A Life More Ordinary Ch. 04

Author's note: Welcome to chapter 4 of this Stardew Valley story! I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I recommend reading the previous chapters as the story blazes ahead without much recapping. Also, for fans of the game, this chapter represents a severe (temporary) digression from game canon and mechanics.

By way of a content warning, this series features intersex characters, large to massive breasts, oral sex, incestuous relationships, rimming, large cumshots, long stretches of non-sexual content, cum swapping and swallowing, and development of strong affections. These warnings will be updated per chapter as necessary. If any of these are of little interest to you, the reader, I offer my apologies.

Disclaimer: All characters engaging in sexual activity or described in a sexual manner are at least 18 years of age.

*****

Chapter 4: Friends, Lovers, and Family

Spring 7, Year 1

The cat and the raven stared each other down, each having claimed the farm as their personal domain and insulted that an interloper now threatened their sovereignty.

Kaylia Gardner, farmer, formerly Kaylia the Red, Bladesister of the Gotoro Empire, watched the standoff with amusement. The raven sat perched upon the hat of an otherwise effective scarecrow, strange white or silver streaks clearly visible in its wing plumage. Luna, Red Dragon Farm's newly installed farm calico, rested on the cabin porch railing. It was easier to read the disdain in Luna's face than it was the raven's, but one could tell they had an instant dislike for each other. Not enough to do anything about it, apparently, other than glare at each other.

Kay occasionally glanced over at the other raven hopping amongst the potato crop. That one was a newcomer; it had a similar silver patch on its head and tail feathers, and took up a lively conversation with the first one earlier in the morning before building and settling in to a small makeshift nest by the woodpile. It seemed a more amiable sort of bird, and chirped happily at Kay whenever she passed by. She was surprised a raven could sound that cute at all.

She turned her gaze southward when she heard a cheerful call. Marnie Jones, the rancher who lived at the edge of Cindersap Forest, and Leah Richards, the young artist who lived across the way from Marnie, were walking her way. Marnie was expected, Leah was not, but Kay welcomed the company anyway. Before long, she noticed someone hiding behind Marnie, peeking her head around Marnie's dress to steal quick glances of the farmer before darting back into cover.

Marnie stepped to the side to reveal a young girl, no more than 8, with very dark purple hair, almost raven black, secured with a big green bow. She seemed very nervous.

"This is that nice farmer lady we talked about," Marnie said gently, "would you like to say hello?"

The young girl's eyes went wide looking at Kay. "S-she's so... tall..." Her voice was soft and trembling. She was clearly intimidated by the purple-skinned, silver-haired elf lady.

Kay smiled and took a knee. She figured coming down to earth might help a bit. After a moment, the girl slowly shuffled forward and curtsied.

"H-hello, ma'am," she said, "my name is Jas, and I'm nine years old."

"Hello, Jas," Kay replied, "my name is Kay, and it's very nice to meet you." She gave Jas a warm smile, and the young girl's face brightened.

Something brushed against Kay's leg. "Meow." Luna looked up at Kay before nodding her head towards Jas. Kay stared for a moment before dismissing the idea that she was being chastised by a cat for not making introductions. At least the stalemate was over.

"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. Jas, this is Luna." Luna promptly approached the young girl and presented herself for pets.

"Kitty!" Jas happily sat down and provided the requested pets, receiving contented purrs in response.

Kay rose to her feet and turned to Marnie and Leah. "What brings you by? Apart from meeting your niece."

"Got that feed you wanted!" Marnie said, offering a small bag to Kay. She'd stopped by the day before, figuring a bribe for the raven (well, ravens, now) wouldn't hurt.

"What do I owe you?" Kay asked, accepting the bag.

"On the house this time," Marnie replied, "I'm awful curious what you're gonna do with it."

Kay opened the bag, took a handful of the cracked grain, and threw it onto a bare patch of ground. "Zeus! Apollo!" she barked, and the two ravens immediately flew over to peck at the offering. She wasn't sure where the inspiration came from, but she figured they should have names if they were going to stick around.

"Is that... wise?" Marnie asked, clearly dubious. "Ravens aren't exactly known to be loners, especially if there's a food source nearby."

"True," Kay agreed, "but I figure these gents will keep in line given the chance to wet their beaks a little." Almost on cue, Apollo (the new guy) flapped up to carefully perch on Kay's shoulder and nuzzle her cheek. Zeus turned to give a short caw, then returned to the feed.

"Well!" Marnie was impressed. "Seems you have a way with animals, Ms. Doolittle! I hope you decide to start raising some other animals soon." Kay appreciated the subtle sales pitch.

"Someday, when I'm a little more financially secure." By that point, Jas had wandered back to Marnie's side, Luna having gone to sun herself on the porch.

"We should probably head back. Jas said she'd help feed the chickens, isn't that right?"

Jas smiled and nodded. "Next month, I get to help with the cows, too!"

"That's a step up in responsibility," Kay responded. "What happens next month?"

"I turn ten!"

"Oh, then that's seems very appropriate. Thanks again for the feed, Marnie."

"No problem, sugar. You come on back if you need more, though it'll cost you next time." Marnie gave Kay a playful wink as she and Jas headed back to the ranch. Kay smirked, wondering what kind of 'payment plans' Marnie would offer. She noticed Leah had a similar smirk.

"And what can I do for you, miss?" Kay noticed that Leah had an easel stand slung over her shoulder in addition to her usual messenger bag. Leah's red hair was again tied in a braid, and she wore a light yellow shirt under her usual green vest.

"I was hoping I could hang out for a while, grab some sketches of the farm?"

Kay nodded. "Sure! I'm just chopping wood today, but you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like." She went over to where she'd left her axe, pulling her shirt up and off and hanging it over the porch railing, no sense in it getting soaked with sweat. She suddenly remembered what she had on underneath when she heard Leah whistle.

"Wow!" the artist said, "That's some serious hardware!"

Leah was a little astonished to see Kay strip her top off in front of her, but was more astonished by the sports bra underneath. Granted, Kay definitely needed something to rein in those fantastic boobs, but Leah wasn't expecting something so... technologically advanced. She'd never seen material like it, and it hugged her figure skin-tight. She could even see the faint outline of Kay's nipples and areolae through the material. The garment definitely did the job, however, as Kay's endowment wasn't moving under its own gravity at all, scarcely a jiggle!

The truth of it would be difficult to explain. Kay's F-cup breasts were currently wrapped in the nanoweave layer of her body armor. Normally, that layer served as a cushion against the rest of the armor, but Kay used it on its own when she needed the girls to stay in place. The nanoweave was exceptionally breathable, which helped her keep cool during the manual labor the farm required. Being puncture-proof and able to absorb and dissipate kinetic energy were of lesser use in peacetime activities, but nice to have.

"I'm sorry!" Kay said, her violet skin turning a deep rose color. "Let me grab a different shirt."

"No, you're totally okay," Leah replied, only ogling Kay a little. "I thought you'd need concrete and rebar to keep those titties in line." Leah snorted at her inability to be mature about it.

Kay laughed, the tension of the moment draining away. "Yeah," she said, "it turns out being super bouncy hinders more than helps when you're wielding an axe."

*****

Kay picked up her axe and headed back to the northwestern corner of the farm, Leah following with her gear. The artist set up at the edge of the cleared area facing east towards the cabin and pond as Kay lined up on the next tree marked for felling.

They passed the next two hours at their respective tasks, engaged in friendly conversation. They found each other easy to talk to, and Kay soon had Leah expounding on her background. She grew up in one of Zuzu City's countless suburbs and moved to the city proper to attend art school. Leah had the spark of artistic inspiration from a young age, and focused on oil painting and sculpture in school. She graduated and soon made a living as a portraitist. It wasn't always the most fulfilling work, but it kept her fed and her customers loved her work.

That was also how she met her first real girlfriend, Kelly Ford, Kel for short. Kel was a songwriter, and an accomplished one to boot. Her songs were regularly picked up by major recording artists; she'd also be called in to work with artists to refine their own songs, much like a script doctor would assist on a movie. She was tall, thin, a little androgynous; her tongue knew exactly where to find Leah's most sensitive spots. Leah recounted their first time together, a three-day weekend of pleasure as they explored each other and learned their wants and desires.

Kay detected a note of wistfulness as Leah described the track of their romance, a three-year affair that started powerfully and ended weakly, as such things did. Kel's career required travel often, and Leah would find herself alone in their large shared apartment. She resented Kel's offhand dismissal of their relationship problems, and Kel didn't appreciate being called out for "things she couldn't control". Leah broke it off after one of the largest commissions she'd ever received paid enough for a move to Pelican Town. She left Kel a note before she left, and hadn't heard from Kel since. That was over a year ago.

Kay had moved to comfort Leah at this point, and the artist gratefully accepted the offered hug. Leah sobbed quietly for a few moments, content to sit in the sadness for a bit. It had been a while since she'd felt the need to air her emotions out, and she felt safe to do so wrapped in Kay's powerful arms. Kay smelled of sweat, wood, and tree sap, and that too was soothing in its own way. Resting her head on Kay's boobs also helped, though in a different way altogether.

"How are you so soft?" Leah asked, nuzzling in to Kay's generous cleavage. The material of the sports bra was smooth and gentle, not at all what she expected from so stout an undergarment. Kay's body heat seemed to wrap around Leah like a blanket, warm and calming.

"Pretty sure I was born this way." Kay said quietly. She continued to hold Leah, softly stroking the young woman's hair. She was happy Leah felt safe enough to open up like this.

Leah suddenly realized what she was nuzzling and lifted her head. "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry, I should really get them licensed as therapy pillows." Kay turned her shoulders to boop Leah's nose with her boob.

That got a laugh from Leah as she uncoupled from Kay. The few times they had hung out over the past week, Leah got strong big sister vibes from the farmer. She wasn't expecting to give Kay her life's story, but she was glad she did. She sniffled and wiped her eyes clear before returning to the easel, turning it around and starting a new canvas. She noticed the light had changed, the sun blocked by a heavy cloud bank that rolled in suddenly.

"How about you?" Leah asked, "what's your story, Miss Gardner?"

Kay picked up the axe and turned away from Leah, her brow furrowed in conflict. She had her cover story down, and the short version seemed to satisfy the other townsfolk well enough. There were also three people who knew her true identity, but they were all loners to a degree and unlikely to spread her origins around. Leah was charming and gregarious, and it would be foolish to open the bag for someone Kay had known for all of a week.

There was something about Leah, however, that gave Kay serious pause about lying to the girl. Not just because she trusted Kay with her own past; Leah was an only child and didn't want to be, and Kay missed having that familial bond, a younger sister with which to exchange secrets and hopes and fears. Kay thought again of Zoria, wondered what Z would say about all of this.

"It's not that interesting," she eventually said, attacking the next tree, "I'm just trying to build a life for myself."

"Come on," Leah cajoled, "you must have some crazy stories. I won't tell anyone, promise!"

Kay closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm not really what everyone thinks I am, Leah. I'm just a coward who was in the right place at the wrong time." She lifted the axe and swung, biting deeply into the tree trunk and nearly shearing clear through. The tree fell quickly, and Kay drove the axe into the stump with a growl of rage. The shame of her betrayal flared, causing her to stop paying attention to the world around her for a moment. She fought her emotions, tried to push them back down where she could function again, but it wasn't working.

Kay felt arms wrapping around her waist as Leah hugged her from behind. "Hey," Leah said, "you can trust me. I can't begin to imagine what happened to you over there, but I'll listen if you want to talk about it."

It was too much. She didn't deserve Leah's kindness, she didn't deserve anyone's kindness. She was a liar; worse, she was the reason a lot of the friends and family who went to fight a stupid war with a stupid Empire never came back. I'm not a farmer, she thought, I'm a murderer. There was a time she prided herself on being the Peerless Tactician, and the memories of that coupled with more recent ones brought her a deep shame that she couldn't shift. I don't belong here.

Kay collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably. This was the first time she'd let the pain in since leaving the Empire, and it was devastating. She missed her sisters badly, Zoria most of all; she hated lying to these people, people that welcomed her to their town without a second thought, people she was developing very strong feelings for in a very short amount of time.

Leah crawled around Kay to pull her into a tight hug, and Kay's sobs intensified. "It's okay," she whispered, slowly rocking Kay, "it's going to be alright." Kay wailed into Leah's chest, and Leah felt herself tear up in sympathy.

"Y-you shouldn't," Kay tried to say before Leah interrupted.

"Just let it out," she said gently.

They sat on the ground for a while, Kay sobbing and holding Leah while Leah continued to tell her it was okay, that everything was alright and was going to be alright. Leah noticed that Luna had wandered over, looking as concerned for her mistress as a cat could. She released Kay a bit to make room, and Luna hopped into their laps and started nuzzling Kay's face, mewing softly.

This almost sent Kay into a refreshed round of sobs. "And this CAT," she said through her tears, incredulous that the cat could know she was in distress and would want to help. Leah giggled as she stroked both Luna's fur and Kay's hair.

"She obviously cares about you, too."

Kay looked up into Leah's brown eyes and saw the girl smile. It was incredible how close the two had become in their short time together. The sadness began to subside, and Kay wiped her eyes before bringing Leah's hand to her lips.

"Thank you," she said, planting a soft kiss before letting go. Leah nodded, leaning over to kiss Kay's forehead.

"You're welcome."

Pathetic.

Kay looked at Leah in shock. Leah's face showed care and concern, her voice was calm. She barely noticed Luna jump out of her lap and hiss at something to her right. How could she-

You don't belong here.

That wasn't Leah's voice. It was cold and imperious, like a nightmare out of her past. Kay slowly reached for the axe. "Leah, I need you to take five big steps backward." Leah's eyes widened in fear.

"W-what..."

They know what you really are.

"Leah," Kay tried to calm her voice down, "please, back up." She could barely see it, in the edges of her vision, dark and formless. Luna had reared up, growling at the thing. She could feel her knuckles cracking as her grip tightened around the axe handle.

You're just going to hurt them, like you hurt everyone.

Leah stood and backed away quickly. The change that came over Kay was frightening, and the edge in her voice sent chills up her spine. "Please, talk to me," she pleaded.

See? You're already driving Leah away, just like you'll drive Abby away.

"Leah, I believe I'm having a minor psychotic break. I need you to stay right there, I promise I will explain everything." Kay shifted her grip, there would be one chance at this. A thought occurred to her. "Luna."

The cat dashed over to Leah at Kay's word, facing away and resuming her aggressive stance in front of the young woman.

JUST LIKE YOU DROVE ZORIA-

"RRRAAAGH!" Kay wrenched the axe from the tree stump and threw it towards the form, then launched herself from the ground towards it, her armor flashing into place. The axe passed through it to embed itself in another tree, and Leah gasped as Kay transformed in the air. The gasp turned to a scream when Kay's gauntleted fist connected with a formless shadow, now illuminated by the red light shining from Kay's eyes.

Kay roared at the specter, her magical armor allowing her to make contact and punch the foul thing out of existence. The form immediately dissipated, an inhuman screech rending the air as it was sent back to whatever void had spawned it.

It was over in seconds. Kay chased her breath in big gulps, the swift action winded her unexpectedly. She rose to her feet and recalled the armor, leaving her topless save for her medallion. The morning sun finally broke through the clouds that had obscured it, and Kay felt its warmth suffuse her body.

She turned with a start. "Leah!"

Luna was perched atop Leah's shoulder. The girl had fainted dead away, but was otherwise alright. Kay scooped her up in her arms and walked back to the cabin, Luna following along. She kicked open the door and carefully placed Leah down in her bed. She then collapsed in one of the dining chairs, and Luna hopped up to sit next to her on the table.

Kay looked down at the calico cat. She'd obviously sensed the malign spirit before Kay did, and her hiss of warning was timely and accurate.

"Thank you," she said, softly stroking Luna's fur, "I thought I was losing it."

Luna rubbed up against Kay's hand, purring warmly.

*****

Leah awoke in a strange bed in an unfamiliar room, with a splitting headache to boot. She rose with a start, looking around in confusion before her eyes landed on Kay and Dr. Becker. They were seated at the small dining table, three paper cups around a green thermos between them. They both smiled as Leah realized she was safe.

"What a terrible dream..." she mumbled as Dr. Becker rose. He was wearing his usual green tweed coat, white shirt, and yellow tie, but also had a stethoscope hanging from his neck. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair as he approached.

"Hey, Miss Richards," he said in a soothing tone, "let's have a look at you." The doctor put on the stethoscope as Kay averted her gaze to elsewhere. "Can I have you open your shirt a little, I'd like to take a listen."