Yan Sun is sitting in bed. Well, mostly sitting. She’s slumped back against the wall, and she’s very much asleep, her head fallen to the side and snoring quietly. She’s wearing her usual attire, jeans (her backup pair) and one of her tops - the one she bought at the market. She didn’t bring much with her to Aite. She appears to have fallen asleep unintentionally while waiting for Jessica to come home from work, judging by the
#YanSun'sRoom – December 17, 2016
fact that she’s still dressed. And the fact that her portable holo-projector is still on, sitting in front of her on the bed and filling the air above it with a circle of projections. She appears to have been keeping herself busy - there’s almost twenty windows open. They all circle slowly around, the lower ones phasing out of existence briefly when the projectors are blocked by Yan Sun’s body, only to re-emerge when past
Window 1: A picture of Yan Sun in her early teens, posing with two adults, presumably her parents. Her hair is long and dark, most of it tied back in a ponytail but retaining long bangs, and both her eyes have their natural color. She’s wearing a pair of holo-glasses and her clothes appear to be a school uniform, dark blue and white. She has a neutral expression, perhaps a little on the bored side, and she’s standing next to a
woman in an elegant, high-collared red dress with a design clearly inspired by traditional cheongsam. The woman is seated in an antique padded chair, hands in her lap. Her face has a gentle smile and her brown hair is put up in a bun. Behind them stands a man in an impeccable, sleek black suit accented with illuminated streaks. The man’s short black hair is backswept, and he has a proud look on his face, a hand on a shoulder of each
Window 3: A visual interface representation of the Torthus-Cross building’s network, focused on the potential backdoor.
Window 5: The front page of a Hong Kong news site, with several headlines visible: “PubSec Raid of Dock Warehouse Results in Arrest of 20 Members of the Huǒ Xīng Group.”, “Hong Kong Museum of Humanity Grand Opening”, “Investigating the Underworld of West Kowloon”, “The Bank of China Bomber Has Been Detained”
Window 7: Another ‘news’ site, featuring several headlines: "Aish Ashland’s Latest Statement Will Shock You", "How To Know If YOUR Planet Will Be Attacked By The Collectors", "Illium’s 100 Hottest CEOs", "Scale Itch - How To Spot The Symptoms".
Window 14: A schematic of a Predator pistol with several highlighted points as well as what seems to be a rundown of how to bypass the weapon VIs firewall.
Window 18: Yan Sun’s album of omni-tool photographs. It continually scrolls from one picture to the next. Skyscrapers, skyscrapers, a forested mountain-peak crowned by a large comm array, a view of the harbor, with the light of the tall towers reflected in the water, an antique boat floating through the water, a busy street full of people and holographic signage, a run-down residential district, with makeshift walkways running along
dilapidated buildings and above streets. Eventually the pictures start shifting to a more personal nature. A chaotic group of humans, most of them teenagers, sitting around a table in a room full of crates, gesticulating wildly, many of them seemingly mid-laughter. The next one is of a teenage boy with messy blonde hair and an acne-riddled face. He is smiling triumphantly, holding up a large data drive in one hand. After this the
album shifts to a selfie of Yan Sun, looking not very different from the way she does now, planting a kiss on the cheek of a woman about the same age who is sporting faded teal hair and a big grin on her face. From the limited view in the picture she seems to be wearing a slim-fitting leather jacket with tech inlays.
Jessica arrives back at the room and, as her routine dictates, begins the process of quietly cleansing herself of the previous excruciatingly boring shift down at the dam. The soft sound of Yan Sun's music draws Jessica further into the room to see if she's awake. Upon spotting all of the windows circling, she snorts and gives a roll of her eyes. Her gaze moves to settle on Yan Sun herself and a small smirk crosses her lips as she
makes a conscious effort to keep the sound down. She unholsters her pistol, removes the thermal clip, and makes sure the safety is engaged. Her good eye scans across the pistol and she unwraps a few of her fingers to get a better look at the Enforcer logo. Time seems to get away from her as she simply stares while the seconds pass before finally sighing and setting the pistol down. She removes the cap from atop her head and
looks it over for a moment. It's worn out, dirty, and beat up. She tilts it from side to side, wiping the snow from it before setting it over her pistol. Her gauntlets come off next and she sets them down beside her hat. As she pulls out the chair at the desk to sit down and begin removing her boots, one of the circling windows catches her eye as it comes around to her side, giving her a clearer view of it. The family photo.
Her boots forgotten for now, she approaches the bed and plops down beside Yan Sun, armor and all, with a big grin on her face. A loud laugh erupts from her as she spots the goofy school outfit, and she quickly brings a hand up to her mouth to muffle it.
Yan Sun stirs slightly at the brief unmuffled burst of laughter, mumbling in her sleep and rolling over to her side, facing away from her.
Jessica glances to her side at Yan Sun to make sure she hasn't woke her up. When it's obvious that she hasn't been discovered yet she returns her attention to the photo and studies it for a moment, her gaze mostly focusing on Yan Sun's father. Maybe it's her issue with men in suits, or perhaps it's just what Yan Sun has already told her about him, but Jessica's kneejerk reaction is to pull a stupid face and give the man the middle
finger despite it simply being a photograph. Her gaze immediately moves on to the other photos as they're the most immediately eye catching out of the windows. She gives another glance towards Yan Sun to ensure she isn't waking and then lifts her legs up onto the bed to get comfortable, giving little concern to the snow and dirt she's now getting on the sheets. She sits upright, folding her hands atop her knees and settling
her chin on her arms as the photos circle around. Her good eye continues to trail the photo album as it shifts from picture to picture. Her smile returns as she continues to study the pictures, but it quickly turns to a scowl as the photo of her kissing someone else fills the window. "Changyang bitch..." she mutters to herself. Her gaze quickly moves back to the sleeping woman at her side, a sudden worry that her small
amount of jealousy may not have went unnoticed. Confirming she's in the clear, she turns back to the photo and flips that one off as well, and the minor victory brings the smile back to her face.
The album continues to cycle through pictures. Another picture of Yan Sun and Changying follow, in short, red hair now, and then one of Changying only, standing atop a tall ledge and waving down at the camera. It's not quite clear how she got up there. The next one shifts tone dramatically, showing a squad of bulky figures in white armor with light blue details. They have their weapons out, forming a perimiter around an armored car moving down a run-down
street. The next picture is of the same group, but from further away, and higher up. A group of people in ragged clothes, most of them wearing hoods or scarves are antagonizing the armored figures. One person is in the middle of throwing something. The next picture is a closeup of one of the armored figures, or rather what's left of one. A scorched mess of armor plating and wires lying in the street. After this the pictures go back
Jessica continues to watch as the photos cycle, giving a roll of her eyes as Changying reappears again, then an audible groan as Jessica spots her in the third photo as well. Her expression turns from frustration to curiosity, however, when the photo of the armored figures cycles into view. Some sort of protest or riot. Her mind drifts back to Adrasteia. Of the Enforcers. She briefly glances back towards the desk where she set her
Jessica pistol and cap before focusing on the photo again, her mind weaving a story of what's going on. When the little people stand against the tide, they usually just get swept away. The final photo of the heap of armor in the street brings her a small sense of satisfaction, but her mind is unable to even entertain that for too long before she finds herself wondering what horrific fallout must have come in the days following
Jessica this ordeal. Were their homes set on fire? Their loved ones killed? Maybe Earth and Adrasteia have more in common than she had hoped... Not one to allow herself to dwell on these things for too long, she focuses on a few of the other windows. Children of Aite. She rolls her eyes, assuming Kirill must have given one of his grand-but-not-so-grand speeches. Fight the power. Stand up. Rah rah rah. News. News. News. Blah blah
Jessica blah-... oooh! Private conversation. She casts another mischevious grin towards Yan Sun to make sure she's still asleep before leaning forward and studying the chat window. Invasion of privacy? Maybe, but it's her room too, right? Hypocritical after her anger towards Yan Sun for speaking to Kirill? Absolutely, but as her father would always say when he had no excuse for being a hypocrite: 'Do as I say, not as I do.' Besides,
04:38 elektrikblue: It's ok... I'm not sure what to do honestly. I'm worried she's going to do it without me if I don't help...
04:41 elektrikblue: I know... I've tried, but... you don't understand how important this is to her. I don't know how to convince her
Jessica gains a confused look as she begins to read through it. It's not hard to decipher what's being discussed. She glares at Yan Sun briefly, frustrated at the idea that Yan Sun seems to be able to talk to everyone else about Jessica's business aside from Jessica herself. Her mind begins connecting dots that aren't there and she finds herself getting more frustrated. Does Yan Sun think she's stupid for wanting to go after Cross?
Does Yan Sun just expect her to forget about her family? About everyone she has lost? About everything that has happened...? Maybe she thinks they all deserved it. That they got what was coming to them. They were all just backwater trash anyway. Criminals. Scum. Nobody will even miss them. Jessica bites down hard as she gets lost in her own head for a few moments and presses her forehead against her arms. Of course that's
not what Yan Sun meant, she's just worried. Jessica lifts her head back up and continues to glance through the windows. The Torthus-Cross building schematics cause her to immediately gain an apologetic look as she glances back at Yan Sun. She's doing research to help, even though she doesn't want to. She spots the schedule of ships leaving Aite. 'I can't just leave.' she had said, but maybe it would be better if she did.
Everyone around Jessica just dies anyway. That's when she spots the search on her name. The articles. The bounty. The photo. She swallows hard as her gaze travels back to Yan Sun and her mind reorders the events. Yan Sun must have figured out what happened- figured out what Jessica had done- and now she was leaving. Jessica reaches out and shakes Yan Sun. "So you are just going to go!? Mmm? Fine! Go!" she shouts.
Yan Sun snaps out of her sleep, a startled but dazed look to her as she flails her arms at Jessica, scrambling away in confusion. "Hw-what? Ow-What'shappwhat?!" she blurts out, grimacing and blinking repeatedly until she spots Jessica, furrowing her eyebrows. The effects of sleep are still obvious and lingering in her face as she speaks. "Wh-... Jessica? What's... huh?"
Jessica glares harshly at Yan Sun. "You are going!" she accuses, gesturing towards the windows without context. "You-... you search my name!? You talk to everyone in the fucking galaxy about me!? And now you are just going to go!? Mmm!?" She stares at Yan Sun with a look of betrayal on her face, nostrils flaring each time she draws a breath. "Are you going to turn me in before you go, too!? Huh!? Is good credits, yes!?" she presses,
Yan Sun has absolutely no idea what's going on, and waking up to a screaming Jessica is not the most pleasant experience. "W-... what? What are you-... what?" She flinches a little each time she recieves a contextless accusation, staring at the outraged woman in confusion. "I don't-..." She blinks again and her gaze is drawn to the still active holograms. The pieces start to connect as the fog behins to lift in her head. She
shakes her head, holding out a hand defensively after the last accusation. "J-... Jessica, I wasn't-... I'd never do that!" she exclaims loudly, her eyes a little teary as her tired mind is overwhelmed by the harsh awakening. "...and I'm not-... I'm not going anywhere! Please, just-... just calm down!"
Jessica doesn't seem convinced or her mind put at ease by Yan Sun's assurances. "Then why!?" she asks, gesturing towards the screens again. "Why do you-... do you type my name!? Mmmm!? Why do you look up stories!? Ships leaving Aite!? I am not stupid! Do you think that just because I am from the Terminus that I cannot read!?" Her scowl begins to soften slightly as she sucks in a few shallow breaths. "...Is fine. Just go if you are
going. I tell you this before. I don't care." she says, though her obvious display of emotion seems to indicate the opposite.
Yan Sun starts to wake up more completely as she listens to Jessica, her frown deepening. After the final comment she's quick to reach across with her left arm, palcing her hand on Jessica's right arm as she shifts her sitting position to bring her legs in beneath herself, turning more towards her. "I'm not- I'm not going anywhere. I'd-... I'd never just leave without telling you. I promise." she says, studying Jessica with a
Jessica's gaze moves to Yan Sun's hand as it touches her arm. It's a look of 'don't touch me' but it's undermined by the obvious embarassment she's feeling for her outburst. Embarassment for possibly showing more of her cards than she's comfortable with. She glances towards the screens again. "Why... Why you are looking me up...?" she asks, much of the confidence she originally displayed having faded.
Yan Sun lowers her gaze, slowly withdrawing her hand into her own lap. "I... I saw the bounty listing. The... picture in it." she says quietly, glancing up at Jessica briefly before lowering her gaze again, focusing on the woman's hands. "I just... I had to know if..." she trails off, letting out an uncomfortable sigh. Her eyes briefly look over to the cap lying on the table.
Jessica's gaze moves to the cap as well. When it becomes clear that Yan Sun has indeed put two and two together, she looks back to her, her confidence almost entirely broken by this point. She turns so her entire body faces Yan Sun, now sitting up on her knees as she shakes her head a bunch of times. "I-... I didn't know..." she says softly without any context, suddenly feeling very exposed to the assumed judgement being leveled
at her by Yan Sun. Her gaze moves to the bed and she nods to herself, wiping at her good eye with the back of her hand. "Maybe you should go, kitty cat." she says, sounding defeated. "I have done bad things. Unforgivable things. And-... and I will do more." She looks back to Yan Sun, her good eye traveling back and forth between Yan Sun's, "Is best if you just stay far away from me..."
Yan Sun goes quiet as Jessica confirms her actions. She keeps staring down at the space between their knees as she listens to her, remaining silent for a while as she process it. Eventually she takes a deep breath, looking up and meeting Jessica's gaze. "I-..." she trails off, closing her eyes for a moment. As they open she's looking down again, reaching for one of Jessica's hands and just placing her own over it. "No." she
shakes her head. "You don't-... you don't have to... it doesn't-... you've done... things..." She lets out a choked sound between the last two words, looking almost sick, but she tries to clear her head with a shake. "...but... but it doesn't have to be like that."
Jessica just continues to stare at Yan Sun as she falls into silence, waiting for the woman's judgement to be passed. When she feels Yan Sun's hand over hers she looks down and, for a brief moment, looks almost angry at such a muted reaction. "It does!" she snaps back when Yan Sun finishes. "You don't understand! Maybe-... Maybe where it is you are from you can just-... just be who you want to be! Maybe you can just run away
from home and look for some cause to fight for. You had opportunities! Choices! A chance at a normal life, mmm!? With your friends and your Changyang..." she gestures towards the screens. "Out here? We didn't have any of that. We struggle for everything we had. We didn't look for a fight, the fight always come and look for us! And if you back down, you die. If you blink, you die. Or someone else just comes and
takes everything you work for. Everything you fight for." she rattles off. It's unclear where her anger is directed, but she's definitely angry. "It doesn't have to be like that? It is like that! Is not your choice!" she says. "...Is not my choice either..." she adds, somewhat quieter. "Adrasteia decided who I am. And we are all slaves to our true nature..."
Yan Sun is quick to withdraw her hand, and she flinches at each of Jessica's outbursts. Her mind is still processing the confirmation of her earlier discovery, and her expression is a very uncomfortable, almost queasy one. She closes her eyes, finding herself unable to find the will to argue with Jessica. A couple of deep breaths later she looks to the side, reaching out for the window displaying the article with the picture, and
pulling it over to her lap. She grabs the immaterial display in both hands as one would a photo or a datapad, looking down at it. "I-... I don't pretend to understand what it was like to grow up here." she says, her voice quiet and sounding on the verge of breaking. "You're-... I know you didn't have the options I did..." she winces, reluctant to finish what she has to say. She stares down at the hologram. At the picture.
"I don't-... I haven't judged you for what you've done. Not once. Because I know you're not-... you want to be better. You can be. So... so don't... don't go giving me this 屁話." She looks up at Jessica. "You have choices now." she says, her tone turning harsher as tears start to well up. "So if... if you let this-" She stabs a finger through the hologram, her movement too hard for the haptics to halt it. "...be who you
are, that's-... that's on you. That's your choice. " Her voice is trembling by now, and she another glance at the picture brings back the sickened look. "People can change. I know they can." she says quietly as the tears start to roll down her cheeks.
Jessica's gaze follows the picture as Yan Sun brings it to her lap. She simply stares at it from her position on the bed as Yan Sun speaks. At first it seems like she's not even paying attention until Yan Sun's finger goes through the interface, causing her to blink hard. Her attention returns to the photo briefly before looking to Yan Sun. "I-..." she bites down, unable to hold eye contact for more than a split second before
returning her attention to the photo. "He was eight years old..." she says, and that's all it takes. All at once her wall falls down as tears begin to run down her cheek. "I-... I was confused. I lay in that bed for weeks. Everything-... everything hurt so much that I could barely think. The medicine and the-... and the painkillers and-... and none of it worked. It just hurt, and hurt, and hurt and-... and my
family-... All I want was for the man responsible to pay." she sniffs hard, sucking in a deep breath as she wipes at her cheek, mentally willing herself to regain her composure. Rebuild the wall. "I wasn't-... I didn't know. I didn't see him until it was too late and he was-..." she trails off, shaking her head as her gaze falls to the bed. "So.... So I have to do this, you see? For him." she reaches out to tap the
photo, but her hand goes through the hologram and settles on Yan Sun's leg. "Otherwise it was all for nothing. It all meant nothing. And if that means that I must-.... that it is my turn to die..." she swallows hard, giving a stern nod. "Like my father say. Sometimes we must struggle. We must fight. We do it in this life so that we may find peace in the next." She finally looks back up at Yan Sun through her glassy
eye. "I do not know if there is another life after this one, kitty cat. But I know I am tired... tired of struggling. Tired of fighting. But I have not earned my peace yet. I can not just leave..."
Yan Sun looks almost stunned as Jessica starts to break down, and hearing her say it somehow causes the reality of what the woman in front of her had done. It was real. Recent, even. Not an abstract mistake of the past. She stares at the picture, trying to ignore the churning feeling in her stomach. This was a far cry from some mischievous fun on a spaceship. And far more than she had bargained for when she decided to linger on
Aite. As the hand swipes through the display and comes to rest on her leg she snaps out of it, looking up at Jessica, but it still takes her a while to find her words. "J-... I..." she closes her eyes, a faint shiver running through her body as fresh tears roll down her cheeks. "以牙還牙是不可取的" she whispers quietly before opening her eyes. "Is... is that what you want?" she asks. Her voice is quiet, her tone
"To... to throw your life away as... as penance?" She swallows hard, trying and failing to get rid of the lump in her throat. "What about... what about the next time someone..." Her gaze falls briefly down to the picture again, but it doesn't linger. "...gets caught in the crossfire?"
Jessica lowers her gaze once more at the mention of other people being caught in the crossfire. It's clear that isn't what she wants. "I am not throwing my life away. But I do not get to just-... just give up and walk away from this after so many others have died..." she says, though her words are soft and distant as her mind wanders and she continues to struggle to regain her composure. A few moments of silence pass before she
continues. "You worry about the people who may be caught in the crossfire-..." she says, wiping at the few remaining tears that escape. But despite the tears, her expression hardens and she looks back to Yan Sun. "What about him? What about everyone caught in his crossfire? Mmm? Is easy for him to just-... just go to sleep in his expensive tower. Forget they ever existed. For me? For me there is no getting away. I can't
just put on a new suit to get away from their ashes. Is always here with me." she says, tilting her head to the left as she brings the palm of her right hand up to the burnt flesh of her cheek. "My mother. Martin. That boy. All of them. When I look into the mirror, I see them looking back at me. And so I-... I will finish this for them." she nods weakly, "I will earn my peace."
Yan Sun tries, struggles and fails to find her words again, resigning herself to silence as she shifts the way she's sitting, freeing her legs while staring down at the picture. With another uncomfortable swallow she flicks the hologram away with a slight movement of her fingers, before turning to look out at the room, leaning back against the wall once more as she allows her legs to stretch in front of her, hands in her lap. She
looks sad, scared, tired, frustrated, but above all overwhelmed as she stares at the desk. She'd come out here to get away. Instead she'd found herself mixed up in another cause. Not that she had anyone to blame but herself. The uncomfortably familiar nature of some of Jessica's words is doing little to help her think clearly, and for a moment her gaze is drawn to her picture album, but as the silence continues to grow
she lets out a heavy sigh, unable to deny the realization she'd been slowly coming to for the last days. "If... if you do this..." she says quietly. "...I can't stay. I don't want-... I've been staying on Aite to be with you. Not to help you kill someone." She glances at Jessica briefly as she pauses, but she's quick to continue. "Killing him isn't going to change anything. It isn't going to... bring anyone back, or give
any meaning to-... to what's been done." A deep breath. "It's not too late to just... go." she tries, one more time, her gaze moving to the list of ship departures. "Get away from everything. You don't have to-... there doesn't have to be any more blood on your hands."
Jessica's gaze lowers to the bed once more as she shifts as well, sitting back against the wall beside Yan Sun and resting her forearms atop her knees. She falls silent as her gaze scans over her armor. The armor she killed to take. The armor her mother died in. Her eye is drawn to the numerous scuffs and blackened patches that couldn't be wiped away. Her hands tighten into fists as a wave of anger washes over her and, just as
quickly, vanishes. "Where would I go?" she asks softly. Dismissively, as if the thought of ever getting out of this cycle of violence is little more than a pipedream. "Where would we go? There is no place left out there for me, kitty cat..." For over a year she has found herself unable to see past the death of Cross. Any idea of a life outside of that had seemed ridiculous to her. He took her pride. He took her dignity.
He took her family. He took her home. Most importantly, he took her sense of belonging. And every moment since then has been a non-stop push towards his demise. Every move a calculated effort towards that goal with little regard for who she had to step on and use to get there. She reaches out with her right hand, attempting to intertwine her scarred, burned fingers with Yan Sun's as she stares distantly towards the end of
Yan Sun opens her hand, looking down as she feels Jessica's touch. As their fingers intertwine a pulse of light shoots through her implants, and she squeezes her hand. They're still surrounded by a ball of blue holographic screens, casting a sheen over their still-wet cheeks, the bed, and the rest of the otherwise gloomy room. Her eyes slowly travel up the arm, following the burns. "That's not true." she says quietly, with a
faint shake of her head. "There's a whole galaxy out there. We could go together. Like we talked about. You've suffered enough here. Don't let this place consume you." She squeezes Jessica's hand again, her gaze having reached her cheek now, but it goes back down to their hands. She shakes her head slightly once more, and lets out a brief, quiet chuckle, which ends in a sniffle. "How do you know there's no place for you
when you haven't looked? When you've just... lingered in the ashes?" She blinks, holding back a fresh set of tears as she runs her still-glowing thumb across Jessica's hand. "This doesn't have to be your life."
Jessica falls silent once again, her gaze just fixed on a random point at the edge of the bed as she listens. She could practically hear the voice of her father, urging her not to be weak. Reminding her what Cross has taken from her. Reminding her that, in life, there are two types of people: those who take, and those who are taken from. You must become the former or be doomed to be the latter. Reminding her what happens when you
let someone get away with something like that, when you let someone make you a victim. You become a victim. He would have hated Yan Sun, deemed her weak and doomed to a life of being stepped on by others. As Yan Sun finishes, her gaze moves to their hands. 'How do you know there's no place for you when you haven't looked?' It may as well have been the words of her mother. Filled with hope. Hope that was slowly stamped out
as the years went by on Aite. She bites down on her lower lip as her mind wanders- To the questions she used to ask her mother about Earth, spurred on by her brother's stories. To a time when the galaxy was big and she was small, before the bubble closed around her, constricting her to this place. But the memory doesn't bring her happiness. Only more sadness and guilt. "I-.... I need some time to think, kitty cat..." she
says, barely more than a whisper. She looks to her side at Yan Sun, studying the features of her face before bringing her left hand over and placing it on Yan Sun's right cheek, forcing her to meet Jessica's gaze. Leaning in, she plants a soft kiss on the woman's lips.
Yan Sun briefly closes her eyes as she's kissed. They open as their lips part, and she gives the faintest of nods. "Of course..." she whispers softly, shifting just a little to sit more on her side, facing more towards Jessica. She brings her own right hand up to the one on her cheek, wrapping her fingers around it and bringing it to her lips, planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Take your time." she says quietly, bringing the
hand to the space between her chin and throat, pressing her chin down against their hands as she studies the woman in front of her.
Jessica simply remains in place for a few more moments before rising to her knees and pulling her hand back. She leans forward to plant another kiss on Yan Sun's cheek, then the opposite cheek before a final one on her forehead. "Okay..." she nods, "...okay..." She presses her forehead against Yan Sun's, bringing her hand back up to the woman's cheek and giving it a few playful pats, each one slightly harder than the last in her
usual, annoying way. A low snicker escapes her before she pulls away and unceremoniously climbs off the bed to approach the desk. She scoops up her hat and places it on her head, adjusting it for a moment before she begins the process of loading a thermal clip into her pistol and reholstering it on her armored thigh. "I just.... I need some time alone... Time to clear my head, yes?" she explains without looking to Yan Sun as
Yan Sun flinches slightly as her cheek is patted, but there's a tiny hint of a snicker of her own. She watches Jessica in silence as she heads over to the desk and starts to gear up again. A small frown starts to form, but she nods. "I-... yeah. Of course. I'll, uhm... I'll be here." she says, flashing a faint smile and patting the bed. She continues to watch her thoughtfully as she gets ready to head out.
Jessica pulls on her gauntlets before approaching the side of the bed again. She awkwardly holds her open hand out, palm upwards, a slight hint of discomfort on her face. "I-... The drive, mmm?" she asks with an arbitrary glance towards the ball of screens surrounding Yan Sun atop the bed.
Yan Sun looks briefly confused, glancing down at the outstretched hand. "Wh-... the data drive?" Her gaze darts back up to Jessica, and then to the side at one of the screens. She slowly lowers her it back down to the open hand. "Oh." she says quietly, her frown deepening considerably. She makes sure to keep her gaze low as she reaches for her holo-projector, removing the data drive from a slot in the side. She watches it for a
moment, turning it over in her hand before reluctantly holding it out for Jessica to take, rather than putting it in her hand. She looks up as she does, focusing on her good eye with a look that seems to say 'I'm not stupid'. "I'll-... I'll be here." she repeats, her voice catching a little in her throat.
Jessica's gaze moves to the storage drive rather than Yan Sun's face when she looks her way, unable to hold eye contact with her. She pauses briefly before reaching out and placing her armored hand over the drive. It lingers for a moment, her eye still fixed to their hands. Finally, she nods and lifts the object from atop Yan Sun's hand. "Okay..." she responds as she examines the drive for a second and storing it in a compartment on
her hardsuit. She backs away from the bed, moving towards the door, still unable to look Yan Sun in the eye. "I-.... I'll see you later, kitty cat." she finally manages softly, giving another brief nod before swiveling to face the door and continuing on her way.
Yan Sun withdraws her hand after Jessica takes the drive, her gaze still focused entirely on her. She struggles to hold back tears as she watches her leave, and she manages only a quiet "Yeah..." before resigning to staring at her back in silence.
Jessica disappears out of sight as she rounds the corner. A moment later, the sound of the door opening can be heard. A couple of heavy, distant footsteps and the door slides shut once more.