She shuts the door behind her. Watches the shorter blonde meander into her entryway, tracking in snow. Are they friends? She didn't want to assume.
"Yeah, she's kind of going through it right now. She'll be staying here for a while. I don't know how long, but..." Carolina shakes her head. "It's bad."
"Oh." Haley's tone sinks, and she hugs herself. "No, yeah, I get that, I guess I just don't get why she wouldn't answer me, even if it's just to say she needed space. Like... it's okay, you know? If she needs space."
"No, sit down. I can get you a drink." She wanders across the living room toward the kitchen. The two spaces are separated by a bar, a few stools for seating, in which you could peer from the living room into the kitchen, or vice versa. "Coffee? Water? I think I have juice..."
Peering into the fridge, "Don't take it personally. She can be... insular when she's upset. She might not realize she needs space, or feels embarrassed because she does. She's not—" Carolina makes an aborted noise, stares dumbly into the fridge in her search for the right words. "She doesn't always do what you might expect a person to do. She sometimes makes things hard for herself. Not on purpose. You know?"
Haley's neighbor. JojaMart guy. He's chubby and scruffy and wears dumpy gym shorts and a smelly hoodie everywhere, spends most of his nights chaining beers at the saloon where Haley's sister Emily works. And yet, Em has nothing but good things to say about the guy. And Haley's not into guys, but he's genuinely really handsome under all that crust. Why does he waste it?
Because he's miserable. He's making things hard for himself on purpose. That's why he drinks, and that's why South drinks.
"Yeah. I get that."
Taking off her coat and folding it over her arm, Haley sits. "Water's okay. Whatever's easiest." (She wants coffee, but she suspects Carolina takes it black because she seems like, deeply respectfully, a scary bitch. And scary bitches always like their coffee black for whatever reason.) "But yeah, no, I do understand, I just don't wanna infringe on the whole space thing if she still needs it. That's all."
Carolina fills a glass with water and slides it across the bar. For herself, she pours— what'd y'know, a mug of black coffee.
"No, she'll appreciate that you came. My boyfriend and I have been keeping her company, but he gets on her nerves and I'm her old boss, so the dynamic's kind of weird. We're trying. I think she feels guilty staying here. She shouldn't need to feel that way. It's not a problem. But. Difficulties."
Ugh, right, her boyfriend. The freaky creepy guy. Haley's glad she missed him. He seems... fine, she guesses, but he looks like he rolled in a puddle of eyeliner and spite every morning in lieu of getting dressed. What a freak.
Haley does not remark on this, out of respect for Carolina.
"Haley," she says. "Haley Beckman. I got here around the same as her."
"Haley," she parrots, making room in her memory. "I'm Carolina. Maybe South already told you. He's Gerry, if you ever catch him slinking around. Have you been settling in okay? It can be— a lot at first. I've been here since March and I still feel like someone kidnapped me and forced me into a shitty LARP session."
"Yyyyeah, it's been okay." Haley doesn't sound terribly confident about this, but... well, she's doing fine enough. "It's weird, for sure, and I'm still getting work stuff figured out. I was a photographer back home, but there's not a huge call for it here--- thankfully I know clothes pretty good, and apparently there's only one seamstress in town, so. Yeah."
"Oh, yeah? Nice. You know, I'd kill for a real bra. The corsets don't do it for me, and good luck trying to work out in one of them. People do it, I guess, but I hate it. No one can convince me it's comfortable to walk around like your back's fused together. So, it's been tits out."
"Girl, I have no idea how to make a normal bra. They don't have patterns for them here and my sister never taught me that one," Haley says with a commiserating sigh. "As soon as her girl meds started kicking in and she grew boobs, it was #freethenipple all the way."
(Yes, Haley pronounces the hashtag aloud.)
"But I could probably figure it out with some time, it can't be too different from a fitted bodice on a dress. And if I can find some stretch material, I could probably do a bralette or sports bra."
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Date: 2025-12-17 05:31 pm (UTC)She shuts the door behind her. Watches the shorter blonde meander into her entryway, tracking in snow. Are they friends? She didn't want to assume.
"Yeah, she's kind of going through it right now. She'll be staying here for a while. I don't know how long, but..." Carolina shakes her head. "It's bad."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-17 09:23 pm (UTC)A beat.
"Do you think I should leave?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-17 09:48 pm (UTC)"No, sit down. I can get you a drink." She wanders across the living room toward the kitchen. The two spaces are separated by a bar, a few stools for seating, in which you could peer from the living room into the kitchen, or vice versa. "Coffee? Water? I think I have juice..."
Peering into the fridge, "Don't take it personally. She can be... insular when she's upset. She might not realize she needs space, or feels embarrassed because she does. She's not—" Carolina makes an aborted noise, stares dumbly into the fridge in her search for the right words. "She doesn't always do what you might expect a person to do. She sometimes makes things hard for herself. Not on purpose. You know?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-17 09:58 pm (UTC)Haley's neighbor. JojaMart guy. He's chubby and scruffy and wears dumpy gym shorts and a smelly hoodie everywhere, spends most of his nights chaining beers at the saloon where Haley's sister Emily works. And yet, Em has nothing but good things to say about the guy. And Haley's not into guys, but he's genuinely really handsome under all that crust. Why does he waste it?
Because he's miserable. He's making things hard for himself on purpose. That's why he drinks, and that's why South drinks.
"Yeah. I get that."
Taking off her coat and folding it over her arm, Haley sits. "Water's okay. Whatever's easiest." (She wants coffee, but she suspects Carolina takes it black because she seems like, deeply respectfully, a scary bitch. And scary bitches always like their coffee black for whatever reason.) "But yeah, no, I do understand, I just don't wanna infringe on the whole space thing if she still needs it. That's all."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-18 07:10 pm (UTC)Carolina fills a glass with water and slides it across the bar. For herself, she pours— what'd y'know, a mug of black coffee.
"No, she'll appreciate that you came. My boyfriend and I have been keeping her company, but he gets on her nerves and I'm her old boss, so the dynamic's kind of weird. We're trying. I think she feels guilty staying here. She shouldn't need to feel that way. It's not a problem. But. Difficulties."
She sips.
"What's your name?"
no subject
Date: 2026-01-03 10:47 pm (UTC)Haley does not remark on this, out of respect for Carolina.
"Haley," she says. "Haley Beckman. I got here around the same as her."
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 07:28 pm (UTC)"Haley," she parrots, making room in her memory. "I'm Carolina. Maybe South already told you. He's Gerry, if you ever catch him slinking around. Have you been settling in okay? It can be— a lot at first. I've been here since March and I still feel like someone kidnapped me and forced me into a shitty LARP session."
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 11:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-13 09:36 pm (UTC)"Oh, yeah? Nice. You know, I'd kill for a real bra. The corsets don't do it for me, and good luck trying to work out in one of them. People do it, I guess, but I hate it. No one can convince me it's comfortable to walk around like your back's fused together. So, it's been tits out."
no subject
Date: 2026-01-19 04:12 pm (UTC)(Yes, Haley pronounces the hashtag aloud.)
"But I could probably figure it out with some time, it can't be too different from a fitted bodice on a dress. And if I can find some stretch material, I could probably do a bralette or sports bra."