#bc Roxanne was absolutely ready to throw down with just her scythe to protect them

[xbittersweet-nostalgiax]

Behold—I have written another thing, this time for the Dance Of The Moonlight Jellies festival

Again, I write this with the headcanon of Stardew Valley being set in the late 90s to early aughts, hence some of the mentalities and the smoking

The event didn't require anything.

There was no potluck to bring tinfoiled dishes to or dances to find a partner for, despite the name.

That was why The Dance Of The Moonlight Jellies was the first festival that Roxanne decided to show up to.

It was odd being out on the beach so late—she'd always left by around eight even when night fishing.

Roxanne wandered over to the eastern shore, away from the docks.

A metallic glint caught her eye and she veered over to find the local wizard loitering by the treeline.

"You made it out too?" She asked, voice raised slightly to be heard above the surf.

Rasmodius looked up, surprised at her approach.

"How did you find me back here? I thought I was well hidden." He mused to himself, "Perhaps you are blessed with the gift of clairvoyance."

Roxanne shrugged, hands deep in the pockets of her brown leather jacket, "I dunno, I think I'm just naturally curious. All the clasps and stuff on your outfit catch the moonlight."

Rasmodius made a considering noise and gestured to the shoreline, "I'm here to observe the Lunaloos...or Moonlight Jellies, as you call them. They posses an unusually potent magical aura for an aquatic lifeform."

"Huh, interestin'..." Roxanne nodded politely before changing the subject, "Oh, by the way, I got rid of the ghosts that were unbalancin' things. I'll swing by your tower tomorrow for the payment."

"No need." Rasmodius procured a pouch and poured out a few coins, handing them off to her, "The elementals are pleased with your assistance."

"Happy to help." Roxanne grinned and jingled the coins in her pocket as she headed back to the shore, "Take care, man."

Roxanne headed out to the end of the docks where the younger trio was.

On the way, Vincent almost collided with her as he ran around, brimming with enthusiasm, "I wanna see the rare green jelly!"

Roxanne gave him an indulgent smile as she waved him on past her.

She was never good at interacting with kids—it made her anxious.

Still, she hoped he'd take her lukewarm response in stride.

She didn't know what she'd do if she actually upset the kid.

Panic, probably.

The band trio were perched out at the end of the pier.

She greeted the blond first, "Hey, Sam."

"Oh, hey, Roxanne. I wonder if they're poisonous?" Sam thought out loud, peering down at the water, "Maybe I shouldn't push Sebastian in..."

Roxanne just offered a contemplative hum as she turned to talk to Sebastian.

"Hey, Seba—" She greeted, only to be hushed by him.

Sebastian was hunched a little bit and he pointed out into the watery depths, his face serious and focused, "I thought I saw something moving in there...something big, something dark."

Roxanne mirrored his posture and her own dark gaze carefully scanned the water, but then his expression broke into a mischievous grin, "Heh, just trying to scare you."

She bit back a growl and walked back over to Sam, placing her hand on his shoulder to get his attention as she muttered lowly, "If you don't push him in, then I'm gonna."

Sam glanced over at his bandmate, contemplating before he grinned and made an offer, "Bring me a tigerseye and I'll do it."

She had one or two in her treasure chest, "Deal."

"Oh, this oughta be good." Abigail piped up to her right, her tone amused.

Roxanne left the trio and headed over towards the fish shop.

She overheard Jas talking excitedly to Shane as she passed them, "I hope there are babies this year!"

"Good evening, Roxanne." Lewis greeted her as she approached him, "The Moonlight Jellies are close...I already saw one glowing in the distance. Once we launch the candle-boat they'll come up to the docks and say hello."

"There! I just saw something glowing!" Jodi's excited voice drew Roxanne's attention. She came over to stand next to Jodi, the homemaker's expression falling, "Oh...it's gone."

"Patience, Miss Jodi." Roxanne heard Lewis chuckle behind her, "I'll set the boat loose in a couple minutes and they'll come closer."

Jodi smiled and sighed, "I know, I just can't help being excited to see them again. They're always so pretty."

Roxanne headed further down the dock and greeted her friend, "Hey, Clint!"

"Hey, Roxie...I wore my special shoes tonight," He sighed dejectedly, "No one noticed."

Roxanne snorted out a laugh, "Little hard to when it's so dark, man. You could be wearin' a friggin' muumuu and I wouldn't notice."

She paused as she thought about it, "Actually...I probably would, but I'd consider it none of my business and I wouldn't say nothin'."

There was a sudden cacophony across the way, lots of shouting and splashing.

Roxanne squinted to make out what was happening and then her expression morphed into a vindictive grin as she realized that Sam had made good on their deal, Sebastian sputtering and cursing at his friend from the water.

She did feel a twinge of guilt as he managed to clamber back onto the dock, dripping water and wrapping his arms around himself in the near-autumn chill.

She'd make it up to the kid with a frozen tear later.

After she dropped off Sam's tigerseye.

"Man, kids are vicious..." Clint said, eyeing the two distastefully.

"Eh, boys'll be boys?" Roxanne offered with a shrug, omitting her involvement.

She spotted Willy and waved to the fisherman as he approached.

"Most night-fish would be scared of the light," Willy mused as he puffed on his pipe, "These are strange ones."

Clint raised an eyebrow, "Can jellyfish even see?"

Roxanne considered it, "I think they have a way of sensin' light, kinda like how scallops do."

"...Scallops can see?" Clint asked again, looking more than a little bit bewildered.

Roxanne nodded, pantomiming with her hands, "Yeah, they have a lot of very simple eyes around the edge of their shell that can detect the light level."

"Heh, ye sound like Robin's husband." Willy lightly teased.

She shrugged, "Well, he and I do have quite a bit in common—"

"They're sending out the boat!" Clint interjected, pointing to where Lewis was untying the candle-boat.

The intricately carved vessel drifted out to sea, bearing its softly glowing cargo into the inky darkness.

Dozens of blue lights appeared in the distance and meandered closer, materializing into large pale jellyfish.

The Moonlight Jellies.

Roxanne wasn't so sure about the dancing part, though.

It was more like bobbing vaguely in their direction.

Still, it was breathtaking, watching such a large number of them float around the docks and shore.

Roxanne noticed a green glow amongst the blue and she knelt down to see it better.

An odd, skinny green jellyfish was beelining for her position on the docks, stopping to drift in front of her.

She kept her eyes locked on the creature as she asked Willy, "Is that the rare green jelly that Vincent was goin' on about?"

His tone was just as surprised as she was, "Aye, I think it is."

Roxanne stayed kneeling, one knee up and one on the dock, "Can you get the kid's attention? I'm kinda scared to move."

"I'll get him," Jodi piped up to her right, her voice quiet yet carrying as she called, "Vincent, come here!"

The boy in question hurried over, "Yes, Momma?"

Jodi pointed to the water by Roxanne and his face lit up when he spotted it.

"Woah!" The kid was practically vibrating with excitement as he crowded up to her to see better.

Roxanne's posture shifted, angling towards him protectively even as her eyes stayed locked on the jellyfish.

She heard someone approaching, their footsteps light on the wooden dock.

"Vincent, what's g—" Jas started to ask as she sidled up next to them, "Oh! The rare green jelly!"

He turned to his friend, "Yeah, it came right up to Miss Roxanne!"

The young girl pointed further out into the water, "And look, babies!"

Roxanne finally let her gaze leave the green jellyfish and sure enough, there was a small group of little jellyfish floating nearby.

They looked like tiny, perfect copies of the adults.

Her eyes drifted back to the green jelly still floating in front of her.

It felt almost expectant, like it had a thought process despite not actually having a brain structure.

"An unusually potent magical aura, huh..." She quoted quietly to herself, watching the creature bob about in the lapping current.

"It's a little bit different than the others, isn't it?" Emily's voice came from her left and she looked up. The barmaid's expression seemed pensive as she observed the odd jellyfish, "I can relate."

"Me too." Roxanne murmured as she finally stood up, shoving her chilled hands back in the pockets of her jacket and stepping away to let the kids take her place.

Emily smiled at her, "It must have chosen to swim up to you for a reason, I bet it's a sign of some sort."

Roxanne glanced back over at the water, "You think so?"

Emily nodded, "Yeah, I would recommend meditating on it. That's what I do when something like this happens to me."

"I'm not really sure how to do that," Roxanne admitted as she felt the craving for a cigarette creep up on her, for something to do with her hands and mouth, "But I suppose the best time to start learnin' is the present, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Emily's smile squinted her eyes, "If you like, you could come by my house tomorrow and I could help you take those first steps."

Roxanne tilted her head and made a thoughtful hum.

"I find that the first of the season's usually the busiest for me, what with buyin' and plantin' new crops." She explained, thinking out loud somewhat, "Might be quicker this time 'round though, since the corn's already planted."

"If you do decide to come by, be sure to bring a gemstone that you resonate with. That always helps me get into a meditative state." Emily offered.

Roxanne gave half a shrug, "Alright. I do have a few deliveries to make, but I should be able to do those later in the day."

"Great!" Emily waved as she returned to her spot on the docks.

"A gemstone I resonate with..." Roxanne mused to herself as she finally caved and fished her pack of clove cigarettes out of her leather jacket's inner pocket.

Her lighter sparked bright in the darkness and she relaxed as the sweet smoke curled around her.

She supposed she did feel drawn to aquamarines, despite not being particularly drawn to the ocean.

The round shape was nice and pleasant to hold.

Roxanne took a slow, deep drag as she contemplated her busy plans for tomorrow.