[ Her head rests on his shoulder once she sees the stress lines form. He can't support all of her, right? There's a feeling and a pull to lean entirely against him. Let him feel like the support beam to ground him and focus on something other than the spiraling madness that is the story.
Jesse pauses.
Then, she moves to sit in his lap and rest against him entirely.
« Hopefully he'll say if it's too much. Maybe not with words, but something else I can pick up on. » ]
Maybe. I don't... I don't know. I think. Maybe. [ Jesse sighs and closes her eyes. ] Trench's entire management team is gone. Darling, Head of Research, is... who knows where. He exposed himself entirely to Polaris's resonance and just... I don't know. Ascended? Sure, ascended. Tommasi became a part of the Hiss. Trench was taken out by himself or the Board, I guess. Salvador was a Hiss. Marshall... became one too. Anyone who knew how Trench operated the Oldest House and the Bureau just. Gone.
Meaning it's been a brand new slate. Sort of. Trench burnt a lot of bridges as the Hiss burrowed in deeper. Most people don't expect a Director who is hands on like me. [ She sighs and presses her cheek into his shoulder. ] Sorry. This isn't about me. It shouldn't be about me.
[ She pauses.] Emily is my Head of Research, she was sort of Darling's protégé. My first... real friend in a long, long, long time. She'll want to meet you when we get you home. And, I'll make sure she doesn't poke you with science things. [ She glances up with a small smile. ] You'd like Arish. He and Steve are very similar.
no subject
Jesse pauses.
Then, she moves to sit in his lap and rest against him entirely.
« Hopefully he'll say if it's too much. Maybe not with words, but something else I can pick up on. » ]
Maybe. I don't... I don't know. I think. Maybe. [ Jesse sighs and closes her eyes. ] Trench's entire management team is gone. Darling, Head of Research, is... who knows where. He exposed himself entirely to Polaris's resonance and just... I don't know. Ascended? Sure, ascended. Tommasi became a part of the Hiss. Trench was taken out by himself or the Board, I guess. Salvador was a Hiss. Marshall... became one too. Anyone who knew how Trench operated the Oldest House and the Bureau just. Gone.
Meaning it's been a brand new slate. Sort of. Trench burnt a lot of bridges as the Hiss burrowed in deeper. Most people don't expect a Director who is hands on like me. [ She sighs and presses her cheek into his shoulder. ] Sorry. This isn't about me. It shouldn't be about me.
[ She pauses.] Emily is my Head of Research, she was sort of Darling's protégé. My first... real friend in a long, long, long time. She'll want to meet you when we get you home. And, I'll make sure she doesn't poke you with science things. [ She glances up with a small smile. ] You'd like Arish. He and Steve are very similar.