Chapter Text
The locals of Pelican Town were friendly for the most part. Nearly everyone Cole had encountered so far had introduced themselves with kindness and enthusiasm. There were a few outliers of course, but that was to be expected.
After a long day of introductions and socializing, Cole was worn out. The Saloon was decidedly the best place to relieve the stress of a long day, so that's where he went.
He swung the door open, greeted by a familiar face scrubbing a glass with a rag.
“Ha! Speak of the devil!” Gus smiled and nodded to a girl with bright blue hair behind the counter, one Cole didn’t recognize.
“Gus.” Cole smiled widely, walking languidly to one of the barstools and leaning across the counter. “Been a hell of a long time since I’ve seen you! Where’d the mustache come from, huh?”
“Gosh, it sure has! Look at you, all grown up! I remember when you were just a little tyke, running around under the tables while your old man ordered enough food to feed an army.”
“Ha, Pappy did have a bottomless pit for a stomach.”
Both men laughed before Gus continued. “It’s good to have you back, Cole.”
Gus smiled before looking back at the blue haired girl who was quietly watching the exchange.
“Oh, where are my manners? This is Emily. Emily, this is Cole.”
“Lovely to meet you, miss.” Cole grinned, tipping his hat.
“It’s nice to meet you, too!” She smiled brightly, her red lipstick emphasizing the white of her teeth. “So Gus tells me you used to live in Pelican town?”
“Yep, I was brought up here on that old farm.”
“Ooh, cool! So is that where you moved into?”
“Sure is. I plan on getting the place back up and running. I'm sure the town could use some more local produce and there’s good money in farming these days.”
Emily nodded attentively, leaning against the counter as Cole spoke. Gus walked to the side, working on plating some food as Emily and Cole chatted.
“Eventually I wanna get to ranching, my real passion is animals. Used to raise chickens with my Pappy, but I want to branch out to cattle and maybe sheep once I have the money.”
“Oh, that’d be great! If you raise sheep I could buy the wool from you to make cloth! I’m a seamstress on the side.”
“That so?”
“Mhm! I made this shirt myself, actually!”
Proudly, she stood back before doing a spin around to show off her work.
“Damn, that’s mighty impressive. Never would’ve guessed it was handmade, the quality is like it’s from a store.” Cole whistled, leaning to his side to get a good look at the back of the shirt.
“Haha, well, I’ve been doing it for a long time.” Emily beamed, glancing at the door as it opened again.
Cole looked behind him to see a man with purplish hair and a stained hoodie walk in. “Howdy!” He called with a grin. The man only grumbled in response, walking to the opposite end of the bar and taking a seat.
“What’s his deal?” Cole asked quietly. Gus returned with a sigh, grabbing a can of beer from under the counter. It looked cold, Cole figured there must be a minifridge or something down there.
“He’s not a very social guy. He comes in every night, orders a few too many beers, then goes home around midnight. I’ve tried talking to him a few times, and so has Emily, he just doesn’t seem too interested in socializing.”
“Hm.” Cole hummed, drumming his fingers on the bar top. “...That beer for him?”
Gus nodded.
“Grab me another one, I’ll pay for 'em both.”
“You sure? He may get snippy with you.”
“Yeah. No harm in trying, right? Plus I haven’t introduced myself to him yet. May as well make a good impression.”
“You’re a good guy, Cole. Your Pappy raised you well.”
“Ha, well, he did the best he could.”
As Gus grabbed another beer Cole took them both, standing to walk to the strange man.
“Oh, and Cole?”
“Mm?”
“I was sorry to hear about his passing. If you ever need to talk to someone about it, we’re all here for you.”
“Yeah, well… I appreciate the sentiment.” Cole nodded gruffly before walking over to the other side of the bar.
“Howdy.” He grunted as he sat down beside the stranger, offering him the beer. The man only stared at him, looking at the beer briefly before replying snippily.
“...I don’t know you. Why are you talking to me?”
“Wow. How friendly. Let’s try that again. Howdy, I’m Cole, and I got this beer for you. You can take it instead of just gawking at it like an idiot.”
The man scoffed, rolling his eyes as he took the beer and popped the can open.
“You would be?”
“...Shane.” He grumbled, taking a long swig of the beer.
“Shane. Well, s’pleasure to meet you.”
“Aren’t you from the city?” Shane scrutinized with a squint.
“Heard about me already? I’m flattered.”
“Only because everyone keeps talking about you.” He took another sip before continuing. “If you’re from the city what’s with the accent?”
“Was raised mostly down here in the valley. Momma moved out to Zuzu when I was about 5, but I spent a lot of my time down here with my Pappy after that. Old man practically raised me.” Cole laughed, taking a swig of his drink. “Pappy had an accent himself, guess I just picked up on it over time.”
“Hm.” Shane hummed noncommittally, looking vacantly forward.
“What about yourself?”
“...What?”
“Your upbringing, where you from?”
“The hell are you asking me for?” He snipped, placing his can firmly on the counter. “Look, just because you buy me a beer doesn’t mean we’re gonna be all buddy-buddy now. I don’t know you, and I don't have any interest in getting to know you, so just leave. Okay?”
“...Lord, you are something.” Cole chuckled, standing up to take his leave. “Fine, I’ll leave you alone for now, but I’ll be seeing you around. Alright partner?” He emphasized his accent, grinning as Shane rolled his eyes dismissively.
He returned to his previous seat, taking a long drink as Gus gave him a pitiful smile.
“I did warn you.”
“Nah, I like him.” Cole grinned, glancing back to Shane who had returned to staring hollowly at the ground. “He’s a challenge. I’ll get him to warm up to me.”
“You are a weird guy, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told.”
Gus laughed, looking around at the regulars. “You met everyone else here already?”
“Pretty much, yeah. Aside from that girl with the braid over there. I've been trying to avoid that blacksmith guy since I introduced myself, though. He gives me the creeps.” He looked at Clint, who was occupied by staring longingly at Emily.
“...Does he always do that?” Cole asked, not bothering to look away.
“Pretty much. I don’t know why he won’t just talk to her.”
“Yikes.”
Clint’s attention was finally ripped away as he made eye contact with Cole. His face burned a bright red as his drink suddenly became the most interesting thing in the room.
“...Weirdo.” Cole murmured under his breath.
“What’s that?”
“Huh? oh, nothing.” Cole turned back around, finishing off his beer before requesting another.
—-
Cole drank a few more beers while catching up with Gus and talking to a few folks he didn’t yet know before deciding he should head home.
Tipsy, he walked out of the bar and followed the stone path back to the bus stop.
He still knew the town like the back of his hand even if it had been years. His few fond memories from his adolescence had been in Pelican town, after all.
He hoped once he was 18 and got away from his family things would get better, but they only seemed to get worse and worse as the years went on.
Things were finally looking up before last year. He was settled in his career and he had a beautiful wife and daughter. It was the life he had dreamed of since he was a little boy.
Before he knew it, it was all ripped away in the blink of an eye. Then the moment he seemed to get back on his feet…
Well, it wasn’t something he wanted to think about. No matter how much he missed his old life, dreaming wouldn’t bring it back. There was no use dwelling on what had already been done. It wasn’t what his Pappy would’ve wanted for him.
He couldn’t help it though, wanting his old life back. His family, his apartment out in the city. Hell, he even missed his shitty desk job at Joja Corp sometimes.
He laughed thinking of his old coworkers, what would they think of him now? A successful accountant who had been climbing the corporate ladder moving to his grandpa's farm after being fired.
His life felt pitiful. Like he'd hit rock bottom. But at least there was nowhere to go but up from here.
He finally stumbled into the cabin. He hung his hat on a rack near the door before collapsing onto the bed in the main room, the bed that had been his Pappy’s for years.
He didn't bother to change out of his clothes, he didn't have the energy, and what did it matter anyway?
Cole let his eyes drift to the side, landing on the window he spent so many childhood nights staring out of.
As much as he tried to hold hope for the future, Cole felt dismal. No matter how hard he tried to crawl out of the hole that life dug for him, he always seemed to be shoved right back down where he started.
Sometimes he wondered if it'd be easier to just…
He groaned, pushing the thought away. There was no use thinking like that, it wouldn't do anyone any good. He rolled onto his back staring at the rickety ceiling as the crickets chirped outside. He'd find a way to make life work out here, the same way he had in Zuzu city when things went to shit.
He had to, what was the alternative? Not something he cared to indulge in, not at this hour anyway. He knew better than to trust his feelings late in the night. With a sigh of resignation, he pulled a thin blanket over himself, shutting his eyes and willing himself to fall asleep for the night.