#interaction: h. nill

[gathersroses]

@futuregeneratiion / anson sent: was there an accident?

arms are folded across her chest, as she leans against her son's doorway. hopefully the no no nonsense look on her face gives the impression that this isn't the sort of topic to be fooling around about. dodge will be hearing words about how he should've been helping their son look for his birth certificate for whatever school project instead of letting him figure it out on his own. if he had been there, anson never would've found the restraining order. the fact that their son was conceived while both of them were in relationships with other people isn't their proudest moment. he doesn't need to know about that.

❝ something like that. ❞ heather doesn't hesitate any longer before taking it back. they need a better hiding place for it. sticking it in with other legal documents seemed like a good idea at the time. they always had it in the same place just in case. now, they've got two kids who wander around too much to let that slide. ❝ nothing for you to worry about, okay? have you found your birth certificate? ❞ another not her proudest legal document. it gave away that she was only twenty when she gave birth to him, but it exists all the same. that's less shameful. ❝ let's go find that, yeah? ❞

[chasingdesre]

HEATHER NILL.

* i am not interested in shipping heather with ray hall. i am highly critical of both the book and the show. i am not very fond of heather's friendship with natalie and reject most show canon when it comes to bishop.

GENERAL.

NAME.   heather lynn nill

ALIASES.   n/a

AGE.   eighteen+

BIRTHDATE.   september 15

GENDER.   female 

SEXUALITY.   heteroflexible

STATUS.   verse dependent

ETHNICITY.   white

NATIONALITY.   american

BIRTHPLACE.   carp, new york

RESIDENCE.   moves around often

OCCUPATION.   verse dependent/bank robber/farmhand/housewife/reporter

PHYSICAL.

HEIGHT.   5’10”

WEIGHT.   130 lbs

BODY TYPE.   mesomorph

SKIN TONE.   fair

HAIRSTYLE.   straight

HAIR COLOR.   blonde

EYE COLOR.   blue

SCARS.   several

FACECLAIM.   olivia scott welch

PERSONALITY.

TRAITS.    direct, strong-willed, responsible, practical, creative, can enforce order, stubborn, insensitive, always by the book, judgmental, blames herself for everything

HABITS.   overthinks

HOBBIES.   writing

FEARS   tba

FAMILY.

FATHER.   patrick thomas (deceased)

MOTHER.   sherri nill (alive; estranged)

SISTER.   lily nill (younger half sister)

BROTHER.  

SIGNIFICANT OTHER.   verse dependent/dodge mason/ray hall/bishop moore

SON.   anson andrew mason

DAUGHTER.   lily dayna mason

EXTRA.

MBTI.   istj

ENNEAGRAM.   tba.

ALIGNMENT.   9w1

HISTORY.

heather's mother got pregnant with her in high school. she got pregnant with heather's younger sister, lily a few years later. while she did get to go to beauty school after running away from home, she's barely living a life. usually, she's some mix of high or drunk or trying to get into someone's pants.

heather raised lily more than their mother did. their relationship is more complicated than the standard abuse parent and abused child, her mother does care about her daughter's. she just doesn't know how to snap out of her lifestyle to really be their mom.

heather is a hard worker. she got a job the moment she could at st. mary's community soup kitchen.

when that closed, she went to mainstreet wireless. her mom spent a good amount of the money she earns on drugs and alcohol.

having her own income means saving up money to go to college and escape carp and prevent lily from going to bed hungry.

she's a writer. they're mostly short stories or little things she tells to lily as a bedtime story. her dream is to publish her own book, but she has very little reason to believe that'll happen.

heather had no interest in joining panic, but after her mom stole her money for college (over $5,000) and her boyfriend broke up with her, she decided to do the jump and enter the game.

[livesworthlivingau]

Lives Worth Living Chapter 26-28

ISAT/Two Hats Spoilers below! CW: Outbursts, Mentions of stabbing/killing, unhealthy obsessing.

"So how you holding up Sif?" (You suddenly snap back to reality and look over to Isa, now left alone as the other three had left for the market.)

"What do you mean?" (You ask, confused by the sudden question.)

"You looked a little zoned out there, and getting to see Vale again, and Nille, it's just a lot right now, even if it's good stuff. So... Just wanted to check in with you!" (He gives his trademark bright smile, and you can't help but smile back.)

"It is a lot... but it's good, the family's back together again, even L-Vale now... I just... I really hope it works out this time."

"This time?" (CRAB!!)

"Y-You know! Like, having them around... I want them to fit in is all!" (A more serious look appears on his face. There's no way he bought that...)

"Sif... You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I do! I know! I... I'm sorry, but it involves them a lot too, and I can't talk about it without them." (Your voice falters a bit, the topic making you uncomfortable as you start to scratch absentmindedly at your arms. His large, gentle hand meet yours after a moment, trying to calm you down.)

"Hey, it's okay, I understand. I just worry, y'know? But if you're sure it's okay for now then I can wait!" (He smiles at you again. You place your head on his shoulder, closing your eye with a relieved sigh.)

"I love you Isa."

"I love you too Sif."

----------------------------------------------------

"Excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom~." (Vale explains before leaving the table and conversation. They seemed especially uneasy since Nille left to help Bonbon in the kitchen a few minutes ago, probably still struggling being around everyone else...)

"Siffrin, is there, uhm… Is Vale uncomfortable around us?" (Mira asks, it seems you weren't the only one to notice.)

"They're… just shy, you know? Not used to new people! That's all!" (You try to smile convincingly.)

"Right…" (Crab.)

"They just need some time to warm up is all!" (Isa to the rescue, as always. Thank the stars.)

"They were stuck in the loops too afterall! Sif was the only one they really interacted with, right?"

"No wonder they're so on edge." (Odile chimes in with a little tease, not even looking up from her book.)

"H-Hey!?" (Mira and Isa can't help but snort and snicker at your expense. It WAS a pretty good joke you guess…)

"Though we should discuss what our next course of action is, now that Nille has found us. I assume we'll still head to Bambouche for their sakes, then continue our little reunion tour? I imagine you'd like to return to Jouvente at some point Isabeau?" (Odile begins to plan aloud to get us all on the same page.)

"Eventually, sure, I'm in no rush! But what about you, M'dame? Don't you want to go back to Ka Bue too?" (Odile pauses for a moment, glancing over at you. You must have been making some kind of face considering how she raises a brow at you.)

"I believe our little time traveler here already knows the answer to that question." (You look away nervously.)

"It's uhh... complicated? I don't think Odile cares about returning anytime soon." (You try to keep it vague, to which she nods. Her eyes casually return to her book before she speaks up again.)

"Very astute of you, Siffrin. If I do happen to return, it will likely be out of obligation more than anything else. I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to, like the fact you're still looping."

"I wouldn't exactly call that pressing..."

"Th-This isn't something you should just put off Siffrin! What if it just keeps getting out on the back burner and suddenly you're right back where you started again?!" (Mira chimes in in a panic.)

"I'm not saying we just ignore it forever! Just... we have some time at least, and Odile stopped me from looping once already! If anyone's gonna know what to do, it'll be her, right?"

"I stopped it in the moment, preventing you from looping ever again is a whole ordeal in and of itself. It will take a lot of research on a subject that no one knows anything about, and another that is purely theoretical. I may be good at what I do but I'm not a miracle worker."

"You might not think so." (You chuckle a bit. No matter how many times it happens, she still managed to surprise you over the years with new breakthroughs and theories on craft, sadnesses, and otherwise. She smirks a bit as her eyes remain on her book.)

"While your confidence in my is flattering, I'd still like to tackle this subject sooner rather than later."

"Alright, we'll get to Bambouche and go from there, okay? For now I'm just glad we're all together again..." (Your expression falls to a bittersweet one. You feel Isa's hand on your shoulder, giving a light squeeze and smiling brightly at you. You lay your head against his side and close your eye, savoring the embrace.)

"Dinner'll be ready in a few!... Hey, where'd Vale go?" (Nille asks, stepping back in from the kitchen.)

"Oh! They went to the restroom! B-But it's been a while, hasn't it? should someone check on them?"

"I better do it, y'all sit tight!" (Nille quickly takes the offer to ensure no one else would, heading off to find them.)

----------------------------------------------------

"Before I explain this, it's not their fault, please don't blame them, they were going through a lot and I didn't notice how it was affecting them and I told their secret an-" (You start to explain at a million miles a minute, too frantic to be processed properly even as Nille lightly grabs your shoulders to snap you out of it.)

"Hey, easy, just start at the beginning okay?" (She tries to comfort you, to which you nod and take a deep breath.)

"... When I first looped back all those years, I was... frozen? I was panicking, stuck in my head, I thought it must be a dream or something, there's no way this was really happening, right?... And then I heard their voice... and all of that just went away." (You glance over at Vale. They look... confused? Shocked maybe? You guess you never got the chance to tell them this part.)

"I ran to find them right after, as fast as I could, and... I was just so happy to see them, I didn't think about how they were feeling... forced to be back, I'd been through so much and they were just left behind... and then I dragged them along back here to force them into a family they didn't want any part in."

"Stardust... That's..."

"It's true Vale, and I'm sorry. I really don't blame you for what happened." (Vale just looks away, clearly not agreeing, but they can tell they won't change your mind. Nille still looks very confused, waiting for the story to continue.)

"So things seemed fine for a little while, but then Odile noticed I was doing a little too well, and I told her about everything... including their secret, which they made me promise not to tell." (You really were hamming up how awful you had been, even if you didn't realize it. It was your fault after all, Vale can't be punished for that.)

"Vale found out what I did, they were already on the verge of snapping and that pushed them over the edge, so... they had to go back, before I dragged them to the party... They had to make us all loop back..." (Nille takes a second to process all of this, before her eyes widen, realizing what you were implying.)

"Frin, tell me what happened, please." (She asks, her eyes looking almost desperate, as if asking you to assure her it's not what she thinks.)

"Vale... They..."

"I STABBED HIM! I SHOVED HIS OWN DAGGER INTO HIS HEART AND FORCED HIM BACK, OKAY?! I'M A MONSTER AND A MURDERER!!!" (You jump back as they suddenly start screaming out. You look back to the door, thankful no one else was there at the moment. Nille pulls herself away from their outburst. Looking scared, confused, conflicted.)

"N-No! You're not Vale, you knew I'd be fine! You knew I'd loop!"

"And what if you didn't?!?! What if it all ended right there?!? How could I do such a thing?! How could I take that risk?! How could I hurt you like that?!" (Their eyes were wide and crazed, they gripped their hair painfully tight. They looked ready to snap again. Before you could try to comfort them, Nille was already holding their face to try and snap their out of it.)

"Hey hey hey! Vale, Calm down please." (They stopped suddenly, tears flowing from their eyes and staring back at Nille, surprised they weren't being treated like the monster they thought they were.)

"You made a mistake... a big one, sure, but a mistake none the less. Frin's okay now, right?"

"B-But... I killed them... H-how could anyone forgive me for that?..."

"Well, Frin did, and that's the most important person to do so I'd say... It's a lot to take in alright, still not really sure how I feel about it right now... but I'm not just gonna hate you for it, especially after everything." (Vale stares up at her, they look confused, their eyes darting about as they try to piece something together.)

"I doubt you want to go back in there tonight. Maybe you should stay at the Inn for tonight, cool off a little..."

"Y-Yes... that sounds like it's for the best..." (Before Vale can get too far, Nille lightly grabs their arm to keep them from going too far.)

"This doesn't give you permission to run away though! Remember... you made a promise." (She smiles softly then lets go.)

"... Right... I promise." (Vale can't hold eye contact with either of you for more than a second, slowly starting to walk off again.)

"We'll see you tomorrow, Vale?..." (You plead. They nod back at you before fully turning away. The both of you watch as they slowly vanish from view towards the town center.)

"... Hey, Frin? Are you sure you're okay?" (Nille starts to speak again, now that Vale was safely out of earshot.)

"... It's not that bad, I promise."

"But they killed you Frin... I know they've got issues but... I didn't think they'd be capable of doing that." (Nille holds her arms, gripping them a bit too tightly.)

"They're not! They knew I'd be okay! I'm still looping, it's fine! They would never have done it if they knew it wouldn't happen, like when-" (You cut yourself off, quickly slapping your hand over your mouth.)

"... When what?"

"... After the loops 'ended' the first time, I went to find them... That's when they admitted who they were, and they kinda... snapped. They attacked me, they were ranting and raving, they spent all that time just watching me do it and have an easier time than they ever did, everything they went through and my loops were practically a walk in the park in comparison... But when they had me beaten they couldn't do it! They wouldn't! They're not capable of that I swear!!!" (You do your best to convince her... and possibly yourself in the process. You still blame yourself for what happened, you just don't want Vale to suffer for it.)

"Frin... I'm not saying we should just send them on their merry way or anything but... they still attacked you, they still stabbed you... I don't know if you should just act like that's fine and forget it ever happened..."

"Nille... I've had a very long time to think about this. I've missed them for decades, and now they're finally back... I'm not going to do anything to mess that up, so please don't do so either." (You don't realize it until it's already happened, your face turning to a colder, darker expression. It felt vaguely familiar, likely similar to how you looked in those later loops... Nille looks a bit unnerved by it.)

"Siffrin, that's not healthy! Don't you think you're being a bit obsessive about thi-"

"I don't care!" (Nille jolts in shock, stepping back at your outburst. You stop before you lose it too much, taking a deep breath to compose yourself.)

"I just want them back... I just want them to be happy... I had 30 years of a wonderful life with all of you while they got nothing... Isn't that unfair? Isn't that a tragedy? They go through all the pain and suffering and I just come in and replace them?!"

"Frin! That's no-"

"NO! They're the only reason I'm here! They're the only reason I got to be happy for all this time! So don't you dare get in the way of me making it up to them!" (You snap. Nille stares down at you in a mix of shock and nerves. She looks over you a bit, as if trying to work out the best way to deal with this situation. You sigh and take a step back, making yourself smaller as you duck into your cloak a little.)

"I'm sorry... but please, don't... don't ruin this for me... I need this. I need them... Good night Nille." (You excuse yourself before you say anything else you may regret. You head back inside, ignoring anything she or anyone else may be saying to you as you pass. You reach your room and settle in for bed, not wanting to deal with this day any longer.)

[shedontgetnormal-aa]

NAME / ALIAS: Nills ARE YOU OVER 18?  Yes  /  No IS YOUR MUSE OVER 18?  Yes /  No WHEN WAS YOUR BLOG ESTABLISHED? This one? Uhhhhhh sometime in super late 2018 or super early 2019 I think. 

the rest is under the cut

– W R I T I N G –

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU WRITE WITH? No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people - mutuals preferred) / Private (mutuals only)* *I don’t really consider it “private” tho?

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU FOLLOW? No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people)

IF YOUR MUSE IS CANON, HOW MUCH DO YOU ADHERE TO CANON? Not at all  / A little / Some / Mostly / Strictly / Not Applicable

WHAT POST LENGTHS DO YOU WRITE? One Liners / Single-Para / Multi-Para / Novella / All of the Aforementioned

DO YOU USE ICONS AND/OR GIFS? No / GIFs / Icons / Yes / Sometimes

DO YOU WRITE ON OTHER PLATFORMS? No / Yes* *aye catch me in discord DMs sometime lmao

WHAT LEVEL OF PLOTS DO YOU WRITE? Unplotted / Open-Ended Plots / Semi-Plotted / Fully Plotted Epics /  All of the Aforementioned

HOW QUICKLY DO YOU USUALLY RESPOND TO THREADS? Very Slow (more than a month) / Slow (3-4 weeks) /  Average (1-2 weeks) /  Fast (less than one week) / Very Fast (less than 3 days) / It depends WHAT TYPES OF THEMES DO YOU LIKE? Adventure / Romance / Fluff / Angst / Smut / Violence / Tragedy / Domestic / Family WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? ( FEEL FREE TO ADD! ) High Fantasy / Supernatural / Science Fiction / Historical / Horror / Comedy / Romantic / Drama / Action / Adventure / Espionage / All of the Aforementioned

ARE THERE ANY THEMES YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING ON YOUR BLOG? (NOT TRIGGERS) No / Yes / Sometimes

DO YOU HAVE ANY TRIGGERS? HOW DO YOU REQUEST IT TAGGED? Not... really? I mean, there are things I’ll ask people to tag (re: my rules page), but it’s not due to any personal triggers.

– S H I P P I N G –

WHAT TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the Aforementioned WHAT TYPES OF PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the Aforementioned DO YOU HAVE OTPS? No / Chemistry Only / Yes

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATION? Heterosexual / Heteroflexible / Bisexual / Pansexual / Homoflexible / Homosexual / Demisexual / Sapiosexual / ( Grey ) Asexual / Still trying to figure it out

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S ROMANTIC ORIENTATION? Heteroromantic / Heteroflexible / Biromantic / Homoflexible / Homoromantic / Panromantic / Demiromantic / Sapioromantic / Aromantic / Still trying to figure it out.

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WRITING SMUT? No / Selectively / Yes

HOW EARLY IN A RELATIONSHIP DO YOU SHIP ROMANTICALLY? Autoship / During plotting / After a couple IC interactions / Several IC Interactions / Slow Burn / Plot Dependent / Never

ARE YOU OPEN TO TOXIC SHIPS? No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure. ARE YOU OPEN TO PROBLEMATIC SHIPS? No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure. ARE YOU OPEN TO POLY-SHIPPING? No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure. ARE YOU AN EXCLUSIVE SHIPPER? Never (multi-ship) / Sometimes / Yes

DOES CRACK SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? No / Yes

– T A G G I N G! –

TAGGED BY: @justonebadspray TAGGING: @tremereastor-uriel uhhhh and anyone who wants to

[gathersroses]

@futuregeneratiion / anson sent: maybe somebody punched him in the mouth.

they practically raised their children on horseback. anne told her once that was how she wanted to raise her kids if they ever had any, which they didn't and why she and her husband stayed in the city. despite everything she's learned over the years, heather still gives the knows-the-most-about-horses award to dodge. although lily is a close runner-up at this point. if dodge were here maybe he'd know why the horse was acting so weird.

❝ you think someone broke into our ranch just to punch our horse? ❞ heather asked her son as they went back inside. ❝ in the mouth, specifically? ❞ it's not like she's the horse expert. she pauses to consider it. ❝ ask your dad when he gets home. i'm sure he knows more about how horses react to getting punched in the mouth than i do. ❞

[gathersroses]

@futuregeneratiion / lily sent: what did you talk about?

the funny, not-so-funny thing is . . . heather has no idea how to answer her daughter's question. ❝ on your dad's and i's first date? ❞ lily is right at that perfect age where girls start to ask this sort of thing. heather's certain boys would ask too if they weren't so prideful. maybe they do. maybe if heather grew up in a more nuclear family, she would've asked her mom the same questions. she gave the nuclear family life to lily and here it is blowing up in her face.

could heather really consider their first hook-up in the barn as their first date? it wasn't exactly a date. there wasn't much talking. they managed to make a whole baby in the span of that time. blowing a gust of hair from her lips, heather looks back at her daughter. ❝ your dad and i never really did a first date. we just . . . kinda got together. ❞ saved. ❝ why the sudden interest, lily-girl? ❞

[gathersroses]

@soldwrecked / dodge sent: ❝  god you look good like this.  ❞

there's a low whine from the back of her throat before she continues trying to catch her breath. despite every other pregnancy symptom -- the swollen feet, itchy skin, heartburn, etc., etc. -- she's glad that she and dodge still make each other feel the way they did the first time they slept together. she tucks her head between his shoulder and jawline, tracing along his torso.

❝ my hair all messed up like this? you find bedhead attractive, dodge? ❞ heather asks as if he wasn't told her so before. with a light groan, she drags herself closer towards him. ❝ you know baby boy likes it when we do this. i don't know if you feel it, but he's kicking up a storm in there. ❞ she takes dodge's hand and places it on her stomach. ❝ still is. feel. ❞

[gathersroses]

@soldwrecked / dodge sent:😘

she isn't surprised when she sees him. not that his visit was expected. they make do with what they can. how dodge knew that ray was away for the day, she doesn't know, nor does she concern herself with it. being left alone in a house too big for just the two of them is hardly a bad way to spend the afternoon. her increasing loneliness on the days where dodge doesn't come by peeks through in those moments. she'd forgotten what it's like to be appreciated. until dodge was there. to kiss her as if she was his wife and not another man's.

❝ let's run away. ❞ she doesn't know where it comes from. a thought that's been lingering for far too long in the back of her head. it was only time before she spoke them out loud as if it's a young woman in a fairytale ready to be swept off her feet by a prince. not the married woman that she is wanting to be swept across the state by a thief. ❝ let's do it. i know i said i wasn't sure before, but i am now. i wanna go. ❞

[gathersroses]

HEATHER NILL.

* my heather is based in the 1930s, however i do still have a canon verse for her that you can see below! heavily affiliated with @soldwrecked

GENERAL.

NAME.   heather lynn nill

ALIASES.   n/a

AGE.   eighteen+

BIRTHDATE.   september 15

GENDER.   female 

SEXUALITY.   heteroflexible

STATUS.   verse dependent/dating/married/engaged in an affair

ETHNICITY.   white

NATIONALITY.   american

BIRTHPLACE.   carp, new york

RESIDENCE.   moves around often

OCCUPATION.   verse dependent/bank robber/farmhand/housewife/reporter

PHYSICAL.

HEIGHT.   5’10”

WEIGHT.   130 lbs

BODY TYPE.   mesomorph

SKIN TONE.   fair

HAIRSTYLE.   straight

HAIR COLOR.   blonde

EYE COLOR.   blue

SCARS.   several

FACECLAIM.   olivia scott welch

PERSONALITY.

TRAITS.    direct, strong-willed, responsible, practical, creative, can enforce order, stubborn, insensitive, always by the book, judgmental, blames herself for everything

HABITS.   overthinks

HOBBIES.   writing

FEARS   tba

FAMILY.

FATHER.   patrick thomas (deceased)

MOTHER.   sherri nill (alive; estranged)

SISTER.   lily nill (younger half sister)

BROTHER.  

SIGNIFICANT OTHER.   verse dependent/dodge mason/ray hall/bishop moore

SON.   anson andrew mason

DAUGHTER.   lily dayna mason

EXTRA.

MBTI.   istj

ENNEAGRAM.   tba.

ALIGNMENT.   9w1

HISTORY.

raised in a very unhappy home. her biological father killed himself shortly after she was born. her mother attached herself to any man who was willing to take care of them. most of them weren't good people. from one of these relationships, her younger sister, lily, was born. she married ray hall as a way to get out of her homelife, hoping to take lily with her later on. ray never warmed up to the idea.

met dodge mason when she was attempting to rob her house. they began an affair.

later leaves ray after he found out about them. she and dodge get lily and go on the run as bank robbers. they make sure to donate a good amount of what they steal to families who are suffering greatly from the depression.

CANON VERSE.

heather's mother got pregnant with her in high school. she got pregnant with heather's younger sister, lily a few years later. while she did get to go to beauty school after running away from home, she's barely living a life. usually, she's some mix of high or drunk or trying to get into someone's pants. heather raised lily more than their mother did. their relationship is more complicated than the standard abuse parent and abused child, her mother does care about her daughter's. she just doesn't know how to snap out of her lifestyle to really be their mom.

heather is a hard worker. she got a job the moment she could at st. mary's community soup kitchen. when that closed, she went to mainstreet wireless. her mom spent a good amount of the money she earns on drugs and alcohol. having her own income means saving up money to go to college and escape carp and prevent lily from going to bed hungry.

she's a writer. they're mostly short stories or little things she tells to lily as a bedtime story. her dream is to publish her own book, but she has very little reason to believe that'll happen.- heather had no interest in joining panic, but after her mom stole her money for college (over $5,000) and her boyfriend broke up with her, she decided to do the jump and enter the game.

nothing happens with ray. he tormented her throughout middle and high school. she does have a crush on bishop and develops a relationship with him.

[gathersroses]

she pushes against the drawer for good measure. no reason they'll be needing to bring that out any time soon. maybe they should invest in a safe or something like rich people do with their wills so no one but their lawyer can mess with them. heather assumed the days of worrying about what her kids got into were over. they've just begun in a way. they can actually read what they pull out now.

❝ don't worry about it. ❞ heather pulls the drawer above it out. ❝ i think it's in this one. your dad isn't the one who keeps things organized around here. he wouldn't know. ❞ flipping through a few manila envelopes, she finds the one labeled appropriately. ❝ should be in this one. ❞ heather slaps the door shut with an elbow. ❝ let's take a look. what do you need it for anyway? ❞

ANSON HADN’T MEANT TO FIND THE RESTRAINING ORDER. HE’D JUST ASKED HIS DAD WHERE HIS BIRTH certificate was and been told that it was in the filing cabinet in the office. In retrospect, he should’ve asked which drawer, but Dad was busy with Lily and a horse and he didn’t want to bother them any more than he needed to. So he’d gone looking through the filing cabinet and while he hasn’t found his birth certificate yet, he did find a restraining order against someone named Ray Hall. He doesn’t know who that is, but he can’t imagine Ray is a good person.

He puts it back in the drawer at the sight of his mom’s expression. “Who’s Ray Hall?” he asks as he slides the drawer shut. He probably shouldn’t ask, but he’s always been a curious kid. He pulls the next drawer open. “I haven’t found it yet. Dad said it was in here somewhere, but I don’t know where.”