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[IC] Pines Holler [Not Accepting] Page 4

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Hidden 2 days ago Post by Moon Child
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Moon Child

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Location: Dallas & Mollie’s House → Funnel Cake Stand
Mentions: Dallas, Clive, Valentino



When Dallas told Mollie about her upcoming plans, the older King cousin couldn’t help but feel delighted for her own selfish reasons. Sure: she was genuinely happy that her younger cousin had a date. After the nightmare that was her relationship with Valentino, it was nice to see her moving on with her life. It also helped matters that Mol knew Clive Evermore was a good man, and that so far he’d proven to be nothing short of a gentleman when it came to Dal. But the reality was that Dal's absence provided Mollie with something she had been wanting for a few weeks now: the house all to herself.

When Kent had died, the house had felt like a void. The silence was deafening, and her husband’s absence from the places he had once occupied were a cruel reminder of the empty spaces he had left on the hearts of those who cared about him. Dallas moving in had been a godsend– a reminder that although things were looking bleak, she wasn’t ever truly as alone as she felt at times. But as grateful as she was for Dal’s constant presence in her home, Mollie still enjoyed the occasional time alone. A long bubble bath, an assortment of fair foods to pig out, a night spent in the cold AC with her favorite movies playing until she fell asleep… It sounded like the perfect plan for a night like this.

The Fourth Of July Fair was an event long beloved by the Pines Holler community for as long as Mol could remember. She and Kent had attended a few times, but it was never really their thing; they instead took the opportunity to hog one of the pool tables at Huskers while everyone else was at the fair. This year, the forecast was predicting unbearable heat: something Mollie had never been fond of even during her time in Vegas, and a perfect excuse to stay indoors. But if she wanted to indulge in those delectable fair foods that made her mouth water at the mere thought, the blonde would have to brave the heat.

Long after Dallas had left, Mollie had finally mustered up the will to abandon her cool oasis and make it to the stands at the fair. While a lot of the town had taken this opportunity to dress up (as much as one could living in a small town, anyway), Mol hadn’t bothered with it. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she wore nothing but black biker shorts, sandals and an oversized band tee. The large recyclable bag swung over her shoulder contained a few of her favorite foods already, and she contentedly sipped on a fresh, homemade large strawberry lemonade while she waited for her favorite food of all: a funnel cake. Once she'd collected the delicious treat, she would hurry back home to enjoy her food in the comfort of her home.
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Hidden 2 days ago → 2 days ago Post by Pumpkin Jackdaw
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Pumpkin Jackdaw a knock at the door; a 3 A.M. visitor

Member Seen 0-24 hrs ago


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the wind plays a tune
through the pine trees

a high whistle that scratches
my throat dry

sap on my lips
syrup on my tongue

my burdens are the snow tops
and i lay down

a hunched mountain
above the gaze

of your bedrock stare


Location: Home - Fairgrounds
Interactions: N/A
Mentions: His Daughter


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Words, Silvester understood, did very little to soak up silence dipped in familial tension. The kind backed up by years of omission and good intention.

"Usually it's the parent revealing the evidence of misdeed to their child," Silvester said, scrubbing his hand over his face as he leaned back into the dining room chair, "Not the other way around."

"Fuck off—"

"Mija—"

"Don't make light of this, papa," Anya gripped the paper in her hand for just a moment.

"Anya, you shouldn't be worrying over this. I'm your father; I have this under control."

"You don't even have medical insurance anymore! You're behind on your loan payments!" She stabbed her finger into the warning on the paper, "I still live here. Why won't you let me help you?"

Silvester pushed himself to stand, squeezing his eyes shut, "We're going to talk about why you even know any of that eventually. But, I'm not going to trap you here and I'm not taking money that you earned and wasting it on a failing business."

"Why don't you just sell the place and leave this fucking hell hole, then?"

"And put abuela in a home? Plus, I can't just sell the store. It wouldn't even... I wouldn't even make enough to pay off the loans I put out for it."

"Then let me help you, papa," Anya stood to follow her father, the shadows of the dimming stove light twisting the expression on her face. Silvester glanced at her for but a moment before letting his eyes fall as he leaned himself against the kitchen countertop.

"You can help me by saving up enough money with me to get you into a decent school, Anya." he lowered his voice to a whisper, reaching out to grasp her hands, "I'd rather you worry about your own future. Mine is set in stone and I don't see any point in changing that."

For a moment, Anya bowed her head, eyes dipping below Silvester's gaze. He could feel her squeeze and rub the palm of his hand and in the shadows Silvester could see her chew at her bottom lip. "You could sell out to the suits trying to buy this town out y'know. I saw the offer in the trash the other day."

The thought passed Silvester's mind a good few times a day these past few months. The last three days without power made all of it more recurring—an incessant buzz in his head. When he'd received the latest letter, his mother gave him a look. One torn between sorrow and desperation, but she hadn't spoken a word. This was his business now and he'd deal with whatever suffering came of it. Or boon, should he take whatever money they threw to swindle him out of what he could only really consider a family heirloom now over a family business.

Silvester shook his head, voice thick and wavering, "I can't, sweetheart."

Anya looked up, "Why can't you?"

"I don't... I can't get into it right now, Anya. I have to get to bed," he let go of her hands to turn toward the hallway, "You're still helping me tomorrow morning? I need to get all of the food and ingredients to the fairgrounds tomorrow before any of the festivities start."

There sat a silence that kickstarted the thrumming behind his ribs as Silvester looked back at Anya leaning against the kitchen countertop. She popped open a can of beer left to warm beside the stove and he watched her take a long draft before setting the can down and nodding her head. "Yeah, yeah of course."

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Many folks would look at Silvester and think, Oh, he probably thrives in the summer heat and Silvester would probably laugh any comment off. He tanned better than most folks and the heat didn't look to bother him as much, but Silvester had always, always been more of a fan of winter and the end of fall especially. Something about November settled his bones. Like it felt an in between in the dipping excitement of October and the rising chaos of December's great family holidays.

The summer heat, especially the humidity in Appalachia, had Silvester in perpetual discomfort, exacerbated by the whole seventy-two hours of no AC he had to top it off by buying out a stall in the middle of the fairgrounds in order to cook hot food beneath a squeaky, barely hanging onto life fan for who knows how long. At least he had the people to look forward to, not that he often looked forward to making himself uncomfortable in social situations, but the awkward exchanges helped keep his mind off the grill radiating heat onto one side of his face the entire day and evening.

"Mm, fuck why don't you make this all the time?" Anya groaned, chewing down on the rest of the half of elote she'd just taken from her father's hand.

"Probably because all that crema isn't too healthy for you."

"At least it's not butter," Anya retorted before raising her hand and jogging away, "I'll be home late tonight! Don't forget there's Bengay in the medicine cabinet for your inevitable back problems, papa!"

Silvester rolled his eyes, turning back to manage the food on the grill and hot plates, "I'm glad the whole world knows I have back issues now. Maybe mention my knees too, huh?"

Every year he'd buy out a stall just like this and every year he'd cook the whole town some good old-fashioned Mexican street food. With every item sold, from elote to fruit cups to his mother's agua frescas, he'd give out his business card and a coupon for any small item or purchases totaling 20 or 50 dollars or more. Without fail he'd see maybe one more customer, usually an out of towner, and that was it. On a good holiday, he'd maybe see five the next day or days later when they were passing through, but nothing regular. No return customers a month from then maybe looking for a refurbished couch or a nice antique lamp.

Yet Silvester toiled still. He came out to these fairs, he'd set up a booth, maybe sell some of his antiques or make food for tourists and visitors and he'd hope. Maybe hoping was foolish, but Silvester realized that maybe he’d always been content with living life as a fool. Kind of sad to think about, staring into the charcoal burn of a grill on a too hot July day. In his age, it’s far too late to complain.
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Hidden 1 day ago → 13 hrs ago Post by Stryder BC
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Stryder BC Living in Books and RP

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Location: Fairgrounds
Interactions: Callie Shaw
Mentions: Gideon Mercer and Callie Shaw

Jenkins had spent the first hour doing what Robert Jenkins did best, working the crowd. He had a knack for remembering names, shaking hands, and making people feel important. This was his time, his place, his crowd.

One hand wrapped around a plastic cup of lemonade, the other shaking hands and clapping shoulders. Jenkins moved through the fairgrounds like he owned the place. Parents stopped him to talk football. School board members thanked him for another successful year. Former players greeted him with big smiles and stories they’d talked about a hundred times before. With the only high school in town, even Town Council checked in on the principal.

Fourth of July was his kind of holiday. The fair, the fireworks, families together. Pines Holler at its best. And more importantly, people seeing him. Someone had once called him a “celebrity in his own mind” but Jenkins only laughed. He was the principal. The coach. The man who got things done. They didn’t need a superintendent, they had Jenkins.

He had already talked to the coaches, spoken to the teachers. Even though summer holidays had arrived, he had told his staff, “off the record”, they should be at the July 4th celebrations. The teachers knew the kids. If there was a problem, they should be there to help. Just their presence could be a deterrent, he said, prevented students from doing something stupid. Just one more thing to make sure the school had a part in the community.

By the time he had found himself near the centre of the fair and the spread of picnic tables, he overheard the conversation. Two older men sitting near the edge, sipping Dr. Pepper and chewing on their cigarettes.

"The generators?"


"Yep. Heard it from the Mayor herself. Bought 'em and had 'em delivered before he skipped town."

"Well I'll be damned."


"Doesn’t make any sense though. Why did Mercer buy all these generators and then pack up shop?"

Jenkins froze for a second and his smile disappeared. He stood there for a moment and chewed his lip. Mercer was gone. For weeks he'd been trying to reach that bastard. He’d gone through every avenue. Emails to his office. Calls to his secretary. Through a cousin of a cousin, he had reached out and finally scheduled an appointment and now all that work was dead. Weeks of phone calls, favors, and promises wasted.

Mercer had money. He had connections. He had the kind of influence that could've turned Jenkins' dreams into reality. A new football stadium. Expanded athletic facilities. A renovated school. Mercer had promised development and Jenkins saw opportunity. And yes, maybe a few opportunities for himself along the way. That was how things worked.

Now apparently Mercer had handed out generators like some kind of local hero and disappeared.

"Son of a bitch." Jenkins muttered under his breath.

For the first time all evening, Robert Jenkins wasn't interested in shaking another hand. He cut through the crowd with purpose. Past the food vendors. Past the Ferris wheel. Past a group of Pine Holler students who immediately stepped out of his path and shut down their conversation.

If Mercer was truly gone, then somebody needed to explain what the hell the town's leadership intended to do next. Because development wasn't going to stop, it couldn’t stop. This little town was drying up faster than cow pies on a summer day and funnel cakes and fairs wouldn’t be enough to save this place.

He finally spotted Callie Shaw near one of the vendor rows. Mayor Natalie Shaw's daughter. Town lawyer. Town activist. Town headache.

Jenkins adjusted his expression before approaching, trying to hide the exasperation that he felt growing in his chest. "Callie. Callie Shaw.”

His voice carried the same authority that had shut down classrooms and locker rooms for two decades. The same voice he had used when Callie was a junior in Pines Holler high.

"I need a word."

He stopped beside her, his eyes scanning the crowd before returning to hers. He looked at the young woman in front of him and assuming she had influenced her mother, continued,"I've been hearing some interesting things tonight."

He paused for a moment, then added, "About Mercer."

His jaw tightened and he growled,"Tell me your mother's around."

"I think the mayor and I need to have a conversation before this town makes another mistake it can't afford."
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Hidden 15 hrs ago Post by Sugar and Spite
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Sugar and Spite The High Priestess

Moderator Seen 10 hrs ago


Location — Her home -> Pines Holler Fairgrounds
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Three days without power could feel like a lifetime. For Callie, it had been a much needed breather.

She spent most days in her office down on main street - regardless if anyone came in looking for her services or not. The power outage had given her time to do the exact opposite of that. Sure, most of the time was spent lazying around the house and going down to Huskers only when she couldn’t stand the heat anymore just like the rest of the town, but it was nice.

The young woman had done her best trying to figure out what had caused the power outage, but she could never get a straight answer no matter who she asked. Some people said it was a blown transformer. Others chalked it up to ‘just a fluke’. Whatever the reason, Callie didn’t like how it all seemed a little too hush-hush. Even more so, she hated the sneaking suspicion that Pines had been all but forgotten.

Fourth of July rolled around almost as fast as small town rumors had the tendency to spread. Callie usually looked forward to the annual town festivities, but this year was different.

She hadn’t told Rowan - let alone anyone else - how their mother had been messaging her on and off for the last month, nearly begging for what she kept referring to as a ‘business meeting’. Something told Callie it was more than that, and after years of no contact she wasn’t about to sit willingly at the enemies table - nor offer an invitation to hers. Pines Holler may have been small, but Callie knew this place like the back of her hand. Avoiding her parents over the years had been easy, especially when it seemed that they were doing the same.

The funniest sort of feeling lingered in the air. Something told Callie that that avoidance wouldn’t be so easy tonight. It wasn’t enough to deter her completely, but it was enough to put her on just enough of an edge. Besides, regardless of any weird feelings she had, Callie was never going to pass up an opportunity to support her brother and/or his band.

The elder of the Shaw duo promptly got dressed and smoked a fair share of weed before stashing a few goodies for later in her purse before beginning the drive over to the fair grounds.

While marijuana wasn’t legal in the state of North Carolina, Callie wasn’t exactly worried about getting pulled over for a DWI when Pines police force was nearly all impaired themselves.

She drove with the windows down, feeling the setting sun and warm wind upon her skin. The radio was tuned in to the local country station. Callie had nearly lost the strange feeling in her stomach by the time she had put the car in park.

Once Callie was inside the gates she decided to make her rounds at the vendor booths and heritage crafters. Ever since she was a little girl, it had been her favorite thing to do on Fourth of July other than watch the fireworks while eating funnel cake with Rowan. She would have to sneak the money from Ettie to do so, and they would always have to avoid their parents so they wouldn’t get caught. In Callie’s mind, each time they pulled it off made the funnel cake taste even better.

Caught up in some of the better memories she had while stopping to look at some local handcrafted pottery, Callie was brought back to the present by someone calling her name.

She turned to follow the sound of the some-what familiar voice, only to be disappointed with what awaited her.

”Robert,” she replied sternly. Callie had refused to call her old principal ‘Mr. Jenkins’ since the day she had graduated, and especially since that one unfortunate night after Huskers. She had made herself a silent agreement to remain cordial with the man, but she wasn’t going to respect him if she was no longer being forced to do so.

Crossing her arms while he spoke, Callie couldn’t help but raise a brow at his commands.

She was mildly bewildered. Anyone who knew Callie or Natalie Shaw knew they did not speak to one another. On top of that, Callie couldn’t think of a reason for Jenkins to be concerned about Mercer when the latter had skipped town.

”She’s a very busy woman, but I’m sure she’s around here somewhere,” she began in response, looking up at him. Her curiosity peaked, Callie knew she had to play this just right to get any information that she could from Jenkins. Her tone and facial expression gently shifted to convey concern. ”Is this really important enough to stress you out? From what I’ve heard, Mercer’s skipped town and none of us really have anythin’ to worry about in regards t’ him anymore. I’m not sure if I would be able to help catch her attention on somethin' that seems to be a non-issue.”

For now, Callie was fishing for information and relying on the fact that Jenkins knew nothing about her and her mothers relationship. Rather this would work or potentially backfire she had next to no way of knowing but she was damn sure willing to give it a shot.


Interacting With — Robert Jenkins
Mentions — Rowan & Natalie Shaw

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Hidden 13 hrs ago Post by Sugar and Spite
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Sugar and Spite The High Priestess

Moderator Seen 10 hrs ago


Location — Pines Holler Fairgrounds
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Ryan had mixed feelings on the power outage.

She couldn't go to her actual, but that left more time for her to have a small uptick in her side hustle. Of course there was also a slight increase in cop patrols, but Ryan knew where to be and when to be there in order to avoid being caught.

The extra cash was welcome.

The extra headache was not.

Upon returning to work, Ryan had made sure she paid all of the bills and then began saving up for the Fourth of July. While she would never admit it out loud, she loved the festival.

She loved the smell of dirt, sweat, fried food, sugar and hay all mixed together. She loved the kids running around, covered in remnants of funnel cake, popsicles and wrestling matches in the red clay. She loved hearing and seeing the fireworks go off, and how the entirety of the fair lit up against the night sky. She loved the fashion - men in their jeans and boots, women in short shorts and crop-tops. She loved cheering on the bull riders from the stands, and yelling bullshit into the crowd just to start fights. Even more so, Ryan loved all of the extra money she made selling illegal things at the Festival. If all went well tonight, her and Delia’s rent could be paid for the next two months and then some.

Delia had been sent off with a decent wad of cash earlier in the afternoon. Ryan had told her to stay out of any big trouble, but honestly wasn’t sure that she would listen. As long as her younger cousin stayed away from Ryan's own activities tonight that was all she cared about.

Walking around in the hot summer heat with her purse slung over her shoulder, Ryan couldn’t help but sigh in defeat at just how hot it was. Pulling her hair up into a loose ponytail with the hair tie on her wrist, the dark haired woman made her way over to the nearest lemonade stand and took a place in line.

She needed something to cool her off, and only a strawberry-lemonade could do the trick right now.


Interacting With — N/A
Mentions — Her cousin Delia

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