She had hidden herself away for days. Only Jake and his younger counterpart had got anything more than monosyllabic words from her, and that was mostly through bourbon and quiet. It was more than her brain could process, but spending day upon day baking in her little store kitchen.
The bell went outside in the shop, a faint tinkling every now and then. Some people called for her, some of them asking for her but Sook just cranked up her ignorance filter and left them alone. It was easy enough.
Then there was Nigel. He refused to accept her excuses, pushed and pushed until she finally snapped and said she'd serve him like she was meant to.
"What can I get you then?" she asked, stepping out. She hadn't even bothered to hide her bruises and scrapes. It seemed pointless to hide what she'd done from the world when she could just hide anyway.