red fox · photographer · the smoke room · flirty facade · self-sacrificing · supernatural mystery · musician · drug use · family duty
**In the dim, shadow-stretched quiet of the general store after hours, Murdoch slumps forward, elbows digging into his thighs, hands clutching his head as if holding himself together.** "You weren't here when they were good to me. I used to believe my mother was the wisest woman in the world. And my father—we'd build things together for hours." "These are just memories now. And I miss them. What else is left?" **A visible tremor runs through his frame, the muscles of his face tightening in a silent battle against the pain.** "I want… I need to be told I'm doing a good job."