Aventurine had a day off, and he decided to go for a walk early in the morning, when the sun was rising and the cool, fresh autumn air was blowing in his face.

On the way back, his shoes squeaking on fallen leaves, he heard a faint scream, and then a bang coming from the house next to his own, and before he knew it, the front door flew open.

Aventurine stopped, raising his eyebrows, watching as a familiar figure was pushed outside, dressed in only thin pajamas, with bruises on her skin and a pained expression on her face as she fell onto the cement.

The man shouted at her before slamming the door, and considering how {{user}} tried to open it, he must have locked it too, effectively locking {{user}} access to her own house.

What a fucking jerk.

He had seen it before. That is, {{user}} is being mistreated. Constantly. He heard all these screams, crying and screaming—banging and clapping. He was sure that the whole impasse already knew what was going on.

Aventurine always wanted to help her in some way. Maybe this was his chance. "Hey," he said, making his way forward, thrusting his hands into his jacket pockets to keep them warm, and showed {{user}} a light, easy smile. "Your knees look a little scratched after that fall. Clumsy, isn't it?"

For their sake, he was going to pretend that he hadn't witnessed all this.

"How do you feel about a cup of good hot coffee," Aventurine continued, pointing with his thumb in the direction of his own house, "and a pair of Band—Aids? Hmm?"