cactusy | IC contact for lastvoyages

We, uh, kinda had a team dog, but he was mostly Finch's. He used to be a military dog - smart as a whip.

Finch would kill me if I asked for him to be brought here.

[Is that how this works? Would Finch even know? It's a weird thought either way.]

[ Yeah, Will doesn't know, either. Maybe time being wonky on the Barge means it wouldn't be noticeable? Regardless- ]

Yeah, probably shouldn't risk it. Well, you're welcome to Winston and Jet as 'team dogs' while they're here, even if they've never been military.

[ He could not be any fonder of them if he tried. His mouth is probably going to be sore tonight from all this smiling. ]

I try not to be too strict, but I want 'em to be safe.

So, the warden-inmate thing. That make us a team?

[She's still looking at the dogs as she asks, stroking Winston's ears and ruffling the back of Jet's neck, but there's only one person who she could really be asking.]

Well. Not a conventional one, since there's a different power dynamic. But I don't think that's honestly a bother to either of us. We're both working together toward a common goal.

So yeah. I think so.

Works for me. So how much do you already know about this whole... set-up?

Me?

[ He looks slightly confused, then shakes his head. ]

Not sure. I mean, I know you can request things on my behalf- obviously. [ He gives Jet a few pets, as an example. ] That includes restrictions, and probably magic? If you wanted it to. I'm supposed to redeem myself, but we're not told for what, exactly. If I manage that, I get my life and you get your Deal. And every pairing is different.

That's pretty much all I've been told. None of this is as bad as my time at the BSHCI, so I hadn't really asked around beyond that.

I'm supposed to redeem you.

[It's quibbling about wording a little, perhaps, but the distinction is a meaningful one to her.]

Not that that responsibility is out of your hands - but it's in mine, too.

[ Will's eyebrows go up as she corrects him, but her explanation makes sense. He wouldn't accept anyone else changing him. But if they're doing it together, then- maybe. He nods. ]

Well...okay, then. I can work with that. Although I'm not entirely sure where to start, on the redeeming thing.

[Neither is she, but it's very early days, which is why she's freely letting herself focus on concrete logistics.]

You know about the file. You know about the warden items? The communicator stuff?

[ It's how he handles floating abstract problems, as well, as much as possible. So he definitely understands this approach. ]

The warden items unlock spaces, right? Communicator...oh, can you read my messages?

[ He looks thoughtful for a moment, then huffs out a quiet 'huh'. It makes sense to him, but he hadn't really thought about that. ]

Track your location, too. But the Admiral wouldn't clone your whole communicator over to mine, which is... weird.

[She drums her fingers on Winston's back, lightly but restlessly.]

At home, we never tell the people we're looking after about any of that, even if we know for sure that they're the potential victim and not the perp. Too big a chance they'll freak out, or switch phones on us or something. Can't really blame 'em; we don't have any reason to trust them, and they don't have any reason to trust us. But it'd make it harder for us to keep them safe.

[ Will nods through her explanation as to why her team would do that sort of thing. And obviously she doesn't have to worry about that now, because Will can't just get a new communicator. But still- ]

Why tell me? Even if I'm not a flight risk, it's...me knowing means I can be more careful about it.

Harold, John, and Root usually know when I have a bug or tracker on them.

[She says this as if it's an answer in and of itself.]

I might not go for the "friend first, inmate a distant second" thing, but, uh... we're supposed to be thinking long-term here, right? You're not a mark I'm gonna save in a week and then never deal with again.

[ Will actually looks a little surprised at that first part. Not that she would tell them about a tracker, but that she seems to equate Will on some level. The rest of it smooths that out with more of a reason, as far as he's concerned.

He still smiles a little to himself. ]

Yeah, I guess that's true. This is a long-term assignment. Best to let me know so I don't have to find out in some possibly upsetting way later.

Well...I'm not sure what problem the Admiral had with cloning my communicator, but you could ask again now that we're permanently paired? Maybe it'd allow you more access.

Not a bad point.

[She says, and she will absolutely be following up on that idea with the Admiral later, but for now--]

Big revelations like that can really screw up an equilibrium, especially if they come out at the wrong time. Not a big deal for a temporary pairing, but for a permanent one--

Yeah, the dynamic changes.

[ He looks up at the ceiling and blinks a couple of times. Should he be more mad about this? He doesn't think so. He's a little surprised that he hadn't thought about it before, but he's gotten at least some level of comfortable here. The idea of someone having access to his communication- especially Shaw- feels more comforting than invasive right now. ]

Thanks, by the way. For treating me like I'm a real, reasonable person who'd understand why you might want to do that.

[She gives him a small, slightly awkward nod.]

I meant what I said, you know. You want a place with us, you got one.

[ It's something she's said before, but again- their dynamic was different. Will hears it, along with the weight of the words and what they hold for Shaw. He can feel the trembling warmth of a hand, reaching beyond the opaque plastic that covers Shaw's mind. In his own imagination, he secures the fingers between both of his own hands and clings to the simple warmth.

In reality, he looks up into her eyes and gives her a grateful smile. ]

Thank you. It's...likely, that I will. Let's talk about it again when I graduate.

[ Not 'if'. Not 'in the unlikely event'. ]

I know that I'd want to make sure of a few things first. Hopefully they'll be sorted out by then, but... [ He shrugs. Who knows what will happen before he graduates? ]

IC contact for lastvoyages

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