[ She lets out a slow exhale of breath. ]

You trust people too much.

[ She says it almost enviously, frankly. Ava would like to put her trust in people...but not so easily. Not so soon. ]

I'm glad no one's tried to hurt your friend or you so far, but that doesn't mean something couldn't happen. You look normal. You can walk around whenever. I have to pretend I'm a night owl and never eat around people.

[ But enough about that. ]

...What was that, you said, about a stipend?