Mirroring the Endless Night | Elliott x Female Farmer |

14. Birthday Surprise

"That's what everyone has been saying," Maria giggles, "I just hope the gossip isn't negative, y'know?"

Robin quickly shakes her head, "nono, of course not. I think the town's excited to see a new young couple. And if they're all paying attention to the two of you, they can stop guessing if Abigail's going to pick between Sam or Sebastian- for a little while, anyways."

The farmer smiles, "well that's good to know. Speaking of Elliott, I'm meeting him later today. I actually, um, planned something special for his birthday this weekend."

The carpenter chuckles, "spill the beans, where are you going?'

"I booked us a room at the Iridium Rose and we're going to see a play. I also have a couple restaurants in mind for us to eat at," Maria grins, bouncing on the heels of her feet out of excitement.

"The Iridium Rose?" Robin gasps, "that's one of the fanciest hotels this side of the gem sea, how'd you manage that?"

"I have a friend back in Zuzu City who works in the hotel, she pulled some strings for me and bumped my name up the list for availability. The place is nearly always booked but there was a last minute cancellation and bam, I snagged a room!" the farmer explained.

"Oh, Maria that's great! I'm thrilled, I'm sure the two of you are gonna have a lot of fun," Robin congratulates her.

"I hope so, it's kinda gonna be like our first official date, y'know? I just want everything to go well," Maria sighs.

"I'm sure it'll all go great," the carpenter reassures her, "now, come help me carry these glass panels."

...

"So, you wrote everything down yeah?"

"Yup, I got everything. Show up in the morning, water the crops, feed the chickens, collect the eggs, feed Orion, anything that's ripe I can put in the shipping box for Mayor Lewis to collect, check if any fences have to be mended, and tap the maple tree for syrup," Leah repeats back, a small note pad in her hand where she'd written all the chores the farmer had tasked her with.

"Mhmm! And, if you ever ever get hungry or anything the fridge in the kitchen is stocked so feel free to feed yourself while you're hanging out on the farm," Maria replies.

"Anything in the barn?"

"Nah, Robin's gonna swing by again tomorrow to put the finishing touches in, I don't have any cows or anything in there yet."

"So when are you guys leaving?"

"There's a bus to Zuzu City scheduled around ten in the morning tomorrow, so I'll be gone before that. I'll leave the spare key to the farmhouse beneath the mat on the patio for you to grab once you show up. I'll make sure all the animals are fed before I leave, you'll just have to check on the crops and fences."

"How much is Elliott going to know about?"

"I'm only telling him to pack a bag for the weekend and bring some nice clothes, he's not going to know any other details than that."

Leah chuckles at this, setting her notepad down and shaking her head at the farmer, "he's going to faint when the two of you show up at that hotel tomorrow."

"And if he does faint, he'll wake up in one of the comfiest hotel beds in the entire country," Maria smirks, sticking her tongue out at Leah.

The two women laugh together before discussing more plans for the weekend, and all the ways to improve this special trip.

...

The sun was beginning to set as Maria walked down her row of grape trellises, making sure all the wood beams for the vines to grow on were firmly set in the ground. Just as she begins to walk away from the final plant, a sudden voice makes her perk up.