[hr][center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjEwNi4wMGZhOWEuVUdGc2IyMWhJRWRwYkcxdmRYSS4w/perfect-smile.regular.webp[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/fQJYC7v.png[/img][/center]
[right][b]Interactions:[/b] Vin [@Fernstone] Marco [@NoriWasHere] Destiny & Latoya [@Evil Ghost Note]
[code]Thursday November 24th, The Hollow Tap[/code][/right][hr]

Paloma cocked her head as Vin glowered at her for some strange, cryptic reason. They were so weird sometimes, always trying to beam some secret message into her head instead of just saying things outright. Paloma wrinkled her nose back at Vin. It wasn’t like she had asked anything uncouth. Oh, sure, perhaps she had implied some less-than-savory things, but all she had done was ask a young, alone, hungry child at a free community dinner for the underprivileged about–[i]ooooh[/i]. Paloma's eyes filled with a mix of panic and sympathy as she looked down at Destiny, the poor girl silenced by the question. 

[color=springgreen]“Or your grandmother?”[/color] asked Paloma, her voice breaking with diminished hope. [color=springgreen]“An older sister…[sub]or brother…[sub]or…[/sub][/sub]”[/color]

Shit. Paloma's childhood as a Southie hadn’t necessarily been all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, but in reflection she had been a luckier kid than most.

[color=springgreen]“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”[/color] 

A different kind of panic rippled through Paloma’s being. Of course now would be the time that Marco finally showed his stupid, sexy face. She needed him–his help, anyway, although she wasn’t going to pretend like the other thing wouldn’t be nice–but now was the worst moment for him to approach. She just couldn’t allow herself to suddenly ignore this girl, she thought whilst ignoring Destiny, missing the fork fly into the kid’s hand entirely as she stared at the fabric on Marco’s shirt straining to keep itself in one piece. 

She raised a hand to give him a little flirty wave with her fingers, dropped all but one finger to indicate to Marco to wait for her, and felt herself pulled back as Vin stepped in front of her. A third wave of panic crashed over her, this one heavy with confusion. Paloma had no clue why this was happening, having missed the little girl readying herself with the fork to attack Paloma like she was a succulent Thanksgiving turkey. Some stuck gears broke free of their lust built rust and began to spin again, trying to unravel why Vin had stepped between Marco and–Paloma gave an audible gasp.

[i]Ohmigod, jealousy![/i] she thought, wishing that Gideon would open the goddamn door back up. She was starting to feel flush by the time Latoya had jumped in, introducing herself as Destiny’s friend.

[color=springgreen]“Paloma. Pleased to meetcha,”[/color] she said, reaching past Vin to offer Latoya a handshake, her face blanching in horror as she finally noticed a smear of mashed potatoes on her sleeve from when a cookiemaker had tugged on it and trying to recall if she had waved at Marco with this hand or the other. 

She stuffed the concern down as Destiny lied about dropping her plate of food, her worry turning back towards the girl. Initially feeling a bit uncertain about Latoya’s claim to friendship, the suspicion was soon swept away as Destiny broke her heart. 

[color=757566]“Why are you all... being [i]soooo[/i] nice to me?[i] People don’t just[/i]…[b]do that[/b]…”[/color]

A genuine, unironic [i]awww[/i] escaped from Paloma’s lips as her eyes welled up. She would’ve moved to scoop Destiny with her gross, potato soiled arms, but was beaten to the punch by Vin squatting down in front of the girl for a lil pep talk. [i]Softie.[/i] Paloma put her hands behind her back and stepped around Vin so she could converse with Latoya, unaware that she would be creating a bit of a smokescreen that would hopefully prevent Destiny’s “friend” from overhearing what was starting to sound like a bit of a worrisome confessional that shouldn’t be dumped on a child just because they’d grabbed a fork before a plate.

[color=springgreen]“She didn’t drop her plate, actually. She still needs to eat. We were about to go through the line to get some food. I’d ask you to join us, but…,”[/color] Paloma gestured to Latoya’s plate. [color=springgreen]“Maybe you could just save us a seat?”[/color] 

She glanced sideways at a blinding blur of speed that bumped into Marco.

[color=springgreen]“Unless you're feeling generous and wanna pass your plate onto Destiny. Poor thing was so hungry she already grabbed a fork. For a moment there it looked like she might eat me,”[/color] said Paloma with a laugh, the joy from her face faltering as she saw  presumably the mother of the blur talking to Marco, her face obscured by his bulging biceps. 

[Color=springgreen]”Vin’s great with kids. She can watch Destiny if you want?”[/color] asked Paloma.

Her attempt to charm Latoya into giving herself an opportunity to grill the woman through politeness and sweetness began to unravel as a full Shakespearean tragedy began to play out on Paloma’s face as she watched what she had assumed to have been an apology for being [i]such a [b]SHITTY[/b] mother[/i] morph into a full on flirtation that begged the question if the cute toddler had merely been used as bait.  

[color=springgreen]“Oh, come on!”[/color] groaned Paloma, her annoyance at the competition easily being mistranslated as a sudden and unwarranted pushiness towards Latoya for failure to immediately comply.