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One Heart Event
Abigail reluctantly continued to organize the seed packs in the summer heat, bored but unable to venture outside the air-conditioned shop, especially since she sunburned easily. She brushed purple hair out of her eyes as she leaned over to squint at a forgotten seed packet in the back of the shelves, picking up the delicate blue plastic with two careful fingers.It was unlabelled, “Maybe Dad will know what it is…?”She didn’t get a chance to ask before she heard the door open and the bell ting, standing up so fast to see who it was that she almost smacked her head against the shelf.It was Selene, coming by for her weekly grocery run. Abigail wasn’t going to lie that she hadn’t planned on talking to the isolated farmer today, but it wasn’t an unpleasant surprise. Usually Selene was odd but pleasant, dressed in high-waisted shorts, heavy workboots, a white button-up with the sleeves rolled up, and suspenders in various colors that complimented her violet hair and lavender eyes.However, said farmer looked distinctly tired and upset, frowning, missing her usual suspenders.“Hey, you’re late! Thought my best customer might miss her favorite time of the week!” Pierre’s voice was a little strained as he tried to be jovial. Selene looked arguably more upset by that, beginning to sign something before giving up and just going over to the aisles, gathering up what she wanted to buy.Abigail would admit to not knowing the farmer all that well, but she approached carefully, speaking softer than Pierre’s forced joy, “Hey, is everything alright? Did you get a bad harvest or something?”Purple eyes met her own, and Selene frowned, beginning to sign something before realizing that Abigail didn’t know what she was saying, looking even further disheartened, as if that was even possible. It reminded Abigail of a kicked puppy. “Hey, no! Keep trying. I want to see… I want to at least try to communicate with you. It sucks when nobody tries to understand.”Selene blinked a moment before beginning to sign, though not the usual sign language she used. It was like she was making it more understandable. A sleeping motion, then waking up with a start. The number nine. A symbol of milking a cow, then shaking her head. It took the occultist a moment before she put it all together, “You woke up at nine, tried to milk your cow, and nothing happened? You didn’t get any milk?” Selene nodded a confirmation, then continued, pointing at her watch, tugging a little on her fishing pole, then opening her bag to reveal only her tools and some trash at the bottom, “Went fishing and didn’t get anything?” Another disheartened nod.“Wow, that bites. I hope you have a better day than you’ve had so far. But, um, hey… Do you know what these are? I don’t recognize the package?” Abigail held out the seed pack, and watched as Selene’s eyes went very wide. Selene dug in her pocket and pulled out a large handful of Aurum, gesturing frantically for the seed packet, “You… Want it? Why?” Another handful of Aurum came out, “Okay, okay! Take it, I suppose. Why is it so important?” Selene took the packet and carefully tucked it in a side pocket to her backpack before dropping the coinage into Abigail’s hand. She signed out something further, bought her food, and left in a rush, puzzling both Pierre and his daughter.She didn’t think about it much until later that afternoon, when she looked up basic sign on the library computers and learned that Selene had signed “thank you”. Upon that, she counted how much had been given to her, and was stunned to find that the farmer had paid her a thousand Aurum for that old blue seed package. She wondered what was so important.She would later look back on that being the day that sparked her interest in Selene Solace. It wasn’t until late that she would know how important schedule was to Selene, or what Ancient Fruit were, or how much fishing made up of her income. She didn’t know now. But she would.
Two Heart Event
“That new farmer, Farmer Solace’s grandkid… She’s a little odd one, ain’t she?” Leah asked Elliott as the two sat with their shoes off, soaking their feet in the river on the summer day. Leah had a popsicle, Elliott just had a fervent wish that he hadn’t worn his wool waistcoat today.“Her name’s Selene. Selene Solace,” He murmured idly, squinting out across the river, “And sure, she has her quirks, but so do all of us, Miss Goat-Cheese-On-Ice-Cream.”Leah rolled her eyes and frowned, “I mean moreso than the rest of us, Elliott. She’s been here a a year and a half and she hasn’t said a word to anyone. Robin and Pierre says that she just points to what she wants to buy to purchase it, and Mayor Lewis says he just finds an inordinate amount of stuff in the sell-box at the end of the day, with no comment on any of it. Luckily over in Zuzu there’s always a place for it, but he finds it odd. Where did she get cactus flowers?”“Probably from the desert, after the bus was mysteriously fixed last fall,” He pointed out, “Besides, of course she points. She’s nonverbal.”Leah threw up one hand, the motion jerking the other and dripping popsicle on her top, “Ah! Yes! That explains everything.”“It does,” Elliott insisted, “Selene is nonverbal, and so speaks with sign language. But nobody in this town speaks sign language, and so she points and doesn’t bother anymore.”Leah turned that over in her head, “Why doesn’t she write? Or get a translator?”“It would take twice the time to write out what she wants as opposed to signing it, and translators are more expensive. Besides, she lives alone and only comes out to buy things,” And talk with Abigail and I, “so why would she pay for something she doesn’t use?”“That’s another thing. She’s so isolated. I don’t think she’s made a single friend.”“I’m her friend. So is Abigail. She’s teaching us sign language.”Leah was about to say something more before there were hoofbeats behind them, and they turned to see Selene, on her horse (who dressed their horse in a sailor cap?). She hopped off and lead her horse over to the river, letting it drink. Elliott saw that even the workaholic farmer was affected by the heat, almost sweating through her white button-up.“Hello Selene. What’s been happening around the farm?” Elliott did his best to sign the words that he knew. On “farm”, Selene reached over and tapped his right hand as opposed to his left, “Ah, right, I should be using my nondominant hand for that.”“Good. Harvest.” There were a couple of signs he didn’t recognize, then, “Cow, milk! Black chicken. I love black chicken. N-O-C-T-U-R-N-E.”Unfortunately, their communication almost always ended in Elliott trying to figure out what sign he was missing, “So you hatched a black chicken named Nocturne, your cow finally gave you milk, and… What did you harvest? I don’t know that sign.”Selene put on her thinking-face, which really just meant that her eyebrows furrowed a little and she frowned slightly, which Elliott thought for months meant she was mad. Then she snapped her fingers and dug in her oversized backpack, pulling out a jar of jam dated last season. He popped open the top and sniffed, “Blueberries?”She nodded excitedly and refused to take the jar back, “You touched. Take.”“That’s very generous of you.”For some reason, Selene shook her head, then turned to Leah, who had been watching with a look of vague puzzlement the whole time. Selene pointed, then dug out a small gift wrapped in string, labeled with a supplier from Zuzu City, holding it out to Leah with both hands the way she always did with gifts. Leah slowly took the package, and opened up the string on the top, her eyes widening as she saw the contents, “Is this… Goat cheese from the most expensive grocer in town? How?”Selene pointed out across the way, where the Roma merchant always set up shop on Fridays and Sundays. Elliott nodded, “That makes sense, I sometimes get Tom Kha soup from her. How did you know Leah likes goat cheese?” Selene made a silent laugh, and pointed to Elliott. He blinked, “I suppose I did mention that, didn’t I?”Selene smiled and stood up, brushing off her high-waisted shorts, and tugged on her horse’s reigns. She waved goodbye, signed out that she needed to stop by Pierre’s, and hopped up on Pikachu in one fluid motion before trotting away. Elliott smiled and waved after her before turning to look at Leah, “See? All you have to do is try to speak her language.”
Three Heart Event
Abigail hesitated before she took a breath and entered Elliott’s cabin. He didn’t seem to notice as she entered, occupied with something on a paper, jolting up as she softly spoke, “Elliott?”“Hm? Oh, Abigail! What brings you here?”Abigail shuffled a little, “I was wondering if you’d seen Selene. We were going to meet today so she could show me something she brought out of the mines, but she’s late, and nobody except Marlon has seen her, he said she was headed into the mines.”“The mines?” Elliott echoed, frowning and glancing off to the side, “What business does a farmer have there?”“She brings up minerals, artifacts for Gunther, and monster parts that she needs for the farm,” Abigail explained, “I thought maybe she just came over here and lost track of time, which would also be out of character for her-”“She does love her schedule.”“-but I’m worried something happened in the mines.”Elloitt stood and straightened out his cuff, “You have me convinced, let’s go.”No words were exchanged as the two made the trek across town to the mines. Pikachu sat outside, nibbling on some grass in his little sailor cap. Abigail absently patted his side as she looked at the entrance to the mines, “Well. At least we know she was here.”Was. Neither of them elaborated upon that as they entered slowly.They spotted her immediately. She was collapsed on the floor of the top level, a blood trail leading from the elevator to where she lay. Her breathing was rough and labored, and her pickaxe was grasped tightly in her hand. Both the townspeople stared in horror for a moment before the spell broke and they rushed over.“We have to get her to Harvey, do you know how to ride a horse Abigail-”“Not with another person...” Elliott swore under his breath as he saw the blood soaked into Selene’s white shirt, before Abigail got an idea and went digging in Selene’s red backpack. She shuffled through a pile of bat wings, shuddered as she brushed up against some slime, was that an amethyst? It seemed to take a million years before she found what she was looking for, a red and pink glass bottle that smelled strongly of mushrooms as she pulled it out and uncorked it.“What’s that supposed to do?” Elliott asked, baffled.“Selene swears by it, gave me one when I told her I wanted to be an adventurer, she says they cure wounds. If it doesn’t work, no foul, but if she’s carrying one then she’s probably used them before. She may have passed out before getting a chance to use it if she got overwhelmed,” Abigail explained as she tilted Selene’s head back and put the lip of the bottle to her open mouth, pouring slowly. Selene reflexively swallowed, thank heavens, and within ten minutes the potion was gone.Immediately her breathing improved, and several of the smaller scratches and bruises closed up and faded along her face and arms. Her eyes fluttered open, purple as Abigail’s hair, and she gave a soft, dopey smile at the other two, like she was trying to reassure them even as they let out sighs of relief.There was no anger as the two lead her to Pikachu and guided the horse slowly to the clinic, where Harvey fixed up the slash marks that the potion hadn’t healed. There, Selene signed out that she had been overwhelmed by a shadow brute and a few bats, and had gotten away but not fast enough. It was late when Abigail and Elliott left her to her hospital bed to rest for the night, late enough that they spotted Pikachu faithfully trotting back to the farm. Abigail would be yelled at by her parents, Elliott would never get the blood out of his waistcoat, but it wouldn’t be the last time that the two would help Selene out of a scrape.
Four Heart Event
Abigail glanced around the fair once more. When she was younger, the Stardew Valley fair was a time for fun and bonding with the community, and showing the outsiders the valley’s worth. She had thought it related to showing people that it was a fun place so they could maybe move here. Now she understood that it was a method of improving the (not fantastic) industry in the area, and that kind of dampened the charm of the whole event.She’d already played all the games, it’s not like there were any rides to go on, and she could only eat so many burgers (though they were very good). Caroline wouldn’t let her sneak back into the shop, and the judging wouldn’t be done on the displays for a while now, so she was just bored, wondering if she should’ve put on sunscreen.She didn’t really know what she was looking for until she saw her, Selene coming out of the bus stop area with a full backpack and her hands empty for once. Her shirt was ironed, and her shorts were a little nicer than usual, today her suspenders were pink, purple, and blue (which, in retrospect, Abigail should’ve seen as a sign). She really had thrown on her best for the fair.Abigail wove her way through the small crowd to where Selene was interacting with Mayor Lewis. Lewis was being kind, as usual, though Selene was signing and he clearly didn’t understand, “Wonderful, Selene! Go on and set up your display, can’t have my judgment influenced!”Selene turned away, and her face lit up as she saw Abigail standing there, “Hi! Have plants and animal products. Find a nice shell on the beach, saved. I am going to win!” The last word was signed with particular emphasis, and Abigail found herself smiling as well. Pierre had been talking for days about how this was going to finally be the year he won, but Abigail knew the farmer had been saving up products for just as many weeks as her father had, and she had a feeling on which one would come out on top.“I hope you do really well! Betcha we can buy something nice from the merchant up there. I hear nobody’s ever figured out what her ‘special product’ is, the one that requires 2000 points? She doesn’t tell anyone, and most of us can’t make enough points on the games to even try.”Selene tilted her head to one side, “How many points for display?”“I hear the first place winner makes 1000 points, Dad’s gunned for it for a while.”
“Who wins?”
“Usually Marnie, but she never spends her points. I think she’s just trying to see how long she can keep it going. Wait, no, she bought a rarecrow a while ago, but nothing else.” Selene nodded and made her thinking face, the one that made her look a little unfriendly and troubled, before she brightened and began to turn. Before finishing, her attention was caught by something else just over Abigail’s shoulder, and Abigail turned to look, seeing nothing unusual there before turning back in puzzlement. Selene signed something out that she didn’t know before making a grasping motion up by her ear. Abigail mimicked the motion and grabbed a leaf that had been caught in her locks, frowning a little at the orange object, “Gosh! How long has that been there? That’s embarrassing!”Selene shrugged before smiling and turning to the display box, opening her red backpack. As she carefully arranged the products, Mayor Lewis had discreetly slipped up to Abigail and was looking at the farmer in slight puzzlement.“Let me guess, she’s an odd one?” Abigail asked dryly, mimicking the phrase she’d heard from the older people all over town.“Well, yes,” Lewis admitted, scratching the back of his head, “But her grandpa was too. Never really spoke much but at least he spoke, I suppose. He never mentioned that his granddaughter was mute.”“Maybe it happened later on, maybe it just didn’t matter to him. I never asked Selene why she’s nonverbal, but of course everyone has come to me with their ideas on the matter since I make an effort to connect to her.”“Me as well,” A familiar voice came from behind them, and the two startled to see Elliott standing there, “Though I eventually worked up the courage to ask. Writer’s curiosity, you know?”“Do enlighten us, Elliott!” Mayor Lewis requested cheerfully. Abigail rolled her eyes, gossipmongers, every one of them, but even she had to admit that the farmer that spoke with her hands and eyes had been a bit of an adventure to her.“You’d best ask her yourself, either one of you,” Elliott said respectfully, “She told me in confidence and I will not break that. Just know that if you ask, she may answer. It’s nothing shameful, just not something she likes to have to explain too often.”“That sounds like the definition of something shameful!” Abigail protested.“No,” He retorted, “That implies that she’s ashamed by being nonverbal. She’s not ashamed. Just annoyed when she needs to divulge the reasons why to everyone she comes across, like JojaCorp had her doing when she worked there. As far as she’s concerned, if nobody asks, then nobody cares, and she can carry on with her life.”The mayor and the occultist thought about that for a moment, “...Actually, that makes a lot of sense,” Mayor Lewis admitted, “I hear that Joja has some serious policies about the disclosure of disability and the pay rate of those who are disabled, so it wouldn’t surprise me that she doesn’t like to relive that period.”“That’s dumb,” Abigail frowned, “Oh, she’s coming back over.”Selene approached, and signed out something to Mayor Lewis that caused both the others to burst out laughing.“What did she say?”“She says not to touch her products, because she worked hard on them and if you touch them, then she can’t take them back,” Abigail said through chuckles.“Why can’t she-”“You should do the judging, our esteemed leader,” Elliott said kindly.“Ah, right, yes, the judging!” He walked over and began examining the products on the display stands.The three looked at each other and smiled for a long moment before Selene began to sign, “I’m proud of my cheese. Tried it on a-” a sign that neither of them knew, “-and it was really good. I can make goat cheese now! L-E-A-H will be happy.” The two noticed that when around Selene more, interpreting her expressions and sign more, the sentences began to flow better, and knowing context gave past and future tenses to sentences where there were none before. It was fascinating, in Abigail’s opinion.“What did you try it on?” Elliott asked, a little confused. Realization dawned as Selene fingerspelled that it was a quesadilla, absently watching Mayor Lewis’ behavior at her stand. Sure enough, he didn’t touch, only scrutinized them more closely to make up for it. The three watched in silence for a moment.“I need to go after this. It’s too loud.” Then, “I don’t think he knows what to do.”“What do you mean?” Abigail asked.
“With me.”
Before either of them could process that quickly enough to ask Selene to elaborate tactfully, Lewis came back over to declare the judging done. Pierre about bowled over Caroline trying to get there, and Abigail watched as he left fuming with third place. Selene was in line next, and scrambled off to collect her grange display with her 1000 Points Ticket in her hands. The other two watched as she went over to the betting wheel, appeared to win, and came over to the merchant, exchanging her tickets for the small wooden box that always sat in the back of the prize tent.“I wonder if she’ll show us what it is?” Abigail asked quietly, no longer thinking of the sun or going back inside as Selene quickly left the fair, like she was getting away with something.“I suppose there’s only one way to find out,” Elliott hummed, “You’ll have to ask.
Five Heart Event
Elliott woke up on Spirit’s Eve with a mission. Selene had made her daily stops by his house, but had always had some excuse to leave before the conversation got too involved, as though she knew Elliott was about to be asking questions she didn’t want to answer.Today, however, there was no visit, just a festival to prepare for and a costume to don. He knew he’d be safe going into town, because Selene never entered town when a festival was being prepared. Why, he wasn’t sure (though he could hazard a guess), but for now he was counting his blessings as he prepared to track down Abigail for their plan.He met Abigail helping set up the food displays with Gus, “You got the stuff?” She asked excitedly, almost abandoning her post if not for the large bowl of salad she was holding.Elliott nodded, unwrapping the package that he’d wheedled the Roma merchant into obtaining for him, “Absolutely.”Abigail gawped at the contents, “How much did you pay for that!?”“Don’t even ask, let’s just say I’m extremely fortunate that she and my mother were old friends from college and I got a discount.”Abigail nodded, apparently knowing Pierre’s habit of dropping or increasing prices for people he liked (or didn’t) as she put the salad down. She knelt down and dug in her backpack, pulling out a bundle of cloth, “I got my part, though I owe Emily a week as a mannequin and three hundred Aurum for sewing it all,” She called over her shoulder, “Hey, Gus, have you got the rest of this covered? I’ve got some plans for tonight!”Gus chuckled amicably from a couple tables over, “Sure thing, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”“Don’t make me ask my mom about how 47 spice berries ended up in the Luau soup fifteen years ago!” Abigail jokingly threatened. Gus raised his hands in acquiescence and continued setting out dishes.Elliott waited somewhat impatiently as they started back towards the General Store. Abigail giggled, “I’m excited for this! I hope Selene likes it. She mentioned once that Spirit’s Eve was her favorite time of year.” They made their way into the back room, and Abigail handed Elliott’s costume to him as she stopped him at her door, “I’ll go in and dress, then you do, okay? And no snooping!”He chuckled and waited for her to go in before leaning against the door, thinking, “So, did you finally ask her all those questions?”The shuffle of fabric from the other side of the oak paused for a moment, “...Yeah, yeah, I did. I met her over by the bus stop. It doesn’t change my opinion of her, knowing she’s autistic. It just...” Abigail struggled to find a way to express it.“...Makes things make more sense?” Elliott offered.“Yeah! Definitely, definitely. I mean, we don’t really have anyone in the valley like her. It must be isolating.”“But less so, because she’s got us,” Elliott offered, remembering his puzzled reaction to the farmer intruding upon his self-imposed solitude.“Oh yeah!” Abigail’s voice jumped in enthusiasm as she appeared to finish, stepping out of her room. Her normal clothing was gone, replaced with a medium-length black dress and a black witch’s hat with gold pumpkin accents. Black tights with gold shimmer and high boots completed the look, all of it working nicely with her hair. She reached up to adjust the hat to sit at an angle, “I’m gonna go grab the pumpkins I painted while you change real quick, you know Selene will be there at ten exactly and it’s already nine forty-five!”Elliott smiled in amusement as he moved into her room. He didn’t snoop, merely looking over the gaming systems and a shelf full of amethyst and quartz for a moment before returning to the task at hand. When he stepped out, clothing stashed in a box under her bed to be returned later, he was in the clothes of an autumn Fae, strings of fake leaves sewed onto his pants that ran the color gradient from fire red to sunshine yellow. He was shirtless save a shoulderplate made of more leaves and flowers, with a crown of autumn berries and oak twigs. While Abigail’s costume of the Pumpkin Witch was based on contrasting colors, Elliott’s was based on analogous ones. The whole idea was come up with by Abigail, designed by Leah, craft materials retrieved by Elliott, and sewed by Emily, and now it was time to see it come to fruition.Abigail handed him his own pumpkin, carved with intricate leaf patterns, her own painted black with gold inked swirls that seemed to move as he looked at them. Moving his gaze away, the two looked at each other and nodded before starting outside.They lingered near the road that lead to the bus stop as everyone filtered in over the next few minutes, waiting patiently for their final friend. Sure enough, they heard the clop of hooves and turned to see Selene hopping off Pikachu, patting the horse’s side. When lilac eyes landed on the costumed duo, Selene’s expression turned from confusion to recognition to absolute joy as she ran up to them. “You look great! Both of you!”“You do as well,” Elliott smiled. Selene looked completely different from the other two in a knee-length tulle dress, with feathery wings and a halo, all of them white. They certainly all made an odd image, a Fae, a witch, and an angel, though Elliott thought there was something poetic in that discord. Poetic in discord, I should use that line someday…He was snapped out of his revere by Abigail snapping painted nails in front of his face, “Earth to Elliott! We’ve got food to eat and a maze to finish! I hear the wizard made it.”“I hear that every year,” He rolled his eyes, “I still don’t believe he’s a wizard.”“He is,” Selene signed solemnly, “I’ve seen it!”“See? Selene knows what she’s talking about!” Abigail laughed and grabbed Elliott’s hand, but not Selene’s, and began pulling him to the buffet table. Selene followed along merrily.The next half hour of gluttony revealed several important things to the people watcher in Elliott; mostly, both Abigail and Selene loved to eat. However, Selene was extremely picky about what she would and wouldn’t eat, while Abigail had no hated foods but plenty of preferences. Selene would never eat off the same plate as Abigail, which the other girl respected, but didn’t mind offering uneaten food to Abigail.He cradled a flagon of pumpkin ale and considered why he was ever invited to this, he’d hesitantly call it a “group”, when the two seemed to have such a bombastic chemistry of their own, laughing over botched signs and the fact that Abigail snorted when she giggled. It was an exercise in asking why he was a part of this story. He wasn’t sure he’d ever know the answer.When the two were finished shoving enough food into their mouths to put a starving demon lord of Gluttony to shame, Selene wandered over to the display Marlon had set up. For a moment, Selene seemed to forget that Marlon didn’t speak Ferngull Sign Language and began to ask something about the capture method of the skeletons before realizing and putting her hands down in shame. To Elliott’s surprise as he approached on Abigail’s heels, the grizzled adventurer laughed a little, the noise like a rusty hinge, “Don’t look so down, Ms. Solace. I’ve been looking up some sign in my spare time. You were asking about the skeletons, right?”Selene brightened. The rest of the sentence took a bit of trial and error with which signs Marlon recognized (which wasn’t much, he admitted), but eventually he was able to explain the capture method that Gil and the Wizard had set up. Elliott had honestly stopped paying attention partway through, and was distracted actually looking at the skeletons, who when they noticed his attention seemed to stare at him with an inhuman intelligence that sent shivers up his spine. He thought for a moment that perhaps he could add such things into the novel before realizing that it would likely be far too difficult to crowbar in a new monster into the overall world.Maybe next time.He was saved from death by boredom by Selene’s attention finally being caught by the hedge maze, the star of the Spirit’s Eve festivals.
“What’s unique about the maze?”
“It’s said to have been created by the Wizard,” Abigail explained as they made their way over, “Every year someone says they’ve found the end, but nobody can tell you what’s actually at the end!”“Have you ever made it to the end?” Elliott asked.“Nope,” She admitted, abashed, “It always has spiders somewhere.”“You’re afraid of spiders?” Selene asked, expression one of disbelief.“It’s not like I want to be!” Abigail protested, “When I was little, the shop had a bit of a spider problem, but Dad was too cheap to get an exterminator until I burst open an egg sac that had been in a pile of clothes in my hamper. Tiny spiders EVERYWHERE. I slept in Mom’s bed for a week! Every time I try to like them, I remember the tiny legs...” She shuddered.Selene patted her on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, we’ll guard you from any spiders!”“Our lovely Selene is right, no need to be afraid when we’re here. We’ll get to the end of the maze, spiders or no.”Abigail seemed to be comforted at that as they came to the opening of the maze. As they stepped inside, the darkness seemed to close in around them, the plant walls muffling outside sound for some reason. They passed by the twitching hands rising up from the ground with relative ease despite the grasping for their ankles, played a little with the staticky television at the end of one of the areas, and made it past the fountain.Sure enough, spiders. Abigail shuddered in horror again and tried to draw back, only for Selene to offer her hand. Abigail stared at it in puzzlement for a moment before the farmer started to sign, “Do you trust us?”It was a big question for such a seemingly carefree night, and Elliott didn’t blame her for pausing to think about the answer, but when it came out it was strong and resolved, “Yes,” And Selene seemed to let out a breath even she didn’t realize she was holding.
Take my hand and close your eyes. I’ll lead you through. Elliott will walk behind so they can’t come up behind.”
“What if they crawl up my legs?”
"Then we’ll deal. You said you trust us. Let us help you.”
She considered that for a moment before giving a smile, a much calmer and softer one than it usually was, before taking Selene’s hand, “...Okay. Lead the way.”As the three shuffled through the spider room without incident, Elliott looked up at the cliff above the hedge maze and spotted the purple hair and Stetson of the recluse on the outskirts of town (Elliott refused to call him the wizard), gazing down upon the maze with an inscrutable look. He was quickly hidden by another bush as they reached the end of the spider room.“We’re at the end, you can look now,” Elliott established, to which Abigail opened her eyes with a smile.“Wow, can’t believe I didn’t think of that before. Guess everyone was too focused on getting to the end to make sure that everyone got there,” Abigail observed with a laugh. Elliott thought there might be a lesson in there somewhere, but chose not to elaborate as they came across the gravestones set up in the playground area (though he had to wonder where the equipment went). Selene gasped in happiness and scrambled over to them, hopping up on top of one of the stone monoliths and perching like a particularly pearly white gargoyle. After a moment she turned and waved up at the two standing up on the ridge above.It was then that Abigail noticed them, and she gasped happily as well and waved enthusiastically, “Hey! Rasmodius! Is it true that you created the maze?” Linus apparently decided that he wasn’t going to be involved in this conversation and suddenly became very absorbed in examining one of the many threadbare patches on his shirt.The man gave what might have been a smile and nodded, “The elementals enjoy seeing you all up close. It was no difficulty.”Selene asked if something in particular was there, using a sign that Elliott didn’t know that involved twitching a finger at the crown of her head and the sign for harvest, to which Rasmodius shook his head.“The ones you speak of are not present in any capacity outside the norm. It is not their night. Try midsummer.”Selene seemed to be satisfied with that answer and hopped off the gravestone, waving goodbye before grabbing both Elliott and Abigail’s hands and starting to lead them somewhere deeper into the maze. Finally they came across a dead end with no way forwards.“Is that it?” Abigail asked in disappointment, and Elliott couldn’t say he was denying a same feeling of anticlimax.Selene giggled playfully and threw herself into the set of bushes to their left. To their utter surprise, there was no sound of contact with the bushes, but she vanished through as simply as though she had passed behind a curtain. Abigail immediately dived in after, though Elliott was slower, and when they came out on the other side, they were in a small tunnel lit only by the bright purple glow of the ring around Selene’s finger.“Oh,” They spoke at the same time, realizing why nobody ever made it to the end. Selene gestured them forwards and lead the way, slowly and surely. It couldn’t have been more than a hundred feet, but it felt like longer in the musty darkness, and Elliott was relieved to come out into the night air on the other side.Abigail looked down at her feet and yelped, doing a little hopping dance for a second. Selene laughed again and stepped forwards onto the ground which Elliott realized was soft, like a thick fabric, and covered in blinking red eyes. There was a red and gold chest on a stone pedestal in the middle, and the grinning farmer gestured the other two over again. Hesitantly, they discovered that the floor wasn’t dangerous, just kind of odd, and approached the chest.“This is not normally my favorite thing to do during Spirit’s Eve,” Elliott admitted softly as they each put a hand on the chest to open it together, “But it’s definitely… It’s been fun, is what I’m attempting to express.”“I had fun too, I’m glad you guys helped me make it past the spiders,” Abigail said, smile once more that calmer, more trusting one.Selene just nodded before raising her left hand to count down. On three, the trio lifted the lid of the chest to claim their prize.Or, prizes, as it turned out. Selene was apparently just as surprised as everyone else, eyes widened, as she looked upon three flawless golden pumpkins. As the lid of the chest hit the back of it, Selene signed out, “Last time, there was one.”“Maybe it’s because we all made it to the end together?” Elliott suggested.“I don’t know how that works,” Abigail said with a shrug as she knelt down to grab one, “But I definitely don’t mind!” As she bent down, Selene turned to where the ridge was and gave a thumbs up in the general direction of Rasmodius and Linus before turning back quickly.The three left with their plunder, taking the same solution to the spiders, and realized it had gotten surprisingly late, time seemed to warp within the maze. Selene seemed about to leave when Elliott held up a hand, “Wait,” Selene looked confused and Abigail gasped in excitement, “Selene, would you mind coming down to the bus stop with us? This is a bit of a private encounter.” The farmer seemed confused but nodded, starting towards the slightly wooded area of the bus stop.The three stood under a streetlight, and Abigail pulled out the wax package from a pocket in her dress, handing it to Selene, “We wanted to say thank you, for teaching us Ferngull Sign Language, and getting us amethyst and duck feathers all the time… So we got you something too. We kind of guessed at what you might like, uh, so sorry if it doesn’t really work well-” Abigail babbled nervously as Selene opened the package.Selene gasped in surprise as she realized what she was looking at, tears welling in her eyes. She brought out each item individually, holding them up to the light as though to assure herself that they were real: a slightly bruised and undersized purple mushroom, the color of both the women’s hair and smelling of burning ozone; a package of Ancient Fruit seeds, the blue plastic worn from light damage on one corner but otherwise pristine; and, finally, a stone the size of a grapefruit that was streaked with a bright rainbow on the inside that seemed to shift and squirm within its crystalline prison. Selene lifted the Prismatic Shard to the streetlight and watched the colors writhe before looking back at the other two with an expression of absolute wonder before tears started to streak down her cheeks.Elliott was worried it wasn’t right for a moment before Selene smiled so hard her cheeks had to have hurt, even through her tears. Reverently, she placed the crystal back in the package and bundled it all back up. She sniffled and wiped her eyes on her tulle sleeve before signing out a very shaky “thank you” to the other two. She seemed to try to sign out something more, but it was shaky and unrecognizable, before her face lit up bright pink and red and she took off running to her farm, leaving them at the bus stop.Moments of silence passed between the two like maple syrup out of a jar, before it was broken by Abigail, “I… I think we did really well.”“I think we chose excellently. She’ll come to us when she wants to talk,” Elliott said firmly, “Won’t your parents be expecting you soon?”She laughed a little, “I’m past curfew, but it’s a festival night, they don’t care as long as I’m back before midnight.”“In that case, would you like to go indulge in some of Gus’ excellent pumpkin ale?”Abigail laughed and took Elliott’s arm as he offered, “I’d say that sounds like a great plan.”
Six Heart Event
A week later, Elliott woke up bundled up in a half a dozen blankets to combat the cold of his cabin. Even the beach was covered in a soft layer of frost as the winter was swinging into full force. He blearily stared at the white-frosted window by his bed, musing something terribly poetic about the lady of winter breathing upon the glass that he would definitely forget about by the time he had his morning coffee and turned on his brain for the day ahead.Twenty minutes later he was in two layers of clothes and a long wool coat, sipping his coffee and staring out at the waves from the window in front of his house, musing over the combat sequence he was stuck on. Writer’s block was always a shame, and it always seemed to hit in the most boring time of year. A flash of purple met his vision, and he saw Selene dart by the window before a moment passed. He was about to open the door for her when a small envelope was shoved under the crack of the door and the purple passed by again.He’d never seen Selene run. This must be vital.As such, he took a step to the side and leaned down, taking the letter to his writing desk to open it with the bird letter opener sitting nearby. The paper was normal, but the ink was purple as he read the letter. It was an invitation, to Selene’s that night at four pm, with the information that she was going to show him and Abigail the farm like they’d been requesting for a while now. He didn’t deny excitement at the prospect, and it was a good excuse to not mull over the writer’s block any more than he already had.He spent the next few hours getting ready, and honestly spent too much time picking out his tie and a gift, eventually settling on a royal blue and a flawless rainbow shell he’d found at the beach recently. At three thirty, he set off on the trip across town, bundled in amber and royal blue winter gear as he walked and with his gift in a knapsack.He met Selene and Abigail under the same streetlight that they had given Selene her gifts underneath, Abigail wrapped up just as much as he was and Selene somewhat less so. Selene immediately set off for the farmland when they met up, signing about her last week.
“I would have invited you earlier, but I had to set up the farm for winter and clear out the last few levels of the mines, so I’d have enough free time to arrange my schedule so I could have some free time open not on festival days.”
“I love that you have a schedule. I just wing it,” Abigail admitted.
“It’s like writing an outline for a story! I just know generally what each day and time is for, not specific instances. It really bothers me when I get off schedule though.”
A lightbulb almost visibly went off above Abigail’s head, “Is that why you were so upset when you woke up late?”Selene frowned and nodded quickly as they made it onto the farmland. There were three plateaus on the land and a winding river, which Elliott supposed must’ve been why nobody tried to develop it before Selene came back; besides ownership issues, it seemed like it would be a nightmare to design for. There was a copse of trees on the nearest plaeau’s besides the one the house sat on, and what looked like nothing on the far one, thought it was difficult to see with the whole place covered in snow and ice. Down below there was the chicken coop and the barn, with the hay silos. Beside them was an empty space. The area with the house was the most interesting though; Elliott expected there to be nothing growing, but instead there were a bunch of green shoots in the ground in carefully hoed squares, and a large greenhouse on the far side.“I thought nothing grew in the winter?”Selene’s expression lit up, “They’re a special kind of winter seeds! I got them from a friend. I’m testing them out to see how they go!”“Fascinating,” He mumbled, tucking that away for further reference. Meanwhile, Abigail had ambled over to the greenhouse, and the other two quickly followed.Stepping inside was a paradise of green. It had the meticulous organization Selene was almost notorious for in how the plants were organized, but they all seemed to be arranged to save the most space. Elliott counted four fruit trees, blueberries, cranberries, and two rows of a plant with curling tendrils in the back that he didn’t recognize.Selene walked over to one of the trees and scrambled up it like a monkey, grabbing something from within. She emerged with a pomegranate in her hand, which explained a lot, and handed it to Elliott with a bright smile.“This is, as always, a lovely gift!”“Where’s my gift?” Abigail teased, and Selene held up a hand before walking over to a chest near the door, which was also sitting next to a keg. She rifled around inside for a moment before delicately handing something pale yellow to Abigail, which the other girl took cautiously, “Holy cow… Is that a pufferfish? How did you get this!?”
"The ocean in the summer! They fight you, but it’s worth it!”
“I really love this, Selene!” Abigail looked like she was about to hug Selene for a second before backing off, “Wait… I know you don’t really like being touched, but, can I hug you?”Selene looked touched and signed, “You two are exceptions. I trust you.” Abigail laughed and went to hug the slightly smaller farmer, and when they separated, Selene made a motion to Elliott as well. He hesitated, not normally preferring such close contact, but upon thinking about it, he didn’t feel the same inclination to refuse when offered. The ensuing hug was brief but genuine, Selene smelling like plants and feather down.Their next stop was the barn and chicken coop, where they met the cow Creamsicle, the goat Omniscience, the sheep Silkworm, and the pig Theo. Elliott was a little dismayed when Omniscience began chewing on his sleeve, but Selene was so mortified he couldn’t stay mad, especially when they entered the coop. There were two chickens, a duck, and a rabbit, which Elliott didn’t even know could be kept in chicken coops.Abigail laughed as she leaned down to look at the chicken that was a little larger than the others, and coal black with a red comb and a smattering of red feathers over its cheeks. It clucked a little, “Oh, is this sweetheart Nocturne?”Selene nodded and pointed to the others, signing out that the other chicken was named Waffle, the duck was Pistachio, and the rabbit was Charm. Waffle marched up, gave Elliott and extremely unimpressed look, and pecked firmly at his ankle before going over and wiping her beak on Selene’s pants. Selene pressed her lips together, “Waffle is a jerk who only likes me, sorry.”As if to make up for it, Pistachio came up and hopped up on Elliott’s boots before looking up at him expectantly. Slowly, he leaned down and picked up the duck, upon which it nibbled on his lapel, “It’s a sign of affection, sorry about your clothes.”“Oh, it’s quite alright,” It really wasn’t, if he was being honest, but he didn’t want to make Selene feel bad, “Most of them seem like sweethearts.”Selene shooed all the animals off of them and they progressed into the well-lit farmhouse as the winter night truly began to set in. Everyone’s fingers were numb and they were shivering by the end, but all three were in good spirits as they entered the house. There was minimal, well-organized furniture in the house, with the catalog sitting up on the upper story. A bubbling pot sat on the stove and a massive three-tiered cake was up on the counter, and in a moment Elliott was struck with the scent of Tom Kha soup.“How did you get the recipe to that in the valley?” He asked, mouth watering, he’d been searching for one worth a toss for years now.
“There’s a shop lady in the desert, SANDY. She gave it to me!”
“You’ll have to give it to me, it smells delightful,” He chuckled.“Is it ready?” Abigail asked as Selene went over to stir the pot. The farmer laughed and shrugged before tasting the soup, considering it for a moment before grabbing a couple more herbs off the nearby spice rack and adding them.
“Five more minutes!”
The two watched and chattered as Selene moved through the kitchen, setting the table and retrieving drinks. Elliott looked around, noticing that the house seemed strangely quiet and empty for someone as full of life as Selene. There was even an alcove off to the side that wasn’t filled with anything except a sparsely filled bookshelf and a single comfortable chair.Five minutes exactly passed before Selene placed the soup pot on top of the potholders on the table, dipping a ladle in and retrieving a loaf of bread from the breadbox to go with. The soup was above average, though Selene seemed to be disappointed in how it turned out.“I’ve had better soups than this. I always try my best, but not following a recipe means some things turn out better than others.” Selene stirred her soup a little and frowned slightly before dipping the bread in.“You’re such a perfectionist, hun, don’t worry too much about it,” Abigail encouraged, not seeming to realize the pet name.“Abigail is right, not everything is going to be the same every time. Inconsistency and imperfection mean the world changes, for better and for worse.”Selene paused before smiling, “You’re right. Both of you. I shouldn’t be so hard on my cooking. In the city I basically ate noodles and fast food. This is much better.”“I did the same thing,” Elliott nodded sagely.“I’ve always lived in the valley,” Abigail added, “My dad got the shop from his father, who had run it in conjunction with Willy’s uncle. But my dad and Willy had a falling out, so they split into two separate stores, with Willy converting his seashack into one.”“I wasn’t aware of that,” Elliott hummed. It made sense, though. Selene nodded in silent agreement, “Did you ever meet your grandfather?”She shook her head, Triforce earrings jingling slightly with the movement, “Nope. Apparently he didn’t approve of my mom’s ‘wild nature’ growing up. He though my dad should’ve married Jodi, but everyone knew she only had eyes for Kent.”“There’s a lot of dynamics in this village that I never expected. It’s like one big messed up family,” Selene observed.Abigail shrugged a little, “There’s not much space for anyone to move in around here, unless someone wanted to start developing the forest area, but I think most of the forest is a nature reserve or something?” She scratched her head, “What I’m trying to say is that everyone has been here for about two generations at least, except you,” She gestured with her spoon to Elliott, accidentally flicking a line of broth down the table, “-and Leah. So we all know each other.”
“Even Gunther?”
“You know, I don’t think any of us truly know where Gunther came from,” Elliott mused, thinking of all the times he’d tried to ask him and had turned up with nothing.“Maybe he’s an alien,” Abigail deadpanned before cracking a grin. Selene giggled, and Elliott found himself laughing as well.
“Or a Fae!”
“He’s a demon, bound only to the library, unable to be released from his contract until he’s established the entire collection!” Elliott held up his spoon dramatically, causing both women to burst into peals of laughter.“That’s it, the mystery is solved, everyone go home,” Abigail brushed tears from her eyes.“Realtalk though, I think he just lives above the library in the loft. There’s an attic space, and a small ladder in the southeast corner,” Selene established when her hands stopped shaking from laughter long enough to sign. With that, she stood up and retrieved the cake from the table and a large knife, and cut herself off a piece, “Have some when you’re finished!”“Oh my gosh, I love cake,” Abigail groaned, leaving her half-finished soup to grab a piece. Elliott took longer, finishing his soup before grabbing a small piece.The cake was divine, everyone concluded, even the perfectionist Selene. Elliott almost regretted finishing his soup, since it meant he was full after a piece. Abigail seemed to have a bottomless stomach, with two large pieces, which Selene teased her about as she ate.Elliott glanced out the window and was alarmed to see a heavy snowfall. Wordlessly, he got up and checked outside; everything was covered in a field of freezing cotton. There was no way he could make it home in this. Selene came and joined him, a hand on his shoulder as she looked over with a frown.Abigail had looked up too when the two returned to the table, and Selene began to sign, “It’s not going to stop soon. You two should stay for the night.”“The shop is nearby,” Abigail argued.“The pathways through town become very slick when it snows,” Elliott argued, worried himself.
“I don’t want either of you getting hurt. We should call your parents just to make sure, but I don’t want you guys out in this. Besides, we can hang out some more and watch movies. It’ll be fine, you can both go back in the morning after the townspeople have cleared off the paths.”
Abigail wavered but eventually gave in, “Alright. You have a phone?”Selene nodded and lead her over to the landline before returning to the kitchen to give her privacy. She sat down heavily at the table and looked outside at the snow, expression turning distant and contemplative.“What does snow mean to you?” He asked softly.The farmer blinked at him before raising both hands for a single motion, “Danger.”“Because of the cold?”Her movements were jerky as opposed to fluid, and it was clear that her mind was very far away, leaving the valley and flowing to the city where she came from, “Buses don’t run in the snow. Not enough PTO. Could be injured. Could be fired. Can’t be free.”Elliott understood in an instant, and the wordsmith struggled to find a response, “You’re not there anymore. You’re here. In the valley. With us,” He stressed the last word, “Both of us.”Selene’s eyes came back a little and she gave a tired smile as Abigail returned to the room, “Both of you.”“Dad says I can stay, but I’m due home immediately when Pam clears out the bus stop path around nine am,” She declared. Her eyes traced the space between Elliott and Selene as if she understood that something had happened, but didn’t press as she sat back down.“I have a new anime I haven’t gotten to watch. Do you guys want to do that?” She suggested after a moment.“Which one is it? Maybe I’ve seen it with Sebastian,” Abigail asked as she filled her cup with more sweet tea.“Obsidian Valet, season three.”“Oh, I’ve seen season one. I wanted to see season two, but Seb said it was garbage.”Selene nodded as she got up and retrieved the disc, “It was, this one is a reboot instead of a continuation...”The three piled up on the couch, Elliott on the left, Abigail on the right, Selene sandwiched in the middle, covered in a comforter with the fireplace on, the house warm against the chill of the outside. They fell asleep like that, bundled up against each other, and despite the crick he knew he would wake up with, Elliott curled a little bit closer to breathe in the scent of plants and feather down. As he drifted off, he thought he knew what he was going to have his main character and his love interest do to show they loved each other.
Seven Heart Event
Abigail crept slowly into the kitchen. It was the middle of the night at Selene’s house, two weeks after her first stay, and the sleepovers had been happening more and more lately. None of them could seem to stop themselves from all falling asleep in a quiet pile on the couch; Selene had even switched out her couch for a bigger one to facilitate such things. The lights were mostly off, save a single lamp in a corner of the living room, but the illumination from the television provided just enough light to get by.Painted nails carefully opened the fridge, and with precision and as little noise as she could manage, Abigail poured herself a glass of milk and sat down at the table, watching the bundle of cloth and limbs over on the couch. Something in her chest clenched hard at the sight, and the thought that in the morning she would go home, she would leave this, hurt like hell and back.She wondered if Elliott felt the same way. She wondered when her feelings for Selene had shifted from friendship to what she realized in an instant must be love. She wondered if it was even right to feel that way for another girl.How could it be wrong? There was nothing different except that they were both women, and honestly sometimes Abigail thought she barely counted. Her father might have a conniption, her mother might be disappointed that she wouldn’t get any grandchildren.Abigail realized that she didn’t really care.Her eyes swept over the image in front of her. Selene, hair mussed, suspenders undone and draped over the back of the couch, curled up half on Elliott’s chest. Elliott, with one arm wrapped around her, snoring louder than usual. The two were the picture of adorable, and Abigail wanted to savor it for as long as she could.She thought of the Little Mermaid, weirdly enough, the sad version. The one where the mermaid threw herself into the ocean instead of ruin another’s love.She didn’t want to make Selene choose her. Well, that was a lie, she completely wanted Selene to choose her. However, Selene clearly loved Elliott; their embrace wasn’t one of simple friends, and Abigail wasn’t a part of it (even if she had woken up on the other side, one arm tucked up underneath Selene and her head rested on the back of the farmer’s neck). She wanted it to be that if she was chosen, it was by Selene’s own choice instead of any outside pressure from Abigail.Abigail sighed and finished up her milk, she’d never get back to sleep now. So instead she quietly slipped her shoes on and headed outside, scribbling a note in pen to leave on the table.The remnants of snow crunched underneath her as she made her way down the farmland, south to the forest, to the area around the wizard’s tower. It’s where she always went to mope, and if she was honest with herself, she was definitely moping a little.She thought as she leaned against the rocks, of Selene. She thought of living there, and going down into the mines with her, and playing video games together. Perhaps she’d finally be able to beat Selene at Oiram Carts, or help her with harvest, or be able to pet the animals whenever she wanted.And while she was wishing, she wanted a pony. She snorted a little at the thought.“You’re troubled.”She almost jumped out of her skin at the deep voice to her right, a swear ringing out into the night sky as she startled. The wizard took a step back and bowed his head in apology.“Deeply sorry. I was merely out collecting a very particular flower when I saw you. Usually you’re around during the daytime. It must have deeply troubled you to come around here now.”Abigail sighed as her heartrate went down, one hand pressed to her chest. She didn’t figure it was really worth it to lie to someone who was rumored to be able to kill with a wave of his hand. Still, a moment of hesitation caught in her throat before she nodded, “Wizard-”“Rasmodius, please.”“Sorry, Rasmodius, were you ever in love?”The question seemed to startle him, and he blinked owlishly at her, “In a fashion, yes. So it’s a matter of the heart?”“I guess. I really love this girl, but I’m worried that she loves another man, and-”“It’s the farmer Selene, isn’t it?”Abigail’s cheeks burned, “H-Hey! You can’t just assume that!”The wizard sighed, “I have seen this, and so, luckily, I have some advice for you.”“Y-You do?” It was her turn to blink owlishly.“Selene Serendipity Solace is not a normal person. She captures the heart of every human she meets without realizing it, life flourishes under her hands, and even the secret spirits of the forest chirp to her like no other. Normalcy is a factor in her life in the same way that it is in yours: something to be acknowledged, regarded, and disregarded all in turn. Why would the same principle not apply to her romance as well? Look beyond the normal that you have been taught, and at the end you will see the answer your hearts both seek.”With that, he left with a bright flash. Abigail blinked the stars from her eyes and stared for a moment. She decided that maybe it was time to go back to the farmhouse and stop talking to wizards in Stetson hats.She chewed over the words over breakfast that day as Selene and Elliott chatted amicably. She chewed over them the entire next afternoon as she walked home through the melting snow. It wasn’t until she was in her room, sketching an elf woman, that she paused as the full meaning of his words hit her.“Wait… ‘Both’ seek?”
8 Heart Event
The sixth of Spring was the day that would change Abigail and Elliott’s lives forever, for the better. It was time for another sleepover, but Selene seemed preoccupied the entire time as she cooked up crabcakes and blackberry cobbler. When they finished the meal, Selene gestured for quiet with her shaking hands, and both the others were at rapt attention.“I am a very selfish person,” She began. The others wanted to protest this, but something about her quietly serious attitude stopped them. They didn’t feel it was right to interrupt, “And I understand if neither of you want to see me after today.” Her hands shook, and she placed her head in them for a moment at the thought before taking a deep breath and raising it again to look them both in the eyes with determination, “I love you.” Before that could process, she continued, “Both of you.” The first word was signed with particular emphasis, almost jabbing one hand into the other, “And I don’t want to choose.”Selene reached into her bag and pulled out two bouquets from Pierre’s shop, laying them in front of the other two before beginning to sign again, “So please. Would you both be mine?” Silence reigned in the kitchen for several seconds.It was broken by giggling.Both the others looked over at Abigail, who was trying in vain to hold back her laughter.“Abigail, this is serious!” Elliott hissed quietly.“So am I!” She burst into laughter, no longer able to hold it back, “Oh my gosh! This whole time I was so- I was so worried- Worried I was third wheeling you and Elliott!”The other two processed that for a second before Selene started chuckling as well, followed by Elliott cracking a grin, and within a couple of minutes everyone was in tears of relieved laughter at everything being out in the open.When the relief died down, Elliott coughed and straightened his ascot, “Well, let me be the first to say that I accept this, thank you. I didn’t know you felt the same.”“Same here,” Abigail nodded, “Though, how does this work… Logistically?”
“Well, I’d make efforts to spend time with you both. Dating but doubled, basically. And sometimes we’ll all three spend time together.”
“Does this mean that we have to date each other too…?” Abigail made a pointing motion between her and Elliott.Selene laughed and shook her head, “Not unless you want to. Just me. And you two can date someone else if you feel like it! I’d just like to be your primary girlfriend.”Both others paused for a moment before Elliott nodded, “I believe that makes sense, Selene. What… Are the townspeople going to say?”“Who cares?” Abigail demanded, “I’m dating an awesome farmer monster hunter and you’re dating a graceful beautiful muse! How can any of them beat that?”“Well… I can’t really argue with that, I suppose,” He admitted with a shrug.
“We can even get married, if this goes far enough. Mayor Lewis says nobody has invoked polygamy laws in decades, but they are still on the books!”
“That’s a delightful idea, should we decide we’re ready for it, you truly do think of everything,” Elliott said fondly. Selene blushed.“I can’t decide which of you to kiss first, so clearly you both need to do it at once, on each cheek!” She declared, crossing her arms when she was finished with a victorious grin. The other two looked at each other and shrugged, unable to argue with the logic. One kiss landed on each cheek, and she blushed even harder, even though the kisses had been her idea.The logistical conversations carried well into the night, as did the kisses, and be the end of it all they had decided on boundaries and thrown about date ideas. One date for each of them a week, and one group date a week. None of them knew how they felt about marriage yet, and so the decision was tabled, but it was okay. Selene was smothered in affection and happiness from both sides, and there was a quiet competition to see who could make her blush the hardest. By ten pm they were curled up on the couch with a green photo album.“Was that your grandfather?” Elliott pointed to a picture of a bearded man in a long overcoat, a bundle with a shock of purple hair in his arms.“He always used to have peppermints in his pockets for the kids around town,” Abigail reflected, “The whole place turned out for the funeral when he passed, even us kids.” Selene nodded in agreement as she turned the page.There were pictures of Selene from infanthood to her late teens, then a few from her early twenties, and none current. Abigail’s attention was arrested by one picture, cut from a newspaper.It was Selene, in a cubicle with a CRT monitor in front of her. There was a stack of meticulously organized paperwork on the desk and a pill bottle of Ibuprofen. She gazed up from her work at the camera with a smile that only looked tired because Abigail had known her for so long. Her hair was a mousy brown instead of purple. Front and center, facing the camera, was a small plaque: THIS EMPLOYEE DOES NOT SPEAK DUE TO AUTISM. PLEASE SEND EMAIL OR FIND ANOTHER JOJA REPRESENTATIVE FOR ASSISTANCE.The headline of the newspaper read, “JOJA DISCRIMINATION?” From what Abigail could tell, the article was about how Joja only hired disabled employees at the lowest level, in the wake of accusations of prejudice, and how the employees were often singled out.“They seriously made you keep that on your desk?” She frowned.Selene nodded sorrowfully, “I almost lost my job because I let them take that picture. And they wouldn’t let me stim while on the clock. Working there was horrible.”“That’s absurd!” Elliott declared.“I’m so glad you don’t work there anymore. You’re here, on the farm you love, doing what you love-”“-With who you love. Both of us.”Selene wiped a tear from her eye before being kissed by her datemates.This time, they fell asleep on the double bed. Everyone was kind of awkwardly tangled with one another, and Elliott’s arm was asleep within the hour from being pinned beneath Selene, but everyone happily accepted that as a price of admission. Besides, a bed could be upgraded with enough Aurum. The feeling of everyone close and in love, murmuring incoherent sweet nothings as they all dozed off, was priceless.
Nine Heart Event
Abigail swore again as she struggled with the tent frame. Every piece of it looked the same to her, and she always managed to guess wrong on what went where. Selene was fishing up dinner from the pond next to their campsite in the Secret Wood, three carp stacked beside her, glistening in the sun. It was their solo date tonight, and Abigail unfortunately wasn’t having a great time just yet. After another half hour of cussing up a storm, she finally got the green tent they’d borrowed from Jodi and Kent set up, and had dragged both sleeping bags and their clothes inside. Selene was occupied with starting the fire, a stack of wood cut from the farm sitting next to her.“I hate setting up camping,” She grumbled as she sat next to Selene.“Yes, that’s the worst part,” She concurred, “But after that it all gets better! There are some fresh blackberries around if you want, and I brought sugar if you want something to dip them in.”Abigail thought about that for a moment before her affection for blackberries won out over her irritation, “I suppose that’s an acceptable sacrifice to the great spirit of Abigail.”Selene kissed her on the lips before going back to arranging the wood within the stones that made up the firepit. Abigail’s mood lifted as she snacked, and as she watched Selene move about the campsite with that determined efficiency as twilight set in and a chill swept through the green forest. The chill was fought back with the warmth of the campfire and, soon, with the warmth of the farmer at her side.“I never thought I’d like the quiet,” Abigail murmured as she stared into the firelight. Her girlfriend (the word filled her with joy) hummed in an indication for her to go on, “Quiet always meant Dad was in the shop or counting money, or mom was out of the house. I had to have music on or I’d be alone with all the thoughts of how different I was.”Selene leaned forwards to adjust the fish roasting over the fire, before settling back and beginning to sign, words shining in the soft orange glow, “Quiet always meant I was alone.”“Exactly,” Abigail nodded. There was another minute of silence.
“You were the first.”
“First what?”
“The first person in the valley to try and read my hands.”
Abigail blinked, recalling the day in the shop that seemed a world away. With it, she remembered the mines, the fair, Spirit’s Eve. She remembered all the nights she woke up in the middle of the night at Selene’s in a pile. She remembered all the nights she woke up without Selene and Elliott, staring out her window at the night sky and wondering if they were thinking of her too.She remembered that she wasn’t in any of those places anymore.She remembered breaking the news to her parents that she was dating Selene. And that Elliott was also dating Selene. And that everyone knew. It had taken her a few days to work up the courage. Pierre was trying not to freak out, and the first question was if she was pregnant. Caroline took it a little better, but was still cautious about the arrangement until she spoke with Selene the next day. The whole town knew within a week, and while the stares were manageable while they were out on dates they still weren’t pleasant.Selene broke her from her thoughts with a nudge, pointing up at the stars and navy that marked the night sky, comets occasionally arcing through as they watched. Selene dozed off like that against Abigail after their dinner of carp as the fireflies flickered around them and the fire died.Abigail eventually stood, lowering her girlfriend carefully to the ground so she didn’t wake up, and strolled over to get a glass of water from the container they brought to douse the embers of the fire. As she turned, she sucked in a breath, eyes widening.Selene was covered in little… Gumdrop things. She could see them bouncing by the light of the moon, the size of her fist, about ten in various colors scattered over Selene’s sleeping body. Black eyes met her own, and all at once she heard them.
“Please take care of the guardian child!”
“We see your love and it is pure.”
“The trees bless your union!”
“The valley gives its thanks.”
The chirping words seemed to rouse Selene, but the ten creatures vanished in puffs of smoke before her eyes opened, leaving Abigail gawping like a fish.Her signs were sluggish and tired after she lit their electric lantern so she could be seen, “Did you say something?”“There were- Oh my gosh, little- These little gumdrop-” Abigail stumbled over her words. When she was finally able to make herself coherent and explain what she’d seen, Selene blinked before chuckling languidly.“J-U-N-I-M-O. Nice, happy forest spirits.” She made the sign for Junimo again, just like she had on Spirit’s Eve to Rasmodius, “Harmless.”“You’ve seen them before!?”“I’ll explain later. I’m tired. We should sleep.” Selene grabbed the lantern and stood, walking over to the tent. Abigail wasn’t happy with the response, but the promise of an explanation pacified her. Plus, she’d spent too long putting up that tent not to use it.She doused the fire and went over to the tent, kicking off her boots and crawling inside. Selene was already curled up in the sleeping bag, dozing off, the electric lantern throwing up soft shadows against the walls.Abigail thought she heard more chirping as she slipped into sleep beside her love.
Ten Heart Event
“Are you sure about this?” Caroline asked as she adjusted Abigail’s flower crown, made of crocus flowers, atop her head.“Mom, didn’t you say you’d support my decision no matter what?” Abigail gently scolded, tugging a little on the hem of her dress. It was black and gold, sewn by Emily for the wedding.The wedding. The idea made Abigail giggly.Elliott, next to her, put on his own crown made of summer spangles, “Oh, hush now darling, she just wants today to be perfect. Like you and I. Untainted by the thought of regret.”She rolled her eyes and brushed a stray hair off of Elliott’s shoulder, “I don’t know how today could not be perfect, Selene’s run herself ragged for a week getting it all organized. The only reason she didn’t stress about the clothes is because Emily kicked her out of her house for a few days!”“Well… Yes,” He admitted, reaching over to straighten her amethyst necklace, “She does like everything to be perfect. She’s practically roped the entire town into the whole affair.“Food from Gus, photos from Haley, music from Sam...” She ticked off her fingers, “And endless gifts from everyone else. I think Pam had more people going over to Zuzu this week than she could fit on the bus.”“Just remember that we are the best gifts of all. You can’t spend the rest of your life with a Void Egg.”“That’s one way to put it.”“Ceremony in five!” Pierre declared from the front door to the cabin, “Are you two ready?”“Sure thing, Dad!”“I’d say I’m as prepared as I’ll ever get,” Elliott turned to Abigail as they steeled themselves. “Abigail, I want you to know… I am endlessly honored to be one of those that Selene fell in love with. And I am endlessly happy that she’s found another that she loves as much as me. I bear you no ill will in this endeavor, no matter how it ends, even if I don’t love you like I love her.” She gave a shaky smile, “Hey, me too. I’m just happy she’s happy. Just stick to the boundaries we all talked about and it’ll all be okay.”“I’m glad we’re in agreement on that.”Pierre and Caroline kissed their daughter on the cheek before Pierre took her arm, and Leah took Elliott’s arm as he lacked any nearby family.They stepped out onto the sand for their wedding day.Selene stood at the other end of the beach, in front of the alter covered in flowers where Mayor Lewis stood, in suit pants, a flowy purple shirt (they’d talked her out of suspenders), and her own flower crown made of fairy roses. Alex played appropriately slow and pleasant music as the other two came up the makeshift aisle, townspeople on each side. Jas and Vincent came up with flowers and the three rings, one ring on a necklace chain before the mayor began his speech.“Many of us were born here, such as Abigail Tyrian Chandler. Some of us came here, like Elliott Alexis Reed. But few came here as though they were born, as Selene Serendipity Solace did. When she moved into her grandfather’s old farm, I was concerned he was going to roll in his grave at her possible decisions. And while I’m sure we can all agree that Selene courts normalcy with the grace of an elephant in a dishwasher-” He paused slightly to let the laughter die down, “-she has given our valley a gift that will never truly die with her spirit and determination. And so now, let the valley give her a gift of union with the people she loves… Even if we don’t always understand,” He cleared his throat, “Now. Elliott Alexis Reed, do you take Selene and Abigail to be your lawfully wedded partners?” He nodded, “And Abigail Tyrian Chandler, do you take Selene and Elliott to be your lawfully wedded partners?” She followed the motion. “And finally, Selene Serendipity Solace, do you take Abigail and Elliott to be your lawfully wedded partners?”They realized Selene was crying as she signed out “I do.”“Then I now pronounce you all partners as long as you all shall live. You may kiss however it works for you.”The newly married triad laughed at that, and the other two leaned in to kiss Selene’s tears away as Jas brought up all the rings and Vincent dumped out the entire rest of his flower basket over the alter, to much laughter. They placed the ring on the necklace over Selene’s head together, and wore their own.It was perfect.The party afterwards was raucous, and Jas and Vincent were taken home as soon as the Ancient Fruit wine was broken out. They video chatted Selene’s parents, unable to attend due to travel constraints from the war, who happily congratulated them all. The food was devoured, Haley had everyone posing for pictures for fifteen minutes straight (but nobody could deny they were fantastic pictures when they were all developed).Towards the later hours of the night, Elliott realized Abigail was talking about skeletons with Marlon, but Selene was missing. A quick search found her near the tidepools, talking with someone cloaked in shadow, someone very short, and Rasmodius.“-glad you were able to witness this union,” Rasmodius was saying as he approached.Selene brightened and waved as he joined her. The other three turned, the shadowy one startling and the shorter one bristling a little. “These are my friends! KROBUS and DWARF.”“Is ‘dwarf’ a species or a name?” He asked, a little confused.“Both,” The small creature said in a voice like rocks shattering, “Since you humans can’t pronounce my name with your stupid mouths and lack of throatrocks.” Elliott figured it was best not to ask.“They gave us presents!” Selene held up a pristine Void Egg and a stack of ten Omni-Geodes, “It was too loud for me, my sensory issues were going haywire. I’ll be over here for a while, okay?”“Oh!” He blinked, “I’m glad. I just wanted to know where you were, darling, I’ll return to the party now.” He had a lot of questions, but his wedding party wasn’t a place for any of them. Selene nodded, and he took his place as though he’d never left.Other than that strange aside, the party went fairly well, all things considered, and everyone even picked up their trash.The next day was spent moving into Selene’s house with the help of the town, as it was determined to be bigger and not with Abigail’s parents in it. As everyone piled into the now king-sized bed in nightgowns and pajamas, Selene stared at the picture on the bedside table from the wedding that seemed like it had been just minutes ago.The three, the trees behind them. Selene was in the middle, Elliott on her left and Abigail on her right. Her arms were hooked into one of theirs, her hands coming up to make a heart shape in front of her chest. Both the others clutched their Mermaid Pendants in their free hands. Everyone wore elated smiles. In the trees behind them at the edge of the beach, Selene could see a tiny purple Junimo on one branch, unnoticed when Haley took the picture.Elliott laid down in front of her, obscuring her view of the picture, and Abigail wrapped an arm around her from behind and snuggled down into her hair.Selene closed her eyes, the soft breathing of her husband and strong arms of her wife luring her to a deep sleep.Both of them were the greatest treasure in Stardew Valley, and neither of them would ever believe her when she said so.