Yeah, 7am was a bit early. Claret didn’t really consider herself a morning person by any means, but she had a feeling Five here might be. But like he said— the sooner he was here, the safer she was, right? She didn’t want him to lose out on sleep for her sake, though.

How about 8am?

I think we can both use as much sleep as we can get

Oh my god, did he just respond with something equally as playful? Holy shit. Straight-edge, seemingly innocent Five flirting back? Well fuck, now she didn't even feel bad for it anymore. Unless he was just trying to get on her good side, in which case she felt like an asshole. Should she stop now, try and keep things safe and friendly? No, she was already in too deep.

She realized she was smiling.

Is that an offer?

It must have been so dehumanizing for someone to have been named a number. You put a literal value on them, but take away any human or personal element to it. Was he made fun of in school? Do other people actually think it's his real name? It was difficult for Claret to wrap her head around. Initially, she thought it could've been some code name, maybe a nickname, as part of him being attached to the criminal underground, but thinking about it now... Man, did his mother even love him? If he and the rest of his siblings were adopted and given names so... impersonal, then Claret couldn't imagine how any parent would have loved their child enough for that.

No kidding

I'd never forgive my mom if she named me something like that, lol

No offense

I was adopted too, but I'd say I got a lot luckier in the name department

I mean, the name Five could be really cool

I can't say I've met anyone else with a name like that

Makes you a lot more memorable, I think

She can imagine how traumatizing that must've been for a fourteen year old. Claret could picture the cat still being around, older, lazying about in someone's home. It's a nice thought. Cat naps and pets from whoever cares for her now.

Yeah, she's probably living her best life right now

Well, now you have Lord Byron to fill the pet-absent hole in your life, lol

We don't have much, but it's something

Do you at least have siblings to keep you company?

Claret couldn't imagine living without some sort of animal companionship. She had to pity the poor guy.

Shitty landlord I'm guessing? Lol

She'd had her share of bad landlords-- her old one, back when she lived with Johnny, didn't let her keep any pets. She'd wanted to take her cat from home, but wasn't able to... she was absolutely miserable. She couldn't imagine living without Lord Byron, now. The little guy was all she had. She scratched behind his ears affectionately.

What happened to the cat?

Claret took his response as his way of saying that he's open to the idea. She'll take that. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the whole "job comes first" mindset he's in, but she had to respect that he put her safety on a high priority, even if it was for pay. He was willing to talk about his hobbies and open up to her about his feelings regarding this job but he clearly hadn't forgone all professional pretenses yet. That's okay-- baby steps. They'll get there. She didn't expect those walls to come down on day one, but this was good progress.

Sounds good to me!

Lord Byron is excited to have a new friend

She snapped and sent a photo of the pug resting on her lap, lazy eyes gazing up at the camera. The black pug was cuter than most, she'd say, but he definitely has this dumb, derpy quality about him that is typical of smaller, bug-eyed dogs. He was definitely charming. A little smelly and chaotic sometimes, maybe, but a delight nonetheless. He was young-- about two or three years old now. She'd rescued him shortly after she moved to her home a few years ago, finding a box of pug puppies on the street a block away. She had to give the other pups away, she couldn't take care of a whole litter, but she likes to tell herself that she had found them all good homes. She'd kept Lord Byron-- named him after one of her favorite writers. He's always had a lot of personality and a lot of energy. He wasn't a smart dog by any means, but he was well-behaved, and Claret tended to think of him sort of like her best friend. As long as Lord Byron didn't end up loving Five more, she thought having someone else in the house would make him happy. Someone else to play with and terrorize. 

The fact that Five seemed to enjoy baking was intriguing. Maybe it was the gender stereotypes associated with certain culinary fields, but it was definitely unexpected for him to like baking of all things. It's kind of charming and innocent to think about... a member of a notable crime family and her new bodyguard being into baking of all things. Did he like baking cakes, cookies, pastries...? She'd definitely need to ask him to make her something when they were together. She made a mental note to pick up baking supplies and ingredients tomorrow.

A love for photography seemed a lot more expected. He seemed like the kind of person who'd enjoy creating art like that, and Claret was half tempted to ask him to show her some of what he's photographed over the years. She'd worked with some photographers for modeling agencies in the past, but those instances were few and far between these days. She'd become her own photographer very easily, but obviously she was more skilled with photographing herself, not other things, and her phone worked about as good as anything else. She had a proper camera and a tripod, of course, but there was nothing like a person's touch to something like photography that really brings photos and videos alive. Come to think of it, if he claimed to be so skilled with a camera, she might be able to take this opportunity to utilize him for pictures on her social media pages. She couldn't assume he'd agree, of course, but the next time she needs to take fashion pictures or videos, she might just ask him to help. She could broaden the range of what she could produce if she had a human photographer or videographer, and negate the necessity to contact a third party for her modeling shoots. Hell, this could be great for her.

But then she'd have to pay him more money, and she couldn't guarantee he'd enjoy slaving around for the benefit of her social media. Well, it could be an idea she brings up once they get closer. 

Oh that's really cool actually

Why haven't you used it lately?

Could you send me some pictures you've taken?

Pretty please <3