when you are young,they assume you know nothing

"Mhm." Jemma nodded. "Her name's Soren. I'm sure you've heard of her by now." It wasn't as if she was trying to brag about knowing her or anything. Nor was she attempting to fool the man in believing her because Soren may not have had many chances to prove her wit yet, the couple cases she'd taken on so far were already speaking for themselves. "Soren Robertson." Jemma quickly added, realizing perhaps the last name might ring the bell.

As she picked the plate Val had offered her, Jemma moved aside from the line that's been piling behind her back. The smell of freshly baked goods must have spread across the street by now, luring people in. "It's good." She nodded after taking a bite out of what he referred to as a Señorita bread. "But I still feel like it's missing that cinnamon touch. You can call it Señorita bread with a twist." She joked before moving onto the other piece of bread on her plate. It was clearly from the way she almost closed her eyes that it'd be the winner. There was never a wrong move when chocolate was involved. "Forgive me, I don't care where it got its name from but that one's my favourite."

Noah leaned against the counter, taking in the soothing scent of the brewing tea. "A special way? Now I'm even more curious to try it." The mention of the twins' age brought a smile to his face as Noah considered their recent behavior. "The twins would love that. They're already trying to prove they're ready for a pet by doing extra chores without being asked." His kids were adapting so well to their new life, showing maturity beyond their years. Which was why maybe getting them a pet wasn’t a bad idea. Still, this was something he had to think about before jumping into to adopting a pet. "Thank you. But my body doesn't agree. The wrinkles aren't setting in yet, but I do have a few grey hairs." The grey hairs came from the stress of single parenthood or just genetics. At forty-two, he'd earned every silver strand.

Being accustomed to greeting new customers, often times Jemma paid little attention to the words coming out of her mouth. There weren't many tea shops in Wilmington, certainly not the same kind as Ordinary, for her to make any comparison yet she was sure there wasn't something extraordinary in the way she prepared tea other than the fact it didn't came from a tea bag. "Well, it's the mystery of it that makes people coming back, so don't expect me to share my secrets." She shrugged while pouring a cup for the man to taste. Yet her cheeks burnt. "You know, I've heard gray hairs to be signs of maturity and wisdom, not old age."

“I didn’t laugh.” Her pawns raised in faux surrender as she shook her head. Despite the way she bit her bottom lip, there was a small smile tugging onto the corners of her mouth. There was something to be said about the two of them, able to tease like old times in the face of what they were experiencing. When the drink was offered up, one hand extended to retrieve the cup into her grasp while she watched Jemma set out what baked goods she was referring to. “Thanks, Jem. Are you going to have some with me?” She asked, her gaze wandering over the bread on the counter. “Those look good. But then, what do you call them if you don’t know the name?” She’d wait a little longer, maybe until they both had a few sips of tea–warm drinks meant comfort, right?–before she asked about Kian.

This small moment of lightheartedness was all Jemma needed to push back her worries even if it was hard to push back the thought of her brother being arrested. At least the distress from spilling a jar of her brand new original blend for the season was all gone now. Pouring herself a cup of the same type of tea, Jemma leaned against the counter and took a bite out of the baked bread. "I believe Val called it a Señorita bread." She said while still munching on it. At least the name has been familiar enough to stick, even if she barely understood the meaning behind it. "Everything in that bakery has a strange name, honestly. But the taste is phenomenal."

Every time Jemma mentioned working for and learning from Rosemary, she couldn't help but feel a part of her being exposed. She simply didn't like dwelling on the topic too much and sensing the woman's growing interest on it, she quickly focused on pushing the conversation in other direction as to avoid saying something she shouldn't have. "Summer is good for growing tea but hot drinks aren't very popular then." She shrugged. "I've kinda started doing my own version of iced tea in the last couple of years. It's pretty much a regular tea but I let it cool down and even freeze some and add it before serving." Realizing she was probably going into much details that weren't exactly interesting to most people, Jemma quickly went silent.

He stared at his sister, she was still sitting here with him. She could have ran, or reported him. But not Jemma. Still, guilt gnawed at his insides, making his stomach churn. "You make it sound so simple, Jem," he said, rubbing his face. "But every time I think about Armi, about what could've happened if I hadn't..." His voice broke off. The memory of that night flashed through his mind. Sean's rage-filled eyes, the sound of the gunshot, and Armi's scream. His shoulders slumped as he listened to his sister’s reassurances. She was right about one thing—he needed to stop torturing himself, at least for now. "Pizza sounds good," he said, managing a weak smile. The idea of a distraction pulled at him. "Maybe one of those terrible action movies you love so much?" He sat down heavily on the couch, feeling the exhaustion seep into his bones. "I just... I need to know she's safe, you know? That's all I wanted. To keep her safe." His blue steel eyes met his sister's—a cocktail of pain and despair mixing within. "I'd do it again if I had to. Does that make me a monster?"

Inside her head it was simple. Some may say she was prejudiced but Jemma couldn't imagine her brother hurting someone, let alone killing them, without feeling as though it was his last resort. However, she saw no point in repeating herself. She knew sooner or later Kian would eventually get to her point. "You did what you had to do so this scenario wouldn't happen, okay?" She squezzed his hand one last time. "Hey! They make a good distraction when you don't feel like focusing too much on the details." Jemma chuckled while placing the order. "Pizza will be here in twenty minutes." She turned to face him, a smile mirroring his pulling at the corner of her lips. "No, you're not a monster. Just a lovesick fool who needs to stop blaming himself for protecting his girlfriend. Promise me."

Armi wasn't sure what to think or how to feel. She knew she felt extremely guilty for what was happening with Kian right now. And the truth was -- she wasn't the only one who needed him. She fidgeted with her fingers as Jemma expressed she was fine. Olaf pitter-pattered towards her, easing some of the tension with his big beautiful face. Kneeling down, she gave the pup some head rubs. Glancing up at Jemma, "Both?" She replied, feeling the waters. Standing to her full height, "I definitely plan on buying something, but I also just wanted to know how you were doing."

Soft smile appeared on Jemma's lips and she walked around the counter to stand in full-height in front of Armi. It took her a moment to figure whether what she was about to do was okay before making another step forward and wrapping her arms around the other woman. She remembered Kian falling apart when she'd done that and only hoped it won't happen again with Armi, too, because this time she didn't feel strong enough to not fall apart, too. "You don't need to buy something, if you don't feel like it. It's okay, if you just wanted to come and check up on me or talk." She pulled back. "And it's all going to be okay, right? They'll figure they've got the wrong guy soon."

LT nodded when he realized he had made the right choice. Not pushing someone always seemed like the best move. Unlike that person was his father, his father did not benefit from that courtesy. He froze up a bit when she questioned him about what kind of tea. If he was honest, he didn't quite have an answer for that. He just knew natural tea could possibly help. "Uh..." He trailed off, glancing around the store, "Definitely nothing strong, as his blood pressure is high." He thought out loud, "Do you have something that could help with pain? And maybe nausea? He's sick... the fatal kind." He added, his voice lowering.

Despite already having a bad feeling deep down, the man's answer still managed to surprise her, making her freeze and turn to look at him. Jemma tried as hard as possible not to give him the sort of apologetic look she was sure LT was over by now, given his situation, yet it was hard to battle her own self. Especially today. Her emotions were already all over the place even before he'd stepped into the shop. "Green tea has lots of benefits. It does contain some caffeine but it's said to help. Or you can try mint and ginger? It's calming and is good for the stomach and the immune system. If you add a slice of lemon, it tastes even better."

sloane shook her head in response to her sister's words. there was no way she was going to ask her sister, especially when she had a business of her own, to help out at the hardware store. "i can't ask you to put your own business on hold. i can hold all of this down until kian gets out." and she knew that kian was going to get out, especially with her cousin representing him. soren was a hell of a lawyer and she had no doubt in her mind that she was going to get kian the justice he reserved.

Jemma always found it odd how despite not being blood related, spending enough time together growing up has made it easy to know what was on her siblings mind even before they'd spoken. She knew Sloane would never ask for her help, which is why she'd offered it. She knew having both of them on board would give Sloane a break as well as keep their father from trying to step in as he liked to do. "I feel like giving myself a break and putting the shop on hold or at least working shorter hours would be a nice change given the stuff we're all going through. Did I tell you how I had to throw a whole blend yesterday?"

Her brow rose as she forgot about the tea altogether and then ventured closer. "I'm not opposed to it. How much is it and what flavors are there?" Her head tilted towards the dog and then flicked back to the woman. "I'm not the biggest tea drinker but I think it's because I haven't found something that I enjoy drinking. It all tastes like hot water to me."

"The prize depends on the flavour most of the times but the regular prize is three dollars, if you drink it in, and 3.50, if you want to take it and go. As for the flavours, I just destroyed our fall inspired blend with pumpkin spice but I can offer you our black tea with salted caramel instead? Or the hazelnut blend. If you add a splash of milk it'll taste like a hot chocolate." Short of breath after pointing out the current favourites, Jemma took a moment to steady herself as well as to prepare the kettle, if the woman chose to give any tea blend a try. "You can also take a look around and pick another option. All jars are labeled. And if you're into pastry, I've got some from the local bakery down the street. They go really well with any sort of tea."

Starting out as a game of truth or dare (or at least it sounded as one), Jemma was puzzled by how fast the conversation has turned serious. Or has it? Blinking, she tried to figure out the man in front of her. "My best friend is a lawyer." She answered with a doze of uncertainty laced in her voice. "She's young, but I can bet she's one of the top lawyers in town right now." After being able to get her brother out so fast after the charges has been placed, Jemma had no second doubts about Soren's ability and knowledge. "Do you need a number? And if it isn't her specialty, maybe she can refer you to someone in this field of work."

closed starter for @jemmaxlawson

Christmas was by far Jemma's favourite holiday. In fact, she treated it as a whole season starting from as soon as Halloween was over until the end of December. As much as she hated the cold and gloomy weather, she just loved the coziness of it. "I've heard it happens with kids." She shrugged, letting out a soft chuckle, partialy glad for the little distraction Amos has offered her even though shopping for her family kept the thought of Kian at the back of her mind at all times. "Um, I wouldn't say it's weird, but it may be harder. Do you know enough about their interests yet? You should also be careful with what intentions you plan on making this gift with? Is it someone special?" She didn't mean to pry, but she was also curious as to who Amos was buying a gift for.

˙ ˖ ✶ Jemma

While she was an all animals lover, deep down Jemma knew she wasn't much of a cat's person. She wouldn't mind playing or cuddling one for a while but living with one was a whole other thing. Funny, since Rosemary used to own a cat in the later years of her life and Jemma often wondered what has happened to the animal following her passing but the fact she hasn't showed up proved that they were capable of fending for themselves unlike dogs. She simply couldn't imagine Olaf on his own. "Tell me about hellish days, I feel like we've all been pushed to the limits with these recent events." She mused, already preparing some tea. "Do you want it now or take away?"

eddie knew that she had a point and so, he wasted no time nodding in response. "i get it. thank you by the way." he appreciated the fact that she bought anything for him, especially when she didn't have to. he needed more friends like jemma in his life and honestly, he wished he met the friends he met in wilmington at home but he was meant to be here and despite missing his parents, he was where he was supposed to be. "i think so. being burnt is miserable. the absolute worst." he announced as he took a sip of his bubble tea. "well, that's good. nothing exciting on my part either. except, maybe throwing lula the penguin a birthday party at the zoo."

"Oh yeah?" Jemma had seen videos of special events at a zoo but couldn't recall ever seeing one from the Wilmington zoo. Maybe they kept a record somewhere and she made a mental note to check their socials, even though she could also ask the source himself. "Are you planning anything exciting for the upcoming holidays, too?" She mused, finding the whole idea of pulling in animals in the celebrations kind of funny yet she was the one to spoil her own dog last Christmas, so she probably shouldn't judge. "Speaking of it, do you have plans of your own? Because if you don't, maybe we can figure something fun together."

Despite the current situation, a slow smile began to unfold against Nicole's lips. "I just can't seem to get it right. Maybe it just tastes better when you do it. Leave it to the experts, you know?" That was a lie. She had needed an excuse to check in on Jemma and while it may not have been a good one, she'd take anything she could. Her eyes shifted to watch as the younger girl worked, the steps all so familiar to her. "Oh I'd love some fresh ..." The beat of silence at the end of the statement purposely included to imitate how she'd said it. "Where did you get ... from?"

Jemma shook her head. While being trained by an expert like Rosemary, Jemma felt far from being an expert herself. Perhaps it was a family trait; a Lawson's one or not, she wasn't sure since both seemed to have tendency of downplaying their accomplishments to a certain degree. "It's not funny!" She scolded, but there wasn't even an ounce of anger in her voice. Quite the opposite, having something to do had eased her mind a bit, at least for a little while, making room for even a little joy to creep in. "I like to get some fresh goods from the bakery down the street. And the man working there always makes fun of me for messing up their names as if it's my fault they sound weird." Finishing up the drink, Jemma pushed the cup towards Nicole and turned to take out one of the Señorita breads as Val had called it. "Here you go."