The Honor of Your Love | Stardew Valley

The Secret Ingredient

I was frightened out of my bed by the commotion outside. There was loud music, the muffled sounds of voices and big thud sounds.

"What in Yoba's name is going on-" I said to myself, bemused.

Then again another thud occurred and I looked out the window, seeing Marnie and Mayor Lewis decorating the beach with giant totem poles.

It then dawned on me that it was once again the Luau and I found myself in a frenzy to get dressed and go outside. It was a boiling Summer day, so I lathered sunscreen on my pale skin, and decided to wear Willy's shirt again, paired with rare short jeans I found in the back of my closet.

Stepping outside, I saw that most of the town was already there, and I made my way towards Leah.

"Hello Leah, are you well?" I asked.

"I'm actually doing great! I'm working on a possible art exhibition that Farmer recommended." She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Leah always had a wild unkept braid that let hair fall loose. I found that it quite suited her artistic personality.

"Well isn't that lovely? I'm currently revising my draft."

I looked around the Luau and there was no sign of Farmer so I asked Leah, "Speaking of Farmer, where is she?"

Leah chuckled, "Probably late, unlike you though, Farmer doesn't literally live on the beach where the Luau is being held."

"Ah- leave me be Leah, I forgot the date."

Leah rolled her eyes and laughed, "Anyways, are you adding anything to the pot this year?"

I shook my head.

"Me neither. I don't think the town would care to keep it vegetarian for me, so why should I add to it." Leah stated defiantly.

"Surely Farmer is bringing something, right? Her and Pierre are the only producers of this town." I asked.

"I do hope so, she makes one hell of a salad." Leah said with a smile.

I looked over past the pot and tables towards the dance floor. Robin and Demetrius were waltzing to the folk music playing. My mind wandered to that being me one day, dancing with my wife to folk music during the Luau. I could almost see it, as if she was right there...

Farmer rushed into the Luau, running towards Marnie with two bottles in hand.

"Ah- I'm so sorry. I had to sanitize the bottles and get all the liquid in it and it was just a mess-" Marnie brushed it off and pointed to the large pot.

"Go ahead and add your part to the potluck, hun." She said kindly.

Farmer smiled and began to pour a drink into the pot, I tried to determine what it was but couldn't come to a conclusion. Beer? Juice? Wine?

"Say Leah, what did everyone else add to the pot this year? Last year it was horrible, I'm trying to decide whether to eat the soup again or not." I asked, leaning down to her ear.

"Shane brought some hot peppers, Emily brought some cactus fruits, Linus brought roasted meat, Pierre brought some tomatoes, Marnie brought a couple gallons of milk, and I'm not quite sure what Farmer just poured in." The array of ingredients was definitely random, but enough to intrigue my taste buds.