#COD 141/stardew valley crossover

[opalescentdreamscape]

I just realized I forgot to post part 4. 😭 anyways, time for Simon Riley in the COD x Stardew Valley crossover! (Also this turned out longer than expected, so most of the drabble is below the cut.)

When Simon moves to Pelican Town, no one actually notices at first. It's the middle of winter, with snowstorms every other day, and most people wouldn't expect anyone to be out in that weather for normal errands, let alone moving. The first mention anyone makes of him is Leah, when she tells Haley and Elliot about this weird cottage that was built near the wizard's tower, and how she never sees anyone coming or going but has seen smoke in the chimney and large bootprints in the snow nearby, usually heading up into the farmer's land. This conversation starts some whispers and rumors around town, of course, but with the farmer being gone most days, there isn't much for anyone to do about the gossip.

The farmer comes into town bright and early one morning (after several grueling days of mining in the Skull Caverns) and sees a notice in front of Pierre's shop asking for someone to kill some skeletons in the mines, as the "local population is getting too large to be safe." Well... money is money, the farmer thinks. They decide to go home and suit up, even though they had planned on resting that day.

The mines are cold and damp, as usual. The farmer gives a quick hello to the dwarf that hangs out just inside the mines and is surprised to learn that they haven't been the only visitor recently. Apparently a large man with a skull mask had come through earlier that morning. Every time he's here, he goes straight to the elevator, usually entering the place before daybreak, and doesn't come back out until well after night falls. Intrigued, the farmer wonders whether or not they got a new resident in town while they smack the down button to the elevator, hearing the wheels and pulleys creak as they get lowered into the earth.

As soon as the door opens on the 60th level of the mines, the farmer notices several things that are out of place. The stalactites are still dripping icy cold water into puddles, the air is frigid and stale, and it sounds like there might be a few monsters about, but the place feels... off. Someone certainly has been down here, and the copious amount of bones littering the floor just affirms what the dwarf told the farmer.

As they progress down one, two, five, and finally ten floors, they catch neither sight nor sound from the man, but see even more evidence he was here. Rocks broken into pieces but not picked up after, bones and slime littering the floors, and once, even a few discarded gems, laid haphazardly in a corner by the next floor entrance. As the farmer pockets these things, mumbling about wastefulness, they feel more curiousity over whoever is in the mines with them, thinking how odd it is that a person would go to all the effort of being down here without taking any loot back to the surface. And on another note, why come down here and kill all these skeletons without taking the message from the board so he can get paid for being down here? These questions plague the farmer's mind as they continue working through levels, deciding to break at the next safe room before heading back home for the night.

The sound alerts the farmer to the man's presence before they actually see him. As they drop down from level 79 to level 80, quaking from exhaustion, exertion, and the adrenaline that comes with fighting monsters, they hear the crunch-munch of someone chewing. Then, the farmer sees the cheery glow of a small campfire, and, gaze trailing up from the floor, the hulking behemoth of a man sitting next to it. He's mid-chew on what looks to be a cave carrot, and stares right on back as the farmer sizes him up.

"Y'know, I can see why you might've left the rocks and slime alone, but dropping actual gemstones seems a little over-the-top." The farmer blurts out, a sheepish smile on their face as they pull out one of the abandoned gems from their pocket. The sparkling, frozen teardrop catches light from the fire as they pass it from hand to hand before returning it to their pack. "I assume you just moved to Pelican Town, seeing as I haven't met you yet?"

The stranger nods. "Name's Simon. Moved in a week ago. I prefer my solitude." He gives the farmer a pointed glance before returning to his carrot, seemingly ending the conversation. Unfortunately for him, the farmer isn't deterred so easily. They decide to plop down across the fire from Simon and make a quick snack out of their cheese and granola before trying to start the conversation back up.

"So, Simon... usually the first place people want to explore around here isn't monster-filled mine shafts, even when they want to be alone. Any particular reason you're down here and not at home or something?" Simon shoots the farmer a glance and hesitates before answering.

"Straight to the point, aren't you? Need somethin' to do. Don't got much else to occupy my time." He finishes his snack, fixes his mask back over his face, and starts putting the fire out, forcing the farmer to stand to avoid getting smoke and ash in their eyes.

"So you like fighting monsters?"

"No."

"Being chivalrous, then? Keeping the town safe or some other similar reason?" The farmer jokes.

"If you say so."

"Care to join me in some monster-filled caverns in the desert sometime?"

At this last question, Simon finally pauses packing his things, eyes glinting at the farmer from behind his mask. "Explain. And walk while you're at it. It's getting late." He has the farmer walk in front of him as they explain about the Skull Caverns, offering no noises or any other indications that he's listening beyond the occasional grunt when they pause for breath.

"There's all sorts of crazy crap down there, and you can't even begin to imagine how rich the resources are. I meam, I've found prismatic shards, emphasis on the plural, in that place. Problem is, the whole cavern is crawling with hundreds of monsters, most of which are a lot tougher to kill than what we get in the mines. Things like flying serpents and iridium crabs and pepper rexes. Thought you might be interested in coming along, and I'd pay to get you good gear and a better weapon if you did. It can be difficult traversing places like that alone, even if you're pretty good at that kind of thing. And I promise I won't be so chatty all the time if you do decide to join me." The farmer trails off as the elevator reaches the top of the shaft, yawning and stretching their back.

"I'll consider it." That's all he says before walking off, but it's more than the farmer might've hoped for. A week goes by without them seeing their new neighbor again, but they notice his boot prints leading straight through the middle of their land and up to the mountains every day without fail, so they start leaving little notes and snacks in a bucket for him every night. At first, the bucket goes untouched, but one day they find it empty, save for a small note scrawled with messy lettering that says 'thank you'.

A few days before spring, the farmer decides to stay home for the day and relax. They haven't seen Simon in two weeks, and without having any idea of where he is in the mines, it seems like a bad idea to try to check on him. It's really too bad, the farmer thinks, seeing as he likely would've made a good companion to have along for cavern days... they feel their eyes drifiting closed as they think about it, and have just decided to take a cat nap when they're startled by a heavy knock at the door.

The farmer shuffles over, and is only half surprised to see Simon on their front step, towering over their doorway in a get-up that can only mean one thing.

"Hey, Simon. What brings you here? Thought you'd be well into the mines at this time." The farmer smiles as they invite Simon inside, feeling the floorboards shake a little as he knocks the snow off his boots off by the door.

"Decided to take you up on your offer, if it still stands." He glances at the farmer, seeming to note their pajamas and socked feet before chuckling. "Taking a day off, are we? Might've just stayed home then. I appreciate the little gifts you've been leaving me. Is it all homemade?" He watches as the farmer shuffles into the kitchen, grabbing two mugs from a cabinet and starting coffee machine. The farmer grins as they turn their back to him, not missing how chatty he is compared to their last conversation.

"Yeah, actually. I have some animals and a surplus of cheese and eggs and milk, so I figured I'd share some of my better stuff as a thank-you since you've been tending to the mines for me. Before you moved up here, I was the only person in town that was skilled enough to successfully explore most of the mines. Not that I was very good either, mind you. Care for a cup?" The farmer smiles ruefully before offering Simon a plain cup of strong coffee.

"Well, it's good stuff. Thanks for the cup. You should get ready, those Skull Caverns have had my curiousity for weeks now and I'd like to get there as soon as possible." He starts sipping at his coffee and blowing on it, and you watch his eyebrows lift in surprise when he finally gets a good drink of it.

"I have coffee bean plants in my greenhouse, so that's freshly grown, roasted, *and* brewed coffee, by the way. I'll be right back." The farmer smirks as they walk away, and Simon chuckles again. He hadn't originally intended on talking to the farmer more, having moved to Pelican Town for some peace and quiet, but they had worn him down rather quickly when, instead of being irritated or frustrated with his shortness towards them, they had decided to make sure he was taken care of. Because really, what kind of person leaves offerings like that to a somewhat rude man they've met one time? And it was all good quality, homemade food too, not that microwave crap they sell at JojaMart. He's already bulked up another 10 pounds from the hearty foodstuffs they've been leaving him every day. Simon shakes his head at the train of thought, bewildered but not upset by any means, as the uncommonly friendly farmer returns with their gear in tow.

"Ready to go?" They smile up at him again, and he feels his own lips twitch up for a moment. Pelican Town really was a decent place for some peace and quiet, but being able to be around the farmer... well, he supposes he won't mind the noise for once.

[opalescentdreamscape]

AAAA alright I'm still having Thoughts over a COD 141/Stardew Valley crossover AU. Probably going to do one guy at a time, so let's start with the reason I thought of this AU to begin with: John Price. (Post under a read-more (hopefully) bc it's a long one.) (Also y'all can see one of my last posts where I reblogged my original ask to another blog about this idea if you want a lil more context, lol.)

He moves to town just so he can live by the river and soak in the peaceful surroundings. He isn't the boss of anyone but himself here, and due to the money he made as a captain in the army, he can comfortably retire and just... relax for once. Until three days goes by and he's going stir-crazy in his new, barely furnished house. So he wanders around the forest for a bit, but doesn't forage because he's unfamiliar with most of the vegetation he's walking through. Then he meanders his way over to the beach and meets Willy, who immediately sells him on a good fishing rod and starts talking about all the fish John can catch in the river not ten yards from his front door.

"Just wait until fall comes around and you'll be up to your shoulders in salmon." Willy chuckles. John perks up at that, and within the month he becomes the best customer at the fish shop, constantly bringing in fresh catches to sell and buying tons of bait. He even buys the most expensive fishing pole Willy has in stock once he learns about the eels and tuna that he can catch from the beach during the summer, among other more elusive fish. One day, Willy mentions crab pots, and John starts buying those up too, catching himself crab and lobster on good days.

This is where he comes into contact with the farmer. Y'see, the farmer also likes to go fishing, although they normally only do it on rainy days, which is why they haven't met John yet. He stays in on rainy days and grumbles about old aches and a wound in his shoulder that hurts something fierce with the bad weather, so of course he hasn't met them. But one day, he finds them searching through one of his crab pots.

"Y'know, I get that we're in a small town and all, but stealing is still a crime." John huffs at the farmer, noticing a very large crab in the bucket they're carrying. My damn crab, he thinks. The farmer tilts their head at him, obviously confused.

"It's a good thing these are my crab pots then. I believe yours are those ones." They point down the stream a little ways, where another couple pots lie at the edge of the water, and John pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I swear I put mine here. I would've marked them, but I wasn't aware anyone else in town used those crab pots. Name's Price, by the way." He holds his hand out to shake, and the farmer grips his hand with more strength than expected.

"I'm Y/N, good to meet you, Price. Tell you what, since we aren't sure which is which, I'll give you the haul from these pots and go mark those other ones as mine, and it can just be water under the bridge, yeah?" They smile and pass their bucket to John, who hefts the crab with a grin.

"That's pretty neighborly for someone you just met, but we can split this crab to even the deal. Ever had char-grilled crab legs?" Even though he thought the farmer had been stealing at first, their honest reaction and complete willingness to overlook his initial attitude garnered his interest. He ends up following along while the farmer takes all their crab pots out of the river and off the beach, letting them borrow his pocket knife to scratch their initials into the lid, and they talk about food and fishing.

Eventually, they become better friends. They continue to chat about the wildlife in the valley, and start sharing more than just fishing tips and the occassional crab. The farmer starts contributing fresh produce to John's pantry, and John shares the various catches he gets every day. They tell him about the different foods he can find in the forest, and he tells them a few tricks he learned about killing different monsters in the mines, though he refuses to talk much more about that kind of thing, preferring to avoid discussions of violence and war. He doesn't ever offer to join them when they go mining, and they don't pry or try to cajole him into it. He's here to relax, after all.

Winter hits eventually, and with it comes down the full force of John's aching body. He ends up practically bedridden for 3 days after the first snowstorm hits, and who else is there to check up on him but the farmer? He tries to deny their help at first, grumbling that it's just his old war wounds, just (and I quote) 'an old man's pain', but the farmer is determined to help him out. They show him Lewis and George's tricks for aches and pains, cook some great meals, and talk him into playing some board games when thkngs get too quiet. One day, he asks about their other responsibilities, and the farmer reminds him that none of their usual crops can grow in the winter, which makes their days a lot less eventful than normal.

"This is helping us both out, alright? I have nothing to do besides go in the mines during the winter, and if I'm being honest, sitting here beating you at chess is infinitely more entertaining than getting beat up by a bunch of monsters. You're doing me a favor, John, whether you like it or not." John can't help but laugh at that, and it's a low, rumbling sound. The farmer can't help thinking that they want to hear it more, and they do as the months go by.