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[Anyone who's met Jacobi for more than fifteen seconds would be forgiven in thinking that this isn't Jacobi. This isn't the same man who packed explosives gleefully while being a sarcastic brat all at the same time. But Jacobi knows this. He knows what this is. So he's cheerful in a way that he had to once be literally programmed into.]

Hey guys! This isn't so bad, right? We're definitely going to be alright, aren't we? I mean! At least we have some food and water and a place to sleep! That's progress and something we can look forward to! We just need to work together and keep our chins up, right?

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[It's easy to play the part when he isn't actually with anyone else. But Jacobi is frayed at the edges, and he knows that this won't last. There's even a time when he wishes for the regulator again. The very thing that had taken his freedom from him. And those times are when he paces his room like a caged tiger.

And that room is as much his prison as he makes it. Jacobi doesn't leave his room except when forced to work or forced to sing or forced to be social. He will take visitors, but he won't be pleasant to be around. He knows he can't graduate that way, but it just feels so good to be angry. Especially at first.]

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And B, while he still has grave misgivings about anyone willing to program another person whether they had experience with it themselves or not, has at least lost some of his anger over the past near-decade he's lived since then. And he's relative sure Jacobi won't do it again. Relatively.

He gives a wan smile. "It was a condition of them hiring me. Couldn't leave all the animals back on the Barge with nobody there to look after them. Also, I made a case to the Nurse for petting animals being well-known to reduce stress and increase happiness."

He motions at Jacobi with his single remaining hand, still holding Libby's leash. "Figured I'd offer for you to have a go, if you wanted. Thought it might help a little."

Jacobi toys with his ring. "Yeah, I'm not exactly a therapy guy," he says softly. "Not with animals. How did you convince them to let you on as an assistant?"

"Don't even mention therapy to me, buddy, my shrink was an asshole," B says, lightly enough do show he's not actually offended. "It's just an offer to maybe get some of the stress out. Because this place is stressful as hell."

He shifts the leash to his wrist and leans down a little to scratch behind Libby's ears, himself. "I didn't convince anybody, I was just asked if I wanted to stay in that tiny white room alone, or go help out on a ship where they're trying to make people happier." He looks away, down at Libby. "I think it's cuz I'm really good at pretending to be okay, which is all that matters. Lots of practice."

There's probably more to it, of course, but the pretending he figures is the important part.

He snorts. "They gave me the option to go to another ship. They didn't tell me I'd be flipping demoted for it."

Jacobi sniffs. "I'm pretending as best I can, but uh - I need therapy for what it took for me to act like that."

"Me, too," B agrees with a helpless little shrug. Anybody that needs to fake this hard didn't get there in a healthy way. Then, a little lower, "This. This ain't a good place. But we're stuck here for now. I wanna make it as easy on everybody as possible."

"How long do you have to be here before you can leave? I'm not sure how that works. I know they keep everyone trapped here for a while," he says softly, letting his hands dangle between his legs.

"So the process is: an assistant graduates a patient, by making them act sufficiently happy and calm and helpful," B explains. "But we don't get to leave, or get our deal, until that patient has been an assistant for three months with no slip-ups."

He sighs a bit, leaning back against the wall by the door, hand still on Libby's head. "And then the Nurse... checks up on us now and then. Out in the world. To make sure we're still 'happy'." Which is so, so wrong.

"I'd rather jump off a bridge," he says softly, sucking air through his teeth. He manages to make it sound cheerful, as if he's joking, as if this is all just a grand lark.

But he knows the truth of it. The truth of it is that if he has to live like this, he'd rather - not.

B's mouth makes a thin, unhappy line at that. "I hoping it won't come to that." Because he doesn't want to live like that, either. "The Authority put us here, but. I don't think they're done with us. They wanted to talk to Steve more. And they gave me the animals, as if what we wanted did matter, at least some."

"Hope is tricky," he points out. "It can easily get you killed. I'll do what I can to keep my head down, but I don't know if I trust this process."

"I don't trust this process, either," B agrees. "On this ship. But I'm not giving up hope that we can get out, either. That the Authority's just gonna forget. I-- can't give up yet. And if there's anything I can do to protect or help you out, or anybody from the Barge. I'm gonna do it."

"I don't need protection," he says firmly.

"Can you look after Taylor, though? She's - not doing well." He gestures to a small mattress on the floor. "And she's staying with me, but I can't keep an eye on her all the time."

"Or help you out," B repeats, but he shakes his head a little. It's not important if Jacobi decides he doesn't need anybody or anything. He's wrong, everybody needs somebody, but B can't just override his decision. He doesn't do that shit.

"I ran into Taylor earlier, yeah. I'll keep an eye on her when she's out and about, do what I can. It's gotta be so disorienting. Wish I knew anything about training dogs to be service dogs, I'd try'n get D to lead her around." He won't separate Libby from Steve, but D could certainly be put to work. If he knew how to teach him.

He thinks of the rocks in his pockets and how that might help, but he doesn't trust B enough yet to mention it.

But he does trust him to not get T hurt. That's the important part. Jacobi doesn't have anyone on this ship - he might as well keep her safe.

"I don't know why she landed here. Why this place was the most suited to her."

"Apparently the Nurse picked us, specifically. I don't know what about Taylor wasn't happy enough," B says with a frown. "Maybe the Nurse is prejudiced about bugs or something."

That gets a soft snort. "I think most people are. But at least she still has the ones she's got."

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cw: suicidal mention

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