Lately, Bernie's been priding herself on her ability to move forward. A failed marriage and a rocky start to a business could've been disaster, but Bernie had picked herself up, dusted herself off, and blossomed into a better version of herself than she could've ever imagined. She's left the past well-enough alone, allowed herself the room to grow. She doesn't need to go back to old habits (though she'll keep a pack of smokes in her purse until the day she dies) and she definitely doesn't need to return to the person she was when she was making mistake after mistake after mistake.

And yet... And yet she's at Sharky's, dolled up and glamourous in the most outwardly sexy (and revealing) outfit she's worn in public since college. Her shorts are riding up her ass, ostensibly in a sexy way, from what Mia said in the changing rooms, and her modest chest is hugged by a sparkly corset that will definitely give her underarms a friction rash if she's not careful with her golden jacket. She looks hot, in her own words, and slutty, in her mother's.

(The version of her mother that lives in her head, of course - she'd never ever ever show Yon any of her outfits, revealing or not, for fear of the five minute rant she'd incur.)

Elliot is somewhere, probably. Bernie's doing her best at pretending she's not actively seeking her out, playing it cool by the bar and nursing a too-strong themed cocktail given to her by a bartender with a disgusting little mustache. She leans against the bartop, taking up valuable space for the hundreds of sweaty, costumed freaks, and scans the crowd, waiting for someone she shouldn't be pursuing anyway.

WHERE: Hideaway Market

WHEN: Winter Holiday Market (December, 2023)

If you grew up in Merrock, you grew up going to the winter holiday market. It wasn't up for debate: it was just what you did. Some people attended on their own, or met up with friends. Some used it as date night, hoping to win over their honey before the holiday. And the Newmans? They had always gone as a family. Mother, father and kids, then father and kids, and then kids. Granted, they weren't really kids anymore, but grown adults, and they still made the time to meet up at the market, spend time doing the things that they used to love to do. And for Cage and Elliot, that meant going to see the reindeer. As a boy, he had been fascinated with the idea of the animals taking off on Christmas Eve, taking Santa around the world, exploring the sights, delivering the packages -- making the world a better place. Not to mention, wondering if he would hear them on their roof as Santa brought him everything that he wanted. This year, now, he had everything he wanted. And it brought him to the edge of the fence, next to his brother, with a smile on his face, nudging him gently to get his attention, both to sign, and to let him know he had made it. "Is it just me, or do they look smaller than they did when we were kids?"

Where: Blissful Bites Bakery

When: December 2024, after Christmas

"Hey you," Ellie signed as she sat down across her brother after spotting him at the back of the bakery. Though she wasn't necessarily showing too much, she was starting to show to the point where one could tell she was pregnant. So as she sat down, her hand lay upon her belly a bit, waiting for Elliot to reply as she waved a hand in front of him. "How's Alice?" She then asked, still on the fence about her, though she would support her brother through anything and anyone.

WHERE: Ren Faire

WHEN: July 27, 2024

The temptation to wander through the fairgrounds causing havoc was there, but Stelly was holding back. Just because they had dressed like a rebellious menace, out to tease and annoy and steal and plunder didn't mean that they had to, even if the thought was there. But what they could do in the meantime... was throw some axes. Thankfully for Stelly, they saw someone else that they knew would be up for that challenge, heading in the same direction. Slipping their phone out of one of the many hidden pockets in their skirts, Stelly quickly typed out and then showed to Elliot: 'ahoy matey, wanna get your ass kicked at axe throwing?'