a   pathetically   earnest   smile   is   already   gracing   her   previously   morose   expression   despite   her   efforts ;   ava   waves   back ,   and   giggles   at   joe’s   playful   tour   guide   remark  .   silly  .   

“   was  !   now   she’s   all   freed   up   again  .   me   and   georgie   were   playing   at   the   barrens   for   a   bit ,   but   then   he   had   to   go   somewhere  ...   i   think   he   said   his   mom’s   taking   him   shopping   for   summer   clothes ,   or   somethin’   ------   ”   

and   caleb's   out   and   about   somewhere   with   his   family ,   which   knocks   her   total   number   of   remaining   friends   in   town    down   to  ...   well ,   zero  .   oh ,   well  .   it’s   scooby   saturday   on   nickelodeon ,   so   the   girl   figures   eating   handfuls   of   dry   cereal   and   watching   the   mystery   gang   crack   a   bunch   of   cases   will   pass   the   time   until   their   return  .   

“   ------   so   i’m   just   gonna   go   watch   cartoons   for   a   bit  .   check   it ,   this   is   my   house  !   ”   

blissfully   unaware   of   the   fact   he’s   already   aware   and   has   even   intruded   within   her   home ,   ava   indicates   with   her   pointer   finger ,   though   she   can’t   help   but   go   a   little   pink   in   the   face   upon   registering   what   a   shit   tip   it   must   look   to   him  .   beaten   up   chain   link   fencing   surrounds   it   for   the   most   part ,   there’s   a   skip   full   of   assorted   crap   taking   up   most   of   the   front   garden ,   beer   bottles   and   cigarette   butts   litter   their   sorry   excuse   for   a   porch  .   joe   probably   lives   somewhere   way   nicer  .   on   the   good   side   of   town ,   maybe  ...   tearing   her   gaze   from   it   utterly   abashed ,   ava   blinks   up   at   the   man   perplexedly  .

She’s been scouting book shops in this town. A part of her feels he’ll go where he’s comfortable. He knows books. Entering the store, Emma’s fingers tug at the corners of her red leather jacket; her armor. She needs the strength it gives her and its protection from the outside world. No one gets through it. No one. 

Eyes focus on one direction as she rounds a corner of a bookshelf... subsequently ramming into a cart of books. She’s quick to steady it but one book is already making its descend and her free hand juts out, grabbing it before it can alert the entire store of her misfortune. Gaze lifts and she nearly sucks in a breath. He’s here and he’s witnessed the catastrophe that is her.

“ I uh... caught it, ” she let’s out a forced laugh, lips tugging in a sheepish smile. “ Promise not to tell? ” Got him.

“ why is it a secret? are you gonna get in trouble? ” if there was one thing jack could do well --- it was maintain a secret. he wasn’t a snitch. growing up in a group home of boys that was the first lesson he learned for better or for worse. when they ran around in the streets they looked out for one another, whether that be keeping lookout when stealing food, or snatching someones wallet. jack knew how to look out. he did find it a bit strange though, “ do you keep people in here? ” the cage looked like a room inside of a room and jack wonders what the point of it all was? but, Joe had treated him well, and if his one request was that he didn’t say anything about his weird room-in-a-room then he’d honor it. “ . . .fine. but you have to get me another candy bar---and I get to pick it !! ” 

she didn’t think much of it, really.  not at first, anyway.  there had been plenty of times where she’d been walking in the same general area, the same route, as someone else at the store.  going down the same aisles, turning the same direction.  hell, even using the same register.  rapunzel had noticed, yes, but she didn’t think there was anything to be afraid of.  she didn’t leave the house full of paranoia and worry, not like she’d been brought up to.  

“---no,” she answered with a small shake of her head, her brow furrowed ever so lightly.  “should i be?”

@gxldberg

Protective sentence starters

Her fingers skate over his hand, tracing each knuckle, memorising each line in his skin. For a moment, Alex is silent. It's hard, talking about her family. She'll occasionally crack a joke about her dad, or mention her mom in passing, but it's never serious, never anything she has to think about for too long. The seriousness makes it hurt more. But Joe needed to know, to understand her and why she is the way she is. She lets out a short breath, her eyes finally flicking up to meet his. 

@gxldberg

Protective sentence starters

“Joe, you really don’t have anything to worry about.“ She’d never really pegged Joe to be the jealous type, but Alex supposes it’s not really unreasonable for him to be a little worried about her friends. After all, Harry is the most important person in Alex’s life, and with everything she knows about Peter, she’s often the first person that he turns to. And yes, maybe she had feelings for Peter once upon a time, but that was before Joe, and nothing ever happened. 

  “You’re new. What brings you to Gotham city?”