Zeke's heart was breaking in half to hear this. She thought this was all on her, and he wasn't sure what he could say to try and ease her mind here.

But it was then that Cain spoke.

"Nothing." he told her.

"Because you did nothing to make this happen." he said.

"This is nothing more than cruel circumstances leading to what was probably an inevitable conclusion." he commented, before pausing.

"Not... to speak out of line." he quickly said to Angela.

"It's just... I've seen... how things have been going, ever since you hired me." he commented, looking away slightly.

Zeke just sighed quietly.

They could say it all they want, but odds were that Lunet was still thinking she was at fault for this, and that she was being punished.

'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.' he thought.

'Damn it, Ana.' he cursed mentally, looking upwards slightly.

"..." Cain didn't know what to say here.

He was brilliant, yes, but he was no psychiatrist or psychologist. He couldn't help what she thought, and he didn't know if anything he could say would change her mind.

"For what it's worth, I've heard Hal and his girlfriend, Hollie, are really nice people." he told Lunet.

Zeke raised an eyebrow when she said that.

"Ah..." he stammered, unsure as to what to say to that.

"....crap." Cain muttered.

"I'll bet she overheard it." he said.

"When?" Zeke asked.

"Probably one of the times I was here later, and had put her to bed, and you paid me before I left, and we thought she was asleep." Cain replied.

"There's a chance she wasn't, or she got up to use the washroom or something." he continued.

"....admittedly, that is a very real possibility." Zeke said in response.

"I'll see what Mom and Dad are up to." Cain replied.

"Odds are they'll be out late again, and I'll be left to fend for myself, so it shouldn't be a problem if you let me stay." he told them with a shrug.

"Thank you." he added with a small nod.

"Seriously, you can have whatever you like." Zeke then told Lunet.

"You name it. Doesn't matter." he assured her further.

"...." there was silence on the other side, before she heard a deep sigh.

"Not really." she heard.

"Come in." Hal then said.

She proceeded to do, and saw that Hal had thrown his stapler against the wall, causing it to spring open, break, and spill staples everywhere.

"...a moment of frustration." he told her.

"I'm a very busy man, and Hollie's a very busy woman. And considering her position of power and influence... I might need to step down as head of the Unit, if something's not done fast." he went on.

".....you're not going to like what I have to say." Hal warned her.

"But... well, it's not BECAUSE of Lunet, but she's a big factor." he said.

"See, I'd been paying someone to be a live-in sitter for her, as Hollie and I aren't there for a good part of the day. Granted, we each make it a point to be there at SOME point every day, just so she knows we're not avoiding her, and that we're always here for her." he explained. "However, some time ago, circumstances in the sitter's life changed, and they were forced to quit the job. So I needed to find a new one." he continued.

"And that has been a bear of a task, to say the least." he admitted. "It's nearly impossible to find a live-in sitter that's qualified to deal with Lunet's... unique circumstances." he went on.

"I've been sneaking out of work more and more to try and be there for her when the temporary sitters I've hired needed to go home, but I can't keep doing that." he said further.

"And I absolutely refuse to give her up to another caretaker. I fear that would be even more damaging to her self-esteem and mental well-being." he then went on.

"So unless I can find another long-term live-in sitter for her... I may need to relinquish my position here." he finished, taking it back to his original reveal.

"............." Hal was silent for a moment.

"Really." he said.

"Hmmm, I see." he muttered.

"Yes... yes, admittedly, that DOES make sense." he went on, thinking about it.

"And it WOULD be an elegant solution..." he admitted further.

"All right then, I'll talk to him." he told her.

"...he still lives with his mother and father, right?" he asked her.

Hal just sighed.

"Maybe he thought I was more than capable of handling this." he said.

"And I was... for a time." he admitted.

"Hm." he then mumbled.

"I wonder if he'd be all right with actually living in my home for the time being..." he then went on.

"Actually becoming a bit of a permanent fixture, so to speak." he continued.

"I might stop by their home after I leave." he then added, scratching his chin.

"Thank you, Angela." Hal replied.

"Genuinely. Thank you so much for this." he told her.

After they'd ended their conversation, and she left, he picked up his desk phone and called the Callimachi's home number. After a few rings, Aedan answered.

"It's Hal." he said when she picked up.

"Mind if I stop by later tonight?" he asked.

"....admittedly, it's been a while since I had some nice cabbage rolls..." Hal muttered.

"But this isn't a social call." he told her.

"Well... it sort of is, and sort of isn't." he went on.

"Whether or not I'll be staying for dinner depends on when you'll have them done up." he then said.

"I won't be able to leave my office for about an hour or so." he informed her.

"If that'll be when it's ready, and I'm welcome, it'd be lovely to join you for dinner."