[ Jesse is a tough guy. He can handle a lot, and he’s pretty good at being immune to sob stories (given a lot of them are fake anyway, and as a grifter, he’s good at spotting those). But Ritsuka’s plea is nothing if not completely genuine, and it hits him hard. He’d been that scared kid once, but he’d never had the chance to ask anybody else for help. ]

… I’ll have to talk to Ashe about it. Make sure she wouldn’t mind, since this is technically her house, but… if it were up to me? I’d give you the okay right here and now.

[ He smiles, the expression soft and uncharacteristically sad. ]

And I don’t want to lie to you. Y’know we’re up to things here that aren’t strictly legal, right? It could make this a dangerous place to call home.

[ It’s not a no. But he wants Ritsuka to know what he’s getting into here. ]