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[hippie_ninja]

This is Jesus. Leave a message.

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[hippie_ninja]

"I missed you, too." He puts his empty bowl down.

"You did help, you know. I wouldn't have found V as soon as I did if you hadn't helped out."

[konstant]

"I liked that part of the job. Investigating. Following leads.". That part was more like a puzzle than anything.

"But you went and got him out." He looks pointedly at Jesus's wrist - and got hurt in the process.

[hippie_ninja]

"I've been hurt worse than this." He'd still been able to get V to safety despite it, and that's what matters.

"You know, problems like that might come up again. Maybe not mass abductions, but problems. We should plan to work together when they do."

[konstant]

"I'd like that." Provided he's not locked away again. He probably won't be.

It was a good lesson.

"Is your other friend okay?"

[hippie_ninja]

He looks at his cast. "No. Neither of them are. But they're alive, so they will be."

There's no real alternative here. They can't die, so they'll progress.

[konstant]

"I heard... It was rough."

He saw some too, over the network. In everything about V. In the look from Jesus now.

He sets their dishes in the sink, and nods towards the couch in invitation.

[hippie_ninja]

"Someone died and..." Well there's no reason to hide the babe, K is his friend, too. "I'm worried about Vrenille."

[konstant]

"Me too," he says, but just so Jesus knows he's listening, he's invested.

"What happened?"

[hippie_ninja]

"One of his subs died. Jacob." He hasn't met the man, but the name might mean something to K. "I haven't had a chance to really talk to him yet, but...he's having a hard time."

[konstant]

And indeed, K's face falls subtly but distinctly.

"I met him our second day here. He brought me food so I wouldn't have to go downstairs where it was loud."

[hippie_ninja]

"He might like to hear from you." And maybe it will be good for K, too, to feel useful.

[konstant]

"I will," K promises. "As soon as I feel alright leaving here long enough to make it out and back, I will. Have you -?"

[hippie_ninja]

"Checked? Yeah. Just came from making a couple of rounds." He has multiple people he's worried about, so he doesn't see this settling down until they're all on their feet and functional again.

[konstant]

K nods.

"And how are you doing?" he asks, gently, but firmly.

[hippie_ninja]

"I'm good," he says, meaning physically. He knows that's not what K's asking and it is K asking, so he opts to really answer.

"I'm tired. I'm worried about a lot of people right now. But at the same time...I feel useful again." And that's a nice feeling to balance out the stress.

[konstant]

K nods. He understands that.

"When was the last time you slept?" Because he's seen all sorts of self neglect going on with those left behind, those worried that any delay on their part would mean another moment of suffering for those they were looking for, and Jesus was struggling before this.

[hippie_ninja]

Last night, technically. For three hours or so, until Rosita woke up hard. Then he hadn't been able to steady again.

"It's been a while," he admits, because he knows what K is asking and that the letter of the law doesn't apply.

[konstant]

K nods.

"If you want, you could crash in the spare bedroom," he's sure. He stops, shakes his head. "My room." But they'd already been doing that so the offer stands, if Jesus wants it. If K hasn't hurt him too badly for that.

"Or the couch. V's been sleeping a lot."

[hippie_ninja]

"Oh. Thank you." He's polite but uncertain. "I'm okay."

He's not, but he doesn't sleep well when other people are around, and he can't sleep with someone who needs him to watch their back. So he'll suck it up.

[konstant]

K catches that uncertainty, and he's not surprised, he accepts the sting of it as just desserts. He hurt Jesus. He hurt a lot of people, and chances are good he will again. It's not something that can just be picked up again where they left off.

But it does still sting and he nods, glancing over at where Nibbles is licking out their soup bowls.

"Okay," K agrees.

[hippie_ninja]

He sees that. It hurts to see, to know roughly where it comes from.

"I slept better with you."

[konstant]

"You said as much," he agrees. "I liked it too."

He isn't having the same trouble Jesus is with turning off, but he'd still liked the novelty of a warm body beside him, one he trusted, one that could be trusted.

"Which means I must really have some reparations to make." It's not accusing, not condemning, just a fact: if Jesus is forgoing it now, K must have really hurt him.

[hippie_ninja]

"K..." He turns to him, reaches out and touches his arm. "I don't hold your choice against you. You did what was best for you, the best thing you could have done at the time. I support that. You don't owe me anything."

He had hurt him, but that isn't why Jesus is reluctant. It's just the opposite: he feels safe with K, too safe to trust it.

[konstant]

K looks back at the touch, looks up to meet Jesus's eyes, taking his time studying them in this moment, in this light. He believes what he's saying - K and Jesus both. It's just that K doesn't know what to do with it, quite.

Doesn't know what it means, what the right next step is, if there is one considering they both know the contract will expire again someday.

"It would be okay if you did," K says slowly, trying it out. Trying to find how it fits. "I understand that's part of making choices. That there are consequences. That they very rarely effect no one but yourself."

[hippie_ninja]

He shrugs slightly. "I didn't expect to be a factor that weighed against your decision. I supported you, anyway. I don't like seeing you hurt and I don't like seeing you locked up but I trust you to know what's best for you more than I do."