Chapter 12

REN

Ren was the last person Ferris brought into the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit. They knew how to train animals and had the experience —they ran a small dog training business, both for family dogs and working dogs— and Ferris saw the benefit of working dogs on their side. A dog nose was far more powerful than a human's, and they were far faster. At first, Ren was hesitant. But after Ferris explained why he wanted them to join, they did.

Originally, the working dogs portion of the SFPU consisted of only Somnus, an eighteen-month-old dog Ren had rescued from the streets of the Warren a few months before they joined the SFPU. He had bitten Ren twice before they were able to gain his trust and find a way of communicating that worked for him. No dog should bite, and to be the working dog they knew Somnus could be, he couldn't bite unless told to do so. Any command given would have to be followed immediately, no matter the location and distractions present. After several months of training, Ren was confident in his abilities.

Pyxis was the next addition. Ashley had come back from a supply run and showed Ren a flyer for a dog in need of a new home. The photo on it showed Pyxis as a young dog, paws still too big for her body and lanky frame still far from filled out. The paragraphs beneath the photo described Pyxis as an energetic dog whose owners simply could no longer provide the care she needed: plenty of exercise, a spacious yard, and time spent on her training, which at that point consisted only of a few basic commands: sit, stay, and off. Ren adopted Pyxis after meeting her and spending a bit of time working with her, and she soon turned out to have a natural ability for tracking tirelessly over long distances.

Morpheus came into the SFPU family about a month after Pyxis, again from a flyer. He was the oldest out of the three dogs, at about two. His calm disposition originally made Ren unsure about if Morpheus would be successful at becoming a fully fledged working dog in the SFPU, but after a few sessions of bite and scent work, they knew he would make it.

Training was never really done with the dogs. All three of them could perform at an extremely high level and with near-perfect reliability, but Ren needed to keep them at that level. So they trained the dogs daily, going over every command each of them knew and working on anything the dogs needed some extra time on.

Morpheus would be resting for the next several days. If Kristin gave the all-clear, Ren would begin to work him again, starting off with a few short sessions to get him back into things and see if he showed any signs of discomfort.

But Ren knew it would be some time before anyone, especially Kristin, truly returned to any semblance of how things were before Ashley's murder. They'd keep an eye on Morpheus's wound and would take him to the emergency vet in Moonfall if anything serious happened, but their heart twisted at the thought of asking something from Kristin.

Ashley was the type of person anyone could get along with. His easygoing personality and lightheartedness made people gravitate toward him. Ren could only imagine what Kristin was going through with the loss of his twin brother. They hadn't lost anyone like that, but they knew it was a terrible feeling.

But what could they possibly do that would make that better? What could be done that would ease some of that pain?

Ren propped their chin up on their fist, and they adjusted their position in their chair at the kitchen table.

Kristin flipped past the introduction in Ashley's journal. He propped it up in his hands as he started to read what Ren assumed was the first entry. No one spoke as he read through the first few.

"God, Ashley..."

"What did he write?" Charlie returned to the table after filling up her water bottle. She sat sideways in the chair, a leg slung over the armrest, and twirled the ribbons and bracelets she'd knotted onto the handle between her fingers.

"He started the journal right around the time we were getting the SFPU up and running... he's been journaling for a year." Kristin closed Ashley's journal, keeping his spot with a finger, and held it up.

"That long?" Ren frowned. They usually picked up on things, but they ever hadn't noticed him writing in it.

"His first entry says...," Kristin trailed off as his voice broke. "His... it-it says... Zip read it. Second paragraph, first sentence." He thrust the journal into Zip's chest, who took it, eyes wide and body locking up for a split second before relaxing. Kristin ran a hand over his face.

"I-I... uh, o-ok." Zip opened the journal and ran his finger across the page until he found the right sentence. He skimmed it a few times before reading it. "Don't... don't t-tell anyone I... said this, but I-I think Kristin is... more-more excited about this whole... Silverlight Forest Protection Unit thing th-than he's... saying."

"Thanks, Zip. You don't need the exact date to know Ashley wrote that about a year ago." Kristin took Ashley's journal back.

"I apologize," Ren said. "I didn't mean for that to come across like I didn't believe you. I was just... I was just surprised."

But before Kristin could reply, Ferris perked up and he stood up from his seat to go check the window. Ren followed him.

Four SUV's were pulling in the camp's courtyard, sides painted with Moonfall Precinct in large, bold letters. They parked in a neat row, fanning out in the middle of the courtyard. A dozen or so people climbed out, slamming the doors behind them. A dog jumped down from the back of one of the cars after someone opened it, sporting a vest similar to that of the ones the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit dogs wore.

"The Moonfall Precinct's here," Ferris said. "We should probably go talk with them."

"Yeah, probably. Ya gonna be good with your concussion and all, Ferris? Need to lean on me?" Charlie smiled, eyes sparkling, as she swung her leg down and sauntered over to where Ferris stood. She wrapped an arm around his waist, but removed it when Ferris gave her a half-hearted glare with no real malice behind it.

"What do we do with Ashley's journal? He wrote that he didn't want anyone looking at it until we'd figured it out, whatever that means." Kristin gripped the journal tight.

"If the Moonfall Precinct has a warrant, they can take it. We wouldn't be able to stop them without breaking the law. Lying to them is also illegal." Ferris grimaced.

"Yeah, but we don't know exactly what Ashley wrote in his journal or what it is he wants us to figure out. We can't lie about something we don't know about."

"Borderline, Charlie."

"What do we do with it?" Kristin's shoulders sagged.

"We could put it back on the shelf. If they take it, we can't do anything about it. If they don't, we can look at it later. It's a bit of a tough situation. Ashley said he didn't want anyone to know apart from us until we figure things out, but we also can't lie to the Moonfall Precinct."

"What if we were to put it back on the shelf and not mention it. If the Moonfall Precinct explicitly asks in a way that could reasonably be interpreted as they're asking for something that could be the journal, even if they don't know it's the journal cuz they probably don't know it exists, we'd tell them cuz lying to them's illegal and I think it's safe to say we've got plenty on our plates already. And if they don't ask, we don't tell them. Is that un-illegal enough for ya, Ferris?"

"It's a very fine line, Charlie. A very, very fine line. I don't know much about what Ashley wrote in it except for the very beginning, but I do believe it contains very important information. However, he explicitly stated that he did not want anyone seeing the journal, apart from us, until we have figured out whatever he would like for us to figure out. I'd say it's up to you, Kristin. What would you like to do?"

Ren turned toward Kristin and watched as he weighed the options. He flipped Ashley's journal around in his hands.

Ren wasn't sure what they'd do if they were in Kristin's situation. There were pros and cons to either choice, and the unknowns about what exactly was contained in the journal made the decision that much more difficult. They waited quietly until Kristin spoke again.

"Put it back on the shelf. If the Moonfall Precinct asks and it could be interpreted as they're asking for the journal, tell them. We're not going to break any laws. But Ashley wanted us to figure out something before we tell people what he's written in his journal, and we'll follow that. You know where you found his journal, right, Charlie?"

"Yeah, I can put it back."

"Do it."

"Yup." Charlie took the journal from Kristin and disappeared into Ashley's room.

Ren hung back with Kristin as the group filed out of the front door.

"Hello," Charlie said, stepping to the front. "Moonfall Precinct?"

"Hello, Charlie Springs." Larson Hotch approached them from the row of cars. "We are here to continue our investigation into the murder of Ashley Ba-."

"Yeah, yeah, we know. You're looking into the murder of my brother. What do you want from us? You want to ask us questions? Go through the rooms? See if one of us did it? If it's the last one, I'll make it easy for you: none of us killed Ashley." Larson's face remained impassive as Kristin spoke.

"We are still very early in the investigation, and so we are not yet able to come to any concrete conclusions as to what happened to Ashley Baok. However, we will communicate with you as soon as we do. As of right now, though, we would like to ask you each some questions and search through each of the buildings you have here in your camp. We have a warrant to search every room of every one of your buildings here in your camp and seize any evidence that would assist in out investigation. Here's the warrant, which you can look at. I can answer any questions you may have."

"I will take a look at that." Ferris took the warrant from Larson.

Charlie read over Ferris's shoulder as the two looked through the search warrant.

"So you're gonna look through... everywhere here?" Charlie gestured all around her with a hand.

"Yes, we will search every room in every building."

"Ok," Ferris said. "Some doors are locked, either with a key or with a keypad. We can unlock those, just ask. Do whatever you need to."

"Will I need to move the dogs?" Ren stepped forward. "The Silverlight Forest Protection Unit has three working dogs. One of them got injured during out last arrest. It may take a bit longer to move him."

"Yes, we will likely need to move the dogs. Where are the dogs located?"

"In that building over there, the one across the courtyard." Ren pointed.

"Alright. Yes, please move them. Leave everything else where it is, though. A few officers are about to begin searching there."

"I will do that now. Could you help me, Charlie?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's go." Ren ducked their head in response and crossed the courtyard. They hung along the edge, almost in the grass, so they didn't disturb the officers, who were bustling about, setting up canopies and tables. Charlie trailed behind them.

After entering the code to the dogs' building, Ren propped the door open with a rock. Charlie had painted a crude portrait of what was supposed to be Somnus on it, although Ren thought it looked less like a dog and more like a rat. Not that they had told her that, or that they ever would.

Somnus leaped to his feet as soon as Ren opened the door to the dogs' building, and Pyxis stood up as well, arching her back in an elegant stretch. Morpheus lifted his head but remained laying down. The bandage on his side was white, which Ren took as a good sign since it hadn't bled through. "The Moonfall Precinct is here. We're not tracking down any offenders today," Ren told the dogs. They left the dogs' vests hanging, instead opening the gate to Somnus and Pyxis's kennels and calling the two out.

"Can you bring them outside, Charlie? I'll get Morpheus."

"Sure. Come here, Somnus and Pyxis. Let's go say hi to the rest of the SFPU. No munching on the Moonfall Precinct. They're here to help," Charlie said, adding on when Ren frowned at her: "I don't actually think they'll munch on the officers. I know you've trained them very, very well."

"Please bring them outside."

"Ok, ok, I will. Somnus, Pyxis, come." Charlie waved her hand, and the dogs followed her outside, trotting at her side.

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Ren knelt beside Morpheus and asked him to stand. He stumbled a few times before he stayed upright. The pain medication Kristin had told Ren to give Morpheus left him a bit groggy, and he drifted some as he walked. Ren kept their pace slow as they made their way outside.

Several officers from the Moonfall Precinct brought equipment into the dogs' building, ready to search its entirety. What exactly the officers were looking for, Ren wasn't sure, but they were sure the officers would know when they found it. Perhaps something Ashley might've touched? Fingerprints? Ren knew the officers would find theirs, but likely not many others: they were often the only one in the dogs' building, except for when other members of the SFPU worked with the dogs to ensure the three would listen to any order given by the SFPU, no matter the person. And even then, Ren was often the only one touching much.

The officers were looking for clues, and they had far more training with searching for evidence than Ren had. They knew what to search for; Ren didn't. They hoped the officers found everything they were looking for. Whoever murdered Ashley needed to be brought to justice. Nothing would bring Ashley back from the dead, however tantalizing that idea sounded, but justice could perhaps let him rest a little easier.

Ren led Morpheus over toward where the group stood, still a little ways in front of their house. Somnus and Pyxis sat at Charlie's feet. Kristin's teeth were clenched tight, and Zip said something to him in a voice too soft for Ren to hear. Kristin looked down at him, eyebrows set in the beginnings of a frown, but he only huffed and turned his head to the side, jaw working.

"Thank you, Ren," Larson Hotch said. "Zip, would you please bring me to where you store the footage from your camera traps? I would like to see the footage from around two days ago, and I would like to get a copy of all of the footage from the past month.

"Ok." Zip nodded. "It's this way."

Kristin watched Zip lead Larson away with a cold gaze. Every muscle was tensed, and Ren thought he looked like he was about to lash out and fight, or perhaps run. They weren't sure which, but he was almost vibrating with tension.

"You good, Kristin?" Charlie gave him a once over, narrowing her eyes.

"Fine."

"Alright. If you need anything, just ask." Ren knew, like Charlie, that he wasn't, but neither of them pushed it.

"Hello, I am Rift Oberhofer. I use he and him pronouns. I am a detective with the Moonfall Precinct, and I am a member of the team working on the Ashley Baok case. As I'm sure you know already, we are executing a warrant and are searching the buildings on this property. We are also looking to speak with each of you. Detective Larson Hotch has already spoken with Zip Furr, but we would like to speak with the rest of you."

Ren glanced at Ferris, as did Charlie. Kristin only fixated his gaze on Rift, expression somewhere between unreadable and scowling. When Ferris gave a nod —yes, it was fine. They can do that— Ren turned back to Rift. "How do we go about doing that?"

"It will take time to go interview all of you, but we can begin now."

"Do you have an order, or do we get to pick?" Kristin's voice was made of ice. Ren had never heard him speak like that before; he was the member of the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit who rarely —if ever— lost their cool, always remaining calm. They didn't like the new side of Kristin, but they also knew it wasn't without good reason.

"We do have an order, of sorts," Rift said, not blinking at Kristin's tone. "We have each been assigned a person to interview. I will be interviewing you, Ren. There is a picnic table on the other side of the house, where it's a little more private. Shall we do the interview there?"

"Sure." Ren's heart pounded in their chest, and their palms started to sweat.

The picnic table had been constructed next to the camp's house. It was a group project they all did together a few weeks after the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit got off the ground to get to know each other better. One of the legs was a few inches shorter than the other due to Kristin's hand slipping on the saw, resulting in it being propped up with a few carefully selected rocks, though the table still wobbled some. Shade from the house kept the picnic table a cool spot in the heat of the summer, and, in this case, a more private-feeling environment.

Rift Oberhofer sat down across from Ren, flipping open a notebook and pulling out a pen.

"Before we begin, I just wanted to say thank you for doing this interview with me. I know this is a very tough time for you right now. If, at any point, you need a few moments, please let me know and we can take a break."

"Ok." Ren took a deep breath. This would help the Moonfall Precinct find Ashley's killer, they told themselves. You can do it.

"What is your name?"

"My real name or my legal name?"

"Your legal name." Ren hesitated, heart twisting in their chest. They exhaled slowly in an attempt to ease the pain curling through their insides.

Rift tilted his head to the side. "Do you want to write it down? If... uh. If that would be easier for you? I'm sorry. We need to ask. It's for our records of everyone we interview."

"Yes, please," Ren gritted out and took the notebook and pen from Rift. They hastily scratched down their legal name, trying to ignore how their skin crawled and the sensation of wrong, wrong, wrong screamed in their head. They took several deep breaths after handing back the notebook, and Rift gave them a few moments.

"I apologize for asking about it. I wouldn't have if it wasn't necessary. Is Ren the name you go by?"

"Yes. My legal name is my deadname. Ren is my name."

"I will put that in my notes and make sure it's clear that your name is Ren. Also, what are your pronouns? Mine are he and him, though I believe I said that earlier."

"They, them, and theirs." Ren appreciated what Rift was doing; documenting their name, both legal and real, and their pronouns and making sure anyone who read through the interview would know what their name is and the pronouns they use. As much as they hated thinking about their legal name, they knew why Rift had asked for it and the reasoning was sound.

"I will add that as well."

"Thank you."

"Are you ok to continue, or do you need a few minutes?"

"I'm ok to continue."

"What do you do for work?" Rift turned to a new page in his notebook.

"I work at the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit."

"What do you do in the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit?"

"I work with si-. Er, uh, five, I guess, other people. Do you want their names?" Ren winced and corrected themselves. Five people in the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit, not six.

"Please."

"I work with Ferris Dipper, Charlie Springs, Zip Furr, and Kristin Baok. Ashley Baok, too, until he was... until he was... murdered." Ren swallowed and took a breath. "We arrest poachers and offenders who hunt, snare, trap, and illegally remove wild flora and fauna from the Silverlight Forest. Our job is to keep the forest safe."

"How did you go about doing this job with the six, and now five, of you?"

"We all work together and did a lot of it together. If an alert comes up that there's a poacher or offender somewhere in the area, we'll usually all go arrest them together, unless there's a reason someone shouldn't go. But we also had jobs that were kind of our own, even if sometimes other people did them."

"What were the jobs that people had as their own?"

"Ferris generally does all of the paperwork. He knows the legal stuff the best and will do our reports. Charlie has helped him a few times. Her main job, though, is keeping track of the populations of the species in the forest. We all know plenty about the wildlife, but she knows the most. Zip is our tech person, as well as our mechanic. He is very skilled with building things and coding them. Kristin is our doctor and treats us, as well as our dogs. Ashley does-did a little of everything. If someone had a job they needed someone else for, he was the go-to person; he could do a little of everything and knew a little about almost anything. He also did nearly all of the supply runs. I work with and train our dogs, though they will respond to anyone in the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit. It's important they do, in case I am not around."

"I saw you bring out three dogs earlier. Are they all the dogs you have?" Rift turned to a new page in his notebook.

"Yes."

"What are their names?"

"Morpheus is the one who was injured, Pyxis is the big brown one, and Somnus is the smaller one with a few scars." Ren listed the names off on their fingers.

"What are they trained to do?"

"They are trained to assist in arresting poachers. They can track the scent of a poacher and can attack a poacher, but they will only bite if told to by us. Each of them can do every job, but Pyxis is the most skilled tracker and Somnus and Morpheus are better at bite work."

"Do the dogs behave?"

"Yes. I work with them daily to ensure they remain at the level they need to in order to be a working dog for the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit." Ren held back a biting tone. It was a reasonable question for someone who wasn't familiar with the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit. The dogs are trained to attack, so one could reasonably wonder if the dogs were well behaved: did they attack when they wanted to, or when their handler wanted them to?

"Who trained the dogs?"

"I did."

"By yourself?"

"Yes. I used to train dogs before I joined the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit, but I started doing it in a more... professional manner after joining."

"Where did you acquire the dogs?"

"They're all rescues. I found Somnus on the streets of the Warren. Pyxis I adopted after seeing a flyer Ashley showed to me, and I adopted Morpheus after seeing a flyer as well."

"Have you had any problems with the dogs?" Rift jotted down a few notes before looking up at Ren.

"Problems?" Ren frowned.

"Any problems with temperament, aggression, anything like that?"

"No, I haven't. I've worked with them so they will behave under any circumstances and in any environment. They will not attack unless told to do so. If I thought they might, I would not work them and would train them until I had no reason to doubt their abilities. And if I did not find it realistic for them to reach that level of ability, I would find a new job for them. It would be here, as I promised each of them a forever home, but it would not be in tracking down poachers."

"You promised them a forever home?"

"Yes, I did. They will have a home with me until the day they die. However, if something happens where I am, for whatever reason, unable to properly care for them and provide the quality of life they need and deserve, I will find a loving home that will."

Rift nodded his reply.

"Moving on from the dogs, now: what are the dynamics in the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit?"

"I'd say we all get along quite well. Sure, sometimes there are disagreements, but never anything major and they get worked out quickly. We don't have an exact leader, but Ferris tends to take charge, although he won't order us around."

"How well did you know Ashley Baok?"

"I knew him fairly well. All six —I guess now five of us— spent a lot of time together due to the nature of our job. We needed to retain a relatively low profile so no one would recognize us. We're all good friends. But no one knew Ashley as well as Kristin did. They knew each other better than anyone and were very, very close."

"Did you notice Ashley acting any different than usual in the past few weeks?"

"Did I notice him... no, I wouldn't say so. He acted about the same, I'd say."

"What was happening in the past week or so? Was anything different than usual?"

"No. I mean, Ashley went off into Silverlight Forest a few times, but he's done that fairly regularly for the past several months. Maybe four or five months? It wasn't unusual by any means."

"Do you know what he did when he went into the forest?"

"No. It was just him and he never said. Kristin might know. If Ashley told anyone, it would've been him. But I don't know if he told Kristin."

"What was Ashley doing around the time he disappeared?"

"He left for a supply run...," Ren trailed off as they counted back the days to make sure they got it right. "Ashley left three days ago. Two days ago is when he should've returned but didn't."

"Does a supply run usually take two days?"

"Supply runs take about a day, but driving back to the camp at night is difficult. At night, it's probably about a forty-five minute drive. Give or take, depending on the conditions and visibility. It can be done, but it's easier to spend the night and return in the morning. I don't believe Ashley ever returned the same day. I can't say anyone has, except for Charlie."

"Can you walk me through a supply run? Where " Rift shifted, crossing his legs.

"We do about two supply runs a month. Sometimes we'll do a quick one if there are things we need then and can't wait for the next one. For the run, you'd leave in the morning and drive out to Moonfall in the bigger of the two cars not build specially for arresting poachers. We'd make a list of everything that was needed the night before, and it would go with whoever did the supply run, usually Ashley. The exact things on the list vary, based on what we're running low on at the time, but generally it's groceries, parts Zip needs for whatever he's working on, dog food, probably some clothing, random supplies around the house, and books, if it's Ashley. Charlie often has a request. Ferris pretty much always needs pens and paper, so those will probably be on the list. Kristin might need more medical supplies. Often, the list is a double-sided sheet of paper. Potentially two, if it's a big run and things are running out all at the same time," Ren said.

"On the supply run, you'd probably wind up going to anywhere from six to ten stores, depending on what's been added to the list. The grocery store is always a guarantee, though. Ashley said he had a route picked that was most efficient for hitting all of the stores in one line and getting the run done as fast as possible. I think it was some kind of inverse teardrop shape. He drew it on a map for me once, but I don't remember exactly what the route was."

"Do you know what stores Ashley was going to stop at?" Rift turned to a new page in his notebook.

"Definitely the grocery store," Ren said, pausing to try to think of where Ashley was headed. "I believe the hardware store, as well. He might've been going to Jonathan's Subs since Kristin asked him to pick up some sandwiches. Definitely a bookstore. There are a few, so I'm not sure which one. He'll-he'd mix up which one he went to so he'd see the new releases."

"Who created the list of what was needed?"

"We all did. The night before we'd sit down and make the list. Zip was the one who made the... master list, I suppose you could call it. If we had things we needed for ourselves, we'd make a little list and Zip would put it into a big document on his and would sort out everything so there was a section for each store."

"Would Zip know each store Ashley went to?"

"I'd guess so, but I couldn't say for sure. I'm sure he could probably pull up the list though if you asked him."

"I will do that, thank you." Rift jotted down something on the edge of his notebook that Ren guessed was a reminder to have Zip print out the list.

Ren nodded their head in reply.

"When did you start to think that something might've been wrong?"

"In the morning two days ago when Ashley didn't return when he should've and didn't communicate with us." Ren's chest tightened at the memory. If only they'd known what was to come. If only they'd known that the night before was the last time they would see Ashley alive. They pressed their fist to their mouth and stared at the ground, fighting against the burning in their eyes. You need to finish the interview, Ren. Don't cry, not yet. Crying is ok, but you need to finish the interview first. Answer Rift's questions. Anything the Moonfall Precinct needs to find Ashley's murderer.

"Do you need a minute?"

"No, I-... I'll be fine. What's the next question?"

Rift hesitated for a few moments. "Was it an uncommon occurrence for Ashley to not communicate?"

"Ashley is-was the best at communicating out of all of us. If he was going to be even a few minutes late, he'd tell us. It was not like him at all to just... not tell us anything."

"Did you reach out to Ashley?"

"Yes, we did."

"Did all of you reach out to Ashley?"

"I believe so, yes."

"How did you reach out to Ashley?"

"Messages and phone calls. Kristin was at least thinking about creating a Muse account to message him since Ashley had an account. I don't know if he did, though."

"When did you first reach out to Ashley?"

"I think it was Kristin who called Ashley first. It was... I think it was late morning. Maybe... ten or so? The first time I messaged Ashley was sometime around noon. All of us called and messaged him throughout the day until we... until we, uh. Until Ferris got the phone call that said to...," Ren's voice trailed off and their throat choked up.

Rift gave a sympathetic smile. He stood up. "That's all of the questions I have for you. Thank you for your time. Again, I am very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Ren said. "If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"I will, thank you."

Rift left the picnic table, making his way back to the row of cars. Someone approached him, and he said something Ren couldn't hear.

Deep breaths, Ren. We will find those responsible for murdering Ashley and bring them to justice. Nothing can make what they did better, but we can make sure they cannot do it again. No one who could do something as terrible as murder should be walking free in Waverwell.

Deep breaths, Ren; we'll find them.

Ren took a deep breath, resting their elbows on the table and lacing their fingers in front of their mouth. They didn't move from the picnic table for a long while.

I hope you're doing ok, Ashley. As ok as one could really be.