Chapter Text
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind
They count me out time and time again
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind
I come back stronger than a ‘90s trend.
--
“Last stop, Stardew Valley!”
The driver’s voice rang out as Elise jolted awake on the bus. She quickly grabbed her backpack and the duffel bag she had stuffed full of only essentials and made her way off the bus, murmuring a quick “thanks” as she descended the steps and stepped onto a dirt path on the side of the road. She looked around and glanced down at her phone- a text from Robin telling her she’d meet her at the bus stop when she arrived.
I hope this was the right call, she thought. Quitting her steady desk job at Joja was never something she thought she’d do. Sure, Joja sucks, but at least she was making a steady paycheck. At least she had some kind of insurance. What came over her to make her quit and move to Pelican Town to become a farmer? A farmer?! Elise had never so much as planted a seed or even kept a plant alive at all in her tiny city apartment.
She recalled just a week, when she finally had enough. She recalled the monotony of her job becoming too much to bear, the constant shitty treatment she got from her boss, but mostly, she recalled him, and what she’d done. She felt hot tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered it all again. He was the very reason she decided she could no longer show her face at work each day. She couldn’t explain it any other way than she needed a change. She needed to leave. She needed-
“Hey!” she snapped out of her trance and quickly wiped the tears from her face as she heard a voice coming down the path toward her. Elise looked up and saw a woman with bright red hair, wearing a mustard yellow hoodie and dirt-speckled jeans.
“Hi! Sorry I’m late, I got caught up at the shop. It’s so good to see you, Elise! Wow, you’re so grown up! I’m sure you don’t remember me, it’s been so long… I’m Robin!” she said brightly, holding out her hand to shake. Elise hoped Robin couldn’t tell she’d just been crying, or at least that she would be too polite to comment on it.
“Of course I remember you, Robin!” she forced a smile and shook Robin’s hand.
Robin gave her a sad smile. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen you. You used to visit Murray every summer! He was a great man,” she said, “always used to bring me his extra lumber when he’d need to chop down some trees. We sure miss him around here.”
Murray Mills owned Willow Acres Farm for 62 years. He’d inherited the farm from his father when he was 30 and kept it running until eight years ago when he passed away.
Elise smiled back, much more authentically this time. She loved hearing about her grandfather. She had so many wonderful childhood memories of visiting the valley when she was younger to stay with him while her mother traveled for work. But, after The Incident, she wasn’t allowed to come back, and suddenly, the best part of her childhood was ripped away from her. She shifted her feet awkwardly, and suddenly met Robin’s eyes, remembering the very reason she was here in the first place. “So… the farm?”
“Right! Come this way.” Robin led her down the dirt path toward Willow Acres Farm. Elise followed closely behind, her heart thumping in her chest. She hadn’t seen the farm in about 10 years. Maybe more? She wondered if it still looked the same, or how much it had changed. Her thoughts were running a hundred miles a minute as she tried to listen to Robin chattering away.
“You know,” she said, “we are all so excited that you’re here. Everyone’s been talking about the new farmer! Especially with you being Murray’s granddaughter- Lewis is going to be so excited to see you.” They walked a short distance down a dirt path, and eventually came to a huge open area of land.
“And, here we are!” Robin announced. She led Elise through a wooded property that included a small cabin that appeared abandoned, and so, so, so many trees. Trees, and stones. Also weeds.
“Shit,” it slipped out before Elise could stop herself. She looked around the farm, shocked at how… abandoned it looked. Sure it had been 10 years since she’d seen it, but her grandfather had kept it up until he died, and really, how many trees could have grown in eight years?! Robin laughed.
“Sure it’s a little overgrown, but I’m sure with a little hard work you can restore this place to its former glory! There’s still some good soil under there somewhere!”
Just then, the cabin door creaked open and out stepped an older man, wearing a dark green button-down and suspenders.
“Robin? Is that you?” he called out.
“Right here, Lewis! And look who I found!”
Lewis looked up and brightened as soon as he saw Elise. He rushed down the steps to greet her. Elise held her breath- this was a meeting she was not excited for. She just hoped he didn’t hold their last interaction 10 years ago against her.
“Elise! I am so happy you’re here!” He grabbed her hand and shook it. Thank Yoba. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. “My, I haven’t seen you in what, ten years? I certainly hope you’ve grown up since I last saw you,” He winked. Okay, scratch that. He definitely remembers.
Elise smiled nervously through her panic and said, “It’s nice to see you, Lewis! It’s been a long time. You look a little greyer now.” She chuckled nervously.
“Ah, that’s what 20 years of being mayor does to you!” he laughed. “Let me show you where you’ll be living.” he gestured to the cabin. Elise was thankful for the diversion and drank in the sight before her. It was a little worse for wear, but at least it seemed structurally sound.
She stared at the building, not making a sound or moving a muscle. It was strange for her to be back here after all these years- and the farmhouse hadn’t changed a bit. The reality of her living situation settling in, she found herself on the cusp of a daydream, but Lewis’s voice brought her back to reality.
“What?” Lewis questioned, looking back at her over his shoulder, “Sure, it’s a little… rustic,” he said, “but I’ve got the power working! And I’m sure you’ll be able to bother Robin to install a kitchen for you in no time!”
“Rustic?” Robin laughed, “I think you mean crusty!”
Elise snorted. Robin was kind of right. But it’s not like she had any other options right now.
“Thank you, Lewis. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Elise smiled.
Lewis led Elise and Robin inside, and at the very least, it was clean. He had clearly put in some effort to make the place look somewhat presentable before she arrived, which she appreciated. There was some basic furniture- an old couch and a coffee table, along with another small dining set near where she imagined a kitchen used to be. There was a hallway that led back to a bedroom and a bathroom along that hallway as well. The whole place had a great deal of natural light which gave the cabin an open, airy feel. She sort of felt like she was in a storybook. If she was honest, the inside looked a hell of a lot better than the outside.
“Well, here it is. Nothing fancy, but it’ll do the job. I guess I’ll be heading out now so you can get settled in,” Lewis said, “But you should definitely take some time to make your rounds and meet the residents. They’re all eager to meet you! And I’m sure you have some old friends to say hello to as well.” he said.
“So I’ve heard,” Elise responded, feeling the fire in the pit of her stomach grow stronger. “I’ll be sure to make the rounds tomorrow.”
“Oh! Before I forget!” he announced, pulling a small bag out of his jacket pocket, “here’s a welcoming gift for our new farmer: parsnip seeds. Figured you might need some help getting started. Well, I’ll be off now. Have a great night and welcome back to town, Elise.” he smiled as he placed the packet of seeds in her hand, tipped his hat, and walked out the door.
The door clicked shut, and before an awkward silence could settle, Robin turned quickly to Elise.
“Elise, would you like to join my family for dinner?” Robin asked, “Seeing as you don’t have a stove yet, and you’ve been traveling all day! You must be starving. Plus, I’m sure Maru and Sebastian will be happy to see you.”
Elise felt a twinge of- panic? Excitement? The last time she saw them, she was 15 years old. Sebastian was one of her best friends in the Valley when she was a kid. They hung out every summer until The Incident, and she just stopped coming back. She wondered how he’d changed since then. She wondered if she was even ready to face him again.
“Oh, that’s alright,” Elise said quickly, “I think I’d like to stay in and get settled. Besides, I’d hate to trouble you, and I’m not really that-”
As if on cue, her stomach rumbled loudly, cutting her off. She grinned sheepishly. Robin quirked an eyebrow.
“I’m not taking no for an answer. We’d love to have you, please, I insist!” She smiled, patting Elise’s arm.
“Well, if you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble…”
“Nonsense! You’re a resident of Pelican Town now, and we take care of each other.”
Elise smiled at the thought. Taking care of each other. For so long she had taken care of others, she wasn’t sure how to be taken care of. She spent her entire life putting herself, her wants, her needs, her ambitions second. It was the thing about her that got her into the most trouble. She usually got away with it- except that one time- and it comforted her to know that her suffering meant someone else didn’t have to (at least she thought it comforted her). She tried to put her thoughts away for the time being and followed Robin out the door and through a path on the north end of her farm. Before she knew it, Elise was heading toward Robin’s house.
“Here we are,” Robin said, gesturing openly to her house, “hasn’t changed much since last you were here.”
Elise opened her mouth to reply, but before she could get anything out, she noticed a tall, lanky figure in all black walking toward the house.
“Hey, Mom, we aren’t having mushroom casserole tonight are we? Cause I don’t think I can-” when he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks.
“Hey, Seb,” Elise said sheepishly. “Long time no see, huh?”
“Wait, Elise? What the fuck?” Elise honestly couldn’t tell if he was actually happy to see her or not. The look on his face was pure shock.
“Sebby, language!” Robin said, then shook her head, chuckling. “Seems like you two have some catching up to do. I’ll call you for dinner in a bit.” and with that, Robin headed inside, leaving Elise and Sebastian alone outside.
A moment of heavy silence fell between the two.
“So, how have you been?” Elise said quietly. To be honest, she barely recognized him. His eyes were still the same soulful dark brown she remembered, but his auburn hair had been dyed black and swooped in front of his face. He was dressed in dark jeans and a black hoodie. He looked… a lot like how she felt. Lost? Sad?
“Shut up, how have YOU been? What happened?” Sebastian was staring at her in disbelief. “You just dropped off the face of the fucking Earth one day. You stopped coming back.”
“Yeah,” Elise said, unable to meet his eyes, “um, a lot happened. But I’m back. I live here now.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then, opened his mouth and said, “Out of all the places you could live, you chose Pelican Town?”
Elise nodded. “I just had to get away,” she said. “I thought, where was the last place I was truly happy? And so I came back here. I want that back.” it all came out before her brain-to-mouth filter could catch up. Shit. She hadn’t wanted to get into that. “Plus, I couldn’t say no to the free housing.” she joked, trying to get away from her unexpected vulnerability and flashing him a quick smile. She hoped he’d just let it go. She forced herself to meet his eyes, and found him staring at her.
“You look different. I mean, uh, grown up. No, uh, you just- you look good.” A blush covered his cheeks as he rubbed his neck.
“Heh, thanks, Seb. You look good too.”
“Uh, Sam and Abby are gonna be psyched to see you.” he said quickly, changing the subject.
Sam. Now it was her turn to blush. The last time she saw her blonde haired, blue eyed eccentric best friend, they were 15. Making stupid choices, pulling pranks, jamming out to their favourite music… when she thought back on the last time she was happy, truly happy, sure, she was in the Valley, but it was Sam’s face etched into her memories. Seb smirked at her knowingly.
“I see not much has changed after all.”
As if on cue, Robin poked her head out the door and called the two in for dinner. He gave Elise an “after you,” gesture and they ushered themselves inside and to the dinner table.
Dinner was surprisingly lovely for Elise. She hadn’t expected to enjoy the social aspect so much. Maru was delighted to see her and gave her a quick hug. She was a few years younger than Elise, but already was working almost full time at the clinic alongside Harvey, the town’s doctor. She seemed to have everything together.
“So Elise, what are your intentions with your grandfather’s property?” questioned Demetrius. He looked at her expectantly.
“Oh! Well, I guess my plan is to fix the place up, maybe grow some produce? I hope to eventually get a chicken coop and barn too, but I think I’m a ways off from that.” she admitted.
“Well, you know where to go when you need those buildings restored to their former glory!” Robin winked.
“I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else, Robin.” Elise smiled. She couldn’t believe how welcomed she felt… how at home these people made her feel, even after all these years.
“So Sebastian, what have you been up to?” Elise asked.
“Uh, I’m doing some freelance work right now as a computer programmer,” he said quietly.
“He could have a real job like Maru if he’d gone to college,” Demetrius scoffed, “instead he’s living in our basement spending all his time just surfing the web.”
Elise looked back over at Demetrius, shocked, as Robin called his name in protest. She felt the tension thicken. Shit. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. Maru looked away, clearly uncomfortable, and Sebastian gave Demetrius an icy stare.
“I do have a real job,” he spat, “just because I don't go to an office every day doesn’t mean I don’t work.”
Elise had definitely pushed some buttons. She looked apologetically at Seb but her attention was quickly turned back to Demetrius.
Demetrius waved away Sebastian’s comment and rolled his eyes. “Say, Elise, would you mind if I did some research in that cave on your property? I’ve been very interested in using that space for some research specimens I’ve been looking at.”
“Uh, sure, I guess-”
“Wonderful!” Demetrius cut her off. “I was thinking I’d populate the cave with fruit bats. You can collect the fruit they happen to drop, of course. I’d just be by a few times to observe them and maybe take a couple samples.”
Demetrius droned on about the research he hoped to conduct in Elise’s cave on her farm. Out of the corner of her eye, Elise could see Sebastian’s face flushed with anger. The dynamic here felt so different than it used to. She knew Demetrius and Sebastian weren’t the best of friends, clearly there was some bad blood. Obviously things had changed since she had last been here.
The rest of dinner passed by without incident. Maru excitedly passed along her contact information and offered to help Elise research the best farming tips. Demetrius shook her hand, and Robin gave her a quick hug.
“Come on Elise, I’ll walk you home,” Sebastian said, walking past his family and heading toward the door. He held the door open and motioned Elise outside.
“Oh! Sure, thanks, Seb!” Elise said, feeling a slight blush graze her cheeks. Why did she feel so awkward around him now? It never used to be like this- but she supposed that’s what 10 years away would do to any rekindled relationship. She turned back to Robin. “Thank you again so much for dinner. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
“Oh, honey, you are always welcome here!” Robin smiled. “Come back soon!”
Elise nodded gratefully and followed Seb out the door. The two walked the path through the backwoods toward Elise’s farm. While they were both seemingly fine with the silence, it was Elise that spoke first.
“I’m sorry about dinner. I didn’t realize that was going to be such a… sore spot,” she said, looking over at Seb.
“It’s cool,” he said, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. “Honestly, any conversation with Demetrius sucks these days.” He brought the cigarette to his lips and glanced over at Elise, checking for permission. When she nodded, he lit it and took a drag. “Is it weird for you? You know, to be back here.”
Elise thought for a moment. “It is and it isn’t,” she said, “Like I said, I’ve always felt at home here. Happy. I don’t know, maybe I expected things to be a little more… different? I mean, obviously I don’t know how anything or… anyone else has changed,” she said awkwardly.
“He’s the same as ever,” Seb said, stopping to look at her. “But you know, he was really different after you left the last time. He just seemed… not himself. Took him a while to bounce back, but I mean, he hasn’t changed much. He’s dating Penny now. They’ve been together for a while.”
Elise only nodded. She guessed she couldn’t be surprised at that. She always thought Penny had a crush on Sam. She also couldn’t blame him for being with someone else- after all, she was with someone else until a week ago. She did feel terrible that her leaving was so difficult for him though. “I really didn’t mean to cause any problems.”
“What the fuck happened, El?” he asked suddenly. “You just left and we never heard from you again. That sucked.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to-”
“Then why didn’t you?” His tone was more hurt than angry, but it saddened Elise all the same. She hated what she did to them. After all, they were the only people she felt were her true friends. She wanted to tell him. It had been so long, surely it didn’t matter anymore, right? But maybe it was better to keep it all in the past. After all, she was here for a fresh start, not to dig up the past.
“I had to protect him, that’s all.” she said finally.
“Protect him? Who, Sam? From what?” Seb was pushing now, and she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to let it go. She sighed.
“My mom never wanted me to make a home here. They thought it was a dead-end future.”
“Was she wrong?” Sebastian asked, looking at her with confusion.
“Of course. Because to her, there only existed one future where I make all the money and take care of her in a big fancy house with a rich fancy husband. And I almost had that, but it just… didn’t feel like me. And I couldn’t live a life where I didn’t recognize myself. That’s not what my dad or my grandpa wanted for me. I had to come back here. This was the only place I felt like I was just, exactly who I was supposed to be.”
Seb was quiet for a moment, processing her words.
“I still don’t understand what you were protecting Sam from.”
Elise took a deep breath. “The last time I was here, Sam pulled that prank at the luau. With the anchovies.”
“Right. Hilarious.” Seb said, smiling slightly.
“No. I mean, yes, but not to Lewis and the Governor. Sam was already on thin ice with Lewis because he trashed the community garden when he wiped out on his skateboard. One more strike and he would’ve done anything to kick them out.”
“Can he even do that?” Sebastian looked at her, incredulous
“Apparently- Jodi rents the house from him. So he can do whatever the fuck he wants.”
Seb nodded, it all started to click. If Sam had been caught for the anchovy prank, he would’ve effectively written his family’s eviction notice. Lewis really was an asshole- if only more people knew that, then maybe they’d elect someone new for once.
“Sam didn’t know any of this when he pulled the prank. I guess money had been tight since Kent left and Jodi was struggling, so Lewis helped them out with cheap rent. But after all the skateboarding incidents and Sam’s other pranks, Lewis was just getting frustrated. I used to hear him complaining to my grandpa all the time after they thought I’d gone to bed.”
“Okay… so get to the part about how you’re protecting him?”
Elise took a deep breath. “After he pulled the prank and the governor nearly puked in the soup, Lewis was livid, remember?” when Sebastian nodded, she continued: “Well, after he sent everyone home, he was about to head straight for Sam and Jodi, but I caught him first and told him it was me.”
Sebastian went wide eyed. “I didn’t know you did that. We all just assumed Lewis let it go and Sam got away with it.”
Elise shook her head. “I didn’t want Sam to get in trouble! And I thought his trouble would be way bigger than mine. I didn’t expect them to do what they did. Anyway, Lewis told my grandpa, who called my mom. I was confined to the farmhouse. My mom picked me up the next day, took away my phone, my computer, everything- and deleted all my contacts from the Valley. She thought it was a bad influence and got in the way of my future, and never brought me back. And honestly, I was too embarrassed to come back.”
“Why would you be embarrassed?” he questioned.
“Sam never told you?” she looked at him in disbelief. He shook his head.
“I snuck out later that night to meet him… he told me how he felt.” her voice was quivering now, and she was avoiding his eyes.
“Anyway,” she continued, “we uh, had a moment, and I fucked it up, just like I always do, and I left. And uh, my mom didn’t let me see my grandpa anymore, so I didn’t see him until right before the end. I never tried to come back because I just didn’t think anyone would want to see me, especially Sam. And I figured you guys knew about it.”
Wordlessly, Sebastian pulled Elise into a hug. He pressed her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her.
“I can’t believe he never told me any of this.” Seb said as Elise finally pulled away.
“Yeah, honestly, I really thought he would have.” she said, “You guys never had any secrets.” she smiled.
“Well, clearly I’ve got some blackmailing to do.” Seb said. Elise smacked his arm, laughing genuinely for the first time that night.
“Oh, fuck off! You don’t need any more details. Haven’t I suffered enough?” she joked.
“If I had to tell him about every conversation Abby and I ever had, I should think he could tell me about you.” he smirked. Elise felt the blush rise in her cheeks once more.
“Just like the true teenage girls you are,” she quipped.
Seb laughed- which Elise knew was a rare sound, even 10 years ago. But suddenly, his gaze softened and his laughter stopped.
“He’s been with Penny for a long time now. A couple years,” he said softly.
“Years?” Elise swallowed hard, “Wow. That’s uh, I mean, good for them.” She had no right to be upset, not really. It’s not like he was hers to claim. There was no expectation or understanding. Just poor timing.
“Are you… okay?” Seb looked as uncomfortable as she felt. “Listen, I don’t know what went down between you two last time you were here, but-”
“It doesn’t matter,” Elise said quickly, cutting him off, “I’m fine. Really. I mean, I was almost engaged, so…”
“Engaged? But, you’re not… obviously?”
“Yeah. I’m not. It just… didn’t work out.” she said softly. “So, it’s all good. I’m single, he’s not- I’m, I’m happy for him.” she said, trying her best to sound convincing.
Sebastian only nodded. He wouldn’t push further than that- and that was something she loved about him. She knew he would listen to her cry about her past failures in life, but he didn’t have to. He seemed to hear better in the silence. In what she didn’t say, and to the story that the tears in her eyes told.
A chilly night breeze blew past, and only then did Elise realize how long they’d been standing in the backwoods. Sebastian grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly before letting go. He motioned her to follow, and the two finished the walk back to her farmhouse. As they both stood on her porch, she turned back to face Sebastian again when he spoke.
“I’m glad you’re back, Elise. He will be too. And Abby, of course.” he said, with complete sincerity.
Elise smiled once more. “You know, I am too.”
“So, see you around, I guess?”
“Of course.”
Seb turned to walk back along the path to his house as Elise closed the front door.
In the fading hours of daylight, she unpacked her bag and tried to turn the old cabin into a home. She tucked herself into bed and turned out the light. While she still felt a buzz of anxiety thinking about facing Sam again, she noticed that she felt significantly lighter than she did when she arrived. Maybe it was a sign. As she finally drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t help but feel she was exactly where she was supposed to be. For so long, it felt as if she simply lived her life toeing the line and waiting for a strong gust of wind to sweep her one way or another. This time, she’d been decisive and took control, and she was ready to bounce back stronger than ever.