A Fair Morning

Violet burrowed her face into soft, well-worn fabric as she slowly regained consciousness. She had yet to muster the energy to face the day, but the farmer felt oddly cocooned in comfortable warmth for someone who fell asleep outside. Was someone nice enough to throw a blanket over the town idiot who stayed out too late? Violet supposed groggily as she slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

When her vision came into focus, Violet quickly realized she was in Sebastian's bed, but the man himself was nowhere to be found. While the foolish adventurer stumbled to her feet, Violet noticed that she was wearing Sebastian's signature black hoodie over her clothes. For a moment, she sat back down, in equal parts in awe of the garment and touched by Sebastian's willingness to lend it to her. It was like a sacred artifact - Sebastian never went anywhere without it. Somewhere out there, Violet's boyfriend was in the wild without his protective shell. For a moment, she imagined him as a naked hermit crab hiding behind various objects as it shuffled from place to place. Violet giggled at the image and hugged herself, blissful that had a real boyfriend from whom she could steal such a comfortable hoodie.

Violet discovered that she was not alone when the bathroom door clicked open, however. Sebastian emerged clad in only a pair of boxers and a towel draped over his head to dry his hair. He rubbed the towel over his tapered locks and allowed the material to fall to rest on his shoulders when he finished.

Once his face was no longer obscured, Sebastian's obsidian eyes flickered toward Violet's face. Frowning, he immediately closed the gap between them and sat on the bed beside her, pulling his girlfriend into a forceful hug. "What the hell do you think you were doing last night?" he snapped angrily, slightly crushing Violet's face in an aggressively protective manner. "You promised you wouldn't go to the mines by yourself anymore!" Sebastian scolded her.

Violet blushed, very aware of how little her boyfriend was wearing even as she attempted to divert her attention toward the fact that Sebastian was hardly wearing anything. She tried to refute his faulty memory, however. "I shed I woodn't go on unwucky daze!" Violet strained to articulate as Sebastian's embrace squashed the sides of her mouth. She would have complained about it being uncomfortable if Sebastian had not pushed her away to arm's length the next moment.

"Seriously?!" His dark eyes glinted with an inner fire and Violet felt slightly cowed with guilt. He reached out a hand and brushed it against her cheek, tilting her face back up toward his. "What the hell is going on with you lately, Violet?" The man pleaded; his voice strained from the conflicting emotions twisting in his gut. "I thought things were going great until you threw all that money in my lap and said you didn't want to see me anymore."

That was not quite how Violet intended that whole situation to come across, but she could see where Sebastian was coming from. "What's worse was that you avoided me all day," the man griped, "so I was constantly worrying I had done something wrong." Sebastian scowled, his damp head tilting toward the windows above them. "Then after I tried to find you at your house last night, Krobus found you outside my window and that scared the shit outta me to see you like that again."

Suddenly a yeti's tear did not seem like a suitable peace offering. Violet felt small and undeserving of Sebastian. "I…" the woman's eyes began to well with tears. "I'm sorry," Violet choked, attempting to hold back the inevitable tide if she could. He did not respond, instead waiting for Violet to justify her actions. She waited a moment to compose herself before explaining herself properly.

"I know Abigail and I kinda talked about it when I first moved here, but I guess I didn't talk about it much around you," Violet confessed ruefully. "Your problems are way more relevant because you live with your family, so I guess it just felt like complaining about nothing if I mentioned it."

"Mentioned what?" Sebastian urged Violet on, hoping to finally get a straight answer.

"The thing is… Unlike you, I witnessed my parents' relationship fall apart first-hand. They divorced when I was ten years old," the pastel-haired farmer informed her boyfriend, pulling her legs close to rest her chin upon her knees. "And around the anniversary of the divorce, I always get sort of pessimistic about romance and the inevitability that all good things die eventually."

Sebastian's mouth twitched. "And I thought I was the cynic."

Violet ignored the commentary. "So, when I came by on Sunday, I wasn't thinking straight," the wavy-haired woman admitted. She could feel the hot tears filling her eyes and Violet did her best to keep them from escaping. "I was completely second-guessing myself and my feelings for you because I couldn't shake off my fear that if I didn't learn from my parents' mistakes, I'd be doomed to repeat them."

Despite her efforts, tears flowed freely down Violet's cheek now, but she did her best to press on. "M-My mom really resented my dad for holding back her career with his illness and having my brother and I." Wiping her face, Violet's voice trembled. "I just re-remembered the h-h-hateful look Mom ga-gave Dad when they fought and -" she inhaled sharply, laying her head in her hands, and allowing the hood of the sweatshirt to conceal the top of her head. "I was so scared you might give me that same loathing look one day if I didn't push you to pursue all those dreams now."

Sebastian did not speak right away, and the stillness made Violet uncomfortable. "It made me sick to my stomach thinking that someone I care about - someone I might have actual feelings for - could end up hating me."

Unexpectedly, Sebastian sank down to lie onto his bed, his body quietly convulsing with stifled sniggers. Violet whipped her head to face him with a look of indignation. "What the fuck is so funny?!" she practically spat, her eyes peeking out from the hood of Sebastian's sweatshirt.

Sebastian wiped tears from the edges of his eyes. "Sorry," he apologized, though the corners of his mouth were still turned upward. "Sometimes I just feel like I'm the only one who has such nagging, angsty thoughts and then you say shit like that." Sebastian bit his lip, trying to compose himself when he realized he had offended the Violet with his nervous reaction. He tried to justify his actions.

"I spent the whole fucking day yesterday thinking I must have done something wrong, but I was too clueless to figure out what the fuck it was." Sebastian thew up his hands in exhasperation. "I honestly thought you were trying to break up with me, but you were too polite to tell me directly."

The barely dressed man then gestured toward Violet as he laid on his back and covered his eyes with his forearm. "But Edge was right," Sebastian grumbled. "Your freak out had almost nothing to do with me," Sebastian reflected with an amused huff. "We're both just trying to wade through a bunch of shit that got dumped on us and we're a mess for it."

"Then why are you laughing at me, asshole?!" Violet half-sobbed, half-yelled. She was still upset that her boyfriend mocked at her honesty.

Sebastian apologized again, sliding his arm away from his eyes to look at her. "I'm not making fun of you, Violet. I'm relieved!" He rolled onto his side and propped his head up with one arm, so his face was closer to hers. "I thought you were trying to break up with me. But you weren't trying to tell me that, were you?"

Violet shook her head from under the black hood of Sebastian's sweatshirt. "No," she responded simply and honestly. "I'm just… scared of the point of no return, you know?" the blue-eyed woman breathed in a small voice. "I already feel more attached to you than I did Kyle and you really don't seem like the type of guy to cheat, so I worried maybe I'd be the one to fuck it up by keeping you in Pelican Town."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Violet spied the smug smile on Sebastian's face when she proclaimed she liked him better than her ex-boyfriend. "Why the hell would you think that?" he refuted her assumption with an eye-roll.

The farmer shrugged, unsure of the specifics herself. It was a general dread that weighed her down.

Sebastian heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't get why you're so hung up on this kind of stuff when it comes to you, but you give everyone else a free pass," he growled. "You don't look at me and see 'future deadbeat dad,' do you?" Sebastian frowned, flopping onto his back to look up at the ceiling once again. "Can't we just be ourselves and worry about us?"

Violet's mouth twisted ponderously as she considered Sebastian's words. She honestly admired how adamant Sebastian had always been that he did not want to be like his father. It made her believe that if it was possible for him, maybe Violet could find the courage to believe in herself, too. "Okay," she agreed meekly, reaching out to him for comfort. With her other hand, she fidgeted with a loose thread in the pocket of the hoodie to work out some of her anxious energy. Violet could feel the tense energy seeping into the air.

"So, what are your opinions on moving to ZuZu City?" the mentally exhausted twenty-something solicited her boyfriend. Violet gritted her teeth in preparation for the worst. She was afraid.

Sebastian's thumb stroked the back of Violet's hand absently as he reflected on the question. "I dunno," he conceded petulantly. "I only ever had a hazy pipedream of escaping all the shit here in Pelican Town. ZuZu City was just the closest out available. But now…" the sable-haired man's voice trailed off briefly. "Things are different," Sebastian concluded.

"How so?"

"I mean, you moving here was a big deal," Sebastian replied directly. "Sam, Abigail, and I were all kind of stuck in a weird holding pattern for years. I was too scared to ask Abigail out; Abigail wasn't interested in me but the guy who she wanted to be with pretended not to notice; and Sam wanted to be with Abigail, too, but deferred to me because I said something to him first."

"Ugh," Violet gagged with theatrical disgust, finally relaxing a little. She unfolded her body to rest beside Sebastian on the bed. "A love triangle." She was doing her best not to look at him in his state of undress, but Violet could not help but steal glances every once and a while.

Sebastian sniffed in amusement. "Yeah, thanks for breaking that up," he countered with a smirk. "Pelican Town feels a lot different with you in it. I never felt like I belonged here before you came along." He ran a hand through his damp hair, "I don't see my relationship with Demetrius improving all that much until after I graduate, but he stopped being so openly hostile."

"That's something," Violet agreed. She paused, unsure of whether she should pose her question. "Does this mean you don't want to move to the city anymore?" Despite her fears, Violet wanted to smoke out Sebastian's point.

"Not exactly," Sebastian answered hesitantly. "I did some thinking…" her boyfriend stated seriously. Sebastian closed his eyes, as if bracing himself. "You're right in some ways. At the very least I need a place of my own for a while." Sebastian lifted his shoulders casually, "ZuZu City makes sense, since I spend most of my time there during the week for classes anyway and removing the commute would reduce a lot of stress. But after half a season of being in the city five days a week, I can't see myself living there long-term."

Violet nodded solemnly. "So, what now?"

"Even if I don't plan on staying long, I think it still makes sense to move to ZuZu City until I'm done with my degree," Sebastian reasoned. "I can always come back on the weekends or special occasions to hang out with friends," Sebastian articulated, turning his head to face Violet. "But maybe - at least in Winter when there aren't any crops to grow – I hoped you might…" He hesitated, his obsidian eyes darting away instantly, and he cursed when he realized the time. "Shit, I'm already late."

As he hopped off the bed, it finally dawned on Sebastian that he was not wearing any real clothing. His pale face went crimson as he searched desperately for something to cover himself.

"I wanna talk more when I get back from class," Sebastian notified Violet as he ferreted around his chest of drawers to find suitable attire. Violet had a feeling that normally he would be choosier, but between being late and being so exposed, Sebastian grabbed the first outfit he found. "Can you meet me here after the Fair tonight?" he requested.

"You're not going to the Stardew Valley Fair?" Violet tried to hide her dissatisfaction at the prospect.

Sebastian pulled on a pair of dark jeans and shrugged into a black t-shirt before donning his leather jacket. "I know it's a huge deal for Pelican Town, but I still have class." He grabbed his backpack and shoved a few books inside. "Besides, it's always super crowded with all the tourists. I only ever go to catch up with Sam, but we've been hanging out a lot lately with band practices and I'm sure he'll be busy with Abigail." Sebastian zipped up the bag and shouldered it, glancing around the room to make sure he had not forgotten anything. "And that way you'll be free to hang out with whoever you want and catch up with your other friends."

Violet could not deny that she had neglected her other friendships lately, but she would be lying if she said she was not disappointed. She looked forward to enjoying a fair together as a couple.

Sebastian observed the slight pout on Violet's expression. He walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "You're not off the hook for being so reckless last night," he scolded his disheartened girlfriend. "But if you're free, I'd like to take you somewhere this weekend if the weather is nice."

The idea of a mysterious date piqued Violet's interest. "Where are we going?"

"That would ruin the surprise," Sebastian chuckled, shaking his head. "I think you'll like it, though." This time, he kissed her lips gently. "I need to head out. Don't forget to show up tonight or I'll hunt you down myself!" Sebastian added teasingly as he opened the door to exit his room. "Feel free to borrow my bed if you want to go back to sleep for a while."

Violet listened to the sound of his footsteps swiftly receding up the stairwell. The farmer flopped onto the mattress, delirious from all the emotional turmoil in the last few days, but relieved to have the worst part behind her now. She appreciated that Sebastian had not demanded his hoodie back, though. Violet grinned. Even when Sebastian was mad at her, he still cared. The warm fuzzies were almost enough to make up for the fact he had to leave.

Still, it was relatively early and thanks to Robin providing Violet the categories for the grange display - the newest contestant for the competition had already chosen which items she would use to represent Fairy Rose Farm ahead of time. The agrarian would still need to return home and collect them, but for now Violet desperately wanted to go back to sleep and her boyfriend's bed was incredibly comfortable. "No wonder he hates getting up in the morning…" Violet mumbled to herself as she reclined back into a prone position, snuggling a swath of the heavy coverlet to her chest. Closing her eyes, Violet fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She only wished Sebastian could have stayed to enjoy this, too.

It was the morning of the Stardew Valley Fair, the biggest event of the year for tourists to come and sample all that Pelican Town had to offer. Shane hated event-planning - which in fairness, he really should have considered before deciding to run for mayor. But no matter how the new mayor felt, the fair was a necessary evil since tourism meant income for Pelican Town and its local businesses. Former mayor Lewis had yet to surrender the key to the treasury vault, wherever it was. The lock box in the old Community Center was in shambles, so the funds had clearly been moved at some point. Shane suspected they were somewhere within the Mayoral Manor.

If he really wanted, Shane could force the issue by insisting the old man move out. The house was intended for Pelican Town's current mayor, after all. By all rights, Shane could claim possession and kick the mustached menace out completely legally. At this point he was seriously contemplating it as a real option with all the obstructionism on Lewis' part. But Emily urged him to be sympathetic to his decimated political rival. The job meant so much to him, blah, blah, blah. Despite his reluctance, Emily knew ways of intoxicating Shane in ways he never thought possible. And all without a drop of alcohol. It made him putty in her hands, and in one of those moments of weakness, Mayor Shane swore to Emily that he would "play nice."

So, for now, Shane was forced to make do with his available resources unless he planned on breaking and entering, which seemed more trouble than it was worth. Violet paid him a considerable sum for his work on the farm - far more than Shane felt was fair pay, but the newcomer claimed she had come into money from a lucrative business deal recently and wanted to pay it forward. If Shane were not already an established atheist, he might have believed the break a godsend, but instead it was another mark in favor of his theory that Violet had ties to a crime syndicate. Either way, the mayor was in no position to be picky about the source of Pelican Town's income now.

If not for the townsfolk who participated in the fair every year, Shane might have sunk this first real event. But those who set up annual booths already knew which material they required and how to arrange the structures and decorations. So as long as Shane provided the money to get things going up-front, the villagers were content to prepare the Stardew Valley Fair without much assistance from their new mayor.

Haley took charge investigating the contracts for the traveling game booths that made Pelican Town their home for the day. It seemed the former mayor had already paid the entertainers in advance, which was a normal part of the deal, Shane told himself to keep in mind for next year.

Gus had been preparing food for at least a week now, or so Shane was told. The former Joja Mart employee never put much thought into how long fresh ingredients lasted without a shit ton of preservatives. Joja's specialty was cheap and convenient, not nutrition. Still, Shane decided it was best to defer to the experts when it came to their own responsibilities for the annual event. Clint had his weapons and wares displayed across a large table, Robin had her carpentry demonstration with a large tree trunk ready for the spectators, and Marnie had a selection of her most well-behaved livestock in pens near the eastern riverbank for the petting zoo.

Once the carnival-striped tents were raised and the traveling entertainers finished the final touches to their booths, Shane felt prepared to begin receiving guests. The Stardew Valley Fair did not officially begin for another hour, but the new mayor let out a sigh of relief.

"Isn't this exciting?" Emily squealed, bouncing in place beside him. Her large eyes rested on the tent with a sullen-looking clown blowing up balloon animals for his act. "You know, I would have made a good clown," the blue-haired woman declared wistfully. "I think I missed my calling!"

Shane's head oscillated on his broad shoulders. "You could quit or cut your hours at Gus' if you really want to pursue something else," he advised his girlfriend.

Her red lips stretched back into a wide grin. "Oh, I already only work part-time, and Gus needs all the help he can get!" Emily contended, as if he was not aware of her work schedule.

"You know, eight hours a day every day of the week isn't working part-time," the mayor pointed out grimly. "Shouldn't he be paying you overtime or something?"

Emily twittered with amusement like a songbird. "Oh, I'm only on the clock about half that time, I just stick around the rest of the evening because I enjoy the atmosphere!"

Shane stood to his full height, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "You can't be serious," he shot back doubtfully. "Emily, you stay there past midnight!" Shane rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, expecting to confront the bar owner for withholding Emily's pay.

But the woman in the jewel-toned dress beamed innocently and lightly held Shane's shoulder. He noticed she subtly stroking the muscles in his forearm as she assuaged him in a soothing voice. "Well, that's because you were there, silly," Emily disclosed, snaking her arms around one of Shane's own. "How else was I going to get to talk to you? You worked at Joja all day and then headed straight to The Stardrop Saloon every night."

Shane hid his face behind a meaty hand. "You mean to tell me you stay at your job an extra twenty hours a week just to talk to me?" the mayor inquired, flabbergasted by the outrageous idea.

Emily giggled, leaning her weight onto her significant other. "Well, not just you, Shane," the part-time barmaid clarified. "You always had the best stories, but lots of people stop by throughout the week and I really love talking to people!"

The utter embarrassment that he had been clueless to Emily's affections this entire time made Shane temporarily forget his stress regarding today's Fair. "I need," the old him would have communicated a desire for a strong drink, but now that he was recovering, Shane was working on other outlets. "...To take a walk," he announced, massaging his temples. "I'll be back in a bit."

Emily smiled, proud of her boyfriend utilizing healthy coping mechanisms, even if he was only leaving because he was not sure how to handle her confession of long-term affection. "Make sure you're back in time to help us set up Gus' grills for the survival burgers!"

Maru tapped the eraser end of her pencil to the countertop as she glanced over her personal records. She exhaled audibly, removing her red-rimmed glasses from her face and wiped them clean with a cloth. According to her observational notes, Maru was satisfied that Sam's hypothesis that Alex was interested in her as a potential romantic partner seemed statistically more likely that the null.

She could no longer ignore the signs of physical attraction. The nervous patterns of speaking, dropping other plans to spend time with her, the dilated pupils, laughing at her jokes more loudly, and touching her casually whenever he got the chance just to name a few. Maru was still unable to properly categorize the manner in which Alex gazed at her at the concert when she showed him how to twerk. She spent the bus ride to the concert quickly researching dances on the internet and Maru was sure she had executed the movements correctly. So why had Alex looked at her funny? The scientist would have to save that ponderance for a rainy day. Maru had bigger problems.

The thing was, Maru enjoyed physical contact like hugging and appreciated that Alex allowed her to lean on his shoulder when she dozed off on the bus back home from ZuZu City after the concert. But she was not sure what to do beyond chatting, eating together, and generally enjoying one another's company.

What did couples normally do? Maru tried to recall the little nuanced interactions between her parents. While they bickered like an old married couple - Robin had a hot temper and Demetrius could be a bit obtuse when it came to social cues, the researcher often caught her parents doing little things for each other. Her mom made sure that the ingredients for her dad's morning coffee were always well-stocked, while her father would reach for objects higher in the kitchen cabinets without her mother having to summon him for assistance. They took turns making family meals, completing necessary household maintenance and chores, and often spent their evenings standing on the ridge watching the sunset together.

Those were the habits of a pair in a well-established relationship, however, Maru acknowledged. And certainly, there were other, more physically intimate interactions between her parents, otherwise she herself would not exist. So why then whenever Maru pictured herself with Alex, it never progressed beyond the kinds of experiences which they had already shared? Was it simply that her imagination was lacking in this department? Maru had to concede it was possible. Romance had not made an impression on her consciousness until more recently. No one had expressed interest before, and Maru had never sought a partner for recreational purposes.

She had a friendship with Penny, and even a friendly business association with Doctor Harvey. The current state of her interpersonal connections with her parents and older brother were satisfactory, though she did not communicate with her kin as often as she had when she lived at home full-time. Maru made note that she should carve out time to spend with her family and catch up soon. Her chestnut eyes shifted to the calendar and the nurse recalled that today was the Stardew Valley Fair.

Maru realized it was unlikely that she would receive any patients casually dropping in with the festivities today, but she should prepare in case of an emergency, especially if a tourist injured themselves exploring outside the boundaries of the Fair. It did not happen every year, but occasionally curious visitors' curiosity would get the better of them. Maru recalled the time a tourist got their foot caught in one of Willy's crab pots in the shallows of the river heading out to sea. The man ended up with only minor scrapes, but the trap was unsalvageable, much to the fisherman's dismay.

As Maru sat in silent contemplation, she deliberated her options moving forward with Alex. He had not asked her to be his girlfriend, or even on a formal date. So, the brunet was holding back for some reason. Maru was unaware of Alex's criteria for a desirable partner. Perhaps his attraction was merely fleeting and thus would not act upon it? Or, more likely, Alex was holding true to his "no girlfriend" policy until he had signed a formal contract with a professional gridball team.

That could work in my favor, Maru recognized. Even if Alex did obtain his goal to play professionally, the drafting season was over for this year. That would give her more time to reflect on how she saw Alex. But Sam made the presence of romantic attachments seem so obvious to the people involved, it made Maru doubt herself.

Romance and the specialized branch of social intelligence it required were aspects of the human experience Maru had yet to develop, but she was confident that with enough practice, they were a group of mental muscles she could strengthen. And if anyone were to elicit a romantic reaction from her, surely it would be Alex. He engaged in conversation about her interests - Alex's eyes never glazed over out of boredom or disinterest, like many people. Even Penny was guilty of the habit every once and a while. Instead, the athlete would poke at her to clarify if he did not quite grasp the concept the first time around and happily delve into a topic with her. Maru always enjoyed their time together.

And while Maru did not typically pay much mind to another person's body other than as an identifier, she could acknowledge that Alex's fit body was a perfect specimen of masculine beauty. Unlike a bodybuilder, her friend's musculature was not all for show. Alex was strong and he sculpted his body the healthy way. He could very easily perform tasks that Maru herself could not. Ideally - in Maru's opinion - partners should complement each other's strengths and provide support for the other's weaknesses. In that sense, Alex was perfect as well.

But why was it Maru never felt the surge of emotion that so many others her age seemed to experience lately? First it was Sam and Abigail, then Emily and Shane, and finally her brother and Violet. Couples were pairing off at an alarming rate. It caused Maru to speculate whether there was some sort of natural phenomenon to explain the accelerated courtship process among her peers, but the results of studying the weather patterns, pollen counts, and air and water quality were inconclusive at best.

A gentle chime brought Maru's attention to the front door and found Alex's smiling face directed at her. "Hey, Glasses," the tall, tanned man greeted her. "Don't tell me you planned on trying to skip out on the Fair, too?" Alex inquired with a teasingly scolding tone.

Maru returned the grin. "No, not this time," she assured her friend. "But I need to install an emergency call button on the door before I go out to enjoy myself." She fished out the necessary tools from her bag, but after a cursory glance, Maru identified a missing wire required to complete the electrical circuit. Perhaps she left it upstairs in Harvey's apartment?

"Hey, I'll be right back," Maru informed Alex apologetically. "I need to grab something. Could you man the front desk for a moment?"

Alex appeared slightly intimidated, though he did his best to play it off casually. "I think I can handle it," he chuckled, flashing his pearly white teeth. "Take your time."

Suddenly Maru felt more self-conscious now that she was aware of Alex's potentially romantic inclinations. Should she try to draw out a similar reaction or would it be better to let things occur naturally? Would they occur naturally? Maru sighed as she grabbed the supplies she needed for her glorified pager button. As she turned to head back downstairs, the young woman caught a glimpse of herself in a full-length mirror hanging on the wall. Should I wear something other than my overalls to the Fair? Maru wondered to herself, fidgeting with the top buttons of her work uniform. Either way, she could not wear the white nurse attire out and about.

A little effort couldn't hurt… Maru reasoned quietly.