She took a step back, crossing her arms protectively. "I don't believe you." She held the leaf tight.
Avice didn't manage skip out of the way this time. When he first moved she started to laugh, but her expression quickly changed to fear and anger. She had recalled a bad memory. She raised her arm as if to strike him with the back of her hand, but froze. She remembered where she was. Quickly taking a step back she covered her mouth, dropping the leaf. "I-I'm sorry."
He cocked his head with an expression much like a puppy having been scolded. Confused, a little sad, and a little hurt. "What was that?" he asked, stepping back to give her space.
Avice flinched when he spoke. "I didn't mean to do it, it was an accident." Her voice was a bit shaky. "I never mean to do it..." The answers weren't straight.
"Hey, you're alright," he said gently. He almost moved to lay his hand on her back but he thought better of it. "Just breathe. You're okay. I shouldn't have lunged at you. I'm sorry."
She shook her head slowly, staring at the ground. "It's not your fault. It's me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeatedly apologized, and she gripped her hands tightly.
"Hey," he said, recognizing her anxious state. "Hey, hey, hey. You're okay. Can you tell we what that was?"
Avice frowned, looking back up at him. Her eyes were fearful. "Sometimes. . . Sometimes certain things remind of events that happened before I got on the ship. It's like I'm there again. It's not- it's just.. Bad things happened, and they come back to me."
He listened carefully, and was quiet for a moment, appearing to be thinking. "I'm so sorry, Avice," he said eventually. "I won't do anything like that again. I had no idea. "
Avice smiled reassuringly, but her eyes didn't show it. "It's not your fault. I should have said something. I'm sorry for nearly hitting you."
"My cat-like reflexes would have saved me," he responded. He took a moment, and bit his lip, studying her. "I do get it," he said eventually. "Really, I do. I promise you that I won't ever do something like that again."
Avice nodded solemnly. "Alright. Thank you." Her voice was quiet. She looked unlike her usual self. Her posture, normally tall and outgoing, seemed small and nervous. She mostly appeared sad with her own actions.
With one last concerned glance, he started walking again, because their little encounter had left them behind the group. He walked in a rather obvious fashion, clearly trying to figure out what to do. He moved quickly enough so that he was moving away, but slowly enough that Avice could catch up if she wanted to. He gave her the choice between joining him or having a little bit of space. He worried though, as he walked, if it was the most prudent thing to do. He figured that giving her the choice was the kindest option, and he knew that some people appreciated that, but Avice was different than most people he had known, and he worried that he was handling the situation completely incorrectly.
Avice joined him. She said nothing, and knew he was giving her options. Though, she kept a bit of distance, like she was almost afraid to be close. She kept her eyes down.
They walked along in silence for a minute or so, with Jack considering the situation. Finally, he sighed. "You don't have to tell me," he said, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. "But I'm curious as to what you're thinking right now." He cracked a smile. "Are we never going to be able to not be on edge around each other again?"
She laughed nervously. "I hope not. I prefer to be relaxed when I'm with you. As for what I'm thinking?" She thought a moment. It was obvious she was starting to feel more comfortable again. "Well, I'm not certain. It's a lot of things, but mostly you."
"Yeah. I'm kind of worried, though. What if I accidently hurt you? I probably couldn't forgive myself." She sighed. "I'm sure it'll be fine." Moving closer, she grabbed his hand. Her fingers were still trembling slightly.
