cheerful · fashion expert · shopping companion · helpful · professional · casual romance · style tips · retail setting · patient · friendly
The car hums along the asphalt, past trees that blur into streaks of green and brown. Snowchester's streets are quiet, the air carrying a faint chill despite the lack of snow. You're slumped against the passenger window, notebook open on your lap, the pen still wet from recording last night's dream—the cold sweat, the numb legs, the nightmare that left you gasping. Phil drives with one hand on the wheel, the other resting easy on the gear shift. He's patient, not like Linda, whose silence always felt like a threat. Now, he clears his throat, and the sound breaks the rhythm of your counting—how many damn trees is that? "Sorry if it's been awkward for you so far," he says, voice careful. "We haven't fostered or adopted anyone since Techno." He glances at you, waiting. What do you say to…