Editing August Casso (section)

== Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Sept 2023-Nov 2023) ==
August arrived in Oshkosh anxious, with $30 to their name, and a clock above their head counting down the days til cold became their coffin. The greyhound dropped them off near some sort of open air sports area, actively in use. It was evening, the twilight abuzz with student activity as it became clear they were on a college campus of which they'd never bother learning the name of. Arenda responded back to their message alerting her to their arrival with cross streets to meet her at, and so thinking ergonomically - August stashed the heaviest bag in a thick pine tree along a river and made their way in her general direction, guided by maps which had utilized an open network that was thankfully right by their drop-off point.

Their reunion was pleasant, Arenda then leading August to a woman's apt. whom had given her refuge during rough points in her childhood. August explained his situation to her, and she was incredibly understanding and sympathetic. Very appreciated as the anxieties around what they had just done, the permanence of it all, further and further set in.

On the bright side, Arenda had secured tense but at least indoor and safe shelter back at her mother's home - a relief to August who was more than okay with being out in the elements but had had the worry of her safety were she out there too knawing at him up to that point. Arenda expressed a desire for Subway, and so August took the money he'd had and went and got her her favorite sandwich. Not much else such a meager amount would otherwise realistically be more useful for than food, as he would only become all too familiar with over the coming month.

The following day, upon their return to retrieve their bag, August found it had been stolen. Containing mostly clothes, though many sentimental, it was a harsh blow and a good first lesson for being fully outside homeless - keep what matters close. You will lose it otherwise.

=== Month 1/3 ===
Within the first week, August had secured a job interview at Red Robin (a suggestion of Arenda); as had she. Over the process, which in total took the whole month, only he would secure employment. When inquired, the management gave a rather...dodgy, answer? It was clear someone had had bias toward her, and withheld the opportunity from her because of it. Ominous foreshadowing for how the job would eventually pan out for them as well, but that's yet to occur.

August would run out of drugs quickly, forced to abstain from stimulants once more. This would mark the start of their longest sobriety since picking the awful affliction up, the entire rest of their time in Oshkosh. Arenda would clearly imbibe in downers on occasion, marked with subtle changes in her personality in the days after using, but it was of no real negativity truly and August was not one for such substances, so it was a moot affect to their life. They would be offered some while hanging out with her and her friends early on, and while the most tempting that would ever be to them, still declined in the end. Time was essential and couldn't be wasted on chasing dragons, much less any money be either.

They would also begin the process of applying for food stamps, which would slowly take about a month to get going as well. Until that point, August would fill their time primarily searching the city for food for themself and Arenda, who despite living with a parent was forbade from consuming anything in their kitchen outright. When she would push this rule's patience and steal a Celsius energy drink, her mother brutally beat the hell out of her. Besides being just a harrowing concept alone, it left her bloody with visible bruising and greatly distressed August, powerless to do shit because the fuck would they do fight the mom? It was a lose lose miserable situation. Though Arenda was almost stoic in her apathy toward it, August assumed out of years of similarly disappointing treatment.

The primary way they were able to procure food was donation bins, of which few existed that August knew of in the city initially and all incredibly far from one another. Imagine walking countless miles, days in a row, to only repeatedly find nothing at all. The hunger pangs paired with that exercise to cause August despair often during that first month. Working up even more of an appetite on the hope, the slim possibility of finding something to ward off starvation. A physical and mental torture daily ritual, for a whole month. At least the "re-burns" as Arenda would call them (cigarettes not fully smoked by their prior smoker)were plentiful on many of the routes taken, so that helped make it all not completely in vain when it was shitty pickings.

Also stressful, Arenda was herself a sufferer of Arvid (or just autistic, which seems to be now at time of writing the consensus)and would rather starve herself than eat many foods. So finding ones suitable for her pallette was even more of a challenge. Thank god for how often Mac n Cheese would be donated, truly a divine miracle if there could ever of been. August, without access to cooking equipment, would favor uncooked stovetop ramen and uncooked stuffing mixes primarily - though if especially lucky they would be treated to a cup of peanut butter (about one tablespoon), and even rarer to a box of 1% no-need-for-refrigeration milk. Crazy to think as a youth at their Great Grandmother's they would barely be able to bring themself to consume a few drops, now there were never enough to satiate their thirst. Perspective is a bitch with thicc titties.

August would idle in their excessive free time around the Oshkosh Public Library, due to the decent hours, wifi, outside outlets (at least at the outset of it all), and proximity to Arenda as well as central location to the rest of the city. It would serve as their own personal central hub of sorts during their stay in the city. Grooming via birdbath in the mornings, chilling watching Youtube on their phone or using Duolingo to learn Norwegian in order to begin some kind of foundation for Arenda's dream of their moving there. August still knows some to this day because of this, Ie erg veldig smart, so add that to sober and with only too much time and it made sense. Tiktok creation was once again a useful tool for funneling their whirlwind of emotions and allowed some documentation of their hardship via the platform.

Also nice, during this first month Arenda was able to hide August's cart (stolen from his now re-titled Mother's boyfriend out of spite) on her property, either the side of the home or out back behind the house. Accessing it meant near dead quiet, as it was by Arenda's mother's shittt dude's areas and he was a fan of bitching and moaning. But infinitely better than just lugging the burden around full time.

Also of note - having no income access at all even, much less a bank, blocked their ability to pay dad's storage. John Case covered a single month + fees for it havin been late, with expectation of repayment of course (done upon return to Denver the final time they saw their grandparents.

=== Month 2/3 ===
Now employed full time+ picking up extra hours almost nightly, August was able to fill much of their time up.

=== The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same ===
<blockquote>"Get! Out!"

- The Last Thing August Would Ever Hear Her Say In Person</blockquote>