Magpie [Stardew Valley]

Two • Spring 3

Peggy wiped the sweat from her brow with grimy fingers. The pickaxe in her hands was growing heavier, and she could feel blisters bubbling up on her palm. She checked her watch. It would be getting dark soon, and Peggy didn't want to spend more time than she needed to in the mines. Not with those slimes constantly coming after her. The ladder to a lower level was visible just beyond a grey rock, but Peggy knew that it would take most of her strength to even climb out of the mines. So she reluctantly turned away, stowed her pickaxe in her bag, and began her ascent.

Once outside the cavern, cool air struck her face, and Peggy gulped it down gratefully. She hadn't realized how stagnant the air inside the mines had become. A slight breeze picked up as she teetered over the makeshift wooden bridge over the river. Thankfully it wasn't strong enough to knock her off balance, and the sun was still high enough for Peggy to see her footing. As she rounded the river bank, however, she was surprised to see a figure in the distance.

They seemed to be dressed in all black, though she noted that the shades didn't completely match. As she drew closer, she was able to distinguish a mop of black hair, brushed lazily across a pale, masculine profile. Something glowed red at the tip of his hand.

He didn't seem to hear her as she approached, so she cleared her throat awkwardly, prompting him to look at her with disdain. She was sure that she looked a sight with her face and clothes covered in soot, so she wasn't perturbed by his negative expression.

"Hey, how are you?" she asked, trying her best for a winning smile.

"You're that new farmer girl, aren't you?" he asked without greeting.

His voice was surprisingly soft, though his tone presented complete apathy, which caused Peggy to shrink back. He was watching her shrewedly through bored eyes, and while Peggy didn't think he wanted her dead, she knew that he wouldn't bat an eye if she suddenly collapsed.

"Uh, yeah, I am. Just moved in the other day," Peggy confirmed.

"Uh huh."

He brought his hand to his mouth, causing Peggy to realize that the glowing object between his fingers was a lit cigarette. He drew on it briefly before exhaling a cloud of smoke that made Peggy's eyes water. The conversation seemed to have ended, but Peggy, determined to make a good impression, was not to be deterred.

"What's your name?"

He hesitated for a moment before replying reluctantly, "Sebastian."

"I'm Peggy," she imtroduced with a nervous smile, "but my friends call me Peg."

He snickered, the first sign of amusement that Peggy had gotten from him. "Peg is unfortunate nickname."

"Ah well it's supposed to be clever," Peggy explained airily. "My friends back home would always say that I was the square peg in the round hole -- never really fit in."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Back home?"

"Zuzu City," she confirmed.

"Ha." He drew on his cigarette roughly, flicking the ashes into the dirt. "And out of all the other places to live, you chose Pelican Town. Should've stayed in the city."

Peggy frowned. "Have you ever been?"

"No, not really," he responded with a shake of his head.

"It's. . . nice."

The pleasantry felt forced, causing Peggie to internally grimace. She could tell that Sebastian recognized how empty her words sounded, as a dubious expression came over his face. He recovered quickly, though, disguising the awkward moment in a hasty cough. Peggy blushed with guilt in the silence that followed. It's not that she didn't want to talk to Sebastian -- quite the contrary. But she was afraid to disappoint him with her disgruntled opinion of the city so soon after meeting him.