Don't show your teeth unless you want to lose them

He had callused hands and had the arm muscles of someone's hot dad at the gym. Such a fucking crime that he was stuck in Paxton. Simone wondered if he did TikTok thirst traps. He should, he'd make bank. "I don't have spirit, holiday or otherwise. I'm ... here for work." It was the first time she'd ever been hesitant to admit she worked for Obsidian. It wasn't as if Grayson Hall's good opinion should matter. But it almost seemed to. "You're wasted in this town. They just tear everything down and let the desert take it. No one fixes anything anymore." Once more, failing at being sociable. Simone made a face and dug her vape out of her pocket. "Quitting smoking. I'm a bitch anyway, but it makes it worse." Dragging on it, she blew a cloud of blue raspberry away from Zaddy Hall.

His own stubborn anger began to well up as he started to connect the dots. It was particularly interesting for someone from Obsidian Holdings, which she likely was, to act like they knew anything about the small town they were trying to remodel or the desert. Gray remembered from conversations with Raina years ago that Obsidian Holdings was centered in Washington state and New York -- they were considering moving at one point if Castle Rock expanded to other states -- neither of which were particularly arid.

"Desert hasn't torn me apart, yet," Gray said. He grabbed the rest of his tools and put them into the rolling tool box, letting the clasps snap back into place. "Obsidian Holdings tried more than once, though."

Where: Lost Horse Saloon

"Here I was thinking no one was going to take advantage of our Christmas hours." Jay Jay said, moving out from behind the bar to greet the person coming in, "People keep telling me this isn't a popular time for breakfasts out, but I know I'm not the only one spending at least part of the holiday period alone."

The Lost Horse Saloon was already open all hours for members of the Cowboy Mafia - if someone needed to stumble in at 2am after a particularly hard job, or get an early morning feed, all they had to do was call Jay Jay and she'd be there to let them in. It had only seemed right to offer something equivalent for the whole town this time of year.

He also felt like he deserved a drink. He usually tried to avoid drinking when his mood was low, but with the kids gone their weren't faces that needed his own to be brave. Bracing his hands on the countertop, Gray offered a smile. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but I know why I'm spending the holiday alone. Why are you?"

"Noted," Rory nodded as soon as he entered the room and received the report on the injury, writing it down swiftly. "Sadly no can do, we have to make sure it's only a sprain as you say it is and hopefully it is just that." He smiled fully knowing the tactics of impatient patients and how'd they try to swindle their way out of care for whatever reasons they had.

"We have boots that should be able to accommodate you if it is a sprain, and sprain or not you're still not going on top of any roofs anytime soon." He mused. "Here's the deal if I'll let you go pretty swiftly and we can run through this smoothly if you agree to help me help you."

If Gray had been younger, he'd have ranted and raved. He was too tired for all of that, though, so he blew air out of his nose and leaned back on the crinkling paper. "Fine. I help you, and you help me get out of here as soon as humanly possible?" Gray echoed. He straightened his shoulders a little, smiling as his muscles stretched and some joints cracked. "So, what exactly do you need me to do, other than not stand up?"

"No, we...we don't have land. But Dad used to do work for a lot of the ranches. I kind of remember that story-" She stopped short of apologizing for his circumstances. The way he said it sounded a bit like it wasn't something he considered an issue. Or maybe he had just become jaded about it over the years. She didn't really know. It didn't help that she had just showed up out of the blue. The fact of the matter was that she was sorry though. She never had a mom and she felt like she hadn't really been lacking for it. But if she lost her dad? She shuddered at the idea. "Been a few years though. Dad's been out of the game for a bit now."

Animals were easier. Shawn had always felt that way. Horses could be skittish and definitely had their own unique personalities. But it was usually very easy to learn those things and deal with them accordingly. Humans were different. Humans could have shitty intentions while being sweet to your face. She scratched under his chin as instructed and then reached to hold him. "He's so sweet. Is he actually a grandpa though?"

He took two porch steps at a time, grunting as one of his knees cracked. Shawn's question made him pause at the front door. "No. My wife actually found him in some box left by the road. Got him fixed quick," Gray explained. He still remembered that day Raina came home with the skinny, scraggly puppy with the massive underbite. Even as a puppy he looked a bit like an old man. "His first two years were a little rough -- he ate my trim in the kitchen one time -- but he's been a decent dog since. You got any pets yourself?"

The vibration of the engine cutting out, and a deep breath following, allowed the muscles in her body relax; her shoulders to drop. Maybe she was being dramatic, maybe she should just go to the gym and let anger out that way. Mila was already here, might as well talk to her uncle or Grayson; they'll keep her level headed.

❝ oh, ❞ she glanced around before making her way over to the cooler. ❝ Gonna be a long day? ❞ Mila made her way over to Grayson. It looked like she came at a good time, when they were taking a break. She twist the cap of the bottle open, taking a drink. A breeze would be amazing now.

❝ I'll call him later, ❞ she waves her hand, he's a busy man. He's always been more understand and a man of his words than his older brother. He can answer her question later, maybe even do a favor. She knows her parents would love to see him.

"You sure? I can always call him back and send one of the others instead," Gray asked. He truthfully sent Gerardo to get him out of the sun. Gerardo would work until he gave himself a heat stroke, so the only way Gray could ever prevent that was to send him off on supply runs and other errands. As if Mila read his mind, she asked about the project. He tilted his head either way. "It's going. The homeowners aren't breathing down our necks, so that's good. We need more plywood for the underlayment, though, so I'm suspecting they'll be pissed about the wood bill," He shrugged. Wood bills were the bane of existence with supply costs going up lately. He cast Mila a look. He knew her like he knew his own niece and nephew. "Everything alright? You look like your wheels are turning."

For a moment, she almost told him he did, in fact, recognize her. That was the kind of dangerous thought that usually required alcohol or violence to drive away. Instead, she stretched her calf in the bow pose and pretended to be normal. “I stand out. People should stare.” Pushing away all stupid urges, she put a hand out. “Simone.” Why did he still have to look kind? That was entirely unfair. “You a professional light-hanger? Or just in a festive mood?”

"No, no, I'm good...I'm fine, just...walking," she shrugged and her hands flopped lamely at her sides. To explain, even if she had a coherent explanation, would make her sound absolutely crazy. How do you tell someone that you wanted to meet them because you think the same people that tried to kill you had done something similar to their wife? It sounded like a giant conspiracy theory, it was a giant conspiracy theory. It just also happened to be true. "I just recognized you. I think my dad probably knew you or your mom. I'm Shawn."

She held her hand out to the dog for him to sniff. Animals usually trusted you more once they knew your scent, at least in her experience. "Nice to meet you Grandpa. Fun name for a dog. You certainly look like a grandpa."

"If he has land, he probably knew my mother. My father was vegetative, so she tended to have a few ranchers in the area help us out when we needed it," Gray said mater-of-factly. Some people balked at the bluntness, but Gray didn't mince words when it came to his father and his injuries. It wasn't a happy thing, the accident, but it was what it was. Trying to tiptoe around it or act all holier than thou about it just made it worse.

She truly wasn't sure what had lead her to walk all the way out here. Curiosity maybe? Or the fact that she was almost killed and disposed of and now she knew for a fact that Obsidian was behind those. She had no details, of course. But if they were capable of torturing some poor man just to acquire a building and then try to kill her when she found out about it, they were more than capable of killing a hand and making some of their own employees disappear.

Mostly, it was that she wanted to see what the face of the other side of it looked like. What her father would have looked like if Obsidian had succeeded with her. The dog barking barely registered and she watched him speak. Brow furrowed and bruises on her face starting to yellow with healing. Other scratches scabbed over. "No," she finally answered with a glance down the road and then crossed her arms, "No I just...You're Grayson, right?"

Waylon was home from a long run. His nights were often the same when he was home, he'd rummage around after cooking and then figure out something to watch for a few hours before he inevitably fell asleep on the couch. Tonight was no different. Luckily, Arizona didn't abide by the time change, but still, the earlier darkness made it feel like it was 10pm before it was even 7:45pm. It created this feeling that Waylon was caught in perpetual darkness.

He was zoned out when the phone rang. His brother in law, Grayson, and Waylon always picked up. Regardless of the fact that he was only a brother by marriage, they banded together in the mystery. "Hey man, what're you doing?"

"Wondering where the hell my niece and nephew are since my pantry's still full," Grayson joked drily. He covered a yawn with his sleeve. Grandpa rested under his porch's rocking chair. Grayson looked at the stretch of land, chasing away thoughts of the wife who loved the view while talking to her brother on the phone. "I'm really just calling to gather intel. Jaime and Jesse have been especially sneaky. You have any idea what they're getting up to? Have the kids let anything slip around you?"

Ijemma's home was coming along nicely. The kitchen just needed the caulk to dry around the faucets and a custom pantry door. Gray carefully swept up the sawdust; the guys finally installed the countertops and the kitchen looked brand new. He could hear some of them outside, loading up their trucks. It was the sound of shoes clicking across tile that made Gray look over with a slight wave. "In about 48 hours, you'll be able to start cooking in here with the caulk dried," he smiled; proud of his handiwork. "As of now, you have nice countertops to put takeout containers on."

Gray grunted and picked up his dustpan. He found Ijemma to be more of a friend lately, but there was something on his mind. Realizing, he was lingering, Gray pressed his lips together, then cleared his throat. "Do you know Castle Rock's new event manager -- well, not really new, but the one that got hired after Rain?"

"Jasper? Yeah, he was in Oregon but he's back now, home for the winter at least. He's good, I think. Good by my estimation. It's always, nice having him around." His boy was into music and art--a sensitive kinda guy. Having never been much good at the feelings thing himself, Abe rarely knew if something was eating at Jasper until some kinda blow-out happened. But for the moment, at any rate, his boy was alright.

He smiled lightly as Abe talked about his son. They were only a year apart, but Abe's son was an adult. Gray's oldest was on the verge of turning eighteen, but still very much a teenager to argue with, he was hoping his Jesse would come back home for the winter one day after living his own life somewhere far away. Abe seemed to sense that thought as he returned the question. Gray tilted his head this way and that way.

"School kind of yo-yo's for them," Gray rubbed the back of his neck and pressed his lips together. "My kids are tougher than they should be, especially with Raina gone, and all of the gossip. Jaime got in a fight with a kid a month back. Jesse's gone off social media for now. They're standing, though, and I've gotten less out-of-school suspension notices, so," Gray shrugged, "That's better than last year and good for going into the holidays."