Chapter Text
Abigail ran her hands over the smooth amethyst. The new farmer, Cassie, gave it to her. She had just moved in a few weeks ago, and the fact that she went out of her way to give her something, especially something she mined her self, warmed Abigail’s heart. No one really did anything special with her. No one took the time to ask her how she was doing. I mean sure, there was Sam and Sebastian, but they never seriously asked if something was wrong. The farmer, Abigail concluded, was different from everyone else.
The stone itself was beautiful, it was slightly lighter then the color of her hair, but it was so smooth and shiny, it meant more to her then Cassie could know. She placed back up on her shelf.
Abigail was playing videogames, when her father slammed the door open and stormed in.
“Abigail, have you looked into any of the colleges in Zuzu City we talked about?” He asked irritably.
“Um, no?”
“Really? I have given you an extra week!” He shouted angrily, ”You need to start contributing more to the family. You’re no longer a kid. You can’t do whatever the hell you want, and you will never be anything if you don’t get off your ass and something with your useless life.”
He stormed out and left Abigail with tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Dad wasn’t always like this. Before Joja Mart moved here, dad was a great father. Abigail remembered all the times he took her camping in the Cindersap forest. She remembered fishing with him near the mountain stream. He encouraged her in whatever she wanted to do with her life. Now, he got angry quickly, and sometimes, he would even hit her. Mom wasn’t much better. Her parents constantly fought, and Abigail watched her family tear from the inside.
She looked up at the Amethyst sitting on her shelf. If Cassie could find gems like that in the mine, so could she. It was time to prove her parents wrong. I mean, those gems must be worth a lot of money, maybe she could do what she loves, that being adventuring, and also make money to support herself.
Abigial wiped the tears from her eyes and walked up to her dresser. She rummaged around under the shirts, and pulled up the sword from its hiding place. Marlon gave it her as a gift due to her interest she expressed in the mines. She didn’t know him very well, but it was a very nice gift. She took great care of it, keeping it sharp and shining. It was pretty light, with a leatherbound handle that felt comfortable in her grip. It was double edged blade, about four feet long, with a small hand guard that had a light green gemstone in the center. It also had a leather sheath that was the same color as the handle. She left it in the sheath and put in her pack along with a bottle of water.
The crisp autumn air sent a chill down Abigail’s spine. She briskly walked accross the plaza to the path that led to the museum. She saw Penny with Jas and Vincent, who waved in her direction. Waving back, she crossed over the river and entered the museum.
The museum library was easily one of Abigial’s favorite places in town. The musty smell of aging paper and the way the floor creaked was familiar and calming. She ran her fingers across the leatherbound books, taking in the smooth texture. But, something was a little different about the museum. Recently, the once empty display shelves near the back where slowly being filled up. Curiosly she walked over and examined a few of the objects. There where two scrolls, one with a blue binding, another with red. There some fossils, and some rare gemstones as well.
“Hey Gunther, where did all this come from? I thought the old curator took all the artifacts.”
“They were all taken, but farmer Cassie was generous enough to donate some of her findings.”
“Oh alright.”
That got Abigail thinking. Some of these gems, like the fire quartz, can only be found deep within the mine. The farmer was certainly stronger then she appeared.
“Hey Gunther, do you have any books on swordfighting?” Abigial asked.
“You’re in luck, we do have a few.”
Gunther stepped out from behind his desk and walked over to a shelf. He scanned a few books before reaching out and grabbing two books. He handed her the books and said,
“Those are probably the best for a beginner, now I’m no expert in swordfighting, but I would start out simple.”
“Thanks so much for your help Gunther.”
“Anytime.”
Abigial checked out the books and sat down in a desk. She flipped through the first book. Abigail decided to read the books first before actually getting out and physically practicing. Might as well know what she is getting herself into.
After getting through a chapter or two, the door opend and in ran the farmer.
“Gunther, you wouldn’t belive what I found in the mines today!” She said excitedly, “It’s a ring, but it’s not the normal combat rings I wear, it has some strange writing on it, I was hoping you could tell me more about it?”
“Well, lets have a look.”
She handed the ring to Gunther who examined it under a magnifying glass.
“Well, this script appears to be some sort of elvish dialect, though I can’t make out the inscription. That is a very good find.”
“It’s Elvish? Wow thats so cool!” The farmer started gushing, as Abigail watched in amusement.
“If I donate this, you better give me something good, you blue obsessed asshole.” The farmer stated, her tone dead serious, but the look on her face said otherwise.
Gunther threw his head back laughing hard. “Well, I do have some starfruit seeds, if you’d like those?”
“Deal.”
“Go ahead, put the ring in whatever spot you want.” Gunther said.
The farmer turned, and Abigail sucked in her breath when she saw her face. Her smile was carefree and genuine. Her dark wavy hair flowed down her back elegantly. Her tan skin looked so impossibly soft. She had a few noticable scars on her arms, but some were covered by elegant tattoos of cherry blossoms. But the most enticing thing about her was her eyes. The deep hazel looked to be yellow and green and brown all at the same time. Their soft glow pulled Abigial in. It seemed impossible for Abigial to look anywhere but those eyes.
Somehow, the farmers grin got wider as she approached her table.
“Hey Abby, how are you doing today?”
“Okay I guess, you seem to be having a great day.”
“Oh yeah, I got pretty lucky with this find. What are you reading?” She asked, motioning to the book in my hands.
“Oh, it’s, um..” Abigail trailed off, suddenly embarrassed, but why, she didn’t really know. Her cheeks grew red. “It’s a book on basic swordfighting.”
“Ah, very cool. Well, if you need any help or tips, you know where my farm is. Oh! That reminds me, me and Evelyn where baking, and I saved you a slice of chocolate cake.”
She pulled a container out of her pack and presented it to Abigial.
“For Yoba’s sake, how did you know what I was craving?” Abigial greedily took ahold of the container and removed the lid, taking a smell of its contents.
“It smells amazing, thank you so much. How did you know I was hungry?”
The farmer chuckled and handed her a fork out of nowhere.
“Well, I have to go now, but I was serious about that offer, if you need any help, stop by at the farm, I’d love to help.”
The farmer flashed her one last smile before walking away to put the ring in a display case.
“Bye Gunther, see you later Abby.”
With that, the farmer was out the door, leaving a wistful Abigail with her cake.
Thank Yoba today was Friday, that meant she could meet Seb and Sam at the saloon. She ate the cake, which was delicious and exactly what she needed, and continued to read the first book. She easily lost track of time reading about basic forms, different striking positions, and so on. There was certainly a lot to consider, and she felt like she was reading forever, and hadn’t even got to defensive positions. She looked at the clock, and it was about 6 o’clock. She put the books in her backpack and left the Library. She came to bridge and just leaned on the side of it, staring at the river below. She could do this. She would become an explorer and prove her parents wrong. With that, she walked to the saloon. Whenever she walked into the Stardrop, she always felt at home. The calm ambient environment, contributed to by the fireplace and jukebox, had a way of calming her nerves.
“Oh Abigial, it’s good to see you, are you hungry?” Gus asked from behind the counter.
“No not really, and it’s good to see you to Gus.”
“Well, the boys are already in the back, no doubt Sebastion is kicking Sam’s ass in pool again.”
“Thanks Gus, I’ll see you later.” She smiled at him and headed to the backroom.
“Hey Abs, I think I might actually beat Seb this time.” Sam said, not looking up from the game, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Abigail looked at the table, there was one solid and four stripes left.
“You must be solids then, right?” She asked.
“Nope.” He said, popping the “p”.
She raised her eyebrow, as if sliently asking him to explain.
“You see, I can knock the ten ball into that corner pocket, and with the right amount of spin the cue ball should ricochet off it into the 14 ball knocking it into the side pocket. Then it will bounce into the 15 ball and the spin will curve the cue ball around the eight ball and hit the final ball into the pocket. It’s an easy win, really.” He said as if his plan should of been obvious.
“Alright, well, go ahead, and don’t let me break you concentration.” She stated sarcastically.
Seb just gave her one of his rare smiles.
Sam lined up his shot, and hit the cue ball. It missed completely, and Sam groaned in frustration. Sebastian smirked and knocked in his final solid ball, then hit the eightball into a corner pocket.
“One of these days, I will beat you in this forsaken game.” Sam stated dramatically.
Abigail and Sebastian just laughed at his antics.
“So Abs, do you want to come to my house tomorrow to play Solarian Chronicles with me and Sam?” Sebastian asked.
“I would, but I’m actually meeting with the farmer tomorrow, but maybe if I have time after.”
“Ooh, your meeting with the farmer. Damn Abigail can you give some tips on impressing the ladies?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
She playfully slapped him, “Not like that you idiot. She offered to give me swordfighting lessons, so I can explore the mines.”
“Woah woah woah, no need to get all defensive Abigail, unless, you have something to hide?” Sebastian said.
“You two are the worst! I don’t even know why I’m friends with you guys sometimes.” Abigial said, trying to keep a straight face.
Sam put on, as Abigail liked to call, his “kicked puppy face” and put on a waterworks show.
“Abs, how could you say such a thing.” He practically wailed.
Abigail and Sebastion broke out in laughter, when suddenly she heard a ruckus in the main room. Curious, the trio walked in, only to see Shane and Pam in a heated argument.
“What the hell did you say you punk?!” Pam yelled furiously. She was clearly intoxicated.
“You heard me, at least I have a job, and I care about my family.” Shane said, tauntingly.
“Why you little....” Suddenly Pam ran forward toward Shane, who was standing still like an idiot who had all the time in the world, who didn’t see the behemoth that was Pam charging forward. Suddenly the farmer rushed forward and grabbed Pam before she could attack Shane, holding her back.
“Come on, let me show the runt who’s boss!” Pam shouted, trying to claw out of her grip.
“Pam, I think you should leave right now, the people here are trying to have a decent evening, and I’m sure Gus would appreciate you leaving and not destroying his bar, now lets go.” She said with a commanding voice.
She dragged Pam out of the saloon, and as fast as the situation escalated, it was simply gone. She looked at Sam and Sebastian who couldn’t contain their laughter, their faces red and blown up like a tomato. Everyone else in the Saloon seemed shocked, except Shane who ordered another beer.
“Wow. That just happened.” Was all Abigial managed to say. The fact that Cassie could hold back Pam. The Pam. All bye herself was impressive, and she also managed to get her out of the Saloon before midnight. Also impressive.
A few minutes later and the farmer came back alone, and the silence was broken with everyones cheers and whistles. Gus slided her a beer, “It’s on the house, thanks for clearing up that fight. It’s not pretty when Pam gets like that.” She blushed at everyone’s praise and Abigail melted.
Seb just gave her a knowing look, which she met with a glare. Sam didn’t notice because he was still on the ground, crying with laughter.