For everyone whose hearts broke when they realised Robin isn't a romanceable NPC, this one's for you.
I'm a married woman, Robin thought to herself the second the new farmer stepped off the bus. Under her skin, her blood was still boiling after another petty argument with Demetrius. It seemed more and more like he was doing it intentionally at this point.
Her marriage was, to put it bluntly, crumbling. Simple conversations quickly turned to bickering. Nights were tense and uncomfortable for everyone at home. And Robin was growing tired of it.
"You still treat them so differently. You've been doing it ever since we had Maru, and you're the only one who doesn't see it." The words from their last conversation echoed in her head.
"I do not."
"Last week, you yelled at Sebastian for building a damn snowman. But Maru and Penny make one and you barely bat an eye. They're all working adults. You can't keep holding him to a higher standard." Her voice came out a little softer. "I know he's not your son by blood, but when you married me, we both became your family. You said so in your vows and I thought you'd keep to that."
He didn't respond. "Demetrius?"
"I'm sorry." For a brief moment, she thought she had finally gotten through to him. She should have known better. "I have to focus on this right now. Can we talk later?" She knew they wouldn't. He didn't even have the decency to tear his eyes away from his microscope.
She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm going to pick up the new farmer. I'll be back tonight." Robin left before he had a chance to respond.
Now, as the bus drove up the road towards her, Robin was grateful for the distraction. It was rare that Pelican Town got new residents, so this would definitely be an adjustment. The redhead was interested to see how this new person would shake up the town's dynamics.
The bus slowed to a stop and when the doors slid open, Robin felt her mouth go dry. A young woman stepped off, clearly a little unsteady on her feet after sitting down for so long. She caught her balance and gave Robin an attractive smile. She was gorgeous.
"Hello!" Robin greeted, coming back to herself. "You must be the new farmer. I'm Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He's there right now, tidying things up for your arrival." Robin didn't miss the little bisexual pin on her duffel bag. She also didn't miss the way the farmer's eyes travelled over her, not unsimilar to what Robin had just done. The older woman blinked herself back into focus. "The farm's right over here, if you'll follow me."
Robin kept glancing at the woman out of the corner of her eye during the short walk to the farm, taking in her beauty. She had lived in Pelican Town for a long time and was used to seeing the same faces every day. She tried to convince herself that that was why she couldn't take her eyes off the new girl. The mind loved change. That's all there was to it.
"I hope your trip was okay," she said, making light conversation. "It's been years since I've been to Zuzu City. How long is the journey again?"
"I honestly have no idea, all the hours have blended together." Robin loved the sound of her voice. "If I never get on another bus again, it'll be too soon."
"Well, you'll be glad to hear the bus that goes between here and Calico Desert has been out of service for ages. And I doubt you'll be rushing to go back to the city again. Those are pretty much the only places you can get to from here."
"I love small towns," she swooned, making the other woman chuckle.
"And this is your farm!" Robin announced when they finally arrived.
"Oh my…" The farmer frowned as she took in the state of it, and Robin understood the sentiment. It had belonged to the farmer's grandfather, a good friend of Mayor Lewis, and had clearly not been maintained at all. Debris cluttered the land, the ponds were full of trash and Robin could make out what she assumed was a decrepit greenhouse in the distance. It would definitely take a lot of time and energy to get this place cleaned up.
"Yeah, it's a little overgrown, but there's some good soil underneath all that," Robin assured her. "I remember back when this farm was still up and running, it grew some of the best produce this side of the valley. It blows the stuff we get from Joja completely out of the water."
"I'm gonna have my work cut out for me," she muttered. Just then, Mayor Lewis came out from inside the farmhouse, clearly just done setting some things up in there. He greeted the farmer cheerily and introduced himself, explaining a little about the valley and how he would collect any items she had to ship once she got on her feet. Robin let them talk, taking a moment to map out the farm. She wondered if the farmer would enjoy tending to livestock. She wasn't great with plants, but a barn here, a couple of chicken coops there, a silo for hay… these were all things Robin could provide. And she would certainly enjoy spending time away from the shop if she had to be here on the farm constructing them. And the farmhouse. It was tiny. From what she remembered Lewis saying, it was a small, one-room place. It didn't even have a functioning kitchen. Robin could fix it up, no problem.
"Well, I'll let you get settled in," he said, wrapping up their conversation. "I have some business to attend to at the ranch. Robin, are you alright to help our new farmer from here?"
The redhead stifled her laugh. She knew very well what 'business at the ranch' meant. It was a small town and the women's aerobics class was an epicentre for gossip. She had no doubt that the farmer would know what it meant soon enough. "Of course." They watched the man take his leave, back in the direction they came. "You must be exhausted after your journey."
The farmer blew out a breath. "You'd be right. But I've got a lot of work to do." She gestured towards the plot of land.
Robin's brow creased in concern. "You shouldn't try to do anything today. Get some rest and start fresh in the morning. Plus." She gestured to the darkening sky. "It's too late to get any productive work done anyway."
"Yeah," she agreed. She paused to yawn, no doubt a result of the long journey. "I guess I'll start tomorrow then."
"If you ever need anything, I live right near here. It's just through the backwoods." Robin gestured to the path a little behind the farmhouse. "My shop is open every day except Tuesday. A few of the women in town do aerobics at Pierre's then. You're welcome to join us if you want!" she offered, silently hoping the farmer would say yes.
"I'll think about it," the farmer replied after a moment of deliberation. "Maybe once I'm a little more settled."
"Yes, of course." Robin gave her another once-over before forcing her eyes away. "I'll leave you to it. Remember, come by if you ever need anything."
"I will. Thanks, Robin." The redhead could feel the farmer's eyes on her all the way until she disappeared into the backwoods.
A/N - Hello dear reader! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I intend for this to be a shorter story with shorter chapters than usual. This is completely self indulgent but I still hope people read it because Robin is a milf and she should be datable. As always, let me know what you think and until next time, stay safe.
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