Mira's P.O.V.

"Ahh, what a beautiful day!" I sighed to myself as I stretched my arms in the Spring sunlight. The beautiful sun, the smell of fresh grass and the sound of the wind whistling in the trees… So much more than I could've ever hoped for if I'd stayed in that dingy Joja Corp call centre in the city. The countryside is so refreshing! When I meet Grandpa up in heaven one day, I really owe him one for this!

Mayor Lewis gave me a little ice-breaking task to help me get settled in – he told me to go meet everyone in Pelican Town. He even gave me a checklist of names. On my first day in town, I'd managed to meet almost everyone. I'd ticked off 27 names out of the 29 I'd been given, and I'd met a few people around my own age. I was half expecting the countryside to be full of grumpy pensioners, actually, but everyone I'd met so far had been so friendly!

"Just two to go…" I mumbled, scrutinising Lewis' curly handwriting. "Hmm… Sebastian, huh?" Thinking about it, I thought I remembered the dark-skinned girl with glasses I met yesterday mention that she lived in the mountains with her brother Sebastian… I could be wrong, but it's worth a shot, right?

The hike up the mountainside wasn't as long as I thought it would be, and I even got the chance to pop in and say "hi" to the hermit gentleman who lived in a tent up there. What a nice guy. On the approach to a small house, I could see a telescope, and assumed it must belong to the girl – Maru, I thought I remembered – since she enthused to me about her research and metalwork when I met her. A quick knock on the door and I was greeted by Maru's redheaded mother, Robin.

"Well, if it isn't the new farmer!" she smiled warmly. "Have you come to look at building projects already?"

"Ah, no, not yet I'm afraid!" I smiled back, rubbing the back of my head with my right hand. "I was actually looking for the last two people I haven't met in town yet. Does a man called Sebastian live here?"

"Ah, that would be my son…" her smile seemed to grow a little more awkward as her voice drifted off slightly. "Sebby's in his room, downstairs. Feel free to go see him, but… Well, he's a little shy."

I walked down the stairs and gave Sebastian's bedroom door a light knock. I paused, and I could hear the clicking of a mouse and the tapping of a keyboard, but other than that there was no response. "Hello…?" I pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside, and the view made me feel pretty nostalgic. A Harvest Moon poster, a table top game, graphic novels scattered around… All things that reminded me of my early teenage years, before I got that awful job. "Wow…" I instinctively said to myself. Turning around, I noticed two computer screens, and a man about my age sitting in front of one of them; a lax looking guy with a black side fringe, clad in dark clothing. His skin was a little pale, too. Still overwhelmed from seeing some of my old favourites, I beamed at him. "Hi!"

"Erm… Hey…" his deep voice quietly drifted toward me, his eyes questioningly appraising my presence. "You… Just moved in, right?"

"Yep, that's right!" I smiled. "I live on the farm now, to the west of town!"

"Cool." He looked back toward his monitor. "Mum told me to expect you to be over at some point, so… If you want to hang out I guess that's fine… But I'm not sure I have any hobbies that'd interest you." He glanced at me, as if to say, 'you look kind of girly'. I chuckled. "Actually, I used to be quite a gamer. I played a lot of table top games, too."

The dark little raincloud of a man suddenly lit up at my words. "Really?" He stood up, walking toward the table with the board game on it. "Ever played Solarian Chronicles? It's pretty recent, though…"

"Ah, no, I haven't played that one…" As I said this his eyes flicked to the floor in slight disappointment. I pulled out a chair at the table. "But if you have the time, I'd love to learn!"

"Ah… Sure." He said quietly. He seemed nervous, but almost happy for the company. That's how I saw it, anyway.

…

"It's getting late, huh?" I sighed, looking at my watch as I stretched my legs. "7pm… Wow. I was just so wrapped up in the game!"

"Well, it works better with three players…" Sebastian averted his gaze. "Anyway, I suppose you'd better get going, huh?"

Sebastian walked me outside, and produced a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He offered me one, but I politely declined. "I have one more person to meet, then I've met everyone in town. Not bad for two days living here, right?" I giggled.

"Oh. Who is it?"

"Hmm…" I skimmed through the piece of paper from Mayor Lewis until I found the only unticked name. There in the list as a final challenge and a beacon of my soon-to-be accomplishment, it gave me determination. "Shane."

"Oh." Sebastian rolled his eyes, lighting a cigarette in his mouth. "I'd imagine you'll find him in the Saloon at this time. He's a pretty notorious drunk."

I waved goodbye to Sebastian and made my way down the mountainside. Through the darkness, the illumination of the street lights guided me toward an old-fashioned looking building of uneven mud-brown bricks – the Saloon. I gulped at the almost intimidating sight, imagining that a bunch of Vikings or pirates might be waiting for me on the other side of the rustic wooden door. Still, I creaked the door open and revealed the surprisingly warm atmosphere on the inside; a jukebox was cheerfully playing music and everyone seemed to be jolly. It could've just been the alcohol, but the people seemed so friendly, and I felt at ease straight away. As I walked through the door the blue-haired barmaid waved at me, and I beamed a smile her way. What a lovely bar! Just as I said before, everyone in Pelican Town seemed like such lovely people!

Well… Almost everyone.

In contrast to the toasty fuzziness of the rest of the Saloon, one corner just east of the bar was sub-zero. Stubble poked out of a face that would be a murder weapon if looks could kill. A messy head of short brown hair atop a scuffed-up Joja Mart jacket… My eyes widened slightly as I remembered – Him! The grumpy guy from yesterday morning! I guess he's the last name?

I approached the man's frosty corner of the bar as he chugged away at a pint of beer, seemingly unaware of my presence.

"Umm, hi—"

"No, I don't have time to chat with you." He said sharply, without even missing a beat – or a sip of beer. I pouted a little. "Umm… I'm supposed to be meeting everyone in town. The Mayor told me to." I forced a smile. "You're Shane, right?"

He knocked back the rest of his beer. "Yup." He was clearly drunk… Is this normal?

Still, I smiled. I was determined to make friends with everyone in Pelican Town, and if that includes Alcoholic McGrumpy Pants, then so be it! "It's nice to meet you, Shane! I'm Mirabelle. But most people just call me Mira." I smiled wide and threw him a peace sign. He just glared at me with a sceptic expression. "…Right." He sighed, as he started to shuffle toward the exit.

"Ah… Okay! See you around, Shane!" I waved after him. Did I hear him mumble 'I hope not' under his breath? Nah, I'm probably just tired.

I checked the final name off of my list and filled my lungs with a breath of relief. Mission accomplished!