Lin wakes up alone. He’s fine with that. He ignores the part of his mind that whispers to him lies.

He’s alone and that’s fine. He chose this.

He stares at the ceiling, revelling in the softness of his blankets. Sometimes you just have to let yourself feel the small things, enjoy them.

He doesn’t want to get up, but he’s not going to leave his animals alone if he’s awake. He has work to do, people who depend on him.

Gardening and taking care of his animals aren’t chores. If he didn’t want to do it he wouldn’t. He hasn’t sold his animals or given up on his plants yet.

So he gets up. He stands and stretches before walking to his wardrobe. He doesn’t like the fact that he has to walk more than two seconds to reach it but it’s his fault for living in a barn. He chose this building when he ended up in town.

The stereotypical barn had been there and he immediately knew that it was his, that it always had been. The interior was empty except for pens with animals and a small kitchen at the back. The kitchen was small and just the essential appliances plugged in at the back of the barn, but that’s all he needed (Would there be more if it wasn’t?)

The loft covers most of the top half of the barn in a U-shape. He filled it with books and a carpet. He keeps several plants up here although they’re just for aesthetics. He has a bed facing the side instead of the center, with its purple blanket. His cabinets are on the arms of the loft because there isn't room for anything else.

It’s perfect for him.

He gets dressed in his usual clothes, a plain light purple long-sleeve with some jeans, outside clothes. He dresses up sometimes, even though his clothes just get dirty. It’s about confidence and there’s no reason they can’t get dirty, he does know how to wash his clothes.

He heads downstairs to make breakfast before he gets to work. There are no stairs, just a set of ladders that lead into the kitchen. He has no problem climbing them.

His kitchen isn’t fancy, his fridge isn’t shiny, there are no counters. There’s a small table and that’s all he needs to cook. His fridge and cabinets have mostly fruits and vegetables, there are eggs too. He occasionally has meat, but he’s a small farm, not one used specifically for butchering.

He makes a simple salad for breakfast, he can stop for snacks if he gets hungry later. Since he doesn’t always have meat, he tends to have light meals, so he’s gotten used to eating often and not heavily. He does miss heavier meals, but it’s a small price to pay to be here.

You couldn’t have threatened him into staying if you tried. He’s simply too bitter to have done anything but run. He’s glad his running led him here, to a simple life where he can be something other than a ball of anger.

He likes the other residents just fine, he interacts with them often. They stop by if they need food, and he reaches out if he decides to butcher one of his animals. He still has a hard time keeping himself from being bitter and cynical, but everyone understands if he’s a bit too snippy. Everyone has their flaws.

He sets the salad on the table as he finishes it. He takes a moment to lean against the table and feel glad for what he has. It’s a happy life. He has everything he needs right here.

He reaches for the salad as his eyes start to water. There's no need to start a perfectly good day off by crying. He doesn’t have any chairs so he eats quickly.

As soon as he’s done and washed his dishes, he heads over to the animals.

Every animal needs to be fed and taken care of. As he fills their food up he pays attention to every animal. He pets their head and makes sure they aren’t hurt and don’t look sick. He has a lot of animals and they all have names. What’s the point of having them if he doesn’t care for them?

After a significant time passes he finishes. He’s calmer than he was earlier. Now he has the plants to water and weeds to pull up. He doesn’t bother with gloves, his hands are used to dealing with weeds and thorns.

The large plot of land he has for his plants is large for him to take care of, but he doesn’t have anything else to do all day, so it’s fine. He has all of his days vaguely scheduled in his head. By the time he finishes taking care of his more finicky plants, it’ll be time for lunch. Then after lunch, he’ll take care of his left finicky plants which will take long enough for him to take breaks. Then all his daily activities are done and he gets to do whatever.

This is usually the time most people hang out with him, not wanting to disturb his work.

Well then, he better get to work.