"I'll give it a try," Robin said, taking the fork Ron offered. She cut off a piece of fish—then paused before even tasting it. "This is definitely Linus's method."
She laughed and popped the bite into her mouth.
Though the carpenter's shop was a fair distance from Linus's tent, Robin considered him a sort-of neighbor.
She'd wanted to get along with him—but Linus kept everyone in town at arm's length, leaving no room for friendship.
"This tastes great," Robin said. "Just like the smell I always catch when passing his camp."
She handed her sandwich to Ron. "Here, try mine. Nothing special—but not bad either."
Cooking wasn't Robin's strong suit, but sandwiches were simple: slice the ingredients, layer them, add sauce.
"Alright, thanks." Ron glanced around and sat down beside her.
For the first time in days, he relaxed. The spring breeze rustled through the grass.
Robin took a deep breath and smiled. "Farm life isn't so bad, is it? At least the air's cleaner than in Zuzu City."
"Yeah," Ron nodded, memories of his past life flashing through his mind—endless school, soul-crushing office jobs, days blurring together. He'd rarely had time to enjoy life… mostly just stayed home, playing games for comfort.
Robin didn't press further. She simply lay back on the grass.
"No matter what—Stardew Valley will always welcome you back. Even if you can't adjust and have to return to the city… whenever you're tired, whenever you want to come home, we'll be here."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. This is your home."
—
After lunch, Robin returned to work. Ron spent the afternoon chopping wood with Geodude, then headed to the beach to fish. He sold his haul before the fish shop closed, then made his way to the Stardrop Saloon.
The saloon was packed. Glasses clinked as Ron pushed open the door.
A stout, curly-haired woman sat beside Clint, clinking mugs with him.
At the counter, a blue-haired girl in a red dress wiped glasses, glancing at the woman. "Pam, take care of yourself. Don't make Penny drag you home again."
Pam grunted. "What choice do I have? If I had anything useful to do, I wouldn't drown my sorrows here! This is Joja's punishment—I can't fight fate."
Clint, hearing this, quickly looked up. "I'll walk her home, Emily."
"That's not the point," Emily huffed, stamping her foot. But since both Pam and Clint were Gus's regulars, she couldn't openly scold them to drink less. Under Gus's watchful eye, she turned back to her glasses.
Seeing that Emily was angry, Clint awkwardly looked away.
"Hmph! Wait till you're my age—you'll see fate's already written!" Pam slammed back another swig of beer. "No one escapes Joja's script!"
She remembered Clint mentioning the new farmer and slurred, "And you—watch, that city boy thinks he'll live happily in this town, but he's just another poor soul roasting fish over a campfire, barely scraping by!"
Clint, distracted by Emily's cold shoulder, just mumbled in agreement.
"At least he's trying to live," Emily said, her back to the door as she stacked glasses. She sighed. "Honestly—"
She'd meant to say more—but bit her tongue. Everyone knew how Pam treated her daughter: verbal abuse, occasional violence, and worst of all—stealing every coin Penny earned tutoring in town to fund her drinking.
Penny had been saving for a Poké Ball to catch the Clefable that followed her… but she could never scrape together 5,000G.
Emily sighed again.
"Three servings of spaghetti," Ron said, tapping the counter. He glanced at Pam, still slumped over her beer.
"Coming right up," Emily said, not recognizing his voice. She turned—and froze. "You're… the new farmer?"
"Yeah," Ron nodded. "I'm Ron."
At the sound of his name, Pam lifted her bleary head. "So young…" she muttered, then collapsed onto the table. "Nothing ever changes… fate's already set."
Just then, a girl in a yellow dress crept in timidly. She pinched her nose in disgust, then gently lifted Pam up.
"I'm sorry… about my mom," Penny said, offering Ron an awkward smile. "She doesn't mean it—she's just drunk."
Ron shook his head—and watched as a pink Pokémon floated in through the door. It used Psychic, gently lifting Pam under Penny's grateful gaze. Together, girl and Pokémon carried Pam away.
Ron scanned it with his Pokédex.
[Clefable]
[Fairy Pokémon]
[The Evolved form of Clefairy. Sightings are rarer than Clefairy itself.]
[Status: Wild]
Ron was surprised—it wasn't Penny's Pokémon, but a wild one.
He turned to Emily. "Her? That's Penny. Clefable's been with her since she was little—back then it was just a Clefairy, then it evolved." Emily's expression softened. "She's been doing odd jobs forever… saving up to catch it someday."
But that money never stayed saved. It always became another 400G mug of beer at the saloon.
Ron watched Penny's retreating figure, thoughtful.
"Your spaghetti's ready!" Emily called from the kitchen, bringing out three steaming plates. "To go?"
"Yeah," Ron said.
She packed them up and handed them over.
"Oh—and don't take Pam's words to heart. Your farm will get better. I believe in you," she added with a warm smile.
------------------------------------------------------
Double Chapters Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)