To say that the girl reacted strangely to being run into by Avery and her dad would have been a bit of an understatement. Understandably, her face turned red and she seemed to get a little flustered, but the way she seemed to withdraw, pulling her knees and shoulders in slightly, was a bit unusual. The same could be said for the way that she was shaking as well. Sharing a glance, Avery and her father figured that the most probable reason for the reaction was that she was shy.

She seemed to overcome the anxiety fairly quickly, however, standing up and responding with an apology of her own. “You're fine, so don't worry about it,” Mr. Thompson said, smiling at her earnestness. Her accent, a bit rough compared to other places, was definitely a little strange, but she spoke English well, so there was no real problem understanding what she was saying. “No harm, no foul after all.”

Any air of social awkwardness or anxiety about her seemed to have vanished completely, which was honestly a little comforting, if only because the two of them knew how to deal with regular situations like a conversation between people. And it helped that the girl actually seemed to be pretty friendly now that she wasn't being run into, as she continued the conversation with a question of her own. “Yeah, this is my daughter, Avery,” he said, reveling in the compliment like any parent would. “And I'm Richard Thompson, though I would prefer it if you call me Rick or Rich.”

Avery, to her credit, didn't seem to be too bothered by the fact that the girl called her cute, though being patted on the head definitely crossed the line. Pulling out her student id card, which was going to end up tattered beyond recognition at this rate, she answered, “I-I'm seventeen.” She refrained from adding that she was a student as well, as the student id card should make that point perfectly clear all by itself. Despite how much it bugged her to be treated like a kid, she still couldn't avoid the timidity she had when talking to new people, though it was lessened by the presence of her father. She also didn't actually sound angry that the mistake had been made, just tired.

Mr. Thompson smiled apologetically before explaining. “Avery has proportionate dwarfism, so she's always been about the same height,” he said, pulling his daughter close to him affectionately. Before he could continue, his phone rang, the ring tone sharp and clear. A few of the people around them turned to see what the noise was, though they quickly lost interest when they realized that nothing was going on at all.

“Hold on a sec, girls,” he said, as he took the call a few steps away, chatting animatedly with the person on the other end before returning. “Sorry, but I've got to go. Apparently they need me at the plant for something.” Picking Avery up into a hug, he kissed her on the cheek before setting her back down and beginning to walk towards the parking lot, calling “I promise I'll stop by this weekend so you can finish giving me a tour, kiddo!” as he went.

A bit surprised by the turn of events, Avery just turned to the other girl with a shrug, though her attempt at nonchalance didn't mask the fact that she was blushing. “S-So, uhm, h-have you s-signed up for cl-clubs, yet?” she asked, making an attempt, weak though it may be, at continuing the conversation normally.