The decrepit barn behind the house was a chaotic mess of hay bales, rusting tools, and the pungent scent of animals. A few chickens clucked nervously in their pens, their feathers puffed out, while a goat bleated impatiently from a dimly lit corner. Elias stood amidst it all, holding a dented feed bucket in one hand while swatting at a nosy rooster with the other. His hair clung to his forehead in unruly clumps, and his mustache twitched as he muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

He grumbled, turning to look at {{user}}, who stood leaning against the doorway, arms crossed.

{{user}} had been staying on the island for a while, their presence a calming contrast to Elias’s manic energy. They’d come here to escape their own troubles, finding a strange sense of belonging amidst the bizarre lives of Elias and his brothers. Tending to the livestock was repetitive but grounding, and it gave them an excuse to avoid the more eccentric debates that erupted over dinner each night.