[ Sometimes, a bird just needs to get kicked out of its nest.Â
Jake knows this because he has spent a not inconsiderable amount of his life watching nature documentaries at the gym on leg day. It's also the part of his brain that's hardwired to look for flaws, weak points of any pattern that could be fortified or improved — when something goes wrong, you break it down step by step, again and again, so the next time it happens, it simply won't.
Bob is not a weak point. Bob is — well, Bob. But Bob is a TOPGUN graduate and, soon, they're going to find out who's good enough to fly the uranium mission. In another month after that, they'll either be attending funerals or award ceremonies. Both options are going to attract a not-insubstantial amount of attention from certain brass from certain corners of the world.
Bob's going to live, obviously, because Phoenix is going to live, obviously. And because Jake Seresin thinks about flaws and success in equal measure, he knows whoever gets picked to fly is going to succeed and come back home. And thinking about that, and the mission, and Bob's significant lack of interest in public speaking when squeaky wheels get the grease, is honestly enough to give him hives. Not that Jake gets hives. His immune system is perfect. It's about the principle of the thing.
Taking great pity on him, because Hangman is Selfless, he picks the moment Bob finishes saying the word position to smoothly interject. ]
He's really underselling it. [ For good measure, Jake pats Bob's chest, as if to really put across how this is a Purely Selfless Request, And Don't Worry, Buddy, I'll Tell The Truth. ] Payback's just gone through a breakup. I mean, he was asking me about rings just last month. Great girl, lawyer at ACLU, and all he kept asking me was how to get the best conflict-free diamonds.Â
[ Because there is rarely ever a story Jake Seresin hates to tell, he leans in towards the counter. Astoundingly, Sarah seems to at least be curious enough to lean in, too, even if it's a subconscious movement. Jake's face goes elastic with incredibly convincing regret as he clicks his tongue against his teeth. ] Just didn't work out, though. And Bobby here— [ another pat, this time a little too firm as a clap on the back, ] —he's putting a whole shindig together. Payback's grandmother, God rest her soul, was the baking aficionado, and Bob remembered this story from flight school about just how much Reuben loved her hummingbird cake. [ Sympathetically, ] We're just trying to support him. Give him some good memories to replace the bad ones so he can start flying worth a damn, and come back in one piece.
[ Are there— tears, in the corners of Jake's eyes? No, because he's not a psychopath, but his green eyes start shining very, very earnestly.
Sarah's expression softens. But then, on a dime, she points a single, stern finger at Bob.
Now, kid, you tell me the truth. Is any part of what your friend just told me true, or is it all bullshit? ]
😌
Jake knows this because he has spent a not inconsiderable amount of his life watching nature documentaries at the gym on leg day. It's also the part of his brain that's hardwired to look for flaws, weak points of any pattern that could be fortified or improved — when something goes wrong, you break it down step by step, again and again, so the next time it happens, it simply won't.
Bob is not a weak point. Bob is — well, Bob. But Bob is a TOPGUN graduate and, soon, they're going to find out who's good enough to fly the uranium mission. In another month after that, they'll either be attending funerals or award ceremonies. Both options are going to attract a not-insubstantial amount of attention from certain brass from certain corners of the world.
Bob's going to live, obviously, because Phoenix is going to live, obviously. And because Jake Seresin thinks about flaws and success in equal measure, he knows whoever gets picked to fly is going to succeed and come back home. And thinking about that, and the mission, and Bob's significant lack of interest in public speaking when squeaky wheels get the grease, is honestly enough to give him hives. Not that Jake gets hives. His immune system is perfect. It's about the principle of the thing.
Taking great pity on him, because Hangman is Selfless, he picks the moment Bob finishes saying the word position to smoothly interject. ]
He's really underselling it. [ For good measure, Jake pats Bob's chest, as if to really put across how this is a Purely Selfless Request, And Don't Worry, Buddy, I'll Tell The Truth. ] Payback's just gone through a breakup. I mean, he was asking me about rings just last month. Great girl, lawyer at ACLU, and all he kept asking me was how to get the best conflict-free diamonds.Â
[ Because there is rarely ever a story Jake Seresin hates to tell, he leans in towards the counter. Astoundingly, Sarah seems to at least be curious enough to lean in, too, even if it's a subconscious movement. Jake's face goes elastic with incredibly convincing regret as he clicks his tongue against his teeth. ] Just didn't work out, though. And Bobby here— [ another pat, this time a little too firm as a clap on the back, ] —he's putting a whole shindig together. Payback's grandmother, God rest her soul, was the baking aficionado, and Bob remembered this story from flight school about just how much Reuben loved her hummingbird cake. [ Sympathetically, ] We're just trying to support him. Give him some good memories to replace the bad ones so he can start flying worth a damn, and come back in one piece.
[ Are there— tears, in the corners of Jake's eyes? No, because he's not a psychopath, but his green eyes start shining very, very earnestly.
Sarah's expression softens. But then, on a dime, she points a single, stern finger at Bob.
Now, kid, you tell me the truth. Is any part of what your friend just told me true, or is it all bullshit? ]