Kale’s (primary) handler was first mentioned in 2017, and now, finally, here she is!

(…I took a background mage I’d drawn in a flashback storyline, and upgraded her outfit.)

This conversation probably could’ve been expanded into a whole short story-arc on its own. But I decided to keep it short — just enough to establish that Kale’s rehab team is in the loop for this friendship situation. Anything else they discuss won’t be shared here in an infodump, it’ll be held off until it comes up naturally due to Plot.

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Therapist’s office.

Therapist: Thorn? Come on in.

Thorn: About time! Now, can you tell me why you insisted on making this appointment? For once, I’m actually doing —

— oh. This is some official classified thing that you couldn’t explain over a call, huh.

Handler: Thorn Estragon. Nice to meet you. I hear you’ve been making friends with one of the assets I’m handling.

Thorn: That’s right. Do I have to talk around the details?

Handler: . . . no, I just like to make a habit of sounding cryptic.

[official Ceannic gov’t agent ID]

Thorn: Well, I can’t say I haven’t been expecting you . . . but why are we doing this at my therapist? Even if he does have the security clearance to hear it now.

. . . Are you planning to reveal something so horrible that you think I’ll need psychological care on-the-spot?

Handler: . . . not about the asset, no. I’m here to scan your mind — with your consent, of course — for any secret intention of exposing, hurting, or otherwise sabotaging him. The doctor’s here to witness that I did it right.

Thorn: . . . You have consent. For that. Do I need to lie down, or —

Handler: (runes) He cool? (/runes) It’s done.

Thorn: I’m a little concerned about how easy that was.

Handler: Only with permission. If you were resisting, you could hold me off for a while . . . though you likely couldn’t do much against the asset at full power.

Thorn: I did not consent for you to read that I’ve ever worried about that.

Handler: It wasn’t from your mind. I worked out that you’d be serious about risk assessment by reading your résumé.