Daywood's Successor

Starting A New Life

-Ash POV-

"Half a mile until Stardew Valley!" the man driving the bus called out.

I snapped awake, looking around. How long was I out? It felt like forever!

Once I finally arrived in Stardew Valley, I was greeted by an orange haired woman. Her hair was tied up in a bun. She wore a long sleeved yellow shirt, along with a brown hooded vest. The vest had fur along the hood. On her legs were green pants, plus some brown worker boots.

"Hello! You must be Catherine!" she greeted "I'm Robin, the local carpenter! Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home! He's there now, tidying it up for your arrival!"

"Oh, uh... A-actually, my name is Ash..."

"Oh... Oh! I'm so sorry, I must have the wrong person! You see, I'm waiting for a young woman named Catherine. Her grandfather left her his farm"

"N-no, that's... Still me..."

Robin's eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth "Oh...! Oh dear, I'm so sorry! So are you...?"

"Y-yes, I... I'm male now"

"And here I was, misgendering you and calling you..." Robin sighed, then looked back up at me "Well Ash, the farm's over here. Follow me"

We walked to the right, entering a place overgrown with trees, weeds, and grass.

"Hoooo boy!" I cried out.

Robin tilted her head "What's the matter? Sure, it's a bit overgrown, but there's some good soil under that mess!"

"Yeah, I bet, I'm just surprised!" I laughed "I'm sure it'll be okay, I just gotta... Clean up!"

Robin took me to the farmhouse "And here we are! Your new home!"

I stepped forward to open the door, but it somebody stepped out before I could go in.

I jumped back a little "Oh hi! Uh!"

He looked to be in his late forties, maybe early fifties. He wore brown overalls and a green dress shirt, a yellow tie around his neck and a brown cap on his head. His hair and mustache were gray.

He laughed "Ah! The new farmer! Welcome! I'm Lewis, mayor of Pelican Town!"

"N-nice to meet you, sir..."

"Everyone's been asking about you! It's not every day that someone new moves in!" Lewis smiled and nodded "Its quite a big deal!

I returned the smile "Yeah! Grandpa said everyone was friendly here, lots of nice people!"

"Right! You'll meet so many nice people! So, moving into the old cottage? It's a good house! Very rustic!"

Robin rolled her eyes, chuckling a little "Rustic? Heh... That's one way to put it! 'Crusty' might be a little more apt, though"

"Rude!" Lewis exclaimed, then turned to me "Don't listen to her, Catherine... She's just trying to make you dissatisfied so you buy her house upgrades..."

Robin scoffed, crossing her arms "Hmph..."

"Ah- Um... Well, you see... M-my name is-"

Robin cut me off "Lewis, this is Ash. He's the one inheriting the farm instead"

"What happened to Catherine?"

I was unsure how to explain, looking down at my feet. Apparently that was enough for it to click for Lewis.

"Oh! Oh dear... Er- Ash, it's nice to meet you!"

I sighed "...Yeah"

"Well, you must be tired from the long journey! You should get some rest... Maybe you could introduce yourself tomorrow! And, don't worry. You're a completely new face, so you're just Ash here. It was only me and Robin who knew the name of the inheritor"