[center] [hr][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5mZmI2YzEuVG1WcmJ5QkRZWEppWld4c1lRLjA/fairy-mother.regular.webp[/img][/center][b]Interactions[/b]: Nori/Jordan/Olivia ([@NoriWasHere]) and Wyatt [@Helo][right][b][code]The Webb Family Coffee House --> House on the Edge...[/code][/b][/right][hr] [color=FFB6C1]“Please, I’m [i]clearly[/i] a responsible adult,”[/color] said Neko with a half-smile to Wyatt as she produced a set of keys. She didn’t know what gave her more relief: a teenager giving her their approval or the safety in numbers that came from more people joining their group. [color=FFB6C1]“Why else would the rental company trust me with these babies?”[/color] The meeting broke up into their small groups and headed out, Neko managing to shove the butler group into her rental car. As she drove, polite conversation tapered away as a feeling of dread crept over her. Something just didn’t sit right with Neko about this town. Maybe she was just too used to the city life. The lack of bumper to bumper traffic and honking horns felt strange enough as is, but the near total lack of other drivers on the road was truly odd. By the time they left the quaint little downtown area Neko swore the only other vehicles she saw were sitting in front yards up on cinder blocks. There had been a kind of rustic charm to the old buildings in Quintin, but here on the edge of town signs of true poverty were shown in the torn up shacks and rundown trailers that only gave feelings of absolute desolation. She could only hope that the buildings were abandoned, because the thought of somebody living in them was heartbreaking. Soon, Neko grew to miss the broken windows, fallen fences, and overgrown yards as the road turned from the scraps of civilization and continued onwards toward the swamp. Neko slowed the rental car as the gravel road faded away into a muddy path, tire tracks grooved deep into the dry mud. She pulled over to the side of the road and killed the engine. As she stepped out of the vehicle the heavenly bliss of the air conditioner immediately got vaporized by the thick heat of the swamp air. She hadn’t taken more than two steps before she took a swat at her arm as a mosquito drew blood, cursing under her breath as she retreated to the car and rummaged around in the trunk before producing a bottle of insect repellant. She covered herself in a choking cloud then tossed the spray can to her companions. Properly protected, Neko took a few tentative steps towards the tracks and acted like she was able to discern any information from checking them out. Water filled the bottom of the tracks and the ground felt spongy underneath her feet. She gave an uncertain look back at the rental and frowned. Knowing her luck the car would get stuck in the mud further down the path. [color=FFB6C1]“We’re gonna hoof it from here. Shouldn’t be too much farther,”[/color] said Neko. [hr][right][b][code]House on the Edge of the Swamp[/code][/b][/right][hr] It wasn’t, but the muggy weather sure made it feel longer than it took. By the time Neko saw the cabin she had tugged open the collar of her blouse to fight the heat and her hair clung wet to the side of her face. She rubbed her wrist, which had begun to cramp thanks to how vigorously she had been fanning herself with a copy of the local map, and took in the scenery around. The cabin was in far better shape than the rundown buildings they’d passed on the way in and there was a kind of fairytale charm to wetlands around them. If the weather wasn’t so disgusting she could picture herself taking a weekend retreat out here, not that she had the money to do so. Money had always been tight and the trip down to Louisiana was already being funded by skimming from Nora’s college fund. She approached the edge of the water and sighed in appreciation, looking out over the swamp. Mr. Thornton had picked a pretty decent spot to retire after all. Neko’s enjoyment was ruined by Wyatt’s joke about being fed to the gators. She told herself not to look down at the water, already knowing it was clear. She foolishly looked down at the water anyway and her heart leaped up into her throat. Neko took a defensive step back, her eyes wide with terror, her hand clamped over her mouth, a feeling of ice and static running through her body. Tentatively she took a small step forward and was greeted only by her muddy reflection in the water. She had just imagined the drowned face, choked by a tangle of hair and algae. She had barely been getting sleep as of late and exhaustion must’ve finally gotten the better of her. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, the unease still tight in her body. Neko joined the others, hopeful that Nori was too distracted with feeding the birds and the others were too focused on the cabin to have noticed her little jump. She must’ve missed a thread because they were coming up with some smoke and mirrors plan to use against the butler. Between the two options Neko imagined that a local would react better to Olivia’s plan than Wyatt’s idea, as she imagined private people would clamp up around journalists. However, Neko didn’t quite like the idea of lying to the man. Most old men were just lonely and looking for someone to chat with—even the old men who built a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. [color=FFB6C1]“Let’s just play it by ear. For all we know Mr. Thornton is just dying to gossip,”[/color] said Neko, keeping to herself the thought that he could also be a gid-offa-mah-lawn type and pull a shotgun on them. She followed after Jordan up to the porch. She hissed out a sharp [color=FFB6C1]“Oy!”[/color] at Jordan as he went to peek in the window and gave him the “stop that” look perfected by all mothers, motioning to him to join her side. She raised a hand to knock on the door and paused, a wave of apprehension seizing her. Neko took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then lightly tapped on the door.