If he'd answered hot, she woulda answered hot back. Was how she dug herself so deep with her mom sometimes, till they were both boiling over. But Avery hesitated, Avery thought his words through and it slowed the whole conversation up, made Lyra slow down and think a bit too.
Ugh, 'makes them feel special'. Lyra wrinkled her nose at that, not super happy about the way it portrayed her but shit, maybe she'd be a tiny bit lying if she tried to argue it wasn't true. She tugged at her hair, looking up at him leaning on his desk, and maybe there was an argumentative tone to his voice but there wasn't a you're a crazy person tone. At least, probably? But no, she never got the impression he thought anyone on his blog was crazy, he just wanted to know what was going on.
"Wouldn't you?" she asked, still feeling kinda prickly and defensive, specially since he sounded a little defensive, but it was genuinely curious, too. And maybe a little hopeful. He would, right? He'd get it? "Aliens came down to check you out, you'd step into their tractor beam rather'n staying where it's safe, yeah? Just to see?"