[Stardew Valley] On the Edge - Shane

10

It'd been a week after the Flower Dance and since then, spring had quickly oozed into summer. This was the only time of the year Shane felt anything close to grateful to be in Joja Mart, since it was the only place in the damned town that was properly air conditioned. As soon as he stepped out of the comforts of cool manufactured air, he was met with the reality of sticky humidity.

It was only 10:30 in the morning, but today was not like the others. It'd been another half day for Shane because today was the day of his first appointment in Zuzu City.

Right upon leaving Joja Center of Free Fresh Air and Also Labor, he found Aria leaning against the side of the building, waiting there and looking like the heat was starting to get to her. When he came out, she peeled herself off the wall and they started on their way back to the farm.

"Ugh..." He groaned, shedding off his uniform jacket and falling into step with Aria. "Morris has been getting on me about hitting overtime lately. As much as Joja wants to work me to the bone, they're definitely not gonna want to fork over benefits to me. Not even if it's on the sole desire to constantly be in air conditioning."

"Don't worry, there's better air conditioning in the city than here." Aria chirped with sarcastic enthusiasm. A curt laugh escaped Shane.

"And going in the mines is somehow better than just going to Pierre's?" He then asked, taking a glance at her as she walked up ahead. In her gloved hands she wielded a large wooden mallet. It was oddly juxtaposed against the rest of her otherwise cute outfit of a backwards baseball cap, a striped shirt and some overalls. Still, it was impossible for her to not look adorable.

"Actually once you get down deep enough, it's super cold down there. Plus, I forgot to mention," Aria offhandedly mentioned once they were back at her farm. She led him to a little dark shed behind the chicken coop and unlocked the door.

"I was thinking after your appointment and stuff, we could go to this one pizza joint I really loved when I lived in Zuzu still. They have this special where if you eat this huuuuuge pizza in under 30 minutes you get it for free," She accentuated huuuuge by stretching her arms in front of her and widening her eyes.

"Are you talking about Zuzu 'Za? I used to go there all the time in college!"

Shane perked up despite how much the heat had wilted him. Though his time in college was cut short, there was a special place in his heart for the old pizza joint Aria mentioned.

"Yeah! Abel used to take me there all the time. We should go after!" Aria matched his excitement with a little shake and shimmy. The proposition brought a small smile to his face, but it quickly disappeared when Aria turned on the lights in the shed.

His gaze fell onto a red pickup truck that idly sat in the middle of the shed. To put it sweetly, it looked like it was one blown gasket away from an on-road catastrophe.

"We're going to Zuzu City...In this death trap?"

"It's never failed me! Plus Sebastian just came by the other day and changed the oil," Aria argued lightly, even though her words didn't really assure Shane at all. "It'll be fine."

Even though it seemed old and rickety from the outside, the truck started up with no issues. "See?"

Pelican Town quickly shrunk behind them in the rear view mirror. Inside, Shane was freaking out about the appointment. What if it's all for nothing? What if talking to someone doesn't help and only exacerbates his despair? Fuck. He can feel his heart start to hammer in his chest and his breath being caught in his throat.

A soft click and sudden cadence of a guitar softly strumming seemed to snap Shane out of his silent catastrophizing. His gaze followed Aria's finger pressing the button on the weathered radio deck, then trailed up to her face. At a default her expression was half-lidded with a permanently faint smile gracing her lips. They seemed to always be slightly parted as if a smile was right around the corner - which it almost always was.