Communication is Key

Harvey had never seen so much desolate, barren landscape in his life. As he traveled southward on camelback with Talla and another small group of traders, the verdant trees of the coast quickly gave way to sparsely forested plain, to grassland, and finally to craggy rock faces, scaly earth, and sand. They camped during the hottest hours of the day, trying their best not to bake under the shelter of their tents out of the harsh rays of the sun.

His new boss assured him that the desert was a relatively small one and by cutting across the continent, they saved themselves several weeks' worth of travel. Although unspoken, the twinkling gold jewelry on Talla's body accented her displeasure in her jerky movements. The doctor knew that the merchant was quite literally a fish out of water. Why would a demigoddess of the sea subject herself to travel through a literal desert? Harvey suspected there was more to the merchant's motives than trade.

The nights were chilly, but Harvey often distracted himself by looking up at the stars. He had never seen such a clear sky - away from the pollution of civilization. It took his breath away at times to see the billions of little lights shining above them, so unassuming and serene in their beauty until the moon rose high to outshine the competition.

"Beautiful, no?" a voice inquired casually. Harvey turned his head to face one of their veiled desert guides walking alongside his camel but fell into step with the beast of burden easily. The figure was wrapped in loose, lightly colored clothing adorned with extravagant beadwork and embroidery from head to toe, with only a narrow slit to see through. Only the glint of the person's eyes in the moonlight betrayed that a person inhabited the clothing.

Harvey and Talla had been given similar attire to cross the desert to keep the sand and heat away from their skin. While both travelers wore the garments, they were not as skillfully draped across their bodies as those who lived in the area. Judging from the decorative, billowy folds of fabric down the sides and skirt that shaped their figure like an upside-down mushroom. The medic assumed that the desert escort was female, but after hearing their raspy accent, however, he was less sure.

Harvey nodded, his head covering sliding down his neck as he did so. The doctor decided it was not worth it to adjust the fabric in the cool night air. "I couldn't have imagined more stars in the sky," the physician admitted. "To think something so beautiful can be seen in a place so dead and lifeless."

"The sand bears much life," the chaperon corrected him with a chuckle. A long sleeve of pale cotton indicated to the west, toward a rocky den. Several sets of triangular ears emerged, the felines' golden eyes staring out at the caravan curiously.

Harvey beamed at the sight of the sand cats and a small laugh escaped him. "You made your point."

The figure in white shrugged. "Not all beings are human, though there are those who live and travel through this desert."

"Are there many people like you living in this desert?"

A wheezing laugh came from the tall figure, and it sounded oddly far away. "Not like me," the guide guaranteed him with an amused tone. "But many use my home to get from place to place. The war makes problems for all," the person hissed. The beads on their garments clacked together as they shook their head. "It must end soon."

Harvey bobbed his head in agreement. While he was willing to work as a doctor at the front, it did not mean he wished the conflict to continue forever. Hopefully, the conflict would all end soon and he could return home, along with all the soldiers.

The doctor then noticed a second camel pull up alongside his own. Talla rode upon the beast, her clothes still in her trademark teal and gold, but in the local style. If Harvey was not mistaken, she added more gold accessories than usual. The traveling merchant spoke to the leader of the caravan in a language the physician did not understand and the local answered back in a lower, gravelly voice.

"Doctor," the syren solicited Harvey quietly. "We are traveling through the very desert for which your country is at war with the Gotoro Empire. Did you know this?"

The brunet's deep olive eyes regarded the merchant quizzically. "I thought the war started when Gotoro invaded a Ferngill Republic territory?"

Their escort made a sweeping motion with their sleeves over the sand surrounding them. "They claim my home is their land. A patch of dry earth across the water that they have never seen."

"Gotoro annexed the desert and in response the Ferngill Republic answered in kind." Talla frowned at Harvey's puzzled expression. "To make their own claim to the land, the former nobles that make up the ruling class of the republic forged a document claiming rights to this desert," the demigoddess explained, her sea-blue eyes studying his face. "It is a vital part of several major trade routes, including those of Ferngill Republic. However…"

"No one can own a desert," the local guide grumbled, crossing their arms across their chest. "It is equally difficult to both defend and to invade. The elements are harsh and both sides' troops have expanded the war to the surrounding territories, where it is easier to do battle."

Harvey paled. "Involving the smaller countries that weren't fighting to begin with…" he breathed. Why had he not heard of this? Then again, conversations about the war had always been vague, even in the news. Only reports of the brutality of the enemy and the numbers of troops - losses, especially - were ever on television to honor those who died while serving in the military. For a "noble cause" that Harvey was beginning to doubt.

Talla bobbed her head thoughtfully. "That is why we-" she stopped herself. "That is why humans like you are so desperately needed near the front. This desert has always been a soft border between the strength of the Gotoro Empire and the rest of the world, but once that delicate balance was disrupted, and the consequences were great."

A silence hung heavy in the air between the three, with only the sound of the shifting sand beneath the feet of the camels and their local chaperone. The sky began to grey on the horizon to the east, indicating that they should set up camp to rest soon. To be caught in the desert sun would be dangerous. It did not take long for heat exhaustion to turn to a stroke.

But as they were about to dismount and set up camp, a man cried out from the top of a nearby dune, putting the caravan on high alert. "We have been discovered!" he shouted, "Make haste! We must not stop until we are safely away!"

The party kicked their camels into a trot while the leader of the band of locals ran skillfully across the sliding sand as the group fled southwest. Harvey glanced back over his shoulder and broke into a cold sweat as the silhouettes of soldiers gained on them from behind. Their caravan was being pursued.

Violet felt her heart fall to her stomach when she heard her phone's ringtone she specifically assigned for her best friend, Bex. Oh, no… the NuNu City native thought, bracing herself for what was to come. Violet knew exactly what this was about: she failed to mention to her best friend that she was dating Sebastian now and Bex found out through another source. But who? Whatever, it did not matter. She must be furious!

"¿Cómo pudiste hacerme esto a mí, conejita? I thought we were mejores amigas por siempre!" Bex shouted into the phone as soon as Violet answered the call.

"I'm so sorry, Bex!" the farmer groaned guiltily, lowering herself to sit on her sofa. "Everything just happened so fast with Sebastian and once all the fall planting was over, I completely forgot to tell you!"

Violet heard an audible gasp on the other end of the line and instantly realized her mistake. Bex was upset about something else and now she had added fuel to the fire. "¡Puta!" Bex shrieked in outrage, slapping her open palm onto the nearest flat surface. "You're dating Sebastián and you didn't tell me?! When the fuck did this happen?!" the cosmetologist demanded to know.

"S-Sunday," Violet stumbled to reply. "It happened Sunday night."

Violet could not keep up with the string of Spanish curses that spewed from Bex's mouth. "You mean to tell me that you've been dating for almost an entire semana and didn't tell me?!"

"I thought that's why you were mad at me when you first called!" Violet whimpered back in her defense. "I said I was sorry!"

"¡No, idiota! I called you because primo Arturo told me he talked to you earlier this week," Bex stated with a pout that Violet knew was present due to years of experience. "You called Arturo but not me? ¿Cómo te atreves?"

Violet relaxed slightly. At least Bex was distracted by her first offense for the moment. That at least was something she could explain. "It was strictly business, Bex," she swore to her confidant. "I know Arturo is always busy in the winter, so I ordered some things from him ahead of time for the holidays. "

"Ugh, fine," Bex relented dismissively. "But you're still not off the hook for not telling me Sebastián ha estado comiendo tu concha."

The cultivator's face went lobster red. "For fuck's sake, Bex. We're only on first base right now."

"For fuck's sake is right, conejita," Bex cackled at Violet's expense. "Either way, estoy orgullosa de ti. It's good to hear you're finally moving on."

Violet smiled to herself, twisting a strand of her hair around her fingers. "It is nice to be dating someone who actually likes me back…" The pastel-haired woman leaned against the back of the couch and cuddled a pillow to her chest. "And his hair is really soft. I like playing with it," she confessed bashfully.

"¡Si, eso!" the woman with bi-colored hair proclaimed. "If you want to make up to me for not calling the instant you got home that night, dame todos los detalles!"

Sam suspected something was going on from the way his mother avoided looking at him directly. That, in addition to the extra visits from Caroline who always brought sweet-smelling tea, the blond wondered if Jodi was going through a particularly rough time without his father around. Hell, if he had to go off to war and not see Abi for years on end, Sam could not imagine what it was like.

Part of him worried that his dad was dead now, and that his mother was trying to spare Vincent especially from the news. But Sam already asked his mother if she had heard such news. Jodi shook her head, wiping her tears from her eyes, and denied it. "No," she replied shakily. "As far as we're aware, your father's not dead," the tawny-haired woman promised her eldest son. "I'm just so worried about him lately."

So with his girlfriend's mother always keeping his mom company and Vincent at with Penny and Jas today, Sam had a day to enjoy himself. Normally on Saturdays, Sebastian would come by to hang out, but his favorite introvert explicitly declared that he needed to finish his homework for the week today if Sam wanted to do frequent band practices in the evenings leading up to Friday's concert. It was a total bummer, but that meant that he and Abigail had some free time together.

Rather than sneaking in through the window today, Sam sauntered into Pierre's General Store and greeted the shop keep. "Good morning, sir!" he addressed Abigail's father.

The man grimaced at the sight of the skater. "Abigail is helping me in the shop right now," Pierre explained to his daughter's boyfriend. "She isn't allowed to leave until the shelves are restocked," the local store owner warned Sam. "Understand?"

"Loud and clear, sir!" Sam did not need to search for Abigail long, she was just around the corner, adding products to the shelf in the corner closest to the house.

His girlfriend grinned when she saw him. "Thank fucking Yoba, I've been bored outta my mind," she sighed with relief, kissing his lips. She grabbed his hand. "Let's go."

"Negatory, babe," Sam uttered, holding his ground, despite Abigail tugging gently at his arm. "I'm gonna help you finish up here and then we can go."

The amethyst-haired woman groaned but continued to resupply the shelves of the store. Sam grabbed a considerable number to assist her. "I don't know why my dad doesn't like you all that much," Abigail admitted. "You're being such a goodie two-shoes around him."

Sam smirked as he added a few jars of sugar to the top of the structure. "Maybe because I'm the totally rad musician banging his daughter?"

Abigail's cerulean eyes widened, and she threw her hands over his mouth to silence him. "He'll hear you!" she scolded. The young woman peered past Sam, but her father did not come stomping toward them. Instead, Abigail heard the usual sounds of Pierre tending to the register. She exhaled audibly, relaxing her shoulders. The coast was clear. "Look, let's just get this done quickly so we can leave."

"Sure thing, Abi!" Sam replied with a chipper stretch of his lips. He focused on the upper shelves where he could reach better than his girlfriend. It took about an hour, but between the two of them, Pierre was satisfied enough with their work that he allowed them to leave without further fuss.

Abigail disappeared briefly to grab her bag from her room and shouted "Bye, Dad!" to Pierre before dragging Sam out of the store and out into the crisp autumn air.

"Where are we going?" the spiky-haired blond wondered aloud.

His girlfriend's bright blue eyes glanced his way. "To the bus stop."

"But the bus won't go anywhere, Mayor Lewis still hasn't given Pam her job back yet."

"Yes, but that's also where everyone keeps their cars." The woman with jewel-toned hair flashed him a wide grin. "We're 'borrowing' my dad's car," she explained, dangling the keys from her finger, and jingling them in his face. "I want to scope out our venue for the concert on Friday."

"I like the way you think, babe," Sam verbalized approvingly. When they approached the old beige vehicle, Sam snatched Abigail up in his arms and leaned against the car. Pausing briefly, he eyed the back seat. "I'll bet it's big enough…" he mused.

Abigail scoffed. "Maybe later," she replied only half-disapprovingly, with heavy emphasis on the ambiguity of her statement. Sam decided that was better than a flat "no," so there was still a shot. The young woman separated herself from her boyfriend and opened the car door to take the driver's seat. "Now get in or I'll leave you behind."

Sebastian exhaled sharply in frustration as he sat at his computer screen. Until he went back to school, he never realized how slow his own computer was in comparison to those in the labs at the university. Now the sluggishness of his own processor and the poor quality of the internet connection mocked him. It was making it nearly impossible to test his coding assignments in the online portal used by the department and keep his sanity. "This is going to take forever…" he growled in annoyance.

His attention was then pulled away from the computer by another flashing screen in the darkness of his bedroom. Violet texted him. Sebastian's lips curved upward slightly.

Sebastian's stomach gurgled his reply before he could answer the farmer. *I guess that would be okay.* The programmer was used to people not respecting his work hours, so it was nice that Violet acknowledged his efforts. *You don't happen to have any sushi, do you?* Sebastian did not expect any, but it was worth a shot.

*I might have some spare maki I could toss your way.*

*Don't get my hopes up* Sebastian pleaded.

Instead of a text, the hoodie-clad man received a picture of perfectly rolled, though slightly overstuffed salmon maki on a clean white platter. Sebastian recognized the table in the background as Violet's. *Fuck, that looks delicious.*

*I'll deliver it soon, then!* The basement dweller turned his attention back toward his computer and found that his first coding project worked exactly as it should. Finally! The thought of knocking out a small project alleviated some of the freelancer's stress until he realized how many he had left. Only five other assignments to go...

Violet stepped into the carpentry shop with a large bag of supplies early that Saturday afternoon. Robin smirked at the young woman. "Good morning!" the red head greeted the farmer. "Are you here for business or pleasure?"

"Both, I think?" the younger woman answered hesitantly. "But mainly business," Violet added, second-guessing herself. "I ugh… have some snacks for Sebastian so he can focus on his schoolwork." The young woman rummaged through her inventory to show Robin the goods. "Blueberries, mixed nuts, coffee, some salmon maki I made this morning…" Violet nodded to herself approvingly. "All good brain food!"

Robin beamed at her. "Aren't you sweet?" Violet was a bit mortified by the saccharine quality of the carpenter's voice. Like a mother praising their small child.

Violet read too much into Robin's tone, however, and quickly made sure there was not a reason for it. "Sebastian isn't allergic to any of these, is he? Shoot, there are peanuts in this mix, is he -"

The dark-eyed carpenter cackled at Violet's expense. "Oh, sweetheart, you're fine. I just can't help but be happy that my son is finally dating someone."

Violet tried to conceal her embarrassment. "Uh… T-Thank you, ma'am."

"You can still call me Robin, silly!" the red head reassured her neighbor. "And Sebby used to insist he was allergic to breakfast because he doesn't get hungry right when he wakes up, but he doesn't have any real allergies."

Knowing something about Sebastian's childhood habits made Violet happy on some level. "That's adorable."

Robin grinned. "Oh, it is looking back," she agreed. "But at the time I was mad he wouldn't eat the food I spent all that time and effort making - especially when I cooked a whole spread with pancakes and hash browns. Demetrius and Maru would inhale everything in sight, but my little boy wouldn't touch anything." The carpenter's obsidian eyes glazed over slightly as she reminisced. "Lots of things were different back then, but I'm glad that Sebastian and Demetrius are attempting to get along better lately."

Violet was not sure how things had been since Sebastian started attending university, but she assumed he would have told her if something happened. The pastel-haired woman regarded the woman behind the counter and wondered for a moment if she should say something about Sebastian meeting Darla. No, that would be way out of line… Though she did feel guilty knowing something about Robin's past that she tried to keep hidden.

But Violet could not let that guilt stop her from trying to build a relationship with Robin. One thing she gleaned from general proximity to romantic relationships was that it was a good idea to get on your significant others' good side whenever possible. "I also have that wood you requested," the visitor explained. Violet motioned for the carpenter to follow her outside to a pile of fresh hardwood stacked neatly outside her house.

The ginger was elated by the sight and examined a few specimens personally. "Oh, Violet, these look fantastic!" she praised the agrarian. "Now I can get started on my newest project."

"Right…" Violet laughed nervously. "That bed you wanted to make."

Her boyfriend's mother winked at her. "It's going to be top quality, Farmer Violet. I hope you'll consider buying one after you see the prototype."

It wouldn't hurt to give Robin some business, Violet conceded silently. But that was for another day when she had more expendable income and was less flustered by Robin's teasing. "I'll have to see what it looks like, but I'm sure whatever you make will look great."

"Great!" Robin gave her a little one-armed hug and beckoned her back inside. "Now why don't you come back inside with me? I'll make some pumpkin soup!"

Violet's eyes widened. "That sounds delicious, but I thought Sebastian didn't like seasonal flavors?" The night they watched horror movies; he had complained that everything was pumpkin spiced this time of year. Violet wondered if that meant Sebastian would hate spiced apple cider as well. She hoped not, it was one of her favorites.

"That's because he grew up on my homemade pumpkin soup and nothing else compares!" Robin proudly asserted, straightening her posture, and placing her hands on her hips. The older woman then pat Violet on the shoulder. "I'll let you try it and ruin the store-bought stuff for you, too," she chortled as she opened the door for Violet and motioned inside. "It takes a while, but I'm sure if we start now, it'll be ready by dinner. Run down those snacks to Sebby now and meet me in the kitchen!"

As promised, Violet gave him a kiss on the cheek, wished him luck, and then excused herself from his room after pulling the snack items out of her bag. For the first time, Sebastian felt like someone finally respected his work ethic. It was a new, comfortable feeling to be so supported by Violet. Sebastian wondered what he could do to help her out in the future. Other than providing magic water to make mutant crops, anyway.

Each piece of maki was a perfectly sized mouthful and the programmer indulged quietly as he worked through his homework problems. Now that he was in the upper-level courses, Sebastian was finally into some new material. The programmer was learning better methods for writing commands and how his current style could be improved.

He did not always get everything right on the first go-around, but Sebastian slowly reconciled his usual coding with these newer techniques into something with which he could be satisfied. Hitting "enter" and watching his code do his bidding brought a smile to his face along with a budding sense of accomplishment. It had been ages since he last felt this way. Sebastian reluctantly supposed he owed Demetrius a "thank you" for his push in the right direction, even if his stepfather's methods were questionable.

It was getting on in the evening, but luckily Sebastian only had one assignment left. Whether it was the food or not, his afternoon had been far more productive than this morning. He could smell the aroma of his mother's pumpkin soup wafting down into his room from the vents in the house. Damn, I'm getting all my favorites today. The thought pleased Sebastian and he thought to thank Violet for her efforts.

*Thanks for the food. I'm almost done with all my work now.*

*That's great!* his girlfriend responded. *Your mom and I will be done with the soup soon. Take your time, though!*

Sebastian nearly dropped his phone. *Have you been hanging out with my mom upstairs this entire time?* Robin could have told Violet all kinds of embarrassing stories without him being there to censor certain portions. Or worse yet, his mom could have brought out the old photographs of when he was in diapers. Oh, no...

*Yeah, she's actually kind of cool. I hope that's okay.*

Sebastian breathed out slowly, trying to calm himself. It's fine, it's fine, everything's - He heard the sound of Violet's laughter harmonizing with Robin's upstairs. Not fine! The sable-haired man leapt to his feet, sprinted up the stairs, down the hallway, and around the corner to the kitchen. Sebastian clung to the doorframe to stop himself from colliding with Violet.

"Oh, hey, Sebastian," the floral-haired woman greeted him with a wide grin. "We're not quite done yet, but don't worry! I'll bring some soup down for you if you're not finished by then."

Violet was wearing a pink apron decorated with lemons and strawberries and a petal-pink bow in her hair to keep her tresses out of her face. Her cheeks were rosy, likely from the heat of the stove, and her deep blue eyes sparkled with recent laughter. It made her look adorable. The kind of cute he wanted to corrupt to the dark side, a fiendish part of his brain snickered. Sebastian flushed and covered the lower half of his face to hide the hungry look on his face. "I-I'll be back later," he stammered, and retreated to his room in a hurry.

He flopped onto his bed and tried his best to parry the dirty thoughts that bombarded his imagination, but it was no use. Sebastian thought about taking a quick, cold shower, but before he knew it, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairwell. In a panic, the young man flipped over to lay on his stomach to hide the physical evidence of his salacious thoughts and lay his head on his pillow.

"Sebastian?" Violet's called out in the dark. "Did you fall asleep?"

Sebastian did not know if it was better or worse that Violet came down to bring him dinner. Either way, he was not about to pretend to be sleeping. "No, I'm awake," he muttered through his pillow.

Violet paused for a moment. "Do you mind if I turn on the light?"

"Go ahead," the horny man groaned, still hiding his face from his girlfriend.

She set the tray holding the hot bowl of soup down on the table across the room and sat down next to him on the bed. "Are you sick?" she ran her fingers through his hair and massaged his scalp, causing a tingling sensation to run down his spine and the hairs on his arms to stand on end.

He grabbed Violet's wrist to make her stop. "Sorta…" he confessed with a half-truth. "I just don't want you to be disgusted by me."

Violet shook her head. "Everyone gets sick, 'Bastian." She lightly touched his shoulder and Sebastian fought his basal urges.

"No, sorry, that's not…" he sighed and held his head in his hands as he sat up and strategically draped his blankets over his lap. "Like, I feel weird about it because you're a real person and I care about what you think of me, and I know your ex was pushy about it, so I don't wanna be like that," Sebastian rambled through the gaps between his fingers, still shielding his face from Violet.

She gently pawed at his face to encourage him to look at her. "What are you talking about?" Violet asked softly. "Other than a few general interests, you're nothing like Kyle. You don't need to be so insecure about me comparing you two."

Sebastian stared at her, his expression flat as he screamed internally. "I got a huge boner looking at you all dressed up like that in the kitchen and I'm fucking self-conscious about it, okay?"

Violet's face quickly matched his own shade of crimson. "Oh…" she responded with surprise. "Is… that all?"

His ink black eyes focused on his girlfriend. "What do you mean, 'Is that all?'" he shouted indignantly. "You're just as embarrassed as I am!"

Clearing her throat, Violet answered his question. "It's embarrassing to talk about at first because it's awkward," the farmer admitted. "But it's not like I haven't thought about it, too, you know." She nibbled her thumb nail anxiously, "A-about you, I mean. Your reaction is just more…" her cobalt eyes glanced toward him. "Noticeable." Violet took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "And I trust you, 'Bastian," his girlfriend confessed. " I feel safe enough with you to believe that if I got uncomfortable, you would respect me, and stop whatever we were doing."

Sebastian let her words sink. "So… it's okay that I get that turned on this early in our relationship?"

Violet's lips pulled back into a smile, despite the seemingly permanent color on her face, and reached out to hold his hand. "Like I said, I've also thought those kinds of things about you, Sebastian." She pursed her lips. "It's… kind of flattering to get you that riled up so easily, too," she giggled.

The hoodie-clad man groaned and rolled his eyes, but still held Violet's hand. "Whatever, as long as you don't think less of me because of it."

His girlfriend leaned over and brushed his cheek with her lips. "Hm… no." Violet turned Sebastian's face toward her own and pressed her lips against his gently. "But I will think less of you if you keep avoiding me, mister!" she scolded him, tapping his nose with her finger.

"I promise I won't anymore," Sebastian stated. He then coaxed her closer was he leaned against the wall behind his bed. Violet sat beside him, and the couple began to kiss more deeply than ever before. A small moan escaped Violet as he pulled her against him and she exhaled shakily as she swung one leg over his legs to straddle him. The farmer stopped for a moment. "Is… this okay?" she asked anxiously.

He smirked. "As long as you don't mind my friend," he chuckled, trying to expel the nervousness he felt. "I guess if things get to be too much, tag out?" Sebastian suggested, tapping his palm against Violet's shoulder to demonstrate.

She nodded shyly. "Your soup's going to get cold," Violet reminded her boyfriend, tilting her head back toward the gaming table.

Sebastian shrugged. "Let it."

Violet smiled back and rested her body to sit in Sebastian's lap and picked up where they left off. The two caressed each other as they kissed, their bodies rolling in rhythm with their lips. Sebastian was relieved that Violet did not seem bothered by the movement beneath her every once and a while. If anything, it added to the excitement and passion of the moment. Surprisingly, they both ran out of breath before either of them brought everything to a grinding halt.

Sebastian felt his heartbeat pounding in two specific places and he laughed when he saw Violet rolled off to sit beside him instead. Smiling, she leaned her head onto his shoulder and grabbed a nearby pillow. He was glad they talked, even if it was awkward to discuss.

"I guess we need more practice," he panted with a captivating smirk.

Violet blushed, holding the plush rectangle to her chest. "Remind me to wear a bow in my hair more often."

Author Note: Since I cannot respond directly to guest reviews, I'll answer Brent's question here. Yes, according to Eshra Talla, Violet and Zach are related to her and the other syrens through their maternal grandmother. Talla claimed to be a daughter of the Sea Goddess and that Violet's grandmother (and therefore Violet) is a descendant of the Earth Goddess, albeit much further down the genetic line than Talla. At first Violet did not believe the story in the slightest, but with all the strange things going on lately, the farmer has started to accept that it may be true. Readers will get more details on that in later chapters/books.

I'm glad that people enjoy the separate character arcs for the bachelor/ettes. At first I worried that people wouldn't like it, but it seems the extra work to make storylines for all of them is paying off. It's been fun weaving a tangled mess of stories that somehow all come together in the zany Stardew universe we know and love with some of my own creative elements.