Shae looks to be in her early-to-mid 30s. Light skin. It's hard to make out her build given the thick, head-to-toe winter gear she's wrapped up in. Heavy winter jacket. Thick snow pants that are tucked into her winter boots. Warm tuque pulled down to her eyebrows, dark shoulder-length hair spilling out the back. Holding her hand is a child. A little boy, no older than maybe 7. He, too, is buttoned up for the winter weather. Boots. Puffy pants.
#Traveler'sGorge – August 11, 2021
Tuque. Jacket so thick that he seems unable to fully get his arms down at his side. A few of the others offer quick greetings to the pair.
Rafe is just returning with his bounty, already extending a pair of beers overtop Jessica and Yan Sun from behind when his attention is pulled in the direction of the new arrival by Kirill's greeting. "Uhh-... hey, Shae." he greets before passing the boy beside her a friendly smile. "Didn't know you'd be stopping by." he continues, looking back to the woman. Shae. "Can I-..." he gestures back behind him- towards the tent- with a dip of his
Jessica leans against Yan Sun a bit, unable to reign in her own grin amidst Paige and Yan Sun's combined laughter and merely rolling her eyes. But her smile grows heavy when Kirill speaks up and a bit of that previous tension returns to her body, muscles coiling slightly against Yan Sun as she hears the name. She passes a quick glance Shae's way before glancing upward and reaching for the beer offered. She's quick to try and cover up
Shae offers a polite smile back Rafe's way before giving a shake of her head and coming to a stop just off to the side of Yan Sun. "No-..." she starts before briefly leveling a look Will's way and repeating herself. "...No. We've got an early morning. Just-... finished shoveling out by the inner gate-..." she thumbs back behind her.
Will frowns as Rafe's offer for soda is turned down, but once again begins nodding enthusiastically as Shae continues. "We shoveled a lot!"
Shae continues right overtop Will, his addition barely even getting a pause out of her. "...and heard that a certain someone was back." The smile on her face remains as she looks to Jessica, but the words that follow are sharp enough to poke an eye out, "...I'm sure you probably-..." she wills herself not to sigh, settling for a thinly disguised deep breath, "...just haven't had a chance to come find us yet. But this little guy needed to
stop by and say 'hi' before we turned in for the night." She indicates Will with a shake of his hand before looking back to him, her smile turning more genuine. "Isn't that right?"
Yan Sun glances briefly over her shoulder towards Rafe after taking in the new arrival, accepting her beer with a brief flash of a smile before returning her attention to Shae - and Will. She listens in silence, Will's interjection drawing out a quiet snort, although the tension isn't lost on her, and her eyebrows furrow as she gives Jessica a squeeze with the arm wrapped around her, eyes still on Shae.
Rafe gives a small nod to Shae's response, a snicker and a quick, "I bet you did!" offered to Will's addition as he moves on to delivering Paige her beer.
Jessica bites back on a frown as the implication behind Shae's words hit her. She mulls over the idea of telling the woman to fuck off for a moment. But it's short lived as her attention is pulled over to the enthusiastic boy beside Shae.
Will once again nods feverishly, practically a bobble head at this point as a bout of the giggles slips from him. "Bam Bam!" he shouts as he looks Jessica's way, releasing his grip on his mother's hand and darting towards the burned woman, arm's already outstretched for a hug.
Jessica's previous smile resurfaces despite her best attempt at holding it back. She pulls her fresh beer in close to her body to avoid it getting spilled, but gets her other hand up in time to halt the young boy's charge, catching him by the collar of his absurdly thick jacket. He strains against it for a moment before her hand moves to his face, effortlessly holding him in place as he struggles against her, rosy cheek smooshing
against her palm. She snorts loudly as he tries to break free and makes a face of consideration, pursing her lips to one side before coming to a quick decision. "No. I do not hug brats." she taunts, which only seems to encourage the boy to push harder, snow boots slipping in place against the hard ground as he grunts in effort.
Shae folds her arms across her chest, a small chuckle escaping her chest as she watches her son dart off towards Jessica and his ensuing struggle.
Jean-Luc snorts loudly. "Are you really gonna let her talk to you like that, little man?" he asks as he and the others watch in amusement.
Yan Sun lets out a surprised laugh as the young boy charges, reflexively pulling back a little to not get in the way, shielding her own beer as well. The scene that follows draws more laughter from her, and she prods Jessica in the side with her elbow. "Yeah, be nice!" she says in agreement with Gaz, grinning as her gaze falls on Will's struggle.
Amy picks this moment to step into the light of the fire and silently reclaim her seat, after having spent a moment out of view, hesitating. She seems to be hoping that her return can go unremarked upon if it happens while everyone's focus is elsewhere. There's a brief glance Paige's way as she sits, accompanied by an awkward twitch of her lips that's not quite a smile. Maybe Paige's guilting worked.
Will's face turns this way and that in a struggle to break free, but he doesn't seem to be making any headway. "I'm not-... little!" he argues Jean-Luc's assessment.
Jean-Luc's snickering only grows louder and he puts his hands up, palms outward, shooting a smile towards Shae.
Jessica shoots a glance Yan Sun's way as her and Gaz team up on her, giving the former a quick scoff. Still, her cruelty persists for a few more moments before she finally relents with a playful roll of her eyes, releasing Will from his endless struggle.
Will lets out a triumphant gasp, seemingly believing he overpowered Jessica's attempt at holding him back, and leaps onto the bench, one arm slipping around Jessica's neck. Nearly kicking Caelus in the process, the energetic young boy swings around to Jessica's back- the tippy toes of his boots the only thing keeping him on the back of the bench- and brings his other arm around her neck and giving her a squeeze as another giggle fit erupts
Shae stutter steps forward a step reactively when her son nearly collides with the turian. "Careful, Will!" she warns, though Caelus is quick to wave off her concerns.
Paige is looking pretty comfy, balled up in her camping chair, fresh beer in the cupholder, and rocking with laughter at the display. Unfortunately for Amy, her return doesn't go as unnoticed as she'd like. But thankfully Paige doesn't make a big deal out of it, merely shooting her a quick, slightly drunken smile.
Kirill, too, takes notice of the woman returning to the empty seat beside him. He passes Amy a small nod, reaching out to give her forearm a quick pat in greeting as she settles into the chair. "Welcome back." he offers simply.
Jessica rocks back on the bench, eyes widening briefly as one hand shoots down to the edge of the base to keep herself from falling back as Will climbs onto the bench behind her. Unable to merely hand boy the victory, mutters a quick, "You are still a little shit." Though the big ear-to-ear smile undercuts the insult a bit.
Will seems to be more agreeable to that distinction, nodding sharply as a few more giggles slip from him. He seems content to remain right where he is, stood on the edge of the bench, arms slung around Jessica's neck as he leans against her back. He tilts his head against the back of Jessica's to peer Yan Sun's way, brows furrowing as if only now just noticing her. "Who are you?" he asks in a way that only a child can without it sounding
Amy 's gaze turns to Kirill for a brief moment before going down to the ground as she offers a slightly awkward nod, although there's a bit of relief there too at the relatively painless return. The commotion across the fire soon draws her attention, discomfort dispelled as a smile crosses her lips at the sight of the young boy hanging onto Jessica, their interaction drawing a quiet laugh from her, half-amused and half-shocked - cursing is
frowned upon in the Jackson homestead, especially around children - but it's clear the rules are different here, for a lot of things.
Yan Sun just watches with a big grin on her face as Will clambers onto Jessica's back and hugs her, still leaning away a bit to avoid getting stepped on or similar by the energetic kid. She takes a swig of her beer, but it's interrupted by a giggle at their exchange, barely avoiding it turning into a coughing fit. As Will's attention turns to her she sucks in her lips, reigning in her ear-to-ear smile. "My-..." a bit of leftover laughter.
"My name is Yan Sun." she says, speaking a bit slower and more clearly than usual. "I'm Jessica's girlfriend."
Will's brows furrow again momentarily before he seems to deem Yan Sun's introduction satisfactory. "I'm Will." he offers, as if that hadn't become abundantly clear by now.
Jessica tugs down on the edges of Will's tuque to blindly readjust it, her glassy gaze turning Yan Sun's way as she responds. Her smile tapers back into something softer, gaze briefly flicking towards the ground as Yan Sun introduces herself as her girlfriend. But she makes no attempt at correcting her.
Rafe's gaze slips over to the fire as he settles back into his seat, smile only wavering slightly at Yan Sun's introduction. But he's quick to glance Jessica's way, seeking out her gaze and putting on his best smile in some small attempt at making it less awkward for all parties involved.
Will holds on tight with one hand in order to point Shae's way with his other. "That's my mom!" he informs, seeming to think that counts as enough of a formal introduction.
Yan Sun 's gaze shifts briefly from Will's face to Jessica's, her own expression softening a bit as well, but her attention is soon goes back to her new backpack. "Nice to meet you, Will." she says, smile widening before she turns around and cranes her neck a bit to look up at Shae. "...and 'Will's mom'." she adds with a snicker and a small wave of her free hand.
Shae passes a quick glance Rafe's way at Yan Sun's introduction, but doesn't linger. Seems she must have known about them. But as Will continues to carry on with Yan Sun, her smile widens and she tugs one gloved hand from the crook of her elbow to give Yan Sun a small, quick finger-wave. "Shae." she introduces needlessly through her tired smile, "Nice to meet you." she snickers.
Will brings his other arm back around Jessica's neck, swaying slightly. "Are you gonna live here, too?" he asks with that child-specific lack of boundaries.
Jessica sucks in her lips as her gaze meets Rafe's, his expression helping to draw a smile back out of her. She doesn't seem to have any intent on saving Yan Sun from Will's game of '20 questions', merely shooting a grin her way as she takes another sip of her beer, slightly hunched forward due to the gremlin on her back.
Jean-Luc seems to take notice of Amy, passing her a nod in greeting. "Get lost?" he jokes through a friendly smile.
Yan Sun stutters slightly, not seeming quite sure how to respond. "Uh-... no. We're just visiting. Jessica and I are going on a trip to Earth." she explains, trying to judge if Will even has a clue what Earth is.
Amy 's attention is drawn away from the exchange across the fire as Jean-Luc speaks, eyeing his new haircut for a moment before the question registers and prompts a quiet, uncomfortable chuckle. "Just, uhm... taking a break."
Jean-Luc has no intentions of prying, merely offering a few silent nods. But he seems to catch on to the eyes on his new haircut from across the fire, prompting him to bring a hand up and run it across the stubble, smile turning crooked. "So? What do you think?" he asks. "Did she butcher me?"
Will seems to frown briefly at this new information. "Oh..." he says softly, eyes turning down towards Jessica's shoulder. "But you're gonna come back, right?" he asks.
Jessica swallows, pointedly not meeting Shae's gaze. Instead, she holds Yan Sun's gaze, a fair bit of guilt buried somewhere behind that singular, dark brown eye. "Maybe..." she speaks up, voice hitching in her throat a little, perhaps feeling that it's not quite right to put this one on Yan Sun's shoulders. "One day." she continues, doing her best to hoist her heavy smile back into place as she indicates Yan Sun for corroboration with
a small nod of her head, "Yes, kitty cat?" Maybe it's just lip service. A white lie to keep from hurting the feelings of a child that clearly looks up to her. But... it seems like more than that. After all of her huffing and puffing about wanting to put Aite behind her, there's a sincerity in her words and in her tone. Almost as if she's asking for Yan Sun's permission to commit to such a promise.
Kirill watches the exchange, his expression turning thoughtful, though he remains a quiet spectator.
Yan Sun is pretty obviously unsure how to react to the question, even though it shouldn't be surprising. Her mouth opens briefly before closing, gaze shifting to meet Jessica's in search of answers she doesn't have. When the woman next to her speaks she studies her face closely. The smile that crosses her lips when she's addressed is warm, but soft and careful. "Yeah." she agrees in a near-whisper, eyes going back to Will. "Of course."
Amy 's eyes widen a little, and an embarrassed snicker slips out, still weighed down a bit by heavy feelings not yet shaken. "No! Uh, no. It looks good." she assures, propping up a small smile.
Will's brows furrow once more and you can practically see the wheels turning in his head before he seems to find the answer acceptable with a nod. Whatever he may be thinking about, it's soon sidetracked as another question comes to him and his attention swings right back to Yan Sun. "How far is-... Earth?" he asks- confirming Yan Sun's suspicions- before suddenly looking Shae's way when another thought hits him, eyes widening in excitement.
Shae listens to Jessica's answer in silence. It's unclear whether or not she's buying it but it doesn't matter. Will is her priority. Not Jessica. And a lie is better than a painful truth. Let him believe that his friend will be back. In time, he'll forget. And it'll be like Jessica was never even here. Evident by Will's quickly changing focus, which draws her smile back out. She snickers, offering a small shake of her head. "I think Earth
Kirill gives a chuckle. "Unfortunately, I don't think that the trucks would be able to handle a trip like that." he jokes, all smiles behind that bushy beard of his. But it tapers into something more sincere as his attention shifts to Jessica. "But-... they know they're welcome to come back any time they want, Will." His words are aimed at Will, but they're clearly meant for Jessica. A gentle reminder that she has a home here. A place to
Jessica falls silent, gaze remaining fixed on Yan Sun, Will's suggestion to his mother drawing out a hollow snicker that ends up as little more than a puff of air. It's not until Kirill speaks up that she turns her attention away from Yan Sun, looking to him with a small, but sincere, nod of her head.
Paige looks Amy's way and scrunches up her nose, giving a bunch of exaggerated shakes of her head to Amy's assessment that she's quick to halt once Jean-Luc glances in her direction, suddenly devolving into another drunken giggle fit.
Jean-Luc shakes his head as Paige makes her opinion known, though his smile persists. "Seems not everyone feels that way." he replies to Amy across the fire.
Yan Sun snickers quietly. "Earth is... pretty far away." she confirms with a couple of nods. Kirill's words make that soft look return to her face, glancing his way briefly before looking to Jessica again, placing a hand on her leg and running her thumb back and forth as she studies her.
Amy blinks at Paige's objection - and drunken giggles, Jean-Luc's words bringing her attention back to him with a slightly uncomfortable snort. There's a bit of hesitation, like she's not sure what to say to keep the conversation going - not exactly her strong suit on a good day, and tonight has been a bit rocky. Just awkward silence from her.
Will's excitement is dampened a bit by the answers given, resulting in him pushing his lip out in a pout.
Jean-Luc doesn't seem to take any offense by Amy's silence, smile lingering as his gaze turns towards the fire. "Ah well. It will grow back, I suppose." he sighs.
Jessica's gaze turns down to the hand on her leg, expression growing thoughtful as her free hand moves overtop it.
Shae watches Jessica for a moment before drawing in a breath. "Alright, Will. I think it's time for us to be heading back. We need to be up early tomorrow." she reminds, her tone taking on that motherly tone that everyone is familiar with. The one that lets you know it's not up for debate.
Jessica lifts her gaze to the fire, giving Yan Sun's hand a quick squeeze before reaching up to give Will a backwards hug, hand moving to the back of his head. "Go on, shithead. I will see you tomorrow before I leave."
Will gives Jessica a squeeze before looking Yan Sun's way, not quite ready to let Jess go yet. "I have to go, Yonson." he explains through a frown. "Me and mom have to get up early for work tomorrow." he deadpans, frown deepening in an almost comical fashion that gets a few snickers out of the others.
Yan Sun does her best to reign in her smile and put on a sympathetic expression as she nods. "You'd better get some rest then." she agrees. "It was nice to meet you, Will. See you later." she says, reinforcing Jessica's promise.
Amy frowns a little at her failure to engage, but ends up turning her attention to the conversation across the fire instead, a small, slightly sad smile on her lips as she watches.
Will gives a big, bright smile to Yan Sun. "You, too!" he offers enthusiastically, squeezing Jessica one last time before hopping off the back side of the bench and waddling away, arms extended a bit out to his sides due to his jacket.
Shae is all smiles for the moment. When Will reaches her, she gives him a pat on the back, urging him back in the direction they arrived from. "Go on, sweetie. I'll just be a minute." she says.
Will starts on his way but quickly turns back, looking at those around the fire and giving a big wave, his attention specifically resting on Jessica and Yan Sun.
Jessica snickers as Will struggles with Yan Sun's name. As he hops off of the bench, she turns, lifting one leg over to the other side of the bench so that she's facing in Yan Sun's direction and can send Will on his way with a pat on the shoulder. She watches as he waddles off, soft smile on her face and a genuine snort slips out when he turns back towards the group. "I will see you tomorrow, Will." she repeats with a dip of her head,
Yan Sun giggles quietly as Will waddles off, smiling widely and offering an enthusiastic wave when he turns back.
Shae remains where she is, hands folded across her chest as she watches Will waddle on down the road. She doesn't seem the least bit concerned about him making it back to their prefab. But as he gets further from the flame and begins to disappear into the night, her smile seems to get heavier and heavier, and eventually her gaze shifts towards the ground.
Jessica continues to sit sideways on the bench as she watches Will, smile slowly tapering into something softer. She seems to realize what's coming, and pointedly avoids looking Shae's way. The others fall silent as well, the sound of Kirill's omni-tool and some soft conversation between Gaz and Thomas that's barely audible all that breaks it up.
Shae draws in a deep breath, much in the way one does when they're about to do something they don't want to do. "You and I have never seen eye-to-eye, Jess." she starts. "But you've always been good to Will. So I'm not gonna drag this out. I'm just gonna-..." she shifts in place to better face Jessica, but still avoids looking directly at her, "...say what I have to say, and leave. Okay?"
Jessica blinks a few times as Shae begins to speak. The question leveled at her is met only with silence, but her focus settles onto Shae, any semblance of her previous smile all but lost. It's the sort of look that would probably make most people reconsider.
The others remain silent, all looking a bit uncomfortable. Even Gaz and Thomas' conversation dies out.
Yan Sun has turned to the side a bit to watch as Will leaves. When Shae speaks her smile slips away, eyebrows furrowing as she listens silently. Her waving hand has found its way to Jessica's knee, resting there idly as she waits for Shae to continue, the other keeping the beer steady in her lap.
Shae falls silent for a moment. Either to collect her thoughts, or to gauge that look on Jessica's face. Either way, it's not long before she decides to continue, meeting Jessica's gaze head-on. "You walked out on us, Jess." she says, the words carrying some obvious hurt with them. "On all of us." She passes a quick glance around to the others at the fire, each person pointedly avoiding her eyes when she looks their way. "And then you
just-... what? Show up out of the blue and expect everything to be fine?" she asks as her attention turns back to the woman in question, Shae's expression contorted into a harsh frown. "It's not fine, Jess. It's not-... you don't just abandon the people that care about you and then expect to come back into their lives whenever it suits you!" she continues, picking up steam the more she speaks, "I mean-... if you think so little of us
that you're willing to just-... just turn your back on everyone? Fine! But Will didn't deserve that! He-..." she stammers, the fire in her seeming to die as quickly as it ignited, arms folding back across her chest as she grows a bit more guarded. "...He's lost enough." The harshness in her expression seems to drain a little, replaced by sadness. "...This was your home, Jess. We're supposed to be building something better here. A
Jessica's gaze remains firmly on Shae as she speaks, knee beginning to bounce and hand tightening around her beer. Her jaw bulges as she listens, biting down in that way she tends to when she's just about ready to fly off the handle, the guilt that's made a permanent home in her chest blanketed by anger and frustration. It's probably a look that Yan Sun is far too familiar with by this point. As Shae continues to rattle on, her nostrils
flare and, for but a moment, her lips part as she prepares to fire back. But it all seems to fade when Shae mentions Will. The anger. The frustration. Just the guilt remains. She swallows. Hard. But it's not quite enough to bury that guilt. Her eyes flutter a few times as the fight drains from her, gaze falling to somewhere between Shae and Yan Sun before she offers a few small, defeated nods. "...I know..." she says softly.
Yan Sun 's gaze falls away from Shae as she starts to speak, looking down at her beer bottle. Her hand shifts a bit against Jessica's leg, trying to provide a calming touch, the tension all too obvious. There's a glance back towards her when Shae trails off, a worried frown on her face. When Jessica speaks she sighs softly and gives her leg a squeeze. There's an almost imperceptible nod before looking back to Shae. It's not her place to
speak, not now, so she does her best to offer silent emotional support to the woman behind her on the bench.
Amy observes with intense awkwardness the airing of hurts that long predate her arrival at the Gorge. Coming back doesn't seem like such a swell idea right now.
Rafe stares into the fire, looking every bit as uncomfortable as the others. A part of him feels like he should speak up. That he should say something to interrupt Shae. But how can he? He's spent many months in this very spot thinking these very things.
Shae looks a little taken aback by Jessica's meek response, seeming as if she had expected resistance. "We're not-..." she starts, but doesn't get much further than her first few syllables before Kirill interjects.
Kirill who, up until this point, had just been staring a hole into the ground as he listened, finally speaks up, interrupting Shae before she can continue. "Alright, Shae. I think you've said your piece." he says. It's a gentle suggestion, a diplomatic attempt at defusing the situation before it can become a situation that needs defusing.
Shae stammers, looking to Kirill. A small frown crosses her features, but she gives a small nod, seeming to realize she might be overstepping her boundaries. She passes a look around the fire, her attention briefly falling on Yan Sun. Almost apologetically. That intense discomfort that everyone else seems to be wearing suddenly colors her face in turn, a bit of self consciousness slipping in over making a scene. Her gaze lingers on Jessica
Jessica doesn't stir when it seems as if Shae is teeing off to take another swing at her. She doesn't even stir when Kirill interrupts. She just continues to stare at the ground, thoughts- painful thoughts- swirling behind her eye. It's not until the sound of Shae's footfalls that she looks to her, watching her back as she disappears into the darkness. Sniffing at the air, she silently brings a hand up to rub at the corner of her glassy
Yan Sun looks a little relieved when Kirill speaks up. Her gaze remains on Shae, a complicated frown on her face - there's no blame or anger there though, her anger is hardly unfair. Part of her mind churns with uncomfortable thoughts of her own situation, of people left behind, but her focus is on Jessica right now, and as Shae turns to leave she shifts to no longer face her, wrapping her left arm around Jessica in a hug of sorts as she
Jessica sniffs again, Yan Sun's attempt at providing comfort seeming to have the opposite effect, causing her to flinch slightly as lips press against the side of her head. She tries to play it off, shooting a glance Yan Sun's way and meeting her gaze through glassy eyes, as if direct eye contact should be enough to prove that Shae didn't 'get to her'. But, try as she might to let it roll off her shoulders, it's not hard to see that a
bit of the spirit has been drained from her. She slowly leans forward, pressing a small peck against the tip of Yan Sun's nose. The others around the fire all remain dead silent. Seems it sapped their moods a bit as well.
Yan Sun maintains eye contact with Jessica, the look on her face making it obvious that she doesn't buy her attempt to seem unaffected. She lingers close as Jessica's lips brush against her noise, leaning in for a firmer hug before leaving some space for Jessica to turn back towards the fire instead of straddling the bench. Her gaze travels out across the others around the fire, not ignorant of the fact that many of them probably share
Jessica doesn't quite seem to have the energy to really keep the charade up, gaze turning low when she's pulled in for a hug, but she doesn't pull away. She presses a small, lazy kiss against Yan Sun's shoulder, her free hand moving to Yan Sun's hip until she releases her.
Yan Sun is met mostly with contemplative looks as the others- aside from Kirill- seem to avoid looking Jessica's way. Perhaps worried that she might see those same frustrations that Shae voiced behind their eyes.
Caelus is the one to break the smothering silence, looking up from a thermos that he had suddenly gained great interest in once Shae began to speak. "She's wrong, you know..." he offers, mandibles parting. He casts a cautious look around the fire, as if unsure if it's his place to break the silence.
Jessica has to crane her neck to look Caelus' way when he talks. "Mmm?" she hums, lifting her leg back over the bench as if to sit properly, but she ends up just doing a 180, straddling the bench in the opposite direction so she can face the turian. She scoots back in the process, an almost reflexive movement as she shifts her weight against Yan Sun, turning her into a makeshift backrest.
Yan Sun doesn't seem to mind, left arm wrapping around Jessica once more, nuzzling the back of her neck as she looks over her shoulder at Caelus, waiting to hear what he has to say.
Caelus gives a shrug of his shoulders, taking a quick drink from his thermos that surely must be approaching empty by now. "She's wrong." he repeats, setting the thermos down on the space between himself and Jessica on the bench. "This place? It's not a home. Not a place to set down roots. Not for you. Not for me. Not for anyone." he says, shooting an almost apologetic look Kirill's way, as if assuming that their softspoken leader might not
Kirill doesn't object. He merely studies the turian from across the fire, idly rotating the beer in his cup holder by the neck as he waits to hear what else he has to say.
Caelus continues when it seems like Kirill isn't about to object. "It's just a place to lay your head. Always was. A resting spot on the way to somewhere else." It's not meant as an insult. On the contrary, there's great reverence and almost a sense of wonder in his words. And while it could be taken literally- a fact reflected in the groaning of the gate doors as a truck enters- there's more behind his words than just that. The way he says
it, it almost sounds poetic. "I know that some people were upset when you disappeared on us. Angry, even. People worried that something had happened to you, but-..." he shakes his head, gaze briefly turning low before settling on Jessica. "...not me. I hoped that maybe you had just finally figured out what was next. And you were out there. Living your life. Moving on." His gaze shifts to the woman visible over Jessica's shoulder, the
way that Yan Sun drapes her arm around Jessica bringing a smile to his face. "I'm... glad to see that maybe I was right."
Kirill's bushy beard twitches as a smile crosses his features beneath. He rolls his head against the back of his chair to look Jessica's way, to gauge her reaction.
Jessica remains silent as she listens, gaze turning towards the bench. When Caelus finishes, she doesn't immediately respond. But she does shift a little heavier against Yan Sun, focused frown on her face.
Yan Sun doesn't seem quite sure how to react as Caelus speaks, eyebrows furrowing as she listens silently to the turian. When she starts to realize what he's trying to say a small, slightly embarrassed smile crosses her lips, which she soon press against Jessica's neck, the arm around her squeezing a little tighter.