1.1 Welcome to Newcrest, Trisha Crowe!

Thank you for checking out the life of the Crowes! Hearing your thoughts about the chapter would make me very happy, so please leave a comment after reading! 

I may be setting some kind of regular updating schedule, but for now I'm gonna drop new chapters irregularly, maybe once or twice a week. Let's see! Make sure to hit the Follow-button or leave your e-mail address for e-mail updates!

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Finally, Trisha thought exhausted. Exhausted, but excited too. Newcrest was just a  sleepy neighbourhood full of empty lots, but after spending one night in the alleys of Oasis Springs sleeping one eye open, occassionally waking up from the noise of the sirens outside, she welcomed the peace and quiet with open arms. And there was another, thrilling aspect too: the neighbourhood was an empty canvas, and from among hundreds of applicants, she was the chosen one for the role of lead artist!

 As the location of what would be a park one day, she had chosen a big lot by the river and let constructors build a home for her. It wasn't much larger than a shed, but it had everything she needed. And most important, there was more than enough space outside for her garden.

It was time to get hands dirty! 

Trisha succeeded to find some seeds from nearby market stall, and she excitedly planted them in the soil. She loved fresh air and outdoor activities, and seeing the plants growing and leafs sprouting made her extremely happy. Besides, the weather was most finest, so what would be nicer than growing your own little herbs and vegetables, from which you could later cook the most delicious dishes?

When the plants didn't need care anymore, Trisha retreated inside and dived into the theory of gardening. It wasn't as fun and rewarding as practical work, but just as important. 

What did you say about the delicious meals...? When cooking the first time in her kitchen, poor Trish lost her stove and had to spend her savings to get a new one. Oh well, she thought bitterly, I didn't want the extra room anyway... 

Luckily the locals were very interested in frogs and toads, which could be quite easily found inside rotten logs. And by selling harvest from her garden, she could make fine extra money as well.

As the money issue began to be mostly solved, Trisha decided that it was time to move on to the next step. It was time to find a spouse.

Too bad though, that in a tiny village like Newcrest there was a limited offer of suitable singe men. The few men, who Trisha encountered as she explored the neighbourhood, were either taken or then... teenagers. I didn't plan on hitting on children, and I'm not going to either! There must be at least one suitable potential husband somewhere here...

And so was it that a nice, promising candidate joined her as she decided to try some fishing, hoping to make some more cash. Marcus Flex, he introduced himself. For a while they both just concentrated on their fishing, but soon they started to do a bit of small-talk. 

Marcus seemed to be quite a catch. Handsome, single, easy to approach, fun, humorous, charismatic. For a moment Trisha was so sure of that she had found a perfect husband to be, until she found out something... 

... Marcus was also Noncommittal. 

But maybe, perhaps, Trisha could be the one who tamed the free spirit of this wild stallion.

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However, Trisha decided to keep her options open for now. Too bad though, that the neighbourhood seemed to be so empty. And no wonder, because that was exactly what it was. Wherever she went, Trisha saw the same faces everywhere. She didn't want to lose hope, but it was hard not to. 

It started to look like that Marcus, despite all his flaws, was the only considerable option in this town. 

What an intriguing bypasser! Trisha thought. Let's go and say hi to him. 

But the bypasser didn't think that of Trisha. She couldn't even dream of what kind of language came out from someone who looked so harmless. What the heck did she do to deserve that kind of lecture?

Afterwards she didn't remember much details of the encounter though. The memories were foggy, like someone had wiped them off...

I still have to replace the kitchen hood, Trisha thought as she ate her breakfast, and shook her head. The memories of the fire were there, wherever she looked. Luckily, fruit salad was quite safe meal to cook and eat. 

Another nice-looking acquaintance - his name was Baako Jang. Trisha rushed outside and hastily greeted her neighbour.

"My wife and I have been living here for a while already", he told happily. Wife. Of course. Anyways, Trisha and Baako came along great. If not anything else, she could make a good friend of him. 

Another married acquaintance. Trisha started slowly lose hope. Maybe it was so, that Marcus was the only single man in the area. And who knows, perhaps she could eventually change his mind of the whole relationship thing? 

She better start warming him up then. 

He surely didn't have anything against some kissing.

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The garden was blooming, and Trisha was already expanding it with some new seeds. She found it fascinating to watch them grow, to investigate new sprouts and try to guess, what kind of plants were they to be. Sometimes, for her satisfaction, she found out she was right, sometimes the plants surprised her. Anyways, every day gardening felt like another great adventure.

Her relationship with Marcus felt like an adventure too, but much more unpredictable and uncertain. It was exciting and thrilling, but also unsure and scary. They lived one day at a time, and Trisha couldn't bring herself of dreaming of anything more. Not at this point, at least.

Luckily the plants listened to her, when she wanted to vent a bit, and they didn't judge her, even when she said something stupid and embarrassing.  

Right now, life was quite good. 

"Umm... You see... I got married a while ago... But it doesn't change anything between us, does it?" 
You were supposed to be noncommittal, weren't you? Trisha thought, surprised. She had to rethink her plan entirely.

For plums sake. 

What also surprised Trisha was that Marcus insisted he could help her with gardening. Maybe it was just because of the guilt, maybe it was his way to apologize the sudden marriage and the fact that he didn't tell anything to Trisha beforehand. Anyways, Trisha gladly accepted the help. While her hands did mechanic work her brain thought hard and tried to make up some kind of plan B. 

Who knew, maybe she could persuade him to change his mind?

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