Choice of Roots - Stardew Valley Fanfiction

Chapter 6 - Morning Sunshine [Elliot]

My brows clenched, and I couldn't help but curse under my breath as I tried to decide what to do. Stay? Or go? As I put every pro and con of the situation into place, I started to formulate what the best solution was going to be. Looking over at her sleeping face, I sighed. Please don't let this be a mistake.

In a hesitant manner, I whispered reluctantly to myself. "I should go. This...isn't where I belong."

In all honesty, I didn't feel like I was making the right choice. Instead, I felt like I was doing what was most comfortable for myself. That being said, when was there a point where I had some time or a decision to myself? These days, it appeared as if every choice I had was made by my friends or my family. If I wanted to go home, I should. Besides, I insisted as I took some sturdy—but quiet—steps towards the front door, I don't want her to think I'm some creep. That's this damn town's job.

It wasn't long after this thought was uttered, before I departed into the woodlands.

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[Roxane's POV]

On most of my mornings, I was greeted with the (for the most part) relaxing sound of nature calling from behind my front door. Unfortunately, this morning was far from pleasant. Instead of being awoken by the beckoning of a robin in the distance, I was met with an intense headache. The pain pounded in my ears, and with each pound a beat of maroon flashed into my sight—despite my eyes being closed. The uncomfortable sensation, along with a quickening heartbeat, forced me to open my eyes as I suddenly felt an odd force of panic. There were a few moments where I couldn't recall where I was, before the surroundings finally came into full focus. You're just in your cabin, I reassured myself. Nothing's wrong...unless you count this headache.

However, a headache wasn't the least of my problems. As I attempted to stand to my feet, I realized that it wasn't just my cranium that was aching, but my entire body. From head to toe, I, for lack of a better term, felt like shit. It felt like I had gone on a rollercoaster too many times, then was thrown in front of a bus. Or two. Or three. The unrelenting pain caused my limbs to shake uncontrollably; I clenched my fists to stop their trembling, which only made the pain worse. What's wrong with me?

I looked at my surroundings to find a couple of clues. Nothing looked disturbed, which wasn't suspicious in any manner. In fact, everything was in its place just as I had left it the previous afternoon. The only thing that was out of place, was me. What happened last night? Some dreadful thoughts started to come into view as I nervously sought to answer that question, only to stop once I started to accurately account for the events of the previous evening. Egg Festival...hung out with Abigail...Sam was there too, I pondered—my thinking process a bit scrambled thanks to the pounding in my head. Can't forget Sebastian...and of course we...the Saloon—Elliot! Ah, I remembered now. Elliot and I had gotten drunk after he and Sebastian had gotten into an argument. The reality that I allowed myself to get drunk so recklessly stung, almost literally to some degree.

But if I had passed out at the bar, seeing as that's the last thing I can clearly remember, why was I here!?

The question sent a chill down my spine, as I was reluctant to think that someone had done something with me. But, seeing as I was...ahem...fully clothed...and I couldn't really find any evidence of some foul play, I forced myself to think in the opposite direction. But what explanation was there to come up with? Had I actually wandered from the saloon all on my own in my drunken stupor? Was there a point in time after I passed out, where I was only a bit tipsy and able to make it back to my estate—but I just couldn't recall? Both seemed like unlikely answers, even though they could be possible. However, I wasn't a regular drinker. If I had gotten as drunk as I had last night, I knew that I was going to be barely understood in any sense even if I was awake. More likely, there was no point where I was. Reluctantly, I forced myself to come to the conclusion that I had not arrived here on my own accord. But had the person at my side been a helpful villager, or a silent predator?