Lily of the Valley - Stardew Valley - Sebastian

Chapter 24

***

He never even considered it. Not even a bit.

In the beginning I had been so sure of my success that it didn't even cross my mind that Pierre might hesitate to run up against the big bad. I couldn't understand it, honestly. There was nothing to lose, and I was willing to play the long game.

Which was waiting patiently for Pierre's letter.

The first week felt like a year and the second one felt even longer. I was adamant not to disturb his process, but it felt like I was being left hanging. It didn't help that every visit to the store made it seem like he was avoiding me.

But I was sure he'd come around eventually and shrugged it off. He always showed up and I was sure to trust him. And so, I waited.

Fall had come to town later than anticipated this year, but it only made the show grander than ever before. The red and orange leaves painted out the forest as far as the eye could reach. I had been at war with the leaves covering and suffocating the crops on the field for a while now.

The view from the porch looked like it belonged to a painting. Falling deep in thought as I held onto a screwed-up piece of a poster and calmly watched the leaves flee their trees. At first, I didn't notice the dark hooded figure approaching me from within the forest at all.

"Boo." He whispered as I politely pretended to take fright. Koda's barks came a beat too late and soon the furry thing came prattling through the forest's edge to greet the new visitor.

"Where'd you come from?" I had to fight my words through a violent cough fit. Sebastian gently patted my back, as if it was going to help at all, and dropped his bag by the porch.

"Sam's" He sighed. "He's been making us practice more often. Don't get me wrong, it's fun and everything. It's just-"

"Stressful?"

"Yeah! It's a bit overwhelming, actually. I'm not sure what we're actually practicing for, anyway." He went on and I let him vent until he started to feel better. And when he did, he finally noticed the flyer I had been holding on to.

"What's that?" He nodded at it.

"It's a flyer." I frowned.

His face blanked and he had to collect himself for a moment. "I mean- duh."

"No, I know what you mean. No, stop it!" I had to wiggle out of his grip hug as he tried to get a hold of the stupid paper.

This year the flyers announcing the upcoming Spirit's eve festival were plastered with the mayor's grinning face. The festival was as widely known as any of the others, and yet I could barely find a bare surface in the whole town.

I had decided not to grant him any reaction. I decided I was bigger than that. I was supposed to wait until Pierre would eventually get fed up as well and return shamefully back to me.

But unfortunately, the mayor's tactics were quickly evolving, and Pierre's time was badly running out. The very last push came one unexpecting morning, when I was greeted with one of his stupid flyers taped against the bedroom window.

"Wow, and you'd think he couldn't get any pettier." Sebastian giggled under my arm as I now struggled to get the flyer back from him.

An outsider might have thought the whole thing was just a part of a bit too ambitious campaigning, but I knew exactly what this meant. This was his call for war. And if Pierre wasn't going to do anything about it, I could easily start it for him.