Name: Hazel Parsons Age: Forty Gender & Pronouns: Cis-female, she/her Sexuality: Biromantic Bisexual Time in Redwood: All her life (with a ten year break) Resides in: Her old family house near the lake Previous occupation: Veterinarian at Beckett Farms Community occupation: Veterinarian
musings // answered // mirror // wanted connections
Hazel Parsons didn't always love Redwood- on the contrary, she couldn't wait to get out. Brought up by a single father in a town of that size, for a while she could only see the drawbacks: the limited options, the same faces every day, the endless gossip and lack of privacy, feeling suffocating for a teenager with dreams of big city lights and all that came with them.
The only place she wholeheartedly enjoyed was Beckett Farms. Her father was a plumber and an old friend of the Beckett family, so he was always dropping by to help with some irrigation problem in the fields or the stables. With no one in the house to take care of Hazel, she always had to tag along, and it was there that she learned to love animals and nature in general. She spent endless hours there, the business becoming her second home, Jason and Oliver Beckett becoming her mentors. By the time she was eighteen she knew the place like the back of her hand and the animals almost demanded to be fed by her on the daily.
She left for college and almost forgot about Redwood. But she didn't forget about her love for animals. She went on to get a Bachelor's in Biology and with the encouraging words and financial help of the Beckett brothers, applied to Veterinary School. She went home for every holiday and her dad beamed with pride for all her achievements, mixed with the little bit of sadness of acknowledging that his little girl had spread her wings and the only direction of flying was away.
Hazel had spent a couple of years working as a vet and looking into residencies, when her father got ill. At first he insisted that he could manage on his own, but that changed rather quickly, making her move back to Redwood to be there for him. She officially got a job at Beckett Farms to have a steady income and spent her days between caring for the animals and caring for her rapidly deteriorating father. In five years he was gone, and while part of her wanted to pack her bags and cut every tie with the place, another part clung onto it- maybe leaving would feel too much like betraying what her father loved, or maybe in the meantime she had grown to love it too.
When Oliver started talking about the virus, many called him crazy, but in her eyes he could never be wrong. So she helped him brace the farm and after a while reinforce the whole city. She was terrified after the first infected attack, but she had to believe that the Becketts would protect her, like they always had. But then the Reavers came and the Becketts were gone and in the aftermath she was all alone, in a town she once called home, but was now filled with strangers appearing from all over the place, bringing with them a change she wasn't sure if she could welcome.
Hazel still refuses to leave- partly out of fear of the biters, partly out of love for what used to be her home, partly out of spite. She understands that survival comes first and that they have to work together in order to ensure that, so she still offers her services in taking care of the animals. She has friends, she has people she loves, but she can't help but see many of Redwood's new citizens as intruders, taking what feels rightfully hers.
She has a half-breed Rottweiler named Hooch that she found as a puppy on her first day back in Redwood. He is now ten and she's terrified that soon she will have to lose him too.
She has set up a makeshift veterinary clinic in what used to be the garage of her house. She has a suitcase with her needed instruments when she has to visit animals, but everyone knows that they can bring them in whenever needed.
Part of Oliver's paranoia was making sure everyone was physically fit and a good shot, in case they got attacked. It's a habit she has kept up, training almost daily.
She was stabbed during the Reavers attack, leaving her with a long scar across the abdomen- it doesn't hurt anymore, but it serves as a reminder of everything she lost.
Her mother died at childbirth, leaving her dad to bring up Hazel on his own, with the help of other Redwood natives who took pity on him. It really took a village and she will forever be thankful to all of them.
She was in love with Jason Beckett, but never found the guts to say anything. One year she came home for Christmas break and she found him engaged, so she put on her best smile and acted excited for the happy couple. She is still heartbroken that he left her behind.
