Pelican Town was a nightmare. Mundane, secluded, Sebastian was surprised they even had indoor plumbing with how off the grid his hometown was, much less any internet connection. His stepfather was to thank for that, he supposed. Demetrius was a genius in comparison to the rest of the population and helped most of the town become more modern within the first couple years he'd moved in. Sebastian's mother, Robin, had fallen for him almost at first sight while he set up a computerized system for her carpentry business, but Sebastian hadn't really understood then—nor did he now—how she could have fallen in love with the man so soon. Regardless, he supposed if Demetrius hadn't passed down his old laptop nearly 10 years ago, Sebastian may never have found his calling.

His fingers danced across the keyboard, lines of code racing across his computer screen as fast as his eyes could follow. That old laptop was a relic—his new setup was much more efficient for his line of work, but his love for technology had certainly been sparked by that archaic hunk of circuitry so it still sat beside him on the desk. It barely booted up anymore, but he left it on the lock screen displaying the Zuzu City skyline. That image was enough to drag him out of even his darkest of moods, a reminder of what he wanted to accomplish.

"Sebby, are you awake?" His mother's voice called from the top of the stairs.

Sebastian clicked his tongue but didn't stop typing. He was almost to a good stopping point, just a bit more. His mind regained focus, falling into a meditative-like state as a language he felt only he could understand filled the monitor in front of him. A couple more jobs like this one and he might finally realize his dreams. The pay was more than he was used to, the job bigger than he usually got with freelancing. If he did well, these developers were considering hiring him on permanently and it'd be goodbye Stardew Valley. Goodbye to the mundane and depressing country life and hello to Zuzu City—hello to being somebody.

The knock at the door stuttered his fingers and he bit back a curse. He didn't appear to have miskeyed but he'd have to look over everything again just to be sure. He made a note and stood from his desk, his back cracking as he straightened and he grimaced. Maybe it was about time for a break anyway. He unlocked his bedroom door and opened it to his mother's sheepish smile.

"I know you're working, but Demetrius and your sister are out and I could really use some help," she said. Sebastian nodded, rolling his shoulders and neck to work out more of the stiffness that seemed to come more and more often.

"It's fine. I made progress so I can stop for a bit," he said. "What's up?"

"It's Haven Farm. Apparently the new farmer got into town a couple days ago and needs a trained eye. I just need help moving the equipment—this is going to be a pretty big job."

Robin's face was light, her blue eyes shining with excitement and even if he hadn't been able to take a break, Sebastian thought there was no way he wouldn't have come running to help just to keep her looking so happy.

"I'll get changed," he said. His mother smiled and kissed his cheek, scurrying back up the stairs to no doubt get everything organized. Sebastian watched her go then closed the door, stripping off his hoodie and scouring his wardrobe for something fresher that he wouldn't mind sweating in. He decided on a dark grey t-shirt and his old work jeans from his short-lived apprenticeship under his mother. It still had splotches of wood varnish and paint that never completely washed out—it gave him an odd feeling when he looked at them. If he'd never received that laptop, would he have become a carpenter? He still dabbled in it from time to time—it freshened his mind when he hit a block and Sam and Abigail usually appreciated the items he made. He remembered the look of excitement on Abigail's face when he'd presented her with the "Spirit Board" on her 18th birthday. It was a simple slab of wood with amateurly burned in letters but she'd looked like he'd just handed her the holy grail. He had once thought that the job would have been worth it, no matter how unhappy he was in the town...but that sentiment hadn't lasted long.

Sebastian zipped up his jeans and reached for his cigarettes, tapping the pack against his palm as he gazed at the skyscrapers of Zuzu City bathing the night sky with neon lights. It looked so small on the laptop screen, but it called to him. It promised so much more than he could ever hope to find here in his mother's basement. At the thought of his mother, Sebastian grimaced and shoved the pack of smokes into his back pocket. She'd murder him before the lung cancer could catch up to him if she ever found out he'd taken up smoking. Better to leave her to her excitement over the farm. Sebastian took one last look at his computer screen and shook his head.

"Who in the hell would willingly move here?"

Lilah hissed and pulled a shard of wood from her calf. Blood stained her fingers and her newly mopped floor, mocking her efforts with crimson jeers as she pressed her old hoodie—her only hoodie, she thought distantly—against her leg to stem the bleeding. She knew that porch was an accident waiting to happen, though she didn't think her weight would actually splinter the ancient planks of pine. She lifted the hoodie a bit and checked her wound— It was deep, still bleeding steadily and she grimaced at the realization she'd need to get stitches. She never liked doctors, though the small clinic she saw in town yesterday didn't look as cold as the Zuzu Memorial Hospital. But, there was no way she'd be able to get all the splinters out on her own and it'd most definitely get infected without a trained professional.

"Should I hop my way over?"

She briefly entertained the idea and shook her head. She could only imagine how the small town would react to the brand new City-Slicker hopping her way over to the clinic on one leg, blood spurting from her calf like some macabre scarecrow. For the first time in her three days in the valley, she wondered if she hadn't made a huge mistake. It'd taken her hours to clear a path through the brush just to make it to town to buy necessities, but she imagined she would have been faster without having to stop every five minutes from the pain in her ribs. By the time she finished, she barely managed to lug the shopping bags back to the cabin. It didn't help that a good number of the Valley's denizens were so excited to greet her— even the Mayor had sought her out to extend his welcome. She was grateful for their kindness, but it didn't change the fact that she felt exhausted. Her hands were blistered, her chest and body a constant throb of aches and pains from the strenuous activity. She knew she should be resting as much as possible for her ribs to heal, but she wanted to keep busy somehow. If she kept moving, she wouldn't have time to start to regret her decision.

She already missed Emery.

Lilah shoved the thought away. She didn't miss him. She couldn't miss him. No matter how much she had cried alone in bed for the last two nights, she knew she had to stay strong. She forced herself to her feet but pain shot up her leg and she stumbled to the floor, catching herself on her hands at the last moment. Her shoulder panged with the impact and she sucked in a breath through her teeth. Maybe some rest was in store after all. When was the last time she'd been in pain just from trying to walk?

Cigarettes. The last time had been because he smelled cigarette smoke on her clothes. Emery hated the smell of cigarettes, cigars, even perfume. He made her quit smoking when they started dating and hadn't believed her when she said the smell was from work—a small corner bar named Tourniquet. She'd made great tips as the bartender there before he caught a whiff of her before she could shower away the work day. She still couldn't remember everything that happened that night. The initial blow that struck her in the head had caused her to black out for most of the experience, but her right pinkie hadn't healed right from when he stomped on her hands as further punishment. She'd been forced to resign, hardly able to so much as brush her own teeth with several of her fingers broken. She had been mostly bedridden that time, and just dragging herself to her bathroom had left her body searing in pain.

This was nothing. She grit her teeth and stood, carefully limping towards the door and out to the front steps. She avoided the splintered hole in the porch and sat on the top step, mopping the blood off her leg with her hoodie once again. She tried to tie it around the wound but the material was too thick. It wouldn't hold for the walk to the clinic.

Maybe she really wasn't cut out for this.

The trek from the mountain down to the old farmland wasn't terrible in itself, but the last Sebastian had heard the place was long overgrown. Robin didn't seem to mind the idea at all, happily chatting as she was about all the ideas she had for the old farmhouse and ponderings on the type of person this new farmer could be. Sebastian carried a toolbox in each hand, following a step behind her as she spoke about matters that he only vaguely understood about the complexities of renovating a fossil of a home. A trail appeared to have been carved through the brush, but the farmland was still littered with weeds, branches, and rubble. Had it ever been properly tended? For as long as Sebastian could remember, the only thing farmed on that plot of land was rumors.

Stories of Old Man Casey and his buried treasure from decades of spelunking in the mines, whispers of monsters that prowled the shadows at night just waiting for someone to get close enough to snatch. Some even said the old man's ghost lurked just out of eyesight, waiting for someone to stumble upon his stash. Sebastian didn't believe them now, but he and Sam had more than their fair share of adventures over those fallen logs as children. It was strange to think of it as an actual farm.

Through the newly-made path from the mountain trail, Old Man Casey's shack came into view with a stranger sitting at its steps. She sat with her hands pressed against a dark piece of cloth to her leg, the crimson of blood still staining her porcelain skin.

"Oh my god, are you alright?!" Robin dropped her bag and rushed over to the woman's side. Sebastian followed as the stranger jumped and jerked her head up at the sound of their approach. Her eyes were wary, wide like a wounded rabbit's. Sebastian set down the toolboxes and reached inside just as Robin turned her attention his way. When she saw the first aid kit already in his hands, she smiled briefly at him and turned her attention back to the other woman.

"I went through the porch," the woman explained.

"You need to go see Harvey," Robin told her, her voice taking that maternal tone Sebastian was all too familiar with. She took the first aid kit from him and removed the soiled clothing that would never wash clean. She pressed some gauze in its place and wrapped a bandage snugly around the farmer's leg to keep it in place. "Can you walk?"

"A bit. Thanks for you help, uhm…?"

"I'm Robin. This is my son, Sebastian. I'm the carpenter around here," his mother introduced them and helped the woman to her feet. She winced, her pink lips curling in a pained grimace but she didn't make any mention of her discomfort.

"I'm Lilah. Mayor Lewis told me you'd be stopping by— sorry, I forgot."

"Sebby, help me get her down the stairs."

Sebastian walked over and offered his hand. Lilah took it but she looked reluctant. It wasn't the first time a girl acted like that towards him, he thought, but ignored the twinge of annoyance he felt and curled his fingers around her hand while his mother took her other side. They helped her down the steps, blood already seeping through the bandage and trickling down to her ankle.

"I'm okay," Lilah told them. Sebastian couldn't tell if the pink of her cheeks was from embarrassment or sunburn. "Thanks for patching me up, but I can make it to the doctor like this."

"It's no trouble, it's better to have someone to help you," Robin assured her, worry plain on her face. At Lilah's hesitation, Robin's eyes lit up with inspiration. "Sebastian can at least walk you there. I came here to talk to you about repairs anyway, so how about I go ahead and patch up the porch while you get checked out?"

Lilah looked at him— her eyes burned into his, gray like the storm-churned waves of the ocean in summertime, but she quickly looked away and watched his feet instead.

"It's fine. I'll take you," He said, brushing his bangs out of his face. He still held her hand in his, warm against his palm. It felt slick and he hoped it wasn't his hand that was sweating. Lilah smiled at him, small and not reaching her eyes. It was the restrained smile of a person that was afraid of causing trouble— one he knew well.

As his mother wasted no time retrieving her tools, Sebastian forced himself to let go of Lilah's hand and knelt down with his back to her. When she didn't move, he glanced over his shoulder.

"You're already bleeding through," he explained, trying not to feel embarrassed as he just sat there, crouched in front of her like a frog. "You probably shouldn't walk on it if you don't have to. Hop on."

Lilah took him in for a moment, a huff of laughter leaving her as she placed her hands on his shoulders. He hooked his elbows behind her knees and stood, lifting her onto his back like she was his younger sister. Maru wasn't as heavy as she was, but he figured he could make it to the clinic without an issue. They walked in a silence too heavy to be anything but awkward. It wasn't until they were passing the bus stop that Lilah shattered the quiet between them with a whisper, so soft that he would have missed it if her lips weren't so close to his ear.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal," he said. "Besides, mom would have nailed me to your roof if I didn't agree to help."

"I've been thinking that I need a scarecrow..."

Sebastian snickered and readjusted his hold on her thighs—most of her skin was littered with bruises and scars, too old to be from her short stay in the Valley. Talk about accident-prone. He wondered what she did for a living before she arrived.

"So what made you move here, of all places?"

Lilah was silent again. Was it a secret? He couldn't imagine she came here by choice. It seemed like something out of a dimestore comic book: "Woman with mysterious past moves into small town! Alien invasion ensues!"

"I just needed a fresh start," she said, at last.

Sebastian nodded. It was a typical response—one Demetrius had used when he arrived. No aliens, no mysteries...no shit. This was the place people ran to in order to leave their old selves and stresses behind.

After all, nothing exciting ever happened in Stardew Valley.