Frogs in the Rain (Stardew Valley // Sebastian)

Dad

Nix's mouth tasted of iron and chalk. She spat and groaned, struggling to lift her face from the dirt before realizing she couldn't move her limbs. A short distance away from her disheveled form, she detected a series of rough, strenuous grunts. Her wrists rubbed against something scratchy and tight. Rope. That must've been what bounded her ankles as well. She rolled her until she faced the sea. Morris was struggling to push his worn-down boat into the water, shoving his entire body against the frame as tired groans escaped his throat. Had she been anywhere else, she would've laughed, as the job looked quite easy to her.

Morris turned around, giving her a crooked smile. "Oh, it's awake." He clenched his jaw before giving the boat a final push, sending it into the tide as he grabbed one of the attached ropes. The dinghy bobbed like an apple; Nix felt sick to her stomach. Once the boat was secured against the dock once more, Morris continued. "Thanks to you, I had to patch up the boat. You better hope I did a good enough job, or else you're drowning." He cackled at that promise.

When he reached her, his chubby fingers tugged at her wrists and pulled, dragging her across the grass and onto the rough dock. A splinter embedded itself in her thigh, poking through her jeans and digging into her skin like a bur. She winced, taking a deep breath and using her heels to find notches in the wood to slow their pace.

"I'll give you anything," she told him, her voice scratchy. "Just don't do this!"

"You're already giving me everything I need," he replied eerily. "Once they realize you're gone for good, the bank will repossess Capricorn Grove, and I'll swoop in to buy it. Maybe Joja Co. will turn the place into a factory farm? I'm sure that livestock of yours taste amazing."

Nix Weekly was not a violent person, but man, she wanted to drown Morris in the sea after that remark.

He hauled her onto the boat and pushed her down until her knees smacked against the bottom boards. The sun was setting behind them, making the waters look like a newly-splattered watercolor painting. If she squinted, training her eyes to peer past the shadows across the morphing blue, she swore she could make out land. Were they really that close to the Gotoro Empire? She wasn't completely sure, as it had certainly been a while since she had glanced at a map. Surely the waterways were not too wide. Otherwise, Morris wouldn't be escorting her in a dignhy, much less without food or water for himself. Perhaps she was closer than she initially thought to that horrid circus...

No, she thought to herself grimly. My deathbed.

Morris lit a lantern, placing it next to her until she could see the small, flickering flame fight against its glass cage. With a raw throat, she wondered if it, too, wanted to scream for help.

Suddenly, her ears heard a faint engine in the distance. She hid her hopeful smile and instead gritted her teeth. "You're not getting away with this," she wheezed.

"I already have."

But, despite his emotionless drabble, Nix knew Morris heard the engine too, as he moved a bit quicker after that.

...

When Sebastian saw that little dock, he almost spun out of control again. However, filling his lungs with the incoming wind, he focused on the figures whose bodies were planted against the wood. He spotted Morris Munson immediately, watching with grinding teeth as the stout man's hurried hands tugged at a rope. Only partially hidden, Nix seemed to be tied up and on her knees in a withering, aged boat. Despite the roar of his engine, she wasn't turning around. Sebastian leaned forward, feeling Emily's arms tighten around him. A warning to stay calm. Orion whinnied wildly somewhere behind them, and Sebastian hit the brakes. His tires skidded, kicking up tufts of grass and dirt. They both dismounted the steel stallion, with Demetrius right on their trail as they all rushed toward Morris.