@banschivs : good advice is always annoying, & bad advice never is.
" what if i told you that that almost sounds like good advice? " cigarette between teeth, you cup your hand at the tip. lighter flicks, one, two, three times: each one blew out by the wind of gotham's breath... until your lighter finally flicks on, catching the end of your cigarette. in the nature of her point, you can hear your mother scolding you now –– a nasty habit, an un-lady like obsession. luckily the blonde beside you pulls your focus, & the voice in your head fades out. " i never want to follow good advice... sounds boring. " you shrug, taking a drag before pulling the smoke from your lips, held between two fingers.
" you & arthur always seem to find a way to make it interesting, at least. " it's a compliment, hidden behind a sigh: there's something there you want, something you need. it burns under your skin like an itch that's untouchable, unreachable without the sharp blade of a knife to dig in ( the line you're toeing is complex, on one side lies them, family of sorts, family not in blood, on the other side lies just that... blood ). " i'm sorry if i've made things difficult. that was never my intention but... seems like a side effect of knowing me. "