Chapter Text
The dawn shines on a fresh-faced Pelican Town. The streetlights lining the cleanly paved roads shut off in succession. And as the sun rises upon a new day, you anxiously fiddle with your hands on the bus ride there.
It was a long trip here, but you were finally getting to have a chance at your dream in a new place. Having come from the city, you knew you had to be something special or at the very least extremely lucky to find success in owning your own small business. But here in a small town? It was so easy. People loved the rustic, homey feeling of a small bookshop with all the newest releases shelved alongside books from ages ago. But when large companies owned by people overseas sabotage the market with mock-cozy places complete with their own cafe? It threw the balance of fair competition way off kilter.
But you’d gotten lucky, having found an ad in the paper for a business space for rent in this town. And, even luckier? The kind man on the phone threw in free room and board just upstairs!
Although, he seemed almost bitter about having the space up for grabs. You’d feel bad and almost wonder why he sounded so sad about that point if not for the cost of rent downstairs.
“You’ll be needing a place to stay while you get your footing, right?” He’d asked as you were discussing when and where to meet up. “I’ve got a room you could stay in! Of course, I’d be living with you, as it’s in my abode, but!” His tone would rise with a false song of joy. “You’d have all the amenities, kitchen, bathroom, and a chapel just down the way so you don’t even need to get dressed on Sundays!” The man would laugh at his own sales pitch.
“A chapel?” Was he a religious man?
“Oh yeah, you’ll see when you come to get your keys and get settled in, but there’s a chapel dedicated to Yoba Themself!”
Interesting. So not only would this building be the home of your new store, but a place of worship and your new living quarters too? This will be… something special.
The bus screeches to a halt and the driver calls out your destination. Bolting up, you grab your backpack and luggage and rush to step off. Immediately, the sound of birds takes you by surprise. Looking back at the bus driver, you nod and say your thanks before it loops back around to the city.
“Well, hey there, stranger.” A familiar voice startles you, making you reach for your heart. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you!”
Staring towards where the fence parted for the bus stop, you lock onto a tall, broad shouldered man. Hair parted slightly to the side, he wore a haircut too reminiscent of an era gone and past from at least 30 years ago now. His glasses sat upon his rigid nose so the top of his frames dropped halfway through his center eyeline. And oddly enough, though you could tell he was well in middle age, he looked like he could have been a playboy back in his heyday.
“Y-You’re good.” You say instinctually, subtly backing away from his approach.
“It would probably help if I introduced myself, huh?” He chuckles, reaching his hand out to shake. “I’m Pierre, the man you talked to on the phone?”
You pause, staring at his hand for a solid minute. “How do you know it’s me?”
He lowers his hand, looking defeated for a moment before laughing again. “Well,” he sighs, slumping his shoulders. “I hate to say it, but Pelican Town isn’t what it used to be. Most tourists only visit on holidays when Joja puts out the lights. And all others tend to drive in with the new roads being actually paved and all. Fun story, I used to actually rent my ol’ store front for said tourists before Mo-...” Pierre’s smile drops into a look of disgust. Shaking his head, he clears his throat. “Nevermind, that’s not important. Here, lemme show you to your new home and the start of your new life!”
Nodding, you follow the man as he leads you to the dirt road outside the open fence. Gazing around, you look right to the giant farm right next door to the bus stop. “Whoa, a farm right there?”
Pierre looks back and frowns. “Yeah…”
“I’m glad to see there’s local agriculture.” You chime. “Coming from Zuzu, it’s rare to see anyone grow their own food. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten a fair amount of cancer-causing produce grown by JojaMart’s manufacturing plants.”
“Mhmm…” The man hums absently. “Yeah, I wouldn’t trust that farmer’s food.”
“W-What?”
“Sorry.” He shakes his head again. “I mean, they still use a lot of fertilizers and steroids for their produce. I would know, I used to buy from them when I still had my General Store.”
“You used to have a General Store?” Your interest was piqued. He hadn’t mentioned this over the phone. But it made sense why he had a store front for sale.
His smile returns as he gazes down at you. “Yep, back before the enemy claimed this town as their own, it was really quite the place to live! Fresh produce from local farmers. Milk and eggs from the ranch just down the way! Not to mention fresh waters anyone could freely fish in. It was like paradise away from the crazy, constricting city life.”
“Is it not like that anymore? I thought Pelican Town was one of the Valley’s best towns to settle down in.”
“Not anymore. That was when Mayor Lewis was still running things. Before the Community Center was abandoned then torn down for a new Movie Theatre. A lot has changed since back in the day…” He sighs, looking mournfully at his loafers.
“I’m… sorry to hear that.” You almost thought to ask if he thought you’d even have a chance at running your business since his own had fallen at the hands of a large corporation.
“But you’ll be fine!” He slaps you on the back, making you jump. “The only competition you’d have around here is the book seller who only sells really niche, old books. I’m sure the ladies around town would love to be able to stop in and parooze your selection. You do plan on stocking the romance novels, right?”
“I’d be crazy not to. I already have all my starting stock ordered to arrive on Wednesday, then it’s a matter of taking inventory and pulling the whole place together!”
Pierre looks at you as if he was envisioning your success. “Wednesday, eh?” He chuckles. “Well, don’t be afraid to ask for help or guidance if you need any. Just because my business shut down doesn’t mean I didn’t know how to run it.”
“Noted. Thanks.” You return a smile, nodding courteously.
Eventually, you stop in front of the larger building connected to a small clinic next door. “Well,” Pierre claps his hands and rests them on his hips. “This is it.”
“Looks… like a store.”
“Ah, but look up and you’ll see our balcony!”
“Our?”
The man’s smile falters, leaving room for his worry to show. “Well, you’ll be living upstairs, right?”
“Y-Yeah, for now. Just until I get my feet on the ground.” You rush to correct yourself.
“Good! Come on, I can show you around and then I’ll leave you be! I’m sure you’re tired of this old man already!”
“You’re not that old.” Is all you think to say as the man unlocks the door to the store.
Stopping, he smirks at you before opening the door for you. “Flattery won’t lower your rent, you know.”
Your smile falls, allowing a pause long enough to welcome him to speak again. Slapping a guiding hand on your shoulder, he leads you inside.
“Kidding! Here, this,” he pauses to motion around the vacant storefront. “Is your new bookshop!”
“It’s…” Looking around, you envision how you could layout your new shop. You almost wondered if you’d even be able to fit all the books you ordered inside. But the small space certainly didn’t reflect the price you had to pay for it. Was room and board really free when such a small shop cost this much? “Cozy.” You sigh.
“Perfect for readers, ey?”
“Yep.”
“I can see it already, you could make that nook into a reading corner and everything!” He chimes, leading you further into the empty space. Peering into the aisles of nothing, you mentally think where you could put certain genres. Something about this felt… wrong. You knew that nothing was ever exactly as it seemed and dreams really only came true at a great expense nowadays, but you wondered if this was a smart choice to make. Maybe your old job could take you back? Were you really prepared to run a bookstore all on your own?”
Leading you upstairs, he stops at the first door and opens it. “This will be your humble abode for the next few…” he trails off as he thinks. “Well, it doesn’t matter how long, what matters is that you have your own place to cozy up with your own books in!”
“Oh, good! Thank you.” You peak inside, surprised to see a bed already waiting for you inside. “This… looks…” Swallowing nervously, you wonder if you should be honest. “Lived… in?”
“All the better to settle into! Who needs new when you have something so sturdy it’s already stood the test of time?”
You can’t find the guts to speak the truth, but you were hating this already. Nothing felt right. The space was too small, the price was too steep, and on top of it, it looked like you were simply moving into someone else’s room. Quickly, there was this feeling of homesick rooting inside you which twisted your stomach and tugged on your heart strings.
“Well, bathroom is just next door, kitchen is down there. Living room is there.” He hastily runs you through the whole place, skipping past the door that was next to the bathroom’s. As he pointed you into the kitchen, you took note of the room that was kept behind a foggy glass door.
“What’s that?”
“That?” His brows raise as he questions where you were pointing.
“Yeah,” you approach the door and look back at him. “Is this the way to the backyard?” You questioned. With the layout of the town, the building was placed right in front of where the land sloped upward. So having caught a glimpse of it from your walk into town, it would make sense if that were the case.
“No.” He frowns. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about that.”
The feeling kept getting worse. Was it too late to leave and never come back?
“I think that concludes it.” He stops, taking a firm look around. “Oh!” Snapping his fingers, he rushes to the living room and stops before a set of small, glass doors. These ones, unlike the one in the kitchen, let you see outside clear as day. Walking up to where he’d stopped, he seemed overjoyed to unlock the doors and open them to the platform outside. “This is the balcony! You can come out here whenever you’d like. It’s a great place to smoke.” He stops and frowns. “You don’t smoke, do you?”
“Nope.” You respond promptly, but your mind is a million miles away. Or, rather, a good 50 or 60 away in the great city of Zuzu. Mentally, you were plotting out when you could call your old place of employment to see about getting your position back. They were always hiring, so you were sure you’d get to come back. It was just a matter of dealing with the inevitable pay cut they’d put you under for daring to leave them.
“So…” He trails you back to the kitchen where he picks up a pen and points to a packet. “All that needs to be done is for you to sign this lease and you’ll be right at home!”
This was your chance. You could still say no. Just use the rest of your savings and go back to the city. Cancel the orders upon orders of books you placed and the loan from the bank. It wasn’t too late. You just had to say no.
…
Pen to the paper, you sign your name without thinking. Damn that fear of letting people down.
“Yes!” Pierre blurts out in a cheer. “Heh, I-I always love when someone gets the joy of starting their own business.” He nervously explains his boisterous celebration. “Now, I’ll leave you be. You let me know if you need any help.”
Nodding, you roll your luggage into your room and set your things down. Taking a look around, you could absolutely tell this room used to belong to someone else. Specifically someone who loved posters, judging by the many remnants of pins and sticky tack left on the walls and ceiling. The bed creaks under your weight, the wind whistles through the open window, and you sigh deeply with the realization of what your new life entails for you.