Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Aliana moved to Pelican Town roughly one year ago. The time both flew by and passed slowly. A paradoxical mix of long agonizingly long days and fast ever-changing seasons.
To say it had been a bizarre year was putting it lightly. Aliana had learned a plethora of new skills and been on more than her fair share of adventures since her arrival in the Valley. She’d become a capable farmer for both plants and animals. She learned to use a sword, a pickaxe and had even begun clearing floors in the abandoned mineshaft. She’d made acquaintance with a wizard and learned about the mythical creatures known as Jumino, even building a relationship with them.

One of the most unusual changes Aliana noticed after moving to Pelican Town were the changes within herself.
She’d not only become tremendously fit, muscles in places she didn’t even know existed, she'd become capable in so many ways. Restoring an old farm completely on your own isn't something many people are capable of doing.
She’d also learned to come to peace with the hard years of work ahead of her. Getting better at getting up even when she’d wake up with no will to do so.

Aliana also seemed to learn the skills vital to her survival on the farm fast. Sure she spent her nights online researching and her days learning by trial and error, but she found that the error part came less and less the more time she spent out there.
When something was wrong with the crops, she seemed to instinctively know what was needed to fix the issue. She noticed when the cows and chickens behaved differently, and what those changes meant.
Making cooked and dehydrated foods directly from the farm, artisan goods, even wood crafts and DIY’s had become a normal part of her daily life. These were not things she ever imagined herself doing in Zuzu City.
Hell, she’d even made thousands in gold by fishing for Yoba’s sake! Fishing…of all things!

All this was not to say her year gone was an easy one. Aliana would never forget the horror that awaited her when she first stepped foot on her new farm. The place barely deserved the title. Trees, shrubs the size of trees, debris from old buildings and farm equipment scattered across the landscape along with boulders and litter.
A once mighty greenhouse was now in shambles, a mess of broken glass surrounding it.
The house itself was no bigger than a trailer, sporting no kitchen, no bedroom and no space for guests. The roof leaked and the stumps' desperate need for a workover was made obvious by a harsh tilt in the floor.

She quickly lost count of the days spent chopping down trees, dragging stumps, collecting stones and debris. It seemed endless at first, as though the mess left behind spread again every night she slept.
Despite it all, or maybe in spite of it all Aliana managed to turn the wilderness that was her late grandfather’s farm into something mostly functional. With roughly 50% of the farm cleared and cleaned up, and 20% of the cleared land tilled and growing produce. She had a coup, a barn and a silo all filled with animals and hay. And had only recently installed an irrigation system, which had made her life substantially easier.
Having had considerable savings when she arrived helped her get a head start with some construction. That, and all the resources laying in front of her ready to be utilized.

The house itself had a major upgrade throughout the winter, and thanks to the local carpenter Robin-who’d also worked on the other farm buildings- Aliana now had a kitchen, a roof that didn’t leak and a straight floor. She even had a bedroom and slightly upgraded bathroom attached to it.

One of the major motivators that kept Aliana working so hard was the hundreds of different ways she’d learned to generate income. When she looked at her land, she imagined a place that had everything going for it. From artisan goods and fresh produce to exotic fish roe and ancient artifacts.
It was as though everything in the valley demanded to be cultivated. And Aliana took up the challenge willingly.

The one thing that Aliana had not excelled in since moving to the Valley was making friends, and solid connections with the townsfolk. Sure she'd spoken to them all, and did get to know them in a shallow sort of way. (Only after finding the bulletin board and becoming the town’s errand girl, did she even get the chance to meet everyone.)

When it came to actually socializing with others, she mainly spent time fishing with Willy, training with Morris or hanging out the front of Linus’ tent eating food they’d foraged together. These guys weren’t exactly close to her in age, and it seemed to make the townsfolk who were her age wary of her.
Aliana felt as though everyone in Pelican Town was an arm’s length away from her. And as the months passed, the distance between her and the community only grew larger. That’s why this year Aliana decided to change everyone’s perceptions of her. No longer did she want to be the weird new farmer obsessed with running errands and fighting monsters... Because the reality of it was, she needed these people to accept her properly, if she wanted to live a comfortable life here. She'd already long decided she was staying for the foreseeable future, so putting off making genuine connections around Pelican Town was no longer an option for her.

Chapter Text

Aliana stood in awe, looking at herself in the mirror intently. She couldn’t help but admire the body she’d managed to achieve over the year gone. Her bright hazel green eyes seemed to be the only thing that remained the same. Running her fingers through her long wavy burgundy hair she marveled at how much it’d grown now, cascading over her shoulders and down below her breasts. Her unruly waves sprawled around gave her a slightly wild look. She turned her body, to examine herself more closely in the mirror. She’d gained so much muscle definition in her arms, shoulders back…and well everywhere. Flexing, she watched as the muscles rippled and popped out beneath her skin, making her feel proud. It was a physical reminder of the hard work she’d put in.

Looking at the slightly unfamiliar reflection in the mirror made Aliana think of her late mother. Sally Ferguson. Would her mother like the person she’d become? Aliana hoped so.

Her mum had always told her that she wasn’t made for the city. That one day she’d grow bored of it. Always stating that she hoped Aliana would find a life filled with adventure. 
She’d definitely found adventure, by moving to Otis Green's old farm.

The truth of the matter was that Aliana had never met the man who owned the farm originally. He was no different than a stranger to her.  Otis Green -grandpa- was her biological mother’s father. She’d never met her biological mother either.  Her adopted mum didn’t hide the truth of her family from her, instead the family themselves opted to stay anonymous. By the time Aliana was old enough to understand this, she decided she didn’t need them anyway. As she had a family already, with her adopted mom Sally.

Aliana received a letter from the adoption agency not long after Sally's passing, saying that they’d been forwarded a letter that’d been bouncing around at the wrong addresses. One was from Otis to the agency wanting to make contact, and given her biological mum was already gone he gave permission for their details to be known. The other was a letter addressed to her.
Truth be told, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Aliana, as she was in the throes of grief having only recently lost her mum. It felt as though even giving the letter any attention, would be an insult to the sacrifice her mother made when she’d adopted her.

It wasn’t until another year later that she re-opened the letter. Her curiosity mixed with a desperate need to escape the monotonous depression she’d found herself in. She still didn’t plan to go, but after a few close calls near the bridge by her and her mum's apartment. Aliana decided that for her own sake, and possibly for her life,  she needed to leave. Pelican Town was the only place she had to go.

Now here she was, going to a festival dedicated to eggs in sunflower printed overalls and a deep yellow shirt, carrying an extremely expensive backpack full of strawberries. Boy don’t things change quickly Aliana thought to herself before stepping out and heading toward the town square.

Given she was slightly early, Aliana decided to walk through Cindersap Forest to get to town.
The forest being perhaps one of her favorite places in the valley. It was always most fragrant in the warmer months, the smell of pine and freshly grown greens along with the distant smell of a flowing river made for wonderful aromatherapy.
She had always felt as though stepping into the Forest was like stepping into a guided meditation. Like the land itself was her guide, reminding her to breathe and give thanks.

The sun shone brightly just above the horizon. Having not long peeped its bright head up, the new found light painted the sky in an array of warm tones. The pine trees casted long shadows that stretched across the forest floor, they moved gracefully as the slight wind rustled the tree branches.
In the distance Aliana could hear the river flowing, a peaceful sound complimented with the chirps of now waking birds.
Aliana was always amazed at the beauty around her ever since moving to the valley, and she continued this train of thought until she overheard two distant voices coming from up ahead.

Looking over to Marnie’s ranch, Aliana noticed Jas- one of the local town's children- all dressed up in a bright yellow dress and rabbit ears. Her thick black hair tied up in pigtails. She carried a basket over her arm and was clearly exuding excitement.
Next to her however was Shane who instead of exuding excitement seemed to be straining as he tried to maintain a chipper appearance. She didn’t know either of them very well, which made her feel guilty given they were her neighbors.

“Hey” Aliana spoke hesitantly as she approached the pair.

Jas and Shane both looked her way, Jas’ eyes lighting up upon seeing Aliana's new overalls.

“Woah sunflowers!” she exclaimed, immediately letting go of Shane’s hand and running over to gush over the clothes.

“This is so pretty!” Jas continued to mumble compliments.

 “Oh hey, I have fresh strawberries.” Aliana remembered, she took off her bag and grabbed out a pitcher of the freshest looking strawberries she’d ever grown. She’d deliberately picked them to use as ice breakers today.

“Wow so red! Look uncle Shane.” Jas immediately grabbed one showing it to Shane before taking a big bite.
Shane’s hands stayed clenched by his side as he sharply smiled at the girl.

“You can have one too.” Aliana encouraged Shane.

Aliana wasn’t exactly sure what to think of Shane. The man was rugged, with thick purple black hair that was always tousled. He was muscly, but also chubby in a nice kind of way. Always sporting a 5 o'clock shadow, and dejected dark green eyes.
Outwardly he was a slob, drunk and an asshole. Well, that’d been her first impression of him.
Anytime she tried to engage with him in the past, he’d brush her off rudely before scurrying off.
He was the sort of guy who could be rude, be messy and still come out looking attractive. Aliana kind of hated that.
However despite this angry guy facade he'd built for himself Aliana had also caught a few glances of a much more thoughtful man over the last year. Seeing him with Jas in the forest, or that dejected look in his eye at Saloon. Hell one day she'd even seen Shane begrudgingly help Evelyn carry some groceries inside, making him late for work.

“Thanks.” Shane’s words snapped Aliana out of her thoughts. His big, calloused hands reached over to grab a strawberry. Aliana couldn’t help but notice the small drip of its juice run down his chin as he took a bite.

“No problems at all, I’m assuming you guys are off to the festival too. Would you like to walk together?”

Ali wasn’t sure what made her offer to walk with them, and her delivery was slightly awkward. Regardless though, she was proud of herself having at least tried to branch out.

“Yes!” Jas excitedly grabbed Aliana’s hand and began dragging her toward the town square. She looked back at Shane apologetically, only to see him glaring at her his expression emotionless. Aliana rolled her eyes and decided to join Jas in her excitement as they approached the Festival.

Chapter Text

Having lightly mingled with everyone she’d bumped into since arriving at the festival. Aliana felt a familiar awkwardness begin to creep inside her.
Looking around at the colorfully decorated town she saw groups of people mingling everywhere. Yet she couldn’t see a place where she could possibly belong amongst any of them.
A pang of pain and discomfort rose from her stomach to her chest as she realized that she had no family to share these events with.
Part of her wanted to pack up then and there, and head straight for the farm and hide behind its familiar and comfortable boundaries.

“Hey Farmer!” a familiar voice snapped her out of her brief anguish. It was Sam, he walked over toward her with Sebastian and Abigail in tow.

Aliana hadn’t spent much time with these three. Outside of a game of pool with them one time at the Saloon she’d only ever talked to them via deliveries or errands.
She wanted to befriend all of them but felt like she was the new kid on the block and never had the confidence to join them whenever she saw them out together, or even alone.

“Hey everyone, enjoying the festival?” Aliana asked them all, smiling warmly and offering strawberries as she did so.

Only Sam took one, before answering her in his normal friendly voice.

“Good, Vincent’s excited for the race as always. Dad’s even here this year which makes him really happy.”

Aliana was reminded of the day Kent randomly came over to her house to introduce herself to him. No one else had ever come over simply to introduce themselves. He looked worn out, and battle torn. Aliana had barely interacted with him since. Yet had thought of him quite often.

“That's good to hear, what about you guys?” Aliana addressed the other two.

“It’s been good, I’ve scouted most of the easy eggs so I’m definitely going to win.” Abigail bragged excitedly.

“Oh awesome, I’ll be cheering for you!” Aliana said, smiling at the purple haired beauty in front of her.

“You’re staying for the race this year then?” Abigail asked a bit dryly.

“Oh yeah, I’ve got the farm mostly functioning now so I can finally get away from it.” Aliana felt guilty for having made excuses to leave before the race last year. “I sort of let the months pass me by last year, sorry.”

“Well, I had some of your produce the other day and it was awesome, so you’re doing a good job.” Abigail complimented.

Aliana despite wanting to befriend Abigail the most, barely understood how to read her. She often found herself wondering if Abigail even liked her, or if she was just good at being polite.

“It must be pretty boring though, I mean out of all the places why would you move to Pelican Town.”
Sebastian's voice chiming in shocked Aliana, he barely ever spoken to her before, only a quick thanks as she ran errands or a mumbled hello if she spoke to him.

“Oh, um. Heaps of reasons I guess? But inheriting a farm is always a good motivator for change.” Aliana shrugged her shoulders.

Sebastian stared at her with an intrigued expression for a moment before breaking eye contact and pulling out a smoke.

The three continued to chat until Lewis’ voice called out to everyone, gathering them around for his annual speech and the race.
Abigail, Sam and the kids all lined up excitedly as Lewis began.
Despite her better judgement when choosing somewhere to stand and observe the race, Aliana found herself joining Shane.

"It'll be cool if one of the kids win this year." Aliana spoke to him, as she persistently did despite his clear distain for it. 
He continued to look ahead at the race as he answered.

"Abby always wins." he muttered.

"You never know, winners never stay on the throne forever." Aliana chuckled awkwardly and Shane only hummed in response.

The crowd around them cheered and laughed as the race continued on. Aliana went to speak to Shane, but he was already looking at her, and cut her off.

"Look, I'm not looking for a new buddy so you don't need to bother." His tone more dejected than angry this time. Despite that, Aliana felt heat rise to her cheeks, embarrassed. She continued to stare at Shane for a few seconds before finally responding with:

"Well, go fuck yourself then."

She turned around walking away from him and joining some others slightly embarrassed by her rude response. She'd been doing so well with keeping up the nice lady act that she'd forgotten how good it felt to tell some asshole to go and fuck themselves. 

Abigail won, as she always did. Aliana briefly congratulated her, consoled the kids and made her way over to Willy to chat with him. Linus and Demetrius ended up joining as well, and four stood together by the closed Saloon talking about the oncoming season, and the fish that it’ll bring with it. Demetrius chiming in every now and again with factoids about local water ecosystems. 

Robin eventually walked up to them, standing beside her husband she smiled over at Aliana

"Hey Aliana, I want to invite you over to dinner next week if you'd like to join us? I know it's sudden but I'd love to hear your future plans for the farms constructions, and I know Demetrius has a few science nerd questions for you as well." 
Robin chuckled, lightly nudging her husband.

This was the last thing Aliana expected, she hadn't been to anyone's house for dinner since moving to the Valley. She felt nervous as hell at the prospect, but given how much she owed Robin for all the hard work she'd done-and would continue to do-on her farm. Aliana felt she couldn't refuse.

"Oh, well that works out because I was planning to come see you soon anyway."

"Oh lovely!" Robin clapped her hands in excitement before the pair set a date for the dinner next week.
Before excusing herself Aliana promised to bring some wine she'd brewed herself on the farm.

She stopped to say goodbye to any of the remaining townsfolk at the now dying down festival. Walking straight past Shane as he stood slumped under a tree nursing a new can of beer.

The second Aliana reached her front door at the farm she began to undress. This was a bad habit she'd gotten into due to how remote her house was, and how few people ever came to visit. She threw her clothes on the ground as she took them off, unhooking her bra, throwing it behind her she sprawled herself out on her beanbag. Wearing only her underwear and a cropped yellow shirt she felt the cool breeze of her fan on her bare skin.
Aliana was worn out, more so than she'd be after a long day working on the farm. Her social battery was tiny, and she'd most certainly drained it at the festival.

Laying there awkwardly on her beanbag under the cool air of her fan, Aliana drifted to sleep feeling calm and comfortable. Door wide open.

Chapter Text

“Can’t you do that for me Sebby?” Robin's voice may have appeared outwardly innocent but she was no longer asking him, and so there was no longer any need for him to argue. 
Sebastian walked over and grabbed the bag she sat by the front door, muttering something sarcastic as he left the house, walking in the direction of the old farm.

His mother had insisted that he take the farmer a bag of tools she’d mentioned needing at the festival. Even though the farmer offered to grab them herself, Sebastian's mum’s impulsivity demanded for it to be done tonight.
Sebastian sighed, frustrated. He had a lot better stuff he could be doing right now.

As he walked the old track behind his house leading to the farm Sebastian reminisced about all the nights he, Sam and Abigail snuck out of the house to hang around on the farm drinking beers and smoking. They used to spend many of their weekend nights out there. Even having bonfires. He shuddered remembering that they never cleared out their rubbish.
He wondered how different it looked, having not been back since she moved in.

Sebastian didn’t think much of the farmer, more he didn’t think much about her. Everyone did nothing but talk about her for weeks before her arrival and months after, that pissed him off. He also felt a slight pang of resentment. She’d willingly and happily moved to the place that was drowning him. He knew these emotions were irrational and in no way her fault. However he couldn’t help but try to avoid getting to know her more than he had to. Making new friends here didn’t matter to him, he wasn’t staying long.

As Sebastian walked down the hill into the farm he stopped dead in his tracks. The place looked completely different, neat and tidy with less trees and shrubs. There was silo, and new buildings. Rows and rows of fresh produce and sprinklers. What was once a run down overgrown old block of land looked more like an actual farm.
How the fuck did she manage all this on her own? He thought to himself as he approached her house.

The sun was just peeking down the horizon now, and it was beginning to get dark fast. Sebastian noticed several colorful chests sitting outside the house against the porch. Part of him wanted to see what was inside, but fought the urge.

He began to walk up the steps when he noticed…a bra? Sitting on the ground in front of the open door. His eyes followed a trail of clothes until finding a small figure curled up on a beanbag. Feeling awkward, he called out from the porch steps.

“Aliana, hey.” Waiting a second before trying again, louder this time. “Yo, farmer!”

Still nothing. Sebastian grunted in annoyance and walked up to the doorway, noticing her sunflower overalls, socks and shoes sprawled out. 

He could see Aliana a lot better now. She was curled up on the beanbag, messy hair everywhere drooling on herself. He lightly chuckled as his eyes ran over her. He couldn’t help but be amazed at how muscly she actually was for such a short woman, the overalls always hiding her true figure.
He also took note of the freckles spread scarcely across her entire body. He thought for a moment it reminded him of stars on the night of a full moon. Distant from one another, but still noticeable.

Snapping out of staring at her, feeling slightly like a creep Sebastian put the tool box down just inside the door and began to walk away. It wasn’t until he got to the door of his own bedroom that he wondered if he should have locked the door for her.

Chapter Text

Aliana was both sweaty, and covered in dirt after yet another day working away on the farm. Not to mention she was now sporting a brand new black eye.
She’d gotten it by trying her darndest to break up an old stump on the far right side of the property. When she swung her axe at it with full force the last thing she expected was for it to bounce off, the handle flying directly into her face. Arms too in shock from the vibration to react in time. 

She'd been happy she had no close neighbors as she stomped around yelling profanities until the pain subsided. By the time she got inside to ice her new wound a bruise was already formed and her cheekbone area was puffy.
Giving up on the stump Aliana had spent the rest of the day with her pickaxe breaking up stones too big for her to carry off the farm and piling them up, right up until it was time to get ready for the dinner. Trying all the while to ignore the dull pain coming from her face.

Looking in the mirror at her wild dust and debris covered hair, her worn and sweaty appearance and new black eye, she groaned loudly.
If she wasn’t hesitant to go to dinner at Robin’s before she most certainly was now. Part of her seriously contemplated calling up and cancelling, but she knew that she’d have to face the people of Pelican Town would see her with the black eye regardless of the dinner, and decided that she’d just stomach the embarrassment and go.

Aliana began to rummage through her clothes, she marveled in the collection of overalls she’d ended up with considering she’d never even owned one prior to living here.
She landed on a pair of comfortable jeans and a navy blue t-shirt with a graphic of a sloth on the front breast pocket. She showered quickly, chucking her hair in the signature messy bun and tied up her brown work boots before heading to the kitchen.

On the table she’d prepared a small amount of produce and a bottle of wine to bring to the dinner, she loaded them all up in her backpack before heading off up the mountain.
She quickly stopped by Linus’ place first, pulling a bundle of spring onions from her bag.

“Hello Aliana” Linus' friendly voice called as he saw her approaching. 

“Hey Linus!” Aliana smiled brightly at the old wild man.
He had a rugged appearance with a full white bushy beard. He wore what looked to be a hand made long poncho, out of thick yellowed leaves. With some simple shorts underneath. He generally walked around barefoot or with sandals he’d woven together. He was definitely a man of nature.

“I got these for you.” Aliana handed over the spring onions. 

“That’s such a lovely gift, thanks so much!” He exclaimed in his often childlike joy.

“I can't stay long, heading to dinner, but it was good seeing you!” Aliana waved at Linus before heading down to Robin’s shop.

Aliana had been confident until she laid eyes upon Robin’s front door. Then she froze, unable to bring herself to open it. In the one year since she moved she’d never had dinner with anyone else but her chickens and cows and the odd foraged snack with Linus. She felt a familiar pit of anxiety forming in her stomach.

“Hello?” a voice from behind Aliana startled her, it continued: “you going inside...or?”

It was Sebastian. Aliana turned around to see him standing there looking at her both irritated and confused. She briefly wondered why all the good looking men in this town were all so standoffish. 

“After you.” She said quietly, but instead of moving he remained in place. 

"Ladies first." He mumbled.

Aliana had no choice but to bite back her anxiety now, she put her hand up to the front door swinging it open.
Once inside, Sebastian overtook her and led her to the kitchen where she heard the distant chatter of Robin, Demetrius and Maru.

While walking through the house Aliana couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship that went into making it. The glow of the wooden interior was inviting and cosy. The ceiling was adorned with beautiful exposed wooden beams. The rooms past the shop were filled with handcrafted furniture. The whole place brimmed with character. Hell, even the picture frames that held family photos looked to be handmade.
Aliana couldn’t help but be thankful she had Robin as a carpenter.

“Hey sweetie-OH MY!” Robin exclaimed upon seeing Aliana, then ran toward her like a freight train.

Aliana braced, confused as to what was happening before it dawned on her, her black eye. She also noted that Sebastian didn’t even mention it. She wondered if he even looked at her long enough to notice.

“Oh, it’s really nastier looking than it feels.” Aliana brought her hand up to lightly touch the bruised skin. That was a lie, it did hurt.

“What on earth happened” Robin's voice was still slightly frantic.

“I took a big swing with my axe, but it's too blunt so it bounced back and the handle hit me in the face.” Aliana tried to explain quickly and confidently, so no rumours began to circle. 

Her cheeks flushed as she looked around the room to see everyone looking at her now. She began to pull on her earlobe with one hand, it was a self soothing technique she'd done since she was a child.

In a desperate effort to distract attention away from her injury Aliana grabbed her backpack off her shoulder and opened it.

“I brought some goods with me!” She exclaimed, whipping out a bottle of wine to start. Robin whistled and grabbed it off her in excitement to inspect it. Aliana handed Demetrius a bag of fresh produce, and he began to inspect that too, quite thoroughly.

“Your produce never fails to amaze me, how did you manage to tame the soil so fast?” Demetrius asked her curiously, Maru looked up too seemingly interested in the conversation.

“Honestly, lots of organic matter and fertilizer from the farm animals. Well that and old fashioned elbow grease seemed to do the trick..”

“You’ve done an impressive job.” Maru chimed in for the first time. Aliana shot her a warm smile and thanked her.

“I’d love to come over and test the soil again. I did it a few times while the place was deserted, and once or twice when Otis ran it. I’d love to see how your soil profile differs from my past samples…That is, if you wouldn’t mind.” 

Aliana found it oddly charming how nerdy nearly everyone in this family was. Maru and Demetrius with their science, Robin with her woodwork and Sebastian…well she wasn’t sure about him.

“That’d be cool.” Aliana wondered what the soil results were before she moved there, and if her soil was as good as when Otis owned the place. “You’re welcome to come over anytime, I’m rarely anywhere else.” She admitted.

“Thank you. I actually had another science question for you, but I’ll bother you with that when I come to test the soil.” Demetrius walked over joining Robin as she prepped dinner to serve.

Conversation flowed effortlessly between the four of them as they ate dinner. Sebastian remaining quiet for the most part.
Although Aliana noticed him stealing glances at her throughout the evening.
The topic of conversation unfortunately cantered around Aliana as everyone took turns asking her questions. She couldn’t blame them, if she had just reached out to people more earnestly a year ago their curiosity would have been quelled and she’d be way past the introductions.

The conversation took a more heavy turn when Robin asked Aliana:
“What made you take on such a huge responsibility like Otis’ old farm? I know you inherited it, but to do this all on your own is brave.” Robin's tone held a strong air of admiration.

This was a question Aliana had been asked before, many times and by many different people.
She always brushed it off lightly, never getting into too much detail. However, given how friendly everyone was and how comfortable she felt, she decided to give them a more in depth answer.

“Well, you guys probably heard that I’m adopted…” She began.
“Otis was part of my biological family and all of them are strangers to me. I never even met him, or my biological mum. I was content with it being that way, as my real mum- the one who raised me- was an amazing selfless parent and I wanted for nothing growing up.” Aliana sighed heavily.

“But then I lost her too, and not long after the adoption agency reached out to me. It turns out Otis had sent them a few letters, me one as well. Honestly at first I just ignored it… I wasn’t in the place to consider moving or changing my life just because I inherited a farm. 
“Eventually though, living up there in Zuzu City alone got too hard, and so I decided that I needed to get away to heal. Given the free house with no rent, there really wasn’t any other choice but here. It’s really as simple as that. I wouldn’t call it brave.”

Aliana looked around the room to see everyone looking at her with different expressions on their faces. She felt her cheeks slightly flush, having gone on a bit of a ramble.

“I wouldn’t call it simple..” Maru responded softly. 

“So yeah…” Aliana spoke out of sheer nerves now, having worried that she'd just majorly overshared. “I’ve missed doing family stuff, tonight has been lovely.”

Robin sobbed aloud at that, finally breaking. Aliana noticed she was barely containing her emotion as she’d shared her story. Such an empathetic woman, such a mum. Aliana thought to herself.
It was a nice presence to be around.

“You are welcome here anytime!” Robin eventually spoke with ferocity in her voice that was nearly frightening.

“You’ve done it now.” Demetrius joked, and in response Robin smacked him on the shoulder. With that the air around them became lighter once again.

After Aliana's big speech, she noticed Sebastian had barely taken his eyes off her. Unlike his family, his face was much harder to read. She felt a little awkward, not being able to see anything else but his stare even when she looked away.

In the end she distracted herself by bringing up her future plans for the farm with Robin. This perked Robin back up, she wiped her eyes and fully invested herself into the conversation. The pair continued to go over plans, ideas and budgets for the next few years on the farm. They barely noticed when Maru excused herself for bed.

“Well, it's late guys and I have so much work to do tomorrow.” Aliana smiled, standing up from her chair on the table, her legs stiff from how long she’d sat there.

“I’m so energized now, I’ve gotta get my groove on out there.” Aliana tensed her arm to add emphasis to her words.

Robin smiled at her. “Look at those muscles girl, I need your help next time I’m building up on a roof.” 

Robin then walked over, grabbed Aliana in a huge warm embrace and thanked her sincerely for coming. Demetrius came over patting Aliana awkwardly on the shoulder. 

“Thanks so much for inviting me guys, please don't hesitate to call me if you ever need something. I don't have much, just the best produce in the Valley.” She declared proudly before turning to the door.

Robin called out “you don't think we’re gonna make you walk home alone? Sebastian get up and walk Aliana home please.”

Aliana could tell that neither her nor Sebastian had a choice in the matter so neither of them argued. He simply stood up without saying anything and made his way to the door.

The night air was chilly as the pair walked silently on the path behind the bus stop. It was too dark to enjoy the normal view of the mountains.
Aliana was busy wondering whether it’d rain tomorrow from the dampness in the air when Sebastian interrupted her thoughts.

“I used to think you were crazy for moving here, but I understand it better. I mean this place is still a boring dump, but I get it.”

“Ah, I think we all romanticize stuff that's different from what we have.” She shrugged.

“Yeah” he agreed, “I guess so.”

The two continued to walk in silence, and Aliana appreciated it. She felt like all she’d done was talk all night so she was utterly worn out as they approached the farm gate. 

“Thanks for walking me.” Aliana said sincerely, despite the fact she knew damn well in a tough situation she was probably the most likely to make it out alive.

Sebastian nodded at her coolly in response but didn't move, just stared down at her.
Aliana stared back, at the small amount of light reflecting off his pale skin contrasted the sharp angles on his face. He was handsome, tall and one of those mysterious and dark type of guys. Aliana didn’t normally go for it, but couldn’t deny how attractive she found the man standing in front of her.

She very briefly wondered if there was something in the water here that made most of the residence easy on the eyes.

“You shouldn’t sleep with the door wide open at night like that.”
Sebastian’s confusing words hung in the air around them.

“What are you on about?” She asked, a bit agitated from her confusion.

“The other day…I dropped off mum's old tools, saw you sleeping with the door wide open half naked on your bean bag. Seems kinda dangerous.”

Aliana felt her face blush intensely, and was glad the night probably hid it for the most part. She remembered waking up pretty late on the beanbag sore from the awkward position. She’d looked over to see a bag inside the door. It was Robin's old tools, so she’d assumed Robin had dropped it by. 

“Oh.” is all she managed to say.

“Do you always strip off at the front door?” Sebastian pressed on, a slight cheekiness in his voice. 

Aliana looked up at him, her embarrassment reaching that boiling point that it often did with her, turning into anger, which only fuelled confidence.

“Yes I do.” 

Now it was her straightforwardness that caught Sebastian off guard, he looked away from her fierce gaze and mumbled
“Cute…” before adding louder “see you later farmer. Thanks for coming tonight, I can tell my mum really enjoyed herself.”

With that Sebastian walked away into the dark, leaving Aliana standing there a little flustered. Wondering if he’d just been flirting with her.

As Aliana entered her farmhouse that night, Sebastian’s words repeated in her head, and she locked the front door.

Chapter Text

Aliana headed toward the beach with her backpack, bucket and fishing rod. She’d been neglecting the practice for a while now, and could do with the extra income. So she decided to dedicate the entire day to fishing off the dock.
As she approached the bridge leading to the beach Aliana bumped into one of the town's residents, one that she’d spoken to the least since moving here. Elliot.
Like her he was a bit of a homebody, and a writer from what she remembered. He rarely posted on the request board so she didn’t find many opportunities to chat to him outside of town gatherings. 

“Hello Aliana” Elliot greeted her with a friendly smile when he noticed her.

“Hey Elliot, how goes the writing?” Aliana asked politely as he stopped in front of her on the bridge.

His face hardened slightly. “Writer's block is a fearsome foe indeed.”

His words reminded Aliana of something she’d packed in her bag this morning. She found it in the mines and thought she’d show Willy to see if he knew how much she’d get for it.

Excitedly, she said “Hang on I have something that may help.” Aliana reached into her bag and pulled out a thick glass jar filled with jet black liquid.

“I heard you write with quill and ink, I found this in the mines a while back.  Here”

She outstretched her arms bottle in hand and motioned Elliot to take it. His eyes widened as he grabbed it from her, he began to inspect the liquid inside.

“Thank you so much Miss Ferguson, that was very kind of you.”

“Ah it's nothing really, a ghost monster dropped it in the mines. Which honestly I found strange, it can phase through walls, it's see through yet it drops a glass jar of ink when it dies?” Aliana rambled but Elliot was too busy looking at the glass to notice.

The two shared some more quick pleasantries before Aliana walked to the beach and set herself up for the day of fishing ahead.

Several hours passed, Aliana stood on the dock rod in hand and a big bucket of fish beside her.
Willy had walked by earlier whistling at her haul. “The sea is providing today!” He exclaimed proudly before entering his shop.

Aliana looked out at the vast ocean before her, the sun was now on the horizon threatening to duck out of sight, taking the light of the day with it. She decided that she’d catch one last fish and call it a day.
While concentrating intently on her line, Aliana heard pitter pattering coming up the dock. She turned around wondering if Dusty had gotten out when she laid eyes upon a different looking dog. A tan brown mutt, with what appeared to be mange and exceedingly malnourished.

“Oh hello.” Aliana said quietly and calmly to the dog that was now frozen in place, staring at her bucket of fish.

Aliana looked down at the pup, feeling her heart bleed for it. Either it was abused, abandoned, lost, a stray or just a wild dog. Regardless of the pup's story, she wanted to ensure its safety and give it a better chance of life.

“Take one” she motioned to the bucket, but the dog stood still.

Aliana remembered the packed chicken lunch in the morning that she’d been too distracted to eat. So she got it out of her bag, grabbing a big piece of chicken breast she threw it down to the dog. The tan pup sniffed a few times, hesitantly inching closer toward the chicken before finally giving in and eating it.

“Are you lost my dude, or a stray?” The dog seemed visibly more calm now, in fact it looked to be quite pleased with itself after finishing its meal.

Aliana reeled her line in and began packing up, the dog just stood a good distance away watching her constantly, occasionally eyeing off the bucket of fish.
She carefully walked down the dock, past the dog. It froze slightly again as she got close, but as she passed it followed behind her. She turned around, the dog stopping too and crouched down to it.
Surprisingly the minute she did that,  the dog walked over to her, calm in its demeanor and sat down in front of her facing it’s back to her and head to the sea.

“Are you friendly?” She asked aloud, a little nervous to reach out and pet him, but doing it anyway.

The pup didn’t stiffen this time, instead its tail began to thump on the dock's wood as it wagged. Aliana patted the pup softly on the head, feeling the rough scaly skin underneath its mange ridden fur.
Aliana stood up “Well I’m off now my dude, and you’re coming with me!”
The dog just looked at her expressionless.
She took a few steps, and before she even had to whistle the dog began following sheepishly behind her. She smiled in victory as she headed straight towards Marnie’s ranch. Aliana swooned over the idea of having a furry companion the entire walk, and knew that even with the neglect it was a beautiful dog. Big soulful eyes, floppy ears, deep brown fur and knee height. She already loved it. 

As Aliana reached the front door of Marnie’s ranch, she realized it was already closed. And felt a twinge of guilt about the prospect of annoying everyone inside. Regardless of that, she still needed to get advice from Marnie, and some food for the pup.

“Hey Marnie, are you inside? I’ve got a dog out here” Aliana knocked while calling out through the door. “I think it’s a stra-”

She was cut off by the big wooden door swinging violently open.

To her surprise it was Shane who stood in the doorway, looking both irritated and dejected as normal in his JoJa uniform.

“What are you doing here, the shops closed and Marnie’s not home.” He grumbled.

"I'm sorry, I found this stray dog on the beach and it needs food and help. I wanted to see if Marnie was around. I know she knows lots about animals. And I need dog food."
Aliana spoke a little too fast, Shane’s bluntness always made her feel like an inconvenience and she hated it.

“Right.” He said, his tone emotionless.

He looked past Aliana to see the tan mutt standing behind looking curiously at them both. "Come in...bring the dog." Shane turned and walked back inside.

Aliana whistled the pup over and it came, she smiled cheerfully at how well behaved it already was. That was until the dog became hesitant and frightful by the prospect of entering the building, in the end it flat out refused. So Aliana stayed outside with it, and Shane begrudgingly called Mayor Lewis.

"Hey. Um, I just need Marnie." His voice was awkward, slightly blushing as he spoke. This wasn't lost on Aliana. "The farmer found a stray dog and needs advice. Can you come home asap?" His voice sounded slightly desperate. Aliana sighed, he wanted her gone she could tell that much.

Shane hung the phone back on the wall, a bit more heavy handed than he should have.

"Thanks, sorry to be a pain in the ass.” Aliana said, trying desperately unstiffen around Shane. He wasn’t nice to her, so she didn’t play her nice girl routine back with him.

"S'alright" Shane said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and leaning against the outside of the house, joining Aliana and the pup.

"Are you gonna keep it?" He asked after a while of awkward silence.

"Yeah." Aliana bent down to pet the tan pup who was now standing beside her. "Unless his owner lost him, that is. I'll help nurse him back to better condition until I figure it out. " She bent down looking at the dog on an angle. "Okay it's a him."  

Shane chuckled.

"So yeah, I'm taking him."

"Cool." Shane said and the silence filled the air around them again. 

Aliana couldn't be more relieved to see Marnie briskly walking up the track, her face flushed. 

"Oh hello!" She said politely as she reached them, slightly out of breath.

"And who is this?" She bent down. To Aliana's surprise the dog walked right up to her for pats. It was warming up to people, maybe it was already someone's pet, she thought sadly.

"Oh no look at you, you poor thing! You've got mange. It looks like you've bumped into a few predators too." Marnie's eyes filled with sadness inspecting the dog in its poor condition.

"I found him at the beach, I think the smell of my fish brought him over. I want to take him in, I can see if he's chipped later but for now I just wanna get him fed and get some treatment plan for him."

Marnie nodded in agreement before standing up and heading inside.
Shane and Aliana stood in silence again, the pup now laying down chewing on the remainder of a small fish Aliana had caved in and given him.

A few minutes later Marnie came back out with a big sack of dog food, some different bottles, a collar and a lead. Aliana raced over to help her carry what she’d brought out.

"So! I have everything you need here. The food is very high quality so give small amounts to him, maybe even mix it with some fish there to start." Marnie began explaining everything Aliana would need to do to help nurse the dog back to health. I'll ring my vet friend tomorrow morning. She would be happy to come and pay this little guy a visit. I'm sure of it."

Aliana winced at the idea of her upcoming expenses, knowing full well she would sacrifice her kidney for this animal if it was needed.

"You can bathe him with this, it should sooth his skin but be gentle when drying him." 

Marnie continued on giving detailed advice for the next few minutes. Shane, who had been still leaning against the house got bored and finally went to leave. Marnie spun around and called out to him.

"Where are you going? You've got to help Aliana carry this stuff home."

Shane groaned but turned around quickly and picked up the bag of dog food slinging it over his shoulder. Without saying anything he began walking towards Aliana’s farm. Aliana gave Marnie a big hug thanking her for the help, promised to drop by some gold tomorrow morning, before following after Shane, the pup in tow. When she caught up to Shane he looked over at her, his eyes curious for a brief second before his usual look returned.

“Thanks for the help. It would have been pretty hard to carry all that plus my fishing gear..”

"It's okay." Shane responded coldly.

The trio walked up to the farmhouse in silence, while Aliana wondered if anyone in this town made small talk. Shane immediately dropped the bag of food onto the ground and turned to leave once he’d arrived at the porch.

"Hang on!" Aliana grabbed at the back his shirt to stop him from bailing straight away.

Shane stiffened, turning around to face her “What?!” he barked.

"Can’t you just wait a second ya grump? I have some stuff I want you to take back to Marnie." Aliana let go of his shirt

"I'm not your delivery service." Shane scoffed, glaring down at her. 

"Oh whatever." Aliana decided that matching his rudeness at least made interacting with him more tolerable. "Just wait here I'll be fast." 

Shane didn't say anything but didn't walk away either so Aliana quickly turned and rummaged through her chests out the front of her house. After a few moments she ran inside quickly, the pup who was laying down followed her but stopped at the porch and whined slightly.

Without even thinking, Shane on instinct leaned down to pet it. Aliana walked back outside and was shocked to see Shane fully bent down petting the dog vigorously.
A softer look in his eyes than she'd ever seen him give to any human before.

"Oh so you do have redeeming qualities?" She teased before walking down the steps and handing him a bag.

Shane stood up and mumbled something incoherent.

"Here's some gold for the stuff Marnie gave me, if it's not enough tell her to ring me I'll bring more over first thing." Shane looked at her saying nothing.

"And here." She handed a plastic wrapped plate over. Shane inspected it then grabbed it with his free hand.

"Pepper poppers. I'm not sure if you guys like them?" 

"I do." He said in a curious tone.

"Well enjoy, I only made them today. I preserved some of my peppers from last summer." 

"Thanks.." Shane stood there a moment looking at the farmer. His stare made her shudder. His gaze lingering on her a little too long before he spoke. It was as though he was seeing through her, not actually looking at her, Aliana hated it.

"Well bye, good luck with the dog." 

"See ya." Aliana waved.

Shane got a good distance away when he stopped and called out.

"What are you gonna name it?" 

Aliana who was sitting on the porch now looked at the dog then back at Shane.

"No clue." 

Chapter Text

Aliana spent the first week with the pup focusing mainly on its training and recovery. Given it's intelligence Aliana didn't struggle getting the puppy to grasp the basics like sit, stay, come etc.
The first few nights weren't easy however, as the puppy consistently refused to come inside. It seemed to have some traumas surrounding the indoors and Aliana tried her best to be patient, however worried every night that the puppy wouldn't be there in the morning. However after day four together, they'd spent a lot of time working on the farm and playing fetch. When Aliana went to the door and began her routine of trying to coach the dog inside, it surprisingly followed her in. Aliana stood quietly at the door while the pup walked around cautiously inspecting the house, sniffing everything within reach. Once it'd done a few laps Aliana got some treats and gave a bunch to the pup, congratulating him extatically. 
"Well done my little dude, I'm so proud of you!"

That night with a little coaxing she managed to get the pup onto his bed, again congratulating "Well done dude!" 
She wasn't sure why but she found herself calling the dog dude a lot, and decided that, that's what she'd call him. 

The vet came, and gave Aliana the rough age of Dude. He was between 2-3 years old and not microchipped. Other than needing a good worming, skin treatment and some dietary supplements he was in good shape. The vet gave her some more medications before thanking her for saving the dog.  

In order to celebrate Dude's good health and official adoption Aliana took him to the beach, they walked around splashing in the water together for hours before heading home.

Aliana found herself feeling genuinely less lonely than she'd felt in a year. And thanked everyday that Dude came up to her that day on the beach. 

Chapter Text

Aliana was at the beach again. Now her crops had sprinklers, she found herself with a nearly annoying amount of spare time. She also wanted to have as much money saved as she could before the summer crop seeds came out. Especially given how much of a stooge Pierre was with his seeds.
The sun shone brighter than usual, the heat bitter. Another indicator that Summer was fast approaching.
Dude ran up and down the shore sniffing and playing while Aliana fished. 

It’d been a slow fishing day but she didn't mind. Willie had joined her in the morning, the two of them chatting about his business.
The poor man was struggling to stay afloat due to the rapid decline of customers. Aliana offered to help in any way she could and that's when Willie showed her his old boat.
He told her how he used to ferry between here and Ginger Island. It helped business. But the boat had been docked in desperate need of repair for years.
Aliana was intrigued at the idea of visiting Ginger Island, so she offered to help him restore it in whatever way she could.
Willie unexpectedly gave her an awkward hug, tears in his eyes.
She couldn't help but feel Willy was like a long lost grandpa. That would be, if she didn't already have a long lost grandpa. She chuckled at the thought while reeling in her line.

"It's a bust for today." Aliana spoke aloud to Dude who joined her again. "I didn't even catch enough to share with you my Dude...sorry." she bent down to pet him before they walked off together.

Aliana was in desperate need of a shower, she'd been so distracted trying to make money and train Dude. She'd not even showered in a few days.
"Ugh. Let's take you home, then your Mumma is going to hit the spa in the mountains."

After dropping Dude home and putting him in his makeshift yard Aliana grabbed a fresh set of her brand new pajamas and a towel before heading up the mountain trail. On the way past Linus' tent she called in to say hello.

"Oh hello, Farmer!" Linus scurried over to her. The wild man was cute beyond measure. A scruff beard with bright brown eyes. He exuded  both wisdom and wildness in one.

"Hey Linus!" Aliana walked over to the benches by his tent where Linus sat. "How's the bounty been?" She asked.

"Wonderful as ever, salmonberry season after all. Nature always provides." Linus looked proud while pointing to his basket -one that Ali had found and repaired for him last year- full of salmon berries.

"Awesome to hear! Next night you're free, come by, I'll cook up something nice!" 

Aliana had invited Linus over many times and even though he always said yes, he never showed. Still though, she was determined and never stopped asking.

"Will do!" Linus waved Aliana off as she headed up to the train station.

"Ahh, thank God." Ali sighed, a big deep body shaking sigh. The water was divine, as her splashes echoed through the large brick bath house. The warmth made her tight muscles relax almost instantly.

It sometimes felt as though the water had magical properties. She only needed to spend a short time here, and somehow she’d come out feeling like she’d slept a full eight hours. It came in handy on the days she couldn’t afford to stop working through the night. 

Aliana laid on her back, floating in the water alone. Feeling both energy and peace flush through her.
“Another 10 minutes” She mumbled aloud, knowing full well she should’ve been out and heading home 20 minutes ago. It was probably dark out now.

After finishing up in the bath Aliana showered briefly before getting dressed into her brand new pyjamas.
After last year's heat, she knew she wasn’t facing this summer in thick flannelette pyjamas, or nude-thanks to the mosquitoes- and so she’d splurged on a matching set of jet black silk pyjama shorts and a singlet, with a button up to wear over the top on the more chilly days summer sometimes threw.

Slinging her carry bag over her shoulder Aliana stepped out of the spa and bumped head first into something solid. 

She let out a scream when she realised that it was a person, she was already gearing up to attack when she heard a familiar voice.

“It’s just me! It’s Sebastian.” He breathed worriedly.

“For Yobas sake you scared me… sorry for screaming.”  Aliana backed up, slightly cracking the door so there was more light to see with. An orange glow rushed out from inside the building illuminating Sebastian. He stood there in pyjamas himself, a black shirt and long patchwork pants. His long slender arms were unusually exposed, revealing his moonlight pale skin. His hair was messy atop his head and looked damp.

“Sorry, I was here earlier. I think that I left my phone.” Sebastian pointed towards the door Aliana stood in front of.

“Oh, no worries.” She stood out of his way and Sebastian went inside.

She pulled out a pre rolled joint from her bag, walked over to a nearby pine tree and lit it up.
Inhaling a big puff of smoke, and then slowly releasing Aliana felt an instant rush to her head.
She hadn’t smoked in ages, barely had the time since moving to the farm. 

She felt her always overworking mind settle down, her thoughts slowing down along with her mind and body and even perception of time.

To Aliana it took ages for Sebastian to emerge from the bathhouse. She looked over as the door opened quickly before closing, and he got lost in the darkness again. She could barely make out Sebastian was even there as she heard footsteps approaching her.

“Find your phone?” Aliana’s question was answered when a bright light shone over at her. Her eyes squinted. “A yes then?”
She held her hand up shielding some of the light from her eyes as Sebastian approached her.

“Is that…weed I’m smelling?” He sniffed the air. Holding his phone light up away from her eyes now, so she could see them both better.

“You think I work all that land just to grow tomatoes?” Aliana laughed cheekily.

“Just didn’t peg you for it I guess.”

“Well, here we are.” Aliana shrugged before smiling again “Want some?”.

“Sure.” 

Aliana held her hand outstretched joint between her fingers, Sebastian took it from her and she couldn’t help but notice the brief touch they shared in the exchange.
He took a huge inhale, and coughed a few times on the exhale.

Aliana chuckled, “Go easy, it's strong.” she warned.

“Sure, sure” Sebastian spoke in a hoarse voice, passing the joint back to her.

As they both let their highs’ sink in, all that could be heard around was the sounds of frogs, crickets and the occasional night bird cawing into the darkness. The sky was full of clouds so it was a thick array of deep blacks and purples, a small bright area where a moon tried desperately to shine through.

“So…how was your day?” Aliana cringed at her attempt at small talk.

“It was, ok.” Sebastian answered, not asking her anything in return. 

Aliana didn’t really know how to read him, or how to talk to him. She contemplated saying goodbye and just going home.

“Honestly…I came up here the first time because I’m frustrated.” Sebastian's hesitant confession lingered in the air a moment before Aliana realised he was confiding in her. 

“Can I ask why you’re frustrated?” Aliana asked and heard Sebastian take a deep breath in.

“It’s not that big a deal… I work from home, and because I work from home no one seems to respect my job. It does my head in.” He lifted his hand, scratching his head.
“It’s like Maru can’t do anything wrong even if she’s chasing her dream. But when I do it, I’m just a loser on a pc.”

Aliana took in Sebastian's words for a moment. She sympathised with him, imagining that people from a small isolated place like Pelican Town would have trouble understanding alternative jobs, especially work from home ones.

“Maybe people don’t get it, but if it’s your dream and they care about you they should be supportive regardless of their opinions…in saying that people are complicated and nothing is ever that simple.” she tried awkwardly to reassure him. “Besides the people here might not get it, but out there the world only holds together because of nerdy IT guys.”

Shane chuckled slightly, before the silence of the night fell between the pair again. Aliana felt a bit odd, standing next to someone she barely knew trying to cheer him up after getting him stoned.

“Is it rough out there, on the farm?” Sebastian’s now calm and slow voice broke their silence.

“Yeah, the hardest work I’ve ever done anyway…a bit lonely too honestly.”

“It’s lonely?” He asked curiously.

“Of course it is! I mean honestly how could it not be? Just me on a huge property to do all the work, by myself…”  Aliana’s voice was riddled with sadness despite her best efforts not to come across a downer.

“Is that why you’re always running errands for people, and gifting them stuff on their birthdays?”

“No, that’s…” she paused, wondering for a brief moment trying to figure out a good way to explain it. 

“I’ve got a small social battery, and I’m good at being friendly but actually maintaining relationships? I fucking suck. So I do the errands to show everyone I still wanna be a part of the community despite all that…I guess?”

“You don’t really need to buy anyone over.”

That pissed Aliana off. “I run errands for money and I’d hardly call remembering birthdays buying any one over.” She defended herself.

“No, sorry came out wrong. I mean like…people here saw you as part of the community the minute the word spread you were coming. That’s just kind of how everyone is.”

“Oh…” Is all Aliana could manage to respond with. 

[Sebastian POV]

When Sebastian got home and realised he’d left his phone behind in the bath, the last thing he thought would happen was running into the town's semi-new resident. She’d been popping up around him more and more lately.

They now stood together in the dark, both not speaking again. Sebastian’s phone lighting the area up enough for them to see each other. 

He noticed her silky black pyjamas, and the shine that reflected off their soft material. Despite his best efforts not to, he thought about what her strong legs would feel like underneath it.

Sebastian had only recently gotten out of a serious relationship with Abigail. Highschool sweethearts that never separated even when time made them grow distant. Abigail was pretty dedicated to Pelican Town. And everyone knew that all Sebastian wanted was to get away.

He’d spent so long with Abigail never even thinking of other women. So it nearly felt unfaithful just having these new thoughts about someone else. Unfaithful and oddly exhilarating.

Shaking off the devious thoughts Sebastian tried to imagine himself in Aliana’s situation. From what he knew of her she had no family to rely on, didn’t even know her adopted grandfather and now lived on his farm working her ass off. He wondered if he could achieve what she had if he were in her shoes. He highly doubted it.

“You’re pretty brave.” He looked down at Aliana as he spoke.

“I mean, I just followed the money. I needed a change, I don’t see it as that brave.” She shrugged it off.

Yoba, she's humble to fault.

“I mean you’re at least brave enough to sleep half naked with your door wide open.” Sebastian said a hint of cheek in his voice. 

“Yoba, will I ever outlive that. I lock my door now I’ll have you know.”

“Yeah but I bet you’re still undressing at it.”

“..so what if I am, it’s my farm. Not like there’s anyone around!” She protested, he found her mock anger cute.

“Any old creeper could be lurking, ya never know.” 

“Well let ‘em see, if they try to touch I’ll cut their hands off with my dagger.”

Aliana quickly wrapped her arms around her back, and when they returned one held a dagger. His phone light reflected off the careful cared for steel.

He couldn’t believe she had a deadly weapon hidden underneath silk pyjamas. Hot he thought to himself.

“Yoba, maybe you’re the reason people should lock their doors.” Sebastian joked.

Aliana chuckled and put her dagger away from wherever she’d pulled it from.

“It’s easy to be brave when you’re really good at slicing things up. And my dagger skills don’t hold a candle to my axe skills.” Sebastian could see her proud smirk.

“Remind me to come to you if I ever need rescuing.” He stood closer to her “Our local warrior.” 

Aliana chuckled, and then let out yawn. As she yawned she stretched her entire body out, standing on her tiptoes and reaching her arms to the sky Sebastian quickly took in the sight before him. Her singlet slightly lifted revealing a pale strip of stomach. 

“I’m exhausted, I should get going.” Aliana admitted. “My night would’ve been a lot more boring if I didn’t bump into you though, thanks.”

“All we did was talk?” Sebastian responded cooly.

“Still, I appreciated it. We should hang out more.”

He wanted to find reasons to decline her, but his mouth started moving seemingly on its own. 

“Sure.”

“I’ll walk you home, seeing as I’m the local warrior and all.”

Sebastian chuckled, the pair walked to his door in silence.
He wondered how his night would have gone if he didn’t bump into her. Maybe he’d have less complicated feelings, but on the other hand he did find himself genuinely enjoying the conversation. 

“Well, thanks for protecting me on my dangerous journey home.” Sebastian bowed.

“Go ahead ya freak.” Aliana waved him inside, he followed her order, smiling as he shut the door behind him. 

Chapter Text

Aliana stood at the end of the makeshift bridge that led to where the Flower Dance was being held. She’d spend the early hours of the morning rush harvesting and was already worn out. But, she’d made a promise to herself to be more social and so she was going to the Flower Dance regardless of her fatigue.

She was particularly nervous due to Lewis’ recent insistence for her to find a partner to dance with. Aliana wondered what the sudden obsession with her dancing was given that he’d already asked her three times. Three times he’d gotten a firm no. Despite that however, Aliana was afraid he’d try to sneak attack her at the dance itself and so she’d come up with a plan.

The plan? Her outfit. A long deep mud brown maxi skirt with several patches, where Aliana had repaired it over the years, and a black tube top sporting a small slime print on the front and her signature worn out farm boots.
She wore her hair in the usual style messy bun but placed a small wildflower behind her ear.
No makeup.
She knew in her current attire, Lewis would be unlikely to ask her to take part in the dance, and so she finally found the confidence to cross the bridge.

Upon entering the clearing, the smell of flowers lingered strongly in the air. The scene before her was a various array of color and life, another carefully planned out event. Streamers hung between the oak and pine trees, dancing in the gentle breeze. A  few tables covered with a large assortment of refreshments. Barrels lined around the whole clearing, stuffed to the brim with different flowers and plant life. Aliana felt herself sympathizing with Sam, hoping he’d taken plenty of antihistamine before coming.

And also wondered if she should start growing flowers to sell to the mayor for the festival, pushing that having locally sourced flowers would be better for the community. She saved that thought for later.

Aliana looked around for someone to mingle with, and found Elliot and Leah standing by the cliffside. She decided to go and speak to them. Leah had always been so shy around Aliana she could barely get a chance to get to know her. Though Aliana didn’t judge, she recognized social anxiety when she saw it.

“Hey guys!” She called out approaching the pair.

They both looked absolutely dashing. Elliot in a sky blue, slim fit penguin suit adorned with a golden bowtie. His auburn hair in its normal neat combover style.

Leah who stood partially behind Elliot was wearing a gorgeous white lace dress, with a flower crown made entirely of white flowers. She wore white sandals and had one yellow flower behind her ear, which complimented her deep orange hair.

“Hello Farmer!” Elliot smiled warmly at her.

“Hey.” Leah quietly added from behind him.

“You both look amazing!” Aliana gushed. “I can't wait to see you dance!”

“Why thanks, we always enjoy the flower dance. The intimacy of dancing surrounded by family and friends reminds me of what it will be like when we marry, I get giddy just thinking about it!” Elliot gushed, he’d proposed to Leah at the end of the previous year.

“Oh god.” Leah went bright red.

The three of them chatted lightly for a while, Leah still not really opening up. Aliana decided she’d just have to put Leah on the list of the many other Pelican Town residents she was insistent on winning over.

After departing from the couple she walked over to the table and chatted with Gus and Pam who gushed over the table of foods and drinks while reminiscing on dances long gone, Aliana imagined them as young dashing versions of themselves dancing away.

Lewis and Marnie stood a little too close to one another over in the corner, blushing slightly as they probably whispered sweet nothings to each other. Aliena chuckled at the obvious pair.
That’s when out of the corner of her eyes she saw Shane standing under a big oak tree, the shadow cast over him made him blend into the darkness, it was only a slight reflection of the beer can he was nursing that even caused Aliana to notice him there at all.

Aliana smiled to herself as she walked over to him, already predicting what facial expression he’d have upon seeing her. For some reason the fact he was so annoyed by her made her want to annoy him more.

“Hey Shane.” She stood under the deep shadow of the tree and looked over at him. He also wore a sky blue suit, a bit crumpled and worn, no penguin tales or bow tie, just a sensible black tie. He had pointy brown dress shoes on and his hair slicked back. Aliana noticed that this was the first time she’d ever seen him clean shaven, she wasn’t sure if she liked it as much as the gruff look but he was dashing today nonetheless.

“Mm, hi.” He said quietly.

“You excited for the dance?” Aliena pressed.

Shane looked over at her deadpan, “not really, but if I don’t take Emily, Clint bugs her so what can ya do?”

“That’s nice of you, honestly I didn’t take you for the dancing type.” She chuckled.

“I’m not.” He said firmly.

Aliana was about to retort with something sarcastic when Jas came running up in a pretty purple dress. She had tears flowing down her flushed cheeks.

“Uncle Shane, Vincent said that he’s a better dancer than me but he isn’t. And Marnie wont let me dance even though I really want to! It’s not fair!”

She held her arms out and as though she had the grumpy man trained, Shane bent down and scooped her into his arms, standing back up straight.

“S’okay kiddo. We all know Vincent cant dance, a bit like his older brother. And don’t you worry, you’ll keep on growing and you’ll be able to go to so many dances you’ll get sick of it.” He lightly tousled her hair before pressing his finger lightly to her nose and adding “Besides we can show Vincent just how good you are on your first dance, it’ll be me dancin’ with ya.”

“Oh, I can dance with Uncle Shane!” She didn’t say anything else, just hopped down from Shane’s arms and ran off back to Vincent excitedly.

Aliana felt a little privileged to have witnessed such a special moment coming from the town's asshole.

“You’re really good with her, she’s lucky to have you.” Aliana complimented the man sincerely.

He scoffed “I wonder..”

“Take it from me Shane, I was orphaned just like her, and what you’re doing with her, being someone she can rely on. It makes all the difference.”

Shane looked up at her with wide eyes “thanks…” 

Aliana simply smiled and nodded at him before walking away.

After another quick snack over by the table Aliana found herself searching for Sebastian and Abigail, assuming they’d be dancing together. However to her surprise Sebastian wasn’t with Abigail, nor was he dressed up for the dance. Instead he was awkwardly third wheeling with Penny and Sam.
She walked over to the three, Sam and Penny dashing in their own versions of the flower dance costume. Aliana was shocked at how grown up Sam seemed.

Aliana wolf whistled at Sam and Penny. Aliana had chatted with Penny a few times recently so she felt comfortable being a bit silly around her.
Sam laughed and posed like a model. Penny joined in on the laughter. Aliana couldn’t help but notice how relaxed she seemed compared to her normal timid demeanour.

“What was the choice behind this attire?” Sam laughed, so did Aliana. Of course he’d be the first to comment, he was so innocently honest.

“It was a shield!” Aliana explained proudly. “Mayor wanted me to find a partner, but everyone here’s already got their partners so who would I even ask?! Besides, I don't wanna dance. So I wore something ugly so he wouldn’t pressure me into dancing. It’s kind of amusing how well it worked. Aliana did an expressive twirl holding out the battered brown Maxi skirt before bowing slightly at the group.

“I think you still look so lovely though..” Penny’s quiet voice was so genuine it made Aliana blush.

“In a weird way.” Sebastian added, finally speaking.

“Hey! In a farmer's way!” Sam joined in to defend, not really softening the blow.

“Like you can talk Sebastian, emo died years ago, move on son.” Aliana joked cockily.

He was sporting an extra tight pair of black jeans, a long sleeve black turtleneck along with a studded belt and choker. Despite her joking, Aliana thought that his tight attire suited his long slender body. And the emo look most certainly did compliment him nicely.

Mayor Lewis called everyone together for another self indulgent speech, before announcing that the time honored tradition would be beginning soon. Aliana couldn’t help but notice him glaring over at her for a brief moment while he addressed the town. She felt a pang of pride for having pissed him off.

Sam and Penny who were still standing together with Aliana and Sebastian went over to start prepping.
Aliana felt slightly awkward standing with the alternative looking man, in her bizarre choice of outfit made them nearly look like they’d planned it together. 

“So, you carrying a knife in that outfit too?” Sebastian questioned breaking the silence between the pair.

“Nah, but maybe. You’d never be able to find out either way.” She looked up at him, noticing once again how much he loomed over her.

“A psycho farmer, that how you grow those crops so well?” 

“You’d never be able to find out either way.” Aliana repeated coldly, before laughing. “Nah my cow's shit does the job!” She said acting vulgar on purpose.

Sebastian winced slightly at her comment before turning to her.

“Wanna leave? I’ve seen this a thousand times, you’ve seen it once and once is all you need. Trust me it never gets any more exciting, so…how about we just bail?”

Aliana was floored, not at all expecting Sebastian to make such an offer. She looked around at the beautifully decorated festival and all the townsfolk dressed up and realized that “yes I would love to bail.”

Chapter Text

Sebastian and Aliana waited for all the attention to be focused on the dance and snuck away. They crossed the bridge and didn't say anything until they were well past the lake in Cindersap Forest.
Aliana felt happy to be away from the event, without having to end up entirely alone. She also felt guilty for leaving everyone behind. On top of all that she held a giddy excitement. Sneaking away felt like the sort of juvenile fun, the sort Aliana wasn't even aware she missed until she was doing it.

"Thank Yoba." Sebastian finally spoke. 

"Right? I was over it before I even got there." Aliana responded with a grin on her face. "It's kind of exciting sneaking away too!" 

He chuckled "I wasn't planning on 'sneaking' out but when I saw you tiptoe away silently I just joined in." 

"You’ve gotta be sneaky!” She exclaimed excitedly. “Anyway, what do you want to do?"  

Sebastian stopped walking; they now stood on the path that either takes you into town, the ranch or Aliana's farm, he looked over at her and shrugged.

"We could hang out on the farm?" She suggested.

"Hmm." He said curiously looking ahead to her farm.

"Hmm?" 

"Yeah sure, let's go to your place."

(Sebastian POV)

Sebastian watched as Aliana walked briskly ahead of him. A jump in her step. He'd never seen her so excited about anything before, though to be fair he'd barely spent time with her until recently.
Was she that excited to hang out with him? Or was it just the sneaking around? Sebastian mulled the thoughts around, all the while enjoying the view before him.

As they entered the property, Dude ran up to her and she bent down holding her arms outstretched towards him. The dog's pace fastened and he essentially body slammed into Aliana. To Sebastian's surprise she didn't budge an inch, just took his impact and warped her arms around him for a snuggle.

He took in the woman and her dog. She was cute, even in her silly "shield" outfit. And she knew it too, he could tell. It was in the way she carried herself. 

"Hi dude." He said approaching the pair.

Aliana loosened her grip on the pup and it then ran straight over to Sebastian. First hesitantly sniffing, before wiggling his back end and coming in for pets.

"Petting him is the entry fee. If you don't, he knows the kill command." Aliana teased.

Sebastian rolled his eyes at her, and bent down to pet Dude.
She was always putting on a tough front. And sure he couldn't deny she was tough. But he could also see through the façade. She was as soft as the silk pyjamas she wore.

"He looks healthy. Well compared to what you explained to me." Sebastian noted, the dog had gained a substantial amount of weight and new hair was growing in on all his bald patches.

"He's doing so well. My little soldier." Aliana's facial expression was filled with admiration. Sebastian couldn't help but admire her beauty for a moment.

The sun cast a golden hue on her silky, smooth burgundy hair, making it glisten with a radiant glow. Her face, adorned with light freckles, appeared more sun-kissed than usual. She always stood tall and confident, yet her small, muscular frame was often concealed by loose clothing, like the flowing maxi skirt she wore that day. He noticed how some wavy strands of her hair had fallen out of her bun. They now gently tickled the freckled skin of her shoulders.

Maybe sneaking out with her wasn't the best idea... Sebastian thought to himself, having momentarily been entranced by Aliana before him.

"So what's the plan?" He asked trying to snap himself out of it.

"I have wine and salad?" 

"Yass queen. Girls night it is then?" Sebastian smiled over at her, he actually liked wine and salad but like playing around with her.

"Spoken like a man who's never had a woman." Aliana's words were coloured with a playful slyness 

"Oh Yoba, ya got me." Sebastian pretended to have been defeated.

The two of them walked inside, the scent of earth and flowers hitting him instantly. It made sense, the small joined kitchen and living area was jam packed with pot plants. Some hanging from windows, others on the floors. He wondered if she'd always had such a skill for gardening.
Aliana motioned him to sit down at the kitchen table, he did so. She walked over to the fridge and started to serve up some salad. 

“Actually, on that subject of you and women...” Aliana looked over at him, asking hesitantly.

Sebastian shuddered at the words, he didn’t like where this was heading.

“Why weren’t you dancing with Abigail today? I remember you guys dancing together last year.”

“Ah, yeah... We split up.” Sebastian admitted having realised it was best to just get it out.

“Oh, shit, sorry for bringing it up. Honestly I should have already connected those dots.” Aliana’s voice apologetic “But in saying that, I’m here if you wanna chat about it.”

“It’s okay, it was a few months ago now.”  he waved her off with the flick of his hand.

They’d separated after a huge shit fight at the Saloon. Normally their "breaks" lasted a day or two at most before one or the other would come crawling back. However this time Sebastian ended it knowing full well he was done for good. It'd taken Abigail a while longer to figure that part out for herself. He was sick of the hostility between them, the sourness and resentment that’d developed in the place of affection. He wanted to leave Pelican Town, she wanted him to stay and it’d been that argument on repeat with them for years. He was tired of letting his relationship with her hold him back, and ultimately her as well.
It’d hurt like hell even if he was the one to end things, as it often did. He truly had loved Abigail. Though as the days turned into weeks, then months. He slowly healed and realised that it was also for the best. Some people just aren’t meant to be and that’s just how it is. They'd even managed to be civil with each other now, for the sake of Sam. Sebastian joking with her that Sam was like the child of divorce they'd messed up. 

“Fair enough!” Aliana flashed him a kind smile snapping him out of his thoughts.

(Aliana POV)

Aliana prepped the salad and wine, before bringing them over to the table in one trip holding everything in a careful but awkward way. She placed everything down in front of Sebastian, feeling slightly odd to be feeding him in her house on the day of the flower dance. It wasn’t how she’d imagined her day to turn out.

"I made this to distract myself from the anxiety of attending the flower dance." Aliana admitted. "Anxiety salad and a bottle of cherry wine, the least tasty of all my wines. Bon Appétit." She laughed.

"Thanks." Sebastian's sincere tone threw Aliana off for a moment, making her feel a bit silly for her constant joking around.

"That's fine! I should be thanking you for giving me a reason to bail… and being my lunch date!" The word ‘date’ lingered in the air for a moment. Aliana felt silly immediately after saying it.

"Anytime." Sebastian said nonchalantly before he began munching on salad, his face lit up at first taste and Aliana felt a pride welling inside her. She had learned to love her own cooking lately.

"So...Sebastian." She said while pouring a glass of wine for them both. "I feel like everyone's always asking about me, so I wanna talk about someone else for a change." 

"I don’t remember ever asking that much about you?" Sebastian looked at her with a sly smirk.

"That’s beside the point! I still wanna talk about someone else for a change." 

"What do you want to know?" he asked a slight look of concern on his face.

"Hmm...just tell me stuff about you, or this place growing up. I don't care." She shrugged.

Aliana sipped at her wine, watching intently as Sebastian lulled over things to tell her. His brows borrowing and releasing as his face reacted to whatever he thought about.

"I like frogs?" 

She held back laughter at the randomness of his first confession. "What about them?"  

"I like the way they sound, I can always hear them at night and they're cute when they come out in the summer rains." 

"Hmm that's nice." Aliana took a sip of her wine, and looked up at him. "What else, there's gotta be more than frogs." She pushed.

"It was nice growing up here. I had Sam bugging me from a young age. We started hanging with Abby only a year or so later. Actually we all spent a lot of time here with Otis when we were younger. The memories are hazy because I was pretty young but I do remember this place in its prime." 

Aliana leaned forward across the table without even realising and asked him to continue eagerly.

"He was really nice to all of us kids especially. I remember eating lots of fruit here because he'd let us just pick whatever was ripe if we visited. He was always laughing and jolly but kind of loud. I always thought of him like Santa. He was kind of like everyone's grandpa. People came over here all the time. The town relied on him." Sebastian rattled on.

Aliana felt a pang of sadness and longing. He'd been such a kind grandpa to all except her. She wondered if he even thought of her, or if she was just a regret he face before his death.

"Sorry." Sebastian said staring at her darkened expression. He reached his hand over and laid it over hers. She felt the warmth of his touch and began to cry. Sebastian just waited patiently, not saying anything while Aliana softly sobbed.

"I'm sorry." He eventually spoke in a guilt riddled whisper as her crying calmed down.

"Don't be.." Aliana smiled a thin empty smile over at him. "Every time I think I'm ready to know about my family, it just kills me... I'm sorry for being a downer on our girls night." She chuckled weakly.

Silence hung around the pair as they sat there in Aliana's kitchen. She couldn't help but feel cathartic, having not really opened up to many others outside Sebastian and his family it was easy to be vulnerable in his presence. And so she let herself be, and it made the void inside her feel less prominent.  She looked over at him sitting there like a strong pillar of support,  having not had a proper support in a long time and it made her sadness slowly melt into thankfulness.

"I think you're really strong. Honestly it makes me feel like a piss ant. I constantly complain about my family and want to leave. That shits trivial really." He stared at her with a sympathetic expression. One Aliana normally hated on others but didn't mind seeing on him.

"Nah." She said after a moment mulling over his words. "My problems don't make yours less real. And besides it's hard sometimes and lonely. But I own this farm and have a chance to run it and make it a successful business. I'm happy."

She looked down at her hand on the table, his still resting on hers. They were soft, and huge. His palm itself nearly covered her entire hand. She felt warmth rising to her cheeks as she felt the softness of his skin, only now realising how long it'd been resting there. She looked up to see Sebastian staring at her with a face she couldn't read. They locked eyes and held that stare for a long while. Then all of a sudden he grabbed her hand, pulling it up to his face and kissed her palm delicately.

"You're so fucking impressive." He murmured staring over at her intently.

Aliana inhaled sharply, her arm still extended as he held her hand inches away from his face. Her cheeks on fire.

She realised of course, that they'd been slightly flirty the last few encounters. She also noted the way he stared at her. Only because she'd been staring back. Aliana couldn't deny her attraction to him, especially watching him now across the table, holding her hand by his face staring intently into her eyes.

"Oh...thanks" was all she could manage.

Sebastian let her hand go, and she pulled it back over to her side. For some reason she suddenly hated the table separating the two. 

"What else do you want to know?" He asked, continuing their conversation as though he hadn’t just kissed her hand while staring at her with those piercing brown eyes.

"Just tell me stuff." Aliana sipped at her wine again, blushing to her ears trying to play off her shock.

"Hmm." Sebastian thought for longer. "I like being a dungeon master. Sam and I, even Abby, played d&d for years." He looked over at her waiting for a response but she just looked back as though she was still unsatisfied and eager for more. He sighed in defeat and continued on telling her about his life in Pelican Town until they'd polished off the wine.

Chapter Text

(Aliana POV)

"Holy shit! I can't believe you actually made it to the bottom of the mineshaft." Sebastian spoke, slightly tipsy and excitedly as their conversation shifted to the topic of the mines.

"Honestly it's nothing compared to the skull cavern down there. I mean I have had some pretty serious close calls but at this point I'm addicted to the thrill." Aliana was feeling light and breezy as the pair chatted away.

After getting a bit stiff from sitting Aliana had invited Sebastian on a tour of the farm, after which the pair found them sitting on a bench Aliana had recently purchased for a garden she had planned. They looked out over the farm as the sun began to set in the distance.

"I don't  think I've ever talked this much." Sebastian admitted out of the blue.

"Well, did you enjoy it?" Aliana looked over at him, both her hands at her side gripping onto the edge of the bench as she leaned slightly forward.

"I did." He smiled at her, a genuine toothy grin that she wasn’t sure she’d ever actually seen from him. 

Aliana stared at the man before her. The ivory pale skin taking in the golden rays beautifully. His cheeks slightly reddened from the alcohol, and strands of his midnight black hair fell down across his forehead. He was more than handsome she thought-with his pricing deep brown eyes staring back into hers-he was sensational.

She looked down at his thin pale pink lips, wanting so eagerly to see what they felt like beneath hers. She didn't know whether her sudden arousal was due to the alcohol or the realisation she'd been closer to him today than anyone else in a long time. She yearned for connection and touch, and wanted so fiercely to reach out and make any sort of contact with him. As though it'd make up for the years she spent longing.

She lost track of all reason for a moment staring at him, it wasn't until his lips parted and he spoke that she snapped out of her haze.

"Aliana." He said quietly, she looked up at him with flushing cheeks.

(Sebastian POV)

Sebastian couldn't hold it back anymore. Aliana had been staring over at him on and off for the entire evening. He noticed the look of desire gleaming in her green eyes and it was driving him insane.

"Aliana." He said, snapping her out of yet another stare-fest. The moment she met his eyes, he leaned in and closed the distance between them. No longer able to think rationally. His face was so close to hers he could smell the sweet wine on her breath. Their noses lightly brushing together.

"Is this what you wanted?" He whispered to her. Her breathing had picked up, slightly shaky now. Only a moment after the words left his mouth her lips came crashing into his. It felt like electricity between them as what started as a desperately passionate kiss diverged into something slower, sloppier and more sensual. Their bodies rocked back and forth slightly as they pushed into one another.

Aliana licked his bottom lip and he parted them in a response. Her tongue came dancing into his mouth. She'd brought one hand up to his shirt gripping onto it tightly with her fingers. The other hand cupped the side of his face.
He held the back of her head tenderly with one hand, and the other rested on her thigh, his long fingers wrapping around it lightly. He could feel the muscle from her leg through her skirt, and had to know what her skin felt like.

As they continued to kiss, he slid his hand down beside them, hitching up some of her skirt so he could get it. He needed to feel her skin like he needed air. Feeling like he was suffocating until his fingers found her leg just above her ankle.
He slid his hand up tracing his fingers along her soft skin. She yelped into his mouth as he reached the outer thigh and slowly moved his hand inward. 

He felt her squeeze her legs against her own arousal as he made his way to her panties. The second his fingers touched them he was delighted with the wet sensation of a silky fabric. Aliana moaned, disconnecting from the kiss. 

"Fuck." She whispered, staring at him, eyes glazed. 

The pair sat on the bench, it was twilight out now Sebastian's hand up her skirt, both her hands now on his chest. He slowly moved his finger up and down her panties.

"Do you...want to go to my room." She spoke in a breathy whisper.

Aliana looked up at Sebastian through her big oval green eyes, her face was flushed and her lips slightly swollen from their prolonged make-out. Her expression was full of desperate desire.

"Yeah." Sebastian said, sliding his hand away from her soaked panties making sure to touch as much of her as he could before he removed his arm from under her skirt.

Aliana stood up quickly and with vigour. It nearly made Sebastian laugh how determined she looked now.

She reached out her hand, and he grabbed it. Aliana then lured him back into the house and straight to her bedroom.

(Aliana POV)

Once inside the room Aliana turned on a little lamp that was plugged into the socket. It was shaped like a mushroom and put a faint red glow across her bedroom. 
Sebastian had already sat down on her bed by the time she turned around. His skin looked even better under the red glow than it did in the golden hour.  She sat down beside him on the bed, their thighs touching. Sebastian looked over at her with a hungry yet cautious expression. 

"Do you still wan-" he began to ask after a while of angst and tension between them. Aliana cut him off with another, harder kiss, biting his lip slightly before letting go. 

"Yes." She answered firmly before standing up and looking down at him.

She slid off her maxi skirt to reveal a slick lacy thong. Sebastian's mouth gaped at the sight. Aliana wasn't even sure why she'd worn them, but was glad she had. She then pulled the thong off, along with her tube top in quick succession. She ever barely wore bras, and so her small perky breasts became immediately exposed. 

Sebastian stared at her with an expression of awe for a moment, before reacting. Taking in her nakedness inches away from him before he began undressing in a flustered hurry. He kicked off his jeans then fumbled as he unlinked his choker. Eventually taking off the turtle neck. He sat there looking vulnerable, his emo tough guy façade fading away. Wearing only a tight pair of black briefs now he looked up at her.

Alaina looked back down at him, and then his briefs. They were pitched up by his erect penis, she could tell it was big just by the bulge, and found herself wanting to see it immediately.

She looked up at him and cocked her head. "I'm naked?" She mused.

He immediately ripped off his briefs exposing himself fully.
Aliana liked how quickly he caught on, and how obedient he seemed to be, she tensed her thighs at the arousal.

She then walked over to him, and got on her knees. Her messy hair still up in its bun she leaned down and touched the tip of his penis with her finger. He flinched, letting out a quick moan.  She smiled at that, liking how expressive he was. Before leaning in and wrapping her lips around the tip of his cock. Sebastian moaned louder this time as she made her way down his shaft, stuffing him into her throat.

"Fuck..." he moaned as Aliana sucked him off slowly at first, then gaining traction. Her hands on both his thighs, fingernails gripped in.
She felt him lightly thrusting into her, his hand delicately rested on the back of her head but didn't apply pressure.

As his body began to react more violently to the pleasure Aliana abruptly stopped. Pulling her head back, now covered in drool and looking up at him. He was staring down in a daze, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he took deep breaths.

Aliana stood up and looked down at him now. "Do you have condoms?" She asked.

Sebastian looked up at her in confusion at first, still recovering, before answering his face dropped. "Umm. No" 

"It's okay I have an IUD." She shrugged. "I mean we shouldn't but I want to..." her voice trailed off. 

"I want to." Sebastian said quietly as he positioned himself properly on the bed, his back up against the wall. He sat there legs out straight, his long slender penis standing straight up as if it was an invitation.
Aliana liked that he seemed to know what she wanted and came crawling on top of him. She lowered herself down carefully as she held onto his throbbing cock.
Sebastian's hands were all over her, feeling her breasts and stomach, shoulders back, waist. 

As she guided his penis into her, it hurt slightly. Another indicator that it had been way too long. She slowly lowered herself onto him allowing for adequate time to adjust to his size.

By the time he was fully inside her, Sebastian was holding onto her hips with a delicate grip. 

(Sebastian POV)

Sebastian half laid there back against the wall with Aliana riding him. She had both her hands tightly on his shoulders as she lifted herself up and slammed back down on him. The clap of their skin so loud it echoed through the room. He could feel her twitching and tightening around him as she reacted to the pleasure. She was so turned on and yet still so in charge, it was beyond fucking hot. 

One of her hands came quickly from his shoulder and down to her soaked and shining pussy lips, she slid her fingers in, parting them slightly and began to rub her clit. 

"Yoba you're so fucking hot." Sebastian mumbled, she shot him a smile that tormented him. He began thrusting up into her as well, grabbing her hips and pulling her down onto him. Up until now he'd let her take full reins of the night but he couldn't hold back anymore. 

She'd let go of him completely now, and was pulling at her nipple with her free hand and vigorously rubbing herself with the other. Moaning his name loudly as he thrusted in and out of her. Helping lift her up and slam her down onto him with his fierce grip on her waist.
He felt his orgasm coming on quickly feeling slightly embarrassed but with no way to stop it he began to experience an intense wave of ecstasy rolling over him in waves. His body shook, his grip tight enough now to leave bruises on her small pail body. His moans turned into low growls as he pumped deep into her one last time, filling her with his hot cum. 

She quickly joined after him as though she'd somehow timed it, twisting at her nipple, flicking her fingers and thrusting back and forth on him. Her legs began to quiver and tighten beside him, she moaned one last time before slumping over.

"Yoba." She breathed as she laid herself down on his chest. Sebastian got a strong whiff of her hair, it smelled like pine and flowers. How did she always manage to smell like a florist shop? He wondered, his mind still reeling as he came down from the high of his intense orgasm.
The two of them laid there for a while still connected, breathing deeply, before Aliana rolled over hopping off him. She laid herself down beside him, and he got down off the wall to lay beside her. She positioned herself on his chest, his arm wrapped around her. He couldn't deny how comfortable it was with her, here in the moment.

Sebastian unclipped the big clip in Aliana's hair, setting it free to cascade out in a wild mess. She hummed in response as he began playing with it delicately.

"You're the hottest person I'll ever know." He admitted quietly into the silence of the night. Recalling what had just happened with a slight disbelief.

She chuckled into his chest. "You're hot too, such a good boy." 

Sebastian froze slightly, and she laughed this time into his chest. His cheeks now flushed. He'd never had sex like that before, it was new and slightly daunting…but he had also never been so turned on in his life.

They laid there for a while listening to the sounds of distant night life outside, and their own breathing. She felt warm against him, he felt as though he could drift into a deep sleep then and there.

"Ugh." She groaned after a while of them laying there together.
"I'm sorry but I need to shower and sleep. Tomorrows gonna be a huge day." She lifted her head up to look at him apologetically.

"Stay though?" 

He nodded.

Aliana rolled lazily and uncoordinatedly out of bed, basically flopping onto the ground before getting up to her feet. "Holy moly" she said aloud before heading straight to the bathroom still naked. Just before she shut the door she called out to him.

"Hey Sebastian?"

"Yeah?" He yelled back.

"Let's skip the flower dance every year." She laughed before shutting the door.

Every year. The words rang out in his head. Turning what were happy, cloud nine type thoughts into dark ones. Sebastian looked around Aliana's unfamiliar room and immediately felt an uncomfortable heat rising in his chest. He heard the gentle stream of water begin in the bathroom next door and felt the world around him crumble immediately after.

Suddenly his brilliant night seemed greyed with doubt, regret and panic.

His head fluttered with thoughts and images of Abigail, their fights their good days. He’d never been with anyone else until now. Was it too early? Had he fucked everything up? His mind then went to Aliana, he imagined loving her. He’d already thought to himself tonight it would be easy to do. He hated that. He thought of the resentment he felt toward Abigail and felt sick at the idea of the same story repeating again.

Quickly Sebastian's thoughts spiralled out of control into a confusing mess. He felt his chest tighten as though someone three times his size just laid on him. As breathing got harder to do Sebastian sprung up out of bed as though it’d somehow help him to be standing. The room spun, his palms felt tingly.

He began to look frantically around the room for something comfortable, something familiar to cling to, but only found the unknown bits and bobs of Aliana's bedroom.

His hand reached down for his clothes strewn across the floor. They trembled so severely it took him a few attempts to grab them.  Sebastian got changed as fast as he could, he began to feel light-headed. His breaths now fast and shallow. 

Every year… The words rang out in his head again and he felt his mouth begin to salivate as the dizziness caused him to feel sick. He didn’t want something to change his mind, he wanted to leave. It was killing him here in Pelican Town. In his mums house with their happy family that he never fit into. He felt sick.

Sebastian looked over at the bed where he and Aliana had for lack of a better word made love. Then over to the bathroom door. He wondered about bursting in, telling her that he needed her. But the thought only made his already heavy chest feel weighed down further so he turned around and ran for the door. Not thinking clearly enough to consider consequences. He didn’t look back as his feet trudged on the dirt, his steps fast as he was desperate to get home.
The walk to his house was a blur, and it wasn't until he got to the front door that he realised he hadn't even brought shoes. 

His breaths were still shallow, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He stood there in the dimly lit entrance to the shop, wet from a cold sweat and barefoot. 

"Sebastian..?" A worried voice called out in the dark. 

"Sebastian! Are you okay?" 

It was his mum, upon hearing something familiar, smelling the hardwood of his home, seeing the red of her hair he felt his knees buckle beneath him.

"I'm...I think I'm...dying." he managed to get out.

"Sit down honey, you're not dying."

Sebastian sat down properly on the floor. His mum was now kneeling in front of him, arms firmly on his side. Her tone was the familiar soothing one she'd always used with him when he was a kid. And she began speaking the same words he'd heard hundreds of times before:

"You need to take deeper breaths sweetheart. Slow. In...One...two...three...four...out...one...to...three...four..."

Chapter Text

Two days after Aliana was left high and dry by Sebastian without so much as a word, she got so tired of waiting for an explanation that she marched over to his home. His dressy boots in one hand, choker in the other she briefly said hello to a confused looking Robin before walking past to the basement and banging furiously on his door.

“What the fu-” Sebastian was mid yelling when he swung the door open and saw Aliana standing there. She was fuming. What made her angrier is that she couldn’t help but notice he was only wearing a pair of plaid pyjama pants.

“I think you and I need to talk.” She said coldly before pushing past him and into his room.
Sebastian didn’t say a word as he closed the door and switched the light on. Aliana looked around his room, having never been inside before. 

Sebastian looked dejected as he walked over to his computer chair and sat down, swivelling it around so he was facing her. Aliana stood in his room still holding his belongings in her hand. She wasn’t speaking, she refused to. He needed to start first preferably with an apology she’d thought on the walk up here.

“Aliana..” Sebastian looked up at her but upon meeting his gaze looked down at the floor.

Still she didn’t speak.

“I fucked up.” He began, his voice quiet and withdrawn. “I was laying there…and I panicked.”

Aliana simply stared at him.

“I used to always get these anxiety attacks... I haven’t in a while and I wasn’t prepared for this one. I dunno why it happened…I haven’t been with anyone else but Abigail before then maybe I freaked out I don’t know…”  Sebastian ran his hands through his thick black hair, his brow furrowing. “I was laying there and for some reason even though I’d just had such a fucking awesome time…the world fell apart and I just ran like a fucking child.”

Aliana took a deep breath in. Honestly this explanation pissed her off even more. Because now she couldn’t be angry without being the asshole. She sympathised with his anxiety, she even understood it. The first sex after a long term relationship always came with baggage, but running out on her? Not texting, not calling? Not even writing a letter…

“So…you panicked because we slept together, and it was a lot considering you’ve only been with Abigail.” Aliana began “then your response to the panic was to run away from the farm and come home. I get those two things.” 

Sebastian looked up at Aliana now with a glint of hope in his eyes but before he could speak she continued. 

“But what I don’t get is why you didn’t reach out to me…I spent the first night thinking maybe I’d freaked you out, or done something off putting or overwhelmed you. I spent the next morning worrying that maybe something was seriously wrong and you’d faced an emergency. Yet it took me to come here, only to find out it was a fucking anxiety attack.”

Aliana’s voice raised slightly by the end, she felt tightness in her chest that she slowly breathed it out. Sebastian continued to remain silent. 

“I’ve had anxiety attacks too Sebastian, and I’m not undermining how bad they can be but you don’t tell a girl you just fucked that you’re staying the night, then bail without a word. If you do, you'd better be there the next morning to explain why. Yoba! You’re an adult!”

Again Sebastian went to speak but Aliana didn’t let him.

“I do get it though…I can’t imagine you had a very stable relationship…and you are an adult…but it’s not like there's a wealth of ladies here to gain experience.” She chuckled. 

Surprisingly she found herself calming down. Yes she was still angry at Sebastian however if anyone understood mental health issues it was her. 

“I honestly have nothing to say, I’m just really sorry that I hurt you.” Sebastian's voice was strained with emotion as he stared into her eyes apologising.

“Sebastian I didn’t expect some lifelong love, or even a romance to develop between us if that’s what fuelled your anxiety. It was just…I had such a great night and then very suddenly while I’m standing there in a towel, that same night turned to shit…That wasn’t fair.” Despite her best efforts her voice gave away the sadness she felt saying those words.

“No, it wasn’t.” Sebastian stood up and walked over to her. “Aliana, I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah.” she said, waving him off with the flick of her wrist. 

She was a forgiving person, and she’d forgiven him probably the moment she saw him, even more so when he explained himself. He genuinely looked remorseful, he’d said sorry with intent and tried to explain himself. She’d let go of issues with other people for less. However she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to know that yet.

They stood there silently for a while in the dimly lit basement room, Aliana avoided looking over at him. He stared fiercely at her.

“I really did have fun,” he admitted quietly.

“So did I.”

“What happens now?” He prompted moving slightly closer to her.

“It’s obviously not the right time for either of us right now so I think it’s best to chalk it up to a fun night and move past it to friends if we can.”

Sebastian looked at her for a moment before leaning in and kissing her fiercely on the lips. Aliana froze for a second confused with how that was his first reaction to her words, before pushing at his chest with her hands. He broke away immediately.

“What the fuck Sebastian?! I literally just said we should just be friends.” She yelled at him.

“I’m sorry, I…” His eyes widened in shock, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Yoba! Look man, sort your shit out, I need a break from you.” Aliana dropped his stuff on the ground and stormed out.

Chapter Text

It was now three days before the Luau, Aliana had decided it was best to put her issues with Sebastian behind her and focus on the farm. All the days leading to summer she worked tirelessly, and that didn’t stop after the new season rolled in, the work just changed. Aliana had spent yesterday resting however, as she’d planned to visit Calico Desert and hit the mines. She figured she needed the loot, and murdering a few monsters might make her feel better. 

Aliana walked over to the bus stop early, waiting for Pam to wake up and get there. She tapped her foot, angry that the Jumino had gone to all the trouble of fixing it only for the bus driver to show up late everyday.
When she finally got on the bus it was clear Pam was hungover. Hoping she hadn’t drank enough to still be tipsy Aliana made her way on, a backpack full of tools needed for todays adventure.

The mineshaft in town was scary, but skull caverns were something else entirely. The eerie silence that echoed through each floor, only broken by the screeches, groans and roars of violent monsters. It’s like everything about the place was designed to instill fear and confusion. Sometimes the entire cave system felt like a living entity, one that has something to protect and snarls at those who enter.

However, it held everything she needed for crucial upgrades. She found treasures and artefacts, rare gems and sometimes even new weapons. Most importantly ores for her machine farms. 

The curiosity of what laid at the bottom mixed with the loot greed had Aliana ready to face the dangers once again.

Once she stepped off the bus she went over to the travelling merchant. His array of goods all on display with images of the items you needed to buy them. He worked on more of a barter system than the other shops around, Aliana liked to often swap gemstones for various other goods. As she pet the camel that towed their cart the Merchant leaned out the window and spoke to her.

"Jakow trukaj noska dershkn.." 

As per usual Aliana didn't understand a word he said. She didn't even know what language it was.

"Yes hello! I hope you are well." Aliana said back, a big smile on her face using her body to communicate the best she could.

After seeing them off Aliana went into the mines, determined not to let her fear take hold she opened the huge sandstone door that adorned a skull and stepped into the first floor.

What was most fascinating about the skull cavern is that it was ever changing. Each time she saw the first floor it was a completely different layout. She'd tried not to give it too much thought, magic like this was way beyond her level of understanding. 

The only monsters in the first few levels were slimes and dragons. The occasional bat. All of which she had a pretty good handle on. Slimes weren't very good in tight spaces so she'd corner them into a wall dealing repeated damage. Dragons on the other hand flew in fast and fierce with their hardened green skin and red talons. However they were like glass cannons, as long as you were fast enough one big swing knocked them to the ground. Then it was over. The bats had a nasty bite but weren't big enough to take her sword to the face and so she found them easy to deal with as well. Always working to avoid being outnumbered she moved quickly and quietly through the dark caverns.

Aliana was feeling the rush of adrenalin and as she cleared floors, destroyed rocks and gathered gemstones, she also felt her troubles melting away. Maybe I've become addicted to adrenaline, she joked to herself while drawing her sword from the skull of a dragon.

Without realising it, in her adrenaline fuelled confidence Aliana had gone nearly 30 floors down. And she was now in mummy territory.

She found it easiest to sneak away in a speedy manor when she faced the mummies. They weren't overly fast or smart but they also weren't easy to kill, and if they so much as grabbed hold of her she was done. She'd snuck past them with surprising ease leaving them to stand mindlessly still on the other end of the cavern floor.

Aliana saw the tight dark staircase descending down to the next floor. She was about to go down when a glistening rock caught her attention from her periphery. She turned her head to see what looked like a geode on the floor. Taking a quick look around she didn't see any movement or Mummies close by so she stepped over the smooth rock and smacked it hard with her pickaxe dislodging it from the ground.

As Aliana put the item in her backpack she heard a faint noise behind her. By the time she spun around, a mummy had closed the gap between them, it was now at arms length reaching out at her with its ancient hands. Worn rugged cloth wrapped around its preserved flesh. Not only were the hollows where its eyes once belonged terrifying and unnerving, but it stunk horrendously. Throwing her off in every way. She hated the fucking mummies.

"Fuck off!" Aliana swung at it with her sword, knocking it slightly back, tearing away some of the cloth and revealing even more of its grotesque form. She quickly turned to run, applying her normal strategy, and just as she thought she'd gotten away the Mummy's fingers wrapped around the fabric of her bag. Tearing it open and pulling her harshly to the ground.

The force that pulled Aliana down was so strong when she made impact with the floor it knocked the air out of her lungs, and momentarily the sense out of her mind. He felt sharp pains in nearly all her joints and especially where she'd made impact with the ground.  Shaking off the shock immediately Aliana dropped her bag from her shoulder and spun around. The mummy only now letting go of the bag and going in for her.

"You stupid fucking thing!" she screamed in a sheer panic. She tried to get to her feet but the creature as though taunting her smacked her in the chest with its hand knocking her back down.

Aliana felt desperate, her life in the balance. Her body started acting on its own. She began kicking at its knees while also dragging herself away trying to get distance between them. On one hard kick, the creature's leg bone snapped and it fell lopsided.

Aliana felt her heart in her throat as she wound back for one more kick to the mummy's head. Her foot came forward with great force and made contact. However the mummy had also launched an attack. Springing both hands up it grabbed Aliana on either side of her right thigh, its rotten fingernails ripping into her flesh. As the creature fell back violently from her kick, a loud cracking of its neck, its fingers dragged down her legs with their tight grip unaffected, continuing to scratch until it finally let go below her knee.

She screamed, the pain was instantly the worst she had ever experienced. She knew straight away the tears to her thigh were deep. Then came the burning, as though she'd not only been cut by the mummy's fingers but like those fingers were acidic, her skin felt like it was melting away.

Wasting no time Aliana used her sword to help her up and she limped to the staircase. The mummy was struggling to keep up with her limping speed. Its own leg now snapped at the knee and its neck violently broken backwards. It was terrifyingly persistent. Her bag was now empty, the contents strewn across the floor. Aliana didn't have time to go collect them, or anywhere to hold whatever she collected.  So she decided headed back toward the staircase she'd used to get down to the floor with the Mummy's.

She limped up the stairs wincing through the immense pain of moving her injured leg. 
Once inside the next room she took a deep breath. The monsters don't leave the room they were born into. She reassured herself. The floor was already clear and the mummy wasn't following her.

Aliana sat down, ripped her shirt off and twisted it into a thin strip of fabric. She tied her leg off above the knee making a makeshift tourniquet. The pressure hurt so bad she nearly passed out but once it was tied she forced herself back up. She rearranged her tool belt and used her sword as a makeshift cane, slowly making her way back up through the floors she'd already cleared.

 Putting pressure on her leg was basically impossible. She managed to get up five floors before her body gave out on her. The exhaustion setting in rapidly and the pain now becoming simply unbearable. She slumped back onto a wall sliding down to the ground. The world around her was beginning to blur slightly, her head was hazy and the adrenalin now wearing off the pain was only getting worse by the second. 

"Well fuck." She heaved into the empty dungeon floor, her words echoing around her. There was no way she could make it to the top. And if she wanted to go back down to try and grab some supplies she'd still have to face the mummy. Besides, her med kit wasn’t gonna help her now. "I'm fucked." She said aloud, talking as though someone was there eased her slightly, and she needed any relief she could. Her body was in agony but even that didn't compare to the fear she was feeling.

Her body began to shake violently against the wall, her mind losing touch with reality slightly as she sat there. Blood soaking through her pants onto the floor.

What the fuck am I doing? She thought to herself. Maybe this was all some sick dream and she was actually back at college asleep during a lecture. Maybe the farm wasn't even real, neither was Otis or Sebastian. All these thoughts ran through her foggy mind as she sat there alone.

Aliana had lost sense of time but she knew that she'd been there against the wall bleeding for way too long. She felt as though her consciousness was fading, all that kept her from passing out was the intensity of her pain. She contemplated her life with the small capacity she had left to think with. How it all led to this point here in the cave, and that it wasn't a dream. It was real, and she was probably dying.

Aliana thought of her mum and how angry she'd be at her now for doing something so reckless. Nearly picturing Sally's frown in her mind she laughed weakly.

No sense of time, no idea how to get help, Aliana both conceded to her death and wept at the prospect of it. 

"I'll see you soon mum."

Chapter Text

(Wizard POV)

Magnus stood by the bookshelf in his castle. His long deep indigo robes trailing to the floor, ancient symbols embroidered into them with a shimmery gold fabric. His broad brimmed black hat cast a shadow over his face, deepening the purple hair and beard he sported. The wizard's eyes were a deep violet that seemed capable of seeing the things no one else could. His towering size, and immense presence was intimidating to say the least.
Yet here in the quiet of his tower, he stood happily and calmly reading an ancient scroll he’d picked up from the elementals. His long slender fingers adorned with different rings held the scroll carefully as his brows furrowed in concentration.

The day was quiet to the normal human, to him  however, everything was restless. The rustling leaves despite a lack of wind, the absence of the normal forest creatures noise as they went about their survival in the wild. The forest, the soil, the air around them was whispering that something was wrong. As the day went on the distressing vibe of the day only grew stronger.

He ignored it though, he had reading to do. Well at least that was the plan.

A Jumino appeared before him, green slightly bigger than the rest of its kind. A puff of smoke billowed out around it as it transported itself to him. Mangus looked over at it not saying anything, just staring at the small apple shaped creature in awe.

"You must.. the gift giver...you must save the gift giver."

"Fascinating." Magnus raised an eyebrow at the Jumino. He walked over bending down to get a closer look.

"I had no idea you were capable of such desperation, are you the reason the Valley is so disgruntled and worried today?! Also are you watching her now?" He spoke coldly.

The Jumino simply bobbed up and down on the spot frantically waving the small arms it had by its side. 

"Why should I help the gift giver? She is over in Qis territory, I do not like to interfere." 

"Must save… gift giver…." It chirped again.

Magnus sighed a deep annoyed sigh and brought his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"For Yobas’ sake."

With that he lifted his staff and disappeared leaving the Jumino in his house alone. 

Magnus stood outside the skull cavern, hesitating to enter. He hated running into Qi. The man had always rubbed him the wrong way. The arrogance he had was typical of an immortal. Always trying to befriend him. Always hiding the intent of his actions behind those frustrating round glasses. Qi was an annoyance he avoided at all costs.

Magnus closed his eyes and chanted in the ancient language of the air elementals. His mind immediately filled with visions of the cavern's floors he searched each one as he went down only finding dead monsters and empty rooms. He couldn't help but be slightly impressed at the growth that Aliana had shown. While simultaneously shuddering at the carnage of monster bodies she'd left behind.

On the 25th floor Magnus finally found her. Laying slumped against the wall a small pool of blood around her. He wasn't sure whether she was even alive. He rolled his eyes. "If she's dead, that would be a terrible waste." He said to himself before raising his staff and teleporting himself to her.

Magnus now stood right in front of Aliana staring down at her. Her deep brown overalls were torn, a shoulder strap fallen down at her side. She was slumped over, blood stained thighs, her wounds exposed by the tears in her clothing. Her unruly hair was slicked down with what appeared to be slime and monster guts. A grotesque mix only adding to the desperate state she appeared to be in. It didn't take Magus long to figure out it was a Mummy that put her in this state.
"Oh so you are alive." He noted the laboured rise and fall of her chest.

Magnus withdrew a bright orange potion from his cloak bent down and ripped Aliana's overalls exposing both of her legs just above where her cuts began. He began to tip the potion over her wounds. They were deep lacerations that weren't clean.
Everyone always believed it to be the brute strength of a Mummy that had claimed the lives of so many explorers and warriors. It was the poison however that stole the lives. Mummies were cursed and forsaken creatures. To so much lay a hand upon their flesh exposed you to the potent toxin.

Magnus looked up at the unconscious Aliana. Her face was surprisingly calm despite the state she was in. 

"Who goes out to the mines on a day with such low luck?" He murmured trying to understand this bizarre human before him. He wondered briefly what would happen to the farm and to the Jumino if she died here in the mines.

"This will nullify the poison…” He murmured. “Did no one teach you that mummies are poisonous, you stupid child?" 

After finishing up the application of the potion to her wounds Magnus stood up, his tall body towering over hers and sighed at the rather pathetic sight before him. 

They are so fragile.

"I will take you to the doctor now. He can deal with this. I have done enough to please the Jumino." 

With that Magnus leaned down, carefully picking Aliana up into  his arms and teleported them straight to the front doors of Harvey’s clinic.

Chapter Text

Aliana woke up with a fogginess like she’d never experienced before. She knew she’d been dreaming of something terrifying yet it escaped her the moment she tried to recall it. After the blur in her eyes faded her eyes began to dart around the room. She quickly realized she was in a hospital. Not just any hospital but the same one she lost her mum in. She was in Zuzu City. 

Looking around Aliana couldn’t bring herself to look at her body, instead focusing only on the button at the side of her bed that buzzed a nurse.
Her mind was hazy, and she had no memory of what brought her here. Panic was rising in her chest, and she could hear the heart monitor next to her bed beeping frantically.

She lent over and went to move her right arm however a pain shot immediately through her shoulder. She winced, looking down at her arm to see it in a sling, resting on her chest. Once she’d looked at herself she couldn’t stop. Her eyes fell upon her right leg and she let out an audible gasp. It was wrapped up in bandages and gauze from the thigh to below the knee. She could see the slight blood stains that’d leaked through it, in long streaks. It looked like it’d been bleeding a lot.

“Fuck” Aliana gasped aloud, her mind desperately trying to recall what happened but finding nothing but emptiness where memories should be.

"Goodness Aliana!" A familiar voice caught her attention. Her head snapped sideways, Doctor Harvey was walking towards her, he’d been sitting on a chair in her periphery and must have only just noticed she’d woken up.

"Dr Harvey?" Her voice cracked and hoarse. 

"Yes Aliana." He said calmly. "I know you must be very overwhelmed right now but if you can wait before the questions I'd like to give you a quick examination."

Aliana simply nodded. Her mind was still too foggy to even try protesting. She simply followed the Doctor’s instructions mindlessly, while trying to figure out what the hell had happened to her.

The Pelican Town Doctor ran through a series of easy tests before pulling up a chair and sitting beside her.

“How are you feeling Aliana? Do you feel up to having a chat with me about everything?” Harvey’s voice was soft, professional and reassuring. Aliana nodded at him weakly.

“I’d first like to ask you what happened. Can you recall to me how you got these injuries?”

Aliana sat there for a while, putting all her mental energy into trying to recall. It felt gut wrenching to realise that something was gone from her memory. Something crucial and important.

“I only remember going to Calico Desert. I went into the Skull Caverns…” Aliana brought her free hand up to her forehead. “I don’t remember anything else…” A slight panic in her voice.

“It’s okay Aliana.” Harvey reassured her calmly. “You’ve been through significant trauma, it's normal for the brain to repress some memories.” 

Again, Aliana just nodded.

“Would you like me to catch you up on what I know? Or would you like to rest?”

“I want to know.” She insisted.

Harvey sighed, taking a moment before beginning.

“Magnus knocked on the clinic doors at 10pm three days ago. You were slumped in his arms, bleeding profusely from your thigh and deeply unconscious.” Harvey stopped to inspect Aliana’s reaction, she was calm waiting to hear more. He continued.
“I gave you immediate emergency care but called in for a chopper because you needed a hospital. They airlifted both of us to Zuzu State Hospital and a surgeon was ready to work on your leg. The wound was very serious, Aliana. Two lacerations one on both sides of your leg, over 30 centimeters long. Several more that range between 10 and 4 centimeters in length. All of them are deep, one causing muscle damage in your thigh,

“Not only that but whatever had cut you was dirty and not sharp. The surgeon spent some time working on them. He managed to clean the torn flesh, and debris up and suture the wound shut. You’re on a strong IV of antibiotics because your risk of infection is very high.”

Aliana felt numb to it, as though she was disassociating slightly. Not really able to recognize that the words Harvey was saying actually applied to her.

“Are you following me? Do you need a break?”

“Nah.” she said with an unnerving coolness.

“You also have some fractures…one in your coccyx bone-tailbone. And two ribs in the front of your body have been fractured. We also set your shoulder back into place, it was badly dislocated…” Harvey sighed. Aliana noticed that the brown haired Doctor looked utterly exhausted. “Aliana you’re extremely lucky to be alive, let alone be able to make a full recovery.”

“Will I make a full recovery?” She asked with a quiet emotional voice, tears streaming down her face now.

Harvey reached out and patted her on her left thigh. 

“Yes, despite how bad everything sounds you are already healing very well Aliana.” 

The emotion that Aliana hadn’t been able to feel until now came crashing out. Fear of a memory she couldn’t even recall, tiredness and pain, worry and most importantly a longing for her mum, for comfort. Aliana looked over at the doctor, his eyes now wide at the tears streaming from her face.

“Aliana?” He spoke worriedly. “Is something hurting?”

Shaking her head Aliana looked up at Harvey before lifting her arm and holding it out to him. She felt juvenile, but didn’t really care. She needed to know she wasn’t alone, she needed to feel that someone cared enough to hug her, she didn’t want to face all this emotion by herself, so she reached out to the only person around.

“Oh Aliana…” Harvey leaned in sadly, sympathizing with her and held her in a very delicate embrace. He patted her hair softly and soothed her with coos and shhh’s.

Eventually the drug haze took over along with her fatigue and she fell asleep again.

Chapter Text

Shane Mclerg opened his eyes to see the same familiar ceiling of his cramped and dirty bedroom in Marnie's ranch. The same room he used as a child, though now instead of toys it sported muddy carpet and rubbish strewn around the room.

Immediately after waking, the familiar jabs of a hangover hit him, causing a dull ache in both his head and a churn in his stomach.

Why did I wake up? 

Shane shook off his disappointment at waking to face another day and headed out to the kitchen to get a coffee. The ease at which these dark thoughts became a part of his daily life would probably be concerning, if he cared enough about anything to be concerned.

He could tell by how bright it was outside, that it was at least midday. 

He sighed deeply to himself, another wasted day.

Joja Mart had recently closed in Pelican Town. In part due to the restoration of the Town Centre and partly due to the boycott most of the locals decided to partake in. Shane knew it was coming of course, ever since the Farmer had decided to meddle in everything. He noticed everyday leading to his last at Joja getting less busy, more boring, Morris becoming more and more unhinged, eventually having a breakdown, the corporation deciding to shut down the whole affair and bring him back to ZuZu.

Of course Shane only found out after a long morning walk in the rain, only to get to an empty building and a wooden sign saying: “Closed indefinitely”
Typical of Morris to leave without saying a word. 

Either way it was all the farmers fault as far as Shane was concerned. He’d spent days cursing her out after a few beers, and he’d long decided that when he bumped into her next he was gonna give her a piece of his mind. She had to go and fix everything like it was her business, not caring about the consequences. 

Since losing the job Shane's depressing life had only gotten more grey and suffocating. He found it difficult to get out of bed at all and when he did it was only hours before he began drinking. He was seeing family less and less as the days went on, keeping to himself, going on long walks and avoiding home at all costs. He knew this was hurting Jas but he couldn’t bear to bring his negativity into her world.

As Shane stepped out into the kitchen he saw Mayor Lewis slumped over a chair, head in his hands. Marnie was standing behind him, her hands rested on his shoulders. She'd clearly been crying herself.

Shane walked over. "S'goin' on?" He mumbled.

"Oh Shane." Marnie's head snapped up. Lewis didn't move from his position.

"It's poor Aliana.." she teared up again looking at him.

What now?  Shane thought bitterly.

"She's been badly injured. A helicopter air lifted her to hospital in Zuzu early hours of the morning."

Shane's mind went blank for a second, the news hitting him like a slap in the face. Then, he started to recall memories of her. Trying to talk to him despite his rudeness, saying something nice even though he didn’t deserve it…those absolutely fucking delicious strawberries she'd given to him and Jas. A well of frustration and guilt began to stir within him.

"She going to be okay?" he asked, trying to sound like he wasn’t phased.

Lewis looked up this time. "Harvey said she's going to live. But she's not in good shape." Lewis’ voice was tired and dejected. Shane hadn't realised Lewis cared so much for Aliana, or anyone else but himself for that matter.

"I was supposed to look after her…yet I’ve barely even spoken with her. She’s done so much here on her own…what have I been doing?” He buried his head again in shame.

Shane piped up. The mayor's words had struck a chord and it pissed him off. "Well she ain't dead so make it up to her when she gets back."

"Shane!" Marnie snapped back, but the Mayor lifted his hand up to stop her.

"Shane..." Lewis said sternly, Shane feeling slightly uncomfortable at the gaze. "You aren't working now that Joja has closed I assume?"

He raised his eyebrow at Lewis wondering where the fuck this was going.

"Right." He said bleakly.

"I will pay you the same as your wage at Joja if you attend to Aliana's farm until she gets back. You’re right, I need to take action now.”

"That’s not what I said…how do you know she even wants that anyway?" Shane was confused as to why out of all people Lewis was asking him.

"I don't know…" Lewis said. "But once she's awake and able I will ask her properly. Until then I want you to go there and at least collect her dog and bring him here, feed her animals and make sure nothing is wrong."

Shane sighed. He needed the money desperately. And given the intense pleading look that Marnie was giving him now, there was no saying no. 

"Fine." He shrugged. "I'll have a coffee then go over."

Marnie sighed with relief. "Thank you Shane."

"Don't mention it."

Shane stepped onto Aliana's farmland and Dude immediately came barrelling toward him at the speed of light. Shane braced as the medium sized brown tan dog jumped all over him whimpering and fussing.

"It's okay mate." Shane reassured Dude, He'd always found animals easier to deal with than humans.

"She's okay. She's coming back. But for now ya gotta come with me."

Shane continued to pet the dog, soothing it for a while until it eventually calmed down. Then he walked over to the coup. It was too late to let the chickens out but he went inside and topped up their food and water. Doing the same for the cows before waking up to the farm house.

Aliana's door was unlocked. Shane shook his head at her recklessness as he barged inside. He tried not to snoop, only looking for a lead for the pup, maybe a bed if he had one. 

Her place was cosy but messy, a small farmhouse seemed to radiate with warmth despite the clutter. The dimly lit living room was filled with the earthy scent, and the faint aroma of herbs hanging to dry. Clothes were strewn haphazardly across the furniture and floors. In the kitchen, the sink was filled with dishes, and different books strewn all over her kitchen table along with old coffee mugs yet to be washed.
He eventually found the lead hanging on the door handle of Aliana's bedroom. He looked inside despite trying not to. He saw her bra and panties, clothes, a stuffed teddy bear and some other items strewn around her small bedroom. 
He suddenly felt a bit wrong for getting this view into her life without her permission. Choosing to turn around and leave looking only at the floor.

Dude followed him all the way to the edge of the property then flat out refused to leave.

"Come on Dude. I've got treats. We're all nice at Marnie's Ranch." Shane pleaded desperately. The dog just stared at him whining periodically in distress.

Shane sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Fine, we'll do this at your pace." He dropped the items he carried under one arm and sat himself down on the ground. He sat a few meters away from the farm's entrance. Dude whined, staring at him from the other side of the fence. Shane didn't speak, just conceded to his situation and relaxed.

His mind wandered to Aliana. He’d been so angry at her, cussing her out internally for days and now she was hurt. He knew it wasn’t his fault logically but he felt a pang of guilt over the situation either way. He thought of the girl he barely knew laying in a hospital bed. That thought diverging into something more sinister, a memory. Shane standing there in a quiet hospital bed looking over the bodies of his best friends, lifeless…the last time he’d ever seen them. He took in a sharp breath, mentally reminding himself that Aliana was neither his friend, nor was she dead.

After nearly an hour Dude gave in and slowly came out of the property. His body was low to the ground, tail between his legs clearly in distress. Shane petted him, trying his best to sooth the dog, allowing it to calm down slightly before he latched the lead on.

Shane could tell Dude knew something was wrong. It was in the dog's body language, he missed his master, and he clearly was worried for her. Shen found himself wishing he could communicate with the distressed animal. And vowed that he’d keep a good eye on him, until Aliana returned.

Chapter Text

It'd been four days since Aliana woke up at a hospital in Zuzu City. She'd been recovering at a fast pace, surprisingly fast. The doctors are all in awe of it. Sure she couldn’t move yet, and everything was incredibly sore but she’d managed to get through the toughest of it without developing any infections which was what scared everyone on her care team the most.

She found herself thinking about the rare Stardrop fruit she'd eaten a few times in the Valley. It always tasted exactly like what she craved at the time, and always made her feel like her stamina had permanently increased. Like it was crack mixed with steroids mixed with straight caffeine. She wondered if they now contributed to her healing. Deciding to keep her mouth shut about them in the end.

Despite things being okay, her health getting better and having had some counselling to work through the trauma. Aliana was a nervous wreck over the farm, still unable to remember the incident causing her injuries and immensely angry at herself. She hadn't been away from her new home since her first day stepping off the farm, without it she felt an odd sort of anxiety and discomfort.

Harvey had left today, going back to Pelican Town to return to his duties. She’d told him repeatedly she was fine, to go. However it was a blatant lie, and they both knew it.
The two of them had grown closer in the time they’d spent together. The more they chatted while they worked through her recovery the more they’d both gotten to know one another.

Aliana had no idea how she could ever thank him for all that he’d done. He came with her on that helicopter and stayed to help her adjust. She vowed she'd pay him back somehow, if that was even possible.

In bed most of the time Aliana was limited to books, television and chatting with any roommates that came in and out. She was absolutely starved for entertainment and the staying still aspect of her recovery was driving her insane.

The day after waking up she’d been called by the Mayor. He told her that he was going to pay Shane to keep things running on the farm.
At first she flat refused, not wanting someone else there without her to instruct them…especially not Shane. 

Plus she could barely trust Lewis as far as she could throw him. 

Lewis managed to talk some sense into her. In what she thought to be a surprisingly sincere tone. Reminding her without the help the farm may not be able to recover financially.
She conceded, but hated the idea of Shane working on her property at first. Corrupting her beautiful home with his grumpy energy.
However, she knew he at the very least loved animals. That he had done a lot of similar work before. 
Lewis had also informed her that Dude had been clinging to Shane like a shadow. 
She couldn't deny the facts, and conceded. 

So she decided to be thankful instead of uncomfortable about it.

She's been barely able to walk, doctors always reminding her that the wound needs to close up more before she can move. Even if that weren’t the case the pain was too severe to attempt walking either way.
They'd given her a few things to have close by, a corded phone one of them. 

In her hand rested a list of instructions for her farm that she needed to pass onto Shane. Harvey was kind enough to write them out as she listed them off.
She was worried about the farm and bored out of her mind sitting in the same hospital bed she'd been for god knows how long she thought. 
She eventually decided to ring Marnie and ask how everything was going and pass on the info. A way to quell the boredom more than anything else. 

The phone dialled a few times before someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello?" Shanes gruff voice answered.

"Oh.." Aliana cursed to herself internally, he was not who she wanted to chat to. "Hi. It's Aliana." She continued on.

"What can I help ya with farmer?" He asked in such a nonchalant tone it threw Aliana off slightly.

"I ah… Was ringing to see how everything was going on the farm. And to say…thank you so much for helping out." She lied, not knowing why she felt so awkward, it's not like he could see her in this state of vulnerability.

"No need. I'm being paid anyway.." he said "the farms going good. The things you got me to plant are growing...well? Lewis helped me figure it all out from the info you gave him.”

Aliana sighed with relief. "The sprinklers not giving you any trouble?"

"They leak every fucking day." Shane hissed in annoyance.

This made Aliana laugh, before sucking in a deep breath as a response to the pain in her ribs. "Yeah, some absolute idiot installed them." She spoke through clenched teeth.

"Who'd ya get?" He asked curiously.

"I installed them." 

Shane was silent for a second before she heard him chuckle. "Well ya definitely not an irrigation specialist."

"No, I'm definitely not.." Aliana was surprised at how pleasant this conversation was. Chalking it up to her injuries making him be a bit more considerate and tolerable to speak to this time. "Thanks Shane. I know you're being paid but I'd be ruined if you didn't step up."

"All good."

They sat there in silence for a while. The static of the landline phone in both their ears.

"So...you get hurt bad?" Shane asked eventually. She'd been waiting for it.

"Yeah...I won't bore you with it though." 

"Ya can I don't mind. I'd be lyin’ if I said I wasn't curious…" She could hear the causal tone, and his honesty and decided that it couldn’t hurt to tell him about it.

"Got two deep cuts on my right leg going from my thigh to below my knee. Did some muscle damage, and a bunch of smaller ones that just suck. Dislocated my shoulder, fractured two ribs and my coccyx bone. In other words my ass." Aliana sighed in defeat hearing the list aloud for the hundredth time.

"Wow." Shane said quietly.

"Yep."

Silence between them again. Aliana was too bored and lonely to want to hang up or end the phone call. She wasn't sure why Shane wasn't wrapping it up.

"I heard Dude likes you."

"Yeah he's my mate." Shane chuckled. "Won't leave me alone."

"Velcro dog, desperate like his Mumma." Aliana let that one slip, still on pain meds she was a bit more open than usual.

Shane laughed. “Makes sense now...by the way, that creepy black chicken, think it misses ya too."

"Ahhh, Samantha. She's cute, I miss her too."

"Ya called it Samantha?"

"And what's wrong with that?" Aliana defended.

"Just doesn't look like a Samantha."

"What would you know?” Aliana teased. 

She continued to chat with Shane for a while. Giving him the rest of her instructions. He seemed surprisingly professional she'd though to herself, he quietly took all the information and any questions he did ask were thoughful.

“Well…thanks Shane. I'll take over when I get back. Won't be long! I promise! See ya.” Aliana said happily feeling a bit lighter now.

"Yeah okay, see ya.." He hung up.

Aliana was left alone again in her unfamiliar hospital room, in silence, phone still up to her ear.

Chapter Text

For the first few days Shane found working on the farm to be a surprisingly good change from the job he'd worked for years prior at JoJa Mart 

A nice outdoor breeze, not a single person in sight and a dog for companionship. Despite the times he spent arm deep in sludge mud puddles looking for leaks he found himself actually….enjoying his time there.
That was until the day before and first day of fall. 

Lewis demanded to be present. Which even though Shane would never admit, he was thankful for. Not that Lewis did much of anything, besides barking orders and reading off his list of instructions from Aliana.
Shane worked a full two days, day break to nightfall, frantically clearing crops and tilling soil. He spent the first morning of fall spreading out the most rancid smelling fertiliser into the ground before planting the seeds. He'd never known a more insulting smell in his life. And he was offended.

Lewis hung over his shoulder the entire time he planted the assortment of seeds. A poorly drawn layout on a crumpled piece of paper in hand. All he did was criticise and make annoying comments. Shane wanted to smack him a couple of times but found himself holding back for Marnie's sake.

To Shane's surprise though he got it all done. It felt shockingly good. When completing a job at Joja Shane didn't give a shit. He never looked at a neatly stacked shelf and felt proud. Nothing like the pride looking out at the field he’d just worked gave him.
He came to realise eventually that this exact feeling was probably what motivated Aliana to get so much done on her own. 

Only now did he truly understand how hard that small young woman worked on this farm. Her efforts would seem impossible if he didn’t see the proof in front of his eyes.

After planting the work slowed down substantially. Shane would finish by mid day and find himself drinking on the farm. He never liked being too far away from Dude. The one time he'd tried to bring the pup into the Saloon, much to everyone's disgust-especially Emily’s-Gus refused to let him stay inside. Spouting nonsense  about health codes. 

Like anyone would come out to inspect this backwards town's stores. Shane had thought to himself.

Since then Shane drank alone on the farm. It was less depressing than the dock, or the cliffside. However he still sat there most days wondering why he was here and what the point to anything was.

He knew the moment Aliana was home he'd be kicked to the curb, back to unemployment and back to being even more of a failure than he already was. He briefly wondered if he'd ever be a good example for Jas, or a good Nephew for Marnie. He doubted it.

It was only a few days into fall and the weather was freezing already. The sort of cold that makes you feel stiff the minute you step outside. Shane sat underneath what he'd coined to be his favourite spot on the farm, a tall oak tree. Dude laid sprawled out beside him looking rather comfortable. The dog was still in a slight state of distress without its master but was much more content with someone around. Shane wouldn't admit this either, but the animal had grown on him, colouring a small spot of his dead and grey heart.

He cracked open a cold beer taking a big swig. A small dribble fell down his chin onto his deep navy blue hoodie. He sighed in relief as the alcohol rushed through his bloodstream, laying his back against the tree. Enjoying the warm rush brought on by the booze. 

He looked around at the field of plants barely popping their head from the soil and let himself relax. He could hear the scurrying of birds in the tree’s around him along with the soft breaths of Dude next to him. It was hard to resist taking a nap out here. 

After 3 beers and an hour under the tree Shane walked home as he usually did, Dude in tow casually sniffing and playing on the journey.

When he reached the ranch and went inside Shane went straight for the phone. It was somewhat of a routine. One Lewis bugged him about relentlessly. He had to keep Aliana up to date. 

Shane dialed the hospital and got put through to Alianna's room.

“Hello.” Aliana spoke breathlessly into the phone.

“You good?” Shane was a bit shocked to hear her heaving.

“Yes, my nurse was just torturing me.” Aliana chuckled dryly. “How goes the farm?” she continued curiously.

Shane gave Aliana a run down of all he'd done, how Dude was doing and said his goodbyes. He didn't like talking on the phone, and found it awkward doing so with Aliana. 

He grabbed a few more beers and headed to the dock with Dude to enjoy yet another intoxicated night alone.

Chapter Text

Aliana stepped cautiously off the bus, holding Harvey's outstretched hand to steady herself. The second she stepped into the Valley Air she felt the brisk air blast her, already so crisp outside despite being early fall. She was happy to be home.

“Welcome home Aliana.” Harvey said, steadying her as she planted both feet on the ground. Harvey, with his characteristic kind and gentle demeanor was dressed in his usual attire: a slightly worn white coat over a white button-down shirt, with an orange tie hanging around his neck. His brown hair is slightly tousled from the gentle summer breeze, and his glasses sitting slightly down on the bridge of his nose. 

Aliana preferred him this way she thought to herself as she took him in. He had seemed so casual in ZuZu with her wearing just jeans and a normal polo shirt.

It’d been a little over four weeks since she’d gotten hurt in the mines, four agonising weeks. Her stitches finally came out a day ago and she was given the okay to go home. She’d finally been moving around again. It still hurt like holy hell but she was happy to be able to at least shower and toilet on her own. 

“Hey Harvey!” she smiled at the town's Doctor.

“We’re all so happy to have you home safe and sound Aliana” He spoke as he grabbed the wheelchair out from the undercarriage of the bus and began setting it up.

Aliana didn’t really know what to say to that, just smiled over at him. She’d felt nothing but overwhelmed these last few days. All she wanted was to come home to her farm, hang out with Dude…smoke some weed. But she didn’t want to socialise, she didn’t want to have to “show scars” and repeat hospital stories to every curious town member.

That’s why when Lewis’ offered to throw her a welcome home party she politely but firmly declined. She didn’t want the attention, or the bombardment of questions that’d be bound to come with a town get together in her honour. 

“Ah, if anyone sees me in that thing I’m going to die.” She complained motioning toward the wheelchair.

“Why? You need it, you use it. No judgement here, from anyone who matters anyway.” Harvey shrugged and gave her a stern look that said “Get in the wheelchair.”

Aliana sat down, looking up at Harvey from the chair.

“You’re more pushy than I expected you to be when we first met. You came across kinda timid.” She admitted. 

Harvey chuckled. “I’m pushy when it comes to my patients, less so in my everyday life.”

Cracking a smile she turned to look forward as Harvey pushed her toward the farm. Walking slowly and purposefully making sure to avoid any bumps in the gravel road.

Aliana recalled the night her and Harvey stayed up until sunrise at the hospital. It was her second night there and the pain was so bad she couldn’t sleep. After hours of weeping Harvey finally got her distracted with conversation. In fact, he was the first ever person to talk to her about her mother.

“I remember your biological mother, she resembled you. She had the same eyes and freckles.” Harvey had pointed toward Aliana’s features. “She was mischievous…a bit of a trouble maker. I remember her always wandering off on her own in the forest. Once getting so deep in, and lost that a search  party was called.” Harvey chuckled as he recalled.

“Then Otis and Lily separated. She just couldn’t handle it. Lilly dragged her off to the city and by the time she came back it’d been three years. Otis tried to get her to stay with him desperately but she was already using drugs and a wild young lady. She’d visit out of the blue for money or just because she needed to get away from something shady in the city. Then she’d disappear for years at a time. Her and Otis had a huge fight when he found out about you, she left and unfortunately she overdosed before he ever got to make amends with his daughter.”

Aliana had cried a while after hearing that, she tried to mask it as the pain but both of them knew it'd hurt her deeply to hear more in depth truths of her biological mothers life. She’d felt so thankful for Harvey for answering anything she asked him. He worked so hard to keep her calm through her pain and healing, but also respected her wishes enough to answer the difficult questions. 

Snapping out of her train of thought as the farmhouse came into view through the fence line. She felt anxiety rushing through her. Abruptly, she put her arm into the air. “Hey, sorry stop.”

“Everything okay?” Harvey asked as he slowed to a halt.

“Do you mind if I go this next bit alone?” Aliana turned around the best she could in the chair, giving Harvey an apologetic look.

“Of course Ali.” He came around the front helping her up, handing her a cane that he’d attached to the back of the chair when they’d gotten off the bus. She'd told him to call her that in Zuzu City, he was still getting used to it.

“Thank you Harvey.” Aliana stood now back to the farm looking at the Doctor. Tears welled in her eyes. “Seriously, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you for coming with me to Zuzu, and those few days you spent helping me adjust…” She choked up slightly as she spoke. “I promise I’ll try to repay you though”

Harvey grabbed Aliana into a delicate hug and chuckled. “Over my dead body was I letting you go alone, and besides your friendship is payment enough.”

He wished final farewells to Aliana, reminding her to call him if anything came up. She promised too, waving him off before turning back to face the farm. She took in a deep breath, before limping slowly through the fence line and onto her property. 

Aliana walked up to her fields, she felt a familiar sense of calm waving over her. Not only was everything growing well but it looked so much better than she imagined when she’d pictured it in her head from hospital. Several rows of cranberries, a few rows of corn and one row of pumpkins, exactly as she’d instructed. Not a single weed popped out from the sufficiently damp soil. She was not only extremely impressed, but filled with relief at the sight of a functioning farm before her.

Looking over toward the animal yards Aliana saw grass growing, a few spread out hay bales for feed and the animals happily roaming around. She sighed with relief after counting them all. 

“Dude!” Aliana heard a distant yell, her head snapped around to see Shane frantically running, she looked to see what he was running after and her eyes caught Dude. Head down running toward her with ferocity, barks escaping as he did so. Aliana bent down as much as she could and prepared for impact. She knew it was going to hurt but didn’t care, all she’d wanted for weeks was to pet her puppy. 

Dude ran to about a meter in front of her and hit the skids, he sniffed up at her for a second before breaking into an excited wiggle. Followed by spontaneous zoomies, Dude began running around Aliana barking and yelping. She desperately followed the dogs with her arms trying to make contact, though it took a few laps before he finally calmed down.

“Yoba dog, I thought you were gonna run straight into her.” Shane joined them breathlessly.

Aliana looked over at him, Dude in her arms now.
He sported a pair of brown khaki pants with brown, worn boots . He had a navy hoodie on, one that Aliana hadn’t seen him wear before. His almost purple hair messily atop his head, slightly longer than when she’d last seen him. Aliana noticed his eyes were their usual sunken in and tired, but he was a bit more tan than when she’d seen him last. 

“Hey soldier, happy to be home?” Shane asked in a more polite tone than she had expected.

“Oh my god soooo good.” Aliana exclaimed, smiling and petting Dude. She took in a big whiff of the dog as she finally let him go and stood up.
She faced Shane dead on, looking him right in the eye. She’d practiced this in her head a few times before leading to this moment.

“Thank you so much Shane, the crops look amazing and I honestly don’t know how to express how much you’ve helped me out here by doing all this.” Her eyes teared up again for the hundredth time today.

Shane looked at her with his normal expressionless face, but answered with a hint of surprise in his voice. “ah..that’s okay…I got paid anyway.”

“Yeah but that’s beside the point, like seriously everything looks great! You’ve done such a good job!” Aliana waved her arm out toward the field of green crops.

“Seriously, it’s no big deal.” Shane said a little annoyed now.

Aliana didn’t care, and continued talking out of sheer emotion now
“When I woke up in hospital I thought I fucked up everything, that I’d lose this place and end up homeless or something. Seriously, you saved my life because if the farm fell under while I recovered, I would have walked right off a fucking cliff.” 

(Shane POV)

Shane winced at Aliana’s words. To anyone else she might have seemed as though she was being dramatic with the intent of adding emphasis to her words. However he saw right through that, knowing that she had meant every word of what she had just said.

Shane had spent so long dealing with his own suicidal thoughts he’d forgotten that other people are dealing with them too. Hell, he’d been to the cliff she’d probably walk off.  

“Well, no need to plummet the farms fine.” Shane shrugged, trying to sound casual.

He looked over at Aliana, noticing how much skinnier she was since the last time they had met, her once more firm frame now appearing more frail, having lost a fair amount of muscle for such a short time. She leaned slightly on one leg, supporting herself with a cane held in her slender hand. Her hair, usually so vibrant and all over the place, was braided messily behind her back, as though it had been left that way for days. Completely out of her face. Her complexion was strikingly pale, almost ghostly, making her ivory skin seem too delicate for the sweltering heat around them. Her cheeks slightly flushed already from the heat.
Without seeing a single injury first hand Shane could still tell how much she’d suffered these last weeks.

Aliana took a slow step forward and held out her arms, cane in hand. Shane looked at her confused as to what the hell she was doing.

“For Yoba’s sake Shane, just let me hug you as a thanks!” She demanded angrily.

“Oh, right!” Shane said, never in a million years he’d imagined that’s what she wanted. He leaned in, hugging her lightly, careful not to let his hands touch her anywhere. He suddenly felt self conscious, he hadn’t showered after his work this morning. 

Aliana pulled back and smiled at him, he stood back, a little too far and put his hands back in his pockets.

“Do you mind coming over there with me?” Aliana turned and pointed at the bench over by her small garden to the side of her farm house. “I really wanna sit, but I also have to ask you something.”

Shane wondered what she’d wanna ask as he nodded and began to follow her.

Aliana walked awkwardly with the cane, using it like someone who was brand new to one. She was moving slowly, limping severely with each step. Shane wondered how she was supposed to actually take over the work in her state. 

He watched her go to sit down, then quickly stand back up again. “Gah!” she yelled angrily, catching Shane off guard. “I left my stupid ass pillow on the bus!”

“Ass pillow?” Shane blinked at her, wondering if she ever made sense.

“It’s like a donut, sitting is unbearable without it. I guess I’ll stand for this then.” She shuffled herself around, looking both pained and annoyed. Shane felt slightly bad, not knowing what to do to help.

“Shane, as you can see I’m still a hot mess.” She motioned toward herself. “I’ll start getting better pretty fast now I can move and do some physiotherapy. But I can’t do this fucking work.” She looked over at the farm with a dejected look in her eyes. Shane wondered if she was about to cry, and silently, selfishly hoped she wouldn’t.

“So, I wanna ask you how much Lewis paid you. If I can match that, would you consider staying on until after the fall harvest?” She didn’t look up from the ground as she asked.

“He paid me 300 gold a week, same as what I got from Joja.”

“What?!” Aliana looked shocked. “Well I can do more than match it…”

“You mean you can pay me more than that?” Shane felt suspicious now. 

“Yeah I can do 500 gold a week. If we get a decent harvest by the end of summer I can even give you a bonus.”

Shane felt anger rise within him. It was completely irrational, fueled mainly by jealousy he guessed. How did she even have that sort of money? Sure he’d seen how much she could sell crops for since he sold a few off for her but he didn’t think she’d be able to continue with his employment, let alone paying so much more. 

Why is she so fucking capable? He thought bitterly.

“Why would you pay me more when I’ve been doing it for 300? How do you even have that money anyway” Shane spat, sounding angrier than he’d intended.

“Honestly dude, I barely do have the money. But I won’t have anything at the end of this season if I try to do it alone, if I pay you I should still turn a profit. I’m not paying you a wage you can barely live on, and I need your help.” Aliana looked him dead in the eyes and answered firmly. Her reaction immediately quelled the anger within him.
“You don’t have to answer right now, but sooner the better I guess.” Aliana yawned, she looked exhausted.

“Okay… don’t worry about the bonus and I’ll do it.” Shane conceded. He wasn’t going to get this good an offer anywhere else, having the extra cash would help him get through after his work here was done, maybe even carrying him until he could find another job. 

He wasn’t keen on having someone looking over his shoulder again, or having to work in close proximity with another person again, but he did like the farm work, so he tried to accept it.

“Fine, done. Anything for the help. Thanks so much Shane.” Again, she had tears in her eyes. He wondered if she was always this emotional.

“Stop thanking me, you’re my boss now you pay me.”

“Ohh, I am the  boss! How exciting.” Aliana smiled mischievously. 

Shane felt instant regret. 

Chapter Text

Aliana had been home for a week. In that time she'd barely been able to get anything done. The farm still ran well despite this though, thanks to Shane's diligent work. Aliana had not minded having him around as much as she'd thought. He was quiet, stern, gruff. 

I don't need to put on a show for an asshole. She'd thought.

Also, she couldn't deny that having a handsome guy around to do all the hard work was nice, despite how much her stillness was driving her insane.

Every morning she insisted on feeding and letting out the animals, by the time that was done she was already feeling the pain. 

This was normal, or so she’d been told. “You can’t have something rip right through your muscle without repercussions.” She’d been to physiotherapy with Harvey a few times and noticed herself getting stronger slowly, but nothing was happening as fast as she wanted it to.

Today Aliana wanted to walk Dude, she’d been given the okay from Harvey to go on longer walks now. So long as she took her pain into consideration and was willing to take breaks. 

“Oi Shane, I’m off.” Aliana called out to him as she headed toward the forest entrance of the farm. 

“Righto” he answered, not looking up from his task with the sprinklers. 

By the time Aliana and Dude reached the bottom end of the town she was already feeling a slight pang of pain in her leg. She wished the pain part of recovery would just end already. 

She walked over to a bench out the front of the Saloon and sat down. It hurt not having her pillow but she’d rather die than bring it around with her everywhere. 

“Is that Muscles?!” Aliana heard a distant boisterous voice all out to her. She spun her head over to see Alex walking toward her briskly.

She sprung up, momentarily forgetting about her injuries. 

“Hey Alex!” She hadn’t realised that she missed the tall jock, until she laid eyes on him.

When Alex reached her, he opened his big arms and grabbed her into a tight hug. 

“Yoba Alex, you’re gonna kill me.” She chuckled into his firm chest. She didn’t mind though it was nice to be missed.

“Sorry! Yoba look how thin you’ve gotten!” He stood back from her, still holding her arms. His eyes ran up and down in curiosity. “I was worried about ya Aliana. I’m glad you’re okay.”

"Thanks. And yes, yes I know I lost all my gains!” Aliana put on a mock frown. “Once Harvey gives me the okay I’ll get back to doing some workouts, maybe you can show me some of your routine?”

Alex’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Yes! I’ve been studying to be a personal trainer/physiotherapist. Once Harvey gives you the okay I know exactly what to do with you!”

She winced, regretting her previous offer. Wondering what her tall, chiselled friend had in store for her.

“You walking Dusty too?” She looked down at the two pups entranced in a sniff fest with one another. 

“Yeah, let's go together!” 

“You’ll have to slow down your pace, I’m not exactly fast. Honestly, I should rest a second before we go. Doctor's orders.” Aliana felt embarrassed to ask, but with all Harvey’s stern lectures drummed into her she couldn’t bring herself to break the rules.

Alex’s face saddened slightly, he looked over at her. “Can I see the damage?”

If it weren’t for his sympathetic tone Aliana might have been offended that he’d ask something like that so outright. However she knew that Alex wouldn’t do anything to intentionally make her uncomfortable.

She bent down and grabbed the bottom of her brown overalls, hiking them up. She herself couldn't help but look.

Aliana hadn’t been a vain person by any means, despite this she couldn’t help but feel less attractive due to the new pink scars on her right leg. She’d spent a lot of time looking at them over the last few weeks, watching them transform as she healed. The scars from her upper thigh to just below her knee were vivid against her pale skin, fresh and raw. The wounds were still healing, the skin around them slightly raised and tender to the touch. Each scar was a distinct rough line, varying in length and depth, as if whatever had attacked her, had ripped across her leg with a forceful and uneven hand. 

The edges of the scars were slightly jagged. Small dots along either side of the scars showing signs of stitches that’d been used to hold her flesh together. The fresh pink hue of the scars contrasted with the surrounding pale skin, making them appear even more pronounced. They told a story about failure, and she hated that story. 

“Yoba, farmer…” Alex's eyes filled with shock at the sight. He looked up at her now, all she could do was smile weakly back at him. 

She knew that Alex wasn’t going to be the only person to ask to see her scars. She knew that for the rest of her life they were going to come up as a topic of conversation. She decided she'd try to just grit her teeth and get through it each time it came up. 

Aliana let go of her overalls, allowing the fabric to slip back down covering her leg.

“I won’t push ya too hard then.” He mumbled quietly.

“Better not hold back on me” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Despite how bad they look I’ll be able to make basically a full recovery, so it could have been worse.”

Alex unstiffened, smiled even. “Yeah and you can tell people you fought a tiger and won!”

“I did!” She exclaimed proudly. 

Alex broke out into a roar of laughter. Not unlike a tiger himself she thought.

The pair of them relaxed for a while longer at the bench before they both went to the beach. The moment the pups leads unclipped on the quiet sands they took off running and playing around, splashing in the shallow water. 

Aliana adored the sight, it felt like it’d been forever since she’d been here. The cool air carrying the smell of seasalt calmed her instantly.

“So can I ask ya something.” Alex squirmed slightly. 

“What?” She asked a bit firmer than she’d intended. 

“I heard…through the grapevine that you and Sebastian…” He scratched the back of his head.

Aliana stopped walking and looked over at Alex in shock for a moment.

“Oh shit, I forgot about that!” She breathed. The memories of her and Sebastian's night of intimacy came rushing back to her. 

“You…forgot?!” Alex laughed loudly. “Must not have been very good.”

Aliana blushed looking over at him with daggers now. “It’s not that, it just happened right before…” She motioned toward her leg.

“Ah…”

“Besides, we had a fight straight after” Aliana shrugged. “He told me he was gonna stay the night, then bailed the second I went to shower. Didn’t explain himself for a few days.”

“Oh shit.” Alex looked over at her eyes widened at the news. 

“I just don’t think the guy is ready to move on from Abigail, and I ain’t up for that mess.” She crinkled up her nose in disgust.

“Makes sense, they were together for ages.” Alex shrugged, looking ahead now over the vast ocean before them.

“If you know, I’m assuming she does?” Aliana winced, realising that the word was probably out all over town.

“I’m sure she does, but last I heard she was really done with him, so I doubt she’ll get mad at ya.” Alex reassured.

The pair continued to chat, Alex walking Aliana the entire way home when she decided it was time to go. She’d laughed more in her afternoon with Alex than she had in weeks. 

(Shane POV)

Shane walked up to the farm so early that the sun was yet to rise. The bitter air around him was so cold that his breaths turned to visible vapour the moment they left his lips. He stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets, cursing how cold it already was for fall. Fearing how bad winter would be.

Despite any of his initial concerns when Aliana had offered him more work, he was thankful for it. He’d been dreading unemployment so bad that any chance to push it back was welcomed.

She’d been nothing like Lewis, or Morris. Trusting him with work on his own, she barely bothered him, and he appreciated that too.

The extra money had been handy already, he’d been able to give Marnie back some and even buy Jas some nice shoes she’d been begging for.

Things weren’t as bad for him lately, and that scared him. He didn’t want to get used to anything being good, if it was only temporary.

“Hey Shane.” a voice in the darkness spoke quietly.

Shane jumped, yelling out as he did so. His eyes immediately searching through the dim light for Aliana who’d violently snapped him out of his thoughts with her presence.

“Yoba!” He breathed, finally seeing her over by the uncleared side of her farm.

“Sorry” He heard her chuckle. 

“Didn’t expect to see ya out here so early.” He said embarrassed, feeling his heart still beating heavily in his chest. 

He’d thought this before, but seeing her walk slowly around the farm, she seemed to blend in. Honestly she blended in too well sometimes. 

“Couldn't sleep.” She mused quietly walking over to the track leading to the house. "Want a coffee?” She offered not looking back.

Shane noticed she was walking better these days. Her recovery was bitter-sweet. Sure he wanted her to get better, he wasnt a psycho. But he also knew once she was back to full duties on the farm he'd be back to his depressing monotonous life. 

“Sure.” he stuffed his hands back in his pocket.

Reaching the house daylight began to caress the horizon. Alianas wooden farmhouse looked cosy inside. The fireplace on, evident by the smoke billowing out of the chimney.

Aliana swung the door open and the light from inside was blinding him for a moment until his they adjusted.

Walking inside Shane noticed that the farmhouse was clean. Unusually so, her kitchen table and chairs neatly in place with nothing strewn atop them. A neatly folded blanket overtop of the couch. Clothes hanging on a rack in front of the fire.

“Ya been anxious about the fair?” Shane asked abruptly.

“Not really. Well..” Aliana hesitated, flicking the kettle on, grabbing two cups from the cupboard. “I am. But only to mingle with everyone. Not for the stall itself, I couldn't give a shit about winning.” She shrugged.

Shane sighed with relief, hoping she didn't hear. He worried he might cop an earful if they didn't win. 

“Ya walking better.” He noted.

Aliana turned around and raised an eyebrow at him “you think so?” She asked, excitement in her voice.

Suddenly Shane felt awkward. He looked at Aliana, wearing a jumper and a pair of black overalls over the top. Her hair was hidden under a red slouch beanie. Her button nose pink from the cold still. He couldn't help but think, that she looked sort of cute.

"Yeah…I noticed before.” 

“I'm so glad!” she nearly squealed.

Aliana sat two steaming hot coffees down on the kitchen table. She walked over to the couch and grabbed what she'd coined “my ass cushion” and placed it on the chair.

"Your ass still hurt?” 

“It's too early to talk about my ass with you Shane.” She joked.

He felt a slight warmth rise to his cheeks as he took a sip from his coffee.

It was good, most of the food she made was. Aliana always came out and shared her lunch with him. He'd been eating too well lately.

“Are you going to the after party thing at Gus’ place?” Aliana asked, wrapping her fingers around her coffee mug.

“Nah, after we're done here I'll go get Jas and head to the fair once it's ready. I'll probably go home with her.”

“Awh, okay. I might head there. I haven't drank in ages.” Alianas eyes gleamed with excitement at the prospect of booze.

Woman of my own heart. He thought to himself, sipping on the delicious coffee.

(Aliana POV)

Aliana stood in front of the mirror again getting ready for the fair. She couldn't help but marvel in all that had happened since last year's festival.

Pinning her hair up with the only fall themed pin she could find, Aliana sighed at how unruly her burgundy locks still seemed to look. Maybe I'll get it cut off. She thought bitterly.

She wore a long sleeved orange dress that fell just below the knee. She had thick black tights underneath and her usual farm boots. A navy blue scarf around her neck.

She sighed heavily, having not had a good relationship with her appearance since the incident.

Picking up her bag, hooking her cane-which she'd been using less-over the strap of her bag just in case she bumped into Harvey.

(Shane POV)

Shane spent most of the fair with Jas. It felt good to get a solid afternoon in with her, he'd been so busy with the farm work. 

She wore her pretty princess purple dress and had her thick hair up in a ponytail. Shane couldn't help but think about her mom's, his best friends every time he helped the little girl get ready. He both cursed them for leaving this job to him, and apologised for it being him that Jas was left with. That he was stealing these moments.

“Uncle Shane, can I please come to the farm sometime?” Jas asked from atop Shane's shoulders. He was giving her a shoulder ride to the fair per her request.

“I'm sure ya can kiddo.” He said knowing that Aliana was too nice to say no to something like that.

“I like Miss Ali” Jas chimed a smile to her tone.

“Ali?” Shane questioned the nickname. 

“She told me the other day that I can use her nickname! She even gave me a really yummy candy and a flower!” Jas exclaimed, and began recalling the memory to him.

Shane wondered if Aliana felt a connection with Jas because she's also an orphan. He even wondered if it'd be worth picking her brain one day to see if there was any perspective she could give him. 

Or maybe that would just piss her off?

At the fair the first thing Jas wanted to do was see the stall arrangement he and Aliana had worked on. Jas was down from his shoulders now dragging him toward the stall he'd help set up earlier.

“Oh wow!” Jas exclaimed running straight up to it. Her little feet on tiptoes so she could see everything properly. Her new sparkling shoes standing out.

Aliana stood up from the chair she'd been sitting on beside the stall and greeted Jas warmly. 

“Hello Jas!” She'd exclaimed pulling out a big lollipop from behind her. “I've been saving these for the kids! I was waiting for you!” 

Jas took the candy wide eyed then grabbed Aliana into a hug. “Thank you Ali.” 

“When did you two get so chummy?” Shane mumbled quietly to Aliana.

“She's my friend, shut up.” Aliana whispered back smiling from ear to ear. 

Shane and Jas departed after Jas caught sight of some festival stalls with games. 

He spent the rest of the afternoon winning and then carrying stuffed animals, pencil cases and whatever else cheap “prizes” could be won. Jas was on a sugar and excitement high. Shane felt warm inside seeing her run around grinning. 

Eventually the Mayor announced all the winners, Aliana's stall coming in second place. When she got called up to accept her reward and say a few words Shane chuckled as her cheeks we're visibly blushing from a mile away. 

To his disgust however, as she walked up to the microphone she said: “I'd like to invite my co-worker Shane up here. Without his help there wouldn't be a stall.” 

All eyes fell on Shane but he just looked at Aliana in disgust. She grinned back at him wickedly and he conceded, slightly blushed cheeks. He walked up beside her and mumbled thanks into the microphone.

Eventually the events of the fair died down. Jas became tired, then overtired and began to cry over Vincent being allowed to play the slingshot game more than she did. Shane carried her home, putting her into bed he went out and talked with Marnie in the kitchen.

“You both seemed to enjoy yourselves today.” Marnie chirped happily over a coffee.

“Was nice.” He mumbled grabbing one for himself.

“It was lovely for Aliana to thank you. You're lucky to have her.” Marnie said innocently.

“What do you mean, have her?” Shane piped up. “Once she's better I'll be off the farm anyway.” he calmed down slightly sitting at the table with Marnie.

“Oh you never know. She's still got a lot of land to clear.” Marnie smiled into her cup, as though she knew something Shane didnt. He decided not to engage. 

Shane was going to call it a day, planning to going to bed after a few beers and some video games but something nagged at him. 

He'd seen Aliana all day, surrounding herself with people all smiles. Yet something seemed off. He wondered why she even bothered to try so hard when it didn't even seem like she enjoyed socialising.

He'd seen an emptiness behind her smile that no one else seemed to recognise, and it gave him a funny anxiety in his stomach.

“I might go out.” Shane said abruptly.

Marnie looked up at worried look on her face. “Please don't drink to much…” 

“I won't, I'll be home later.” 

Shane walked into his bedroom and slipped out of his more fancy attire into his normal jeans and hoodie combo, before heading to Gus’ saloon.

Shane stood in his typical corner, no one bugging him. Smooth pumpkin ale was a good change from his usual beers.

When he'd first gotten here he immediately searched for Aliana. She was in the back room talking to Sam and Abigail. Shane noted her laughing and giggling, a drink in her hands. Yet she still had that same empty look behind her eyes.

Eventually Aliana had made her way to Elliot and Leah, spending most of the night chatting and carrying on with them. Shane noticed her getting drink after drink after drink.

Eventually she coaxed Leah up and they both awkwardly danced together. Emily joined in taking it too far as usual. The three of them seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves and suddenly Shane felt stupid for trying to play hero and check in on her.

As usual, she was more capable than he was.

The night went on and the people started thinning out Aliana sat by herself a while. Shane was about to go and join her when she abruptly stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder and walking out. He left as well, chucking a pile of coins on the counter for Gus.

Shane watched as Aliana wandered off alone toward the beach. He wished he didn't see it. Knowing now his conscience wouldn't let him go home without checking up on her. 

Shane shook his head, shoved his hands in his pockets and followed after Aliana.

He felt the crunch of sand under his boot as he reached the beach. It was dark out. His eyes searched through the night for Aliana finally finding her sitting on the ground to the far right of the beach. A small barely visible shape of a person.

He walked over to her, wondering if following her was even the right choice.

“Hey.” He said as he walked up beside where she sat. Aliana just stared out in silence, a bottle of wine sitting between her outstretched legs. She didn't acknowledge him.

“Mind if I sit?” He asked after a moment.

"S'fine.” She slurred. 

The pair sat together for quite a while in silence. Listening to the rhythmic splashes of the ocean meeting the shore. Aliana lifted the wine bottle to her lips and took a big gulp.

“Ya had a lot today…” Shane said, feeling like a hypocrite.

“Shutup.” 

“You okay?” he pressed

“SHHuuT up” Aliana slurred, looking over at him she lifted the bottle and offered him some. He rejected and she shrugged before turning back to face the sea.

 “Ugh.” she groaned, taking her hand and running it up and down her thigh. 

“Are you okay?” Shane asked again more sternly.

“why are you even asking?” She hissed 

“Gotta make sure my boss is okay.” He joked dryly.

Aliana didn’t answer, she went to drink again but this time Shane reached out for the near empty bottle, he grabbed it from her and threw it into the ocean. He knew he was the last person to lecture her, but still didn't want to see her develop a habit of drinking away her sorrows. 

“That's littering you dick” She whispered.

“Mm-hmm” he agreed to both statements.

The silence of the night took over again, both sat there for nearly an hour not saying anything. 

Shane was tired of it, cold and wanted to sleep. But he couldn't bring himself to leave her here. 

“I wanna go home.” Aliana said before abruptly standing up. Shane stood up after her and before she could take one step she wobbled, falling back crashing into his chest hard.

He braced and grabbed her arms as an instant response, she was now leaning against him with nearly all her weight as she faced ahead. She let out a loud giggle. 

“Yoba can ya walk?” Shane grunted carefully pushing her back onto her own two feet. She stood there swaying from side to side.

“I pay you…you should carry me.” Aliana giggled to herself at her own joke. Shane rolled his eyes and walked ahead of her about ready to leave her there.

He stomped about three hard steps away before turning around. “Are ya coming?”

“Carry meee.” She repeated, laughing louder this time.

Shane struggled to see the amusement. Wondering if he was always this annoying when he drank himself stupid.

“For fucks sake Ali.” He grumbled, walking over to her and crouching down as low as he could facing away from her.

“I was just jo-” she went to speak but Shane cut her off.

“I wanna get home this century Boss, can you just get on.” 

Aliana laughed again before he felt her lazily and uncoordinatedly slump herself against him wrapping her arms loosely around his shoulders. He stiffened for a second at the warmth of her body pressed against his made him wonder what in the fuck he was doing out here.

“Ready?” Shane said before hoisting her up and standing upright. He wrapped his arms under her thighs and held her up. “Does it hurt?” 

He felt Aliana shake her head against his back. 

He picked up his pace and began walking, she wasnt that heavy but he had a long walk ahead. As they went past the Saloon a dark figure came out from behind it.

Shane was about ready to gear up and haul Aliana at the assailant like a cannon when he realised it was only Sebastian.

“Aliana?” Sebastian ignored Shane walking straight to Aliana hanging off his back.

“She's drunk.” Shane responded, stepping away so he faced Sebastian front on. The guy was clearly drunk himself. 

“What, and you're taking her home?” Sebastian piped up a bitter tone.

Aliana stirred against his back burying her head so she couldn't be seen.

Shane took the hint.

He stared Sebastian in the eyes “Look man, she asked me to take her home and that's what I'm doing. I'm not trying to step on anyone's turf.” 

Behind him Aliana snorted a laugh “Turfff.” She slurred.

Sebastian didn't respond, just stared coldly at them. Shane sighed, and rolled his eyes at Sebastian before turning around and walking towards the bus stop. Leaving the dark emo boy to his own devices in the cold.

He took in the brisk air as he carried Aliana on his back, careful not to put too much pressure on her injured leg. 

“Bear…” She mumbled. 

“What?” 

“I'm being carried by a bear.” A light giggle against his back sent a shiver up his spine. He didn't respond to her drunk mumbles.

Aliana pulled her arms tighter around him, her hands resting, fingers interlocked on his chest. Her chin now on his shoulders, her head centimetres away from his own.

“Yoba can you stop squirming?” He tried to sound composed and gruff, but it came out a bit more breathless whisper.

“Employee of the month.” she coo’d.

“What are ya even saying? Shane queried her for the hell of it.

“My thoughts.” She turned her head slightly to look at him. He refused to look back, instead stared straight ahead at the farmhouse now popping into view.

“Ya drunk thoughts.” He mumbled.

“Yep.” 

She turned away again but kept her position on his shoulder.

Shane walked up the steps and turned, slowly sliding Aliana down back onto her own feet. Dude running around their feet excitedly.  

Not two seconds after she stood, her face greened slightly and she leaned over the porch and violently vomited.

He winced, knowing exactly what that felt like. Then he wondered if Yoba was playing some sort of joke on him, making him be the caretaker for a bit of perspective. 

Aliana continued to throw up violently, her arm eventually reaching out for Shane so she didn't fall. He grabbed her by the wrist, letting her balance. 

“Let it out mate.” He said, already conceding to having to take care of his idiotic drunk employer.

Still better than dealing with Morris. He mused as she vomited beside him.

After a few minutes Aliana stopped heaving over the porch and stood upright. 

“Sorry.” She said with a hoarse voice, her eyes glassed over.

“All good.” Shane shrugged. “I woke up in a bed full of it once, least you got it outside.” He admitted trying to ease her embarrassment. Hoping she didn't remember the conffesion the next day.

If she was gonna get blind drunk and vomit in front of anyone in this town he probably was the best choice.

Shane helped guide Aliana inside. Turning to Dude who had gone to inspect the throw up, “gross Dude, come on!” He whistled.

Dude walked straight past him and inside by the fire, ignoring the man's judgements.

Aliana wandered to her room in a wobbly state. She laid down while he went and grabbed a glass of water and a big container for her to use if she was sick.

While out of her room Shane stoked the fire as well. Adding a few extra logs so it stayed on until morning. 

He wondered briefly when he got so comfortable here.

Shane stepped back into the room, his eyes laid upon Aliana. She'd ripped most of her clothes off, and was now laying there in just a bra and underwear.

A small pink, delicate set of underwear, he noted. She had her tights strewn around her ankles not fully off. 

He took her in for a moment in shock.

Looking down at the small fragile woman before him. Her eyes closed, face calm as she breathed lightly. Her freckles scattered around her body like constellations. Small perky breasts, cold enough for her nipples to poke through what seemed to be a soft fabric covering them. His eyes traced down her body, taking in every inch of what he saw.

Sleeping drunk, after inconveniencing him all night, and vomiting everywhere. Yet she was still so sexy.

His eyes reached her scar, and he winced. Not due to how it looked, but how badly it must have hurt.

He nearly reached out his hand to touch the puffy pink lines on her leg before he snapped out of it entirely. 

His face flushed as he quickly placed the container and glass down beside her. He kept his eyes to the ground as he walked to the end of the bed and slipped off her tights (which were stuck on her shoes) and boots properly. 

Careful not to touch her bare skin, or look up at her asleep. Shane threw a blanket over her and walked out the door as fast as he could.

Once home Shane rushed straight to the bathroom. He swung the door open and immediately undressed. Naked now, he reached into the shower, turning it on. The second the temperature levelled out he stepped under the water and sighed. Pressing his forehead firmly against the cold shower wall, allowing the warm water to run down his back.

Shane tried desperately not to think of Aliana. Trying not to remember the feeling of her body so tightly pressed against his back. The her warm wine stained breath blowing onto the skin of his neck as she spoke. He tried not to remember her petite frame, pale skin and those damn freckles.

She was his boss, she was injured, drunk and sad. He felt disgusting and wrong for how badly his interaction with her tonight turned him on.

Despite his shame, Shane's mind raced, imagining her there in that bed in those delicate, soft looking pink underwear. How badly he'd wanted to crawl on top of her.

“Yoba.” He growled, sliding his hand down to his now fully erect penis. Shane gripped onto his tip letting out a low moan as he began sliding his hand up and down his shaft.

He cursed how sex deprived he had to be, a grown man jerking off to a drunk piggy back ride.

His mind now wild, horny taking over any sense of logic. He imagined different scenarios playing out with her.

As he moved his hand firmly up and down his thick, pulsating penis he thought of what Aliana smelled like. He imagined running his hands all over her soft skin, pinching what he imagined to be small pink nipples between his forefinger and thumb.

He wanted to know what she sounded like when she moaned, what her vagina looked like, he wanted to dive his head between her legs and taste it. 

Shane's hips slightly thrusted into his hand, every now and again small moans escaped his mouth. He had one palm on the wall along with his forehead. In his mind he was fucking Aliana. Deep, fast. Like he owned her. He no longer cared if he was making any noise.

Shane continued the lewd thoughts, while jerking himself off in the shower until came one final pump and his fluids sprayed all over his hand and the wall. 

Looking down at himself panting, post nut clarity came instantly. Not only had he just jerked off to a woman he barely knew. He had to face her first thing in the morning at his job, which she paid him for.

Shane twisted the shower head, rinsing away his cum hoping the shame would go with it, and crawled out of the shower.

He barely dried himself off with an old and, a little too smelly, towel before slumping onto bed naked throwing the blankets lazily over himself.

He drifted off to sleep cursing himself that he'd even gone to the saloon tonight in the first place.

Chapter Text

Aliana was so busy for most of the fair that when she finally got away she was going to escape to the beach for a while. On her way there she noticed a tall dark figure standing in the shadow of a tree next to the fortune tellers tent. 

Holy shit the Wizard! Aliana realised she hadn't even seen him once since her return. Despite having planned to speak to him as soon as she could upon returning, she'd completely forgotten.

Aliana walked over to him briskly, watching him visibly stiffen as he saw her approach.

“Hey Magnus.” Aliana smiled at him, trying to hide her intimidation.

"Ah yes, the gift giver.” he muttered sarcastically.

Aliana cocked her head confused.

“You, the Jumino, begged me to save you.” He pointed at her with his long finger. “Interrupting my studies.” 

“I'm sorry..but can you tell me what happened?!” Aliana stood in closer to him causing the tall cloaked man to step back.

“I didn't see it.” He murmured, visibly uncomfortable.

“Well what do you know Magnus? I can't remember anything!” Her voice was loud, desperate now.

“Yoba..” he groaned. “Look, I found you on the 25th floor unconscious. Bleeding out. You had been poisoned by a Mummy, I nullified it. How it happened however, I do not know.” 

Alianas mind raced. A mummy?! Despite the new information she was still unable to recall anything. That didn't stop her from bubbling up with emotion.

“Mummy's are slow and stupid…a fucking mummy?” She buried her face into her hand. 

“They aren't stupid. They may be slow but they have infinite stamina. They're also very strong. They're the forsaken. Poison even to the touch.” 

Aliana couldn't tell if Magnus was trying to comfort her or just bragging about his knowledge.

“So I was just there slumped? No dead mummy near me?”

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “No, no dead mummy.” 

“Well, thanks for saving me.” She looked up at him, trying to seem sincere. It's not that she wasn't, she was just too bitter to portray it. 

“I won't do it again.” He mused.

“Yeah, yeah.” 

Aliana walked away angrily, forgetting all about her plan to escape to the beach she went straight back and sat down on her chair by her stall.

(Wizard POV)

The wizard stood in his tower brewing a potion by his cauldron when he noticed someone outside his door. They didn't knock, or speak before turning to leave.

He tried to shake it off, knowing it easily could have been one of the frightened townsfolk. They always wanted to know him but could never bring themselves to ever knock upon his door.

After a while curiosity ate him up, he stormed to his door angrily and ripped it open in a huff.

On the step sat a basket, stuffed with an assortment of goods. Void essence, Solar essence, wine, goats cheese, a few gems and artefacts.

Magnus picked up the basket, taking a card from the top of the pile of gifts. Reading the words written on it.

Thanks for saving my life.

 - Aliana.

“Gift giver…” he mumbled before taking the basket inside and slamming the door.

Chapter Text

“That's enough for today Ali, well done.” Harvey pulled out a chair in his clinic for the worn out Aliana.

She was slightly sweaty, and in shock about that fact. “I spent months clearing out a forest of mess and I'm sweating over stretches and leg lifts.” She grumbled with disappointment.

Harvey sat down on his office chair and looked over at her with his stern doctor expression.

“You are healing well, and fast Ali. I don't think you should be so hard on yourself.” 

“Thanks Doc, I'll try. On that note can I buy you dinner at the Saloon sometime soon? Nothing fancy, I just want to thank you for helping me out.” She tried to distract him, lest she get another lecture.

“You don't need to buy me dinner for help, it's my job.” He said calmly.

“Did you get paid for coming with me to Zuzu?” She argued.

Harvey conceded. “Of course we can go to dinner. I'd enjoy that.” 

“Sweet! I'll bring the wine.” 

“Settle down on your drinking too Aliana, I saw you on the night of the fair.” 

Aliana winced, and honestly she barely remembered anything after dancing with Leah and Emily. Getting black out drunk was unusual for her. She’d not received any reports of drunken misconduct, so she’d decided to just move past it. 

“I found out from Magnus at the fair it was a mummy that injured me.” she confessed abruptly.

“I thought that might be the case…” Harvey sighed sharply.

“You what now?” 

“Yes. I've treated members of the adventurers guild other than you.” He chuckled looking up at her over the top of his glasses. “But I wasn't certain so I didn't want to give you any extra trauma if I didn't know.” 

“I don't know if it traumatized me to hear it.” Aliana shrugged. “I was angry though, mummies are stupid.” 

“Angry at the mummy, or angry at yourself?”

Aliana looked over at Harvey not having expected that question.

“Me, I guess.” 

“You don't need to be angry at yourself for getting hurt. I understand that it's common to be frustrated about a situation like yours. But please do not be angry at yourself.” He pleaded.

Aliana looked over at him with a warm expression. “I'll try Harvey.” She promised.

Finding her way back to the farm after running some errands in town Aliana found herself to be in quite a lot of pain. The physio today, seemingly harder than most of her prior sessions.

Aliana bent down to pet the happy Dude who’d run to greet her. After a while, she looked up to see Sebastian standing at her door. He hadn't noticed her yet, he was there puffing away on a cigarette. In his usual ripped skinny jeans and hoodie combo.

“Hey.” Aliana said from behind him, trying to sound as civil as she could.

Given everything Aliana had been through, she’d totally forgotten about her night with Sebastian. She decided if it was something she was able to forget, she may as well forgive too. Besides, if anyone knew how messed up breakups, grief and relationships made a person it was her. She didn't want to waste energy on it any further.

Sebastian spun around, eyes widened for a moment before he looked to the ground. “I wanted..to talk if that's okay?” 

“Sure.” Aliana agreed but didn't move or offer him to join her inside.

“You laid down boundaries, after I ran off…and I didn’t listen. I'm sorry Aliana. If you let me be your friend I won't make the same mistakes and you won't hear anymore apologies from me, because I won't fuck up.” 

Aliana appreciated hearing that. He seemed genuine and confident like he’d given it some thought.

“I forgive you, what's a near death experience if it can't make you a little softer?” she joked.

Sebastian shuddered. “I was worried about you, but wasn't sure if you wanted to hear from me…” 

“Smart choice.” she laughed “no, no it's okay I'm healing well.” 

“That’s good.” he looked over at her now with a burning expression.

The two stood in silence again for a while before Aliana couldn't stand, standing any longer. 

“I'm not trying to shoo you off, it's just I finished physio and I'm sore..” Aliana pulled at her earlobe awkwardly.

Sebastian hopped down from the porch and walked up to her. “It's fine, I can't stay long anyway. But please don't disappear on me.”

“I won't Sebastian.” Aliana assured him.

After seeing Sebastian off, Aliana had a quick look over the fields before going inside. The moment she went through the door she froze.

“What the fuck?” Aliana growled at the sight of Shane sprawled lazily out on her chair. The same chair she had fantasized about sitting on for over an hour. Dude ran over to sniff Shane, tail wagging excitedly.

“Sorry, I saw the emo coming and panicked.” Shane shrugged. “Ya did say that I could use the house whenever I needed.” 

“True.” Aliana conceded. “You heard all that then?” 

“Now the other night makes more sense I guess” Shane looked over at her.

Aliana looked back confused. “What are you on about?”

“The other night when I carried ya home? Sebastian got all pissy about it.” Shane stood up from the couch and walked to the fridge opening as if it were his own. He grabbed a jug of water and poured two glasses offering one to the sweaty Aliana.

She took it in a daze. What?

“You carried me home and Sebastian got pissy?” She repeated.

“I wondered if ya would remember. Did you forget blowing chunks over the porch step the second I put ya down?” 

Aliana winced, embarrassed her cheeks began to flush.

“Why did you carry me home though?”  

“Because ya drank too much and wouldn't shut up about it. Do ya even remember sitting at the beach?” 

“Nope.” Aliana hid her face behind her hands, it was burning hot now.

Shane laughed before shrugging “oh well happens to the best of us.” 

“Not me usually.” She made her way to the couch now it was unoccupied.

“Don't sit on my ass pillow you’ll squash it all up!” Aliana squirmed around finding a comfortable position.

“Sorry.” Shane said from the kitchen. He skulled down the rest of his water before heading to the front door. 

“I'm gonna go fix those shoddy pipes.” He informed her before leaving.

Aliana didn't look up, feeling tiredness already overtake her she decided to go lay down in bed. 

(Shane POV)

Shane rinsed his boots and arms off outside under the freezing tap water. He was soaked, covered in mud and tired as hell. The sun was low in the horizon, his sign that it was quitting time.

He made sure he wasn't dripping anymore before stepping into the house to inform Aliana to wait tomorrow morning before turning the sprinklers on. When he realised she wasn't in the main area he assumed she was in her room.

“Aliana.” He called out, looking toward her open door. He didn't want to go in, he didn't want to find her sprawled out half naked asleep again. 

“Whattt.” a tired grumpy voice finally responded.

“Don't turn the sprinklers on in the morning, I'll do it when I get here.” He instructed, not moving from his spot in the kitchen.

“Wait..” she called out. He heard noise coming from her room before she appeared.

Aliana was wearing an oversize shirt that belonged to some band Shane hadn't heard of. She had thick socks on, and the shirt came down to her knees. The neck opened so wide on her small body that a good portion of her shoulder and collarbone were exposed.

Her burgundy hair was down, something Shane hadn't seen before. It cascaded down her body in a wild mess, it shined healthily despite being slightly knotted.

“What?” She spoke in a hoarse voice, “why am I not turning them on?” 

“Cuz, I got one more pipe to fix. But I'm done for the day.” 

Aliana nodded before walking up to the cupboard above her stove. She pulled out a tin and sat it on the table. When she opened it Shane noticed the green buds, pipe and papers.

“You just woke up and you're smoking?” Shane cocked his head at her.

“I'm sore.” she grumbled, still tired. He wondered if there was something else going on. She looked partially distressed.

Shane didn't know why but for some reason he stood there and watched as Aliana pulled out the pipe, stuffing it with some bud and lighting it, taking in a deep inhale. She breathed out the thick billow of smoke and sighed.

“I keep having brutal nightmares.” Aliana said after a moment. Shane just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

“I guess because I don't remember what happened my brain keeps trying to fill the gaps. It's been worse ever since Magnus told me it was a mummy that got me.”  Aliana sat the pipe back in the tin and closed the lid.

“Magnus?” was all Shane managed to ask.

“Yeah he's the one who came and got me and took me to Harvey's.” 

“Right...” Shane said, realising Aliana lived in a world that looked completely different to his.

“I just wanna move on from it.” Aliana put her elbow down on the table and rested her head in her palm.

Feeling like Aliana might need company, Shane decided despite being uncomfortably wet in his clothes and cold, he’d stay a while. He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.

“Aren't you leaving stinky?” Aliana chuckled, motioning toward his dirty appearance.

“You can't talk” he motioned back toward her.

“Want some?” Aliana pushed the tin toward him across the table.

“You're a bad influence.” Shane said matter of fact.  

“You don't have to!” Aliana replied, a slight hint of concern in her voice.

Shane chuckled and opened the lid to the tin. It's not like he hadn't smoked before, it'd just been a while. 

(Aliana POV)

Aliana watched as Shane sputtered and coughed after taking a hit from the pipe. She wondered if he'd ever smoked before and scolded herself for actually being a bad influence.

“Want some pizza from Gus’?” She offered in an attempt to feel less guilty. Shane looked up at her confused, eyes glazing over.

“I heard Sam's delivering for them now. Cute.” Aliana chuckled imagining Sam running errands on his skateboard or pushbike.

“Oh. Sure.” Shane said, still trying to hold back coughs.

Aliana was still shocked at the news Shane had carried her home and put up with her drunken nonsense. She tried to imagine what the scene looked like. Looking over at the man in his jeans and hoodie covered in mud. His 5 o'clock shadow now a bit thicker than it normally was. His purple-black hair, slightly longer too. She noticed that his emerald green eyes had more life to them lately. Wondering if the farm work might be good for him.

Aliana hopped up and rang the saloon, after confirming Sam was in fact Delivery Boy she ordered two pizzas and two garlic breads. 

“Oh I'm so hungryyyyy!” She said sprawling out on her one person sofa.

“You really need to upgrade ya couch situation.” Shane chuckled, clearly already affected by the cannabis standing with an airy happy feel about him.

“I have a bigger couch.” Aliana shrugged. “I got it before I got hurt, it's stacked up against the wall in my room. Only got delivered recently…”

Shane blinked at her for a moment, not saying anything, before walking into her room. Aliana heard him cuss then heard struggling as he dragged the box out.

“A couch in a box?” Shane huffed, leaning against it.

“Yeah, I ordered it from Zuzu. Retro catalogue!” She exclaimed in excitement.

“Why is it still in the box?” 

“I kinda keep forgetting about it.” 

“I'm going to set it up.” Shane declared before beginning to tear up the box.

Aliana just watched. “You do you boo.” She said before grabbing the remote and flicking the TV on.

Shane grunted and talked to himself so much that Aliana got sick of hearing it, and joined him. She threw her ass cushion down on the ground and sat on it.

Grabbing the instruction manual.

“Well that's garbage.” She said tossing it away over shoulder.

"Mm-hmm” Shane agreed.

They fiddled with a simple wooden frame covered in a thick mustard yellow corduroy fabric,  putting all the pieces in place. Together they put the legs on the frame then Aliana grabbed out the cushions from their tight vacuum sealed wraps.

The second she opened one of the cushions packaging, it sprung out, expanding rapidly into its natural shape. Aliana jumped and began laughing hysterically. Shane was standing up, about to do the same with his cushion. As his expanded just as rapidly as Alianas did she laughed again. Finding the sight funny for some reason, in her drug-addled state.

Shane just looked down at her intently until she calmed down.

Eventually they pushed her chair over, and put up the new couch. 

“I can't believe all that fits in a box.” Shane marvelled at the two seat sofa now sitting in front of the TV.

“Dibs. You can take the other one!” Aliana sprawled out on it. The cushions hadn't fully fluffed up yet and it was still comfortable.

“How's that fair?!” Shane argued, “move ya feet or I'll sit on them.” He warned.

Aliana didn't budge and Shane began to slowly sit down sticking his rear out dramatically wiggling it as it lowered.

“Fine!” She yelped as he made contact, pulled her legs in and the moment he sat down laid them out again, sprawling them over his lap.

Shane looked over at her, wearing an expression she hadn't noticed from him before. She didn't pay any mind to it, she was too stoned to care about anything. 

Aliana turned back to the TV. A cooking show she'd seen early last year was playing. She switched it over to the movie channel and across the screen two lovers made out passionately against a wall. Aliana felt slightly awkward now, she looked over at Shane who was…looking at her.

Feeling an odd tension in the air Aliana switched the channel to infomercials. Just as Shane was about to protest a nock on the door. 

“Coming!” Aliana sat up, happy to step away from the strange air that'd circled the pair on the couch.

Aliana opened the door with a big smile to see Sam standing before her awkwardly holding pizza. 

“Hey Sam!” She exclaimed, waving at him.

“Pizza party?” Sam replied in a cheery voice.

“Yeah shouting Shane a feed after a hard day's work.” She thumbed over her shoulder motioning. Shane lifted his hand up and waved.

Sam's eyes widened at the mention of Shane and he waved back in shock.

“How's it going, doing deliveries?” Aliana asked cheerily.

“It's weird, but I'm shocked how many people want food.” 

“Ah, it's so common in the city. Me and mum ordered it every night. People here have been missing out!” 

Aliana grabbed the gold she had put on the table earlier, and the extra for a tip and handed it to Sam.

“Thanks so much Sam! Let's hang out and play D&D sometime!” 

Sam grinned from ear to ear. “Yeah or we could go skating together!” 

Aliana looked up at him deadpan.

“When your leg heals!” He panicked.

She giggled. “See ya Sam!” 

(Shane POV)

Shane watched as Aliana brought two pizza boxes to the couch they'd just built. He was cold, freezing actually. His clothes still damp. But he didn't want to leave.

“Shane, are you cold?” Aliana asked as if reading his mind.

“Nah.” He lied.

She snorted out a laugh. “Yes you are, your lips are nearly blue for Yobas sake.” 

Aliana walked into her bedroom and came out with a gift wrapped up.

Shane looked at her confused.

“I was gonna give you this when I'm finally better, as a thanks for working with me. But I'll give it to you now.” she smiled mischievously.

Shane looked at her confused. Wondering why she’d even give a present to someone she was also paying…and what was with that smile?

He grabbed the present from her and unwrapped it slowly. Quickly the item revealed itself to be made from a thick brown material. He unfolded the item to see…overalls.

“I'm not wearing overalls.” He said immediately.

“It's the work uniform.” Aliana protested.

“I quit.” 

She laughed again. “Hey at least it's not wet, there's also a long sleeve shirt in there.”

“Why?” Shane groaned.

“Farm uniform.” Aliana repeated laughing. “Honestly though? I ordered myself some new ones, and got a free coupon. I wanted to force you into them somehow.” She shrugged. “Thought they'd either suit you, or look hilarious. Win win for me either way.” 

Shane groaned looking back at the hideous clothes. Sure overalls suited Aliana. In a quirky way. She was a cute, petite young woman. He on the other hand was a tall, slightly overweight brawny guy. He was going to look like old Mcdonald if anything.

But, he was cold. And she did get them for him. That felt…kinda nice.

“Ugh.” Shane complained again, before lifting himself off the couch and heading to Alianas room.

She squealed in excitement behind him. “Victory! See who said wine and online shopping was a bad choice.” 

Shane rolled his eyes at her. He now stood in her room again, suddenly feeling slightly overwhelmed. He wasn't exactly sure what was happening. He should have been home hours ago, instead here he was high as a kite about to get undressed in his boss room…without her in it.

He shook off the onslaught of lewd thoughts as he ripped off his wet clothes. Just peeling them away from his skin felt nice. He took everything off except for his briefs. He stood there, looking at himself in Aliana's wall mirror and suddenly he felt disgusted. He'd let himself go, his young age of 31 disguised behind years of alcohol abuse and neglect. 

“Come onnn!” Aliana said, her mouth clearly stuffed with pizza. Shane snapped out of it and grabbed the long sleeve. It was loose, he appreciated that. Only hugging slightly around his shoulders.

He then stood into the overalls, he couldn't deny they felt sturdy. He clipped them up and avoided looking at himself at all costs before walking out to the lounge room.

He looked down at the ground but after hearing a thud, he looked over to her. Aliana had dropped her slice of pizza on the ground. She was staring at him eyes wide.

“What?!” He exclaimed in a panic. Did he look like that much of a fucking idiot? He thought to himself.

“How do you manage to pull off anything you wear?” Aliana, composed now, picked up her pizza and tossed it in the bin. “It's not fair.” She grumbled in disgust.

Shane cocked his head. Her words sounded like a compliment but her tone didn't. 

He let it go, the overalls, the self consciousness and decided to just eat some pizza and relax. Deciding that he was enjoying this buzz too much to complicate it with worries.

Aliana brought over a bunch of items and sat them on a corner table she'd brought in front of the sofa. The tin, the pizza and some cola.

Shane sprawled out on the couch, enjoying the warm air around him.

He wondered if he and Aliana could be considered friends as they munched down on pizza watching shitty TV on the couch, occasionally hitting the pipe.

Then he wondered if the friendship would stop when the work does.

He didn't want to stop working here. Regardless of his mixed emotions toward Aliana lately, he loved the place. He loved seeing the chickens everyday, even Samantha. He didn't want to stop looking out over a hard day's work, and feeling pride. He'd grown attached to Dude. To everything about the place.

“What happens in winter?” he asked abruptly. Not even intending to say it out loud.

“Hmm.” Aliana got serious for a second. He noted that no matter what she was serious about her farm.

“I'm planting powder melons this winter. I have hundreds of seeds. They're about the only thing that'll grow in the cold. Other than that, the ancient fruit plants should also start fruiting in the greenhouse this winter. Once they produce, we can see what we can do with them. I heard they're profitable but I have no idea.” She shrugged.

“We?” Shane asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

“Well I'm not gonna lie Shane, winters are a slow time. I'm not gonna have a whole season's work for you. But I'd like to keep you on at least until the powder melon harvest. If you're okay with that.” 

“Course.” He shrugged, trying not to show his relief. He'd thought he only had a few days left any extra time was welcomed.

Aliana sighed looking away deep in thought. “I'll have to go to the mines in winter.”

Shane looked over at her his brows immediately furrowed. “Why would you even consider going back?” 

“I'm not going to Skull Caverns. Just the mines. Trust me they're no way near as dangerous.” Aliana tried to play it off but he could tell she was freaked out.

“Ya can't even remember what fucked you up last time and you're going back?” Shane's voice came out louder now.

“What's the problem?! I need to go, I can't afford to buy the materials from Clint anymore.” She shrugged. “I'll have you know I spent like a year hitting the mines without any serious injuries.” 

“I'll come with ya.” Shane insisted out of the blue, not really knowing why he even offered.

Aliana laughed, a deep belly laugh. Shane found that slightly insulting. But she continued on as though he’d told the funniest joke she’d ever heard. She then stopped abruptly, and looked him in the eyes.

“What, and you want me to come tell Jas she lost another parent?” Alianas tone was dead serious now.

That hit Shane in the face like a slap on a crisp winter morning. It stung. 

“Well…what, you can die down there but I can't?” His tone was already defeated.

“No, I've trained. I have sword skills, and I'm a member of the adventurers guild. Get those two things and you can come. But as you can see.” Aliana motioned to her leg. “You can still get hurt or die.”

Shane winced. “Do you have a death wish or something?” 

“Not exactly…” Aliana said thoughtfully. “I have always loved the idea of adventuring. In Zuzu city I dreamed of it. I love it down there, the adrenalin, the feeling of winning and the loot.” Aliana gleamed as she spoke rapidly.  “It's scary. And I am scared, especially after what happened. But I don't want that to stop me… Shane I don't think you'd even believe the things I've seen since coming here. I dont want any of that to stop because I hurt myself.” 

Shane was stunned at her passionate outpour. He felt like he'd just witnessed a new side to Aliana. 

“What wouldn't I believe?” 

Alaiana looked at him eyebrows raised.

“Skaoj thaol uranath guraptha.” Aliana spoke fluently in some language Shane had never heard before. 

“What the hell was that?” He asked.

“Dwarven, I know a dwarf and I learned how to speak his language.” 

Shane blinked at her. Sure he'd heard tales of dwarves and shadow people, of magic and different “creatures” 

He'd seen the ominous wizard tower first hand. 

He just didn't like to think about any of it. Life was complicated enough without a boat load of new fears and unanswered questions.

“I also met a friendly shadow person, normally they're aggressive on sight but he's nice.”

Shane continued to look at her in eager anticipation. What else has she experienced?

“Do you think I rebuilt the bus stop, mines, community center, my greenhouse, and quarry bridge on my own Shane? Do you really think I could after seeing my irrigation work?”

Shanes mind raced. Sure he thought it was odd how fast everything had happened, but outside that fact he never really questioned it. He'd been so bitter about Aliana being competent and contributing to him losing his job that he never even considered she didn't do it on her own.

“So Robin?” He guessed.

“Nope. I met these creatures called the Jumino. They'd moved into the hut inside the old community center. Truthfully Shane, all I did was give them gifts. They did everything else.” 

Shane stared at her eyes widened. She opened her mouth and started making odd noises, chirps and clicks, even hisses. 

“I just said ‘it was all the Jumino’ in their language.”

“You learned their language too?” Shane was beyond shocked now.

“Yeah but only because Magnus drugged me with this weird potion that made me trip absolute balls.” Aliana shrugged so nonchalantly at the words, like she was explaining something as work a day as brushing one's teeth. “After that I could speak to them. They're cute, they look like apples with tiny legs and arms.” 

Shane looked at Aliana for a long time. Sitting on a cushion on her new couch, messy hair in an oversized old shirt. He tried to imagine her in any of these situations. And of course, he could without any trouble. Aliana’s fights in the mines, talking to dwarves, making friends with some apple creatures. He knew she wasn't lying, he'd always been good at spotting a liar. Aliana wasn't one of them. Not that kind of liar anyway. His head hurt.

“Yoba Ali…” Shane spoke quietly after a moment.

“Oi, who said you could call me that?” She teased.

“Sorry. I heard Jas..” he tried to explain but Aliana began giggling. “It's okay Shane. You can call me that.” 

“So you're like a witch then?” he asked.

Aliana burst out into even more laughter, wiggling around she even brought a hand up to slap him on the shoulder lightly. Her hand rested there after she made contact with it. He couldn't help but be hyper aware of her touch.

“No you idiot.” She giggled still. “I'm not a witch. Just a normal person who doesn't seem to have a good danger radar.” 

Shane felt slightly embarrassed, realising she knew a whole world of things he didn't and that he probably looked like just a naive fool to her.

“You're kinda incredible.” He said dumbfounded.

“Thanks. But none of that is as scary as raising a kid.” She looked at him warmly. “I think you're pretty cool for raising Jas.” 

“Marnie does all the hard work. I barely show up for her the way I should.” he admitted disappointedly.

“Why not then?” 

Shane looked up at her. Thinking about it for a long moment before answering. She’d just shared so much with him, he felt it would be polite to share something back.

“Her mums, Penny and Lilly weren't just my best friends, they were my family.  I knew what agreeing to be a godfather meant. but when they died I wasn't ready for it. I was young and stupid…” he sighed. “I didn't deal with my grief properly, I focused so hard on raising Jas through those first few years…she was just a tiny baby… and I just locked it away all the pain. By the time I finally had to face my grief. It turned into resentment. Toward them, toward myself..” Shane paused. “Sometimes even toward Jas. And I hate myself for that.”

Aliana stared at Shane for a long time. He couldn't bring himself to even look at her. Not after admitting what he'd just admitted. Something he'd never said aloud to anyone. He wasn't even sure what compelled him to say it now. He’d only intended on briefly touching the subject.

He knew Aliana probably thought less of him now but for some reason speaking those words aloud finally, still felt good.

“Oh Shane.” Aliana brushed her fingers, with the hand that had been resting on his shoulders, against his cheek. Motioning him to look up toward her.

He did so hesitantly. She had eyes of both sympathy and compassion, staring back at him through her deep mossy green irises. She pulled her hand down off his shoulder and looked him in the eye. He felt small under her gaze, even though he knew that wasn't the intention behind it.

“Shane. I don't know anything about parenting but I do know loss.” She motioned toward the house. “I wake up and face it everyday. And all I can say is it makes you feel things, all sorts of things. Sometimes hideous things. But that's natural. It's human.” 

Shane looked at her, tears now forming behind his eyes stinging slightly.

“You show up for Jas. Sure you've got flaws. Ya burning asshole.” She chuckled. “But I see your tough exterior fade away in her presence. She loves you, and more importantly she knows she is loved.” 

Shane couldn't hold it back anymore, tears fell down his cheeks now. It felt like it wasn't just Aliana saying those words, but Lilly and Penny as well. He didn't know why, but for some reason it felt like he’d been forgiven, if only slightly. And this cracked the sides of the well he'd built within him, cursing a steady flow of emotion.

Aliana reached out for him, scooting closer and grabbed him in an embrace. This made him sob aloud as he slumped into her arms, crying quietly into her chest.

“Shhh.” She soothed. Brushing her hand through his hair. He felt like a child again, like his responsibilities and burdens and mistakes all temporarily melted away. Allowing him to just let go for a moment.

Shane sat there for a long while, in Aliana’s embrace. Eventually he had wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting on her upper back.

She had her chin resting on his head,

After his emotions quelled and he started to feel better. Shane became extremely aware of the situation he was in. He had not only shared his emotions with her, but allowed her to sooth him like a child. He felt idiotic, embarrassed and yet at the same time he also felt warm, the feeling of her body against his again, he couldn't deny he really fucking liked it.

“Who knew you had the emotional capacity to cry.” Alianas light chuckle vibrated against Shane's head. 

“Oi.” He mumbled, now definitely too embarrassed to part from her.

“I'm just kidding.” She said reassuringly. 

Shane didn't want to, Yoba, he really didn't want to, but he let her go slowly and parted from her. He looked up at Aliana's face, his eyes adjusting to the light again.

She had tear stained cheeks as well, red rimmed eyes with a slight puffiness to them. “You were crying?” He asked aloud.

“Yes. I'm a big crybaby.” 

“You cried because I cried?” He asked again, still curious.

“Yeah.” She looked away slightly embarrassed.

Shane felt overcome with a raw emotion that he could barely recognise at the sight of a teary Aliana. He wanted to pull her back into a tight embrace, to hold her now, to show her she’s also not alone. Instead however, he sat frozen for a while just staring at her. His gaze lasting long enough to bring an awkward air between them.

“Shane?” Aliana ended up saying, snapping him out of it.

“I should probably head off I’m out of it, and it’s late…” He ran his hands through his hair.

Aliana didn’t look shocked, or angry in fact she barely displayed any emotion that he could read as she stood up.

“I’ll grab you some pizza to go.” She said as she walked over to the kitchen.

“Thanks for tonight.” Shane said sincerely, despite his desperate want to flee.

“Thank you! I don’t think we’ve ever had a conversation that deep.” She chuckled, packing some pizza into a container and sealing it.

“Yeah..” he said awkwardly, taking the container from her.

“See ya tomorrow Shane.” Aliana smiled at him as he turned around to leave.

The minute Shane was outside, away from Aliana, back in the cold air he too k a deep breath.

“Yoba…” he said aloud into the night.

Chapter Text

Aliana sat on the couch watching crappy tv. Desperately ignoring the lingering tension from the night she'd just shared with Shane. Despite the emotions of it all, there was something in the air between them. Something she wasnt going to allow herself to acknowledge.

*****

"Yobaaaaaaa" Ali stretched upright, for the first time in what felt like hours. It was approaching winter fast now, and harvest was at hand.

"My back is killing me." A quiet and familiar voice snapped Ali out of her overtired daze.

"Tell me about it." She mumbled.

Her healing was continuing at a fast pace and she was back to nearly full days of work. The freedom felt amazing.

"We've got a lot this year, thanks so much Shane." Ali smiled at her co-worker whod now become a friend.

"S'fine." He mumbled, kicking at the dirt beneath his worn out boots.

"Once we load this all up to be shipped, wanna head to the saloon?"

Shanes head snapped up at that, breifly expressing intense shock before immediately gaining composure again.

"Cant say no to a cold drink." He answered cooly.

"Awesome! Well, lets get back to it then!"

Ally stretched again, noticing Shane's gaze burning into her.

****

Shane hadn't gone to the saloon with anyone in a while. His mind wandered, playing out scenarios in his mind. Would he be carrying her home again as she mumbled away drunkenly into his back.
He wouldn't mind that, he thought.

Shane looked at himself in the mirror. He was both incredibly embarrassed and excited to see Alianas response. He stared down at his gifted overalls, his hair slicked back, a tight fitting black shirt underneath and his normal work boots. He was trying to look good, but casual.
His palms sweated at the idea of going overboard, and Shane was moments before giving into his anxiety and changing clothes when Marnie knocked on the door.

"Hey Shane.." she called out in her suspiciously friendly voice. Shane groaned.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you can run this package down to Alex? He needs dog food asap."

"Why cant he grab it?" Shane said as he came to open the door.

"Wow shane." Marnies eyes widened looking at him. She giggled.

"Please you're going out anyway."

***

Shane trudged along the path towards town. A bag of dog food slinging over his shoulder. It stunk, and he hoped he didn't smell like it by the time the day was done.
He was already late, as per usual. Shane imagined Ali sitting on her own, and picked up his pace.

As he approached Alex out the front of his grandparents place, Shane called out.
"Yo Alex, grab this will ya?"
Alex mumbled something before jogging over.
"Woah Shane, nice look!" He said in his annoying genuine tone.
"Thanks. Well cya." Shane turned to leave but was stopped in his tracks by the sound of a gruff old voice.

"Shane, how have you been young man?" It was Alex' grandpa.

Aparanlty somehow Shane had made it into George's tight group of liked citizens of Pelican town. Now Shane couldn't go past George without a long conversation striking up.

"Good, a bit busy. Heading out now!" Shane was looking at the small fragile man in the wheelchair. Trying not to get sucked into a conversation.

"Ah, working on Otis old farm....yeah...tough work....how's the young lady."

"Great. Healing, I'm heading to see her now."

"Oh good. We weren't sure what to make of it when she moved in, but I'm mighty glad shes okay."

Shane tapped his foot, shooting a deaperate look to Alex. Alex just smiled a goofy grin before turning to his grandpa.

"Hey grandpa, lets go. Shane has somewhere to be tonight. Hot date."

"Oi!" Shane went to protest but Alex was already pushing George back toward the house.

Shane turned heel, and basically ran to the saloon.

****

Aliana spent the rest of her afternoon free budgeting. She got so caught up in it, she left herself barely any time to get ready.

She rushed, chucking on basic clothes and throwing her unruly hair into a bun. Aliana was about to leave when something compelled her to stop, and look at herself.
Ali sighed before heading straight back to her bedroom.
She changed into a nice fitted pair of black overalls, a slightly baggy zip up jacket underneath, and put some mascara on. It was still casual, but a bit nicer she thought before walking out the door.

On the way to the Saloon, Aliana bumped into Sam and Sebastian. "Hey you!" Sam called out to her as she approached. He was doing skateboard tricks outside his house as usual.
"Hey skater!" Ali replied. "Hey emo!" She joked looking at Seb. She found herself surprised how easy it was to be normal with him again.

Sebastian looked down mumbling hello, and Aliana laughed internally. Maybe he wasnt ready yet.

"Youre going out tonight?" Sam asked politely breaking the tension.

"Yeah, shouting Shane to a feed cuz we finished the fall harvest. Won't be long and I'll be back to working solo." Aliana tried to hide the dissapiintment in her voice.

"Can I work for you?" Sam joked. "Just the other day you shouted him pizza and now a pub feed?! Best boss."

Aliana chuckled, ignoring Sebastian who was now glaring at her.

"Yep, I'm the best. And no, you cant!" She chuckled. "Well i had better go."

"We're going to the saloon too." Sebastian spoke up. Sam shot him a confused look before composing himself. "Yeah!" He added.

Aliana grimaced but couldn't argue. It was clear they had no prior intentions of heading to the saloon. She wondered if Sebastian was still going to push boundaries. But chalked it up to coincidence.

The three of them entered the quiet saloon to see Gus bright smile. "Hey kids."
Sam walked over and began openly chatting with him while Sebastian stood awkwardly next to Aliana.

"Hows the IT world going?" Aliana asked, passing time until Shane arrived.

"As good as it can I guess." He shrugged, non willing to add anything else to the conversation.

Silence hung between them for a moment before Sebastian walked over to the counter. "Quit ya yapping, we've got a game to play." He slung his slender arms over Sam's shoulder.

Aliana watched the pair as they walked into the games room joking away and felt a pang of jealousy. She wondered what itd be like to have a life long friend.

Aliana walked over to Shane's usual spot on the bar and sat down. "Hey gus, a beer please.."

***

Shane swung open the door with desperation, before stepping inside. His eyes quickly scanned the room before spotting a smiling Aliana in the corner. She was chatting to Gus, both of them talking loudly. Shane wondered how she went from being a recluse to being so open and free with everyone. He didnt have time to feel jealous however, as he was in awe of her.

Shane stood there at the door staring at Aliana. She looked great as usual. His mind raced with memories of their past days on the farm. Her struggles and vulnerability as she healed and how she was graceful enough to let a slob like him work for her. He felt a deep sense of gratefulness toward her.

Movement in the corner of his eye caught Shane's attention and he looked over to the games room to see Sebastian staring at him intently.
Shane raised an eyebrow, the kid looked ready to fight.
Maybe 5 years ago buddy, not today.
Shane thought before walking over to sit next to Aliana.

"Hey boss."

Aliana spun around, facing him a big grin on her face. Her enthusiasm made Shane wonder if she was already half cut.

"Shane you late ass." She giggled. His body stiffened slightly at the lovely sound of her laughter.

"You're excited." He replied trying to match her cheeriness.

"Of course! We finished harvest! I thought I wasn't gonna make it. I was just telling Gus how the only reason we have a harvest is thanks to you!"

Gus, who was now readying Shane's beer. "You should be proud Shane! Growing food is the next best thing to cooking it!"

"Nah, I just followed instructions wasnt that big of a deal. This one's on the boss." Shane said lifting his glass to the air. Aliana grabbed hers in a hurry and Gus grabbed his tea towel just to be involved. They all clinked, and began the nights celebration.

*****

Chapter Text

The night went on, a blur of laughter and drinks. Aliana and Shane ate together, Shane laughed more than he had in forever. In fact he talked more than he had in forever.
He'd even found himself, pacing...not getting plastered. He wanted to remember this night.

He was more than delighted when Aliana had pointed out his overalls.

"I can't believe you're wearing them! They look so good on you though...guess it makes sense!"

At some point, Sam, Abigail, Sebastian, Alex and Hayley all joined in. Shane felt a pang of dissapointment but that had soon ended when the laughter picked up.

When the saloon got close to shutting, a very inebriated Ali had invited everyone back to her house for a party.

Everyone saves Hayley agreed, and now they all walked in a group through cindersap.

"Awh you guys." Aliana said, looking back at the group from afront. "I can't believe it took me so long to get to know everyone...I'm so stupid"

"Heir heir!" An obviously intoxicated Sam chimed in, running to her and slinging his arm around her shoulder. "We waited for you farmerrr"

Shane couldn't help but feel his chest tighten at the sight of Sam's arm over Aliana.

"Muscles and me have been friends forever!" Alex bragged.

"Not fair!" Abigail chimed in. "I wanted to be her friend first!"

"No me!" Sam added.

Shane's heart skipped a beat at the flush forming on Aliana's cheeks. He felt himself wanting to join in. But the truth of it was, he didnt want anything to do with the farmer a year ago.

When the group arrived at Aliana's farm, Dude ran up to greet them all. An onslaught of "duuuude" came from everyone as they showered the content pup with adoration.

Aliana showed everyone into her home. "Welcome, its humble. There's not much room." She waved her arms around motioning toward the couch.

Everyone quickly took their positions, Sam sat with Abigail and Alex on the couch, Sebastian up against the wall to the side, and Aliana and Shane stayed back in the kitchen.

"You okay boss, maybe a water?" Shane said, a bit worried at the glazed look in Alianas eyes.

"Nah, time for some home breeww" Aliana said her voice purposefully loud enough for everyone else to hear.

Shane winced, and went to grab a few glasses for everyone.

"Mum and dad are getting us drinks!" Abigail laughed cheekily from the couch.

"Make sure its the good stuff mummmm" Sam joined in.

Shane's cheeks flushed. Aliana just chuckled before walking over to join them.

Everyone chatted, mainly about the wine and Alianas efforts to make it.

The TV played quietly in the background and despite being annoyed at how close everyone was to Aliana. Shane felt himself more relaxed in the presence of the Pelican Town residents, than he had in a long time.

"So, out of all of us who is the mysterious farmer closest with I wonder." Abigail said, staring intently at Aliana.

"Why does that even matter, I love you all now!" Aliana replied awkwardly.

"It's gotta be mee" Alex chimed.

"Nope! Me!" Shane blurted in, not really thinking. He immediately regretted it when he looked over to see Aliana shooting him daggers.

"I mean, you knew where the cups were." Sam said dejected. "I only deliver the occasional late night snack." He put on a mock tone of devastation.

"No Sam youre my skater buddy!"

"I'd say I'm the closest.." Sebastian's voice chimed in quietly. Everyone's head snapped around to look at him. Shane felt that familiar pang in his chest.

"Why cuz you fucked her?" Abigail said with a slight bitterness. Only adding to the awkwardness.

Shane winced, it was clear everyone was too drunk for this type of conversation. An awkward silence filled the room for a second before Alex broke it.

"Yeah, then ran away pants around the ankles!"

It was Sam who laughed first, followed by Abigail and Aliana, then Shane and suprisingly even Sebastian.

The tension was immediately gone. Alex was good for that.

"You're all wrong." Aliana said.

"What? Who then?" Alex asked.

"The person I'm closest with is Linus." She said with a thoughtfulness that made everyone listen.

"When I first came here I was scared. I've never really had "friends." Well not in the typical sense. I was always a dancer, so the industry is tough, even in school it was all about dance."

"Um what?!" Abigail's shocked expression was comical.

"Yeah! I was gonna be a proffesional dancer but...anyway. back to Linus... When I first got here I had no idea how to make friends. I was scared of you all, frankly. I kept going up to the mountains to forage and I'd bump into Linus. He was a bit shy of me at first, but we'd share our foraged foods and eventually he warmed up. It was clear he was an outsider too."

Aliana took a moment to look pointedly at everyone. And their regret and guilt was clear.

"So we bonded. He kept me from being so lonely, and made this scary move seem a bit more doable. He was so pure, and after what I left behind, I needed it..I love the old guy. And Willy too. They're both above all of you!!!" Aliana laughed a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'm kidding I love this town and honestly I love everyone here."

Shane was in shock. Aliana wasn't exactly afraid of talking about herself. He'd learned plenty about her over the months they'd worked together. However she seemed to be a pro at leaving out all the important stuff. She was a dancer..

After that, everyone seemed to take turns sharing things about themselves. It was as though Alianas bravery encouraged the onslaught of more...Shane tuned in and out for most of it.

"When my dad was gone, I missed him every day. I kinda put on a brave front for my little brother...and mum...and sometimes I'd hear her crying..." Sam had confessed.

"I know Pieere isnt my dad, we all know it. But no one speaks about it." Abigail's said quietly.

"I'm gay, and my parents are dead?" Alex added on when it was his turn, with very little effort.

Shane didn't care enough to listen to Sebastian's woes, and tuned out while picturing a slightly younger Aliana dancing.

Before Shane realised all eyes were on him.

"Nah, ya'll aren't getting my sob story." He protested.

"Come on dude, your only friend is a chicken. There's something there for sure." Sebastian of all people said.

Shane shot them all a bitter look before sighing deeply.

"I'm a drunk, I look 10 years older than I am. My best friends died and now I'm also a father and a shit one at that?" He looked down, refusing to acknowledge anyone. "That good enough?"

"Yep." Abigail laughed thoughtfully. "We're all fucked, is what I've gathered."

Aliana stood up abruptly, before nearly loosing her balance then regaining composure.

"Enough of the heavy, lets listen to some music and smoke weed?" She said encouragingly.

****

Chapter Text

Aliana's world was spinning. Her light hearted drunkenness had transformed into confused intoxication, and for some reason she found herself outside.

After everyone at the party had spilled their deepest woes, the party continued back up ten fold, and from then on things got blurry.

The air around her was so cold that each breath Aliana exhaled came with a small puff of steam that dissipated as it travelled upwards through the air. She was too drunk to notice, both the steam and the cold.

Aliana sat on one of her mossy logs, most likely squashing multiple mushrooms in the process. She pulled her legs up to her body, and pressed her face into her knees. The world spun, and she desperately wanted to vomit.

In truth, Aliana had drank so much tonight because she had spilled her secret. Aliana's horrible life as a wanna-be dancer wasn't something she ever wanted to bring up here. She had no idea what compelled her to speak up, and once she did spill the tea, it felt like she'd dirtied her clean life here in the valley. So, she drank.

“Aliana” a quiet voice called out from behind her. She didn't move, she knew that if she did she'd either fall or power vomit.

“Mm” she hummed into her own legs.

“We should go inside.” The voice murmered concerned.

“Mmm'fine.” She protested, not out of stubbornness but out of an inability to do so.

After a few seconds of silence a heavy woollen jumper was laid over her small body. It was huge, warm from being worn and smelled like cigarettes. Aliana didn't really take that much notice though, she just sat there trying to keep the world still.

Time passed, so much time that the sky began to light up. Aliana finally felt like she wasn't going to vomit anymore, and the world felt off balance but wasn't full blown spinning anymore.

“Aliana.” The voice said again. Shocking her. She'd entirely forgotten someone was even with her.

“Shane?” She asked in a slur.
There was no answer, and this pissed her off. Why wouldn't Shane answer? He'd been stealing glances of her all night and she saw it. Why was he wearing the overalls tonight, and why was he so hot?
Aliana sat there for a second looking but not seeing, thinking feircly of Shane. And because of those thoughts, she abruptly stood up, wobbled a bit before marching over to the man she could barely see in the early morning light. Acting without fully being aware of herself, like she wasn't even in control Aliana grabbed the back of his head and kissed him fiercely, and uncoordinatedly. Her body leaning fully into his just to keep herself upright. He kissed back, but nothing about it was graceful.

Aliana pulled back at the sound of approaching footsteps behind her. Staring at the ground as the spinning had begun again.

“What the fuck Aliana?” A gruff and angry voice said. She lifted her gaze up to see Shane standing several meters away from her.
Aliana felt a wave of confusion, but before she could even figure out why, things got blurry, then fuzzy, then dark. Her legs buckled, and the long night of drinking finally caught up with her as she passed out, hitting the ground with a thud.

Chapter Text

Shane stood up quietly and switched off the game he and Sam had just been intensely playing for close to an hour. He looked at Sam, chuckling. The young blonde had fallen asleep mid game. It was only to be expected, he was beyond drunk and the sun was nearly up.

Shane felt stiff, and wondered how he’d managed to get so absorbed that he let so much time pass. He felt a bit guilty as he searched the room for Aliana, it was a night she’d originally organised for him afterall. Before the rest of them tagged along..

Alex was asleep on the couch sitting upright. Abigail was asleep with her legs sprawled across him, they were a sight to behold.

He scanned the kitchen area, no Aliana, no Sebastian. As far as he was aware they were the only other ones left who hadn’t gone home yet.
Shane quickly popped his head in Alliana’s open bedroom door, the room was empty.
He felt a weird thunk in his chest when he imagined Sebastian and Aliana together somewhere alone, in the dark, and drunk.

Though, he quickly shook off the imagery. Aliana had seemingly been long over Sebastian-if she was ever even into him in the first place. And he, more than probably anyone, knew how much she liked to wander off.
Shane decided he’d just go look for her, even though she probably wouldn’t be far.

Outside as he stepped off the porch, he ran into Sebastian who was walking back up to the house. Shane couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief when he noticed that Sebastian was alone and smelled like cigarettes.

“Have ya seen Ali?” Shane asked.

Sebastian put his lighter into his pocket then shook his head, “nah, was just out for a smoke.” He slightly wobbled in place. Shane noticed the slight stumble and suddenly realised just how much everyone had, had to drink tonight.

“Well I’m gonna go up there” he pointed to the south of the farm “and look for her, I’ll do a lap around. If you see her, call out..”

Sebastian nodded. “I’ll go that way.” He pointed towards the chicken coop.

“Whatever.” Shane mumbled before heading off.

As he walked, Shane couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved that he’d run into Sebastian alone. He headed down toward the back of the property to where the new goat pen was going to be built. Aliana had been obsessing over it lately, swearing it was gonna be the next big moneymaker on the farm. He assumed she’d be there or that hopefully he’d see her on the way.

Shane began to recall the night he’d just had. To his shock, it was fun. That normal, more wholesome fun, that you shared with good company and laughter. Not the sort of fun he usually had counting stars, on his back while pissed drunk in the forest.
He felt kind of chuffed…he couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent a night doing something so normal. It was probably his most normal night since moving to this backwards town.

Sure, he knew that he owed it all to Aliana’s good social skills, not his own that he’d ended up at a party.. But he didn’t really care. He’d enjoyed himself, actually enjoyed himself.

Normally when he was around the other residents of Pelican Town, Shane felt a mixture of isolated, judged and defensive. He couldn’t ever truly feel comfortable with any of them and because of that he’d stayed clear of them for so long…he’d come up with excuses for why he didn’t like any of them. He was starting to wonder if he was wrong about that.

Tonight, he truly did feel comfortable. He even dared to hope that maybe some of the people he’d shared the night with might start seeing him differently.

Though, his absolute favourite part of the night was when Aliana called him over to the kitchen with a quiet “psst”

****

“Come here” she wiggled her finger at him. I’m not a little kid, he thought to himself as he willingly stood up and walked over to her.
“Is everything all good?” he asked when he approached her, he couldn’t help but see that she had a different drink in her hand, her hair was a mess and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“Isn’t it so good that everyone’s having fun at the farm?” She leaned into him uncoordinatedly, her shoulders brushing up against his side. He stiffened slightly- even though lately they made physical contact all the time labouring away on the farm- for some reason in that moment it was different.
“It’s good.” He smiled forward, staring at the wall in the kitchen refusing to look at her.
“You look like you’re having funnnn” she dragged out her words playfully, nudging into him more. Shane could feel her breast pressing up against him now, and his breath hitched.

“Er, yeah, I’m having fun too.” He felt awkward, and slightly hoped no one was looking their way. He wanted these moments to be for his eyes only, even if they were moments that only mattered to him.

“I know you are having fun! I saw you smiling.” She looked up at him, “it was beautiful.” she mumbled.
Beautiful?!
Shane didn’t know what to say, he just stood there while Aliana playfully pressed against him,staring at the wall. Feeling like an absolute idiot but still loving every second of it. He was severely touch deprived after all.

“We’re gonna have so much cleaning to do in here tomorrow…you and me.” She said, pouting at the soiled kitchen table. There was something about the way she put emphasis on the last two words that made Shane’s stomach flip upside down.

He was about to say something when Sam’s annoyingly drunk voice cut through the air like a knife. “Shaaaane, you have to come beat this boss for meeee.” He’d whined.

Shane looked over to Sam, then at Aliana who was also looking. He was about to reject Sam-no way did he want to leave-when Aliana stood up on her tip-toes and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Go. Make. Friends. Loner.” She teased. Shane shivered as he felt her warm breath hit his neck. He looked down at her, and to his surprise she was looking up. Their faces were extremely close, he abruptly pulled back.
“Okay.” He said quietly to Aliana, he turned to leave but she had grabbed one of the belt hooks on his overalls with her finger.
He turned back to look at her.
“By the way, I noticed…these.” She wiggled her finger moving the loop she had it wrapped around. “You look pretty freaking good in them.”
She let go, and danced off carefree over to Abigail.
Shane's mind was still reeling as he went and sat down next to Sam in front of the TV. Sam was smirking at him with a coy smile, most likely having seen the whole thing. The young man was about to open his mouth when Shane put out his hand.
“Give it to me then.”

*****

Shane stopped his trip down memory lane when he had finally reached the goat pen and Aliana was nowhere to be seen still. She nor dude had answered any of his call outs. He’d now basically searched every building on the farm, having just popped his head in the chicken coup. His concern was growing more and more by the second. He wasn’t sure if it was logical, but his mind rushed to some of the dark thoughts he’d had while super drunk, and felt a desperate need to find her.

He was about to double check inside to try and ring her cell phone when a memory of Aliana randomly popped into his head.

“That’s a bunch of rotten stumps?” Shane had said with disdain looking at what he thought to be a mess someone had dumped on the farm.
“It’s gonna grow mushrooms behind the chicken coup and they’ll make money, so save that filthy look, okay buddy!” She’d proclaimed optimistically before ranting about how the dark backside to the chicken coup was the perfect climate for them.

Shane suddenly decided to take a look there before going into the farm house. He’d remembered seeing her come from around the back of the chicken coup quite a few times. Once he even ran over there when he thought he heard her scream. She had screamed in fact, but only because a new mushroom had finally showed its head.

When Shane reached the back of the chicken coup he saw Sebastian standing there, with his back facing him, head tilted down. Shane looked past him and froze solid. There was Aliana, the drunken boss he’d been looking for. She was kissing him, kissing Sebastian.

All of a sudden Shane was hit with a flood of different emotions. Anger, betrayal, despair, jealousy. He thought about the things Aliana had said to him earlier, and the moments they’d been sharing lately that had foolishly given him some small modicum of hope. He looked at the two of them, and planned to just quietly turn away when something bubbled up from deep within.

“What the fuck Aliana?” he shouted.
The two of them spun around like they’d been sprung. Sebastian had a nearly proud smirk on his face and Shane wanted to punch it off.

Aliana however looked confused, her brows furrowed as she stared at Shane, blinking multiple times.
“Shane?” her voice said quietly.
Suddenly he felt guilty for having raised his voice, but before he could do anything Aliana took a step out, away from Sebastian and toward him. She planted her foot down hard, only it was her recently injured leg. It buckled, and she stumbled ungracefully to the ground, hitting her head hard on the dirt floor of her farm.