A bit of winter chill was still in the air that crisp Spring morning as Gabrielle snapped to consciousness. She was curled up in the weathered seat of the old bus, her nose and cheeks rosy from leaning against the ice cold window. She would have laid down save for the little plastic crate sitting on the seat next to her. Little mews echoed from inside, her small friend itching to get out and play. The clinched sensation in Gabrielle's stomach made her feel otherwise. Like a firm grip on a handlebar, the tightness quickly nurtured a feeling of nausea that bit at the back of her throat as she looked out the window.

There wasn't a whole lot going on at the bus stop. A large patch of dirt formed along the side of the road where there was a small area for the bus to pull off into before heading down a dark tunnel. Its maw was large and its insides dark- Gabrielle couldn't even see a hint of light indicating that it had an end. Her attention snapped back to the side of the road and the person standing by it. Her red hair was tied up in a loose ponytail and a smile grew across her face as she saw the bus doors open. It was evident that it was just as cold outside as it was inside the bus as Gabrielle saw the redhead shiver and pull her wooly vest just a bit closer to her chest. Gabrielle wondered if this was the Robin that responded to her letter. Another wave of nausea crept up her throat as her brain circled around the thought.

What am I doing here? Gabrielle asked herself again.

Gabrielle decided she should at least make the effort to get off the bus and check her grandfather's farm before entirely giving up. She knew the kind of work that was cut out for her when the contents of Grandpa's will revealed itself to her only the Wintersday before. She tried to memorize the healthy cuticles on her hands in that moment. Gabrielle knew that they wouldn't last for long. Swinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing the small crate, she stepped off the bus with trepidation. The redhead waved to a brown-haired man and a large moustache before making eye contact with Gabby.

"You must be Gabrielle," said the redhead. "You're the only one I didn't know getting off on our stop here! My name is Robin, it's good to have a finally have a face to go with the name." Robin smiled warmly at her as she took Gabrielle's hand in a firm grip. Gabby shuffled her drooping bag onto her shoulder as she shook Robin's hand eagerly.

"Hi! Yes, that's me!" Gabrielle said with a smile. She wanted to make a good first impression. She hadn't been back to Stardew since Grandpa's funeral many years ago, and she was sure that not many would remember her. After all, it had been ten years ago that he had passed away. "I'm so glad you're here, I can't remember much about the farm, let alone how to get there," she added, laughing nervously.

"Well, no worries, consider me your guide." Robin reached out and took the now howling plastic crate out of Gabrielle's hands. "Who's this?" She asked, peering inside through a hole in the side.

"That's my roommate, Delilah," Gabrielle said. "Don't worry, she's friendly, she's just not a big fan of travelling." A little black paw popped out of the hole Robin was peering through. She gasped and chuckled before meeting the paw with a finger.

"How cute. I look forward to meeting her when she's more in her element. Well, let's head to the farm, shall we? I'm sure you want to get settled in before it gets dark. I'm afraid there won't be electricity there until I can get you hooked up again. No one has been there in years, but I think Lewis has kept it tidy for the most part."

Gabrielle laughed nervously. "Well, at least I have that going for me." She followed behind Robin, wishing she had worn warmer shoes as she crunched in the dirty ice lining the dirt road. Winter still had a firm grip here, unlike Zuzu City, where the concrete warmed everything to the point where she couldn't remember ever seeing this much ice in the spring. Robin, as it turned out, was a quiet person. She didn't feel compelled to fill silence with noise. Gabrielle was grateful for that as she pondered the nerves that still had an iron grip on her guts. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her mouth and out through her nose.

"We're here! Welcome back to Bonita Farm," Robin said, pushing a creaky, splintering gate open. It sagged with the compelling force of gravity. Gabrielle was afraid the hinges would give as Robin held it open for her. The gate must have been karma's cruel idea of an icebreaker, for when Gabrielle looked up, even the warm, orange tones of sunset couldn't soften the blow that was the mess of Cindersap forest overgrowth creeping up to greet her. Tangles of weeds, branches, dead tree stumps, and huge boulders made it hard for the two women to traverse the old path leading to the equally old shack they stopped in front of.

"Welcome to your new, albeit old home," Robin said with a chuckle. When she looked back at Gabrielle, she chuckled even more loudly. The young woman's face must have given away more than she intended. Gabrielle quickly shut her mouth and looked down at her muddy sneakers.

"You beat me here!" a male voice shouted from the direction of the gate. The silver haired man bravely stomped through the overgrowth to stand next to them. He introduced himself as Lewis and shook her hand.

"You've left this place a little worse for wear," Robin grumbled. Lewis frowned at her. As they started squabbling over how the shack was really better looking from the inside than it was from the outside, but how that didn't count at all for the fact that there were gaping cracks in the old wood, Gabrielle quickly tuned them out as she looked around. She had learned from experience that it was not a good idea to get involved in others' arguments. Mom and Dad had taught her enough about that. She glanced around, trying not to think about the massive amount of work that would still be there to greet her in the morning, when she saw a fresh pile of firewood sitting next to the front door.

"Thanks for the wood," Gabrielle said, "I'm guessing that will warm things up quickly!"

"You're welcome, it was no problem at all," Lewis said, giving Robin a pointed look. "I'm sorry, but I must be going. It was very nice to meet you, Gabrielle. If you need anything, don't hesitate to knock on my door. It's the blue house with the old truck." He gave her a wave and was through the gate.

"Here, I wrote directions for you to town, and to my house. I live close by in case you have any problems. And let me know when you're ready to upgrade this eyesore," she said with a wink, handing Gabrielle a wrinkled piece of paper from her pocket. Gabrielle nodded and thanked her as Robin left the same way that Lewis did. Soon, they both were gone.

Gabrielle looked around. The sun was now creeping behind the house. Days were so short in the spring. She grabbed Delilah's carrier and her bag, and opened the door, kicking a few pieces of lumber in before closing it behind her. She was pleased to find that the inside did not look at all like the outside. There was a bed in the corner of the room, which was covered in a grubby green wallpaper. A little table and chair with a tiny potted plant sat in the corner adjacent. A fireplace installed in the wall was swept clean and ready to go. There was a single door besides the one she just entered from. She hoped that it was a bathroom or a kitchen. Open opening it and discovering the first option, she was happy to have running water, but realized she would be roughing it until she could upgrade the shack to include a kitchen.

Eager to warm both herself and Delilah, Gabrielle quickly had a fire going. It was easy, for Lewis had left a newspaper and book of matches sitting in the fireplace. She let Delilah out of her carrier as she sat cross-legged on the floor, facing the fire. The small black cat curled in her lap as she closed her eyes. The nausea was gone, to her relief. She had never felt like she was great at meeting new people. Now the chagrin of foresight was eating at her. She had a lot of work to do, yet she was hopeful that maybe Bonita farm had more to offer than her old life did.

It had to, she thought. When you have nothing, there's nowhere to go but up.