#lpi

One of the main things Matty tries to do at their inn is create a family. They are of the firm belief that everyone deserve love and a second chance. So the inn is a neutral ground, where no one is allowed to fight, attack, or trigger anyone intentionally. They fully respect everyone’s boundaries and are willing to work with them however they need. They provide clothes, necessities, acceptance, and even rooms that are specifically catered for each person’s individual needs after being charmed by another magic type Super into changing at will for whoever’s name is written on the plate on the door. Those door’s can also only be opened by the person staying there, unless someone is in physical danger inside in which case only Matty, Blue, or Winnie can get in, to give every one of them a place of their own where they can feel truly safe. Matty requires people to attend family meals to foster community and a welcome environment and has Villains help them in the garden, as well as in the kitchen where they cook and bake big homemade meals and desserts every single day (and damn they are good at it, hence the prompt making me think of them!!). They even let their five year old daughter, Jasmine, play with all the Villains no matter how dangerous they are. As a certified EMT, they help anyone who is injured, and Winnie sometimes provides therapy to the Villains who want it, as she’s an (almost) licensed social worker (almost because they don’t count her work at the inn as experience hours since its with Villains so she can’t take the final test, but she’s got all the training needed and would definitely pass it if they’d let her).

Because of how much care and acceptance they find at the Lily Pad Inn, every single Villain that stays there will defend Matty, Winnie, Jazzy, and the inn at at cost... which is part of the reason One Eye stays clear. At least half the Villains in the country have stayed there after all. Many of the thieves who visit, including Sparky, frequently donate... a lot of money so that the inn can stay functioning, which is part of why Matty is able to offer rooms for free. Winnie handles the financials. It’s a really great place, and it’s all because of Matty’s determination.  And... yea!

River Holbrook can’t remember much from that evening - just the bright flash of headlights, her dad screaming her name and the seatbelt biting into her chest. Sometimes she swears she can still taste the bitter metal in her mouth. It was a celebratory dinner, but she can't even remember what they ordered. The next time she opened her eyes, her parents were gone and the hospital was silent except for the steady, grating beep of a heart monitor.

The months that followed were a blur of paperwork, courtrooms and sleepless nights. She was supposed to start university; instead, she was fighting to keep her little brother, Iroh, out of foster care. When the judge’s gavel came down, it was decided: they’d move to Gibbi Point where their aunt Marama and uncle Tangaroa live near the old geyser in Wanderwood Wilds.

Now, River and Iroh have arrived with almost nothing - just a few bags and their mother’s wedding ring, salvaged from the rubble. Gibbi Point is messy, unfamiliar, and full of ghosts she isn’t ready to face. Iroh tries to be brave for her, but she can see the cracks in his smile when he thinks she isn't looking.