I need you to look into Chesper Branson. His name came up recently along with his wife's on a donation envelope inside the church. Which wouldn't be odd, especially given the size of the donation. except it was the only thing legible in the entire building.
[ — so an actual case. well, that grabs his attention, even if he knows he should be cautious about how entangled he should be getting with clara. all things considered. ]
and you think he's actually worth looking into? not a religious guy myself but church donations seem pretty standard.
[She had debating on whether or not to get him involved. But at the end of the day, she still trusts him completely. And she knows he'll be able to get the job done. He isn't likely to be condescending or think she's stupid, even if her lead winds up going nowhere.]
I thought that at first, but the envelope with their names on it was the only thing legible in the entire church. That combined with the fact they share the same last name as the only boy I teach that seems to be exempt from the blank staring and looping everyone else in town does makes me feel like it's more than just a coincidence.
Jebediah has mentioned his Uncle Ches more than a few times. I have the location of his home, and am sending Hermann out to pay him and his mother Poppy a visit. Hopefully his father Welford Jr. is home, but I'm guessing that isn't likely with the hours Jeb says he keeps in the mines. I'm also speaking with Clarke to ensure that she can find the elder Welford Branson But I was hoping you would want to keep tabs on Chesper Branson.
I just have a suspicion the entire family might be important.
[ whatever's gone on between them, he does at least know that clara takes the mission priorities seriously. he can set all of that aside to focus on that — especially considering what it is he's doing this mission for in the first place. ]
then i'll find out what uncle chesper's up to. you know where the kid lives. you got a location on the uncle?
Unfortunately no. But I do know Jeb says he shows up for dinner covered in dirt. So it could be easy to spot him at the boy's house. I have a feeling the family is connected to the stables. They may all live in close proximity to it.
[she's grateful for the fact she can recklessly toss herself into this mission and focus squarely on that. it gives her an end goal, a purpose. and that helps from making this feel awkward, like she had worried it might. they're just working together to get the job done. and she's incredibly grateful for that.]
I've been popping by the sables every day or two to try and see if there's anything I can find. But I think I'll ask around and find someone else better suited for the task.
[ because he doesn't necessarily want to get credit for it, or for it to be seen as a favor, as generosity. just all part of the gig they're already supposed to be doing. ]
the job we're here for. the job that you've been here for, for a month now.
[And after Leonard's warning, she's terrified for him. The urge to take care of him is still strong, even if she knows he's likely to resist her trying. But that doesn't stop her from doing it.
She switches over to voice so he can hear the edge of panic and heavy concern in her tone.]
You need to see Dr.McCoy to get a supplement pack. You've been here too long without proper nutrients.
[ suddenly hearing her voice is a sudden turn, but familiar with the tone he hears from her, the kind she gets when the topic takes a more serious turn. ]
This sleeve's modified with neurachem. Military-grade. It's meant to be more durable and withstand longer than a body without the chemical modifications, nutrients included. I'll be fine.
I'm ... the last person you should be worrying about.
[ for one, because of the aforementioned reason he'd listed, knowing he's probably more capable of withstanding it than others might be. and ... for the fact that he doesn't want her concerned with him. ]
[She goes quiet and thinks about leaving it there. And maybe she should, because her control shatters just enough for her first ever thought to voice slip up.]
[ he only barely manages to cut himself from saying anything else, from speaking too honestly. because he doesn't know what he's supposed to do with that question, not when he's trying as hard as he is to maintain the proper space they both need. ]
Don't ask me that.
[ because it isn't fair. because the answer isn't a secret. because he's supposed to pretend otherwise. because his worry for her is the very thing that's put him in the situation that he's in. ]
[Her response sounds properly mortified, voice small and genuinely apologetic.]
Sorry. It just came out.
[It's hard to tell if her generally perfect control over her thoughts and her communication with others here just slipped because she's so worried about what Dr. McCoy's message means, or because she's so fixated on the mission. She tries to push past that with a subject change.]
[ it's still hard to decide how to act, whether they just pretend like they don't have carried history from the past several months or if they should confront it somehow, considering the way they'd ended things.
but it's hard to lie to her too, when he knows he can't veil his concern for her an she can see right through him anyway.
he sighs, wishing he didn't have to figure out any of it right now. ]
From ... a few months ago, right? I suggested the weapons. You said it might not be appropriate for all of them.
[she's struggling to try and find her footing with him. she knows they can't just act like nothing happened between them, but she also can't handle discussing the night things ended.
the mission isn't the place to have that conversation, she thinks. it needs to happen when emotions aren't running high out of concern for survival. and there's just so much that she wants to say, it feels wrong to try and say it over this. it should be done face to face. she can be brave enough to do that.]
I brought a few of them with me. I'm going to leave a couple with you.
[They do not, in fact, have weapons inside of them. But there's food and water, which is more important right now.]
[ his concern isn't actually about the weapons, not when he comes barely stocked enough for that, but he does remember that conversation being one of their initial ones, back before her entire demeanor had changed, when whatever went on between them — the flirting and the playfulness — all seemed harmless. being where they are now, that conversation feels a thousand years away. ]
I told you. I'm last priority. Save that stuff for someone who actually needs it.
[She pauses, unsure if he'll allow her or even want her to call him that anymore. It comes out naturally, her pleading with him to let her do this. she's almost desperate to do something, any little thing she can to try and make sure he's taken care of. even if he stubbornly insists he doesn't need it.]
I'm leaving two. Give one to Marta. But please, for me, at least consider hanging onto the other for yourself.
[ even just hearing her use his name like that, it takes him back to the way they used to be, to something almost normal and familiar, even if they haven't been like that in some time, even if he'd spent the last month just getting used to what life is like without clara around, despite how often she'd still ended up on his mind anyway.
but he can hear the desperation in her voice, and he knows this is probably about more than just him, that it's just clara just doing what she does, the way she looks out for anyone. he could keep denying her and she wouldn't stop insisting, because he knows her stubbornness. ]
I can ... hold on to it. [ it's the best he can do, probably. and he doesn't even think about why she'd leave him with one for marta, even if the logical explanation is likely just related to their shared gig here in town. ] I'll save it for a pinch. Or if someone else ends up needing it.
[There's an exhale the second he says he'll hold onto it. That's going to have to be enough. He doesn't lie to her and say he'll use it, and she's grateful for that. But if he holds onto it and he winds up needing food, it'll at least be there.]
If we manage to make it back, I'm going to make sure everyone has an individualized kit before the next mission.
[if nothing else, this whole thing has put her back on top of her game. she had been distracted for a while and slipped up. and she's going to be guilty about that for a long time. but she can't feel personally responsible for every orber starving out here. she has to push through that guilt and make sure everyone she cares about will be alright for as long as possible.]
So don't worry if you have to give it away.
[It's permission to do it, even though he doesn't need it.]
And I -
[she hesitates, realizing telling him this next part probably isn't a great idea.]
I'm going to look into getting my hands on some of the snakes that were mentioned. See if I can't come up with something everyone is able to eat.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ most of his gigs have been small fry, so. ]
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I need you to look into Chesper Branson. His name came up recently along with his wife's on a donation envelope inside the church. Which wouldn't be odd, especially given the size of the donation. except it was the only thing legible in the entire building.
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and you think he's actually worth looking into? not a religious guy myself but church donations seem pretty standard.
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I thought that at first, but the envelope with their names on it was the only thing legible in the entire church. That combined with the fact they share the same last name as the only boy I teach that seems to be exempt from the blank staring and looping everyone else in town does makes me feel like it's more than just a coincidence.
Jebediah has mentioned his Uncle Ches more than a few times. I have the location of his home, and am sending Hermann out to pay him and his mother Poppy a visit. Hopefully his father Welford Jr. is home, but I'm guessing that isn't likely with the hours Jeb says he keeps in the mines. I'm also speaking with Clarke to ensure that she can find the elder Welford Branson But I was hoping you would want to keep tabs on Chesper Branson.
I just have a suspicion the entire family might be important.
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then i'll find out what uncle chesper's up to. you know where the kid lives. you got a location on the uncle?
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[she's grateful for the fact she can recklessly toss herself into this mission and focus squarely on that. it gives her an end goal, a purpose. and that helps from making this feel awkward, like she had worried it might. they're just working together to get the job done. and she's incredibly grateful for that.]
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i'll see what i can dig up. whether i can work up a chat with him or at least see if there's anything he's hiding. and i'll get back to you.
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And thank you, Takeshi. For helping.
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[ because he doesn't necessarily want to get credit for it, or for it to be seen as a favor, as generosity. just all part of the gig they're already supposed to be doing. ]
text --> voice
the job we're here for. the job that you've been here for, for a month now.
[And after Leonard's warning, she's terrified for him. The urge to take care of him is still strong, even if she knows he's likely to resist her trying. But that doesn't stop her from doing it.
She switches over to voice so he can hear the edge of panic and heavy concern in her tone.]
You need to see Dr.McCoy to get a supplement pack. You've been here too long without proper nutrients.
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This sleeve's modified with neurachem. Military-grade. It's meant to be more durable and withstand longer than a body without the chemical modifications, nutrients included. I'll be fine.
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[there's the edge of humor in her voice as she gives an exasperated and soft laugh.]
But you know that won't stop me from worrying.
[about him specifically, right now, but also about every other orber that's here
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[ for one, because of the aforementioned reason he'd listed, knowing he's probably more capable of withstanding it than others might be. and ... for the fact that he doesn't want her concerned with him. ]
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Do you still worry about me?
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[ he only barely manages to cut himself from saying anything else, from speaking too honestly. because he doesn't know what he's supposed to do with that question, not when he's trying as hard as he is to maintain the proper space they both need. ]
Don't ask me that.
[ because it isn't fair. because the answer isn't a secret. because he's supposed to pretend otherwise. because his worry for her is the very thing that's put him in the situation that he's in. ]
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[Her response sounds properly mortified, voice small and genuinely apologetic.]
Sorry. It just came out.
[It's hard to tell if her generally perfect control over her thoughts and her communication with others here just slipped because she's so worried about what Dr. McCoy's message means, or because she's so fixated on the mission. She tries to push past that with a subject change.]
Do you remember the supply kits I was making?
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but it's hard to lie to her too, when he knows he can't veil his concern for her an she can see right through him anyway.
he sighs, wishing he didn't have to figure out any of it right now. ]
From ... a few months ago, right? I suggested the weapons. You said it might not be appropriate for all of them.
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the mission isn't the place to have that conversation, she thinks. it needs to happen when emotions aren't running high out of concern for survival. and there's just so much that she wants to say, it feels wrong to try and say it over this. it should be done face to face. she can be brave enough to do that.]
I brought a few of them with me. I'm going to leave a couple with you.
[They do not, in fact, have weapons inside of them. But there's food and water, which is more important right now.]
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I told you. I'm last priority. Save that stuff for someone who actually needs it.
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[She pauses, unsure if he'll allow her or even want her to call him that anymore. It comes out naturally, her pleading with him to let her do this. she's almost desperate to do something, any little thing she can to try and make sure he's taken care of. even if he stubbornly insists he doesn't need it.]
I'm leaving two. Give one to Marta. But please, for me, at least consider hanging onto the other for yourself.
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but he can hear the desperation in her voice, and he knows this is probably about more than just him, that it's just clara just doing what she does, the way she looks out for anyone. he could keep denying her and she wouldn't stop insisting, because he knows her stubbornness. ]
I can ... hold on to it. [ it's the best he can do, probably. and he doesn't even think about why she'd leave him with one for marta, even if the logical explanation is likely just related to their shared gig here in town. ] I'll save it for a pinch. Or if someone else ends up needing it.
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If we manage to make it back, I'm going to make sure everyone has an individualized kit before the next mission.
[if nothing else, this whole thing has put her back on top of her game. she had been distracted for a while and slipped up. and she's going to be guilty about that for a long time. but she can't feel personally responsible for every orber starving out here. she has to push through that guilt and make sure everyone she cares about will be alright for as long as possible.]
So don't worry if you have to give it away.
[It's permission to do it, even though he doesn't need it.]
And I -
[she hesitates, realizing telling him this next part probably isn't a great idea.]
I'm going to look into getting my hands on some of the snakes that were mentioned. See if I can't come up with something everyone is able to eat.
[She's sure everything will be just fine]