Mrs. Graves
Description
Mrs. Graves is the wife of Mr. Graves and mother to Andrew and Ashley Graves. She is first seen in a flashback in Episode 1 and officially appears in the game by Episode 2.
Physical Appearance
Mrs. Graves has black hair kept in a loose yet high ponytail, and light green eyes. In contrast to the ashen gray tone of her portrait, her eyes can be mistaken for yellow; she also has prominent lines under her eyes that reflect on her age and weariness. She wears a dark vest over a light dress shirt and a loose necklace.
In-Game Sprite
Her sprite is a stoic and gray-colored pixel-art version of herself. Mrs. Graves also has a flat, neutral facial expression similar to Andrew's in-game sprite.
Personality
Much of Mrs. Graves's personality is derived from how her children remember her as, and how she addresses them in Episode 2. In Andrew's and Ashley's memories, she is neglectful as she is often busy; however, her rare affection and consideration of her children only extends to Andrew. This warmth does not extend to Ashley, as Mrs. Graves has internalized her belief that Ashley was a difficult child well into her adulthood and suspected her over an incident from the past.
Background
According to Mrs. Graves, she gave birth to Andrew at the age of fifteen; she then gave birth to Ashley at seventeen. She and her husband would move into a two-bedroom apartment where they would raise their children. Seeing as she was busy and found young Andy to be generally responsible, she tasked her son with taking care of young Leyley. Her opinion of her children seemed to have changed, especially with Ashley, after the death of Ashley's classmate and friend.
Prior to the events of the game, Mr. and Mrs. Graves stayed at a hotel instead of joining Andrew and Ashley in quarantine. She would then refuse to answer Ashley's calls, even apologizing to her daughter after bidding her farewell. In Episode 2, Andrew and Ashley learn that their death certificates were processed as early as the start of the quarantine. Mrs. Graves would then explain that she had been referred to a surgeon who declared her children deceased and she and her husband were able to pay out the children's life insurance.
Using Andrew's and Ashley's alleged life insurance payout, Mr. and Mrs. Graves were able to afford a new house at a pleasant neighborhood. Here, Mrs. Graves interacts with her neighbors and has a fairly active sex life with her husband. She and her husband also begin to grow a vegetable garden in their backyard.
The Coffin of Andy and Leyley
Episode 1: The Coffin
Mrs. Graves is mentioned numerous times and is even shown in Ashley's memories. In those memories, Mrs. Graves insisted that she did not have to join Andrew and Ashley in quarantine so that she and her husband could stay at a hotel overnight. In an indeterminate period of time, she would answer Ashley's phone calls to tell her daughter that she could not do anything about the siblings' situation and Ashley should instead stop calling her. She no longer answered Ashley's calls after that.
Andrew briefly mentions her and her husband when he tells Ashley that they should not attempt to contact their parents to avoid authorities who may look for them after their escape and committed crimes.
Episode 2: Graves
Andrew and Ashley are able to find and break into the Graves couple's house, where they learn that their parents lived pleasantly in contrast to their quarantine. The two attempt to steal from their parents only to be caught by Mrs. Graves, who had a day-off from work. Mrs. Graves reluctantly chats with her children over coffee and tries to probe for more information for how the two survived, although she deflects from Andrew's attempts to pry information out of her regarding the quarantine and how she could afford this new house.
Despite her attempts to get her children to leave, the two stay for dinner. Mrs. Graves eventually offers the spare bed to Ashley and the couch to Andrew for the night and even insists that the two separate and sleep early. At night, Mrs. Graves attempts to speak with Andrew about Ashley only to find her children in a compromised position on her couch.
Trivia
- Mrs. Graves's in-game sprite mirrors Andrew's in-game sprite as both are flat, neutral expressions. This mirror is parallel to Mr. Graves' and Ashley's own mirror expressions, which droop and frown.
- It is heavily implied in one of Ashley’s dreams that Mrs. Graves soul is similar to Ashley’s tar soul, but not as dark.
