Coordination

§ 2025-10-11 22:14:01

[22:20] Mercifully, the Valcens allowed them to head back to 'their' room without supervision. Judging by the tension in Jason's body, the whole situation would just have escalated further if either of them had tried something like that. Out of earshot, Jason offered his unfiltered thoughts: "It's exhausting to feign polite conversation with a fucking monster."

...it raised the question how the conversation would have gone if he had put no effort into it, given that it had been plenty adversarial already.

[23:09] "Well, you did a good job, given the circumstances". Greg almost remarked that impoliteness would only cost themselves and innocent kavkema, but Jason obviously knew that well enough, so it would only annoy him further. "I'm afraid that with the Powers That Be of this planet, 'polite' is as good as it gets. And that it might have to be our survival strategy, in some straits; best to practice it". He wondered how level-headed *he* would be, had we witnessed the things Jason had. Perhaps Jason would have to be the voice of restraint then — a sobering thought.

[23:18] "Yeah, well, you and Saira can hopefully stop having to do any of that in the morning, once you're out of here. I don't fully trust that we'll be safe until then, but it's not like I have an immediate alternative." Jason's face was cycling through grimaces. "I can stay awake and guard you, though, for what that's worth without weapons other than my fingernails in my name."

[00:49] "Thanks, man. Although —" Although you shouldn't throw away your life for the sake of mine. "— let's try to be either outgunned or outnumbered, but not both". He grinned, to some degree. "I think we still have a chance of talking our way through until we're out of here, even if it's not going to be fun."

[01:02] Jason nodded a little numbly. He paused at the top of a flight of stairs and tiredly shot a glance into a corridor and its branching structures visible from his vantage point, realising he'd lost track if they were on the right level. For a few seconds, he held still, then inhaled sharply and nodded as he regained his bearing, leading Greg up another flight of stairs as he said: "I'm glad you're better." It wasn't the kind of mundane pleasantry he usually bothered with – 'we were worried you might die' was in there somewhere.

[02:01] "Me too — me too." That should have meant 'I'm glad you are better, too', but Greg couldn't be so sure that Jason was, in fact, better. The situation was taking a terrible toll on him. Greg should perhaps help him with navigation through the corridors, if he could — or perhaps Jason would feel better doing so by himself. "We'll make it". This was more of a cheer than a statement of fact.