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Alexis concentrates on the muddied toe of her leather boot, a Picasso of dried earth and scuffed, sandpaper depressions where the darkened hide is worn so thin you can practically see her socks. She saunters along a rickety line drawn in the dirt by Sam's skateboard, clicking her heel against the other boot's toe.She repeats with her left foot.Then, her right.Left.Right.Her arms outstretch like a tightrope pole, keeping balance for every creeping inch.Eventually, her gaze returns to Jodi beside. It's easy enough for Alex to maintain the through-line of this conversation, even if she hasn't absorbed every word."… I just know Kent would have an easier time talking to the boy." Jodi hides any blasphemous thoughts behind the discrete cover of both hands, which fawn over that fiery rope of a ponytail draping her right shoulder. "He and Sam always got along better."Alex wasn't a mother, nor did she grow up in a particularly troubled household. Both her parents were around for all the trials and tribulations that follow coming of age, the blissful highs and angsty lows. Their artistic careers provided a modest upbringing, but more importantly, the kind of availability and emotional intelligence to keep Alex's dreams alive. It was a far cry from the single-parent household of a distant father called to serve his country as a soldier rather than a sanitation worker.But living in the city kept Alexis insulated from her neighbors. Now, she yearns to help them — however her talents might best be utilized."Any idea when he's supposed to come home?"Alex skews her balance to curl her upper body in Jodi's direction. Footprints meander off the skateboard trail as she shambles after her arms' leading point."Not specifically." Jodi closes her eyes. A shaky breath of spiced summer air rocks her core. "His deployment is supposed to end next year, but we don't know when."The duo keeps along the riverbank until kicked-up clouds of dirt give way to a trickle of paving stone, grayed with age and ware from the caravans of farm animals brought into town for various festivals. Alex was visiting Marnie's place to ask about the prospects of buying a second calf for the newly furbished Kevin Farm barn when she ran into Jodi, who looks no less queasy after 15 minutes of venting."Well…"The farmer trails off as she plants her boot into the grooves of a brick near the front of 1 Willow Lane.An old ship's wheel above the door provides the impression that its residents are guiding their destinies from the helm of a stable vessel. Yet Jodi wrinkles her maroon blouse in a mannerism far removed from the captain's table.Nearby, Sam shreds in a tight circle beneath the shade of a maple tree whose roots upend the rotting wood fence around Pelican Town's sewer entrance. His confidence shines through, despite each "glorious movement" barely disturbing the loose denim jacket.Sam attempts to push in his weight and kick off the course Fiddlehead grip tape to flip his nigh-stationary board. He immediately fumbles this ollie. The skateboard lands on an awkward corner of the plywood some 200-degrees into its rotation, so Sam's sneaker practically cracks the body when he lands one foot near the nose-end truck. Its wheels whir freely, buzzing the air as he stumbles a few lumbering steps from the ride; Sam is lucky to escape without falling flat on his face.He reaches the end of his momentum, and the immature boy looks dazed at the disparate spots between where he first landed and where he ended up. The calculus behind his glazed eyes may as well sound like a computer that's 10 years too old for its animation software.Then, he jerks both fists high into the air."Woo!" He screams to an audience of blasé fish. His stance is a brick wall.Sam's mother covers her face with a one-handed visor.Alex picks up her thought as Sam limps to his board: "… I'm sure he'll figure out his life sooner or later. Lord knows it took me forever to land on 'farmer,' and this is easily the happiest I've ever been."She drifts her gaze from juvenile to matriarch so she can caress Jodi's arm. Her other hand pulls apart the waist coat of her brown shacket, and keeps it open by hooking a thumb into her jeans pocket."And I'm sure having a cool mom looking out helps way more than you'd think."Jodi's face lives in smiling wrinkles as she meets Alexis' eyes."You really think so?""'Course I do!" She leans in, bright blue earrings dangling beneath her pixie cut. "Would I lie to you, Jodes?"The mother giggles, brushing out her ponytail. "Thank you, Alex. I always appreciate your open ear.""Anytime!"Alex shivers as Jodi's fingers curl around her hand, pinning it tightly against Jodi's arm."I'll have to send you my family's fried calamari recipe." Her head tilts sweetly."Oh!" Alex brightens, her chompers catching the summer sun. "That one from the cooking contest in Zuzu City?"Jodi nods, swaying. "Won my third year running.""That's great! I'd love to—"Her words run straight into the slam of a door. Chattering birds scatter as Alex, Jodi, and Sam all gravitate toward the neighboring 2 Willow Lane with a start.Haley stands cross-armed in the doorway, her gravitas ringing with a nearby trashcan lid shaken by her boisterous entrance. Her right leg sways beneath her favorite pink skirt, pivoting just above a silver chain anklet. Her very presence commands silence, a silence punctured only by the wind.Then, it's punctured twice over by a shrill voice."Hey, you!" Haley juts her chin toward the duo. "Farm girl!"Alex darts a glance to Jodi before she cracks a toothy grin."I think duty calls."Jodi scoffs. "Good luck with that one…"She pats Alex's shoulder, and then makes for home with a whistle and flourishing hand to call Sam inside.Alex and Sam offer one another the bare minimum of a soft-spoken greeting as their paths cross. The young skater is still rubbing a sore spot on his leg while awkwardly clutching the board in his armpit.Barbie waits at the foot of her Dream House."How might I be of assistance, Hales?"Her suave demeanor shatters the moment Haley grabs her by the sun-kissed arm. Haley looks like a delicate thing from the outside, but her grip is enough to leave grooved indentations of nails painted pastel blue and pink.That glare is twice as deadly."This is your fault," Haley sneers. "So, you're going to come and fix it."Alex barely gets a word in edgewise before the aggressive interlocutor drags her into the house. Haley barely reacts as Alex stumbles over the threshold, assaulting the elongated wood-panel flooring with a clatter of heavy boots.The farmer was invited to 2 Willow Lane once before, but turned down the offer. Something in the way Emily prefaced their conversation with the promise that "our destinies are intertwined" following some bizarre dream left Alex less-than enthused about spending the afternoon alone in her private residence. So, as Haley leaves Alex's arm to the bite of cutting nails and the buzz of an electrifying touch, Alex closes the door with a meandering speed that's perfect for getting her bearings.This house is uniquely split in twine, with four rooms of about equal size divided between two pointed roofs; one could easily imagine a branch in the timeline where the single-unit home is a duplex condominium instead. Passing the visage of Yoba above the entryway brings visitors into a combined foyer and living room, wherein they must be careful not to immediately trip over an ottoman that's cramped uncomfortably close to their door. Alex feels more claustrophobic in this space than she did on her crew's first day in Pelican Town, trying to cut across the overgrown jungle of weeds, boulders, and felled logs around the farmhouse. Here, the encroachment is much less natural: lined bookcases, various kinds of potted ferns, and cluttered desks fill every wall.It would take a decade for archaeologists to dig through all the artifacts scattered haphazardly across suburban sprawl. A bonsai with a perm cranes its neck beside the bubbly, semi-translucent plastic shell of a desktop computer from a more romantic age. Ancient religious manuscripts lie dormant on the third shelf of a bookcase near the entrance to Haley's room ("No Emilys Allowed" is petulantly scrawled on a whiteboard affixed to the door). Each cracked spine carves out a canyon, the very names of each author changed from loving use. Dictionaries and encyclopedias are bookended by bronze statuettes, which are divided replicas of a piece that Alex recognizes from the promotional materials of a famous museum some three oceans away. An oak-framed standing picture of Emily, Haley, and their parents is set one shelf below, and appears to be taken in the same city judging by that monument of arching, interlocking steel in the background. The very rug upon which Alex stands looks to be more finely woven than anything carried by Joja Home & Dining. Its pattern is reminiscent of what Pam described as her favorite desert outpost during one blackout night at the saloon.Each clay tablet, shadowboxed piece of jewelry, and other sundries are marked with a little flag. These appear to coincide with matching flags pinned all over a globe that serves as the main draw to a meticulously carved drawer at the far end of the room. Heaps of postcards, alongside crackly, folded maps and destination guides outnumber Emily and Haleys' combined lifetimes.The only pieces that stand out take up a small, central section of the nearby coffee table, which is lined by a semi-circle of abandoned textbooks and a dozen overflow mugs decorated with recognizable cityscapes. Alex kneels to look at a single issue of FAD magazine beside a rough-cut piece of velvet cloth, trapped beneath an amethyst paperweight.It appears Barbie and Skipper haven't had time — or are too afraid — to redecorate any more of the Dream House toward their dreams.A throat impatiently clears across the house. Alex feels Haley's baby blues haunting her from the eastern wing. She flashes her teeth through the slim transitional walkway until Haley rolls the gaze and moves into her kitchen.Alex springs up to follow, careful not to knock any mugs over with her shacket as she swings around the table. Her boots leap from rug seas of red reeds to purple whirlpools, and she slinks beneath a hanging wicker basket of philodendron; the farmer emerges into a roomier living space with an open floor plan. Emily's room is sequestered behind a redbrick fireplace with a gothic masonry pattern, clearly delineated by a horseshoe wreath of hazel twigs and amethyst chunks nailed to the door. The older sister's maker space sits in an alcove right of the hall, its psychedelic carpet separated by a century-old sewing machine and cubbies full of spooled cloth. Ahead is the checkerboard floor of a modest kitchen stocked with a dozen cultures' culinary tools all basking in the limelight of trashy TV from a flickering CRT.She slows her approach seeing Haley's bubblegum skirt flap past the open door of a vintage Speedwell refrigerator. What Alex wouldn't give for just one taste…A girl's got needs."I'd vote that bitch off in a heartbeat. But I'd hit it first, tho." The reality show confessional concurs in a muffling buzz.For now, she has to pull herself together with a flick of her shirt lapels.As the farmer struts from clomping wood to plinking marble, the smell of mildewed pages gives way to sage and quinoa. Alex enjoys a front-row seat to Haley rising. Her plastic legs articulate smoothly until straight up. Her calves are taut, stretched by the point of her teal platform heels. Her golden hair bursts in a flurry of ringlets as she flips it back over her shoulder.It's enough to distract Alexis from Haley's one-two turn and shove. Her arms clamp around a vaseline glass jar in her gut.The jar is surprisingly heavy, and sloshes as Alex brings its contents into the light. A handful of complete, shriveled artichoke hearts swim through radioactive green, swirling in a sea of flaked-off vegetable skins and spherical spices as the jar turns until a familiar label crests into view:
Kevin's Special Pickled Artichokes
"You'll be coming back for more"
[Product of Kevin Farm — Pelican Town, Stardew Valley]
[Use by Summer 22, 20XX]
Turning it ever-so slightly again reveals Haley with her arms crossed, refracted small and pallid green as an artichoke masks her face like some kind of operatic spirit."I can't get this open." Haley's delivery is sharp and indignant like a child who, frankly, would rather skip the veggies in favor of dessert. "You're the one who made it. So, fix it."Alex raises both hands defensively to the sky, creating a tidal wave in the mason jar that breaks with a mighty "blorp.""Alright, alright. But just so you know, I'd be happy to help regardless of my personal culpability."The farmer tucks the jar of pickles into her arm, gripped by the waffle pattern of her brown overshirt. She can't help but notice Haley's eyes meander as Alex flexes. That puts a grin on her face."Glad to know you're a fan of Kevin's Special, by the way."Haley scoffs, and then flicks a bale of hair behind her shoulder."You lot flooded Pierre's place. It's hard not to buy one of your things these days…"The blonde draws particular attention to a twirling lock of hair. She rustles her opal necklace and a frayed silver bracelet on that wrist in equal measure, meanwhile her free arm hangs limp over the frilled fabric cascading down her top."… Plus, Em likes to support local businesses.""Mmm."Rouge cheeks give Alex the impression it isn't just Emily, but she won't prod for now. She knows better than to break her favorite dolls.Alex firmly grasps the lid. In one quick executing motion, the jar pops like a head.Haley looks incensed, hair standing on edge as she stomps her platform heel on the creaking tile."Don't get such a big head!" She snatches the jar back from her neighbor's Cheshire grin. "I clearly loosened it for you.""'Course you did, Hales."Alex lets a snicker trail as Haley aggressively slides the jar onto their kitchen counter, pushing aside a handful of recipe cards and antique ceramic bowls.As Haley turns toward the intruder, lower back against the countertop and hands gripping its slate tile from behind, her pelagic eyes pierce straight through. Nails click-clack against the underside of the counter in a rising scale."Well." Haley sucks on her tongue with pursed lips. "I figured it would take you a lot longer, so I didn't really have any other plans." Her eyes wander, and her jaw grinds. She sighs. "… What do you think I should do today?""Hm."Alexis' gaze travels the living space again, this time latching onto different things. Foreign postcards and artifacts fall into the backdrop as she hones in on the available activities. She spies the sewing machine — clearly Emily's. A string of Polaroid photos weigh down an arching thread of fishing wire near the kitchen window, itself decorated with a sill full of crystals. Each image depicts Willy's shop in the background of a beachy scene at different seasons. Far off in the corner sits an easel, one with an unused canvas already leaning against its closest leg."How about watercolor painting?"She cautiously defers to the persnickety princess, whose ongoing drumming against the counter underscores the creaking bones of this old house echoing in from the main foyer."Hmm…" Haley closes her eyes, and then grins. The top row of bright, pearly whites shine out against her dolled-up ruby lipstick. "That's a pretty good idea, actually!"That creaking caps off with a shut door.Emily lobs her saloon-stained apron onto the sewing table as she joins Haley and Alex, much to her sister's surprise. Her cheeks are fuller, though about as off-pale tan, and she smells of rose."Yes!" Emily's rasp scratches at the walls as she laughs. She flaunts her collared red sundress with a triumphant pose, hands on her hips. "You must join us for some painting, Alex!""Wh- Us?!" Haley's surprise curdles into a snarl as she moves off the counter. "What are you doing here, Em? Gus' place hasn't even opened yet!""He only needed me for some prep-work, my next shift isn't until Friday." Emily leans in; blue hair falls in perfectly framed bangs as she meets her sister's sneering teeth with a bright smile that wrinkles her purple peepers. "Thought I'd spend some time with my sister — whom I love so! — and surprise of all surprises, the spirits have blessed us with an extra special guest.""You're always butting in, Em! Ugh." Haley stomps her foot and rolls her eyes in the way only a baby sister can to her doting sibling."Hush. C'mon, you'll feel better once we get a brush in your hand. We've talked about channeling that negative energy!"Alex keeps her laughter stifled with a checkmark hand.No way she was going to blow the promise of an evening in the Dream House.