Note: So, this is the last chapter I had pre written. So it may be a little longer until the next chapter comes out. My work has also gotten kind of busy so I'll have a lot less time to write. But I'm not gonna stop! Enjoy!
When the rooster let out its call; Eve's eyes slowly opened, and she sat up. She stretched and let out a yawn as she looked out the window. It was sunny and the temperature had gone up since yesterday. Eve smiled and got up out of bed heading to the bathroom. Her clothes were still a little damp, so she decided to hang them out in the sun. They would dry a little quicker that way.
"I really should invest in a washer and dryer…speaking of that where can I wash my clothes…?" she paused for a second before looking over at the shower bath. Eve sighed shook her head. "I'll see if I can move my stackable out here…Joyce did help me with a storage unit…" she took her clothes outside and went onto the porch. As she hung them out to dry, she looked over and saw that the flag to her mailbox was up. That meant she had some new mail. "Wait, could that be…" she went inside and strapped on her boots before stepping onto the dirt. She went to the mailbox and saw several pieces of mail. One included a small package of coins. She looked at it and smiled brightly, seeing that the Mayor had paid her for what she shipped the previous day.
"Yes!" she cheered and jumped up and down for a moment before reading the amount. "Oh my goodness…I have money again! I should get some more seeds with this. Maybe more parsnips and more potatoes…and speaking of the crops." She looked over and saw that the field was crow free, thanks to her little creation. "Good." She turned back to the mail box and looked through it, seeing a notice. She looked and saw it was from Joja Mart. She looked nervously at the letter until she read 'Dear Resident' on the front and not her name. She let out a sigh and decided that she'd dive into that letter later. She brought the mail inside and got some work clothes on before heading out and starting the day.
After watering the plants and chopping down a few of the surrounding trees, Eve wiped her brow and started to put the materials away. It was still pretty taxing on her, but right then, it seemed a bit easier to do. She was tired sure, but she wasn't having an attack which she was expecting to have. After a few trips of taking the wood, sap, and the seedlings to the chest, she started to head out toward the town. Her first stop was going to be Pierre's shop to spend this money. She entered the shop and the storekeeper was happy to see the new farmer coming back.
"Welcome back Ms. Eve!" he called from behind the counter. "Anything I can help you with today?" Eve smiled and waved and then shook her head.
"No, I know exactly what I'm looking for today." She said and went to the shelves. She grabbed the seeds and went up to the counter and put them down. Pierre smiled and started to count them up.
"More seeds already? I'm guessing someone had a good day yesterday." Eve chuckled a little bit as she took the coins out. She handed them over to Pierre as he gave her the seeds.
"Well, I want to keep up the momentum. I can't just stop after one time." Pierre nodded and gave a thumbs up. He went back to counting when they both heard the door open. Pierre looked up and gave his normal greeting.
"Welcome to Pierre's!" he said, but then saw it was someone he knew was not of good intentions. "Oh…you again…" he mumbled and went back to counting the seed packets and getting her price. Eve turned, and her eyes went wide as she saw a bigger stocky man with black hair and glasses walk into the store. Immediately, Eve ducked behind one of the shelves, nearly bumping into another woman with red hair.
"Sorry! Sorry…" Eve mumbled and the woman at her a bit confused and then nodded. She could tell just by Eve's face that the person who walked in did not give good vibes. She moved a little bit in front of the farmers.
"It's alright dear." She said, and both were watching as the black-haired man was looking around the store. He had a smile as his face as he started to very loudly clear his throat.
"Ahem." He called, making nearly everyone turn to look at him. He reached into his deep pockets and pulled out several blue tickets. He started to wave them over his head. "Come and get it folks…coupons for 50% off your purchase at your local Joja Mart!" he called out. Pierre looked at him and his eyes went wide. He put both hands on the counter and leaned forward.
"50% PERCENT?!" he yelled. Everyone was now looking at the man who was still waving the blue tickets around.
"Well? Any takers today? This is quite the deal only for today!" the few people that were in the store, even the lady that Eve had bumped into, walked over and took one of the tickets the man was handing out. Eve didn't move but looked from behind the shelf. She felt gross seeing the slimy business tactics he was using.
"He's here?! But why…wait…is this where he was relocated?" she mumbled to herself but didn't dare reveal herself. Pierre looked destroyed as all his customers took the tickets and headed out the door. He leaned on the counter, looking down at it with wide eyes.
"But…I can't match those prices! I'd be selling at a loss!" he mumbled. Morris laughed as he walked up to the counter, looking down at Pierre.
"It must be so difficult for you…to lose all of your loyal customers like that." He smirked at the shopkeeper. "But can you blame them? Joja Corporation is clearly the superior choice. And soon this whole town will realize that!" he laughed as he turned his back to Pierre and walked out of the shop. Once the cost was clear, Eve came out from behind the shelf.
"Is…he gone?" she asked. Pierre looked over surprised that Eve was still there and nodded at her.
"Yes, he's gone." Eve let out a sigh of relief and walked out from behind the counter. She then got an angry look on her face.
"That was so…spineless. How could he just do that? Isn't soliciting not allowed?" Pierre just started to clean the counter, looking crestfallen.
"It's not allowed of course, not that Joja cares. Plus, this store is so small compared to them. If I reported it, they could just sway it to run in their favor. Trust me I've tried before, and it didn't end that well." He stopped and just stared. "Morris has been here for a little while, and he's cockier and deceiving then the last manager that ran that store. At least the other guy had tact…but this guys just…" Eve nodded, and another shiver went up her spine. She had to avoid going there now. She reached over and put a hand on Pierre's hand.
"I won't go there…I don't exactly have the best relationship with Joja. You can count on that." Pierre looked at his hand and then up at Eve. He let out a sigh.
"Thank you…that's…reassuring at the very least." He got a curious look. "If you don't mind me asking…you seemed to really get spooked when that man came into the shop. Have you met him before?" Some may have thought it would be impossible for Eve's complexion to become paler then it was before. But the color almost left her face when she was asked. She took her hand back and nodded.
"I do. You see Pierre…I used to work for Joja…when I found out I had property here, I left that job and came here. I hated working for that place and sadly…Morris was my superior. Let's just say that he and I do not go together and seeing him makes me…uncomfortable for lack of a better word. I didn't know he was going to be here of all places." Pierre listened intently and nodded. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"I see. I'm glad you were honest with me. Why would you work for them in the first place? The place doesn't exactly have the best rumors about it." Eve sighed and looked to the side, clearly upset about the conversation. Her eyes started getting misty.
"They have really good health benefits. I have some…major health concerns. And with their insurance, I was able to see some better doctors to try and help my condition. It still cost me an arm and a leg, but it was better than nothing and I could pay for it. I understand if you don't want to do business with me…but that's why I hid instead of…defending you." Pierre smiled and shook his head.
"You stayed." He said, making Eve look up in surprise. "Everyone else left, but you stayed here. That's more then enough for me." Eve smiled back, wiping her eyes a little.
"Thanks for understanding." Pierre nodded at her.
"Of course. Hey, if you're in here and that guy comes back, feel free to hide in the house. I'll let Caroline know if it happens. I'll come find you when he's gone. As much as I'd like to punch that jerk in the face, I can't exactly kick him out of my shop." Eve chuckled at him.
"I'd appreciate that. I wanna punch him in the face too." Both had a laugh before Pierre finished checking Eve out. She put all the seed packs in her bag and handed Pierre the money.
"Anything else I can do for you?" the shop keeper asked. Eve shook her head.
"Nope, I'm good. Thanks again. Have a good rest of your day." Pierre waved as she left the store and headed back to the farm. On her way, she saw a bulletin board with a calendar along with several notices. She looked at the calendar, seeing that birthdays were marked on it. "Oh, this'll come in handy. I should get one of these for my house." And then there was a request on the board. Someone wanted a Joja Cola for a project they were doing. "What kind of project requires a soda? Alright Sam, I'll see if I can help…though I don't think I've met a Sam yet." She shrugged and started on her way back when she heard someone call out to her.
"Excuse me!" it was a female calling her. Eve turned and saw the red-haired lady holding a few Joja bags in her hands. "I'm sorry to bother you! I just haven't seen you around and thought you might be new to town." Eve nodded and walked over to her.
"Yes, I'm the new farmer that took over the property. My name is Eve." The lady put her bags down and reached out a hand. Eve took it and shook it.
"Oh! You aren't exactly how I imagined…but that's okay! I'm Jodi!" Eve gave a little bit of a confused look.
"What were you expecting?" she thought to herself as she took her hand back. Jodi smiled and got her bags.
"This place is a quiet town, so it's very exciting when someone new moves in! Having a farmer around could really change things." Eve chuckled a little.
"You think so? Well, I'll do my best to live up to expectations." Jodi smiled at her, and then started walking.
"Have a good rest of your day! Good bye!" Jodi called, and Eve waved at her. Then Eve started her walk back to the farm.
Getting back to the farm, Eve got right to work. She grabbed her hoe and started to till more of the soil. The field was slowly getting bigger and bigger the more the season continued, which she felt could be a good thing. More crops meant more money for her in the end. Carefully, she tucked each of the seeds she'd bought into the earth and patted them down. It was like she was tucking them into bed.
"Now you grow up big and strong overtime ok?" she smiled and blew them a tiny kiss. She chuckled at herself, feeling a little bit silly as she got up and went to get her watering can. She watered each of the plots and refilled the can before wiping her brow. It was afternoon now and starting to get later in the day. Eve thought to take a second to relax and go through other pieces of mail that she had received. She started with the mail from Joja.
"To our valued Joja customers. Our team members have removed the landslide caused by our drilling operation near the mountain lake…drilling operation? What the heck…I'd like to remind you that the drilling operation is entirely legal under pursuant, okay, don't care about the legal mumbo jumbo. Responsible stewardship of the local environment is our top priority! We apologize for any inconvenience this accident may have caused. As always, we value your continued support…so wait…" she got up as she threw the letter into the trash. "I'll have to check that out. Maybe that's what Robin was talking about yesterday." She thought and had another letter.
"From Pierre's shop. ADVERTISEMENT: I keep finding cool stuff, but my backpack is full! Does that sound like you? No…not really but anyway. Stop by Pierre's General Store today and check out our affordable size 24 backpack…that's actually something I may keep in mind." She nodded to herself and threw that letter away. The last letter was a little heavier then the others. She looked at who it was from. "Joyce? What is she up to?"
"Hi Evey! I hope everything is going well with your farm. I'm so proud of you and I hope that you're doing okay. Have you had any bad episodes, is the work hard? Remember to eat properly, drink water, and get plenty of rest. Enclosed is a little bit spending money for you. Don't worry about it, the hubby got a promotion recently and we got something for ourselves and the dog. But we both wanted to give you just a little bit to make sure you were…okay…" Eve covered her mouth and took the envelope in her hand. It was heavy because it had some money in it, 200g in fact. She wanted to cry, seeing that her friend really cared about her and wanted her to succeed just as much as she did. She stowed the money away and took a few calming breaths before finishing the letter. "You be good Eve, and I think I'll come visit you sometime soon. I hear that in Fall there is a big fair, so I'm aiming for then. Take care, call me soon." Eve let out a sigh and took out her phone. She sent a quick text to her friend.
"You're the best friend a girl could ask for. I'll call you tonight." she sent it and then plugged it into the charger. She got up and walked out the door again. Now it was time to do a little exploring.
As she walked toward the mountain, Eve picked up anything that she thought was interesting. Some wild horseradish, leeks, and a dandelion were what she placed in her bag. "I could make something with these…once I get a kitchen." She said, looking through her bag. She already had some daffodils from the previous day as well along with her pickaxe. She passed by the tent and saw the old man in leaves sitting by the fire. Eve paused and then took out the horseradish. She walked over and cleared her throat.
"Ahem…excuse me Linus?" she asked. The man turned around to face her, looking a little defensive.
"Hello…how did you know my name…?" he asked. Eve hadn't thought about that, but she pointed down at the house below.
"Robin mentioned it to me after we spoke yesterday." She looked and saw he had some fish over the fire. She smiled and handed him the horseradish. "I wanted to say thank you for before…and I thought that this could make a good topping for your dinner." Linus paused for a moment but then actually smiled and took the gift.
"Wow…this is a very thoughtful gift." He said back. "…thank you…but you do not have to thank me…I didn't do anything." Eve sighed as he was still sticking with the 'I didn't do anything' story. She still just smiled and nodded.
"Well regardless, I hope you get the most out of that. Have a good rest of your day." The man nodded as she turned and started toward the lake. Eve paused and looked up as he was carefully cutting the horseradish and placing it on the fish. Eve smiled and crossed the rickety old bridge before seeing the entrance into the mountain. And looked and saw a house that was a bit further away as well. She wondered what the house was but decided to go into the mine. Upon going inside, she saw another older man with an eye patch over his eye and a cloak on. He was standing over a hole in the ground and looking down looking concerned. Eve walked in and slowly approached, looking a little concerned.
"Hello?" she called out, getting the man's attention. He looked up at her, his eyes focusing on the person in his presence before looking down again.
"…well howdy…beggin yer pardon…I was just peering into the old mine shaft…" he said in a low voice, a clear accent with how he spoke. "It's been abandoned for decades…still there's probably good ore down there." He paused and let out a breath. "But a dark place, undisturbed for so long…I'm afraid ore isn't the only thing you'll be findin." He looked at the girl and reached into his cloak. He pulled out a rusty sword and handed it over to Eve. "Here, take this. You might need it." Eve inspected the sword and cringed a little bit. She put it on her belt and smiled at the man.
"Thank you, I appreciate the warning and the gift. My name is Eve, and I'm the new farmer in town. And you are…" she put her hand out for the man to shake. He shook it with a hard grip before retreating. His hands were day and calloused, just by the shake she could tell the man had been through a lot.
"Name's Marlon. I run the adventurer's guild right outside." He saluted before starting to take his leave. "So…Jaden's granddaughter huh? I always knew that old fool was gonna have someone take over. Took him a damn while…" Eve's eyes widened as he new her grandfather's name.
"You knew my grandfather?" she asked. Marlon nodded, and smiled a little.
"He was a good man. When he'd go into the mines, he'd take me or Gil with him. This is of course when the mine was a little more active, but better safe then sorry." A smile crept onto his lips. "You remind me of him…you have the same eyes…the docile determination that drove him to keep tending to that farm until his dying day." He smiled. "That ol sword was his. Figured that you'd want to keep it." He got to the entrance and then turned. "I'll be keeping my eye on you. Prove yourself and I might think about making you a member…of the adventurer's guild." Eve turned and looked at Marlon.
"Wait…about my grandfather…" she called, making the man stop. "Were you and him close?" Marlon chuckled and turned around.
"We were mates. He cared about the town and he was someone to rely on if there was a fight to be had." He paused again. "I won't hold you up, but if you need me, come see me at the guild. Even if it's just talking about Jaden." He turned and left the mine, leaving Eve with the hole in front of her. She looked at it and let out a sigh.
"He really…meant something to this town huh?" she mumbled, but then shook her head. It was time to head into the mine. With sword and bag, she got on the ladder and went into the mines. At the bottom of the ladder, Eve looked around. The tunnels were lit by torches and covered with rocks, and there was a sound she hadn't heard before. Eve could feel herself shaking. Not only was it a little colder, but she was scared. And rightfully so. The conversation with the man made her think that someone or something was down here.
"I'm not alone…" she said and took out her sword. She approached slowly and saw a little green glow. After getting a little closer, she saw a tiny gelatinous green creature. She looked a little confused and it looked back at her, equally as confused. "What is that thing…it's kind of cute…hey little guy…" she put her hand out a little, trying to see if the creature was friendly. The slime looked at her hand, then wound itself up a little before charging at Eve. It collided with Eve, making her reel back. "AH!" Eve stumbled back and looked at her leg. It was covered in a thick green goo, and her leg started to hurt as well. She tried to move quickly away, but the thick slime was preventing her. "Ow…well fine!" she growled and swung her sword at the creature. It was hit and recoiled a little bit. The slime tried to attack again, but Eve moved back and got behind a rock. "So, this is what he meant…these slime creatures…and maybe more." She looked at her pants and once the slime had turned crustier, she was able to get it off of her. She took a second to breathe and then dashed at the creature again, slashing a few more times in a sort of haphazard way. The slime made a sort of squishing sound and started to go flat. Eve picked up the slime it left behind and flinched. It was…gross, but it could be useful. She took out a jar and put the slime ball it in before returning it to the small bag. With no other creatures in sight, Eve started to whack away at the rocks nearby, looking for anything that could be useful. Under one of the rocks was another hole with a ladder. She looked at it cautiously before shrugging and descended further down.
The next floor was like the first one, torches lit with rocks everywhere. Eve started to smash any rock that was nearby and picked up anything useful that came out. It was mostly just the rocks, but the occasional piece of coal made it worthwhile. Further in, she saw a rock that was speckled with orange bits. She walked over and started to smash the rock and picked up one of the orange bits. "Oh wait…this is copper! Oh, this could come in handy…" she put the copper in her bag, which was starting to get rather heavy. She found a few other orange specked rocks and bashed them for the copper ore as well. She didn't see any slimes on this floor, so maybe that one was the only one for now. She eventually found the stairs and went down that again. The further she went down, the colder she got and the more ominous it felt. But the rewards she was getting were good. Coal and copper, and inside a barrel was some kind of scroll that she couldn't read. As she was looking for the next ladder, she saw two slimes guarding one part of the mine. She took out her sword and started swinging it at them, getting hit as they were charging her. She got hit and again, the goo was making her slow and making it hard to. She kept swinging the sword at them until she heard the squish sounds. She looked at herself and noticed at she was even bleeding. "Those slimes hurt…" she mumbled and used her sword to cut some of her pants to tie that around her scratches. She holstered the sword and after scooping up the slime, she found the ladder and went down it.
She climbed down one more ladder and heard a bell go off with a loud 'DING'. She looked over and saw what looked like an elevator. "Huh?" she walked over and expected it. "Could I use this instead of the ladders? But I didn't see these on the other floors…" she looked around for any more copper rocks but didn't find anything near the elevator. She decided her time in the mines was done for now, and she needed to leave. She got into the cramped elevator and pushed the 0 button. She waited as the elevator came to life and lifted. Soon, she was back in the main room where she met Marlon. She let out a sigh and looked at the hole she first went into. "Well that was a time…but I'm sort of glad that it's over…that was really trying…" she took a second to sit down and breathe. She had never seen anything like the slimes that were down there before. She knew about the city patrols and thought that maybe they were in the sewers or something of that sort, but she never would have seen anything like that. She let out a sigh and slowly got up. She looked outside of the mines and it was already very dark out. "Oh my, how long have I been in there…?" she asked as she walked out. She started home when she heard her stomach start growling. "Well…I do have some extra money…" she smiled and made her way to the town.
As Eve entered the Stardrop saloon, the place was abuzz with people. The regulars were there, that being Pam, Shane, Marnie and Lewis, but this time Pierre was there at the bar. She turned and saw Clint and Willy were talking to each other over some drinks. Everyone seemed to be there that day. Eve walked up to the bar and waited for Gus, who was working on a drink. Pierre looked over at her and gave a solemn wave before going back to his drink.
"Well if it isn't Ms. Eve!" Gus called and walked over to her. "Welcome back! How are you feeling?" he asked, referring back to when she nearly passed out in front of the saloon two nights ago. Eve gave him a smile and shook her head.
"I'm okay…thank you for the food. That was really nice of you." The man gave a big grin back and a thumbs up.
"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant! Come to me if you're hungry Eve. Now, what can I get you?" Eve thought for a second and looked through the menu for their options.
"The pasta, if you wouldn't mind." Gus wrote it down and nodded.
"An excellent choice! Do you want to start that tab?" Eve shook her head and happily took out the extra amount of money needed. She placed it on the counter.
"I shipped my first batch of crops yesterday, and I got paid a good chunk. It was hard to get started, but I'm ok now. I'd like some water too, if you don't mind." Gus nodded and went into the back to start cooking. She looked around a little and waved at Lewis and Willy, whom both waved back at her. She walked to the side room to see Abigail, Sebastian, and a blonde boy playing pool. She looked at the black-haired guy who was smirking and the blonde was having some trouble. He let out a sigh.
"I'm not very good." He muttered to himself and kept inspecting the table. "Hmm…if I give the cueball a bit of a topspin, maybe I could…" he was completely in the zone. Sebastian and Abigail looked over and just chuckled.
"Give it up Sam…" Sebastian said. "I've got you beat…again…" Abigail continued to chuckle.
"Yeah man, you're kind of screwed." Sam looked up at them and glared.
"I'll turn this around, I swear! Just watch!" with that, he rose the pool cue, and started to aim. Eve watched quietly as she didn't want to interrupt. Abigail grinned as she spied Eve and decided to make a scene.
"Hey Eve!" Abigail blurted out, breaking Sam completely out of focus as he looked frantically around. "Come sit over here next to me." Eve nodded and walked over. The blonde looked and saw Eve sit next to Abigail, and a blush came over his face in embarrassment.
"You scared me. But hey, I'm Sam. Good to meet you." Eve smiled at him. Sebastian was fixing his cue and didn't have any interest in talking to the new farmer girl. Abigail scoffed a little bit.
"That's Sebastian. He's a little anti-social, but he's a nice guy." The black-haired man looked over at Eve for a moment, and then just nodded before going back to his cue. Eve nodded back, but the exchange was a little awkward for her. She wondered why he was like this. "So, how's the farm life going? Find anything cool in those old fields?" Eve was broken from her thoughts and looked over at Abigail
"Oh well. I had my first harvest today, so I decided to treat myself. As for finding anything interesting, not really? I find that the crops grow pretty fast all things considering. I thought I'd be living off good will for a lot longer than this." Abigail nodded as she watched the pool game continue.
"A lot of weird stuff happens in this valley. Hey, have you heard the rumor about the old Wizard who lives in the forest?" there was an audible groan. Sebastian was looking over at them.
"Here we go…" he said with a sigh and Abigail looked over at him with a glare.
"He's real! And he's at every festival here!" Eve looked curiously at Abigail.
"I haven't heard of any Wizard? I'm not sure I believe in magic but tell me anyway." Abigail looked back at Eve.
"They say in the forest there is a tower where a Wizard lives. Apparently, he's lived in the Cedarsap forest for years! I've always gone over to the tower to see if we could talk but sometimes I feel like there is a force holding me back. But I'm always drawn to that tower." Eve thought about that. She had never been to the forest yet. She'd have to investigate when she had the chance.
"The wizard doesn't exist." Sebastian said, aiming with his pool cue. "If someone like that did exist, I think we would have met them by now. But I've been here for long enough to know that guy isn't real. It's just some stupid legend." Abigail huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well I believe it! And I'll meet him. It'll be like going on an adventure." Sebastian just rolled his eyes.
"Just…be careful or something." Sam laughed as he was taking his shot.
"You guys are hilarious. The tower out there in the forest is abandoned. I've been inside it. There is nothing interesting in there." He took his shot and then stretched his back. "Man, I'm thirsty." Suddenly, something seemed to ring a bell in Eve's head. She remembered that Sam needed a Joja cola for some sort of project. She got up from her seat and went to the nearby soda machine. Abigail looked over at her.
"So, you drink cola huh? I'm more a tea person myself." Eve chuckled and shook her head as she put her money into the slot and retrieved the cola from the bottom.
"No, I don't…but." She turned to Sam and handed it to him. "I did see a request where someone wanted a cola for a project. I figured that I'd take it in case I saw anything like that." Sam laughed as he took the cola.
"Oh that, I forgot I put that notice on the board." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll be honest, I was just thirsty and wanted to bum a soda off someone. Here, I'll give you back the money." He did flash a toothy smile at Eve. "But thanks for thinking about me Eve!" Eve felt a little embarrassed, but at least Sam seemed happy. She blushed a little.
"No problem…" she was on her way back to her seat next to Abigail.
"Order up!" Gus called from the counter. "One order of pasta for Ms. Eve!" Eve jumped a little bit as the voice rang out, but her food seemed to be ready. She got up and looked back at the group.
"Thank you for letting me hang out for a little while. I'm sure I'll see you around." She waved at them and turned back to Gus and the rest of the bar. Sam and Abigail waved, while Sebastian took his shot.
Eve looked at the large plate of pasta and took a whiff. It smelled divine. Eve smiled at Gus, who put a mason jar of water down as well.
"Please! Try! See if you like it!" Eve nodded and took the fork provided. She twirled a bit of the pasta on the utensil and took a bite. The pasta was a perfect al dente and the tomato sauce was sweet and slightly spicy. Eve looked at it with wide eyes as she swallowed.
"That was the best pasta I've ever had…" she mumbled, taking a napkin and wiping her mouth. Gus laughed a hearty laugh.
"That makes me very happy to hear Eve! Now you enjoy yourself this evening!" he said and went to the register to put the money away. Eve took another bite and started chewing before a hand was put on her shoulder. She turned to face Lewis with her mouth still full of pasta. Lewis chuckled and smiled at her.
"Sorry to bother you. I wanted to check up on you since you're near the first week. How are you?" Eve put a hand up to signal she needed a second and continued to chew the pasta in her mouth. After she swallowed and wiped her mouth with the napkin, she smiled back at Lewis.
"Oh I'm fine. Thanks again for taking those crops. I already put the money right back to buying seeds." Lewis gave her a thumbs up.
"Glad to hear that. Would you like to sit down with Marnie and I?" he asked. Eve nodded and took her plate and water over to their table. She sat down with them as Marnie was holding a cocktail in her hand. Lewis then sat across from them, sipping on his beer. Marnie looked over at Eve.
"Good to see you again. Hear about your first harvest from Lewis. That's pretty neat!" Eve nodded back as she took a sip of water.
"I was very excited about it. For me, it feels like I'm finally making a little bit of progress. Once I get momentum, it'll only get better right?" Lewis nodded and took a drink.
"It's important to keep that sort of enthusiasm. Then going forward doesn't seem too hard. It's always important to go for what you want." Marnie chuckled and gave him a doubtful look.
"Is that advice for her or for you?" Lewis gave a stern look back. Eve looked between the two, being confused about what they were getting at.
"Umm…I have a feeling that we're not talking about me anymore." Marnie chuckled and looked at Eve.
"Oh, I just happen to know something that Lewis is stalling with, and he's been dealing with for a long time. And trust me, I've heard enough 'I'll get it done soon' from him to last me a life time." Lewis put his drink down with a little more force then what was needed.
"That's enough Marnie. I told you that I'll get it done soon. It's just…a very personal and sentimental thing for me." Marnie rolled her eyes and sighed.
"It's just an old building now Lewis. We need to let it go. I know it meant something to us in the past, but now it's just taking up real estate." Eve had taken another bite of food and was chewing as she quietly listened to the argument taking place.
"I know that Marnie, but now that's she's here…maybe it'll be different." Lewis said, gesturing to Eve. Eve swallowed and stared at the both of them.
"I…don't know what you're talking about…sorry…" Marnie sighed and looked at Eve with a smile.
"No dear, you don't need to apologize. You see, Lewis is conflicted because Joja has expressed interest in the old community center." Lewis tried to interrupt.
"Marnie! That's enough! I was going to explain it to her when the time was right!" Marnie took another casual sip of her drink.
"And when would that be Lewis, huh? After a year has passed? Maybe 2? I am not the biggest fan of Joja either, but it would bring in some revenue for the town, right? That's a good thing, isn't it? And how would she make a difference?" Lewis got up and pushed his chair out. He looked at Marnie with angry eyes.
"That's enough! I don't have to take this!" he went to the counter and paid for his drink before storming out of the saloon. The scene made everyone quiet for a moment before people went back about their business. Marnie sighed and put a hand on her head.
"Ah geez…over did it again…" she looked over at Eve, whom was just sitting there awkwardly. "See…Lewis doesn't want to sell the old community center because it meant a lot to him and this town. But as the years went on, it just became a building that was taking up space. I've been trying to urge him to sell it or tear it down, but he's reluctant." Eve finished taking a drink of water and let out a sigh.
"If he cares so much about the place, then maybe he should invest in remodeling the place?" Marnie shook her head.
"It's not feasible. We can't afford that type of project and the people of this town are more focused on themselves and the community. I'm the same way, I'll admit that. Plus…" she paused for a moment. "He thinks that somehow…you'll make a difference in this." Eve looked confused as she ate another bite of pasta.
"Me? But how, I'm just a farmer…" Marnie took another sip of her drink.
"That's what I said. No offense to you, but I don't think you'll make much of a difference in what happens to that place…anyway…" she got up. "I'm going to go after Lewis…I feel bad for how things ended…" she downed the rest of her cocktail and paid for her drink before leaving. That left Eve alone to her own thoughts as she continued to eat. She thought back to the community center and that feeling she got when she put her hand on the door handle. There was something about that old community center yes, but how could she deal with it? She was still so new here, and everything was still so new. How could she do something about that? Her thoughts made her space out and she didn't notice Leah had come up to her.
"Hey Eve?" Eve shook herself out of it and looked at Leah. She sighed and forced a smile.
"Hi Leah…did you need something?" Leah shook her head and sat down.
"Well…I'm asking how you were. You seemed to be involved in that little scuffle…" Eve shook her head a bit and just took another bite of her food before answering her question.
"No…not really. It was more just between Marnie and Lewis and I just so happened to be there…" she smiled at Leah. "But thanks for checking up on me…I appreciate it." Leah smiled back, bringing her salad over to the table and sitting down fully.
"It wasn't very nice that they brought you in for a conversation and then had a fight. What were they fighting about anyway?" Eve paused for a moment. She wasn't sure if it was her place to say anything.
"Well…I guess Lewis is hung up on something and Marnie was pushing a little bit. I don't think it's my place to say anything about it. The two have an issue they need to settle…and I just happened to be there unfortunately." Leah took a bite of her food and then nodded.
"I see…I respect that. I wouldn't want to get in the middle of those two." Eve looked a little confused at her.
"What…do you mean?" Leah covered her mouth as she was chewing another bite of her food. She washed it down with some water before talking.
"Oh just a silly rumor. People are saying that those two are…" she leaned forward. "Involved. I mean, no one really knows for sure, but they quarrel a lot as if they were married. I stay out of a lot of that though since I'm trying to focus on my art." Eve swallowed her bite and wiped her face with a napkin.
"Oh, you're an artist?" Leah nodded, her eyes lighting up as the topic was brought up.
"Yes! I moved from the city out here to get back in touch with nature. It's really done wonders for my art! I used to not enjoy it as much, but now, everyday there is something new." Eve nodded and put her hand on her cheek and leaned on it.
"What kind of art do you do?" she asked. Leah clapped a little as she answered.
"All kinds! I like drawing, painting, sculpting, working with clay. Anything that has a natural element to it, you know?" she let out a sigh. "And talking about it with people is the best. Right now, I'm working on several wooden sculptures, and was thinking about maybe setting up an art show…but I'm not entirely sure if it'll be a hit or not. Elliott seems to think so, but I don't know." Eve perked up a little bit at hearing a name she recognized.
"You know Elliott?" Leah nodded as she took another bite of her salad.
"Him and I are pretty close. We connected pretty quick since we're both artsy I guess." She let out a chuckle. "I'm an artist and he's getting his start in writing. I offered to illustrate any books he writes too, in case they needed a picture to drive the story forward." Eve listened and thought about what she said. Then she got…curious.
"Are you two involved?" Leah blushed and shook her head, a nervous smile on her face.
"Oh no! Just friends! Though we do gravitate to each other a lot, we're only friends!" she rubbed her neck a little. "I mean…yeah, just friends." Eve grinned and raised her eyebrow.
"But you'd want to be more than friends?" Leah's face got a little red and looked away.
"Not…right now. While the thoughts crossed my mind, I think being friends is all I can do right now. I know this is kind of too much information, but I got out of a bad relationship recently and-" Eve put her hand up to stop her from talking. Leah looked up and stopped immediately.
"You don't have to say anything you don't want to. I completely understand…we'll just leave it at that, okay?" Leah smiled and nodded at her.
"Thanks for understanding…you're really cool Eve. I'm glad that you're here. We should talk more!" Eve chuckled and nodded.
"For sure!" the two laughed and the conversation between them continued. They started talking about the town, the other people, and even just general interests. It was getting late, and soon, both left the saloon. Leah headed back toward the forest and Eve went up through the square. That was when she heard something to the right of her.
"Huh?" she paused and stopped as she looked over. She saw Linus rummaging through the garbage cans in front of Granny Evelyn's home, looking for something to eat. "Linus…?" she hid and watched as Linus was going through the trash, only to be scared away as George wheeled himself out of the house. The older man looked around as he tried to find the source of the sound.
"Grr…sounds like those raccoons are back again…" he muttered. "Filthy varmints." Seeing that George was going to discover Linus if he moved forward, Eve walked over to George very casually. George looked at the younger woman and looked almost relieved. "Ah, you turned up at the right moment girl. Could you do an old man a favor?" Eve nodded and glanced over at where Linus was, seeing only a hint of him by the wall.
"Sure, what's going on George?" she asked him. George then pointed to the cans.
"Could you go around the corner and scare off those raccoons for me? They've been causin' a real mess." Eve gave George a thumbs up as she started to walk over.
"Sure, I'll see what I can do." She replied. George turned his chair back to the door.
"Thanks. Give them a good scare so they never come back." Eve waited for George to be fully in the house before walking toward the corner. She saw Linus standing there, looking down. He looked up at Eve, an obvious look of guilt on his face.
"It was me…I'm sorry…" he said and went to the can. "I find a lot of hot fresh food in these cans…stuff that will go to waste if I don't take it." He walked onto the path and looked up at Eve. "Do you think there's something wrong with what I'm doing?" Eve thought about it for a moment but then smiled at him.
"In a way…no. It's a shame for food to go to waste…" with that, Linus perked up a little. "But you should be careful. It could be illegal to go around someone else's trash. It might be considered their private property and you could get in trouble." Linus nodded and smiled at Eve.
"Thanks Eve…I knew you were an open-minded person. I feel good about what I'm doing. I'm not harming anyone…" he looked around to make sure the coast was clear. "But you can go on home. I promise I won't rummage in George's garbage anymore. You can tell him you scared off the raccoons for good." Eve nodded and gave a thumbs up.
"I will next time I see him." She started to walk home and then Linus started to follow the path toward the saloon. The thoughts of the man who saved her was still in her head. "Wait…Linus…" she looked over at him, determination in her eyes. "Please, just tell me the truth. You saved me that night, right?" Linus stopped and looked down a little before turning down to her.
"Yes." He said back, making Eve feel instant relief. "I saw you as I was going through the cans…and if I left you there, I would have felt bad. So…I took you home, got you to bed, and left. I didn't take anything." Eve shook her head.
"I don't think you would have…I just wanted to know the truth." She reached out her hand for him to shake. Linus paused but then shook Eve's hand.
"Alright…" Eve stepped back, and then waved as she started home.
"I'll see you around Linus." She said as she started to walk home. It wasn't long before she was on the property and back inside. She checked the news and found it was going to be another sunny day. She smiled as she started getting ready for bed, putting what she had found in town and in the mines in the chest. "Finally glad I got some closure on what happened...makes me feel better that I know the truth…" she smiled and locked the door. Once all that was said and done, Eve flopped onto the old bed and was asleep in nearly an instant. Life was getting interesting..