[ Jesse’s expression softens a little. He can’t let her off the hook completely, but… it’s familiar, what she’s saying. Not exactly the same, but he’s heard this story before: troubled kid with more than a few issues. A mentor in an unexpected place. It’s even got the betrayal, though it came at a different point in the timeline and at the wrong set of hands.

Jesse sighs and runs a hand back through his hair, leaving his coffee cup perched precariously on the armrest of his chair. ]

He was a good man once. One of the best. Raised me up more than anybody else ever did. But that man he was is dead, and I… I think this thing that’s left is pretty damn good at parroting him when it wants. It’s deceptive. Don’t know why it does the things it does, but it’s not safe to keep giving it a reason to do all that before we figure its motives out.

[ Because Reaper doesn’t do things out of the goodness of his heart. It would make no sense, set side-by-side with the mercenary’s other actions. Like killing Chloe, for one. ]

For all we know, it’s doing all that to gain your trust. Might be he wants to use it against you later.

[ Hadn’t Reyes done the same with him, if for a more magnanimous reason? ]