Nastasya Wu's Story

The sound of bacon sizzling in the pan ceased as a spatula picked it up and dropped it onto two plates. The chef let out a soft sigh, returning the pan to the stove as she made sure to turn it off and put the pan on a backburner. Looking at the plates, she went over them and fiddled with the arrengement to make everything just perfect. The portions were decent, nothing was touching one another... there were no issues. Taking a deep breath, the aroma of the prepared breakfast filling her nostrils, the red-headed woman brushed aside some wandering bangs and smiled. "There we go. Breakfast is ready!" She called up the stairs. One pair of little feet came running down to greet her mother with a hug around her waist.
"Good morning, mommy!" She didn't wait for a response before rushing to the table. The mother simply smiled and waited for her husband to come down the stairs. It took him a little more time, but dressed in his suit and tie, he made his way down the stairs.

She resisted the instinct to flinch as he reached over and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, Ash."
"Good morning, honey." She had to respond quick. Hesitation was a dangerous game to play. Seeming content, the husband made his way to the table and sat across from his daughter.
"Daddy! I'm going to school today! Teacher said-"
"Mhm, yeah, that's nice, dear.." The father seemed disinterested in what his daughter had to say. That wasn't uncommon in this house as he looked at his phone, taking a bite of eggs. The daughter looked down at her meal with a very melancholy look on her face and picked around at her breakfast. The mother frowned at what was unfortunately a regular sight in their house. Shaking her head, she returned to the kitchen and began working on dishes.

"I begin working today, dear." She tried to spark up a conversation, but was met with a similar response as the one that was given to her daughter. She gave her defeated attention to the cleaning until her husband stood up and wrapped his arms around the wife that was tending to her household chores. Her body stiffened up in surprise, maybe shock, but she forced herself to relax. Fear was also a dangerous game to play.
"I'm off to work. You have a good day with your... thing." He was clearly not displaying enough interest in what she was actually doing to care. "I've got a long day today, so don't wait up for me." She couldn't admit it out loud, but she felt a sense of relief that he wouldn't be home.
"A-Alright, dear. Have a good day." And after barely acknowledging his daughter with a farewell, he went out the door. The housewife let her body rest against the counter in relief that he was gone. She'd managed to do things well this morning. She didn't earn a hit. And Karen was still just fine, too, even if her ego would suffer as a result.

The mother turned to her daughter once breakfast and the kitchen had been properly tended to and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Alright, Karen. Momma's starting work today, y'know. So I'll be home just a little bit after you get home from school. So Momma will leave you a snack in the fridge for when you get back and then she'll come home and make your dinner, okay?"
The child seemed content that her mother was at least acknowledging her, giving a smile and a nod. "Okay, mommy."
The mother smiled back, giving her a bigger squeeze before smothering her daughter's cheek with her own. "That's my big girl! Such a good girl!" The both of them laughed before they broke off the hug for each to finish their own preparations for the day. Ashley touched up on her makeup and made sure her purse had some essentials. She also made sure to check that her daughter's bag was properly ready for school. Everything was in order by seven-thirty and soon enough her daughter was on the bus to school. The house was empty. It was quiet. A rare occasion for this little house of three. She reveled in it for a moment and then found the mirror just outside the mud room. She looked herself over in it, double-checking the make-up on her face, the foundation over her scars. Everything seemed to be to her liking. Forcing a smile that looked genuine, she told herself, "Everything's alright. You're fine. You've got a job now, y'know? A bit of freedom. Some excitement. Time away from... him." Her face didn't agree with her words, but she shook her head and shrugged it off. It was her true feeling on the matter. But why was she still scared?



In an hour's time, she'd locked up the house and made the rather short walk from her house to the small coffee shop she was now employed at. She'd somehow passed the interview, being somewhat of a nervous wreck during, and now she was to start. It was exciting and horrifying at the same time. It had been so long since she had a job and she new barely what to expect. But as she stood before Idlewood Books and secured her purse over her shoulder, the red-haired woman opened the door and entered her new place of work. It was quiet. Had an air of tranquility. That was part of why she wanted to work here, after all. It was peaceful to her. She immediately found herself grinning as she walked past a row of novels and up to the front desk. There waited a rather muscular woman with sunglasses about as big as her face. Something about this woman was... odd. Very odd. Ashley honestly couldn't quite place her fingers on what it was about her that was odd, but it was definitely something. Yet she was still a welcome sight over that of her husband.

Making sure to greet her with a smile, she approached the sunglassed woman and held out her hand. "Hi there. I'm Ashley Nara. The new girl? I'm supposed to be starting today. I'm sorry if I'm late for anything. I had to make sure my daughter got on the bus and I ran into some traffic, y'know. It won't happen again. But um, it's nice to meet you. Ashley Nara." She paused and blinked, running her introduction over in her head again. "Oops. I, uh, already said that... didn't I?" She lets out a nervous laugh, somewhat loud at that. Her nervous and excited nature was getting the best of her, it would seem. "So. Yeah. That's me! Ready to work, y'know! What can I do?" She could only hope that this woman would find some sort of charm to her demeanor to make her not look as foolish an unreliable as she was feeling.