Re: Sage & Jasper (early in the party)
Jasper gave a dry chuckle at the last bit, fully aware that Sage wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for Marsh. There was no imposition there. He related to the sentiment of not wanting to bother anyone, though. When he’d talked to Greer she had seemed to have her shit together much more than he did, and even with the generous offer of conversation and help, he couldn’t seem to bring himself to reach out to her. It didn’t sound like Sage was any better at that, so Jasper couldn’t even piggyback off of his connections. The thought of talking to Ty made his skin crawl a little, but that came from a lifetime of conditioning that said cops were the enemy no matter what. “Yeah,” he said slowly, then sighed. “I mean, I’m close to Elodie, I guess, but she’s ... not really helpful to talk to.” Elodie needed a dedicated psychiatrist of her own, but he would never say that to her. “Greer gave me her number, but I haven’t called her yet. Everybody just keeps telling me to talk to the others, and I just ... I dunno.” Jasper shrugged.
Sage was no more fond of cops than Jasper was, but Ty had won him over. It helped that he’d spent time with him out of uniform, that he’d been sympathetic to Sage’s fear response instead of annoyed or disgusted. Or at least he’d managed not to show it. “I guess I worry that I’ll be a burden, and that I don’t have that right with someone I barely know. Like, I’d be fine if someone reached out to me, but if it’s the other way around and they’re doing fine, why put that on them? We already have so much shit to deal with.” There was more to it, of course, like feeling that asking for help made him weak, even if he knew it was normal after an ordeal like the one they’d been through. It was somehow a relief to know Jasper was struggling, even if he wouldn’t have wished it on him. “You know, if you ever wanted to chill, with, like, the option to talk, but without the pressure, I’m around. I mostly get high and play video games though,” he said with a little laugh. “Don’t know if that’s your speed.”
He related so hard to worrying about being a burden and putting people out ... growing up with an always-working father and a batshit insane mother, asking for help hadn't really felt like an option. He and his dad were on better footing now, but it was hard for Jasper to be honest with him all the time. Sage's offer drew a short laugh out of him, and Jasper grinned. "Man when I'm not working that's about all I'm doing too,” he admitted. He saw Jules and Logan sometimes, of course, but he'd been staying in like a hermit more often than he ever had before the fog. "So yeah that's totally my speed. I'll probably take you up on that.” He paused. “And like, if you ever need company ... you got my number.” He reached over to lightly clap Sage on the back of the shoulder. It felt like a safe offer to make, in spite of that other time they'd hung out. Sage had a boyfriend now, and Jasper's love life was tangled enough. He really just wanted to return the offer of support. Maybe it would do them both good.