"Yeaaah... That sounds like Athena, all right," Jeff admits, fond, but noticeably more grounded now, with his own hint of Concerned Dad running through his expression. He can't exactly blame her, knowing what her baseline for adults was before her aunt took her in. Getting to know Lenore over the past year, he knows how difficult it was for her to gain Athena's trust-- how hard it was for both of them to adjust to life with each other.
And he's seen how far she's come. Opening up, learning to trust, letting herself shine bright like she deserves. And then that fucking asshole, that piece of shit Eagan, almost took it all away from her. But with time and support, consistency, stability, Athena was coming back and...
And fuck. Now this. Now she's here. He chews on his lip in worry, then looks over at Doc.
(Which, if he knew the man's assessment of him, he would find it... hurtful! Hurtful and totally, totally accurate.)
"Oh. Next door, actually. I mean. For now. I don't know how long they-- you know, Raylan? Tim?-- I don't wanna overstay my welcome." But! More importantly, he changes the subject away from himself at the first possible opportunity: "So Athena, she was trying to go at it alone for a while there?"
It's a question, but... not. He can take a guess at how old habits would quickly resurface when faced with a terrifying, unfamiliar place after only just finding some fragile sense of stability.
no subject
"Yeaaah... That sounds like Athena, all right," Jeff admits, fond, but noticeably more grounded now, with his own hint of Concerned Dad running through his expression. He can't exactly blame her, knowing what her baseline for adults was before her aunt took her in. Getting to know Lenore over the past year, he knows how difficult it was for her to gain Athena's trust-- how hard it was for both of them to adjust to life with each other.
And he's seen how far she's come. Opening up, learning to trust, letting herself shine bright like she deserves. And then that fucking asshole, that piece of shit Eagan, almost took it all away from her. But with time and support, consistency, stability, Athena was coming back and...
And fuck. Now this. Now she's here. He chews on his lip in worry, then looks over at Doc.
(Which, if he knew the man's assessment of him, he would find it... hurtful! Hurtful and totally, totally accurate.)
"Oh. Next door, actually. I mean. For now. I don't know how long they-- you know, Raylan? Tim?-- I don't wanna overstay my welcome." But! More importantly, he changes the subject away from himself at the first possible opportunity: "So Athena, she was trying to go at it alone for a while there?"
It's a question, but... not. He can take a guess at how old habits would quickly resurface when faced with a terrifying, unfamiliar place after only just finding some fragile sense of stability.