"Walking home at ten at night while drunk is not advice I'd give to anyone." The farmer said, "While I'm certain we can trust the people in town, the environment not so much. Last thing I want to hear is that you broke your ankle after taking a tumble down a hill."
"Well I'm not letting any of this go to waste." Leah chuckled taking another sip of cider to wash down the fish, "So I guess you'll be on the floor."
"Fine by me, Leah." The sunset and birdsong added to the returning lightheartedness of the atmosphere as the two friends talked and joked, while planning their day tomorrow.
As the moon started to rise Leah couldn't resist giving Matt a challenge, "Hey Matty?"
"What's up?"
"Last one to the bottom of the cider jug makes breakfast!" She challenged, her eyes gleaming playfully in the moonlight, as she refilled both glasses.
"Time to see who the lightweight is between us then, it's not gonna be me!" He grinned, raising his glass.
"We'll see about that." The artist smirked, arching an eyebrow as she raised her own glass, "On your mark...ready...set...drink!"