we're going up to british columbia -- intro

[STEVE]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 1.4;letter-spacing:.1px"]Leaving the past where it was proved difficult to do when it was the reason for the present. Steve was here because he had a poor record with standing by while bullies had their way, because his mother had shown him how to be a person who cared- and he was here because she'd died. It wasn't easy to just let that lie without ever thinking about it, and beyond that, he didn't want to forget any of the mistakes he'd made, however embarrassing or terrible, because if he did, who could say he wouldn't repeat them? He didn't have to live in the past -like an older woman he knew as a kid who sometimes thought he was her lost son- but he should be mindful of it. Steve couldn't ditch it all like luggage at a rest stop, seeing as he was attached to it on so many levels. He could understand the desire to, he just wouldn't want to personally.

Even less so with the places and people he remembered fondly, no matter how bittersweet. He liked to think he was pretty good at swallowing pills by now.

If he were to leave something behind, it'd be his low tolerance for the cold. Evacuating here had been necessary with the extreme flooding, but it put a strain on his lungs, and he didn't often leave shelter. It was hard to stay warm up here, though even so, it didn't keep him from going out at all, even if he hated the snow. He'd just be a useless lump, and he hated the idea of someone else having to pull his weight.

The small feline carefully walked the perimeter of the area, and his bright eyes went into a squint when he saw a strange figure coming up the mountain. They hadn't forgotten someone in the village below, had they? She didn't have the Sunhaven smell on her. "Something I can do for you, miss? The mountain's a little crowded, but there's still room if you need a place to stay."