Allison's head tilts and there's a flicker at the edge of her mouth, that doesn't quite become a smile. Or anything else for that matter, because her focus turns into returning words. Of course, I don't have to.

I want to.

It's short, but it doesn't quite feel like enough and Allison presses her lips, starting a second one, even as she rubbed one nail on the back of a different finger. Fidgeting, just barely. She doesn't know how many times she'll realize that Vanya doesn't know something all over again. How big Vanya knows nothing about the last three months is, when everything keeps coming up and for a second she assumes. Only to remember. That Vanya doesn't.

I hated my job when I first got here, and I chose not to go in a lot of days because I'd rather have set fire pretty much to the whole place with everyone in it. And, even then, it took me months, and several not so great reviews and paychecks, before I considered doing anything about it.

I don't want you to have to go through that if you don't have to.