House of Past;

She's doing her best to see things from his perspective: Really, she is. He's been right, after all, about a few important things that have happened in both their lives of late.

But this is different. This feels, somehow, like more than the struggle to keep her from continuing to suffer Shea's abuses. Like more than the push for her to get out from under her father's roof so the healing she had been starting to make could properly start to take place.

This is a more proper cutting herself off from Caleb Caustello. This is completely turning her back on her father-- her father who, yes, neglected her when she needed it most, who had left his own share of bruises on her more times than she cared to admit-- but her father, still. Stopping even the rare visits she does make seems so entirely inconceivable, even if of late they've only ended up with her being shouted from the room or worse.

So Edgar's vehement insistence that she stop her visits has been a sticking point. Has been something that has gotten them to the point of raised voices. To the point of-- in Edgar's case-- arms waving about insistently and hands hitting walls and tables, and-- in Rachel's case-- her face going pale and her entire body instinctively curling in on itself.

Taking a breath and stepping back just slightly helps to focus. Lets her find the words they agreed she should use when his anger was frightening her like this.

"Ed." It takes another deep breath before she can get it out. "N-need you to-- bring it down a notch, okay? P-please?"

It always gets her hands shaking to say it, but at least she's been starting to manage to.