Penelope got to work over the next week, removing brush, rocks, and other various debris from a small patch in front of the house. It was already May and that meant that she had arrived to Stardew Valley a little too late in the season to do any productive farming, but she was determined to try. She planned to plant mostly parsnips to start with because they were so quick and easy, but also some potatoes, cauliflower, and beans. She chugged away at the small plot in front of the house so as to not overwork herself right off the bat, but the work was tedious and two days turned into a week and, before Penelope knew it, it was already 3 PM on Friday. Her bones ached and her hands were covered in blisters. She decided to call it quits for the night after examining her torn-up hands, and chucked her tools beneath the tarp on her front porch.
Penelope remembered that Lewis had told her that most of the townspeople gathered at the Stardrop Saloon on Fridays around 5, so she quickly showered to refresh herself and then threw on some nice jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a light army-green jacket— as the air still held a chill here in the mountains at this time of year. She tried not to fret over her appearance too much, not really caring to impress anyone. She had left those troubles behind in Zuzu City and she didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea by showing up to the saloon all dolled up as she would have in the city.
How the hell is a farmer supposed to dress anyway?
Penelope was stuck in her head for most of the walk into town, thinking about how lucky she was to have such an opportunity, even if her body ached, and found herself arriving just a little earlier than she had wanted to. To pass some time, she made her way to the bulletin boards at Pierre's to take a look at the help-wanted ads and the calendar again. Much to her chagrin, she noticed that Mayor Lewis' birthday was… "tomorrow?! You've got to be fucking kidding me!"
She was startled by a snicker behind her and nearly jumped a foot.
"Jesus Christ!" She yelped, turning around to see who the culprit was. Shane was standing a few feet away to her right, smirking at her. He quickly cast his eyes to the ground and rubbed the nape of his neck with his hand.
"Sorry, I was just passing by, and I couldn't help but laugh at that…" He mumbled at her, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets, and turned to leave. He looked a bit dejected and tired, a few day-old stubble lining his face and jawline. Penelope frowned at him, feeling sort of bad about flipping out at Pierre's the other day.
"Hey, wait up!" She yelled after him.
Shane slowed his pace and gave her an apprehensive glance. "Why are you following me? Haven't I been rude enough to you?"
"Uh, well, I just was thinking that we got off on the wrong foot at Pierre's the other day, and wondered if maybe we could give it a redo?" She laughed nervously and cast her eyes to the ground and started playing with the buttons on her jacket.
"A redo, huh? Why would you want to do that?" He sounded genuinely surprised that she was talking to him and when Penelope looked up, he had one brow cocked and was staring at her.
"I mean if that's okay… I don't mean to bother you. I can just fuck off–"
Shane let out a laugh and cut her off, "Yeah, that's fine I s'pose." He paused for a moment. "You're really persistent. I guess I'm just surprised that anyone would be interested in talking to me."
"I don't know, you seem interesting enough. Isn't everyone interesting in their own way?" she shrugged.
"Uh, I guess?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her again, obviously questioning her motives.
"I'm sorry. I'm nervous. I get really chatty when I'm nervous." she confessed.
"Nervous?" He gave her a glance out of the corner of his eye as they walked.
"Oh, um, I'm about to go to the Saloon and introduce myself… to, like, everyone," she groaned, slowing her pace.
"Ugh," Shane said, visibly cringing. "Been there, done that. I can offer you some liquid courage if you like. On me, of course." A blush crept across his face, and he shrugged. Penelope cocked her head at him and then nodded.
"Okay, sure. If you're offering!" She followed him into the saloon and the heavy wooden door groaned as it opened and then slammed behind them.
The yeasty smell of freshly baked bread and beer hit her the second Shane opened the door and her stomach growled. It had been weeks since Penelope had a hot meal and she was suddenly aware of how much she needed actual food, not some sad frozen garbage she popped into the microwave that came out unevenly heated. She looked around, taking everything in– the saloon was not what she was expecting. She had thought it would be maybe a little more divey and dingy, but the Stardrop Saloon was surprisingly warm and inviting. And, on top of that, it looked like Mayor Lewis was right, just about everyone was here on a Friday night. There was a low hum of many voices talking simultaneously and, while the place was a little overwhelming for a newcomer, Penelope felt right at home— almost like she was in the presence of family.
The floorboards squeaked under her and Shane's feet as they made their way to the bar, where Penelope stopped to introduce herself to Emily and Gus, the bartender, and the owner, respectively. She noted that Emily seemed to be a bubbly and fun person to be around, she had bright blue hair and rosy cheeks that made Penelope smile just looking at her. She made Penelope feel like she had just made a friend, but she supposed that was probably just in the job description. She ordered some cheesy garlic bread sticks, which Emily handed to her right away, and then glanced over to see Shane. He had posited himself between a roaring fireplace and the far corner of the bar, motioning for Emily to come over.
"Sorry, looks I've got a needy customer over here, better go see what he wants," Emily said, winking at Penelope, and waltzed over to Shane.
Penelope followed suit, hopping up onto the barstool beside him and quietly nibbling a breadstick.
"So, Shane here says he's buying you a drink." Emily grinned at Penelope. "What can I get for you?" Penelope felt her face flush and glanced nervously over to Shane, who looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole. She swallowed her food carefully so as to not choke and smiled back at Emily.
"Hah, um, can I get a Midori sour?"
Shane coughed and started laughing so hard he had to put down his drink. "I'm sorry," he wheezed "I'm not trying to be rude, but who the fuck orders a Midori sour in Pelican Town? You really are fresh from the city, aren't you?"
"Shane, be nice to our new little friend!" Emily scolded. "Besides, that happens to be my favorite drink! Not everyone is a boring beer drinker like you." Penelope's face felt very hot, and she chewed at her lip nervously, not sure what to say.
"You've got me there," he said with a shrug and resumed drinking in the corner. Penelope weakly returned Emily's smile, feeling a bit overwhelmed at everything and at the fact that half the town was staring at her. She feared the town's people were scrutinizing her every move.
Emily took a few minutes to make the drink and she tried with no avail to make small talk with Shane, but she wasn't very good at it. Finally, the peppy blue-haired bartender returned and slid the bright green concoction into Penelope's hands and another beer towards Shane. Emily was quickly pulled away by another patron, for which Penelope was grateful because although she seemed nice, her overt friendliness was a little frightening. She quietly sipped on her drink for a moment, marveling at how good it was until she was interrupted by Shane clearing his throat and sitting down on the stool next to her.
"Hey, uh, sorry if I came off as rude the other day," he mumbled, looking down into his beer glass. "It takes me a while to warm up to people, you know? I'm trying to be better about that, so uh, yeah... Sorry." He ran a hand through his dark purple hair and glanced at her.
"I get it." She said, corners of her mouth upturned. "I'm not exactly a social butterfly myself. That being said, I should probably work on that tonight," She scanned the room nervously. "There are a lot of people here and they've all been staring at me."
"Oh, that's just because you're here with the town drunk. As an FYI, you'll probably want to distance yourself from me to save your reputation," Shane grumbled. He ran a hand through his hair again and a scowl crept across his face. She was taken aback at his bluntness and eyed him suspiciously. He didn't look like a town drunk– he was far too young and too attractive for one thing, with straight white teeth and clear skin. Sure, his appearance was a little messy–his haircut was grown-out but flattering, his hoodie faded and fraying, and his clothes fit him like he had maybe gained a little weight recently, but overall, he looked pretty normal. To Penelope, he just looked depressed and anxious, two feelings she had been all too familiar with her entire life.
"Who? You? You're the town drunk? I don't believe it. Plus, I'd have guessed it was that woman over there." she said, motioning to the far end of the bar where a middle-aged woman with bleach-blonde permed hair sat. Her bloodshot eyes looked like they were swimming in her head, and she already had a couple of empty glasses in front of her.
Shane laughed and shook his head. "I'm vying for her title, and she knows it."
"Well, in that case, I guess I'll leave you to it. Looks like you've got some catching up to do. And, um, thanks for the drink. I'm going to go introduce myself to these scary kids at the pool table. Might as well rip the bandage off. Wish me luck," Penelope mused and with that, she hopped off the barstool and raised her drink to Shane. "To redos."
Shane smiled and raised his glass to her, glancing in the direction of the scary kids in question. "Good luck, city girl."
She grinned at him. "See ya later."