[ It's a good thing he can't see that, or at least, that his state of exhaustion is preventing him from being as observant as he might be normally. If he knew, he would insist that she walk out through that door and return to reality where she belongs. He's certain she can't thoroughly rest here in the Dark Place, not when everything is covered in a stifling darkness. The light in the room is unusual. Rare. It'll fade eventually. There's no way that it can last.
Maybe Alan's known all along that Jesse's time here is limited. It has to be. She can't stay, even if the last thing he wants is to say goodbye again. But she doesn't belong here; everything about her is in opposition to this place, to the way it works. It has him firmly in its grip, and he's lost a lot to it already, but he knows he won't see that happen to her. He won't let it latch onto her either.
But before she goes, he knows he needs one more thing from her. One more favor before they go their separate ways until the story puts them back together. If it does. She's not a writer, but she might still have ideas. And, well, she has a clearer head than Alan does. Hell, maybe even Polaris will be able to help. He sees that shimmering around Jesse and the sight of it makes him smile.
She'll be all right. Polaris will make sure of it. But she can't stay here too much longer.
When she slips out from beneath him and starts helping him move, he tries to be more than just almost dead weight so that she doesn't have to work harder than necessary. Once he's resting against the desk, his head tips back slightly but his eyes shift so he can still see her.
He knows what she'll find if she looks through the drawers: the one that's full of torn up pieces of paper, the result of several breakdowns that he's had when the pressure of everything becomes too much, and the one containing what he wants her to see. The manuscript. Return, complete with all the edits that he's made.
When she joins him again with the manuscript in hand, he tries to shift again so that he can see her better. He only manages to move an inch or two, but it's something. He shakes his head in response to her question; he's not ready to get back to work, as much as he knows he needs to. He just needs a little more time, knowing that a little is all he has. The light won't stay; Jesse herself can't stay. He just needs to take what he can get.
His eyes lock onto hers as best as he can manage. ]
Just- just read it. [ Again, there's no force behind it. It's not a command. She can say no if she doesn't want to. But he's hoping that if she reads it, she might get an idea that he can use. It's as much of a long shot as anything else he's tried on his own. But maybe this will actually have results. ] Read it, and- and if... if anything comes to you...
[ He stops again as that feeling of breathlessness returns. You'll tell me, right?
He completes the sentence in his head, eyes still fixed on hers, hoping she understands what he's asking for. ]
no subject
Maybe Alan's known all along that Jesse's time here is limited. It has to be. She can't stay, even if the last thing he wants is to say goodbye again. But she doesn't belong here; everything about her is in opposition to this place, to the way it works. It has him firmly in its grip, and he's lost a lot to it already, but he knows he won't see that happen to her. He won't let it latch onto her either.
But before she goes, he knows he needs one more thing from her. One more favor before they go their separate ways until the story puts them back together. If it does. She's not a writer, but she might still have ideas. And, well, she has a clearer head than Alan does. Hell, maybe even Polaris will be able to help. He sees that shimmering around Jesse and the sight of it makes him smile.
She'll be all right. Polaris will make sure of it. But she can't stay here too much longer.
When she slips out from beneath him and starts helping him move, he tries to be more than just almost dead weight so that she doesn't have to work harder than necessary. Once he's resting against the desk, his head tips back slightly but his eyes shift so he can still see her.
He knows what she'll find if she looks through the drawers: the one that's full of torn up pieces of paper, the result of several breakdowns that he's had when the pressure of everything becomes too much, and the one containing what he wants her to see. The manuscript. Return, complete with all the edits that he's made.
When she joins him again with the manuscript in hand, he tries to shift again so that he can see her better. He only manages to move an inch or two, but it's something. He shakes his head in response to her question; he's not ready to get back to work, as much as he knows he needs to. He just needs a little more time, knowing that a little is all he has. The light won't stay; Jesse herself can't stay. He just needs to take what he can get.
His eyes lock onto hers as best as he can manage. ]
Just- just read it. [ Again, there's no force behind it. It's not a command. She can say no if she doesn't want to. But he's hoping that if she reads it, she might get an idea that he can use. It's as much of a long shot as anything else he's tried on his own. But maybe this will actually have results. ] Read it, and- and if... if anything comes to you...
[ He stops again as that feeling of breathlessness returns. You'll tell me, right?
He completes the sentence in his head, eyes still fixed on hers, hoping she understands what he's asking for. ]