Chapter Three

Jaina arrived at the home of the carpenter and her family just before 6:00. She had wanted to arrive earlier in order to help out with the dinner preparations, but dozed off while resting after she took full stock of the small cabin she would be calling her home. Feeling a bit awkward upon arriving, she knocked on the front door, then waited with her hands shoved into the back pockets of her jeans. As the minutes ticked by, she took a good look at the surrounding area.

The space directly in front of the building had been cleared out of all vegetation, but there were trees and bushes just beyond the edge of the property, and she could hear running water coming from somewhere nearby. Birds chirped and leaves rustled as squirrels and chipmunks scurried about, but aside from those faint noises it was quiet. She wasn't used to such quiet, and it seemed somehow oppressive to her, almost as though she was in some sort of horror movie just waiting for the killer to jump out and grab her.

Shaking the thought from her head, she turned and raised a hand to knock once more, but the door suddenly opened before she could bring it down. The person on the other side was a young woman, probably in her late teens or early twenties, with long, wavy auburn hair and a warm brown complexion. Tawny eyes widened behind her red-framed glasses as a grin broke out across her face, and before Jaina even had a chance to say hello the girl grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into the house.

"She's here!" she called out, releasing her grip in order to close the door behind them. "You were right, Dad, you did hear her knocking!"

"I told her she didn't need to worry about that," Robin remarked as she walked into the entryway, drying her hands off on a dish towel, a bit of her red hair coming loose as she shook her head in mock exasperation. "Jaina, dear, you're just in time. I was about to go pry Sebastian away from his computer, so why don't you take her into the kitchen, Maru?"

"Got it!" the girl named Maru cheerfully replied, then waved for Jaina to follow her back in the direction Robin had come from while Robin instead went down a nearby flight of stairs.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, Jaina found herself face with another unfamiliar person, this time an African-American man about Robin's age. He smiled the same friendly smile that Maru had shown her at the door, and in three long strides he was standing before her and shaking her hand.

"You must be the new farmer Robin was telling us about," he said excitedly. "I'm Demetrius, Robin's husband. You've already met our daughter, Maru, and my step-son should be along soon. Please, have a seat! I'm looking forward to hearing all about your work. I'm a scientist myself, you see, and I've been studying the plant life of the valley for the last several years."

Jaina smiled politely as he rambled, muttering a 'thank you' when he pulled a chair out for her to sit in at the table. Maru took the seat next to hers, looking just as excited to talk to her as her father, and Demetrius sat at the head of the table, leaving the two spots across from her free for Robin and Sebastian.

"I don't get why you have to pull me away now," Jaina heard a low, grumpy voice complain from the hallway. "I was working. I can eat later."

"You can take a break for thirty minutes to eat, Sebastian," came Robin's voice in reply. "Besides, we have a guest."

Robin stepped into the room, followed by a rather annoyed-looking young man with dark hair and impossibly dark blue eyes to match. He was dressed entirely in black, from his jeans to the t-shirt he had on, and even the hoop in his left ear was black, as well. He was scowling and looked like he would much rather be anywhere than his family's dining table, and that scowl only deepened when he set his eyes upon Jaina.

"Who're you?" he asked, standing behind the chair across from her, his eyes narrowing a bit as he took her in.

"So good of you to join us tonight, Sebastian," Demetrius said, some of the earlier cheer gone from his voice. "Your mother invited the new farmer from down the hill to have dinner with us tonight."

"Surely you remember her, dear?" Robin added, gently touching her son's arm before taking the seat between him and her husband. "You two used to play together every summer when she was visiting her grandpa there."

"Doesn't ring any bells," Sebastian remarked with a disinterested shrug, then pulled out his chair and sat down. He immediately grabbed the closest dish to him, but Demetrius cleared his throat loudly and he stopped and turned a cold glare in the man's direction.

"What?" he snapped.

"We haven't said grace yet," Demetrius reminded him, and Jaina could see Sebastian tightening his jaw against whatever words he wanted to throw back in response as his mother touched his arm once more and whispered something to him.

"Fine," he finally acquiesced, pulling his hands back and folding them before himself on the table. "But make it quick. I'm on a deadline."

Demetrius smiled gratefully at Robin, then folded his own hands in prayer and began to say grace.

"Great Yoba, thank you for this meal you have provided for us, that it may nourish our bodies and souls. And thank you for bringing this young woman into our lives. May she have a fruitful harvest and make many friends here in the Valley. Amen."

Everyone – save Sebastian – responded with an 'Amen,' and soon dishes and platters were being passed around the table. Jaina found her plate being piled high with various edibles by Maru, who explained the health benefits of each one in an excited sing-song voice. Demetrius, in turn, praised his daughter for her knowledge, causing Sebastian to let out an annoyed sigh and roll his eyes.

"You know an awful lot about nutrition," Jaina commented, and Maru smiled and nodded in response.

"I very much enjoy doing research with my dad, and I can use what I've learned to help me with my part-time job at the clinic in town."

"My little girl is going to be the next Alexander Flemming," Demetrius boasted. "She graduated high school at sixteen, you know."

Another groan came from Sebastian, but Demetrius didn't seem to notice, and he carried on talking about how Maru was a genius and a science whiz and had been working on building a robot from scratch all by herself. After several minutes, Jaina wanted to roll her eyes, as well, but she continued to politely smile and nod as she ate, though she was only really half paying attention.

"That reminds me, if you wouldn't mind, I was hoping I could pick your brain about the current agricultural trends."

"Hm?" Jaina muttered, her attention fully drawn back to Demetrius by the question. She found him and Maru both looking at her expectantly, and she smiled awkwardly in return.

"Well, I... I don't actually know anything about that," she admitted with an apologetic shrug. "I've lived in the city all my life until today."

"You mean you moved here from the city on purpose?" Sebastian finally spoke up, giving her a look like he thought she'd lost her mind. "Who the hell does that?"

"I had my reasons," she answered him quietly, her gaze falling down to the table.

"Each his own, I guess," Sebastian mumbled in reply before returning his attention to his food, and Jaina noticed that he'd carefully pushed the pieces of carrot to one side of his plate.

"Still don't like carrots?"

"Huh?" Sebastian raised his head and looked at her, and when she met his eyes she could see the confusion in them. The two of them stared silently at one another for a moment, until Demetrius finally broke the silence.

"Something wrong?"

"You said, 'still,'" Sebastian pointed out. "That I 'still don't like carrots.'"

"I did?"

"Oh, so you do remember Sebby!" Robin exclaimed, clapping her hands and grinning.

"I... No. I don't know why I said that," Jaina replied, finally breaking eye contact with Sebastian and looking down at her plate, a blush starting to color her cheeks.

"Do you remember, Sebby?" Robin continued excitedly, turning to her son. "I made that pot pie one time, and you two swapped veggies. You ate her peas and she ate your carrots for you."

"No, I don't remember," Sebastian quickly replied, and Maru giggled.

"Wow, I don't think I have ever seen you blush before, Sebastian. It's kind of cute."

"Shut up!" Sebastian snapped and stood up from his seat, the chair scraping nosily across the floor from his sudden movement. "Thanks for dinner. I gotta get back to work."

"Oh, come on," Robin called after him as he stalked out of the room and back down the hall. "Don't be rude to our guest."

"It's okay," Jaina assured her, shaking her head. "I'm sure he's just embarrassed because I called him out for being a picky eater."

Robin sighed and picked up the plate Sebastian had left behind, which was mostly cleaned except for the neat little pile of carrot pieces pushed off to one side.

"He's never really liked sweet things, that boy. Sometimes, I think if maybe I'd made him eat them as a child he wouldn't be such a sourpuss now."

"Has he always been like that?" Jaina asked.

"Yep," Demetrius replied, and Maru nodded in agreement.

"He really is a sweet boy," Robin jumped to her son's defense. "He's just shy and has a hard time opening up to people. Maybe now that you're here, he'll start getting better."

"Why would he change the way he acts just because I'm here?" Jaina wondered.

"You really don't remember, do you?" Robin asked, then sighed and turned toward her husband. "Maru was just a baby, but you remember don't you, Demetrius? You remember how close those kids all were."

"I do," Demetrius replied with a nod, then pointed at Jaina. "It was Sebastian, Sam, Abby, and you, right? You used to wear your hair in pigtails all the time. Always wore these cute little summer dresses, too, though they were covered in dirt more often than not."

"Sam might be Sebastian's best friend, but when you all were little, you were always at his side," Robin continued.

"I bet he loved that," Jaina said dryly, causing Robin to smile a bit.

"He acted annoyed, but I think actually he liked it. While Sam and Abby were off running around and screaming their heads off as they played, the two of you would sit together and play quietly. He'd whine and complain about having a girl hang all over him every day, but I saw how sad he was at the end of each trip when you went back home."

"Those are nice memories for you," Jaina gently interjected, "but I don't remember any of them... and I don't think he does, either. It's been twenty years since we last saw each other. We're not children any more. It would be nice if I could get him to open up, but I'm not going to hold my breath."

Robin's smile took on a sad quality and she nodded slightly. "You're right. You're both adults now, and I'm sure you've probably both grown and changed. You all have."

Jaina nodded and quietly returned to eating, occasionally participating in the conversations at the table. None of them asked her what had prompted her move to Stardew Valley, and for that she was grateful. She knew one day she'd probably have to tell someone her reasons, but for now she was content to just enjoy the warm family atmosphere and not bring them all down with sob stories about her life in the city.

Following dessert, she stretched and let out a yawn, then stood from her seat and excused herself with a polite smile. Demetrius and Maru both seemed disappointed that she was leaving so soon, but Robin assured them they would be able to pick her brain at a later time. She escorted their guest toward the front door, but once more detoured down the stairs to Sebastian's room. Jaina opened her mouth to protest, thinking the woman was going to bug her son to say good night to her, but before she could say anything Robin was already pounding on the door and calling Sebastian's name.

"What?" he growled when he opened the door just far enough to poke his head out.

"Jaina is going home, and I want you to escort her."

Jaina blinked at the request, then shook her head and hurried down the stairs to stand next to the older woman.

"No, it's fine. I can walk by myself."

"Nonsense!" Robin replied, giving her a scolding look before turning to her son once more. "You know how dark the path is, and she's new here."

"Sebastian said he was busy with work. I don't want to interrupt him."

"It's dangerous for her to go alone this time of night, Sebastian," Robin spoke over her. She stared her son down for a long while until he finally relented with a heavy sigh.

"Fine, I'll walk her home. Give me a sec."

The door closed heavily and Jaina could hear Sebastian rustling around in his room. She turned her attention to Robin and once more shook her head, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Really, he doesn't have to go to all this trouble. It's a clear night. I'm sure the moon will be more than enough to light the path."

"Might as well drop it," Sebastian remarked as he emerged from his room and closed the door firmly behind himself, giving his mother a look. "Once Mom's got her mind set on something, she's a stubborn ass about it."

"Must be where you get it from," Robin retorted with a grin, reaching up to tuck some of her son's hair behind his ear. He swatted her hand away and let out an annoyed sigh, then turned his attention to Jaina.

"Ready to go?" he asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of the hoodie he'd thrown on over his t-shirt.

"Yeah, sure," Jaina replied with a nod, averting her eyes from his intense gaze.

She thanked Robin once more for having her over for dinner, then followed Sebastian outside. Once the door had shut behind them she let out a deep sigh and opened her mouth to apologize to him for having been made to walk her home, but her words died on her lips as she looked up into the night sky.

"Woah..." she breathed in awe, causing Sebastian to turn toward her.

"Hm?"

"There's so many stars out tonight..."

"It's always like that," he replied with a disinterested shrug.

"Yeah, I know, but... Living in the city, you don't actually get to see them like this. Damn, it's beautiful."

Sebastian scoffed a little at the childlike wonder in her voice and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shaking his head.

"If you're so enamored with the stars, you'll get along with Maru just fine," he muttered around the cigarette between his lips before lighting it and taking a long drag.

"You smoke?" Jaina asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously," Sebastian answered her question after blowing out the smoke he'd just inhaled. "Why? You want one?"

Jaina shook her head as he offered the pack to her and shoved her hands into her pockets. "Never touched the things. They'll kill you, you know."

Sebastian chuckled dryly as he put his cigarettes and lighter away and began walking toward the path leading to her house. "Way I see it, we're all dying anyway. Each and every day of our lives, little by little, we get closer to death's door. So why the hell should I worry if I'm speeding things along a bit?"

"Surely your mom would be devastated to hear you say that," Jaina said with a sigh as she followed him. "So would your friends and girlfriend, I'd wager."

Sebastian let out a sudden bark of laughter and stopped to look at her, walking backward as he spoke. "Girlfriend? You think a guy like me has a girlfriend?"

Jaina shrugged, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "Some girls happen to go for the moody, damaged types."

"That so?" Sebastian wondered quietly, his eyes looking her over from head to toe. "Is that the type of guy you fall for?"

"Not a chance, Sebby," she replied, then laughed at the disgusted look on his face at the use of his mother's chosen nickname for him. He rolled his eyes and took another drag off his cigarette, and the two of them fell quiet as they walked through the woods together toward her farm.

"Why did you really move here?" Sebastian suddenly asked after a while, breaking the silence between them.

"I had my reasons," Jaina replied, repeating her answer from earlier at dinner. Sebastian looked at her out of the corner his his eye for a moment, then finally let out a sigh.

"Fair enough," he muttered before returning to his cigarette, and Jaina turned her head slightly to look at him. She'd expected him to try to press her for more details, but it seemed that he was at least respectful enough to not do so.

Several more minute passed with the only sounds between them being that of their shoes on the dirt path and Sebastian smoking, and soon they came to the clearing just above the bridge leading across the river and to her farm.

"Here you are," Sebastian said, gesturing toward the bridge. "I'll be taking off now, unless you need me to walk you right up to the front door."

"No, here's fine," Jaina assured him, shaking her head. "Thank you for walking me back, Sebastian."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he mumbled in reply, turning on his heel and starting back up the path.

"Good night!" she called after him, to which he merely replied by waving at her back over his shoulder.

As she watched him go, she felt a sort of sadness that she couldn't quite place, but she quickly shook it off and wandered the rest of the way back to the farmhouse, looking forward to the first night spent in her new home.