When Rosaline had imagined her first visit to Ava and Sin’s new home it had looked nothing like this.  A cute outfit, a bottle of wine and Tru by her side had been what she imagined - instead here she was a complete and utter wreck.  Her normally carefully crafted hair was matted and unkempt, bearing all the signs of sleeping on the floor.  Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying and exhaustion and they looked sunken from the very dark rings surrounding them.  She hadn’t eaten since breakfast the previous morning and it showed in her pale, weakened body and her clothes - not suitable for the cold weather - bore all the signs of being worn for two days with numerous falls causing stains and dirt to cling to the garments.

Keeping a tight grip on the broken performance collar in one hand, she raised her free hand and knocked on the door.  Dragging in a deep shuddering breath and attempted to build up some composure she waited patiently.  The moment the door opened any semblance of control left the broken submissive and she instantly broke down into renewed tears of despair.  “I’m really r-really sorry.  I just didn’t know where else to go,” she sobbed.

[Auggie sat in the bay window, waiting for Ava, just like he’d promised. With the way Ava had talked to him earlier, he’d been worried that the worst was happening, but once she had promised him that they weren’t breaking up, nothing had seemed quite so scary to Auggie anymore. Not he was just picking at the fringe on one of Riley’s pillows, waiting for Ava to make what he was sure would be a dramatic entrance. He should have been trying to figure out what the big deal was, but after more than a decade, Auggie knew that Ava sometimes made a whole ordeal out of things that just didn’t matter that much, and he was waiting to see what today would bring. No matter what she had to say, he was always happy to see her -- his best friend and the love of his life.]

[Riley had been running her hands over a row of pretty dresses when she heard a wail from the nearby dressing room. She shot Maya a worried look, even though she had a feeling she knew exactly who was making all that noise. Her best friend shot her a look that clearly read ‘not my problem, sister,’ and without a word, Riley dashed to the dressing room, looking under the stall doors for feet until she got to Ava’s.] “Ava? Do you need some help in there?” [Riley asked, pushing the door open tentatively to see her brother’s girlfriend with a half-zipped dress. Those things were definitely tricky to get up, and she didn’t quite understand why Ava was yelling about it... until she took a step forward and tried to zip it up for her, to no avail.] “Uh oh... It won’t go up any further.”