ADVANCED RP discussion

Yo

Avery Lovelace walked up to the counter of her favorite coffee shop. It was more of an underground cafe, something that only "hipsters" new about, but she loved it anyway. Something about the smell, or maybe it was the sound, of the busy coffee shop just put her mind at ease. Once she was up at the counter, she placed her order for a mocha frape, the usual order for her, and stood off to the side to wait for her name to be called. Within minutes, a plastic cup held her iced coffee, the delicious taste begging to be brought up to her lips. Yet, before this could happen, Avery picked up the cup and settled herself into a small booth made for two. Of course, another person wouldn't join her, but it was a small space that she could sit, and it was better than sitting on a bar stool.

Jace Sampson hollered goodbye to his brother Jake, he was the only one home of his five brothers. Jace didn't wait for a response, he let the screen door slam shut and practically jumped off the porch, skipping the steps. His feet carried him to the sidewalk, he was running, and continued to run until he was a good two blocks away. Finally he slowed down to a walk, he just wanted to get away before his older brother assigned him some random chore that he was guaranteed not doing, Jace had spent the past two weeks doing nothing but chores and catering to his five older brothers whims. He'd gotten in a fight with a pack member, and it had been his punishment to be on bitch detail for two weeks. Well that two weeks was up and he was finally free. First thing that he wanted to do after being cooped up in the house was to go get a cup of coffee and a croissant. The traffic, the buzz, the craziness of New York City was a comfort to him for once, instead of an annoyance. He didn't even get irritated when people bumped his shoulder as they walked in the opposite direction of him, or yell when his foot accidently got stepped on at the crosswalk. He was far too happy to be out of the house to worry about much else, a wolfish grin was on his face, his blue eyes were lit up with happiness. It took him a good half hour of walking before he finally found himself at the tiny cafe that most people didnt' know existed. He pulled open the door, a bell tinkled above him, then went inside. There weren't many people around yet, of course it was still pretty early, Jace went to the counter and ordered himself a caramel latte, and a chocolate croissant, he moved on to the pickup counter and stayed there until a hot, steaming mug was set before him, as well as a warm croissant that glistened on the top with melted butter. His mouth watered at the sight, yeah cereal for breakfast for the past two weeks had really been killing him. Jace looked around for a place to sit, he decided to sit at the bar, he was facing the side, where windows looked out onto the street, and a few small booths lined the window. A girl was sitting there by herself, she looked a little lonely, Jace didn't think much of it, he sat down and started tearing into the croissant.

((So I feel like this literally is the worst post in the world Idk what happened, I apologize))
Avery looked up from the top of her coffee when the bell above the entrance door chimed through the shop. That was odd... Not many people walked in after her, if anyone walked in at all. The face of the new being confused her a bit. He was definitely someone that she hadn't seen around before, someone that she hadn't encountered until now. She had to admit, he was fairly attractive, but with the smug look across his face, she couldn't see herself falling for him easily. Avery rolled her eyes. Right, like she'd fall for anyone right now. She was about to continue on with her business until her eyes caught up onto something, something that should've been obvious the first time she saw the guy. This new fellow that has walked inside wasn't human. No, neither was she, but he wasn't like her, either. He was a werewolf, one of the pack, and she was trained to trust no one. Not Downworlders, not Shadowhunters, not Mundanes. Avery slid out of the booth, her now half-filled coffee in her hand, as she made her way over to the boy. Confidence was never an issue when it came to figuring out why someone was somewhere. Flirting was fairly easy as well when she wanted it to be, and both of those things would be used when trying to get answers from this boy. She walked up to him, the back of her dress fluttering against her legs as her hips swayed. "Hey there," she said with a small smile, leaning against the side of the bar.
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Jace was enjoying his croissant and coffee, the butter flakes of the croissant melted in his mouth, almost making him moan out loud. Foodgasm for sure. The small bit of chocolate on the inside just added to the pleasure the food caused him, he was weird about his food. Sometimes he wondered if he would rather be eating or kissing a girl, it was a hard choice to make, wolves were naturally big eaters, and they enjoyed their food more than Italians did. And that was saying something. Jace's attention was diverted away from his food however when the girl by the window came towards him, his eyes looked her over once, she was in a dress that definitely fitted her well, she was quite pretty if he was being honest. Her blonde hair looked so silky that he was half tempted to reach out and touch it, instead he kept his hands to himself and watched her until she was beside him. He glanced at her with a curious expression, "Hello." Jace wasn't really sure he was up for flirting just yet, he hadn't finished his coffee. He decided to play though, "Want to sit?" He asked her politely, a smile on his face, he gestured toward the bar stool beside him. He thought of his brothers, he was glad they weren't there. If they saw him talking to a pretty girl they would be whooping and hollering, and just being plain obnoxious, not something he needed that early in the morning to be honest.

Avery's smile widened when the boy asked her to sit. At least he was nice. She had met plenty of wolves that weren't so nice, and she was hoping that this guy wasn't hiding a secret. Sitting down next to him, she raised her coffee to her lips, taking a long sip through the green straw as she watched him through half-stilted eyes. "Look," Avery spoke in a soft voice, lowering the cup and fully opening her eyes. The grey color seemed to harden, almost as if she was getting straight to the point of why she came here in the first place. "I know what you are, and if you try any kind of business on me or anyone else around her, I won't be afraid to knock you on your ass." Her voice came out smooth, almost silky like she she practiced the line over and over again. The truth; she really wasn't afraid to knock this guy out if he tried anything, but she knew that'd get her in a whole lot of trouble with the head of the Institute.

Jace rose a brow when he heard the change in tone of the girls voice, he turned to give her his full attention, her once warm grey eyes were now like hardened spheres as they glared at him. Her words surprised him, then he smelled it, that cold, steel, like smell, she was a shadowhunter, how had he not noticed that before? His eyebrows drew together, and his own eyes hardened slightly, looking like frozen ice, instead of warm ocean waters. "I hadn't planned on doing anything sweet cheeks, but if you're wanting to spar we can take this somewhere less noticeable," His tone had a flirtatious tone to it, just in case someone overheard, but his eyes stayed icy. "I really don't get you shadowhunters, you just assume we're out to stir up trouble. You never stop to think that maybe we have our own lives and we like to live in peace too, that us wolves can be a lot different than blood suckers." Jace had a certain hatred for vampires, and insulted them every chance he got. Despite this girls hotness he would take her down if she posed as a threat to him or the pack, and hell he couldn't deny the sexiness of a girl that could handle herself. Making him even more attracted to her than before, "Also if you wanted to get all handsy wiht me, you don't have to threaten to kick my ass, I'll gladly let you put those sweet hands all over me." He winked at her and gave her a smile that usually had girls melting before his eyes, also his eyes warmed up some.

Jace rose a brow when he heard the change in tone of the girls voice, he turned to give her his full attention, her once warm grey eyes were now like hardened spheres as they glared at him. Her words surprised him, then he smelled it, that cold, steel, like smell, she was a shadowhunter, how had he not noticed that before? His eyebrows drew together, and his own eyes hardened slightly, looking like frozen ice, instead of warm ocean waters. "I hadn't planned on doing anything sweet cheeks, but if you're wanting to spar we can take this somewhere less noticeable," His tone had a flirtatious tone to it, just in case someone overheard, but his eyes stayed icy. "I really don't get you shadowhunters, you just assume we're out to stir up trouble. You never stop to think that maybe we have our own lives and we like to live in peace too, that us wolves can be a lot different than blood suckers." Jace had a certain hatred for vampires, and insulted them every chance he got. Despite this girls hotness he would take her down if she posed as a threat to him or the pack, and hell he couldn't deny the sexiness of a girl that could handle herself. Making him even more attracted to her than before, "Also if you wanted to get all handsy wiht me, you don't have to threaten to kick my ass, I'll gladly let you put those sweet hands all over me." He winked at her and gave her a smile that usually had girls melting before his eyes, also his eyes warmed up some.

Avery couldn't help but roll her eyes, his first remark making her want to stand up and leave. She didn't need a sparing partner. No, she had Sylvana for that. Her best friend did a damn good job when it came to training, and that's all she ever needed. It wasn't until the boy's tone of voice changed dramatically that she decided to pay attention. Never stop to think? Did he think that she didn't take others into consideration? Oh, was he so wrong. There were a lot of things she thought about when it came to other people, but when it came to people that could be a potential threat? No, there wasn't any type of warmth in her heart for those people. "There's not a difference between Downworlders except for your power. You're all the same in the eyes of a trained Shadowhunter." Avery's voice was cold, one that said she wasn't willing to negotiate. This guy was really getting on her nerves, and one more snappy comment that ticked her off would definitely end up with a small girl storming off out of the cafe door. His next words sent a hot flush over her face. Handsy? With him?! Why in the world would she, let alone any girl, want to do anything along those lines with him? But here she was, sitting in front of a guy that thought he could say anything to a woman, with her face beet red. What was she supposed to say to that? If there was one thing Sylvana had taught her, it was how to deal with cocky men. Avery raised her hand, bringing it up to drag it quickly across his face. Her hand stung when it dropped into her lap, the sound of the slap echoing out and beyond their sitting space. Avery had stood up, abandoning her seat to get up close and personal with the boy in front of her. Even with him sitting he was taller than her. The advantages of being short, huh? "Don't you dare think it's okay to speak to me like that." her index finger was pressed against his chest, the fabric of his shirt folding around her nail like it was meant to be there. "I don't know who taught you that it was okay to speak to any girl like that but it's not. Got it?"

Jace rolled his eyes, she thought that he was like any other downworlder? Well she was in for a rude awakening, Jace was nothing like other downworlders. He was about to say so when he noticed the change in her complexion. She was a nice shade of red from head to toe, from the looks of it... Jace had to go over his words that he had only just spoken, what had he said to make her have such a reaction? She was practically rendered speechless, that was when he remembered, a chuckle was just escaping his lips when he was shocked, she stood up and slapped him so quickly that he had no time to react. It was something he was foreign to, so he wasn't really sure how he was supposed to react to her violence. He almost laughed when she poked him in the chest and told him off a little more. He smirked instead and touched a little part of her hair, "You got spirit, and you're feisty, damn I like that in a girl. How hard would it be to get you into my bed?" Jace did everything he could to not burst out laughing, his eyes shone with amusement, and he had his guard up this time, in case she tried to slap him again, he would be ready this time. It might annoy her for him to talk to her like that, but it made him quite happy to see her all flustered and excited afterwards. Jace was definitely going to have to get this ones name, he wanted to see her again sometime, after she was calm that is. Right at that moment he was fairly sure that she was about to bite his head off, the little minx.

Avery held back from slapping the boy's hand away, instead she let him touch her hair. Hair was an okay thing to touch, hair wasn't a big deal, but anything higher or lower? This boy wouldn't like the outcome if he tried anything like that. Something that involved the snapping of bones, that was for sure. She listened as he explained her own personality, spirit, feisty... Her eyes began to take on a bored look. That was until his next sentence drifted through the air. Her mouth parted slightly, enough to show she was in shock, but not enough to put off the whole effect. Into his bed? Avery thought, raising her eyebrows, What kinda of sick pervert is this guy? "Pretty hard considering you'd be lucky just to get out that door with me" Avery shook her head slowly. How some boys had so little nerve, she had no idea, but this boy in particular was getting on her last nerve. "I don't know who made you think that every girl is just willing to jump into bed with you, but I'm not some slut that's going to cater to your every sexual desire." Avery took a deep breath, letting her eyes soften back to their original, peaceful state. She took a small step backwards, jumping back up onto the stool and bringing her straw to her lips.

Jace was surprised that violence didn't occur once more, but also relieved. Maybe he was growing on her, despite her words, he truly believed he had an effect on girls that they couldn't resist forever. Her lips wrapping around the straw distracted him for a moment, then he got his thoughts back on track, "Just because you sleep with a guy doesn't mean you're a slut," He commented before turning back to his own coffee and food, she was so touchy about his words. Jace wondered for a moment if she was some feminist or something, she probably went to rallies and everything for womens rights. Well this one was going to be hard to crack apparently, which was a challenge he'd never had before. Girls usually just fell right into his lap, they didn't slap him and insult him. "So are you a virgin or what? Or maybe you're thinking of quitting the business and becoming a nun?" Now he was just poking at her to poke, to see what buttons he could push. Jace took a sip from his now warm coffee, it was no longer scalding hot. He could drink it with keeping his tastebuds safely intact.

"Maybe I'm saying you only sleep with sluts." Avery turned away from him, her legs being tucked neatly underneath the bar. Due to her height, her feet barely hit the first rung of the stool, yet she crossed her ankles, trying to ignore the fact that she rarely ever touched the ground in chairs. Despite how conceited and vain this boy was, he did make for some good company. He reminded her of her brother whenever he went off on his raging rampage. The thought almost made her smile, but why was she comparing this guy that she just met to her little brother? It wasn't like Mr. Coffee-And-Croissant would be staying around her for very long, anyway. At least, that's what she hoped. Avery stopped dead still whenever the wolf beside her began to speak again, his questions sending off mixed messages to her brain. Not only did he want to get her in his bed, he also wanted to know about her past and future plans? Complete pervert, that's what she decided he was. "My past has nothing to do you," she replied in a casual voice. "and studying to become a nun doesn't apply to me very well, considering I don't have much hope in anything left."

Jace blinked at the girl, she thought he only slept with sluts huh? Well he could go off on a tangent explaining the type of girls he slept with, how good their reputation was, ect. But he figured it would be a waste of breath with the shadowhunter. She obviously had her mind set, and he really had only one way of changing it, showing her through his actions that he wasn't one of those guys. Not that he had much chance of doing that either, because he always stuck his foot in his mouth. Jace wondered why he cared about what she thought in the first place. She was annoying, obnoxious, judgmental, goody too shoes that thought she knew everything. He rose a brow when she finally answered him, not the answer he was expecting. "Well this just got far too serious for my comfort, nice to meet you princess." Jace left a tip and got up, he went towards the door of the cafe without a backward glance.

Avery watched as the boy ended the conversation with one simple sentence, standing up to leave a tip on the counter. And with that, he left, walking out towards the door without saying another word, and she didn't even catch his name. What an odd twist of emotions running through her, the sparks of energy that her own body threw at itself as if to say "Go. Run after him." Would she listen, though? That's the question she asked herself. Avery rolled her eyes, piercing her lips together as she slid off of the bar stool for the last time, adjusting the belt around her waist before walking towards the exit. Damn that boy. If she didn't do this now, his stupid face would be lodged into her mind for the rest of the day. If all fell to ruins, though, she could easily brush this all off. After all, she did just meet the guy. "Hey, wait!" Avery called out after she got outside of the cafe, her much smaller strides struggling to catch up with him.

Jace was walking down the street with his hands in his pockets, calling himself an idiot for just leaving without getting the girls number or anything else. He was about to turn a corner when he heard her voice, he bit down a smile, not wanting to look like was ecstatic that she'd followed him out the door. Jace turned and looked at her, her short little self hurrying to catch up to his much longer strides. Damn if she wasn't adorable. "What is it midget monkey? I thought you didn't like me," He couldn't help but but smirk a little. She'd come after him, he hadn't had to turn back and go begging for her name or number, nope she'd come to him instead and that boosted his ego just a bit. "Couldn't stay away?" He asked as he leaned against the brick building they were in front of. His eyes skimmed over Avery, she was definitely fit, he could tell that if they ever did spar, he would get a good fight out of her.

Avery raised her hand to brush her hair out of her face, the small amount of wind forcing the hem of her dress to lap against her thighs. She stopped about a foot in front of him so she didn't have to crane her neck to look at his face. "I don't like you," she replied, forgetting about the whole 'midget monkey' remark. It made sense why he called her that, though. He was, at the least, a foot taller than her. "and I could easily stay away, but I couldn't leave forever without catching your name." Avery made sure to give him a look that'd make him want her to stay. She could be flirty when she wanted, and there was something about this guy that made her want to stick around. Don't get attached, She reminded herself, that always turns out for the worst.

(these keep getting smaller and smaller I have no idea what I'm doing wowza sorry)

Jace found it hard to believe that she didn't like him, considering she was giving him a look that said she did in fact like him, and that she was interested in more than just his name. "Well I'll give you my name, but you have to give me yours in return, that's how this works," He informed her in a very serious voice, though his eyes were twinkling, "My name is Jace Sampson, you might have heard of me and my five brothers? The Sampson clan? We're kind of popular in the DOwnworlder world..." He tried not to look too proud of that fact. For a shadowhunter that could be a bad thing he supposed, but in fact the brothers had quiet a good reputation. They helped people out, didn't allow bullying or manipulation if it was happening when they were around, they helped the older wolves with groceries and doing chores for them around their house, that kind of stuff. They were actually very respectful, as long as people gave them respect in return. Jace couldn't help but look down at Avery's legs, the wind was whipping the hem of her dress all around, and he couldn't help but stare as her hemline seemed to get shorter and shorter by the second.

Avery nodded once as if to say she'd tell him her name once knowing his. Jace, huh? And he was supposed to be "popular in the Downwolder world"? Funny how popular in one place could mean nothing in another. She rose a dainty brow, watching as his eyes seemed to light up with his own thoughts. At first, she thought of potentially crushing his dreams. It was a possibility to say that she had never heard of him or his brothers, but that didn't seem like a "nice" thing to do. "I'm Avery." she said instead, resting her hand on her hip as she waited for some kind of reply. Jace's gaze seemed to be locked on her, and it wasn't on her face. Instead, it was lower, but a lot lower than what most girls were used to. Was he staring at her... legs? So now he had a leg fetish? Seriously, what was with this guy? Avery couldn't help but shake her head. "My eyes are up here." She insisted, trying to smooth out the short length of her dress.

Jace glanced up, hearing the edge in her voice when she decided to point out that her eyes were up in her head. Like he didn't know that, of course he knew that. He just wanted to appreciate her legs for a moment, a cocky smile found its way onto his face as he gazed into her eyes. "Avery," He nodded his head in greeting, "So what are you doing around here anyway? I've never seen you around," Jace was everywhere and nowhere all at once most of the time. But this was a place he went to regularly, mostly in the early mornings. Maybe she'd been there at other times and that was why he had never run into her before? No matter, she had to have a reason for being out. Most Shadowhunters worked at night, not during the day, or that was what the rumors said. He hadn't exactly become friends with any of them, the shadowhunters that is. He wasn't one of their biggest fans, he was raised to hate them, not trust them, to stay away from them. OF course he was Jace so he didn't hightail it and run off like a pup with its tail tucked between its legs. He was extremely curious about this beautiful girl in front of him that didn't seem like much of a threat.

It was easy to see that Avery wasn't very pleased with how Jace was taking the whole situation, the smug look across his face making the small amount of anger within her bubble up. Who did he think he was? Someone that could walk around and do whatever they wanted when they wanted? Well, all wolves believed that, so it was simple to say that he wasn't any different than the rest of his kind. She let out a breath of air she didn't know she was holding and looked up at him as he spoke. What was she doing? Wasn't that fairly obvious? "I was drinking coffee on a day not crawling with demons, and now I'm here talking to you." Her hands abandoned the hem of her dress, moving across her abdomen to cross her arms. Avery felt a small voice nagging her to abandon this boy, that he was no good and she should just go straight back to the institute, but another part of her begged her to stay. After all, Jace was the first boy other than family she's ever really felt the need to stay and talk with. Maybe it was a sign that there'd be more than just these friendly conversations later on in the future, maybe they would have a future. Yeah, no. Probably not, considering how Werewolves and Shadowhunters normally didn't get along. But who knew? "So are you just going to stand there or are you going to impress me?"

The casual, almost bored look slid over Jace's face when she last spoke, impress her? He could almost laugh at that, instead he stayed quiet a few minutes, wanting to make her wait to see what he would say or do next. Finally he rose a brow, "You should be impressed by my sheer presence honestly." He knew that this was a bit cocky, and would probably just make her irritated with him, but for some unknown reason he couldn't help but pick at her, she just seemed like she didn't get picked on enough, or something. Jace ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, and gave her one of his best reckless grins, "If you want we could go to my house and you could meet my brothers." He knew this would be intimidating, being surrounding by a bunch of wolves, he'd made the suggestion mostly to see her reaction, because that's how Jace was, he liked to shock people or make them nervous, it was kind of a bad habit. "Or," He decided to give her an alternative to what he had suggested, "We could go to that Carnival a few blocks down?" Jace doubted that she allowed herself much fun, most Shadowhunters were far too serious for their own good, never really relaxing it seemed. Maybe she could really use some down time though? If she'd give herself the chance to, that is. His brothers would probably tell him that he was playing a very dangerous game, hanging out with her. Avery was sort of a forbidden fruit in the wolf world, them and the shadow hunters sort of didn't mix, it just wasn't done. Not that any sort of rules or suggestions would mean anything to Jace, he walked his own walk, never really paying attention to the instruction of others.

Avery couldn't help but scoff when he said that she should be impressed by just his presence, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight to one leg to give her an unamused stance. She had the feeling that he normally didn't have to fight to get a girl, or get anyone really. He seemed like the kind of guy that he could just wink at a girl and he would end up dragging them to bed. If he decided that she was worth the fight, then he might eventually get rewarded. Wait, what? She blinked, disapproving her own thoughts. Not today, and not ever would she sleep with this mutt. Jace was one of the guys that Sylvana would point out and call hot, but it would be one of those empty realizations - something that was never acted upon. Avery listened as he continued to speak, and by the time he was done, she began to realize why wolves and hunters never really got along. Their type of amusement was apparently hanging out with family and going to carnivals; her type of amusement was suiting up and sparring, and of course being with family - but she wasn't about to spend her day talking to more wolves than she needed to. "Don't you think that carnivals are a little childish?" her eyes raised up to meet his, the look on her face saying that he could do so much better with the entertainment. "C'mon, I know there's something that you normally do for fun." Avery was challenging him now. She wanted to show him that she wasn't all coffee and kittens, and she could be as tough as nails. She wasn't a wolf, no, but she wasn't some cupcake that couldn't handle being knocked around.

Sometimes there were just signs that a person was going to basically either going to blow you off or challenge you, with the crossing of her arms, well Jace figured Avery was about to do one or the other. He was right, she didnt' want to go to a carnival, because apparently that was too kid like for her. His eyes flashed with amusement, "I think you could use some child like activity in your life Aves, why not? Just get out there and be a kid, I'm not sure you ever were one to be honest. I though that this might help you out, be a good field trip for your over-serious self. Of course if you're not quite ready for that kind of thing, then I guess we could go to some underground fun with the other Downworlders, though I don't think they're going to appreciate you like I do," With his last words Jace's eyes travelled very slowly from Avery's feet to her head, lingering on certain areas that he found attractive. "Anyway, if you're game, lets make a go of it then," Jace headed off down the street, expecting her to keep up. If she really wanted to go to his haunts, well then he'd throw right in. He would take her to where the other downworlders really hung out, beneath ground. There was an old subway tunnel, and station, underground that had been bought out by a downworlder, he'd then sold out parts of it to those with money, and shops were set up, venues. Places that people like Jace could go to be at and feel comfortable. Of course these places were nowhere near safe, and would be doubly unsafe for a Shadowhunter. But hey, she wanted to tag along.

Avery paused when he said she needed some child-like activity in her life, that he wasn't sure she had even been a kid herself. It made her want to grab him by the shoulders and hiss that he didn't know half of what she had been through in the past. Of course she didn't have a childhood. Of course she had to grow up quickly. She was the adult, the oldest one of her current family. There was no way that she could be childish when she practically had to raise her younger sibling. Jace would have a lot to learn about her if they wanted to keep this (friendship?) going. There were things that he couldn't bring up, shouldn't bring up, and then there were the topics that were just outright maniacal if you tried to talk to her about them. Avery tilted her head as he continued to speak about how they could go somewhere more familiar with downworlders. Did she really want to do that? No, not at all. Her senses would have to be sharpened when around the creatures, and she was suddenly aware of how wearing a dress could be a major disadvantage. Jace had began to walk off, stepping away from her with full expectancy of her to follow behind. She rolled her eyes, wondering why in the name of all things good she was about to go somewhere she was trained to stay away from if she had the choice. Jogging slightly to catch up with the wolf, Avery slowed when they were walking side-by-side again. "I'm not afraid to rip off a limb, you know." her grey eyes glanced up to his, "Don't feel the need to be protective of me around the downworlders."

Jace shoved his slightly chilled hands deeply into his pockets, trying to make the cold go away before it started. His blue eyes darted here and there, checking his surroundings, he inhaled deeply as well, just to make sure there were no strange smells in the air alerting him to danger. Besides Avery, everything seemed to be fine. She sidled up to him and started in about ripping limbs off and being dramatically violent, which honestly didn't surprise him. She seemed like the girl that would literally whoop her boyfriends ass if she ever caught him being anything but honorable. Jace held back on outright chuckling at her, first she wouldn't know what he was laughing about, second she would assume it was her(and well it was), and he would be subjugated to some form of torture, he was sure of it. "I'm sure you can short stuff," he tried to be as serious as possible when he said it, his eyes were the only giveaway that he wasn't taking it all as seriously as she was. "If anyone comes at you then I'll for sure just step to the side and let them die by your hand," he then rubbed a hand over his face to hide that he was kind of lying. They turned a corner, it was only a little further until they reached their destination.

"Stop being sarcastic," Avery said, taking in a deep breath. She wasn't exactly sure if it was a demand or a statement, but she knew that he probably wouldn't stop no matter what she said. Jace wasn't someone that she would normally befriend, or even talk to, but there was something about him that she couldn't quite understand. Maybe it was the fact that she had never met someone so cocky in her life, or even that this was a new chapter and she was in search of someone to be beside her. Yikes... maybe she was just desperate. Avery continued to follow the hybrid across concrete and asphalt, putting her complete and total trust in him to get her where they were wishing to go. "You actually know where you're going right? You're not just leading me into some alley?" she was walking quickly, trying to keep up with his strides. Either she was going to have to grow, or he was going to have to shrink, because this wasn't going to work out forever. Oh, the joys of everyone being taller than you. At least she could fight, though, so it wasn't like she was completely at a loss.

He stopped abruptly and turned to look fully down at Avery, one eyebrow rose, "Alley? I don't know about you Aves, but I don't try and undress myself or girls in alley ways. So if you want to jump in bed with me that badly then we should really head to a hotel or something," Jace leaned back on the dark brick behind him. A more serious expression crossed his face for a moment, it passed quickly though, being replaced by his more playful expression. "Of course I know where we're going, I'm just taking my time in getting there. I don't like to see a pretty face all beat up, ya know?" He pulled out a rectangular box from his pocket, also a lighter, he pulled a cigarette from the box and lit it before pulling the toxins into his lungs and blowing out smoke soon after. His blue eyes stayed on Avery as he did so, he took another long drag before heading back down the street, this time noticeably slowing his steps some, he didn't want her to have to run beside him when they entered the place he was taking her. They came to what appeared to be a stairway, they ambled down, Jace pulled out a key, it was a skeleton type key, he put into the lock of the rusty looking door they were then in front of. "C'mon, we've gotta get in quick," He muttered, not even rushing himself, taking everything nice and relaxed, per usual nature. They ended up in a tunnel of sorts, with old wall sconces on the wall, candles were lit up in them, giving them an eerie kind of light as they continued their way.

Despite how much she wanted to tell him off, Avery kept he mouth shut, knowing that arguing with this guy would get her nowhere. He stood there looking at her with an expression that begged her to edge him on, but it quickly faded into something that was more kid-friendly. There, he finally answered her question... sorta. So he knew where he was going. That was all that mattered, right? "Is that 'pretty face' referencing to me or you?" Avery gazed up at him, her hand resting on her hip as she waiting for them to continue. Jace lit a cigarette and raised it to his lips, blowing out a steady stream of smoke afterword. She stood there unfazed by the cloud or odor itself. It didn't matter to her that he smoked, seeing how her father had once done the same thing, but it did matter to her that he smoked because he thought it was cool. Well, at least that was why she thought he did it. He thought he was everything, Mr. Invincible and then some. It would make sense for him to smoke just to add onto the 'bad boy' effect. As they continued to walk, Avery began to take in her surroundings. The dark walls, the stairway and rusty door, the candle-lit hallway. It almost made her shiver. Made this wasn't such a good idea after all. "Where are we?" she whispered, but seeing how the space was near silent, her voice echoed. If she hadn't been taught about this place, hadn't even heard of it before, it probably wasn't safe for her to be down here. A shadowhunter coming - practically - uninvited into downworlder territory was almost always frowned upon. Oh man, if this turned out badly and was reported to the Clave.... she didn't even want to think about the consequences.

Jace smirked in the dark, yeah he was liking the slight uncertainty in Avery's voice. Yet, as much as he enjoyed it, he also felt a softness come over him for a moment for her. This had to be kind of unnerving, walking into the unknown full of demons and hybrids like himself. "Its the underground," He told her in a cheerful voice, "Where the damned can find entertainment, and the wild can find a good time." Yeah he might have been leaving out some things but hey it was fun. He almost told her that all of the places underground weren't like that, but he decided to let her wonder just a little longer. As they walked further in the sounds of voices, and music made its way to them. They came around a corner to an underground, steel and concrete like square. There were bright signs outside of some of the crude, small buildings. Others looked more warm and relaxed, there were a few bars, bookie headquarters, a café, some clothing stores, strip club, boxing ring and a restaurant or two. It was like a mini city, but all underground and spread out in the square and down some tracks. "Home sweet home," Jace announced, a wide grin was on his face, all sorts of weird creatures were bustling around, including vampires and wolves. He glanced down to see Avery's reaction.

Avery listened as Jace tried to explain the surroundings, her hands balled into fists and her nails digging into her skin. This didn't feel like a good place to be. It gave off that vibe where you felt that someone was going to latch onto your back and drag you into a dark corner, and there were plenty of dark corners here. She felt the need to latch onto something, that she needed a sense of security, and that wasn't something she normally felt outside of her bedroom walls. As the world around her seemed to open up, she wasn't exactly sure if she was liking the site of it. Jace was becoming thrilled, his voice filled with excitement as he announced that this was where they were supposed to be. She looked around, reading the sign of the buildings and shops, looking over the faces of the people passing by. A few of them stopped to stare at her, their bodies becoming tense but then easing up when they realized she was accompanied by a wolf. Is that all she would need? A wolf to get her into certain placed? Avery blinked, her hands uncurling from within themselves to smooth out the length of her dress. "What's first?" she asked, looking up to Jace with expectancy laced into her expression.

The dampness of the underground was slightly lessened by the heat coming from barrels here and there, fires lit in them for warmth. He hadn't thought about Avery in a dress, she would more than likely end up chilled, if so then he would buy her a jacket of some sort. Jace shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose we could go to the boxing ring to see who's fighting, or we could go and gamble away any money you might have on you," He was more interested in the boxing ring, but hey, there was no telling what would peak this girls interest, she was constantly surprising him. Though he wasn't going to let her catch on to that. The little chit wouldn't let him live it down if she knew, Jace glanced up when hearing some cheers from down the street, yes that would be the boxing ring. He flicked his finished cigarette away from them, Jace wasn't one for staying still, so he did hope that Avery would make a decision quickly. Or he would just drag her down the street to the boxing ring, not really leaving her a choice.

Avery took her bottom lip in between her teeth, thinking about where the day would take her first. She saw enough fighting in her every day life, but Jace's eyes seemed to light up whenever he said the word "boxing". Was she about to cave and please the wolf? Yeah, probably, but it wasn't like she had brought more money than to pay for coffee with. Gambling was off of the list if she wanted it to be or not. Without a second guess, she looked up to the boy beside her, glancing down slightly as he tossed his cigarette butt to the ground. "Let's go watch people fight," her voice was breathless, almost as if she didn't care. Avery began to walk ahead, not knowing where the ring was but taking a guess by all the noise. Hopefully Jace would take lead again because she had no idea whatsoever if she was even going the right way. Turning around to look at the mutt, she tilted her head to the side, "You coming?"

Ah so she did see his side of things, what a relief that was. He was very surprised though and stood still on the street a moment while Avery took off in a direction, which was correct, to the way of the ring. He doubted that she really knew where she was going, but was guessing. This was confirmed when she turned to look at him and guess at his coming with her. "Of course, I was just admiring you're gorgeous backside," He commented with that careless way he had, and gave her a cheeky grin before catching up rather easily and falling into step with her, making sure to stay at her pace, not his usual fast one. "Now I may or may not be pulled into this, if I am well just let it happen. It won't be the first time after all," He wondered if she would possibly join him in the ring, maybe a team effort? Probably not, she seemed to see downworlders as nothing but dirt beneath her shoe, and yet... and yet she looked at him at times with interest, annoyance as well yes, but maybe there was some attraction there? Jace wasn't sure, yes he acted cocky and sure of himself, but he wasn't exactly as he seemed, but then again who is?

Of course he was staring at her, what did she expect? The comment didn't even get an eye roll, considering how childish he was being at the moment. Avery continued to walk when he joined her, their steps falling into place with each others. She felt the need to latch onto his arm and actually know that she wasn't the only one walking through this unfamiliar town. That, of course, wouldn't happen. There was absolutely no need for her to feel frightened since she was a shadowhunter. This is what she was trained for - unfamiliar places. So, she continued onward, her shoulders straight and her head forward. Then Jace spoke, saying a few words that she wasn't expecting to hear. "And if I end up getting pulled in after you, let it happen. It wouldn't be my first time doing something like that," Avery smirked, not being able to meet his eyes. She was tough, yeah, but deep down she hoped that she wouldn't be in the ring tonight. Wearing a dress, having no gear, only being able to work with her bare hands... It sounded like a nightmare, but she was at least lucky that she had applied an agility rune to her upper thigh. "Think about it, though. A girl in the ring? How many times has that happened?" This time she looked up to Jace, meeting his eyes try to and see what drifted behind them.

Jace felt like Avery had gotten a few inches closer to his side, but maybe he was just imagining it? Why would she feel the need to be closer? Or was she really more nervous than she let on? Could be, Jace wasn't sure, but he decided to pay a little more attention, if he could. He was easily distracted, as if that wasn't obvious. The pair walked down the narrow street to stop next to a crude looking boxing ring, two men stood in it eyeing each other, or so Jace assumed. Their faces were so smashed and cut open that one could hardly tell that they had faces at all. Jace folded his arms over his chest just before glancing down at Avery, "If they get you in the ring I'll gladly have you as my partner." The words were surprising, even to himself. How had that come out? He had been thinking it, but saying it out loud was a whole nother story, and something he hadn't meant to do. His eyes gave away the surprise in his own words, but his smile stayed calm and carefree. He soon looked back at the ring, watching for the next move, finally the smaller guy worked his way into the bigger guys defenses, he landed a blow to the poor guys temple and that was the end of that. People cheered, some groaned, and just about everyone started either receiving money or handing it over. Obviously they'd been betting on the fight, which was common. "Who next?" Came the words from the ring announcer, he was a burly man that looked like he could tear a persons limbs off without much effort. Jace watched as a guy, about his age, jumped into the ring, vampire, that was what he was. Jace flinched, not meaning to. The hatred and dislike of vampires was sort of bred into him and the rest of his wolfkin, he half hoped he wouldn't be picked to spar against the guy. "Maybe we should just head ove-" Jace was cut off when he heard the announcer yell, "Jace! Is that you? Why don't you join in on this one?" A groan, barely audible, came from Jace's throat just before turning , he pasted a smile on his face, "Sure why the hell not. Its not like I wasn't on a date or anything, sorry babe, gotta go do some manly stuff." He said half jokingly to Avery, the crowd chuckled and roared for Jace to move into the ring. Jace was more leery than he let on though, this wasn't the kind of fight he had been looking forward to, vampires were dangerous, they also liked to cheat. Jace tore off his shirt and threw it to Avery before sliding in between the ropes to get into the ring.

(Kay I was thinking that maybe Jace can be seen pummeling this guys surprisingly, and it looks like the other guy won't last long, but then two other guys jump in to help their buddy and Avery can jump in to even the fight? They can get roughed up but come out victorious in the end? You can write whatever, but it was an idea >.>)

When they paused in front of the boxing ring, Avery couldn't help but let her eyes widen. The two men inside looked very beaten and bruised and she was just a little worried about how much longer it would go on. They barely looked alive, their faces caked with blood and their knuckles scarred. Downworlders surly put it all out there, didn't they? She looked up to Jace when he spoke, his words making her raise an eyebrow. He wanted to have her as a partner? That was uncalled for. Not only had they met a while ago, they barely knew anything about the other's technique. Maybe that was what today could be for - learning about how the other one worked. Avery didn't say anything to his comment, but instead looking back at the fight, cringing whenever the smaller guy in the ring knocked out the larger one. Feisty, wasn't he? A man's voice cut through the air, questioning the crowd about who was next up. A vampire, roughly the same age as herself, jumped into the ring, his whole body jumping with anticipation. At the same moment, Jace was pushing her along, trying to get caught in the crowd but failed miserably whenever his name was announced. She looked back up at him, but he didn't turn down the fight. Wolves seemed to have that ambitious aspect, something that she often lacked. Without second guessing, he walked away from her, telling the surrounding people that he was "on a date". She didn't oppose. Now wasn't the time to get mad at him, especially when he was about to go up against one of the Lycanthropes' biggest enemies. This would be a fight worth watching for sure, but the ending was unpredictable. Jace tossed his shirt over to her and she clutched the cloth in between her fingers. The two boys began to spar, kicking up dust from shuffling around. Avery watched desperately, her eyes focused on the boy she just met as he took a punch towards the vampire. His fist hit the creature in the jaw, but that didn't stop it from trying to get back up on it's feet. Jace didn't stop there. He kept goin, wailing on the poor vamp without room for breathing in between. She was about to scream an encouragement whenever two others entered the ring, obviously for the opposing side, and she knew that this wouldn't turn out to be for Jace's benefit. A man beside her shook his head, murmuring the words "That kid's gonna die," she didn't want that to happen. Why? She had no idea, but she wouldn't let it happen. A sigh escaped her lips before she pushed the shirt in her hands against the shoulder of the man beside her, stepping towards the ring to slide in between the ropes. Now was when she completely regretted wearing a dress. That wasn't what she was thinking about, though. Right now, all that was on her mind was helping Jace. Avery remembered how earlier, the people in the crowd were betting on who would win. She wondered if anyone was regretting betting on Jace about now, that since he now had a girl on his side he was sure to not win. She wasn't just a girl, though, she was a shadowhunter. "C'mon wolfie," she said, giving the boy beside her a daredevil look.

The first punch Jace threw let out a resounding crack, yeah he'd probably just broken the poor guys jaw, but you wouldn't know it with the enthusiasm vampire boy came back with. This didn't hinder Jace in the least though, he was fully aware of his surroundings and the moves that the vamp was trying to use on him, he ducked and weaved, coming up in just the right times to land a punch or a kick when the vamp was vulnerable. Jace thought the fight would be over any minute when suddenly two more shadows joined the ring, he glanced up to see two other vampires had joined the ring. "Now boys this just ain't fair," Jace complained with a grin on his face, inside though he was screaming for this to be an illusion. One vampire he could take, but three? In such close quarters? Well that didn't seem very likely, Jace would be leaving the ring in a body bag, and on top of that it would bring shame on his families name. Jace wouldn't let them see how he was feeling about it all though, he was just about to rejoin fighting when a smaller form appeared at his side, he glanced to his right with surprise, "Well then. I guess we get to see how good we are as a team after all, eh short stack?" He murmured in disbelief, he then returned his attention on their foes, while the crowd went wild with different opinions. A girl in the ring with the wolf? A girl that happened to be a shadowhunter? Well it was just plain unheard of, yes the crowd had a lot of faith in Jace, but a girl by his side? They weren't so sure. No one had much time to ponder over such things though, because the fight restarted. Vamp on the left came barreling towards Jace, he easily sidestepped the idiot and sent him to his knees. The next one came from the middle, he actually landed a punch to Jace's cheek because he'd been checking on Avery, a low growl erupted from his throat. "You will pay for that," He muttered to the vampire, leaving Avery at the hands of the third, Jace stalked toward the vamp that had just hit him, his eyes blazing.

Avery felt a flame ignite inside of her, the spark that she only ever felt when in battle. She knew that this wasn't legitimate, that none of this was for "good" or "evil", but it was still a fight that she wanted to win. Bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, she waited for one of the vamps to make a move. One of them ran up to Jace, a rookie move considering how it was easily deflected by stepping sideways. She couldn't help but wonder if he was worried for her, if his mind was on how she was doing instead of the actual task at hand. A fist cut through the air, hitting the boy beside her in the cheek. If she had more time to think she would have asked if he was okay, but from the way he bounced right back, there wasn't a doubt that he knew what he was doing. Avery let her eyes settle onto the third vampire, the one standing right in front of her. He shrugged a little bit, taking a small step forward before murmuring the words, "Look, I can't hit a girl." she smirked, holding back a laugh. "Then let the girl hit you." drawing back her arm, she swung a punch. The guy tried to duck but didn't do the action swift enough, her fist hitting his temple in a shock of vibration. Shouts were audible from the crowd outside the ring, but she paid little to no attention to them. The air in her lungs was released sharply, a punch being thrown right into her stomach. Avery let out a gasp and stumbled backwards a few steps, but shook it off, not wanting to be taken as weak. Another punch was aimed for her face, but she ducked around it, being able to place a kick near the opponents torso. This would be a hell of a fight, she could feel it already. Her gaze flashed over to Jace, watching how he was doing for a split second, "You alright?" she asked, attention on the vamp in front of her, but prepared to help her partner if needed.

The first vampire jumped on Jaces back just as his fist landed in the second's stomach. "Damn you," He yelled out and did his best to try and get the monkey off his back. Avery had just gotten kicked, something reared up inside of Jace, something that he usually kept at bay, the wolf. It begged to be let out, to be there defending Avery, not bothering with the creature on him and in front of him. Jace held back his temper though and told Avery through gritted teeth, "Yes I'm fine, just keep yourself from getting hit." He sounded angry that she'd let herself get hurt, well that was how it came out and he had no time to correct it. Jace purposely pushed himself onto his back as forcefully as he could, the vampire beneath him let out a sound and released his hold on Jace. He flipped back up and kicked the idiot in the gut, before dodging a fist coming at his head from another. That was when he heard the smack of flesh on flesh, his head whipped around to stare at the scene in front of him, the other vampire had just punched Avery in much the same way that Jace had been punched. "Noooooo," He roared just before the snap, crackle, and pop of bones breaking could be heard around the ring, Jace was transforming into his wolf form. It was forbidden in the ring, yet Jace didn't care, he crouched in front of Avery, in a very different form than his human one, he bared his teeth at the vampmires. They scattered from the boxing ring and men jumped inside to get between Jace and the vampires. Anger, protectiveness, strength, and adrenaline were all running through Jace, keeping him from really thinking straight. He was ready to rip anyones throat out, it didn't matter who to him at that moment, in that form. He just knew that he would not let anyone near Avery.

The tone of Jace's voice made her think that she wasn't meeting his expectations. What did he know? Yeah, she got hit a couple of times, but it wasn't like he just had to sling a vampire off his back. They were both making mistakes, but he seemed to be forgetting about the ones he made. Avery rolled her eyes, adverting her attention from Jace and onto the vampire in front of her. She never really liked these creatures, they hadn't appealed to her in the same way the other downwolders had. Of course, downworlders weren't really supposed to appeal to her at all, but who could help a little admiration? Her mind was elsewhere, something she should have caught and corrected, but it was too late. Knuckles contacted with her cheek bone, the backlash of the hit scraping the side of her nose. The amount of force applied against her face sent shocks and waves of pain throughout her body. A shriek escaped her lips and she stumbled back a few steps. Jace had yelled out something just moments ago (most likely telling her to get her shit together) but she didn't look back up, not yet anyway. It wasn't until she heard a sort of snapping that she decided to see what exactly was happening. A wolf, not a boy, was crouched in front of her, the vampires fleeing the ring while other men jumped in to try and calm him down. Avery raised her hand to where she had been hit, a steady stream of dark liquid running from her nose, and when she pulled her hand back, blood was smeared against her fingertips. Damn, that vampire had some guts. Without a second thought, she took a very small step forward, "Jace, cut it out." Avery took into account how the men were edging closer, wishing that they would stop making the situation worse. "You're not my bodyguard." the words that came out of her mouth weren't exactly harsh, but the way she said them could have been taken the wrong way. It was thoughtful, she couldn't deny it, that he had morphed just to break up the fight. Even if he didn't mean it to be that way, there was something heroic about the ordeal. Avery watched the mutt before her, waiting to see what he would do next. Why would he do that, do something he knew wasn't allowed in the ring, just to keep her safe? It didn't make any sense, none of it did. But really, the question was out there and she wanted an answer. Maybe there was something bigger that she was missing, something staring he right in the face that she was oblivious to. Maybe Jace actually had feelings for her? No, no... That couldn't be it. That definitely wasn't it.

It was hard to get the beast under control once Jace wielded to its more primal instincts, him and the wolf were at war with one another. Apparently the beast inside him saw the need to protect its mate, Jace laughed hollowly inside his own head, then did his best to get it through to the beast that they had absolutely no claim on this girl. Of course you can't tame something wild, let alone tell it what to do, men were edging ever the more closer and Jace almost reared up to attack them. Then a voice reached through the madness, a voice that wanted him to come back to her, Jace shook his big furry head, as if to push away the voice of Avery. A growl escaped his throat, he flashed his teeth on the oncomers, the men took a few steps back, Jace paced for a moment in front of Avery. He needed to shift back, back into his normal self... though sometimes he wondered if this was really his normal self. The wild, hungry beast, that was yearning for blood shed. The panic that went through Jace was what finally pulled him back to earth, his bones, joints, and face all cracked, snapped, and made other disturbing noises. Finally he was laying on the ground shivering, shirtless, with torn pants on. He was shivering from the aftershock, Jace forced himself to stay still, then picked himself up off the ground. "Well that was a good time," He said in a far more cheerful voice than he was feeling, he threw one of his best, reckless grins at one of the men and the guy just shook his head, muttering, "Its Jace. Of course..." Jace kept the hurt out of his eyes, as well as the turmoil he was feeling at that moment. He turned slowly to look at Avery who was standing behind him. A brow rose quickly when he noticed the blood going down her face, "Aves, your hurt." Way to point that out Captain obvious, he thought to himself. "C'mon, lets get you cleaned up," Jace held back any fury he had over someone spilling Avery's blood. Like he'd thought only moments before, she wasn't his to claim, he had no right or reason to be so protective over her. She was a Shadow hunter for goodness sake!

Jace seemed to be contemplating something, the thoughts in his mind buzzing from left to right. He paced before her, walking as he made a decision whether to form back to human or not. The men that stood on the other side of him seemed to back up, giving the wolf enough space to shift. Avery tilted her head, watching curiously as his whole body snapped at once, making her cringe. It was almost like his bones were snapping - and maybe they were. This was the first time she had ever seen a werewolf transform, and she wasn't exactly sure if she ever wanted to see it happen again. Within seconds, a half-dressed boy laid before her, trembling on the ground. Avery wanted to walk towards him and see if he was okay, but he was up on his feet before she could do so. His voice was very confident as he spoke to the men in front of him, but when he turned to look at her, she could see specks of exhaustion and worry in his eyes. Jace raised an eyebrow to her, realizing that when she was hit, it had drawn blood. It didn't matter to her much, really, and she didn't even bother to wipe it away on the back of her hand. "It's nothing," she whispered under her breath, turning to find her way out of the ring. Avery felt like he was being extremely too protective of her, of the girl he had just met. Perhaps he was like this to everyone, but she had her doubts. Her head turned to see if Jace was following, her eyes holding a look of disparity. This would have been an easy match if she had the right gear, if she was in the correct clothing, and Avery knew that. It just wasn't a particularly good match. Once he was right next to her, she leaned her head upward as far as she could, trying to speak to him without anyone else hearing, "Can we get out of here?" When she stepped back to look at him, it was easy to see what was going through her mind. Unlike most girls who said that sentence to boys, she didn't want to leave the crowd to be sensual. The look on her face held the sensitivity and innocence that she never showed except from behind closed doors. Avery was the tough one, that one that kept it together so the rest of the world could go on, but she couldn't be like that forever. Sometimes she broke and needed a break, which was very likely what was about to happen. She blinked, her grey eyes dull and tired. It had been nice, this whole day had, but she needed to curl up with a cup of herbal tea and just go to sleep.

Jace followed Avery out of the ring, his body was winding down from the adrenaline, he was feeling real pain for the first time, and a soreness he hadn't noticed before. They climbed out of the ring and people moved away from them, as if they were afraid that they would catch something from the pair. Jace smiled amicably at them, not caring of their opinions of him or Avery. Unless they insulted or harmed her, then there would definitely be a problem. Jace's attention was redirected to Avery as she turned towards him, her eyes looked haunted almost. She asked if they could leave, and her expression was not the tough one that he had been growing used to. It was more of a vulnerable expression, it made Jace blink a few minutes with surprise. He had no witty comment for her, but instead put his arm around her shoulders and started walking back the way they'd come. "I know you're not into me touching you or whatever, but bear with me so that we can get out of here without anyone questioning why you're down here," His voice for once, was serious. Very serious, Jace truly was trying to help her, to make sure that no one else came at them. Because at that moment, he honestly couldn't trust his more wild side. Jace made a mental note to discuss this crap with his brothers, maybe they would have some sort of sage advise for him or something. People that were only discreetly looking at them before, were now outright glaring, or in some cases hissing, at them as they made their way to the exit. Jace couldn't wait to get the hell out of there and back to the world of normalcy for once. Sure he liked to put his own life in danger all the time, but he didn't sit well with putting Avery in true danger.

Her eyes looked at the faces of those around her; everyone was staring. She didn't know if it was necessarily a good thing that they were watching her and Jace as they passed, or if she should have been worried. An arm was slung around her shoulders, drawing her slightly closer to the body next to her. Avery nodded softly, not opposing against her shoulder pressing against his side. Normally she didn't like - or wasn't even comfortable - with being so close to anyone with the exception of family, but right now she just needed a form of comfort. Even if she hated to admit it, her and Jace and some type of connection, and she might not understand exactly what that connection is, but there was something going on. Avery kept her head straight, but leaned against the boy beside her, wanting to disappear from the voices around her. She felt humiliated, even though there wasn't a reason to be. Some would believe that they should wear the previous fight with pride, that they did everything correctly, but as the seconds passed, she began to pick out the flaws and things she could have done much better on. "I'm sorry about that," Avery murmured once they were back on the streets and away from the sight of the ring. Honestly, she had no idea what she was apologizing about. It felt right to be putting the blame on herself. She was the one that jumped in the ring to help, she was the one that must've caught Jace off guard, she was the one that got hit and couldn't handle it herself, she was the one that caused him to shift into a wolf... She just wanted to get back to the institute, back to somewhere familiar. Perhaps tomorrow she would feel more lively, but for now, everything in her mind was beginning to shut down.

Once Jace and Avery were on the stairway, with light just ahead of them, Jace breathed a little easier. Their footsteps echoed as they went up the stairway, once at the top the sun touched the tops of their heads, it felt glorious. Never had he wanted the comfort of the sun so much, Jace looked at Avery in surprise, his eyes widened, his jaw fell slightly slack. "Avery," He took a step forward, then seemed to catch himself. "I don't know what you're sorry for," He shook his head, "It was my fault. I should never have taken you down there in the first place." Raking a hand through his hair, Jace no longer looked like the smooth, suave, bad boy he usually portrayed. "Avery I'm sorry. You should never be sorry, don't think twice about it." Jace mustered up some of his old self, and shot her a grin. "Now lets get you home, we'll continue our dalliance tomorrow," He took her arm and tucked it into his as they walked down the street. He assumed she would nudge him whichever was the right way to her home. He could tell she was exhausted, it was time to get her tucked safely into bed, maybe he could find something to make her feel better. Jace would check up on her the next day, but he was tired too, so as soon as he had her dropped off and made sure she was safe, well then he was going to head home as well. His brothers would probably have questions, he was fairly sure that someone probably sent word to them right away about the fight. They would want to know who the girl was, and that was something he wasn't going to divulge. They would just have to make their own guesses, it was none of their damn business.

Avery could hear the confusion in his voice, the wonderment of why she was blaming something on herself. He began to say how whatever she was talking about wasn't her fault, that the blame should be place onto him because he shouldn't have brought her there. It wasn't that. It really wasn't that. She should have been able to handle herself without any help. That was what she was trained for, and she shouldn't have been struggling in the least bit. Avery wanted to say this aloud, but refused to voice what was on her mind. It would be a hopeless argument and she knew that. A thin smile pressed against her lips when Jace said that they would continue tomorrow. His choice of wording, however, made her wish to push him away, but she kept next to him, her arm wrapped around his. If she walked near the institute with a wolf clinging onto her, she had no idea what would happen. It couldn't be good, that was for sure, but it wasn't like she didn't take enough risks today. "You're not gonna forget about me?" her tone was joking, a little more playful to the heavy atmosphere right now. Honestly, she had no idea how they would be able to meet up, but she had a feeling that Jace had his ways when wanting to see someone again.

Jace was glad that Avery didn't yank her arm away, like he half expected her to do. He didn't even have a snarky comment for her, even if she had. They both were far beyond exhausted apparently. They turned down a street, Institute was close, of course that was where she would be staying. He almost slapped himself in the head, yeah he shouldn't of assumed she'd have her own place. "Forget?" He paused and gave her a slow wink, "I could never forget such a pretty face. I'll probably remember you every time I move tonight to be honest, I'm sore as hell." He knew that wouldn't last but a few hours, his exhilarated healing would take care of it, especially after he fell asleep and his body became more relaxed. "What about you? Hmm? Are you going to forget wolf boy?" He rose a brow as they got closer to her destination. Jace took a step away from her, letting her arm fall away from him. He didn't need to get her put on lockdown at the institute, that would do neither of them any good. "Just in case," He took her hand in his and withdrew a sharpie from one of his pants compartment pockets, he wrote his number on the inside of her hand, then returned the sharpie back to its hiding place on his person. "Text, call, ya know," He shrugged and then continued walking with her.

"You're sore?" Avery asked, her voice holding a bit of arrogance. She was hurting as well, her stomach and face throbbing to the same beat her heart was, but that didn't mean she wasn't about to poke fun at Jace for feeling roughed up. "I thought werewolves were invincible. You sure you're not a half breed?" she was trying to hold back a smile as she looked up to him, the look in her eyes telling him to not take what she said seriously. She knew very well that most downworlders took pride in their species, and if she messed with the wrong one, then all hell would break loose. He kept talking, however, asking if she would forget him. How could she? There were a lot of people that she met, that she spent the day with and then forgot the next morning. But something about this boy made her want to know more about him, about his history, about his likes and dislikes... everything about him. Avery stopped walking whenever he did, shaking her head in response to his previous question. "I won't forget you," her voice came out in a whisper as she watched him write a series of numbers in the palm of her hand. Then in instructed her to come in contact with him again, undoubtedly after they separated. She made a mental note to text him when she woke up the next morning, or at least sometime later that day. "The institute's up here." Avery nodded ahead of them, her eyes locked onto a dark building that looked very similar to a church. Her stop was ahead, even if she didn't want it to be. A few yards later and she would be back home, in the safety of familiarity, but without the boy she had oddly grown used to.