The farm was a mess, to say the least, but Quinn found the work a little easier today. The spring breeze gave her a reprieve from the late afternoon sun as she finished watering her meager turnip patch, which was much appreciated at the moment. The little sprouts were doing fairly well for her first attempt at gardening since elementary school.

Her chores done for the day, she hiked past the bus stop and into town. A few gold coins rattled in her pocket as she went. Maybe she would have enough to invest in some cabbages this time. Or would she be able to upgrade her ax instead? She racked her brain trying to remember the fee for tool upgrades and whether she had enough copper bars.

The cabbage seeds won in the end (more money would come once she harvested those, anyway), and she clutched the little bag tightly as she walked towards the saloon. Not that she had any money to buy anything tonight, but Lewis had mentioned it was a gathering spot, and she honestly hadn't met as many people in town as she maybe should have. Quinn preferred to leave her first meetings up to fate for the most part, but she hadn't spoken to anyone but Pierre in three days. It was maybe time to push fate a little.

The sun was just beginning to set as she got to the saloon, casting a golden tinge to the sign. She paused outside the door, adjusting her twin braids to look a little neater (was that a leaf in her hair?) before taking a breath and opening the door as if she were taking an icy plunge.

The atmosphere in the place was inviting, but that didn't quell the feeling of mild anxiety at meeting new people. She recognized the bus driver who had delivered her to the valley sitting at the bar, looking like she was having an intimate moment with a pint. Quinn would leave her alone, then. She spotted Robin in the corner and gave a little wave as she walked past and made her way to the bartender.

"Oh, you're the new farmer, aren't you?" said the man behind the counter, a round older gentleman with a receding hairline. He had a kind demeanor, but his eyes seemed to be sussing out how much change she had in her pocket. "I'm Gus, I'm the owner. Can I get you anything?"

"Quinn," she said in reply, vaguely gesturing at herself. "And uh, not right now. I'm mostly here to introduce myself to people today."

His face changed a little, and Quinn could recognize a customer service expression when she saw it. She would have to come back to the saloon with enough cash to buy something next time. After the cauliflower harvest.

She looked around again, a little overwhelmed with how many new people she had yet to meet. Where to begin? Talking to new people was worse than pulling teeth.

Glancing around again, she spotted Leah at a table to the side. Sighing in relief, she made her way over. She had met Leah in the woods while she foraged for wild horseradish, immediately taking a liking to the girl. At least she had a female friend (was it too early to call them friends? Probably) her age again- that was the only thing that had kept her going during her days at Joja HQ.

Quinn sidled up to her with a friendly smile, which Leah thankfully returned.

"Hey, stranger," Leah said, picking at the salad in front of her. "How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm trying to be less of a stranger from now on, actually." Quinn sat beside her, gesturing to the rest of the saloon. "I was told this was the place to meet people."

"Hm. I guess that's so."

"Is there anyone you could introduce me to?" Quinn asked.

Leah made a face. "I mean, I mostly stick to myself, honestly…" she trailed off, noticing Quinn's crestfallen expression. "Well, I could point some people out at least."

And she did, giving Quinn a cliff's notes summary of the rest of the saloon patrons. Quinn would have to muster up the courage to meet them later on her own.

The conversation turned to her first week in the valley, then, and she was in the middle of regaling Leah with the tale of her first foray into the mines ("- And I swear, the way the slimes move is so weird—") when she sensed someone coming up behind her.

She turned in her seat, making eye contact with the man. She froze- this was maybe the most handsome man she had met so far in the valley. His auburn hair swept over his shoulders in a wave, framing a jawline so sharp it could cut glass. His green eyes lingered on her, then flicked to Leah and back again. Was she staring? A tinge of a blush crept up her neck. She was no good at talking to men, especially not handsome ones.

"You must be the new farmer," he said, ending the awkward pause with the sound of his richly toned voice. Of course, even his voice was nice. "Your arrival has sparked many a conversation. Pleasure to meet you."

He stuck out his hand. "I'm Elliott, I'm a writer."

"Quinn," she said, taking it and giving a firm shake (Dad had taught her a strong handshake meant a strong character). He had writer's callouses on his fingers. Had she formed callouses from using her hoe yet? She would have to check later.

"Quinn was just telling me about her day in the mines yesterday," Leah said, drawing his gaze from her once again. (Was Quinn disappointed or relieved?)

"Oh really? I'm going to procure myself a drink, then you can regale me as well." Elliott pointed a thumb at the bar before turning away.

Once he was out of earshot, Leah leaned in conspiratorially. "Hot, huh?"

Quinn made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan. "What?"

Leah shrugged. "Nothing. Don't worry about him, though. He's genuine."

And then Elliott was back, drink in hand.

"So you really ventured into the mines alone, Quinn?"

His voice saying her name was really something. She needed to hear it more.

"Yeah, they just opened back up apparently, so I thought I would check them out." She got back into storytelling mode, but left out the reason she was scoping it out at all. "This old guy gave me a sword and told me there's monsters in there, which I thought was just something he was saying to freak me out so I wouldn't get stuck in a mine shaft or something, but it's really true."

The slimes were difficult with the rusty sword. How would they fare against her on a full moon, though? She had yet to find out - the moon was still waxing right now.

She continued her story, occasionally peeking to her left at Elliott. He sipped his drink as she talked, stopping her to ask questions once or twice. He and Leah both exclaimed when she showed them her bandages on her calf, which covered a nasty scratch from a rock crab.

"That settles it," he muttered. "I am never stepping foot in the mines. I feel no need to risk my life and limb for some ore."

"It's not just for the ore, is it?" Leah asked Quinn. "It's got to be for the sense of adventure, right?"

Quinn pursed her lips. "I think thats a part of it," she admitted. The other part was that she needed a place to turn where no one else would go - a place she could truly be alone. A place where the only things she could hurt were other monsters. The woods had seemed like a good option, before she realized how easy it would be to run into someone.

"But it's mostly for the ore," she said with a grin. "I almost have enough copper to start upgrading my ax."

Her stomach started to signal her it was time for dinner. She made her goodbyes (did her gaze linger too long on Elliott?) and headed out of the saloon, leaving Leah and Elliott alone.

"She's been here a week and she's already getting into trouble," Leah sighed. "I hope she doesn't bite off more than she can chew with the mines." She took a bite of her salad to punctuate the metaphor.

"I imagine she has her hands full with the farm anyway," Elliot responded, finishing his drink.

Leah agreed. "I saw the state of the place when I heard a new farmer was moving in. The place is a wreck."

"Still better than my hovel."

She chuckled. "Yeah. But not as nice as my place."

"We can't all have a cousin willing to sell their cottage, now can we?"

"Hush."

They laughed, then sat for a moment in silence. Leah looked at him askance. Clearly the farmer was into Elliott— anyone into men would be— but the question remained if he saw her as anything but a new face.

Time to find out. "So what do you think?"

"Of?"

"Quinn. What does your gut tell you?"

He gave her a searching look. Why was she asking? He pursed his lips and shrugged, thinking of an answer. "She seems… normal," he supposed. "I wonder how she got her hair so long."

Leah held back a sigh. How much did she want to play matchmaker here? Elliott could use the company, sure, but Quinn still needed time to get herself situated anyway. Her meddling would have to wait.

But oh, if she was right…. This was going to be fun to watch.