Penny Neverhood

### Family

Margaret Neely (Mom), Cash Neverhood (Dad), Colt Neverhood (Uncle), Arden Neverhood (Cousin/Sibling)

## Childhood

Penny Neverhood was born to a single mother, Margaret Neely. She wouldn't remember, but her father, Cash Neverhood, visited her frequently as a newborn, but quickly faded out of the picture. After all, he was only 16 at the time, and had a blossoming business he was striving to focus on. He told her mother, Margaret, that he would ensure Penny was well taken care of, sending her money monthly to care for her despite having zero interest with being directly involved (however, he did insist she was named after him as he did take pride in her being his first child). In general, Penny wouldn't know much about her father until she turned 16.

Margaret wasn't a bad mother to Penny per say, but she wasn't great, either. She was younger than even Cash was, and wasn't truly prepared for a child. Despite this, she insisted she could care for Penny, especially since Cash was sending income. With no help from her own parents, she did what she could to scrape by and worked at a small general store where Penny would be able to stay with her during the day. Margaret would continue to keep in touch with Cash through telegrams who insisted Penny should go to school in order to learn to read and write so she could be as successful as he was. Wanting the best for her daughter, Margaret agreed.

School isn't cheap, and neither is groceries, a shitty apartment, or childcare. When Penny was old enough to walk, talk, and otherwise, the owners of the general store no longer wanted her there unless she would quit school and work for them. In order to please the owners, Margaret began working herself twice as hard. The combination of constant working, being a single mother, and having no help led to a decline in Margaret's mental health. To numb the pain, Margaret began to drink. After all, the store sold alcohol on the shelves so it wasn't hard to come by. It didn't take long for a small drink once a week to become multiple in a day. She would use Cash's money intended for Penny's care to fund her addiction.

By 12 years old Penny had learned to become self-reliant, knowing her alcoholic mother wouldn't help her to move up in the world. Margaret was too concerned with her alcohol to remember to feed Penny on a regular basis. Penny didn't have time to work between her studies, but if she was lucky, she would manage to steal a few dollars from her mother to buy food. At this point, she was still unaware of her father and his monthly monetary gifts. Despite her young age, she was keenly aware of her mothers declining health. By 14, her mother would be in and out of the hospital regularly due to health problems caused by her addiction.

A month after Penny's 16th birthday, Margaret died due to health complications related to alcoholism. Before she passed, she directed Penny to a letter within a shoebox from her father, Cash. Penny had little to-no interest in the letter until after she died. With no where to go, Upon opening the letter, Penny discovered that Cash had become rich from his business in the south, she learned that he had been sending her and her mom money to help them every month, and even that he insisted on making sure she was cared for. He was unaware of her mothers condition and her theft of the money intended for Penny. In the letter, he insisted he would care for Penny should anything ever happen to Margaret. Afraid and alone, Penny reached out to Cash who swiftly invited her to stay with him, promptly sending her money for the train ticket to the south.

## Growth

When Penny arrived in Monroe county she quickly found that she had an extensive family who would welcome her with open arms. She would meet her uncle, Colt Neverhood and his wife Gabriella, whom were both doctors, and her cousin, Conan Neverhood, who would quickly become more like a sibling to her. She also discovered that she had three step siblings, her being the oldest, but her father, Cash, refused to tell her much about them. During this time, Penny would quickly grow close to her father who taught her to shoot a gun, ride a horse, and manage his saloon. Her uncle Colt would teach her to hunt, Gabriella would provide her with her first horse, and Conan would show her how to handle people and gangs in the south. Conan and Gabriella would both teach Penny all there was to know about horses, which quickly became a hobby of hers.

Penny would also learn of the questionable associates Cash had made, his illegal gun exchange, his moonshine business, and more. It may even be the reason she didn't hold much respect for law enforcement. Overall, this didn't bother Penny, it wasn't as if he was actually harming anyone. Plus, Cash promised he would protect her, no matter the cost. He insisted that she was the most important person in his life, and he regretted not being more involved with her. This time would mark the happiest period of Penny's life.

## Lost With No Answers

Six months after Penny arrived in Monroe, Cash Neverhood disappeared. Penny was aware at the time that her father had made many enemies in his time in the county, but he had always kept her in the loop and insist that protecting her came first. If someone was on his trail, he would take Penny with him into hiding temporarily and pay a few of his bartenders extra to work as security. Cash made Penny feel important- made her feel like she had a place in the world. This all vanished overnight when he disappeared without a trace. No note, no signs, nothing. She would send him telegrams regularly, seeking any form of an update to no avail. Colt, his brother, wouldn't have any leads either. This filled Penny with mixed emotions of sadness, anger, and resentment. She quickly concluded Cash never truly wanted to take her under his wing and had left to be independent again.

Half a year after his disappearance, Penny gave up searching. She wanted to find him, get answers, anything she could grasp onto to understand why he would do this to her after swearing to protect her. Penny, now knowing more about the world than she ever had, decided it was time to leave Monroe, and head to the county of the ruthless to start a new life. She wanted nothing to do with those of her blood family- afraid they would leave her too. She would leave a note to Conan, giving him her new telegram and letting him know she had traveled safely. He was the only one that she still trusted. In fact, he probably would have went with her if he didn't have his own problems to deal with at the time. She would spend the next few years of her life on the road, alone.

## Ruthless (Current Day)

Penny, now 20, found herself in a new county, Ruthless, anxious and desperate for money. She hadn't made many friends during her travels, but she sure had made a lot of enemies. She quickly discovered a group of criminals including the infamous Perseus Delony who offered to help Penny in return for her assistance in their nefarious activities and goal to take over the town of Van Horn. With no where else to go, she obliged. Quickly, she became good friends with the group who would call Van Horn home, and resumed following her hobby of horses by opening a stable which she would name Crimson, a nod to her past.