// @staffengineer sent, “ just trust me. please. ”
He laughs, the taste of bitterness upon his lips, a tang he hates more than he’ll admit. His caution is not borne of nature, an intrinsic part of his being, and it wars with his desperation eagerness to believe, to trust, to see ever the best. Yet caution demands more of him, and it’s more than his life on the line. ❛ Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it. But I’m not sure you know what you’re asking for. ❜
In any other situation, with someone other than him, her uniform ought to speak plenty for her trustworthiness, and a pang of longing lances through him — a fierce desire for Starfleet and all it had to offer. For the camaraderie and structure and certainty and potential. He does not ask her to justify herself, to offer proof of trustworthiness, though it’s the line required by such a narrative. He knows already: there’s no answer that will satisfy him.