AN: So I'm about a week and half late on this one. Wanted this chapter out sooner but a lack of internet and a bit of a health scare kinda kept me busy. Either way I'm back and still here! One quick thing about this chapter, it takes place one week after the last one. So the Sunday of Week Two, Monday of Week Three. As I'm following a 365 day seasonal calendar with this fic, the festivals will only be roughly where they should be on that seasonal scale. Other than that, I hope you all enjoy the journey, Keep moving forward, and don't feed the guard dogs! - Phoenix Commander signing off!

Festivals and The Center

Matt propped a large hammer against the side of the porch, wiping perspiration from his face with a rag as he did so. "Not bad for a week's worth of hammering to get the fence up eh, Lucky?" He said, patting the golden retriever as he looked over the newly finished fence that enclosed the small grove to the west of his cottage. The dog nuzzled into the palm of his hand, barking an affirmative as he did so.

Turning his attention to the remaining unworked, overgrown, land that he planned to cultivate Matt mentally placed a map of his plans over the area. "Took a week to get that grove enclosed. It'll take at least twice that to fence off the western third to keep that forest in check." He muttered, his gaze roving down the tree line. The farmer had chosen to go with a cheap cattle fence design. The most expensive material had been the metal cable for the fence itself, and even that had only set him back four-hundred gold. "If not a month. And at this rate two months to clear the rest of the soil here by the cottage. If I'm lucky I can have all the usable land on the farm plowed by the middle of next year."

Glancing up at the sun he realized it was almost four in the afternoon. "Come on, Lucky. I'd better get cleaned up and get this hammer back to Clint. What do you say we get some food while we're in town too?" Lucky started bounding back and forth at the mention of a meal, yipping excitedly. With a chuckle the hazel eyed man quickly washed off the dirt and grime of the day, chose a fresh shirt, and started for the gate to the farm with the canine hot on his heels.

He paused briefly to pass a hand over Serenity's newly carved sign. Leah had carved the sign in the shape of a large oak leaf to fit with the wilder part of the farm, a small pond rippled near the stem, his cottage was nestled near the top right, a few fields waved as of caught in a breeze near the center, and the left third was caved in the likeness of the forest on the western side. It was all painted with beautiful shades, making the small scene look almost lifelike. Attached to the stem was a small sign with the artist's signature carved and painted onto it. It had taken Matt almost day and half to convince her to put her signature on the sign so that she'd have proper credit for her work. Giving one last appreciative nod to the sign he ran to catch up to Lucky, who was already trodding down the road.

Lucky had set a brisk pace for Matt and himself, running ahead only to stop and wait for the farmer to catch up to him. All the while barking as if to encourage him to move faster. It didn't take the pair long to get to Clint's workshop, just over an hour. The farmer could hear the loud cacophony ringing out from behind the heavy wooden door.

Upon opening it, he almost immediately started sweating again as the heat from the blacksmith's forge washed over him.

Matt could just make out the whine coming from the golden retriever at the overly loud noise. "Just wait out here for me, boy. I won't be long and then we'll drop by Gus' for some dinner." He said, scratching him behind the ears. Lucky licked the farmer's hand before curling up on the stoop of the smithy as his owner closed the door.

Matt had to shout to make himself heard over the sound of Clint's hammer striking a cherry red ingot that he'd just pulled from his forge. "Afternoon, Clint!"

The blacksmith paused, his hammer mid-swing, "Afternoon, Matt. Anything I can help you with?" He asked as he put the hammer down and stuck the ingot back into the forge.

"Just wanted to return your hammer is all. Finally finished fencing that small grove. Gonna wait awhile before I start on the longer fence." The farmer replied, placing the hammer next to a large pile of ore waiting to be processed.

"Glad to hear things are coming along at the farm." Clint nodded as he scratched his beard, "I took a few of those parsnips you gave me and made them into a salad the other day. Best parsnips I've had in a long while, better than Pierre's even. Eh, don't tell him I said that."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed them. The beanstalks and cauliflower are coming along too, should be getting my first harvest out of them in a day or so." Matt replied, smiling a little at the praise as he gestured to the raw ore. "So any word on when the mine will be reopened? Looks like that ore pile of yours is getting a little small."

"With luck it'll be open again by the end of the week. I kept telling Joja Co.'s people not to dig so quick and to place supports every so often but they didn't listen. Things will be better once I can restock." The blacksmith said with a slight frown, that quickly turned into a smile as he placed a rolled up blueprint on the counter. "That reminds me I know the mine isn't open yet but, when it is, I've got some old furnace plans. They're yours if you want them, that way you can make your own ingots. Give you another bit of income."

"Hhmm, well it would give me something to do during the winter. Can't really grow much when the ground is covered in snow. Thanks, Clint." The hazel eyed man said, picking up the blueprints. "Anything in particular I should know about smelting?"

"The biggest thing you need to know is that it will take about five pounds of ore for a one pound ingot. Smelting helps remove the impurities in the ore, unfortunately there are a lot of impurities." The blacksmith said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his large apron. "Expect it to be a lot of hard work with little return, at least in the beginning."

"Heh, I'd be surprised it wasn't going to be hard work." Matt replied with a chuckle, giving Clint a smile. Before turning toward the door. "I'll get out of your hair and let you get back to work, thanks again for the blueprints!"

"Of course, Matt, I'll see you later!" Clint replied, turning back to his forge and the ingot still waiting in the flames.

The sun was just beginning to touch the horizon as Lucky and Matt walked through the door to the Stardrop Saloon. As usual the lighthearted atmosphere permeated the sitting area. Even Shane had a small smile, even if it was only visible between swigs from the mug in his hand. The first thing that caught the farmer's eye were the dozens of multi-colored papier-mâché eggs hanging from various places in the pub. A large tri-colored papier-mâché egg dominated the center of the public area, the tables were placed around it and covered with egg printed tablecloths.

"Hello, Matt! Hey there, Lucky, have you been a good boy?!" Emily asked, as she saw them walk into the establishment. "Take a seat wherever you like, be with you in a moment!"

"What's the occasion, Emily? Even Shane seems like he's in a good mood for once." Matt asked as the blue haired waitress walked over to the table he had claimed.

"Guess you weren't around during the festivals as a kid then?" She smirked, as Matt shook his head.

"No, my folks didn't let me stay long enough to attend one." He replied, returning her smirk with an arched eyebrow.

"The spring Egg Festival is coming up in two weeks." The waitress informed him, clicking a pen as she thought about it. "Everyone gets involved, even Shane. You wouldn't think it by looking at him, but it's his favorite event of the year as he provides the eggs for the celebration."

"Huh, you don't say?" Matt said, stowing the information away. "Well, if it keeps him in a good mood then by all means. Any other upcoming festivities I should be aware of?"

"Well for the spring season the only other big one will be the Flower Dance. But you've got time for that one, it's still about two months out." Emily said, putting her pen to a notepad, "So what'll it be this time?"

She missed the color drain from Matt's face a little after he gave her his order and walked to the bar. Flower Dance… Oh, Yoba…

After their meal Matt and Lucky were heading back to Serenity, the moon dimly lighting the way, taking a roundabout path to the northern part of the town before circling south again. The farmer and retriever stopped as they made it to the old Pelican Town Community Center. The paint was horribly faded, large sections of shingles were missing from the roof, and weeds had overtaken the lawn. Off to one side Matt could see the building's old weather vane, glinting in the moonlight, as it lay rusted and bent on a pile of broken shingles.

"Pretty sight, eh, Matt?" Lewis asked, as he announced his presence. He'd been standing there, thinking on where to begin cleaning up the dilapidated building. So far no ideas had come to his mind.

"Oh, hey, Lewis… Yoba, what happened to this place? I might not have been here in a long time but…this…" The hazel eyed man couldn't form his thoughts. He'd been distracted during his meal and now after seeing the true state of the Community Center his mind was numb.

"People just stopped caring and then Joja moved in, still think it can be fixed?" The old mayor inquired.

"Certainly, but seeing it now...it's gonna take a while." Matt said, walking up to the old wooden door. "I can still see some of the old purple paint that used to cover the siding."

"Matt, want to take a look inside?" Lewis asked as he pulled a key from his pocket and tossed it to him. "Though I warn you, it'll be just as bad."

"Need to see what we're dealing with." The farmer said, the door unlocked with a screech as the rusted lock opened. "Wait out here Lucky, we'll be back out in a minute."

Matt yanked open the door with a loud squeal, the were hinges rusted and stiff. Walking into the main entry hall Lewis and Matt could see the horrid state of the building, even in the dim light. Holes littered the floor where boards had rotted, old scraps of wallpaper still clung to the walls.

"All of the rooms are in a similar state. Even the boiler room." The mayor said, looking over the decayed room. He guestered to what looked like a small building, tucked into one corner. It was no bigger than a child's playhouse. "Hhmm, guess I need to secure this place better. Looks like Vincent and Jas were playing here at some point."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea. Might be best to wait till tomorrow morning before we look any further into this old place though, last thing I want is for one of us to break something by stepping in a hole." Matt suggested as he walked up to the small shack like construction to give it a better look. A soft scurrying noise pulled his attention from the building, he caught sight of something moving among the shadows, it was quick and shaped almost like an apple with spindly legs. "That was ether a really strange looking rat or a trick of the light."

"What was that, Matt?" Lewis inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Might be nothing, a strange rat is all. I think we've seen all we're going to in this light." The farmer said, starting back for the door. It was going to be a late night for him again, Matt hadn't yet fully explored his farm at night and he was eager to see what kind of change the night would bring.

"Hhmm, well feel free to come in here anytime you like. If you do catch that rat it'll be one less problem." Lewis said as they left the building, closing the door as tightly as he could while Matt secured it.

"I'll see what I can do. Have a good night, Lewis." Matt said, starting back to the path leading to the farm, with Lucky walking alongside him.

"Have a good night, Matt!" Lewis called after him, starting for his own home and his bed.

The moon was high in the sky by the time Matt and Lucky returned to the farm. The retriever yawned and scratched at the cottage door. "Feel like sleeping instead, eh, boy? Alright, I'll be back in an hour or so." The farmer said, opening the door and letting the canine inside.

Closing the door and looking over what he could see from the porch, Matt already saw some of the change that night brought to the farm. The spring air was already fresher, fireflies were dancing among the plants and in the air. The hazel eyed farmer could hear an owl hooting from among trees to the west. Stepping from the porch he started following the trail he'd cleared two weeks ago to the forest. The crickets were still chirping softly, even as he intruded in their usually quiet domain. As he traced his footsteps though the undergrowth, Serenity's farmer came upon a sight he wouldn't have noticed in the daylight, a perfect ring of blooming evening-primrose. The white, pink, and yellow flowers had opened as the moon had risen.

"Fitting that flowers that only open at night would do so in sync with the rising moon." Matt mused, kneeling down to smell the sweet aroma. "If I'd known that you were here I'd have come looking for you sooner." He said smiling to himself. The farmer had not expected to see primroses again after leaving Zuzu City.

The botanical garden near his old apartment had been the only place Matt had ever laid eyes on the flowers. They did however give him an idea, an efficient way to still use the wild area without having to cut back any of the plant life. Primroses were a large source of nectar. He would need to get the materials first, but if he could get even a single hive placed within the forest it would mean that his crops and the wilder produce, would be pollinated and flourish even more than before. The other advantage was that Matt had a sweet tooth for honey. With the idea firmly in his mind, the farmer carefully traced his steps back to his quiet cottage.

"Wow this place is more of a mess on the inside. How is that possible?" Leah asked as she walked through the door into the Community Center.

"I don't know, Leah, I've seen the inside of your cabin. You could redo all the wallpaper in here with the amount of canvas you use." Matt chuckled good naturedly, ducking as a scrap of rotten wallpaper sailed over his head.

"I'll have you know, Matty, I use the perfect amount of canvas for my art!" She said, tossing another ball of wallpaper from hand to hand threateningly.

"Oh~, so Matt has actually been inside your cabin, Leah?" Abigail teasingly interjected, "All by yourselves, alone, scandalo-" She was cut off as the wallpaper ball hit her in the forehead.

"It's not like that, Abi!" The artist exclaimed, she could feel her ears burning at the other woman's words.

"Hhmm. The old daycare area, I remember playing here when I was a kid." Penny said quietly smirking at the good natured teasing, as she ran one hand carefully along a door frame and looked into the chamber.

"I spent more than my fair share of time playing in the boiler room. Always imagined I was a knight fighting a dragon whenever it would kick on the heat." Abigail said, jerking a thumb toward the short staircase that lead to the room as she wiped the bits of wallpaper from her face.

"What about you, Matty? Any memories about the place?" Leah asked, turning toward the farmer. She could see was holding an old picture frame in his hand. "Matty…?"

"Hhmm? Oh, sorry Leah, just found an old picture of my grandfather and Mayor Lewis. Looks like it was taken during one of his inauguration ceremonies." He replied, showing the three of them the photo.

"Wow, they looks so young… Heh, I would never have guessed Lewis' hair used to be black." Abigail chuckled.

"Going off the date on the plaque behind them, it looks like this was taken...almost fifty years ago." Penny said, blinking in surprise as she reread the date.

"Well, Lewis is pretty spry so it makes sense. Any plans for it, Matty?" Leah asked, as the farmer stuck the picture and frame in his bag.

"I think I'll take it to Hailey later this week, see if she can either fix it up or reproduce it. Give Lewis a bit of a surprise." Matt replied, as he gestured down the hall to one of the rooms at the end. "The kitchen by the way is where I spent most of my time, if you can believe it. When I wasn't on the farm helping my grandfather, my grandmother would bring me here to help me cook."

"Well, that certainly explains how you made that platter of fish and chips taste so good." Leah said, giving him a small smile. While ignoring the slight smirk that was spreading across Abigail face.

"The goal is to get the old place up and running again right?" Penny inquired, her eyes roving over the main room as she tried to get them all back to the task at hand.

"Pretty much, yeah." Matt said, stepping into the old daycare room. "Hhmm. What's this?"

"Find something, Matt?" Abigail asked, poking her head into the room. She could see him standing near a gold plaque, engraved in the likeness of a scroll.

"I don't remember anything like this being here." Penny said, walking into the room to get a better look at the plaque. "I don't recognize the language either. I've read books on old dwarfish, even the Shadow People, these symbols don't match any of it."

"Hhggnn… Well it's not budging." Matt grunted, he tried to move the plaque for a few more moments before stopping. "Nope, definitely not budging."

"Let me get a rubbing of it. That way we've got something we can at least bring to Gunther." Leah said, pulling out a bit of paper and a stick of charcoal.

"Leave it to the artist to have charcoal and paper to make rubbings of something in a language that no one present can read." Abigail laughed.

After a few moments, Leah stood back up. "There, that should do it." She held up the paper so the others could see it.

"Not bad. Should be enough for Gunther to tell what it is. Assuming it even is a language." Penny said with a nod of approval.

After looking around the old building for another hour to see what shape the building was in, the four friends decided to bring their snooping to an end for now. As they were leaving the Community Center to get lunch before paying Gunther a visit, Matt heard the scurrying noise again. If that really is a rat I'll eat my best shirt. He thought, as he locked the door behind them.

Walking into the Stardrop, Emily greeted them as she took their orders. "So any ideas on what it could be?" Abigail asked, as their food arrived.

"Well the way the symbols are laid out I'd say it's a message. Nothing to really indicate it could be anything else. Thing is, a message about what?" Penny mused, taking a sip from a glass of water.

"Well some of the symbols are repeated. So either one symbol is one word or one symbol is a single letter… A riddle perhaps?" Leah suggested, ignoring her food for the moment.

"Well whatever language it is won't solve itself with us starving." The thought of the language was firmly in Matt's mind, but another thought was brought looming to the surface by the spring decorations that filled the Saloon. "Besides I'm still intrigued by the idea of the festivals." As he spoke though, the farmer still couldn't shake the thought of the Flower Dance from his mind. Even if the idea of one of them makes me more than a bit nervous.

"Well obviously the Egg Festival coming up. Exactly what it sounds, egg themed, massive egg hunt, that sort of thing. I mean it's pretty hard to miss the giant egg in the room." Penny said, her smile beamed. "Vincent and Jas always love the event. Even the three of us participate in the hunt."

"Abi won last year during my first hunt." Leah said, taking a bite of her food. "What was it, thirty-six eggs?"

"Thirty-seven. Hoping to hit forty this year." The purple haired woman replied.

"Don't try too hard, Dear, your dad couldn't store them all and tried to resell them, remember?" Penny remarked with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah." Abigail said, waving off the remark playfully. "After that, toward the end of the season is the Flower Dance-" Matt's fork clattered to his plate interrupting her.

"You alright there, Matty?" Leah asked noticing him gown a little pale.

"Hhm? Uh, yup. Doing just fine." The farmer said, picking up his fork again. Though he didn't move after that, and try as he might he couldn't bring himself to clamp down on his emotions.

"Matt…?" Penny asked, trailing. Her questioning look boring into him.

Calm...I am calm, and collected...screw it, no I'm not. Do not clam up, lots of people have this issue. Just tell them. Matt thought, it wasn't that he was afraid of the idea of the Flower Dance. It was more that he couldn't dance.

"Something on your mind, Matty?" Leah inquired, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What if I told you dancing is not on the list of things I can do?" He asked after a moment, taking a little comfort in the contact.

"You can't dance?" Abigail asked, Matt's clarifying nod was almost immediate. "That's not so bad, or a reason to freeze up."

"I know that. Guess my initial aversion to playing for crowds kind of had a bigger impact on my psyche than I realized." The farmer sighed.

"Well if it helps, after we drop the rubbing off with Gunther I can give you a few lessons. What you say?" Leah suggested, giving him a small smile.

"Sure, we've got what, two months till the dance? Should be plenty of time to see if I can get two left feet to move in step." Matt said, subconsciously taking Leah's hand in his own.

The four friends had parted ways after giving Gunther the charcoal rubbing, Matt and Leah to begin his lessons, a place where they wouldn't be interrupted. Abigail and Penny however were sitting together under the large tree in the town square.

"I kinda get it y'know?" Abigail said, breaking the calm that filled the early afternoon of the square.

"What's that, Abi?" The librarian asked glancing down at the woman currently resting head in her lap, prompting her to continue.

"Stage-fright. Matt didn't like playing in front of crowds and after what only week and half he's gone from playing for one or two people to playing in a full pub on a weekly basis." She clarified.

Penny thought on what she could say to that statement, "That is a bit of a shock to the system. It's funny really, Matt spent most of his life in the city taking pride in his accomplishments. Living for the future only. Now that he is here he's started slowing down, starting to take pride in the effort and the goal. Living for the present, and the future."

"And him not being able to dance is definitely part of the present, and needs fixing for the future." Abigail chuckled, sighing a little at the thought of what the valley had already done to help the farmer. After a few moments she broke the contented silence that had reformed around them. "So, Pen, want to take bets on how long those two will take?"

Penny took off her reading glasses and glanced down from the page of the play she had been reading, to give the purple haired woman her full attention. "Ten gold that they wait till The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. I'd be surprised if they moved any quicker than that."

"Haha, ever the romantic." She replied with a smirk. "Eight months, give or take, still quicker than I thought you'd say."

The orange haired woman leaned down closer to her girlfriend. Faces only an inch apart, her lips curled lightly into a smirk. "As I recall, it was you who confessed to me around that time as well."

Abigail leaned up, just enough to place a soft kiss on the other woman's lips. "Mhm, and I don't regret it one bit."

"I love you, Abigail." The librarian said, smiling as she returned to her book, her fingers running through Abigail's long purple hair.

"I love you too, Penny." The adventurer replied. Her eyes soon started to close the quiet murmur of the nearby river, and Penny's voice as she continued to read the play, lulled her into an afternoon nap.