Jake paused when she made her 'friend' comment.

He wondered if it was HIM that she was talking about. He could see reasons for her meaning him, but he didn't want to be so presumptuous as to make that vocal assumption. Plus, he didn't care really about the specifics. She had a friend... a real friend... and that's what mattered.

"Good." he replied.

"Glad to hear it." he told her.

"This place can do wonders for one's outlook in general." he continued.... before then just sighing.

He had to know.

"By the way..." he muttered.

"You... you referring ME with that friend thing...?" he asked hesitantly.

Jake merely chuckled.

"Was gonna say." he said.

"Ilias is a cool guy, but... don't see him making super-close friends with you." he commented.

"You're a bit too... exuberant... for him." he went on.

"You'd probably come on a bit too strong for him." he clarified.

"Also... for real, thanks." he then told her.

"My job's gotten... better than I could have ever expected since you started stopping by regularly."

"Oh, yeah." Jake replied.

"That Levi kid's all right." he said.

"...well, when he's having a good day, anyway." he muttered.

"Poor fella has a REAL rough life." he sighed.

"But he's always found a way to keep going forward." he continued.

"Gotta respect him for that."

Again, Jake sighed.

"He doesn't like talking about it." he said.

"Hell, I only know about it because... well... I'm security. It's kind of my job." he mumbled.

"But I'm sure that once you get closer to him, he'll open up." he went on.

"And yeah, you're not the only curious one." he continued.

"Some have even tried to pry it out of him in the past."

Jake smiled slightly.

"Good." he replied.

"Because those that pried... or tried to... don't work her any longer." he told her.

"For... well, various reasons." he mumbled.

He then paused, before laughing slightly.

"I make him sound like he's some sinister mob boss, when he's anything but!" he exclaimed lightly.

Jake paused for a moment, and looked at her.

And sighed.

"Stressed." he said.

"Her current employer's a jerk." he told her.

"After her contract is done, I'm going to see about getting a day off from Sharp." he went on.

"Spend the day with her and give her some pampering." he continued.

"She deserves it."

Jake just snickered lightly.

"Believe me, she really wants to, herself." he said.

"But he's a big name, and her professionalism will do wonders for her reputation." he told her.

"Even if, at the end of it, he terminates the contract himself, or gives bad reviews, the fact that she'll have stuck it out to whenever the end is will make her VERY attractive to other employers." he explained.

"Dude's almost an unofficial 'rite of passage' for contract workers." he lamented.

He then looked at the hand that SHE looked at, and sighed.

"Give it time." he told her.

"I'm sure that, given some time, you'll soon have a literal bone-crushing grip with it."

"Same." Jake replied.

"...the guy's made subtle comments about how she looks, apparently, but he knows JUST how far to go before an actual lawsuit is viable." he told her.

"He's a creep, but a smart one." he sighed.

"She's already forced me to swear I won't do anything." he went on.

"And I doubt I would, anyway. Mainly because if something were to happen to him, it wouldn't look good for HER." he reasoned. "Plus, she's more than capable of taking care of herself." he added with a shrug.

"I'll tell her you wish her luck and such."

"Nothin' wrong with that." Jake responded.

"Everyone's different." he told her.

"Still, the thought of you owning his ass is hilarious and satisfying." he then said.

"For now though, concentrate on your arm." he suggested.

"Get it up to snuff with your other arm, or as close as it can get."

He smirked as well.

"Gotcha." he said.

"I'll remember that." he told her.

With that, he stretched his arms out and looked at the clock on the wall.

"Hm." he mumbled.

"Lemme see..." he mumbled, checking the clipboard on the desk.

"Great..." he muttered.

"Some suits are gonna be here soon to ask the boss some questions." he told her.

"Like, a semi-annual checkup."