[ Alan startles as soon as Jesse's gaze snaps to his and her words take on a harsher, firmer tone. He wasn't expecting that response to what he thought of as just thinking aloud about what to do. ]

I- Well, I guess I won't write you out, then. I didn't think it was that important to you, because it's not like you asked to be in the story. [ Part of him thought she'd be glad to get out of the story and away from all this craziness. Apparently he thought wrong. ]

And who the hell said anything about threatening, anyway?

[ He shakes his head, suddenly feeling like maybe he's the one who doesn't belong. Maybe he shouldn't even be talking to her. For a second or two, he just silences and keeps his focus on the road ahead of them as he tries again to make sense of this and what he's doing.

He's so busy thinking that he doesn't notice how Jesse goes quiet herself. He hasn't yet realized she's talking to someone in the moments she goes quiet. ]

I don't know yet. It wants something, that's obvious. But I just don't know what that something is, or what I have to do with anything. I think- I think it needs me for something, but hell, I have no idea what that is.

[ He half expects her to tell him he's being arrogant by thinking the Dark Presence needs him. But it's just a theory he has, nothing more. ]