Chapter 5 – The Decision to Show or Not

Sage woke the next day and threw on her most comfortable farming clothes. When she finished replacing Jasper's water and food, she and the kitten made their way outside. She sipped on her coffee and grabbed her mail.

A letter talking about a dance caught her attention, but she felt herself get hot and antsy while reading it. She wouldn't be able to dance with anyone, the town's people all had lived here for much longer than her and likely all had dates all planned out.

Maybe she would skip it. She had skipped the egg hunt, her memories of egg hunts were ruined with her parent's arguing and it would have been torture to sit through the festival. Unsure of her plans for the next day, she got started on her crops.

Her cauliflower plants were about ready to harvest but she wanted to give them another few days to be safe. She should have a nice harvest before the end of the season, setting her up for a good summer seed fund. She was also probably close to being able to purchase a coop from Robin!

She spent her time watering her plants trying to come up with potential chicken names. She had enough money that she could buy two chickens right after commissioning the coop, so she only needed two names.

Well, naming things was hard. She'd just have to wait until she saw them and hope that names came to her. Something she couldn't push off, however, was the community center. She planned on seeing if she could read that inscription and then heading off to the mines.

Starting her walk, she hummed a song that her favorite band played back in the city. She missed live music; it had been months since she last saw a show. Unfortunately, the mines didn't sound as good as that band.

She was just within eyesight of the community center when she heard her name.

"Hey, Sage! Whatcha humming?" Of all the people she hoped to not run into today, Sam was at the top of her list. She was trying to get rid of her crush but only time would help that fade.

"Oh, um, it's a song called Good Again. One of the bands I used to watch played it every now and then." She felt her nervous habits start up as soon as she started talking.

"That's super cool! You'll have to bring me to a show sometime! I'm in a band, you know!" The words all but poured from his mouth while she bounced on the balls of her feet and absentmindedly chewed on her lip.

"I mean, they're all the way in the city and I'm not really looking for a reason to go back just yet. You should definitely look them up though. I really gotta go, I have a lot to do today." Trying to back out of the conversation, Sage pointed in the general direction of the mines.

"Well, I'm heading to Sebastian's place if you want to walk with me?" He smiled at her and she couldn't help the small smile that fell into place.

"Yeah, that works for me." She would just have to stop at the community center on her way back to Mystic Meadows.

"So, you going to the dance tomorrow? You should see the things they make us wear! They're these terrible old suits. They smell like mothballs." He scrunched his nose up, saying this, and Sage couldn't help but giggle at the idea.

"I wasn't planning on it. I'm not much of a dancer and it seems like a partners kinda deal. Plus, I want to finish getting my farm layout ready for when summer kicks in."

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess. I still think you should go and at least check it out." Sam suddenly wished he hadn't already agreed to dance with Penny, but he couldn't take back his promise just because Sage's giggle was fresh in his ears.

They came up on Sebastian's place and split from there with quick goodbyes. Sage didn't really want to go on her own to the mines, but work had to be done. She wasn't even sure what it was exactly that she'd find there.

After meeting an old man who gave her his used sword, Sage spent most of the day in the mines. The copper ore was bound to be helpful later and she wanted to sell as many interesting looking gemstones that she could.

The most interesting part of her night was learning that the junimos, that's what the wizard had called them at some point in her visit with him, wanted her to bring them things. They had a list of things she could forage but it seemed like they would want more. People, or in this case junimos, always would want more.

She limped her way back to her farm, her leg sore from where a slime hit her. The fact that the slimes were so prevalent in the mines threw her off a bit. She had heard stories from her grandpa back during one of the visits she took out to the farm with her parents, but she'd always assumed they were just stories.

Of course, after learning that junimos and magic were more than wild tales, the existence of slimes shouldn't shock her. She at least had a better excuse to not dance. She could even make an appearance without anyone trying to make her dance, limping the way she was.

After a soak in her tub to alleviate some of the soreness running through her body, she fell into her bed. She had a few gifts she'd stockpiled for the different townspeople that she planned on giving out the next day, so she ran through her list.

She fell asleep before being able to remember what she had decided to give to Sam and awoke the next morning more tired than she had been the day before. She stretched and got ready to do her routine crop watering.

Limping from row of plants to the next, Sage slowly but surely finished her morning chores. She quickly showered after and put on the only dress she had brought with her. It was a soft periwinkle color that stopped a few inches below her knees. She had worn it to her mom's wedding when she married her stepdad and was now glad that she kept it.

She stooped down and gently stroked Jasper's head.

"I really don't want to go to this, little guy. I feel like I might barf. What would they think if I didn't go, though? Oh my gosh, what if the people not dancing don't dress up? Oh, I'm going to look so stupid. Okay, I just need to push through, you're right. Thanks, sweet baby." Jasper meowed softly in response to her anxious thoughts.

She let the small cat decide if he wanted to spend the day inside or out and after he stepped outside and stretched, she made her way to the festivities.