Chapter Text
When Morgan first opened her grandpa’s letter gifting her Thistlesong Farm, she was elated. It was an opportunity to escape the mundanity of her office job, to ground herself and find purpose through her work for a change.
Now, arms shaking from the effort of cutting down her tenth tree of the day, she was internally cursing his name.
How did it even get this overgrown? It’s gonna take me days to clear enough of the farm to make any progress.
Morgan stuck her axe in the trunk of the freshly felled oak, wiping the sweat from her forehead before checking the time. It was only 2 o’clock, and yet she was already depleted from chopping down trees and tending to her small plot of parsnips and potatoes.
Might as well use the rest of the day to meet my new neighbors.
Mayor Lewis had requested that she introduce herself to the residents of Pelican Town after she first arrived two days ago. While she had naturally ran into a few people as she bought seeds and supplies in town, there were several others she had yet to meet. After quickly washing up, Morgan stuck her old journal in her backpack before slinging the bag over her shoulder and heading towards town.
Haley was enjoying the temperate spring day next to the town fountain, sitting on a nearby bench as she flipped through a fashion magazine. She was grateful for the change in seasons; she always got restless in the winter, trapped in the house with her sister. Her personal time was interrupted as she watched a stranger walk into the town square.
It’s a bit early in the year for visitors, we don’t usually get tourists until the summer festivals. Maybe they got lost on the way to Zuzu City?
As the stranger climbed the steps in front of the dilapidated Community Center, she locked eyes with Haley and started to make a beeline towards her. Haley sighed, putting her magazine down and preparing to give directions.
“Hi there! I’m Morgan, I just moved nearby and wanted to introduce myself.”
“Oh…you’re that new farmer girl, aren’t you? I’m Haley.”
Haley remembered her sister mentioning the valley’s newest resident, but the woman in front of her didn’t fit the picture she had in mind. She took a second to look the farmer over. While her outfit matched the profession, overalls flecked with mud over a wrinkled T-shirt, the rest of her didn’t look the part.
For starters, she was significantly younger than Haley expected. She sported shaggy black hair, cut into a style dangerously teetering on the line between something out of one of Haley’s fashion magazines and an offensively severe case of bed head. She wore soft eyeliner and several silver hoops in each ear with a nose ring to match. The edges of tattoos poking out from her sleeves contributed to the image of some alternative college student dressing up as a farmer for Spirit’s Eve. All she needed was a cheap straw hat.
Haley tapped her finger against her lips. “You know,” she murmured, half to herself, “if it weren’t for those horrendous clothes you might actually be pretty.” Her eyebrows shot up as she realized what she said. “Actually, never mind. I just meant-.”
Her haphazard attempt at explaining herself was interrupted by a short, unexpected burst of laughter from the farmer.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh it’s just…you’re very blunt. It reminds me of my friends in the city. It’s almost a welcome change of pace from the overwhelming friendliness I’ve received from nearly everyone else in town.”
Haley relaxed, seeing that her admittedly rude comment didn’t seem to cause too much offense. “Yeah, that’s the thing with small towns. People can be pretty…overfamiliar. They’ll help you out in a heartbeat but be prepared for everyone’s nose in your business.”
Morgan chuckled and smiled, a wide inviting smile that crinkled her eyes. “Noted. I’ll have some time to get used to it as I work on getting Thistlesong back in shape. Anyhow, I’ll let you get back to your magazine. It was nice meeting you!”
Haley mumbled a “you too” as she retook her spot on the bench. Over the pages of her magazine, she could see the farmer walk away. After a couple steps, she pulled out an old, beat up journal and jotted some things down. Before she could help herself from being the nosy neighbor she had just warned Morgan about, she called out to her. “What are you writing?”
Morgan startled and guiltily started to put away the journal and pen. “Oh, it’s uh…it’s nothing.”
Haley grew suspicious. She marched over to Morgan and stuck her hand out for the journal. “Let me see this ‘nothing’.”
The farmer sighed before handing the journal over. Haley flipped through the pages, only to see one titled with her name. Below that, the page read “young blonde woman, likes fashion magazines.”
What the fuck…?
She hastily flipped to another page. This one was about Sam. “Young blonde man. Jodi’s son and Vincent’s brother. Likes to skateboard.” Further inspection revealed several pages of the villagers with brief descriptions and their relationships. She quirked an eyebrow and looked back to Morgan.
The farmer was wincing and wringing her hands. “I’m sure this looks totally creepy but Lewis tasked me to meet everyone in town and I’m terrible with names. I just wanted to write down some things about everyone so I wouldn’t forget. You can look through the entire thing, I promise it’s nothing weird.”
Haley read the entirety of the journal. Sure enough, everything was innocuous observations. A brief physical description usually followed by relationships to other villagers and sometimes a note about their interests. Each page was pretty bare, clearly Morgan hadn’t spent too much time with anyone. She did notice something missing from her own entry.
Haley stuck out her hand again. When she was met with a blank stare, she rolled her eyes and said “Pen.” Morgan hastily complied.
Flipping to her own entry, she wrote an additional line. “Emily’s much cooler sister.” She returned the journal to Morgan.
The farmer’s eyes widened in surprise. “Huh, I never would’ve guessed. You guys just seem so…different.” She attempted a lighthearted smile to diffuse the awkwardness. “Guess I shouldn’t show Emily your page, she’ll think I was the one that made the ‘cooler’ judgement.”
Haley scoffed. “Please, we’re sisters. She’d recognize my handwriting instantly. Although, you still shouldn’t show her the journal. It absolutely is weird.”
Morgan nodded. “Completely agree. I’ll limit my ruined initial impressions to you.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. So long as it doesn’t devolve into creepy shit.”
She smiled, relieved but cheeks still red with embarrassment. “Scout’s honor. Terrible memory purposes only. I should get going. It was still nice to meet you, despite…you know.”
“Mm-hmm.”
She watched the farmer retreat, shaking her head. What a little freak.
Then she thought of the other residents of Pelican Town. The way Marnie talks to her chickens as if they’re carrying on a conversation. Sebastian and Sam getting chased through town by Lewis after their rotten egg toss at last year’s Egg Festival. Her sister getting caught hiding crystals throughout The Stardrop Saloon to “balance the energy.”
Well, at least she’ll fit right in.
Morgan usually thought of herself as a people person. Back in Zuzu City, she made friends with everyone on her apartment building’s floor. Since moving to Pelican Town, she went out of her way to talk to all of her new neighbors. She put aside some of her harvests to gift to people in town and even got Shane to crack a smile when she shared a couple slices of her pizza at the Saloon.
So she found it extra difficult to find excuses to avoid Haley.
She’d tell herself that her and Haley just didn’t click, they wouldn’t get along, and if she tried to talk to her, she’d only be annoying her. If anything, I’m doing Haley a service by not talking to her.
The truth was, Morgan couldn’t bring herself to face Haley after the journal fiasco. She could feel herself die inside at the mere thought of running into the blonde again. I’ll just never interact with her again the entire time I live here. Problem solved!
In an effort to ingratiate herself to the valley residents that she wasn’t actively trying to evade, Morgan gathered several bundles of daffodils to hand out. Only after wrapping each bundle with a scrap of ribbon did she realize that she didn’t know who would actually enjoy them. The more Morgan interacted with the residents of Pelican Town, the more she learned about each person’s individual tastes. She had to find out the hard way that Leah wasn’t a fan of cookies and was shocked to learn that the quickest way to George’s heart was through leeks.
Well, she thought to herself, I know one person who for sure will appreciate some daffodils and will be happy to give me some intel on other villagers. With her bouquets carefully packed into her basket, Morgan headed off towards the town square.
In the short time she had lived at Thistlesong Farm, Morgan had made quick friends with Evelyn. She’d bring the older woman scraps from her harvest to use as compost in the flower beds and in return, Evelyn would send her off with freshly baked cookies or some other treat. They’d sit together as Evelyn gardened and talked about her memories of the early days of Thistlesong. It was nice to have a connection with someone who knew her grandpa and Morgan could tell that Evelyn appreciated having an extra set of hands to help with the garden.
As Morgan walked into the square, she caught Evelyn’s eye and waved. The older woman smiled and set down the tulip bulb she was preparing to plant.
“Just in time, dear. Could I trouble you to dig some more holes for these bulbs? I’m hoping to plant a couple dozen, the Flower Dance will be here before you know it.”
Morgan smiled and slipped on her work gloves. After getting flagged down to help Evelyn garden or Robin gather wood a few times, she had started carrying the gloves with her everywhere she went. “Of course.”
After helping plant the tulips, Morgan presented Evelyn with a bundle of daffodils.
“Oh thank you, these are lovely! You have quite the knack for foraging.”
“Glad they have the Evelyn seal of approval. I was actually hoping to give out some more bouquets, do you know who would like them?”
She thought to herself for a moment. “Well, Emily enjoys flowers of all kinds and Caroline helps me in the garden from time to time so I know she’d appreciate them. Oh!” She snapped her fingers as the thought struck her. “Haley!”
Morgan’s smile faltered slightly. “Haley? Really?”
“Yes, she loves flowers. Every year she helps me arrange the bouquets for the Flower Dance. Oh I bet these would make her day.”
“Huh. Well…thanks for the info. I’ll have to get going to hand these out.” She weakly hugged Evelyn before stepping away, lost in thought.
Maybe this is a good opportunity to make amends? Or would it just make Haley think I’m even creepier? Yoba help me…
She was so busy debating whether or not to give Haley a bouquet, she didn’t even notice the first time the blonde said her name.
“Morgan? Hello?” Haley waved her hand in front of the farmer’s eyes, startling her and almost making her drop the basket of daffodils.
“Oh! Uh, hi! What are you doing here?” Morgan could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she silently cursed her own obliviousness.
Haley raised an eyebrow. “In the square? I was just passing through to head back home when I saw you standing here with your arms crossed and brow furrowed. Figured now was as good a time as any to ask you why you’ve been avoiding me.”
The heat in her cheeks quickly spread to her ears. Have I been that obvious? I didn’t think she’d notice, let alone care.
“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about, I…” Morgan dropped whatever excuse she was going to make as she met the blonde’s “don’t bullshit me” glare. She sighed and mumbled “I was embarrassed about the whole journal thing.”
Haley’s immediate sharp laughter did nothing to ease her embarrassment.
“That’s what this has been about? I figured you just didn’t like me after I insulted your clothes.”
Morgan frowned. “I don’t remember you insulting my clothes.”
“Great, then we both don’t care about the embarrassing thing the other person did.”
She looked at Haley in disbelief. “Do you really not care about the journal?”
She shrugged. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that bad. If I can still be friends with Alex after knowing him in middle school, then I think I can get over your little surveillance project.”
Morgan blinked. If Haley was happy to move on then she wasn’t going to press her luck. She quickly pulled a daffodil bundle out of her basket and handed it to Haley. “Here, this is for you. Consider it an apology for ignoring you these past few days.”
Haley gasped. “For me? Thank you!” She smiled as she took the flowers. “Where did you even get this many daffodils? I feel like I’ve only seen a couple in town this Spring.”
“I got most of these from Cindersap, that area’s great for foraging.”
“Really? I haven’t spent that much time in the forest outside of going to festivals there.” The blonde woman wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Too muddy.”
She smiled. That sounds about right. “You get used to the mud working on a farm. You’re welcome to come with me sometime, pick some daffodils for yourself.”
“Hard pass. But, I’ll gladly take anymore you find.” Haley dramatically pouted and put on a faux hurt tone. “You know, it’s the least you owe me for ignoring me.”
Morgan rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright. If it means I never have to hear about me oh so cruelly avoiding you again, I’ll get you all the daffodils you want.”
Haley instantly replaced the pout with a self-satisfied smile. “Deal. See you around, farmer girl.” The blonde continued walking back to her house and Morgan breathed a sigh of relief before making her way towards Pierre’s.
After confronting Morgan, the farmer started going out of her way to talk to Haley. She’d stop by the fountain and ask about Haley’s magazines, come by the house to drop off any previously promised daffodils, and chat her ear off whenever they crossed paths in town. Hell, I almost enjoy her company.
A knock came at the door while Haley was making breakfast. Anticipating Alex, Haley didn’t bother changing out of her pajamas before opening the door. To her surprise, she found a dirt-covered Morgan with a green stone in hand.
“Oh, hey Haley! Is Emily around?”
“No, she already left for aerobics. Do you need her for something?”
“I just wanted to show her this gem I found in the mines. Clint said it looked like jade and I wanted to let Emily take a closer look before I donated it to the museum.”
“Well, you can leave it her if you want. Otherwise, you can find Emily at Pierre’s.” Haley would usually be happy to talk to Morgan, but she was becoming increasingly aware of still being in her pajamas at 10:30 in the morning while the farmer had apparently already been to the mines and back.
Morgan smiled and started to turn away from the door, seemingly taking the hint to leave. Haley was about to say goodbye before Morgan stopped and turned back to her. A serious look crossed her face as she asked, “Actually, would it be alright if I came in for a second? There’s something I want to ask you.”
Haley’s stomach dropped. Oh no, not again.
Haley knew she was beautiful. She had been told so ever since she was young and, well, she owned a mirror. At first, it was great. People would treat her kindly and other kids would always ask to be her friend. But as she got older, Haley realized her relationships wouldn’t always be better because of her appearance. She could deal with the harsh teasing and the occasional cold shoulder, but what really hurt was the ruined friendships. She’d meet someone and become fast friends with them. They’d be attached at the hip, always spending time together and getting close enough to truly be vulnerable. Then, like clockwork, they’d get a weird look in their eye and say “There’s something I need to tell you.” The friendship would be ruined as they confessed their feelings and Haley would be left alone again. The only friend that had stuck around longer than a year or so was Alex. Before now, Haley had hoped she could count the farmer as the second. Better to get this over with.
Haley managed a weak smile. “Sure, come on in.”
Morgan took her dirty boots off and left them on the porch before stepping inside. Once Haley closed the door, the farmer deeply inhaled and Haley braced herself, closing her eyes.
“Does this hat make me look stupid?”
Haley opened her eyes in surprise and quickly had to stifle a laugh as she saw the farmer wearing an old newsboy cap.
“Um…honestly? Yeah, 100%.”
Dejected, Morgan took the hat off. “I figured, I just thought maybe there was a chance I could pull it off. Like, maybe it went with the farmer look.”
“Why do you even want to wear that thing?” Haley was smiling ear to ear. She couldn’t tell if it was from the joy of not having to end another friendship or from the delight of seeing Morgan look like she should be hawking papers at the turn of the century.
“I need a hat to keep the sun off my face and my hair out of my eyes. I never really wore hats in the city and this was the only one I could find.” She was looking at her feet like an embarrassed child and Haley felt a twinge of remorse for being so harsh.
“Wait here.” Haley went into her bedroom and rummaged through her closet for a couple minutes before emerging with a faded baseball hat. “Here, I got this in high school so I could wear it to Alex’s baseball games. He’s more into gridball these days so I don’t think I’ll be forced to wear it anytime soon.”
Morgan hesitantly took the hat. “Are you sure?”
“Anything I can do to keep that Yoba awful newsboy cap off of your head.”
The farmer smiled and put on the baseball hat. She snuck a look in the mirror before turning back to Haley. “Better?”
“Better.”
“Thanks Haley, you’re the best. I’d hug you if I wasn’t covered in dirt.” At this, Morgan winced. “Sorry about your floors by the way.”
Haley shrugged. “I’m not worried about it. Emily was on my ass to sweep anyhow.”
“Speaking of, I should probably make my way to Pierre’s to show her this gem.” Morgan made her way to the porch, putting her dirty boots back on before adjusting her new hat. “Thanks again, Haley. You’re a real good friend.”
“Back at you, farmer girl.”
Morgan waved over her shoulder as she walked towards the square, leaving Haley smiling softly to herself.
Good friend, huh?
Haley turned inside, took one look at the dirt on the floor before groaning and heading back to the kitchen to finish her breakfast.