Samantha
Lily had acquired new clothes (and more) from Hazel. She believed she could sell the image of a 'tidy young woman' now. They were dressed in a modest cream coloured dress with long sleeves hiding the stitch work the tailor had done on their arms. Lily thought she'd never before looked as innocent as she currently did. Innocent, it had been many years since she had shrugged off that particular descriptor. She doubted she'd ever be able to find her name next to it in the dictionary ever again. They knew what they'd done. They knew what she had _needed_ to do to survive. Was she a sinner? Maybe. But no less guilty than those who were weak enough to fall for her tricks and lies. She pushed open the door of the general store, seeing the note still tucked in the window gave her hope the room might still be available. 

Lily was met with a young woman around her own age, if not a good few inches taller, behind the counter. "Good day to you miss, I am looking for _CT_? I'd like to inquire about the room for rent." Lily's tone was polite, if not slightly nervous. They were ready to bargain on the price of rent if it proved to be an inhospitable amount. They were always ready to bargain. Though they doubted it would be reaching the same costs as she and Ada had paid back in the city. Granted, Lily currently lacked the same levels of income she'd enjoyed then. _Then._ It had barely been a day but it already felt like a lifetime away. In terms of looking like she was less wealthy than she was, maybe a new dress hadn't been the best choice of attire. It indicated she had enough disposable income to her name that she could afford brand new dresses without a special occasion being the foundation for such purchases.

But anything was an improvement compared to the flapper dress and man's suit jacket they'd worn when they'd stumbled into town. On top of that, she _did_ have money and this CT would likely not rent to someone who wasn't able to pay consistently. She'd have to worry about a job next, after ticking of the current item on her to-do list.
Carol
While Carina's new home had been slowly filling up with furniture and trinkets, the air was still and sad. All of the space reserved for Mrs. Bigby was empty and hollow, and all the space in Carina's mind reserved for the woman felt much the same. The more she furnished the bare rooms, the more her savings depleted, all the while her sense of vacancy remained unsoothed. 

She was loath to admit her loneliness, but bankruptcy was in fact easier to claim. She had posted the notice in search of a roommate at a time when she needed both company and financial support, but only one of which she was willing to advertise. 

With Dimitra so gravely injured, and her singular found family member dead from injuries sustained from the same source, Carina's social life lately relied on customer interactions. She knew she could visit Dimitra. She knew she *Should*, but she'd heard how severely the woman had suffered the werewolf's bite. Carina wasn't ready for another goodbye. Selfishly, she wanted to remember Dimitra as she had been when she was whole: smiling beside her on a pallet of blankets, the taste of moonshine on her lips. Truly, it was only a matter of time before her care for Dimitra won out, but at this point, she faced the hurdle of embarrassment at having waited so long to come visit. 

The chime of the bell on the door was a wash of relief. Carina straightened her spine where she sat on her stool behind the register, her eyes refocusing from their point of hazy, mid-distant staring and onto the person that had entered. A stranger. The shopkeeper flipped through her internal rolodex of facial expressions and body language, landing on the set that would project indifferent superiority. She crossed her arms. She tilted up her chin. She mitigated her excitement at the person's interest in the room, fiercely guarding her desperation with a gentle scowl. 
_ _

"I believe the room is still available." She paused, "What brings you to Briar Ridge?" Carina's tone was terse and judgemental, though she kept her speech free of insults for the time being. She liked this person's dress, and the slight hesitant nervousness of their inquiry. Her interest lay in toeing the line between commanding respect and outright intimidation. She did not plan to reveal herself as CT until she had conducted a thorough screening. 
_ _
Samantha
The woman before her had an air of importance. Strange, for a store clerk. It wasn't a role that Lily deemed important enough for the attitude the woman seemed to hold. Maybe it was something else that made the clerk feel like she was better and above Lily. Whatever it was, Lily decided they didn't like her. They did not do well with those who saw themselves above others. Well, _others_ she could deal with, her being deemed lesser than was the real problem. Hypocritical for sure. Lily saw themselves as superior to quite a few people, but could not deal with being on the receiving end.

Nothing specifically brought them to Briar Ridge. Rather, something forced her away from her previous home. But she couldn't very well tell this woman that she was an escaped and still actively wanted criminal. Criminals did not tend to be good candidates for renting rooms. Especially those firmly out of a job. Lily opted for the next best thing, a story that was mostly true, which made sounding convincing that much easier. "I wanted a change of pace. I've lived in big cities my whole life." Lie number one. "I grew tired of the constant noise, the polluted air, the crowded streets, and the lack of actual connection between people. I've wanted to move to the countryside for years and finally got myself to actually do it." Lie number two and three. "Something about this place drew me in, I know it might sound silly but it just feels _right_ here for me." Lily felt like every visitor to the city she'd met, head over heels with a place they barely knew. Tourists were always easy pickings. "Big cities have nothing left for me, I'm done with them. I'm hoping to start fresh here." The first full truth in their story.
_ _

Lily was done with cities, with the politics of organized crime, with the speakeasies pretending they were elite clubs, with men thinking they owned her, with the police force, with the backstabbing and lying and constant changing of aliases. They were done. They were ready to be one person again. To just be Lily: a person with facets and fluidity, but whole in the end. They'd never taken the time to truly figure out who they were when it wasn't in a context of manipulation and lying. She wasn't sure she could ever exist without some part of her being constructed from falsehoods. Maybe Briar Ridge would prove to be the fertile ground in which she could root and bloom into the Lily they were always meant to be. Or maybe hers would remain a brief stay, maybe police would find them, maybe she'd mess up and have to run again. Anything could happen.
Carol
No one came to Briar Ridge for the *Fresh air.* They might stay put because of the mountains, the river rich in fish, the relative quiet of the starry nights– but this town didn't have a reputation for peace. It didn't have a reputation for anything, really. In Carina's experience, if you weren't born here, you were delivered to Briar Ridge in a time of desperation, and you clung to the town like a life raft. Her world view being so singular as it was, she refused to easily believe any divergence from her own specific truth. But still, she listened to the woman before her. 

"That's really beautiful, miss." Carina commented dryly, her expression blank. 
"I'm guessing you haven't been here very long. But. So long as your idea of a 'fresh start,'" She emphasized the words and punctuated them with narrowed eyes, "Includes a town-wide bloodbath every time the full moon comes around, I think this town will be just perfect for you." Now, she smiled, crossing one knee over the other and folding her fingers on top. 

"I'm sure since you took enough time looking this town over to be *Drawn in,* Then you'll already know plenty about the attacks." She went on, drawing a notebook out from below the counter. She flipped to a page marked with a ribbon. 

"Rent will be ten dollars a month. And C.T. Will want to know how soon you can move in?" Her demeanor had changed from salty and judgemental to nearly chipper. She was a professional parade-rainer, and she loved her job. 
_ _
Samantha
Carina didn't seem to fully buy their story, and with good reason. Lily might have been good with words before, but she was severely out of her depth here. She forced her face to remain void of shock and horror, but oh Lord did she feel it. Had Carina been looking at them, she likely would have been able to pick up on the real emotions Lily experienced hearing of Briar Ridge's darker side. Town-wide bloodbaths, attacks, during full moons? She could not possibly talk her way out of this. The woman seemed dead serious too, which only worried Lily further. What on earth had they gotten herself into? Out of the frying pan of nightclubs and into the fire that was Briar Ridge it seemed. Lily preferred fires she decided. Even if that fire did come with monthly bloodbaths. They had definitely _not_ had enough time to look this town over. All they knew was that the local tailor possessed moonshine and did not ask questions when Lily had shown up covered in cuts. Hazel had mentioned that there were others like Lily, who kept their pasts clenched close to their chests.

They were slowly piecing what little information they had together. As much as she could, there was a werewolf-shaped puzzle piece that she had yet to find in her pile, and the spot it fit into was right in the middle of the Briar Ridge picture. She wanted to ask Carina what she meant, but she needed that room, _desperately_ needed it. Carina was between them and it. The moment they had keys in hand they would be storming right back to Carina to question her about the insanity she just spewed. "I'm sure I can handle it. I've been around trigger happy folk before." She was decidedly _not_ sure.
_ _

Ten dollars sounded entirely adequate to Lily, who was used to paying much, _much_ more than that. She had to keep in mind that she came from a place where money flowed quickly and plentiful, the stream in Briar Ridge was more of a brook than a river. She may as well try to lower the cost of rent, spending less money was always beneficial in Lily's eyes. "If they would agree to a rate of 9 dollars, I could move in immediately. Though I would like to meet C.T. Before then, if possible. I like knowing who I am paying." Lily felt like it was a reasonable request. She was itching for a formal agreement so they could get back to Carina and ask her what on earth she had been talking about when she casually mentioned _full moon attacks._
Carol
With the same blank mask, Carina looked up from her notebook for Lily's response. *Trigger happy.* She wondered what it meant, but given the two of them would be spending a lot of time together, she figured she'd hear the stories sooner or later. 

"Nine dollars, fifty cents, and I think she'd honor it." The shopkeeper nodded curtly, reaching for a pencil to write down the address of the old Baker house. Tearing the page from her notebook, she stepped around the counter to hand it to Lily. 

"Six o'clock sharp. She's always home by six. I'll let her know to expect you." Carina was giddy with herself over the ruse she'd planted. It was rare that she got to orchestrate such time-dependent tricks, but Lord knew she had the patience for them. In situations of her own design, as long as she held the reigns, she had limitless patience. 
_ _