"......." Jake was still silent for a moment.

"I... uh..." he stammered.

"Wait, wait, wait." he said.

"Hold the hell on." he said further.

"Back UP." he went on.

"You have an arm again? The replacement? Already?"

"....wow." Jake muttered.

"That was... surprisingly quick, all things considered." he commented.

"But that's pretty cool." he said further.

"A fully functioning mechanical prosthetic arm." he went on.

"...technology really IS something." he chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"Congrats."

Jake sighed quietly.

"I'm still being amazed by it constantly." he told her.

"Tech is... it just seems to break new boundaries." he went on.

"It's almost a miracle at this point." he shrugged.

"Regardless, good on you, getting it already... and at all." he reiterated.

"Here's hoping you get used to it sooner, rather than later."

"For sure." Jake agreed.

"And yeah, you really are adaptable." he laughed.

"Like, impressively so." he muttered.

"I'm sure this'll be no different." he then assured her.

"...can you manipulate your mana through that thing, anyway?" he then asked her.

"Hm." he mumbled.

"Yeah, I suppose that would be a bit much to ask, THIS early in obtaining it." he admitted.

"Right now, basic functionality should be the primary goal." he nodded.

"Well... I mean... just..." he then muttered, before sighing heavily.

"I really AM glad that you have a functioning arm once more." he told her.

"Seriously. I know you said you're good at adapting, and I know you are, but I could tell that losing your arm DID bum you out a little, to put it mildly." he then commented.

"It's nice to see a happy ending that has a chance to get even happier."

"Well, keep me up to date." he told her.

"I wanna know these things." he said.

"Anyway, how have things been otherwise?" he asked.

"I know that early on here, people would give you looks that you didn't much appreciate, but what about now?" he inquired.

"They still looking at you like an oddity?" he asked further.

"You haven't really said one way or the other."

"...." Jake was silent for a moment.

"He... he fought you... YOU... only have ONE arm... because of his pride?" he asked.

She nodded.

"And I'm guessing you won." Jake then said.

Again, she nodded.

Jake was silent once more, before bursting out laughing.

"Oh, that is PRICELESS!" he declared.

"Bet his pride is now shattered almost beyond repair!" he proclaimed.

"It's going to take some very serious cognitive dissonance on his part to come back from something like THAT."

Jake just continued to crack up at her imitating the man, before slapping the desk with his open palm a few times. It was so rare to see him show such... expressive and extroverted emotions, but she brought it out of him.

Seemingly naturally. Without even trying.

"Oh, man, I wish I could have been there." he said.

"Was there a crowd?" he asked.

"PLEASE tell me there was a crowd." he went on.

"Witnesses would make it SO much better."

Immediately, Jake's demeanour changed.

IMMEDIATELY.

"...........I see." he said.

"Interesting." he mumbled.

"Who was it, anyway?" he asked her.

"Just... so I know." he went on, returning to a more proper sitting position.

His tone was now a lot colder... and lot more emotionless.

But there was a definite undertone of venom to it.

"......" Jake was silent for a moment, before nodding.

"Ah, him." he said.

"Yes, I know him quite well." he told her.

He then just sighed and looked to be staring in the distance, thinking about something... and his eyes showed that these were... thoughts that weren't very nice ones, to say the least.

However, he quickly cleared his throat and returned to reality, before sighing.

"Anyway." he said.

"Other than THAT entitled asshole, things have been decently good here for you, as far as the people?" he asked.