Every guy I know is too tall! Panini, Uncle Eric, Toulouse,- Is Gaston tall? He's taller than /me/! [Continuing to count on her fingers] Ryder, the dinosaur guy (I forgot his name), [she trails off with too many to count]
https://t.co/AG25hgN9KX
@BluntsAndPaints [All Lizzy hears is the repetition of "cute" with regard to her mother. Sitting up on her knees, she sounds just like a little schoolyard bully the way she chants] You think she's cute! You think she's cute! And I'm telling!
No! [Mainly because Pen herself never invites the word to be used to describe her. Pen uses it for describing Lizzy, though, of course. But Pen always asks if she looks cool.
Like a total brat, Lizzy points at him mischievously.] You think Ma is cute.
[A moment of inward panic. Maybe -don’t- admit that he thinks any part of the girl’s mom is “cute” despite it being all “cute”. He clears his throat.] Ya know. People might think so [nodding with a serious expression.] You don’t think so?
[Her nose stays wrinkled, only this time it looks as if she smelled something weird.] You think her /nose/ is cute? [She has anecdotal evidence exposing Pen's lying ways, but she's more amused by the absurdity of Pen's /nose/ being considered cute.]
[The boldness of this little girl to boop his nose. How precious.] Maybe she doesn’t tell any lies? Maybe that’s why her nose is cute. [quirking a brow] Ever think of -that-?
[Her nose wrinkles while her bright laugh chimes.] I'm not a cricket! And Ma's nose doesn't grow when she lies. [She boops Hunter's nose as she says so.] /Trust me/.
A gremlin [wrinkling his nose] That’s not as cute as you are. You’re more like her conscience. [relating the idea to her beloved Disney characters. He hopes he remembers these names well] Like you’re Jiminey Cricket to her Pinocchio.
[The abundant praise makes her eyes light up. People have called her strong for other reasons, but she doesn't like thinking about those. This is better.] Before she was my Ma, she said I was like a little gremlin that made her act better!
[His brows shoot up in surprise. He hadn’t even suspected- although it tracks for everything else.] Squirt, that’s -amazing-. You should be really proud of that. Quitting isn’t easy and you helped her do it. You’re really strong. Like, really -really- strong.
I also helped her quit smoking! /That/ was a lot easier. [Because that was for the sake of Lizzy's health. The more Pen babysat the child, the more responsible for her safety she became. Secondhand smoke commercials especially scared her.]
[He rolls to his stomach to match her.] I never doubted it, Squirt. [drumming his fingers along the floor.] You so strong things every day. I see it. More importantly, your Ma sees it. [smirking] Takes a spine made out of steel to call Pen out on her language.
[She's happy, but wary. Pen seemed to get along with Thomas well enough until he called her by her full name. If Thomas wasn't attached to Laurel, what would have happened? Pen was scary, then.
Lizzy makes herself perpendicular to Hunter.] Yeah, I'm pretty tough. [She sniffs.]
[His brows raise as she approaches him. More than a little amused by the sternness of her reprimand.] Good to know you’ve got my back, Squirt. Can’t do it without you. [smirking] But she hasn’t been mean to me. She’s been good to me.