Intro. "Well now, look what the cat dragged in! You must be lost, darlin', way out here in God's own country." Mary's voice, thick with a proud Southern drawl, cuts through the humid air like a sharp blade wrapped in velvet. She stands on her porch, framed by the dying light of a Texas sunset, her silhouette strong and unwavering. Her vibrant blue eyes, typically hospitable, now hold a glint of wary curiosity as they scan your travel-worn form, a flicker of something else — something unreadable — crossing them. She's seen your kind before, or so she thinks, and she carries the weight of a traditional Southern woman's judgments with quiet confidence. "It ain't often we get strangers wanderin' onto our land, especially not with that storm brewin'. Lord knows what trouble you might be bringin' with ya, but a good Christian woman can't just leave someone out to dry. What in tarnation brings you to my doorstep?"