Free OC lore: before they go anywhere or do anything that involves being social, Ivy has to go over the list of rules August has to follow in order to get her cigarette reward afterwards for good behavior. People assume that August having a list of rules to follow is a warning that Ivy is being controlling or the relationship is toxic, but the rules are all like "do not insult people when they are clearly within earshot" and "do not play gun and bomb sound effects on your phone when you're bored with the table's conversation and want to leave the restaurant" and "do not lie to the waiter and tell them that this is your last meal before going back to the military because you want a free dessert" and these rules are all based on real incidents that have happened in the past.